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 64 - Communicating Faith with Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga
Episode 63 - Purpose at the Core with Nikki Little
Episode 62 - Finding “Soul Purpose” with Jen Coken
Episode 61 - Merle Saferstein - How to leave a legacy through journaling
Episode 60 - Vickie Thompson-Sandy - How to lead a nonprofit by inspiring others to reach their potential
Episode 59 - Higher Learning with Molly Worthen
Episode 58 - Being Grateful: A special Thanksgiving episode with Kristi Nelson and Nedal Al-Hayek
Episode 57 – Positive Public Health with Tista Ghosh
Episode 56 - Ken Budd - How to be a voluntourist
Episode 55 - Understanding Adolescence with Lisa Damour
Episode 54 - Quilting Advocacy with Sandy North
EPISODE 53 – RERUN: Just Be Nice with Paul Saginaw
Episode 52 - Journey to the Self with Stacy Dockins
Episode 51 – Storytelling Marketing & Strategic Messaging with Lynne Golodner and Christina Weaver
Episode 50 - Strengthening Intellect With Gautam Jain
Episode 49 - Saving The Bees
Episode 48 - The NFHS Reunion Episode: Reflecting on 30 Years Since graduation
Episode 47 – Quieting the Mind with Linda Makowski
Episode 46 – Creating Communities with Amy Haimerl and David Dwaihy
Episode 45 - Life from Death with Dr. Joshua Mezrich, MD
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