Blog Posts for Debbie Lee Wesselmann

The Private Torture of Writer's Block

Debbie Lee Wesselmann — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 07:03:11 -0800

This week I showed my students Adaptation, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, a free-wheeling adaptation of Susan Orlean's nonfiction book The Orchid Thief. The metafictive film is as much about writing as it is about orchids, maybe even more so, and it occurred to me as I was watching it for the umpteenth time that most viewers would not identify with the agony the ...

Happy Birthday to Me and You

Debbie Lee Wesselmann — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:50:14 -0700

Today is my birthday. I've celebrated the anniversary of my birth so many times that I often forget how old I am or what day of the week July 26 falls on. But since I love to celebrate any occasion, I'm embracing this day. Every year, friends and family ask what I want for my birthday. Most years, I'm at a loss to come up with that dreaded birthday list. This year I have the perfect gift ...

The Book Review Crisis

Debbie Lee Wesselmann — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:47:05 -0700

Recently, a friend pointed me to a blog on Galley Cat that bemoaned the dwindling enthusiasm in the blogosphere to review books. It seems that publishers are depending on online outlets to review their books, and bloggers are growing resentful of the stacks of books they receive and are expected to review for free. Although the Galley Cat blogger was most concerned with the non-paid reviewing ...

Writing What I Don't Know

Debbie Lee Wesselmann — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:59:21 -0700

Real life –– at least as I live it –– is not as dramatic as a good story. Every morning, I shuffle into the kitchen for a much-needed cup of coffee, read the paper, and then embark on a day filled with extraordinary . . . routine. On days when I'm writing, usually the only two characters in the house are my computer and me. (Well, to be fair, my talking budgie in the next room ...

The Property of None

Debbie Lee Wesselmann — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:00:36 -0700

A controversy is currently raging in Louisiana and Texas -- and it has nothing to do with the presidential race. Six chimpanzees are caught in a custody battle between two sanctuaries, Chimp Haven and Primarily Primates, both of which claim the right to house them. The chimps' plight, and the lack of media attention devoted to it, highlights a basic flaw in our legal system regarding these ...

The Author Signing Two-Step

Debbie Lee Wesselmann — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:27:54 -0700

The door opened. Two steps forward. Stop. Two to the left. And a scurry down the nearest aisle. This dance, repeated person after person, was choreographed to avoid me, seated at a table that the manager had placed near the front door. I learned during my recent book tour that authors intimidate book buyers the way Jehovah Witnesses, cameramen, psychologists, and government agents frighten ...