Quantcast

Guest Post: Writing Innovation by Joanne DeMaio & Giveaway

Don’t you just want to dive into that latte right now?  I just adore this cover, it makes my mouth water. 

Whole Latte Life by Joanne DeMaio is a novel that is set in Manhattan and New England, two settings I have a hard time staying away from in books.  But in this novel, there is more than just intercontinental adventure there is a woman willing to take a chance and change her life.  More about the novel from Amazon:

Sara Beth Riley never dreamt she’d walk straight out of her life.  Actually she’d never dreamt a lot of things that had happened this year … From being kidnapped by her own best friend, to throwing her wedding rings into the Hudson River, to calling an old love in France, to getting inked with said best friend, painting the passionate constellation of these choices into permanence.  But mostly, she could never have dreamt what started it all.  How could it be that her mother’s unexpected death, and the grief which lingered painfully long, turned her into the woman she was finally meant to become?

Stay tuned for the giveaway, but for now please give Joanne DeMaio a warm welcome as she shares with us her writing, writing space, and more.

Sometimes a bit of inspiration helps to put an innovative stamp on our writing, something to make it identifiably ours. And that inspiration is all around us …

I came upon this sight on a walk I took between writing sessions. Do you see how the fence builder accommodated this tree trunk? The vertical posts are customized to meet up with the trunk, making it an actual part of the fence. The tree trunk was not removed. The fence did not get placed in front of it, obscuring its view. Instead of letting the trunk present a problem to a creation, the fence artisan let the trunk serve the fence with its beauty. Very innovative!

I enjoy seeing life through the visual like this, and decided to stamp my novel Whole Latte Life with that idea. My main character, Sara Beth, sees situations through her artistically trained eye, based on her education in art history. Shades of light, and sketched ideas, and layers of color all help her to understand situations.

Think of books, or photographs, or paintings, or gardens, or meals that linger in your memory. Maybe you’ve seen a garden of hundreds of sunflowers turning toward the sun. Or you enjoyed an atmospheric meal served in an antique carriage house. Maybe a beautiful painting was created on glass, light shining through the paint. And all stay with you in their innovation.

Some of the best works of art are innovative in their delivery, in their perspective. Remember that when you sit down at your computer keyboard and open up that manuscript file. Bring your own innovative vision to your story, be it fictional or memoir. Look at life on the page through a unique lens. Do you enjoy cooking? Let the meals in your novel help tell your character’s story. Is gardening your thing? Maybe a growing season can frame your storyline.

Consider your interests, and make them your own novel innovation.

Thanks, Joanne, for sharing your advice.

About the Author:

Joanne DeMaio is an author, exploring through her writing the journey to living a fulfilling life. Her debut novel, WHOLE LATTE LIFE, was published in March 2012. In addition, her music essays have appeared in literary journals, celebrating her passion for song, in print. Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut, where the coffee is always brewing, either in her country kitchen or a favorite coffee shop, and the talk is ever flowing over a fresh cup of java.

To enter the giveaway for EITHER 1 paperback (US/Canada) or 1 Kindle ebook (International):

1. Leave a comment about what inspires you.
2. Extra entries for each Twitter, Facebook, and Blog link share you leave in the comments.

Deadline is April 11, 2012, at 11:59PM EST

Comments

  1. Anita Yancey says

    My husband, as well as books, is what inspires me most. Love to read this book. Thanks for the chance.

  2. Color and texture inspire me to create. And I can find color and texture any where – a clothing store, farmer’s maket, food, or outside.

  3. Inspiration occurs when there is sunshine and blue skies, interesting conversation and lovely babies to hold and admire and always travel.

  4. I love that idea of inspiration and how it can be such a great motivator for so many things!! This book has caught m eye more than once!!

  5. Inspiration can come anywhere, when you least expect it. For me, nature always gets the creative juices flowing. This sounds like a great book! I’ve posted the giveaway in my sidebar.

  6. amandasue says

    my family inspires me!

  7. Very nice post! I need to learn to be more visually aware!

  8. My kids inspire me. They have such an optimistic outlook on life that reminds me to have one too.

    tweeted Margaret ‏ @LiteraryChanteu
    savvyverseandwit.com/2012/03/guest-

    fb http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003167037905

    Margaret
    singitm(at)hotmail(dot)com

  9. Great post and I love that picture – how cool! It’s so true that if can find what inspires you, you can come away with a great story. I was offered this book but I’m not sure what happened to the email. Uggggh, to full a mailbox. I agree on the cover – it’s fantastic!

  10. inspiration: nature, novels, food, places, people i watch, music, poorly written stories that i think i can write better (lol)

    enter me please, for the paper copy

  11. Oh wow, this looks delicious!

    So many things are inspiring, but really I probably get most of my idea inspiration from watching really good movies or shows. I see a character from a movie and want to take him and write a whole book about him.

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

  12. Watching the seasons change, the wildlife that wanders through my backyard, the joy my dog has when chasing a ball, finding a perfect, dew-covered spider web on my morning walk. There is inspiration all around me, if I take the time to look for it!