OLD Whidbey Life Magazine

Author: Suzanne Kelman

Sue the Screenwriter: A Writing Retreat/Staycation on Whidbey Island
BY SUZANNE KELMAN
August 30, 2017
All photos by the author

One of the most wonderful things about being a writer is being able to write from home, and one of the most challenging things about being a writer is writing from home!

Anyone who works from home knows exactly what I’m talking about. Yes, we love getting up, working in our PJ’s on our own schedule, writing when and where we want, and even with the pressure of a deadline, it’s pleasant to tackle it from your sofa. But the challenge of writing from home is that your house is not always the best environment for working because so many other things often get in the way to challenge your day. Animals that want my love and think lying across my keyboard is the best place to garner it, also, family members and household needs to take care of, kind friends who stop by believing you might need some company, or even the UPS man can be enough to knock off your writing rhythm for the day.

So, with a need to get ahead on my latest word count, I decided to go on a writing retreat for four days with two other writers. One is also my literary agent, Andrea Hurst, and the other my developmental editor on my last book, Cate Perry. We decided we would share the cost of accommodation and be able to support one another through our writing process.

The house we stayed in

As we started to look into places where we might want to stay, it became apparent to all of us that the best idea would be to stay right here and have a staycation on Whidbey Island.

I’d heard about staycations, where you stay and shop locally, your home is close by if you have forgotten anything, but you are officially away from home. As we started looking into different places to rent, we settled on a lovely three-bedroom house in Beverly Beach.

Beverly Beach is a beautiful, quiet neighborhood, and the house was a short walk to the water. We decided to do lunch at home, but eat out together each evening and quickly fell into a rhythm. I loved the luxury of starting my writing day with a beautiful view of the water without the usual need to feed furry people or empty a dishwasher or even make my bed. In fact, I didn’t make my bed for the whole week I was there.

The walk to the beach

One of our first evenings out, we went to Gordon’s in Freeland. Anyone who’s local knows this is a lovely place to eat, and as we sat around the dinner table looking out at the water and the sunset, I asked the other writers why they enjoyed writing retreats.

All of us agreed that being able to pause our daily lives was one of the best benefits of having a writing getaway, taking seriously our commitment to being a writer, and paying to be away from home meant that we took that responsibility seriously. Uninterrupted time to nap, write, or read, and the support we received from one another in the process was also important.

Beverly Beach

It became apparent as the days wore on that we all had different writing schedules. I always liked to get up and do my writing early, looking out at the water as I wrote. This freed up my day for walks, reading or a nap if I needed it. The other ladies tended to like to sleep in and write late morning. No matter what our schedules were, we found it helpful to come together in the afternoon or the evening and share our work, giving each other much-valued feedback. We also enjoyed walks on the beach where we’d talk, and share our lives. The idyllic neighborhood of Beverly Beach is definitely the right environment for all of those pursuits.

The last evening, we went to Prima Bistro in Langley for our dinner. A lovely place for a meal, and over delectable food, we talked about all the different ways the retreat had benefited us during the week. One of the most lasting was that we felt inspired to go home with new vision for our writing, acquired by the luxury of working through story lines with uninterrupted thoughts. By the end of the retreat, I’d written 6,000 words and the other women with me had written similar numbers. We all felt very invigorated by the experience.

Andrea Hurst and Cate Perry my retreat writing buddies

So, there really is no need to travel off the island if you want to have uninterrupted time to write, and I highly recommend dividing the cost with friends so you can have the support.

I feel so fortunate to live on beautiful Whidbey Island, and every time I take time to do something like this, it reminds me of how wonderful it is to live in this incredible community. I want to thank you all, the readers of my blog, for the support you’ve given me over the five years I have written for this fabulous magazine and for sharing my writer’s journey with me. Have a wonderful fall, and I look forward to seeing you out and about on the island.

Dessert at Gordon’s

Suzanne Kelman is the author of “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” and “Rejected Writers Take the Stage.” She is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright and was a Nicholl Fellowship Finalist at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Kelman was awarded Best Comedy Feature Screenplay at the L.A. International Film Festival, received a Gold Award at the California Film Awards, and received a Van Gogh Award at the Amsterdam Film Festival.

Read the other story published this week
- A Place to Call Home: The Imagination and Influence of Whidbey Island Architects
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Enjoy more articles in the print edition of Whidbey Life Magazine, which you can purchase at local and off-island retailers or receive in the mail via subscription.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, please contact us.
August 30, 2017
Sue the Screenwriter: It Takes a Village to Launch a Book
BY SUZANNE KELMAN
June 28, 2017

Yes, I do love living in a small town. I love everything about a community that works together to support local artists. I also believe in keeping local money in our own communities whenever we can. So, it was an easy decision when I came to launching my next book, “Rejected Writers Take the Stage,” to have a party downtown, especially as my book is set in Langley!

It’s always exciting for authors to get their hands on the first copy of their work. I don’t know about other writers, but it always makes me cry. It is as if all those electronic manuscripts, internet emails, and flat graphic covers are a fantasy until you actually hold that work in your hand as a physical book.

Holding my published book for the first time always makes me cry. (Photo by Matthew Wilson)

This was the second book in my Southlea Bay Series, and it was the most difficult piece of writing I have attempted yet, for many different reasons. First, I had some health challenges for a lot of the time I was writing it and being in acute pain is not the best environment to write comedy from. Secondly, I felt that “second book” pressure, I didn’t want to let down the people who had loved the first books so much. And lastly, I had to figure out some difficult, key plot points.

