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I Think I Thought I’d Remember

Karin Kallmaker Book News, Painted Moon 25th Anniversary Edition

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25 years ago there was a lot of life I didn’t know was going to happen. I didn’t know I’d have two fully grown kids, that the Rolling Stones would still be touring, or that dot-com was going to be an economy. I didn’t know same sex couples would be able to get married everywhere, though I sure hoped so.

I also didn’t know the meaning … of … restraint … when it came to ellipses. And I sure didn’t know that I’d deeply regret not starting and maintaining a spreadsheet to keep track of names of characters, their careers, where they lived, what time of year the story took place, and physical characteristics of my leads.

I don’t even remember if I simply thought I’d remember, and there’s irony for you.

And Then I HAD to Remember

When releasing a 25th Anniversary edition of Painted Moon became a thing, I was thrilled because Jackie Frakes and Leah Beck are two of my favorite people. We were great friends all those years ago, though we’ve only spoken briefly in the twenty-five years since, when I wrote “Smudges” for Frosting on the Cake Volume 1 (This short story is now added Read More

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Arting Your Heart Out – Introvert Writer Self-Care

Karin Kallmaker Craft of Writing, LIFE + STYLE, Resources 1 Comment

We saw two plays this week. One was the tippity-top of Broadway shows, complete with a stellar cast and top notch production values in a 2200-seat theater with state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and set design. The other was a local production with local actors of a classic comedy in a 90-seat theater without state-of-the-art anything.

One is the culmination of the best work that hundreds of people can bring to a blockbuster theater project. The other is an underfunded labor of love. I value both equally.

As a writer, experiencing Read More

meme can't marry a man you just met

Instalove, Because I Said So, and Frozen

Karin Kallmaker Because I Said So, Book News 0 Comments

Instalove is a romantic story telling trope of long standing. It shows up so often in Shakespeare, for example, a person could think it’s how all relationships happened. The Romans invented Cupid’s Arrow to explain the irrationality of it (and to excuse a lot of rape, but I digress).

In The Little Mermaid, Mermaid falls for Land Guy cause he’s pretty or something. Land Guy is into someone else and it doesn’t go well. At least that’s how it goes in the original version, which is a cautionary tale about Love At First Sight, and, of course, there is no such caution in the Disney version. (See P.S. below.)

Why can you marry a man you just met according to a thousand years of stories? True love. Love explains all. Read More

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So I Had This Idea 2019 – From Idea to Published Work

Karin Kallmaker Events and Appearances, Sisters of the Pen 2 Comments

Every writer I know has doubts – they come with the job. On top of that, once the Googlerithmz realize we’re writers, every third online ad has a new way, a rediscovered old way, a better way, the best way, the only way to be a writer.

Know what I say to that? Hooey. (It’s a technical term.) The only wrong way to write is not to write. After that, whatever works is what works.

Every year I have the good fortune to be reminded of this fact when I moderate a panel of recently published writers Read More