PAULA WHYMAN
curiouswriter

In which we wonder about writing, food, music,  
& random curious events. 

Friday night, Stephen Elliott read from his new memoir, The Adderall Diaries, at Teaism in Washington, DC, for an appreciative audience that included a number of other writers and artists. He talked at length about the process of writing memoir, and one point that really struck me was when he warned that if you're going to write about something real, you can't go halfway. It doesn't work. The reader will always know when you're faking it or pulling back from a tough subject.

So here's a note to all my relatives: It's too late! I know everything.

Below, some pics from the event. Unfortunately, the weird light on the wall threw off my flash, which may explain the demon eyes...

This was a great way for readers to get quality time with an author, minus the barrier of the bookstore gatekeepers. (No offense intended to the bookstore gatekeepers, of course.) Someone suggested we do a series of these events. I'd be up for that.

Here, also, is a link to Leslie Pietrzyk's Work in Progress blog, in which she describes Stephen Elliott's talk at Teaism, specifically his advice to writers about how to do the delicate work of letting people know they're characters in your book, among other pertinent issues.

And, here's a link to MoCoScene, a blog by journalist Karen Watkins who was newly exposed to Stephen Elliott's work through this event and had an intense response to it. I love the idea of bringing a talented writer's work to the attention of new people; it's very gratifying when that happens.