So, it was with joy and relief that I finally received the copy that had cost me so much in time and energy.

After the cake was ordered from Payless, it was time to arrange for entertainment. (Photo by Matthew Wilson)

With my new book in hand, all that was needed was to plan the physical launch party. I decided on Ott & Murphy for my venue. If you haven’t visited this wonderful place, I highly recommend you do this summer. Located on First Street, with its stunning views of the sound, fabulous wine, and marvelous entertainment, it is well worth stopping by for a glass of vino and plate of cheese.

Next was the books, and of course I wanted to include Moonraker, our local bookstore, which is also on First Street. I do get author copies, but I wanted this to be a celebration of the small town I live in, so inviting them to participate by providing the books seemed the right thing to do. As I went to check final arrangements with them, not only was my book in pride of place on their counter, but they had also filled the window with copies, too.

My books were already in the window at Moonraker. (Photo by Matthew Wilson)

Have I told you yet how much I love my small town?

With the venue and books arranged, and the cake order from Payless, all that was needed was to organize the entertainment for the event. Once again, my small town came to the rescue. A talented group of local actors agreed to bring my characters to life, pulling them straight from the page in their own unique interpretation of the parts. It was wonderful to sit back and be read to and also to see hidden depth brought forth from the characters as they were re-created in front of me.

Here is a photo of them hard at work.

Acting out scenes from the book (from left to right) are Eric Mulholland, Sandy O’Brien, Kim Wetherall, Melinda Mack, Kathy Stanley and Christina Parker. (Photo by Christopher Wilson)

As the event went off without a hitch, I felt my heart swell, I’m so glad I decided to write about a small town and that I get to reap the benefits of living in one every day.

A big thank you to all of you who contributed to this wonderful launch.

Suzanne Kelman is the author of “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” and “Rejected Writers Take the Stage.” She is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright and was a Nicholl Fellowship Finalist at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Kelman was awarded Best Comedy Feature Screenplay at the L.A. International Film Festival, received a Gold Award at the California Film Awards, and received a Van Gogh Award at the Amsterdam Film Festival.

View the other stories published this week
- They Walk Among Us, but on Saturday, They Skate
- A 21st Century Drive-In Right Here on Whidbey Island
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Enjoy more articles in the print edition of Whidbey Life Magazine, which you can purchase at local and off-island retailers or receive in the mail via subscription.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, please contact us.
June 28, 2017
Sue the Screenwriter || Calling All Storytellers

BY SUZANNE KELMAN
March 1, 2017

“It’s not religious leaders or politicians, but storytellers that change the world.”
Amy Wheeler – executive director of Hedgebrook

We live in interesting times.

So much is happening so fast all around me at the moment that it’s hard to stop my head from twisting off and shooting into space. No matter how you view the times we are going through, it has never felt so important for storytellers everywhere to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

As a comedy writer, most of the time I don’t give much thought to the loftier call of storytelling. Most of my life in front of the typewriter (laptop, actually, but typewriter sounds so much more grand) is taken up with all the fundamental moving parts of crafting the story itself. However, it has really struck me over the last few months that there is also value in storytelling as a balm that holds great significance in our everyday lives.

Toni Morrison

When Toni Morrison felt like many of us do now, a friend told her. “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I think Toni’s friend is right. The art of echoing our ideals through the ancient art of telling stories is the way we find our way back to ourselves. This is because story reaffirms who we are and connects us with each other in a deeper way that gives us hope and purpose for our future.

I have spent a lot of time at the Clyde Theatre in Langley lately, four times in the last two weeks. In that time, I have seen “Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures,” (twice) and “La La Land.” Viewed through the filters of my current experience, I found that each story touched me in a profound but different way.

“Hidden Figures” is the story of three black women that did crucial work for the space program in the 1960s; it was all about their brilliance and segregation. It was a window into our country’s history and the daily struggles that black women had to traverse just to do their work. The story was heart-soaring, and their bravery and courage was inspiring.

I also went to see “La La Land,” which is a modern-day story of people falling in love in Hollywood while trying to find themselves. The musical was contemporary with dance numbers and magical realism, a throwback to the golden days of Hollywood. As a big fan of the ‘30s and ‘40s Hollywood scene, it was a magical experience for me — a reminder of all that is good about this country and a perfect escape for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

I also saw the Oscar-winning “Moonlight,” an intense and raw depiction of what it feels like to grow up black and gay in poverty. I felt my heart stretch as I watched the story unfold of a person who, under normal circumstances, I would never have a chance to know or understand. What a gift to be allowed to experience another person’s journey through life.

What all these experiences have in common is the truth that storytelling can provide relief. It educates us, challenges us, and also reminds us of where we are and how we can work toward a better world.

When we, as a nation, are going through growing pains, you see that every storyteller has a part to play. Times are changing, and with that there is a lot of fear. But storytelling can help us mediate that passage by reflecting back to us who we are, who we have been, and inspire who we can become.

Lastly, as a humorist, I have to give a shout out to comedy in all of this. Yes, laughter has its purpose and place in this process, too. Humor has the power to give you relief and also to cast out fear; you cannot be scared of something you are laughing at. It is the best weapon in a world that might feel as if it is out of control. So, even if your message isn’t lofty and inspiring, there is still work to do.

