Karen Bergreen, author of Following Polly
Karen Bergreen, author of Following Polly, joins us for a Q&A today, on book club day at From Left to Write. Read the inspired posts from the From Left to Write bloggers.
Q: Where is your favorite place to write?
A: I don’t have a favorite place to write. There is no chair at Starbucks with my name on it or a corner of the house, which I call sacred. I like taking the pressure off. Because I have two active young and cheerfully needy children, time is a commodity for me. As I write this now, I am begging, for the third time this evening, my kids to fall asleep. So, I end up writing in the green room at comedy clubs, the bus, the subway or alas, when kids are out of the house.
Q: What was your favorite book as a child? As an adult?
A: Wow, this is a hard one. I loved an author named Elizabeth Enright. She wrote The Saturdays. I loved The Great Brain Series. Mrs Piggle-Wiggle, anything Frances Hodgson Burnett and of course of course of course, Harriet the Spy.
As for my grown up books. I have recently become obsessed with The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay published twenty-some years ago. I loved Prep and An American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, anything by Meg Wolitzer or Susan Isaacs. The Namesake and Middlesex were the best experiences I had during my first pregnancy.
Q: Are you in a book club? Tell us about it.
A: I am not in a book club anymore. I used to be in one when I was single. We read some great books but spent most of the time eating and talking about bad boyfriends.
Q: Do you a tip for writers? (e.g., how to overcome writer’s block, find your voice, routines, etc.)
A: I am a big believer in Just do It. It’s okay if it’s awful. It’s easier to fix awful than to fix nothing. As for the voice, I think you should start with your own voice instead of trying to sound like a writer. Also, be okay with getting rid of stuff even if you are in love with it. If Chapter 3 is unnecessary or the description of the pet fish goes on and on, axe them. Save them for another project. They may be brilliant but if they don’t serve the novel, get rid of them!!! I learned this the hard way.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
A: I am a big fan of sleeping I also am still quite busy as a comic and enjoy performing in front of excited crowds and with other great comics. They energize me. I try to do an adventure day with the kids every weekend. Sometimes the adventure is going to the diner. I’m a big fan of NYC, and we often we explore a neighborhood or an attraction here. My kids like overheated hotel pools, and we sometimes go for an overnight in a kid friendly location so they can swim and see something new.
Q: Jen from Zen Mama Wannabe asks: I’m always impressed when a book can captivate my attention to the point I lose track of time and can’t seem to put it down! As a wannabe novelist, tell me how do you write a book like that? Does the secret lie in the dialogue? Any tips you can share?
A: I tried to write a book that I would want to read.I love reading banter, so I write it. I love having a few characters to hate, so I write them. I don’t like five page architectural and meteorological description so I avoid those at all costs.
Q: Brandi from Mama Knows It All asks: When you were writing the book, was there a particular theme that you felt most connected to? For instance, were you more interested in the relationship between Charlie and Alice than you were the relationship between Alice and her mother?
A: I felt connected to a lot of themes here. Many of us struggle to find that which motivates us. I felt connected to Alice on that level. One would think that a Harvard education and a residence in a city with many opportunities like New York would be enough. but of course it isn’t.
The Charlie Alice love story was a complete fantasy, but I am attracted to the idea that you can fall in love with someone’s manner. Of course, in real life the person would end up with insurmountably annoying tendencies. In real life, Charlie would end up being like Barnes.
Q: Emily from Mama Sick asks: Your book was written in such a way that it could either stand alone or become a mystery series. In which way do you see yourself headed for your next book; continuing on with Alice or doing something different altogether?
A: I am working on something else right now–similar genre but different character. As for a series, i would love to do it!. I want to keep the romance fun, though and am trying to come up with clever ways to do so. If I can’t, then so be it!
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Purchase your copy of Following Polly by Karen Bergreen.
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