Ask the Author: Cara Lopez Lee
Answered Questions (3)
Cara Lopez Lee
I coauthored Where There's a Will with Mark Dumas. Mark proved the value of asking our elders to record their life stories. In the 90s, the summer after he graduated college, Mark did that with his grandfather, William "Bill" Miner, and discovered Bill had lived a bolder, more adventurous, more heroic life than he'd imagined. As a young man, Bill ran away with a circus, drove Route 66 cross-country before most of it was paved, road the rails with vagabonds of the Great Depression, and became a hero on World War Two's front lines. Years after Bill's death, Mark came to me with an idea: though his grandpa's recordings didn't have enough material for a biography, it had the seeds for a work of historical fiction to honor his life.
We pictured a teenager who has suffered a trauma coming to his grandpa the summer after high school, in need of wisdom. Grandpa and grandson spend the summer sharing their gripping stories. I was proud to help Mark bring his vision to life. The fictional Will and Dylan remind me every person is a world, and when we share our worlds, we unlock healing tears and joyful laughter.
We pictured a teenager who has suffered a trauma coming to his grandpa the summer after high school, in need of wisdom. Grandpa and grandson spend the summer sharing their gripping stories. I was proud to help Mark bring his vision to life. The fictional Will and Dylan remind me every person is a world, and when we share our worlds, we unlock healing tears and joyful laughter.
Cara Lopez Lee
So weird - I only saw this recently. I was caring for a dying family member much of the past year, so some things fell off my radar. Sorry we lost touch. But I always like your suggestions, so these are going on my list, and I'll keep my eyes better peeled in future. I loved The House of Broken Angels. I just read Urrea's GOOD NIGHT IRENE, which was also amazing. I love all his books.
Cara Lopez Lee
I don't believe in writer's block. Sometimes I write tripe, but I can edit tripe. I can't edit a blank page. This isn't a talent so much as a survival instinct. My early training took place in TV newsrooms, where writer’s block isn’t allowed. Reporters who miss deadlines get fired, so I developed the habit of writing whether I felt inspired or not.
Still, sometimes I struggle for the best words. When that happens, I go back to the basics: “See Dick Run. Run, Dick, Run!” If I write this way for a while, soon the logjam breaks and the words flow again. Later, I go back and rewrite the beginning: “Dick didn't run as if his life depended on it, but as if the lives of everyone he ever let down depended on it..." Or maybe, "See Dick Run" is just what the story needs. Simple, active, and enough to make readers wonder, "Who is Dick running from? What, oh what, did he do?"
Still, sometimes I struggle for the best words. When that happens, I go back to the basics: “See Dick Run. Run, Dick, Run!” If I write this way for a while, soon the logjam breaks and the words flow again. Later, I go back and rewrite the beginning: “Dick didn't run as if his life depended on it, but as if the lives of everyone he ever let down depended on it..." Or maybe, "See Dick Run" is just what the story needs. Simple, active, and enough to make readers wonder, "Who is Dick running from? What, oh what, did he do?"
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