As Toni Morrison says, “I am a teller of stories and therefore an optimist, a believer in the ethical bend of the human heart, a believer in the mind’s disgust with fraud and its appetite for truth, a believer in the ferocity of beauty. So, from my point of view, which is that of a storyteller, I see your life as already artful, waiting, just waiting and ready for you to make it art.”

So to all you storytellers out there, take up your pen, which is mightier than the sword. Don’t think that your voice is not of value or that your stories aren’t inspiring. Everything that reminds us of who we are is of the upmost importance in these times.

So let me encourage you, just as Toni Morrison’s friend encouraged her:

“We speak, we write, we do language!”

Suzanne Kelman is the author of “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” and an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. She was a Nicholl Fellowship Finalist at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; was awarded Best Comedy Feature Screenplay at the L.A. International Film Festival; received a Gold Award at the California Film Awards; and received a Van Gogh Award at the Amsterdam Film Festival.

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Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

March 1, 2017
Sue the Screenwriter || Ringing in the New
BY SUZANNE KELMAN
January 5, 2017

As a writer, I love research. It always brings me great joy to spend some time cruising the internet as part of a day’s work. Having just finished book two in my Rejected Writers book series, “The Rejected Writers Take the Stage,” I was doing research for book three, which takes place during the holidays. I came across something fascinating: all the different ways around the world that people celebrate the new year.

Over the years, I have observed the ringing in of the new in many different ways, depending on where I lived. Growing up in England and Scotland, we celebrated our traditions in various ways, one of them being first footing. In this Scottish tradition, if the first foot over the threshold of your home in the new year belongs to a dark-haired man or woman, you’ll have good luck for the year to come. These dark-haired people should also bring gifts into the house, including bread, salt, coal, and a coin (silver is considered good luck). Lastly, they should bring a drink (usually whisky). These gifts represent financial prosperity, food, flavor, warmth, long life, and good cheer. The first new foot over our threshold this New Year was my friend Eric, who is indeed dark-haired, so I am expecting great things for 2017, although I didn’t have him turn out his pockets for silver or whisky.

Another tradition, which I loved as a child, was banging on pots and pans. As soon as it struck twelve in our house, my brother and sisters and I would open up our front door and bang pots and pans as hard as we could. I remember as a young child traveling around the neighborhood hammering away on my mother’s cookware, wishing all our neighbors happiness. On researching it, I have learned that noise and fire are seen to ward off evil spirits, which is why people also honk their horns and set off fireworks.

When I lived in Spain during my twenties, I was introduced to the tradition of swallowing 12 grapes, one on each stroke of midnight, to bring luck for the next 12 months. However, I have to tell you that the feat is almost impossible, as people gag their way through the midnight chiming. Though lots of fun, I think I only ever managed around six months of luck each year.

Young people with their own strong opinions bond with a shared plunge into the frigid waters of Double Bluff Beach, but exit quickly once cold reality settles in. (Photo by David Welton)

And of course, here on Whidbey, we have our own tradition: the polar bear plunge. I’m guessing it comes from Nieuwjaarduik (which means “new year’s dive” in Dutch) and is popular in the Netherlands, Nordic regions and even parts of Russia. The idea is that, on New Year’s Day, you plunge into the icy cold water to represent a clean start to the year. Here on Whidbey, we often see a couple hundred brave souls jump into the bone-chilling Puget Sound at Double Bluff beach. Though this is supposed to be good for your health, it’s not something I’m planning on doing soon.

Dogs with warm water-shedding and insulating coats just want to have fun and question the brevity of this strange event, which is over in about 30 seconds. (David Welton)

So, as I continued my book research, I noted that, in other parts of the world, they shift energy in different ways, for example:
- In Denmark, they throw plates and dishes against the doors of all their friends and family. Here, we sometimes call that “Thanksgiving.”
- In Belgium, the farmers wish their cows a happy new year for luck. In Romania, farmers also communicate with their cows. However, if they hear the cow reply, it means bad luck for the year.
- Food is also significant during this time of passage. In Estonia, people eat seven times on New Year’s Day to ensure abundance in the coming year. In Ireland, they beat the walls with a loaf of bread to get rid of evil spirits, and over in Switzerland, they throw ice cream on the floor.
- Money is another tradition. In Romania, they toss their spare coins into the river for good luck. In Bolivia, coins are baked into bread, and in the Philippines, everything should look round, like a coin, during new year celebrations—from the clothes you wear to the food you serve.
- In South America, wearing colored underwear determines your fate for the next twelve months. Red underwear means you’ll find love, gold means wealth, and white signifies peace.
- Throwing things around, especially out the window, is also trendy at the stroke of midnight. In South Africa, they throw furniture out, in Puerto Rico, they throw pails of water out, and in Thailand, they throw buckets of water at each other.
- Lastly, in Colombia, they carry their suitcases around with them all day in the hope of having a year filled with travel.
So, whatever your tradition was on the stroke of twelve on New Year’s Eve, from wearing colored underwear to throwing dishes, furniture, or water, I hope you have a wonderful year filled with luck, love, and health.

Suzanne Kelman is the author of “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” and an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. She was a Nicholl Fellowship Finalist at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; was awarded Best Comedy Feature Screenplay at the L.A. International Film Festival; received a Gold Award at the California Film Awards; and received a Van Gogh Award at the Amsterdam Film Festival.

