Dana’s Comments (group member since Apr 02, 2013)

Dana’s comments from the Ask Dana Sachs & Joshua Henkin - Tuesday, April 16th! group.

Joshua wrote: "Dana wrote: "Even though Josh and I are friends, I haven't had enough chances to ask him about his book (we don't live in the same city, unfortunately). So, I'll ask a question here. Can you write ..."

Josh, I understand what you mean about developing characters. It is sort of like raising children. You watch them for so long, but the most profound moments are sometimes when they reveal things about their personalities that, until that moment, you didn't know were there. Fictional characters do that, too.

Thanks for your comments about the research in my book. Having lived in San Francisco helped a lot because there were so many places there that inspired me (the Japanese Tea Garden, of course, the grand department stores, the views over the San Francisco Bay.) In order to make it feel like the 1940s, I spent time thinking about and researching the details of life at that time--what people ate, how they dressed, perfume, music, luggage. I didn't have to know everything; I just needed to know enough to make that world seem vivid and real. Learning about that period was one of my favorite things about writing the book.

Kim wrote: "Hi Dana,
I am a fan of all your books (fiction and non-fiction), and I am interested in the turn you chose to take with The Secret of the Nightingale Palace. After so many years of writing about Vi..."

Thanks so much, Kim. To answer your first question, I primarily consider myself a storyteller. For a long time, Vietnam kept giving me stories that I wanted to write about. I have to say, though, that when I began to mull over this story I was happy that it wasn't about Vietnam. I never grew tired of writing about that place (I still may do so in the future), but I did want to see if I could feel inspired by something else. Happily, I was! As for your second question, I'm really drawn to story or character more than to theme, but I'm sure that I gravitate toward the issues that interest me again and again, so it's not surprising that you see similarities.

My next novel, which I've only just started, takes place in Budapest. It is a family story--about an American family living there. I spent a semester there last year, so I'm thrilled to have a chance to write about it.

Daniel wrote: "Hi Dana, I finished your latest book on a plane returning to San Francisco from Memphis.... very appropriate, yes? I really enjoyed it.

I have a question related to others here about the ending...."

Daniel, I'm so glad you enjoyed it--and, yes, it's very apt that you read it while traveling to San Francisco from Memphis! My response to your question about the ending sort of echoes some of the things that Joshua said about developing character. When I began writing the book, I had an idea about where the story was going. After a few drafts, though, after I'd gotten to know the characters much better, I realized that I was trying to take them in a direction that they would never have gone in. They had become fuller human beings in my imagination and they had minds of their own that went against my intentions. The ending of the book changed completely after that. That progression, I think, affects the rest of the book. As for hints, there are some, but they're really subtle. On that topic, I think this little essay might interest you: http://page69test.blogspot.com/2013/0...

Diane wrote: "For Dana: I loved your book, the characters, the plot, the warmth and good feelings overall. But I also learned so much about San Francisco in the 40's, about Japanese art, about the internment, ab..."

Thanks, Diane! I used to live in San Francisco, so I know the city pretty well. I did do a lot of research for all the passages that take place in the 1940s. I should say that the research came from need AND curiosity. One of the joys of being a writer, for me, comes from being able to immerse myself in a subject that interests me and call it "working." The subjects that you mentioned all fascinate me, so I just dove in and used the results of what I found in the story.

Even though Josh and I are friends, I haven't had enough chances to ask him about his book (we don't live in the same city, unfortunately). So, I'll ask a question here. Can you write a bit about how you developed your characters? Each one is so human and vivid to me, so I'm very curious to know what your process was in deepening them and making them such individuals. (By the way, on the question of sequels, I could follow Noelle through at least another couple of books).

Tiffany wrote: "Hi Dana,

I loved The Secret of the Nightingale Palace so much that I can’t wait to read it again. I particularly admired how you explored themes like poverty and prejudice in a way that was organ..."

Tiffany, I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it. Thank you! Your first question deals with issues of femininity. It's true that one sees broad range in the book, from the young Goldie, who is poor and trying to make it on her own, to her sister Rochelle, who seems to have everything but also finds her conventional life unrewarding, to Anna, who has so many options but can't make a choice at all. By the time I wrote the wedding scene, I was so immersed in the emotions and challenges facing Henry and Goldie that whatever you see, in terms of complexity, just came naturally out of my own sense that their situation was messy and confounding. The characters were constantly observing each other and comparing their situations to those of others.

I think your second question relates to the first one. To be honest, I was so focused on developing the story and the characters that I really didn't think about theme very much at all. It's interesting, in retrospect, to consider what themes the story raises, though, and I feel it's important to talk about them, but themes in fiction are very similar to issues that develop out of situations in real life: We observe what's happening and then we try to make sense of it.

Jocelyn wrote: "Hi Dana, just wanted to say I enjoyed "The Secret of the Nightingale Palace" very much, and was wondering if you could talk about the structure of the novel -- how did you decide to create what som..."

Jocelyn, A character who is 85 years old will naturally inspire questions about the past. This particular character, Goldie, isn't willing to talk about her story. As you can guess from the title of the novel, I was very interested in this idea of secrets, particularly in the secrets that we keep from the people that we love. I think that most people have a strong urge to control their own story, to present their past in a way that makes sense and, to some extent, sounds positive and maybe even beautiful. Goldie certainly does that. So, the story within the story (or book within the book) came out of this need to contrast the story that Goldie was offering to her family (and Anna in particular) with the real story of what happened to her during World War Two.

Susan wrote: "I have a question for Dana. I've loved all your books, starting with "The House on Dream Street." I wanted to know with "The Secret of the Nightingale Palace", what came to you first: the character..."

Hi Susan, I'm so glad you liked the book! Basically, in creating the plot, all of these elements came together a little at a time. In the beginning, I was thinking about an estranged grandmother (Goldie) and her adult granddaughter (Anna). I thought that if I put them together in a car (well, a Rolls Royce) and made them drive across the country together, something interesting would probably happen (though I didn't know what yet.) Once I put a mysterious collection of Japanese art in the trunk of the car with them, the story started coming together in my mind very quickly. It still took a lot of pondering to really figure out what happened, though, both in the present day story and in the story about Goldie during World War Two in San Francisco. Sometimes, I was really stumped about where to go next, but mostly it was a lot of fun.

Rina wrote: "okay, it's been two days since my last post. I just finished The Secret of the Nightingale Palace. wanted to say how much I enjoyed this novel. its ending was one I never suspected (makes this a..."

Rina, I'm touched that you went out and read my book when you saw that I was part of this discussion with Josh. And, of course, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. I won't say anything about the ending (no spoilers!) except that it's been really interesting to me to see how people react to it. I also like what you say about "figuring out." I think that in many ways our brains can't help making connections and trying to see beyond the moment on the page. Surprises are part of the fun, too, aren't they?

Hello, everyone! I've been looking forward to today's discussion and I'm honored to be paired with Joshua Henkin. Thanks to Goodreads for hosting us. I'll reply to the comments and questions individually and I look forward to seeing where the discussion goes.