Published in German!

My article "How to be an Authentic Writer" - originally published in The Edge Life Magazine - has also been published in the German magazine, Spiritual Times. Find it (if you are feeling ambitious about your translating abilities) at ~


http://www.s-t.net/index.php?t=4&id=336

Das Gut!

Published in Edge Life Magazine / Jan 2006 Issue

My recent article "Being an Authentic Writer" has been published in Edge Life Magazine, an on-line and monthly paper format magazine distributed in the Upper MidWest of the US. See the link below to go to the Edge Life site or read the article below.

ARTICLE
http://edgelife.net/article.php?id=0147

EDGE LIFE WEBSITE
http://edgelife.net/index.php


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Being an Authentic Writer


What does it mean to be authentic in one’s intellectual and creative pursuits? From a writer’s perspective, it means that you are being true to your art form and loyal to the creative process. From the magical world created in fiction to the colorful, musical landscapes of poetry, to the thought provoking paragraphs of nonfiction prose, writers strive to be true to their subject matter and to the complex characters they bring to life on the page.

All writers try to achieve a level of authenticity in their work. As a fiction writer, I am constantly re-reading my pages for the day, wondering if my characters are believable, engaging and true to the story. Does each character have a unique voice? Can my readers picture a three-dimensional, living, breathing person when they read about Carla’s romantic misadventures in Dinner Dates, or can they suspend their disbelief when the narrator meets an angel in “Gertrude in the Park”? It’s my job to make sure they do. When writing a poem about a Native American walking alone with two horses, am I able to describe not just the colors of his horse blanket and the expansive sky but also the internal struggles that he faces as he travels alone with no belongings? I have to give voice to that character’s emotion or else the poem falls flat and loses its authenticity. In writing an article for a newspaper or a magazine, the facts must be checked and double-checked. The information must be delivered in a way that is at once succinct and engaging. All writers must believe in what they are writing in order for it to be believable.

My favorite books to read are those in which the author creates a main character so real, so authentic that I actually miss the character upon finishing the book. Like a longed for friend who lives in another state or country, I wish for more chapters to get to know the character even better and to simply bask in his or her presence. This is not only an authentic, genuine experience for the writer but for the reader as well. I read engaging literature in the hopes that all of this authentic talent will rub off on me in my own work. I search through my personal caverns for fiction and create characters I would most like to have a heart-to-heart conversation with, and then I hold my breath – suspended – in this state of earnest authenticity.

What does it mean to be authentic as a writer? It means having your characters live in truth and backing them up with a written stage. If the imagination opens the door to other worlds, then the originator of that fiction must be authentic with every word set forth on the page to keep that enticing door open.



Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2006

Crack Open the Books for Autumn Reading!

Something Old, Something New ...

Here are some titles that I've read over the past 2 months which I would like to pass on to any other avid readers to peruse for analytical, probing novels that focus on human interaction, personal decisions, and connecting with those we love.

1) The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg
2) The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
3) Mercy by Jodi Picoult (of course, one of my favorite authors)
4) In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner (books are always deeper than their cinematic counterparts, so at least see the film AFTER reading this.)

Book Discussion of Vanishing Acts

I just finished reading Jody Picoult's novel Vanishing Acts and loved it! This is the 6th novel I have read by the New Hampshire-based author, and she always manages to leave the reader wondering about where they stand on issues. I don't want to write a spoiler here, so I will just say that she incorporates her trademark twists of the tale, in fact, several. Picoult skillfully explores issues of identity, child custody, divorce, trust, memory, alcoholism, Native mythology, the violence of the prison system, and yes - there are some fingernail biting courtroom scenes. Her writing is always engaging. Enjoy and be on the lookout for 2 new novels coming out in March 2006 and 2007.

If you are an avid fan of Jody Picoult and also a writer, explore her website which has message boards about each of her novels as well as advice for writers.
www.jodypicoult.com

Publishing News!

YAWP Magazine (Ottawa, Canada) will be publishing my poem "Alone" in their Summer 2005 issue.

Web address for the De Grazia Gallery in the Sun for images of all of Ted De Grazia's paintings.

www.degrazia.org

ALONE by CMRN
(Inspired by a painting by Ted DeGrazia)

Two horses walk
into the milky white expanse of the desert.
One rider guides the path
that casting shadows lead.

A weathered red blanket rests
on his shoulders like a torchlight.
The sky is a pale turquoise
that has been white washed by the sun.

Alone – the rider bends forward
as if the very thought of his journey
weighs heavily on him,
curving his weary spine.

“I have been here before,” he thinks.
“My people have always walked this land,
and I shall be here again.”

This thought echoes
beneath the horses’ hooves.
A vibration moves the earth just slightly
until the ground hums a familiar refrain.
The rider is no longer alone.

History rises like steam
and he sees not an endless journey,
but a road filled with Light.

Pausing to gently lower himself off his horse,
the rider allows his dry, cracked feet
to be bathed by the golden earth.
It is shimmering with glinting flecks of agate and granite.

“I have new shoes,” he thinks,
“and now I will walk.”

Ink-worthy List of Books for Summer Reading

The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
The Elegant Gathering of White Snows by Kris Radish