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To read more WLM stories and blogs, CLICK HERE. Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.
January 5, 2017
Sue the Screenwriter || Autumn and Authors

Scene from a road trip with Eric Mullholland (Photo by Suzanne Kelman)

BY SUZANNE KELMAN
November 9, 2016

It’s done. It’s finished, put to bed and on its way to my publisher in New York City. Yes, I have finally finished book two in the Southlea Bay series. After a couple of hallelujahs and a swift gin, I decided it was time for a well-earned rest, and what my worn-out brain needed was color and literacy. Joining a good friend of mine, Eric Mulholland, on the East Coast, we decided to go on a road trip, visit some of my favorite authors’ homes, and see the leaves change color along the way.

In the last few years, I’ve visited many classic writers’ homes, and each one has taught me a valuable lesson about my craft. As I am in the process of writing another book, about how each of those homes has impacted me as a writer, I thought this was the perfect time to do some more research and share a little armchair traveling with you.

Edith Wharton’s The Mount (Photo by Suzanne Kelman)

After meeting up with Eric, and then staying in New York with friends, the first stop on our tour was to Lennox, Massachusetts, to visit Edith Wharton’s home. Wharton is known for such classics as “The House of Mirth” and “The Age of Innocence.” The day we set off for Lennox, it was freezing, literally 30 degrees. Having traveled from Whidbey Island with just one carry-on bag, I ended up wearing eight layers of clothes just to fight off the East Coast chill! But Wharton’s home was well worth it — a sprawling estate modeled in a French chateau style.

Dressed in woolen gloves and hats, we moved in awe about her home. With a love of home design, she’d created lines and architectural detail that makes the heart sing with the appearance of grandeur, but also retains a high level of intimacy. A guide revealed to us that, although there was the appearance of opulence, Wharton actually preferred small, intimate dinner parties. Bearing that in mind, it didn’t surprise me to learn that Wharton wrote most of her novels in bed and not in her gloomy library. Outside her bedroom window, there is an incredibly expansive view of trees and water. It made me think that, if I looked hard enough, I might just see the Van der Lyden’s cottage, where Newland Archer meets his love in The Age of Innocence. The whole environment was inspiring and stimulating.

“Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.”
Edith Wharton

Emily Dickinson’s home (Photo in public domain)

The second home we visited was in complete contrast to the Wharton estate. Emily Dickinson, the 19th-century poet, shared Wharton’s need for intimacy but expressed it in a very different way. Surrounded by, at the time, a working farm, Emily’s home was in the center of Amherst, Massachusetts, and was a much smaller and more private dwelling. There were many surprises about Emily’s life and personality that I will write about in more detail in my book, but one of the most interesting facts was that Dickinson had a gregarious personality that is in contrast to the depression and sadness that is often associated with her. Walking around her house was like visiting the home of a friend who had stepped out of the room for a moment. Filled with light and airiness in every room, the house gave the feeling of being a well-loved member of the family. With so many windows and so much to see, I could imagine Dickinson being stimulated to write by all the nature that lay outside. One moment that particularly moved me was when we sat in the last room, learning about her life, looked out the window, and saw a light snow starting to fall. It was as if Dickinson was setting up the perfect environment for one of her very own poems.

“It sifts from leaden sieves,
It powders all the wood,
It fills with alabaster wool
The wrinkles of the road.”
Emily Dickerson

Louisa May Allcott’s Orchard House (Photo by Suzanne Kelman)

The last home we visited was Louisa May Alcott’s, author of “Little Women,” in Concord, Massachusetts. Set on a grand road, the little brown wood house seemed mildly conspicuous next to its prosperous neighbors. As we moved from room to room in this delightful home, we learned much about this radical family. Ahead of their time, they believed in respecting people of all creeds and color, a view that contributed to her father being fired more than 30 times for what he believed. They had lively discussions around the dinner table, which included the right for women to vote. The irony is not lost on me that I am writing this blog post a day before the general election that could usher in our first woman president. “Little Women” was the first book of its kind to be written directly for women, and Alcott’s upbringing and family helped her believe such a book was even possible.

As I moved through these three houses, I started to let go of all the shackles of smallness one feels when creating one’s own work and realized that, as a storyteller, I’m part of a much bigger world. That’s one of the things I love about visiting authors’ homes.

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.
I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty,
believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”
Louisa May Alcott

I flew back home to Whidbey truly inspired, excited to get started on the third book in my series. I carry back with me the beauty of Edith Wharton’s landscape, the intimacy of Emily Dickinson’s farm, and the fire of the Alcott family encouraging me to cast my own small light into the literary world.

“There are two ways of spreading light:
to be the candle or the mirror that receives it.”
Edith Wharton

Suzanne Kelman is the author of “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” and an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. She was a Nicholl Fellowship Finalist at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; was awarded Best Comedy Feature Screenplay at the L.A. International Film Festival; received a Gold Award at the California Film Awards; and received a Van Gogh Award at the Amsterdam Film Festival.

(Suzanne Kelman’s photo was taken by Kim Tinuviel)

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To read more WLM stories and blogs, CLICK HERE. Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. You may link to this story. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

November 9, 2016
Sue the Screenwriter || Hi Ho, Hi Ho—It’s Off the Island I Go!

BY SUZANNE KELMAN
September 7, 2016

So I have some exciting news to share. My second book in my “Rejected Writers’ Book Club” series has just been acquired by Lake Union Publishing. For a bunch of ladies who have been rejected on the page, they’re sure getting a lot of attention from a real publisher.

Lake Union is one of Amazon’s own imprint companies so this news warranted a trip down into Seattle to meet with the publishing team and venture into the Willy Wonka of buildings—the infamous Amazon Towers, corporate headquarters of the company.

