While fiction is born from imagination and creativity, many authors explain how they came to the stories they create through lived experiences. This is definitely true for Blair Fell, author of The Sign for Home, whose work in the deafblind community taught him about nuances, details and issues facing that community. This debut novel takes readers on a journey through a fascinating community and the lives of compelling characters.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Blair about his writing process, the importance of research and the value of participating in a writing group. He discusses his background as a playwright and television writer, and how he transitioned into writing novels. Plus, Blair offers advice for writers, emphasizing the need to just write, join a writing group, and prioritize writing amid perpetual other commitments.
In this episode, Lynne and Blair discuss:
Finding inspiration in your work and relationships
Researching and interviewing deafblind individuals
Finding an agent and a publisher
Writing a second book after a celebrated first book
Working through a horrible first draft
Motivation from setting deadlines and fear of disappointing others
Building a successful writing career
Why so many writers have a day job
Authors who find success later in life
Audiobook opportunities
Links and Resources:
John Lee Clark
Protactile movement
James Hannaham
Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta
Doug Stewart
Sterling Lord Literistic
Cloud Atlas
The Silver Linings Playbook
American Dirt
“Take care of the sense, the sounds will take care of themselves” - Alice in Wonderland
Writing group with Marian Fontana & Louise Crawford
David Groff
PEN/Faulkner
Delicious Foods
Simon & Schuster
Where the Crawdads Sing
The City College of New York
Woman of Valor by Lynne Golodner
Find Blair Fell:
Website
TikTok
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning Podcast episodes:
Episode 152 – Ami Irmen – Character-Driven Narratives
Episode 150 – Lisa Peers – First Novels & Writing Friendships
Episode 145 – CL Walters – Young Adult & New Adult Fiction from Hawaii
Episode 143 – Annie Cathryn – Dreams Come True: The Friendship Breakup
Episode 139 – Desiree Cooper – Being “Genre Agnostic”
Episode 145 – CL Walters - Young Adult & New Adult Fiction from Hawaii
Episode 144 – Danny Hankner - Founding Story Unlikely
Episode 143 – Annie Cathryn - Dreams Come True: The Friendship Breakup
Episode 142 – Announcing Scotia Road Books
Episode 141 – Tom Sleigh– A Lifetime of Poetry
Episode 140 – Minda Zetlin – On ASJA, Leadership & Writing for Inc.
Episode 139 – Desiree Cooper – Being “Genre Agnostic”
Episode 138 – Sara Bennett Wealer – Connecting with YA Readers
Episode 137 – Christopher P. Locke – Breathtaking Essays & Stories
Episode 136 – Tammy Pasterick – Writing & Publishing Your Way
Episode 135 – Camille Pagan – Making Writing Your Career
Episode 134 – Andrew McDiarmid – Simply Scottish
Episode 133 – Sara Henning – Poetry about Loss & Redemption
Episode 132 – Merryn Glover – Literary Fiction about Place
Weina Dai Randel
Merle Saferstein
Rosina Lippi a.k.a. Sara Donati
Episode 128 – Becky Robinson – Building Reach for Books
Episode 127 – Ly Tran – Writing Unapologetically
Episode 126 – Indigo Willing – Skateboarding, Community & Consent
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