Authorial voice

 A new blog post so soon?! I have the time and something on my mind -- and that is, the importance of finding your own voice as an author, whether of fiction or non-fiction. By that, I don't mean stubbornly clinging to what you have written, regardless of the feedback of others. I mean learning to distinguish between useful, valid criticism which will improve your story and criticism which is basically "I would have written it this way." My response to that is, "Please feel free." 

Every successful author develops an individual voice -- Dickens didn't write like Austen or even like Trollope; Stephen King doesn't write like J.K. Rowling; Hemingway didn't write like Faulkner. That voice attracts their readers and holds them. It gives the author's works their individual flavor and also adds a level of authenticity to them. The writing flows naturally and the characters and actions are authentic to the setting and theme, as the author is writing authentically and naturally. It's painfully obvious when someone is trying to write in the style of another (other than parody, of course) or to a checklist or template. 

This is the reason that I tend to avoid writer's workshops taught by other authors. Too many of them simply teach authors to write to a formula, to obscure rather than develop their own voice. I'm sure that they honestly believe what they are promoting, as it is what has worked for them. What they don't seem to understand is that it is not suitable to every genre, every audience, or every author.

The same can be said of literary agents. My limited experience with them was that they want authors whose works imitate whatever is topping the best seller lists today. It never seems to occur to them that those best selling authors, regardless of genre, are there because of their individual voice, not in spite of it. 

When I taught storytelling, I emphasized the importance of developing your own voice and style. I was always thrilled when the final performance rolled around and every student had developed an individual style that suited their personality. They also had learned to select stories that built on their individual strengths as storytellers. And every single student was effective, whether holding us rapt with a slowly building tension or making us laugh through humorous antics. They were all confident in their own voice. 

So, how do you develop your own voice as an author? First and foremost, you read -- you read deeply and widely. Partly to study the voices of others, but also to find which "voices" resonate with you and which voices you admire and want to emulate. If you only ever hear one voice, that's the voice you'll measure yourself against and it may be the wrong one. And you can study others' techniques that you might want to employ. 

Second, practice writing. Write in different styles and different formats. Write for different audiences. Experiment with different voices. Utilize those techniques you saw in the works of others. You may find that you have one voice for short stories and another for novels and yet another for blog posts. You'll likely find that some forms of poetry feel natural while others are totally alien. 

Third, seek feedback from other readers and other writers -- but only after you feel confident that you know your voice and your audience. Others can identify weaknesses that you want to resolve and they can also identify certain strengths that you want to build on. Use this feedback to improve and hone your voice, not to change it. 

And, yes, you might even attend writers' workshops taught by other authors. At this point, when you have confidence in your own voice, you'll be able to sift through the advice and keep the kernels while discarding the chaff. 

Catching up on how many months?

 My excuse is that I've been writing like a mad woman in all of my spare time. I've finished the second novel in the series, French Toast ala Santa Fe, and have sent it around to beta readers. My writer's group, Write Minds with the SouthWest Writers, is also reading it 3000-4500 words at a time. 

I was also interviewed by Oleg Kagan for his "Shelf Talks" blog. Please visit it at https://olegkagan.com/posts/shelf-talks-11-suzanne.html

The past couple of months I've been working on short stories for the SouthWest Writer's annual short story contest, which opens June 1. I'd love to post them here, but they must be unpublished, so ... you'll just have to wait until the contest is over! So far, I've written four -- and it occurs to me that I probably shouldn't describe them here on the very remote chance that one of the judges should stumble upon this blog. Very remote, but non-zero. 

Oh, yes, and I retired as of May 19, 2024! Lots of paperwork with that. I preferred to hand carry it rather than send so much personal identifying information through the mail, so I was literally driving around Baton Rouge to deliver it. This afternoon is my farewell tea. I'm wearing a garden party hat. Photos to follow. 

We put the house up for sale, which involved a pre-inspection in March that revealed that we needed a new roof due to hail damage. Thankfully, the insurance covered the bulk of that. Due to the frequent thunderstorms, it was the end of April before it was finally installed. It looks fabulous!

In the meantime, there was the decluttering and accompanying trips to Habit Restore and Purple Cow thrift store. Finally, cleaning, getting the yard in shape (which required 26 bags of mulch) and professional photos, and we went on the market on Friday, May 10. Two showings on Saturday and an offer on Sunday. Four more showings through the end of that week and a back-up offer. My head is still spinning. Their inspector the end of that week and a few more repairs -- biggest one being the new water heater. We opted to do that rather than offer a home warranty so that there will be no problems with insurance. 

So, we're looking at a closing date of June 28 and arrival in Albuquerque on July 1. I met with a realtor when I was there in February and we've been pre-approved for a new mortgage, so the house hunting will begin!

In the meantime, I've begun the third novel, Cold Vichyssoise Soup. I'll be submitting the first chapter in the "First chapter of an unpublished novel" category. This one takes its own detour and is focused on Route 66 in Albuquerque. Prudence investigates a murder among a troupe of vaudevillian performers staying at a motor court on the Mother Road. It's going to be a more traditional murder mystery, just to see if I can do it. It will include a brown-and-white performing terrier named "Miss Mamie." 