So off I trundled with my agent, Andrea Hurst, and her associate agent, Sean Fletcher, for a day in the big city—clad in my OICs (Off Island Clothes).

Amazon Tower in Seattle (photo by Anthony Bobnie for Business Journal)

I should say, at this point, I only possess three sets of OICs—you know, the ones you wear with underwear, and they don’t include clogs or boots in the ensemble. Because of limited OICs and the fact that this was the second meeting with Lake Union, it dawned on me (with only one more appropriate set of togs), that I may have to stop writing books they like or find another publisher.

Anyway, we left at the crack of dawn for a noon lunch meeting and, believe it or not, we actually arrived at 11.45. I could have flown in from San Diego quicker. But you know how it goes, there was a line for the ferry, then we crawled through traffic on the way down. Then with coffee and bathroom breaks, we finally entered Seattle at around 11 a.m.—only to have us overshoot our exit.

With the sights and sounds of the big city turning my menopausal brain into mush, I finally got my iPad navigation working, only to be informed by Siri that the exit we needed was half a mile behind us. This resulted in us crawling, in the boiling heat, through Game Traffic till we eventually looped back around.

The three biospheres in front of the Amazon headquarters will bring the outdoors indoors with over 300 species of plants from 30 countries. (photo by Suzanne Kelman)

We finally arrived to attend our lunchtime meeting in a new Italian restaurant in the shadow of the Amazon Tower. We had an excellent meeting with food so exquisite I wasn’t sure whether to eat it, plant it or mount it in a frame above my fireplace.

Once lunch was over it was off to the tower to have an editorial meeting and also enjoy a grand Amazon tour. I made it through security—yes, I had to go through security; I guess they were worried I might be sneaking in a Penguin publisher in my off-island pants. The first thing I realized, on entering, is that this is no ordinary building; with such impressive facilities, it felt more like a European airport than the place I order my toilet paper from.

It was, in fact, like entering a different universe. The 37-story building has a five-story meeting room center, featuring an amphitheater and stage with stadium-style seating for 2,000. There are also shops and restaurants, including a Starbucks, Skillet Street Food, Marination, Mamoon, Anar, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and two restaurants from local chef Josh Henderson. That is a lot for a country mouse in her second set of OICs to absorb in one building.

My first port of call was Starbucks for a meeting with my new editor, who had flown in from New York for the week. We had a very successful business meeting discussing future projects and the plans for the Rejected Ladies. This included outlining the six months of work my newest manuscript will go through to make it into the beautiful package it’s sure to become. We had a great chat in such a comfortable little booth that it was hard to believe this was a work environment at all.

After my meeting, it was time for my tour of the rest of the tower. A trip up the building was an adventure all in itself as there are no buttons inside the elevators. Instead, you tap the desired floor into an electronic keypad mounted in the corridor; it then directs you to the elevator to take. I have to admit it seemed a very effective way to get you from A to B, but it was a little disconcerting, shut inside a metal box zooming skyward without the safety of illuminated buttons to chart my course or as a distraction to stare at as people entered. I kept thinking—as we gained speed, higher and higher—that maybe we would shoot right out of the roof just as in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We didn’t, as it happens, but when I got out on the 37th floor, we might as well have; it felt as if I was on the top of the world. What a fantastic view.

Proof that I made it all the way to the top! (photo by Suzanne Kelman)

As I toured the building, making my way down from floor to floor, I was in awe. Some of the highlights for me were the areas dedicated to fun, with an art and craft room and an electronic gaming room for employees to play and blow off steam. Also, a food court and an outside barbecue deck.

But my favorite by far was the dog floor. There is a unique outdoor deck, with a wall covered in tennis balls, so employees can bring their pooches to work. It’s complete with grass, fire hydrants, stacks of towels and dog toys. What a smart and innovative company.

Ever seen this many tennis balls at one time? On a wall? (photo by Suzanne Kelman)

Dogs on top of the world (photo by Suzanne Kelman)

I was told by Gaby, my author-liaison lady, that not only do Amazon allow their employees to bring them new ideas to make this working environment the best that it can be, but they also encourage it.

I loved my trip to the big city and it was fun to meet everyone at Lake Union and see firsthand where all the magic happens. But I was so glad to shelve my OICs for another year and get back into my yoga pants (that have never been to yoga) and my clogs. It was a very successful trip and the good news is that my crazy ladies will be back in a second book to entertain everyone. It’s scheduled to be released in the summer of 2017.

Image at top: Suzanne Kelman, photo by Kim Tinuviel

Suzanne Kelman is a multi-award winning screenwriter, playwright, and an Academy of Motion Pictures Nicholl Finalist. Her debut novel The Rejected Writers’ Book Club was released in 2016 and quickly became an Amazon international bestseller within its first week. Her second book in the same series is due to be released by Lake Union Publishing in Summer 2017.

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September 7, 2016
Sue the Screenwriter || Outliners and Outlawers, Please Start Your Engines!

BY SUZANNE KELMAN
July 6, 2016

Oh, the good old summertime. The bees are buzzing, the birds are chirping and the cotton is high. Apparently—I definitely have a stack of washing, that’s for sure.

But it is also the ideal time for planning for the fall writing challenge “NaNoWriMo” (more about that later). This is because sitting in a deck chair and dreaming is a fabulous time to let your imagination run wild, like a group of von Trapp children wearing the bedroom curtains.

