Nina SimonVerified account

Have you ever had to stop reading a (very good) novel because you live where it is set and the geographic details are all wrong? Every time I fall into the story, the author pulls me out again with a ridiculous assertion (for example, that Salinas is 2 miles from the ocean).

And P.S. my mom is doing well! Still a tough road ahead but we have been very lucky. I just sent her some ideas for a new plot twist for her feedback today. I don’t want to say art heals but… it definitely can bring joy and warmth into the cold hard corners of life.

I'm grateful to @QueryTracker, @TSNOTYAW, @Frozley, @jenny8lee, @BookySaul & many in the #amquerying #WritingCommunity for education & encouragement. And most of all to @hellegilly & her team @JanklowNesbit, who took a chance on me. Feeling blessed & open to what comes next.

... and it brought me closer to my mother. The more I wrote, the more I edited, the more fun I had. And so I went for it. Wrote 3 drafts. Got feedback from great beta readers. And then, last month, started querying to find an agent...

... we started imagining one together. A murder mystery with a character like my mom as the detective. It was fun and creative and gave us something to talk about that wasn't cancer. Writing fiction gave me a creative reawakening. I felt the joy of being a novice & a learner...

... at first, but then we recruited an AMAZING new CEO for @OFBYFOR_ALL - @Arts_Courtney. And I felt a huge sense of relief and hope. And with my mom, we developed ways to cope with a tough prognosis. Reading & watching mysteries together proved a source of healing. And so...

This is not to say I won't do cultural or museum work again. It's just not my focus right now. What changed? 14 months ago, I was a stressed cultural nonprofit CEO. Then my mom got really sick. For the first time in my life, I chose family over work. It was heartbreaking...

Personal news: I've written my first novel (a murder mystery) and am THRILLED to be repped by the amazing @hellegilly @JanklowNesbit I've spent 20 years treating writing as a side piece to my "real work." Trying to flip that script now and reimagine who I might be and become.

Congratulations on opening this important space for sharing stories, learning, and community.https://twitter.com/theANEKED/status/1452664694486016009 …

I'm writing a scene that will never be in this novel, to force myself to get more honest about the backstory of a main character. It's reminding me how much fiction is about empathy. I always felt that as a reader. I'm now experiencing it as a writer on a whole other level.

How do you address a fancy business letter in 2021? One that will only ever be read as a PDF? Do you do the ole "your address + date + their address block" at the top like we learned in school? Just your name + date? Or perhaps something more suited to the world we now live in?

I feel like there's a lot of advice to read and read widely (which I love to do!), but not a lot out there on different ways to read, techniques to integrate styles or structures from what you are reading, etc.

Is there a good way as an adult to learn to close-read and analyze literature? The more I write fiction, the more I wish for tools to learn from my fav novelists. Podcasts? Some kind of DIY textbook? I've found great resources on writing but would love more re reading for craft.

Today the doctor asked me what I do I said I'm a writer She said she wants to write a book called "The View from Down Here" about wild stories she's heard as an ob-gyn I was in the stirrups when she told me this It struck me as a good idea and time to get a new doctor

oh, and a friendly nudge here to @cgarfin in case you want to take the leap :)