 Oh, yes, one more bit of good news. My Valentine's Day flash fiction made it into the SouthWest Writer's Association Newsletter, Sage. It's on page 5. They even found a site with a copycat recipe! For those who are not aware, Zulu King Cake is an Ambrosia Bakery original.

https://www.southwestwriters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/FebSage2024.pdf

 So excited to announce that I have signed a contract for the publication of  Fried Chicken Castañeda with Artemesia Publishing. Anticipated release date is Spring 2025. 

What this means is that I've removed the self-published versions from sale at Amazon and B&N. Any of you who purchased a copy now have a collector's item. 😂 

Will the title change? Maybe. I kind of hope not, but I'm not going to argue about it. Will the cover change? I certainly hope so! I am not now nor have I ever pretended to be a graphic artist. Will the contents change? I would imagine so, to some extent, to make it more marketable. But the characters, setting, and basic plot will remain the same. 

It also means that while my book will eventually return to Amazon and B&N, it will also find a place in real, live, honest-to-goodness bookstores! Something I could not do on my own. 

In the mean time, work continues of French Toast a la Santa Fe. My writing group continues to provide valuable feedback and to catch all those internal contradictions. I'm starting to plan the next two books, in broad, general terms. The next book will be set at the Alvarado with a side trip to Taos -- I think. The fourth book will pick up right after Prudence finishes her training. The details of the training are of interest to me, but they do not a compelling story make, and it will be time for her and Jerry to resolve their relationship. 

I haven't forgotten about a Fred Harvey cookbook for the 21st century, either, but that is definitely a post-retirement project. Did I mention that I'm retiring May 18? And that we will be moving to Albuquerque just as soon as we can sell the house here? Well, I am and we are! So many changes coming up!

A blog entry not about Fred Harvey! Well, not entirely. I made Harvey House flannel cakes for breakfast this morning, but that's neither here nor there -- although they were very nice. I used buttermilk instead of water, so they were yeasty and tangy, as if I had used sourdough starter. But I digress. 

The real topic is Southwest Writer's Association newsletter's monthly writing challenges and how responding to them is a way of expanding my skills and abilities. It will also give me a fresher view. The February writing contest is, not surprisingly, a 100-word flash fiction or 3 stanza poem on the topic of love. So, I submitted the following : 

Greater Love Hath No Man 

He lifted the lid of the cake safe. There was one slice of Zulu king cake left. He breathed in the warm aroma of chocolate and vanilla and coconut. He savored the memory of the soft, sweet pastry, the smooth and tangy vanilla cream cheese filling, and the dark fudgy icing. He recalled the nutty taste of the shaved coconut and the sudden explosion of flavor when biting into a chocolate chip hidden in the cream filling. He sighed and replaced the lid as his wife entered the kitchen. 

“You have the king cake for breakfast,” he said.

I do hope I haven't violated any policies, but there's nothing in the newsletter about not posting it online and it's not as if I have a following in the millions. 

 Eeek! Has it been two months already? Goodness me! Well, my excuse is that I was waiting for the Fred Harvey History Weekend in Santa Fe October 27-29. https://fredharvey.info/event/history-weekend/

I flew into Santa Fe on October 26. I did not know that airports such as this one still operated. They say it has two gates. Oooookay ... sure.  They wheeled a ramp up to the door of the plane, we all exited, then walked around to a temporary building (looked like a cargo container) which is serving as baggage claim. It has a square hole in one narrow end with a long roller table extending through from outside, angled down. They just shoved each bag through the hole! We passengers were laughing so hard, it took a minute or two for us to start pulling the bags down the table to make room for more! 

This is THE event for anyone and everyone interested in Fred Harvey, Harvey Houses, the Harvey Girls, the Southwestern Indian Detours, and even the Santa Fe Railroad. The La Fonda and the Old Santa Fe Inn offer special room rates to FredHeads for the entire weekend! The lectures/presentations/film showings are all in the auditorium of the New Mexico History Museum on the Plaza in Santa Fe.  "The Harvey Girls" with Judy Garland was shown Thursday afternoon and Sunday morning. I was surprised to discover that I had never before seen it!

Topics covered included Fred Harvey (natch), the architecture of the Castañeda (where was this when I was writing my novel? I wasn't far off, but I didn't know about the lunch counter and the actual configuration of the kitchens. Aw, well, it is historical fiction, after all), Harvey Girls, the discovery of new material about the Couriers (!! they found Thomas' original materials in, of all places, Wyoming), and a special sneak peek at an upcoming documentary on the Railroad Station in American Life. 

This year there was a reception on Friday night with pulled pork (did I really travel all the way from Baton Rouge for pulled pork? 😂) and shredded beef sliders, coleslaw, black bean empañadas, and, unexpectedly, ratatouille. Also beverages. I have to admit that it was rather crowded, as something like 350 people attended this year's event! That's a good problem to have. 

