We had a festive and interesting book club meeting last night. Although we're supposed to be reading non-fiction histories, we have somehow veered off the trail. So, over the last two months, we (and our spouses, this time) read "The Year the Colored Sisters Came to Town" by Jacqueline Guidry. (We're reading "Seabiscuit" for our January book club meeting and then, hopefully, we'll get back to histories.)

Last evening, the author herself was in attendance. She read a passage from the book and talked about writing it. We made comments and asked questions.

Ms. Guidry has been writing for 18 years. She started when her youngest daughter was one year old. She has written (or published--I can't recall the exact language) about 60 stories over the years, but this was her first novel. Her writing process is pretty structured. She writes in longhand, at least four "solid" pages on the two or three days she writes each week. This writing is not edited, but flows freely onto the paper. She then types the manuscript into her word processor, beginning to edit only after she has completed the initial draft by hand. She edits iteratively until she's sick of it and doesn't seem to be making any progress, then she hands it out to a friend or two for comments and more editing.

This book is not particularly autobiographical, she says, even though it is set in southern Louisiana, where she grew up. When asked if she's a "Southern writer", she paused and then, seemingly a bit surprised at herself, responded, "Well, it does seem that most of my works are set in the South, so I guess I am a Southern writer."

I had not reviewed the book prior to our meeting and it had been over a month since I finished it, so I didn't participate in the discussion but it did enhance my recollection and enjoyment of the book. I had liked it, considering it a "small" book (i.e. not a major literary work).

posted by TOB Monday, December 08, 2003