Ask the Author: Cathy Raymond
Answered Questions (4)
Cathy Raymond
I will answer this question with the first part of my Author's Note at the end of my novel.
I first learned about the role music played in concentration camps when I was a music student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. One day I heard a recording of a haunting piece of music--Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time". I was amazed to learn that Messiaen had composed the entire piece in a concentration camp on half-broken instruments, the only ones available to him. It was unfathomable to me how anyone could write such beautiful music under such horrible circumstances, and I started reading about other musicians who had composed and performed in concentration camps.
As I read more about the role of music in concentration camps, I started to imagine an idea for a novel. I read a lot of books and listened to a lot of music from that time and eventually I was ready to write my story.
I first learned about the role music played in concentration camps when I was a music student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. One day I heard a recording of a haunting piece of music--Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time". I was amazed to learn that Messiaen had composed the entire piece in a concentration camp on half-broken instruments, the only ones available to him. It was unfathomable to me how anyone could write such beautiful music under such horrible circumstances, and I started reading about other musicians who had composed and performed in concentration camps.
As I read more about the role of music in concentration camps, I started to imagine an idea for a novel. I read a lot of books and listened to a lot of music from that time and eventually I was ready to write my story.
Cathy Raymond
Thanks for the question! I am currently in the process of editing my second novel. At the same time, I am tossing around some new ideas for my next book, and I'm hoping to participate in NANOWRIMO again this year. If you haven't heard about this fabulous event, it is a writing challenge where you try to write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. It is very difficult to maintain that pace, but it is so rewarding! Here is a link in case you're interested: http://nanowrimo.org/
Cathy Raymond
When I get writer's block, I tend to do one of two things. Either I take a break from writing and do something completely different (like taking a long walk with my dogs or trying a new recipe), or I do a 'writing blast' where I set the timer for two or three minutes and write as fast and as much as I can. (I never expect to write anything of quality during that time, by the way, but it sometimes really helps to reenergize my writing to do this!)
Cathy Raymond
I try to keep my eyes and ears open all the time. I have a writer's notebook, and I like to jot down things I notice throughout the day. For example, we recently had a giant storm, and I really tried to watch what was happening right before the storm started. The sky turned a pinkish yellow, the air became thick and still, and the birds suddenly stopped chirping. A bolt of lighting cracked the sky open, and the rain fell in sheets.
I tried to watch the growing storm through writer's eyes. I thought about the words I might use to describe the storm, and I imagined a story the storm might appear in.
There are stories everywhere. My inspiration to write comes from keeping my eyes and ears open to the world around me and then trying to put what I see into words.
Try it some time! It's fun!
I tried to watch the growing storm through writer's eyes. I thought about the words I might use to describe the storm, and I imagined a story the storm might appear in.
There are stories everywhere. My inspiration to write comes from keeping my eyes and ears open to the world around me and then trying to put what I see into words.
Try it some time! It's fun!
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