Ask the Author: Vivian Carpenter
Answered Questions (7)
Vivian Carpenter
Connie, It was great meeting you!!! I've written a research monograph, but this is my first novel. It has been a labor of love and I have enjoyed the process of learning creative writing. Hope you are enjoying "The Fifth Letter."
Vivian Carpenter
I go have a good time. I play golf. I dance. I travel. I cook. I enjoy my friends. I shop. But what I do most is research the question that is blocking my advancement. I clearly define my blocks and release them during mediation. I don't try to force things. I wait for things to be revealed to me. Maybe that's why it took me seven years to finish The Fufth Letter. So I had a lot of blocks along the way. Just keep writing.
Also I read a lot. Giving my brain more food for thought.
Then I just write whatever comes out.
Also I read a lot. Giving my brain more food for thought.
Then I just write whatever comes out.
Vivian Carpenter
Being able to work everywhere I go without missing a beat. I like being the captain of my ship. I love the freedom of being able to create something that can entertain and educate others. The freedom to shape something that can inspire others. The freedom to express my deepest thoughts to the world and the challenge of creating something that is worthy of national attention.
Freedom to create is the best thing about being a writer.
Freedom to create is the best thing about being a writer.
Vivian Carpenter
Go to a good writer's workshop and find your small group of writing buddies who share you passion and give you the constructive critical comments you need to produce high quality work.
Your professional associations in the writing community matter.
Your professional associations in the writing community matter.
Vivian Carpenter
Two things. A historical fiction novel about Maragret Thomas--the "said to be wife" of Billy Lee, George Washington's most revered slave who was a free mulatto seamstress who could read and write. Enough said. And, my memoir. I'm also thinking about a sequel to The Fifth Letter.
I'm not finished yet.
I'm not finished yet.
Vivian Carpenter
I practice meditation. I love what I'm doing with my life now and writing is something I think I will be able to do for the rest of my life. When you practice mediation some things are revealed to you. Suddenly, You know how some of the pieces fit together in your story. When that happens I am inspired and can't wait to sit down with my laptop. Normally, this happens in the morning when I first wake or after meditating for thirty minutes.
I get excited when the words flow onto the paper with little conscience mental effort. Sometimes you just have to let go and not worry about the judgement of others. Just let the characters say what comes naturally to them, even if you wouldn't talk like that.
I get inspiration by letting every character be true to their character.
I get excited when the words flow onto the paper with little conscience mental effort. Sometimes you just have to let go and not worry about the judgement of others. Just let the characters say what comes naturally to them, even if you wouldn't talk like that.
I get inspiration by letting every character be true to their character.
Vivian Carpenter
My maiden name is Vivian Thomas and my grandfather's name was Clarence Thomas. Conversations with my deceased uncle, The Thomas Family historian, lead me to start researching my family history and the Supreme Court as an institution. But this is not a non-fiction book about sitting Justice Clarence Thomas. The Fifth Letter is a political thriller. It is a book about the first African American female appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Katherine Helena Ross.
It is fiction.
As I researched, this novel took on a life of its own and I just followed an incredible writer's path that caused me to put a spotlight on the most important question facing the nation today: Who is a person with inalienable rights in America?
This book is about us: We The People.
It is fiction.
As I researched, this novel took on a life of its own and I just followed an incredible writer's path that caused me to put a spotlight on the most important question facing the nation today: Who is a person with inalienable rights in America?
This book is about us: We The People.
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