As you sit there dreaming, you’ll probably fit loosely into one of two camps as a writer. You identify either as an Outliner or an Outlawer. And whichever you are, now is a great time for planning.

Outliners like to prepare; they like to be ready. They have journals and graphs, extended character bios, stimulating scents and special writing music. And Outlawers–well, they don’t. Outlawers let ideas stew, sometimes for months—and the summer is a fabulous time to get out the stew pot.

“Outlawers” is a made-up name, in case you thought for a second I was smarter than you are; it’s a name I have for all of us “out of the boxers.” Oh, that sounds naughty—but I guess you catch my drift, or my draught if you’re out of your underwear.

I am a hand-on-heart, confessed Outlawer or, as some people call us, pantsers. There is only one way I can write the first words of a new project, and that is by running with my hands in the air, screaming, towards the amusement park of my imagination. I arrive at my keyboard on day one with a hundred different half-blown cobbled-together ideas, scenes and sketchy characters all brimming inside me like a stovetop full of pressure cookers ready to blow.

Then, once I start writing, there is no real rhyme or reason to my first draft. My process goes something like this: Okay, first the Rollercoaster…no, no, the Carousel, then the Ferris Wheel…then I have to tackle those high swings and, OMG, is that the Haunted House?

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think my way is better. I actually have Outliner envy; how I wish I had all my scenes neatly typed up on a clipboard and knew everyone’s name, eye color and weight before I start. How much easier would my job be?

I did try to plot once; it was for a screenplay. It was beautiful, a fabulous shiny new storyline all ready to go, all 110 pages written out on little index cards. But the ink was barely dry on the words “Fade in” before the protagonist turned to me and told me to shut up and listen… and that was that. I have been chasing characters around ever since, writing everything they say like a frenzied reporter in a black and white film noir. I have very little to do with it. I just get out of the way and let them lead. I have more characters called ‘Jane Doe” in my first draft then a New York City morgue.

Alas, this is the creative brain I was given and, like a yarn factory broken into by a gang of mischievous cats, you know it’s all in there—you just have to unravel the whole thing.

Usually, what dictates the first tentative lines of my latest masterpiece is what shouts the loudest in the vaudevillian theater of my imagination. I can often start right in the middle of a story—some odd, unimportant scene that has been haunting me for weeks. It comes to me complete with a gang of derelict characters that I haven’t even met yet who have been following me around like a bad smell, hollering “me, me, pick me, write me!”

Now, I know some of you are nodding and smiling, and some of you have no idea what the heck I’m talking about, as you’d no sooner arrive at a first draft unprepared than at church naked.

Which is why NaNoWriMo and I are a perfect fit—like cheese and biscuits, coffee and cream, chocolate and anything. And for all you outlawers (and especially you outliners), the Summer is a great time to start stewing and plotting.

Na-no-what-mo? (you may be saying…) Well, there may be one last writer who hasn’t heard of National Novel Writing Month. And for that one person who’s just left the convent after ten years of seclusion, here’s a breakdown of what it is.

Every year on Nov. 1, crazed, wild-eyed, coffee-drinking writers bolt out of the gate like black Friday shoppers and race as fast as their pens can carry them to 50,000 words by the end of November. The idea is no editing, just writing; no over-thinking, just writing; no “bum leaving seat,” just writing.

Having run the Nano gauntlet three previous times, I’ve gotten used to the highs and lows of the month-long process, and having lots of ideas to draw from is an excellent way to get through the dreaded mid-November NaNo blues.

So, for all you “Outlawers” and maybe a few of you sneaky “Outliners” who are intrigued by running naked, just this once, pull up a deck chair and start dreaming up the next great American novel.

Suzanne Kelman is the author of “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” and an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. Her accolades include The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences – Nicholl Fellowship Finalist, Best Comedy Feature Script -L.A. International Film Festival and Gold Award Winner – California Film Awards.

(Suzanne Kelman’s photo, at top, was taken by Kim Tinuviel)

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July 6, 2016
Sue the Screenwriter || How to Make ’em Laff: Free-Falling into Funny!

BY SUZANNE KELMAN
May 4, 201

I actually didn’t set out to write comedy; I kind of fell into it one day as I was writing something serious and I’ve been trying to find my way out of the canyon of craziness ever since. What I’ve learned since traversing the humor terrain is that writing funny stuff is no laughing matter.

Here are some tips if you are thinking of falling into funny yourself.

Don’t read books on writing funny stuff. What I’ve noticed is people who write comedy don’t tend to write books about writing comedy very well. It’s like trying to explain a joke after the moment has passed; it kind of gets there but the spontaneity is lost along the way. There are many books out there that claim to help people write hilarious stuff but, I have to tell you, the ones I’ve read, have been as entertaining as re-mortgaging a house. So. trust your gut rather than another writer’s process, even mine.

Don’t force it. Forcing is like forcing someone to love you. Before you know it you’re boiling their bunny. The more obsessive you become over the comedy, the harder it becomes to work. This is not good. I once met a very straight-laced, old school teacher-type who looked me dead in the eye over her half-rimmed glasses as she handed me her manuscript and said in one long monotone, “I can write funny.” After reading it, I hadn’t the heart to tell her SHE was funny; her saying it that way WAS funny but, alas, her writing wasn’t.

You see, she approached it in a very rigid and controlled way. She read a bunch of books, commanded all her words to sit up straight in their chairs and line up quietly in very grammatically correct order. Then she slaved over the perfectly crafted punchline, but it fell flat.