Saturday night's gala banquet was amazing, if noisy due in part to the open bar and mostly to the auction. Gorgeous red wine at the table. Also a white, but I didn't taste it. Our gift of an exclusive Mimbreno pottery spoon rest. 

Passed hors d'oeuvres included duck pate and fig jam on brioche, Little Orange pancakes with smoke salmon and caviar (just pass that tray this way and set it down in front of me), and tiny shot glasses of lobster in what I think was pico de gallo. I'll take a tray of those, too. Dinner was a filet mignon (I think -- I'm not an expert on cuts of beef) that almost cut itself, roasted cauliflower and broccoli (I'm forgetting ... ) on some kind of puree. Dessert was what they called chocolate mousse, but ... not any mousse I'm familiar with. A thick layer of chocolate ganache over a chocolate pudding. A bit grainy, if I'm honest, but it was dark chocolate. It was rich and decadent and who cares what it's really called?

When I left the La Fonda to head back to the Old Santa Fe Inn, the first Santa Fe Day of the Dead parade had begun at the Plaza. It was magical! A long procession of Santa Fe-ans with painted face, many in costume, holding lit candles walking slowly around the Plaza. Also, several Big Heads (Cabezudos) on stilts. I stood and watched as long as I could, then promptly got lost on my way back to the Inn. Thank goodness for GPS! And a data plan! Because I wasn't going back to the Inn. I was going in precisely the opposite direction. 

Sunday morning was the "Harvey Girls" feature, lunch at the Plaza Cafe (https://www.plazacafedowntown.com/), then a free concert at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, courtesy of a new FredHead friend (not sure she wants her name here on my blog). 

Monday was more sightseeing -- revisiting places I've been before -- and lunch at The Shed (https://sfshed.com/). I should note that I had lunch at the Pantry Rio (https://www.pantryrio.com/) on Friday. All places I'd eat again. 

Return flight on Tuesday was again a time warp experience. I was "randomly selected" to have my carry-on searched and my electronics tested, and when I got home, I discovered that my checked bag had been searched, as well. Hmmm ... Still, the flights themselves were uneventful. 

The real struggle now is to focus on my "real" research and put off the book on the Couriers that I am now determined to write until next year. 

What are "combinations?"

I have found a writing group (whoo-hoo!) and have already benefitted greatly after just two meetings. First and foremost, I feel like a REAL WRITER! I'm in a GROUP. And five other people are going to read my stuff and give me feedback! Secondly, of course, are the critiques themselves which provide helpful suggestions and different perspectives. One question that nearly everyone asked about the segment I submitted this week -- the first 3,000 words of the first chapter of the second book -- was "What are combinations?" Prudence has wrapped her real jewelry in her combinations, at the bottom of her bag. Huh? Wrapped them in what? 

Although combination underwear was first introduced in the Victorian Era, with knee-length bloomers, the "combinations" Prudence and other flappers wore were basically what we would call a "teddy" today -- a one-piece undergarment that combined (get it? combined -- a combination) the camisole and the drawers in one. They were usually of silk (or rayon or even cotton for the rest of us) and were worn by younger women, just as teddies are today. Older women might still be wearing the Victorian combinations that they donned as young women or a corset and bloomers.

Why "combinations?" Why plural? For the same reason we say "panties," "shorts," or "drawers" ... which, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is because the words are "plurale tantum. The Oxford English Dictionary defines plurale tantum, which is Latin for “plural only,” as a “noun which is used only in plural form, or which is used only in plural form in a particular sense or senses.” Bifurcated items (things that can be divided into two), such as pants, fall into this category. Think of items that are usually referred to in plural—often preceded by “pair of” or something similar, even when there is only one item: pliers, glasses, scissors, sunglasses, tweezers, etc. So, pants is a type of noun that is used only in its plural form, even when there is only one item being discussed." https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-say-a-pair-of-pants

I will note that not every site uses the plural, but every work of fiction that I've read from the period does -- if it mentions such things. Most don't. 

Why wear combinations? It gave a nice smooth line under those tubular silk dresses they wore. The same reason that women wear bodysuits and teddies today. 

 There are dozens of examples all over the internet. Sometimes they are called "step-ins" because, you know, you stepped into them, or "cami-knickers," but that sounds very British to my ear. One site says that they were called a "chemise," but that would be a what we today call a full slip or a camisole, as in the photo below on the right (your right). 

https://witness2fashion.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/1925-april-combinations-chemise-drawers-500-w.jpg

http://afewthreadsloose.blogspot.com/2014/02/my-favorite-1920s-teddies-and-free.html

You can also see examples in pre-Code Movies. I was going to post a couple of photos from this site, but I couldn't pick just one! I love the title "The Pre-Code Era: Just a Lot of Underwear." 

Here's a YouTube video of clips, called "Pre-Code--The Unmentionables." 

And if you're wondering how a flapper answered a call of nature in a one-piece undergarment -- the crotches had buttons. Just like bodysuits in the 1970s had snaps. It was also possible that they had a split crotch. I can't find too much about this issue online.