Voices on the page, or on the computer screen of this blog, echo down the last days of 2009. Here are some of the voices that have brightened "A Little Romance" this year:

Local writer and teacher Cami Nihipali: There are discussions in literary circles about whether Twilight is 'good' literature. I know my colleagues and I have had this discussion numerous times. The truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter. Like the Harry Potter phenomenon, which became embroiled in a religious argument several years ago, Twilight and its subsequent books have gotten kids reading, and excited about reading nonetheless. As for romance, Meyer hits the nail on the head. Whether the reader likes Edward or Jacob, everyone can find that flutter of first love in this story.

Kauai romance writer Jill Marie Landis treated us to her answers to the 10 questions most asked a romance writer:

1. The secret? Sure, I’ll tell you the secret to getting published. Sit at a computer all day and do the work.
2. Yes, I always wanted to be a writer.
3. No, I don’t get writer's block. I don’t have time.
4. What do you mean, “When am I going to write a real book?”
5. No, I do not want to write your great-grandmother’s life story and split the money with you.
6. No, I don’t wear a boa and a pink nightie while I work.
7. No, I don’t make $10,000,000 per book.
8. No, I don’t try all the stuff I write about in love scenes.Mystery writers don’t commit murder.
9. Yes, I do research, but I can tell by the look on your face that it’s not the kind you’re thinking of (see #8).
10. Yes, this is a dream job and I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. Where else can you work in your pajamas, make things up and people send you money?

Local fiction writer and teacher Lisa Linn Kanae: I asked Lisa the following question. Looking at the stories in Islands Linked by Ocean, I'm struck by the variety of subjects and differences in tone. From the emotional power of the title story to the playfulness of "Sassy" to the comic delights of "Luciano and da Break Room Divas," and all the others, you take your reader on an intriguing journey.  Do you go searching for these stories, or do they seem to find you?

Lisa: I think a combination of both—stories show up all the time, but I have to pay attention in order to "recognize" a concept worth developing. With that said, I believe that writers cannot afford to passively walk through life.  It's like I tell my students: Walk through life like a writer. Keep your eyes and ears open and stay out of the way. A story will show up, you just have to work at paying attention and this will take energy on your part.

I asked Lisa if she had any tips for writing short stories.

Lisa: If I had to give "insider tips," I'd say the first rule is to make sure you love the story you are telling. And I don't mean fall in love with your writing. That is ego; the best crafted sentences should get axed if they don't help the story.

Punahou teacher Michelle Cruz Skinner, author of In the Company of Strangers: I asked Michelle which writers have had the greatest influence on her writing.

Michelle: Everything I've read has influenced me in some way.  Even the news.  Even signs.  This sounds ridiculous, but I really do think about signs.  There are a lot of writers whose work I read, reread, and admire, but I don't think I could fully explain how they have influenced me.

Bob Hogue, author of Sands of Lanikai: I asked Bob how his novel came about.

Bob: I grew up a big fan of historical novels, also anything to do with political thrillers—read a lot of James Michener and Fletcher Knebel, in fact virtually everything they wrote.  Lately, I've become a fan of John Grisham, and have read all of his books. Also Steven Ambrose.

This book came from reading a WWII novel while sitting on Kailua Beach and wondering what would have happened if the Japanese had invaded there after December 7, 1941. I realized that a "what if" story like that was way over my head, so I concocted a smaller story about a spy/mercernary entering Kailua Bay just before the 7th with instructions to send a signal for an immediate invasion/raid if conditions merit—and couple that story with a coming-of-age mystery/romance involving a young man arriving in Kailua about the same time.

If I hadn’t asked Lee Cataluna about romance in her book Folks You Meet in Longs (Bamboo Ridge, 2005), I wouldn’t have known that she doesn’t see romance in those monologues of Longs shoppers and employees.

Lee told me, “I don't really think of romance when I think about that collection. I think about needs/wants and people going through Longs trying to fulfill their literal needs and thus their deeper needs.”

Local romance writer Sally Sorenson wrote about how "Movies whet the appetite ... books sate the hunger":

Actors, no matter how good, can only interpret the character the author created. It’s this weakness of movies that motivates readers to pick up the original work. A good author takes us inside the character’s head to see the world from his or her point of view. Within the book covers, there are no time constraints, and special effects don’t try to dazzle. You can curl up with fictional characters and get to know them as you would friends. Hear their thoughts. Ponder at leisure what makes them tick. Share the delicious attraction that grows between hero and heroine.

Lots of echoes from this past year. Let's save some for New Year's Day, when we look backward one more time, and then forward to a new decade of voices.

Tags: Bob Hogue, Cami Nihipali, Jill Marie Landis, Lee Cataluna, Lisa Linn Kanae, Michelle Cruz Skinner, Sally Sorenson

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 12:05 am and is filed under Hawaii fiction, Romance, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.