Comedy for me isn’t like that. It’s just not rigid; it’s more like a form of free-falling. I jump in naked. I run with the wild bulls of the adjectives. I dance with my hair on fire. My first drafts are a mess.

It’s just a raucous can-can with the dancing red squiggly lines and me.

I just have fun with words. We hang out together like two old friends laughing at the bar. I type something funny and then I answer myself in a kind of schizophrenic double act. So try free-falling, and don’t edit that first draft.

I do is look for visual extremes to take along on my word journey, such as “run naked,” or “hair on fire.” The funnier you can make the visual for the reader, the more fun they’re going to have reading it. You can always pull back if your editors rolls their grammatical eyes. You can tell they are doing that when they send you back little bubbles in the “Track-Change” function accompanied by the tut-tut-tut of the three-question-mark disapproval—“???” This is editor talk for: “What the heck was that?

(because I can’t think of any more tips), I allow my mind to go on a constant party or Mardi Gras. Enjoy everything around me, especially characters that I meet. I’m always eavesdropping other people’s conversations too. Firstly, because it’s fun but mostly because I often hear nuggets that will take my mind into a million comical directions. Like the result of someone shouting “FIRE!” at a clown convention. Did I tell you I like writing in extreme visuals?

So, there you are—my process—read from the back of a postage stamp. If you want to make them laugh, I encourage you to find your own voice in it. Because, at the end of the day, you should enjoy it; after all, it’s comedy. And if you meet the tut-tut-tut of the bubble of doom, at least you had a blast of a time while you were free-falling.

Suzanne Kelman is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright and also the author of the international bestselling book “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” Her accolades include The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences – Nicholl Fellowship Finalist, Best Comedy Feature Script – L.A. International Film Festival and Gold Award Winner – California Film Awards.

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WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

May 4, 2016
Sue the Screenwriter || Here She Blows!!! … again!

BY SUZANNE KELMAN
March 2, 2016

So here it is—the grand push, the leap over the edge, the big kahuna. We are on the countdown as my book “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” goes out into the world…again!

And for any of you who’ve been following “Buffoonery in Writing Land,” also known as “Sue the Screenwriter,” (and I know there are, at least, three of you. Hi mum!) you may remember, this is the SECOND time I’ve launched this book because, apparently, once isn’t enough for one of my books!

Finding a home for my baby started last summer when I got an email with the words “Lake Union Publishing at Amazon would like to republish your book.” I read the email, my finger hovering over the “delete” button—had to be spam, right? I wavered, and thought I would run it past a friend of mine, Andrea Hurst, who is a literary agent—just for the heck of it. She is a busy lady so I was shocked when I got an email straight back saying, “call me right away!” What has happened since then has been a blur. From the first conversation with my amazing publisher, Danielle Marshall, when she outlined all that Amazon had in store for my little poor naked baby, to yesterday when UPS delivered a huge box full of my new bouncing arrival.

So l’m “doing launch” again…

I talk to so many writers who are afraid to launch their work out into the world—even once—because of the fear of rejection. (And, by the way, I have the perfect book for you. It’s all about celebrating rejection in style; I’ll even sign your copy.) Writers dress up their fear in lots of different excuses: “I’m still editing,” “I wish I had more time” or—the classic—“I have writer’s block.” That one always makes me smile because in no other trade can you get away with that.

“I can’t sell you a house today; I have Realtor’s Block.”

Not that I’m mocking it; writer’s block is real. It’s just normally about something other than writing and often about how other people will respond to the work. Nobody has ever had, as far as I know, “journaling block.” So, I want to encourage writers to launch. And now, with the ability to self-publish, launching can be fun.

Let me get you all excited about some ideas for your own book launch—my behind-the-scenes look at how you, too, can introduce your book to the world.

First: A Blog Tour – I’m on a 10-day whistle-stop blog tour of the worldwide web. Blog tours are my favorite kind of tour; I get to meet my adoring public in my PJs and connect with some fun authors along the way, too. They’re easy to set up and easy to do. Bloggers are often looking for guest posts.

Second: Podcasts – As well as the blog tour, I’ll have a special book launch edition on the weekly podcast I co-host, called “Blondie and the Brit – Writing, Publishing and Beyond.” Podcasting is an excellent way to meet more of your audience and podcasters are often looking for guests, too.

Third – A Facebook Party – I’ll be throwing my very own virtual Facebook party (PJs allowed) on Friday, April 8 called “Blondie & The Brits Book Launch Bash.” You can get an added bonus if you include other authors in your party; then you get to cross-pollinate, too. At the same time! My parties are always a riot. Feel free to sign up and join me for this one.

And lastly: consider doing a local book launch party. I’m doing one here on Whidbey for live people, with live me, (sans PJs. Maybe I should clarify: sans pajamas and in clothes—my Sunday best—I might even wash my hair.) I have my own little group of Umpa-lumpa’s who will be hosting it for me. It will include a cast of colorful local actors to give voice to all my crazy characters. More on the date to follow.

Doing live events can be another way to see, firsthand, how people will respond to your work.

I was having a conversation the other day with an author who was struggling with fear of sending her work out and getting bad or indifferent reviews. My belief is that negative responses are a normal part of the process; everyone reads through their own filters so you can’t get hung up on it. Our job as creatives is to move through them, take stock, and find our own tribe. You have something to say and there’s someone out there waiting to hear it. People like Joanna, for instance; she wrote me a fantastic review the other day…

“—Loved every page of ‘The Rejected Writers’ Book Club,’” she wrote. “Funny, feel-good and fabulous!”

Joanna is my tribe; I wrote my book for the Joannas of the world. So don’t be discouraged by every negative comment and don’t get stuck in the mire of self-doubt. There is a Joanna around the corner waiting for you to launch and make their day!

So what are you waiting for?

Be Creative, Be Determined, Be Brave, and Launch….

Suzanne Kelman is the author of “The Rejected Writers’ Book Club” and an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. Her accolades include The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences – Nicholl Fellowship Finalist, Best Comedy Feature Script -L.A. International Film Festival and Gold Award Winner – California Film Awards. All images are courtesy of the author.

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WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

March 2, 2016
Sue the Screenwriter || Be creative—but don’t forget your hard hat: Five lessons I learned from Hedgebrook

BY SUZANNE KELMAN
December 30, 2015

I had a very wonderful experience when I was invited to Hedgebrook by the amazing staff to teach. In return, I had the use of a cottage in the woods with all my meals prepared for six days. And I wanted to share with you some of the lessons that unique environment taught me.

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Amusingly, I took the whole of my world with me, moving into my cottage with everything but the kitchen sink. I had my latest writing projects, comfort blankets, books to read. What I ended up doing most of the time was staring, quietly, out the window.

My first night I found the cottage journal written by all “the Cedar Sisters” (taken from the name of the cabin), a delightful description of each woman’s journey. Entries encouraged future sisters to enjoy the silence, the shifting forest light, the excellent meals and to live the simple life. Not one of them gave out writing tips. They didn’t tell me how to work; they reminded me to be still. In a world where forward momentum is power, a week wasted watching shifting light seemed too decadent when thousands of words could be written.

But I heeded their advice. I wrote each day but for just an hour, then the rest of the time I absorbed the nothingness, trusting the words of my Cedar Sisters that taking that deep breath was going to enrich my writing.

On day three I read these words from John O’Donohue:

“Every work of Art creates apertures of emptiness to allow your experience to find its secret home there. There is room for everyone in a great work of art.”
— Longing and Belonging

Lesson One:
The “space” matters as much as the productivity.
To be good I must also empty out.

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It took a few days for my next lesson to filter in to my consciousness; it was—the silence. Silence is very quiet. I wasn’t prepared for it. The silence of my cabin in the woods was broken only briefly by a scurrying animal or a flap of wings. It became my buddy. It’s wonderful lingering presence made time feel luxurious.

The only other sign of life was the light across the clearing from one of the other cottages. The founder, Nancy Nordhoff, decided—very wisely—to build the cottages close enough to each other to provide the reassuring touch of a lighted window, reminding its inhabitants we weren’t alone on our adventure.

Lesson Two:
I am most comfortable when I’m alone within a community.
Just to wake up and see that little light in the distance
reassured me that I wasn’t alone, but I was away.

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The third lesson that I learned from Hedgebrook was the joy of preparation. Every day in the farmhouse kitchen a chef prepared all the residents’ meals. In the evening we gathered around the farmhouse table and I looked forward to the lively discussions and fun and laughter.

But what I loved most happened before the farmhouse filled with writers. All the cooks seemed to take great joy in creating beautiful meals for us. It was so pleasant to sit listening to the light chopping or gentle boiling sounds coming from the kitchen. The experience stirred in me a deeply buried love. Cooking had become a chore, something I had to do in order to eat and get back to work. Listening and watching their meticulous preparations reminded me that, a long time ago, I used to love creating meals. I decided after leaving Hedgebrook, I would explore that again.

Lesson Three:

Taking the time to pursue other things that also feed me
(literally) will not detract from my work; it will enhance it.

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The fourth lesson came the night a big storm was predicted. In every cottage, along with the cozy cushions and fluffy duvets, is also a hard hat to protect you while walking through the forest during windstorms. With a storm predicted one evening, I took mine with me as I journeyed to the farmhouse but the forest was a still as a millpond. The very next night I was halfway through the forest when an unexpected storm blew the woods into a frenzy. I battled through the night toward the farmhouse, my cape flapping around my ears and no hard hat in sight.

Lesson Four:
Preparation will only take me so far.
I also have to expect the unexpected
and then I have to go with the flow.

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My last lesson came on the day I taught my class at Hedgebrook. A violent rainstorm was upon us as we left the meeting room and a little band of writers followed me to Cedar cottage, moving at a clip through the sleeting rain. Forty minutes into the class, two wet, bedraggled word warriors knocked at the door; they had gotten lost on the way. But instead of being grumpy about their sodden experience, they settled straight down by the fire to capture their adventures on paper. I was in awe.

Lesson Five:
You can always view experiences as a catastrophe
or an adventure. It’s all about perspective.

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So as we head into the next year, I wish you the space to create art, and the love and joy that a brand New Year can bring. Happy 2016 everyone!

Photos by Suzanne Kelman / Photo of Kelman is by Kim Tinuviel

Suzanne Kelman is an awarding-winning screenwriter and an Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences 2015 Nicholls Finalist. She is also a novelist and her book “The Rejected Writers Book Club” is being published by Lake Union Publishing in Spring 2016.

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CLICK HERE to read more WLM stories and blogs. Have a great story idea? Let us know at info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

WLM stories and blogs are copyrighted and all rights are reserved. Linking is permitted. To request permission to use or reprint content from this site, email info@whidbeylifemagazine.org.

December 30, 2015