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PROGRAM NOTES FOR ETWG September 8, 2008
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Kassy Paris spoke of her writing experiences this evening, concentrating on what it is like to write novels with a partner. She began by mentioning the quilts and books program that a quilting society to which she belongs initiated to introduce school children to stories involving quilts. The quilts are small enough to pack for transporting, but large enough to allow the observers to see the intricacies of patterns and stitching involved. The quilts are matched to stories about quilting, bagged, and circulated among teachers. Kassy noted the interest and popularity of this program by the teachers and students who have received and circulated the packages.
Kassy stated that reading was always an interest for her and could trace this back to her kindergarten days. ?Reading led me to writing,? she said. Her imagination allowed her to initiate stories in her mind. A self-proclaimed ?loner,? Kassy grew up with three sisters and appreciated any ?alone-time? which she said she needed.
The stories Kassy concocted were based on the television westerns like ?Bonanza.? She laughingly said, ?My bicycle was never a bike; it was my horse.? In these stories, she recreated the characters. She first tried writing stories in longhand, but found that to be too slow a process. She acquired a manual typewriter while in high school. That was better, she told us, but she still was dissatisfied with the lack of speed. She also hates to rewrite, because of the time it involves. Finally, she acquired a computer which made her life easier, she stated, because corrections and revisions are easier and faster.
Kassy writes with her best friend, Elaine Bonner Powell, whom she met in high school. After they graduated, they went their separate ways, but still maintained contact. They got back together when Elaine returned to the church where her father had ministered and where she then lived with her minister-husband.
Their first published success was a Christmas play in high school. When Elaine?s daughter was a teen-ager, Elaine called Kassy and invited her to dinner. That evening, Elaine presented Kassy with a manuscript Elaine had written and asked for Kassy?s opinion. Kassy found that Elaine?s humor came through her writing, which she likened to an Erma Bombeck style. Kassy told Elaine to finish the manuscript, to which Elaine responded, ?God told me we?re supposed to write books together.? Kassy thought, ?Who am I to question God??
The two women then went to Hot Springs, Arkansas where they collaborated using the first models of word processors that came out on the market. After that they traveled around when Kassy?s schedule permitted. From 1997 until 2001, the two completed four manuscripts. The fifth manuscript was written ?long distance? when they were living 1200 miles apart. That one was published in July, 2002.
Kassy went on with an interesting story. Last spring, they sent a proposal to a publishing house, which at the time underwent a change of editors, and the manuscript was lost. Kassy finally decided to write after a length of time and ask about it. The editor apologized and asked her to send the whole manuscript. Revisions were necessary before she could follow through with the request, so she polished it first, then shipped it. The editor then said she wanted the second book when Kassy let it be known that one was existing. After receiving the second book, the editor requested a third book and encouraged Kassy to give the three books a series name. She said there were a lot of phone calls during this time as Elaine works at a hospital at nighttime, and often has enough ?down? time to work on manuscripts.
Kassy has found that most partnerships consist of a creative writer and a researcher. But Kassy and Elaine consider themselves both creative writers. She said the editor found both of them write so well it?s hard to decipher differences?their styles are so well-blended. Together they created a pseudonym?Kasandra Elaine?but Elaine?s individual works are published under her own name of Elaine Bonner.
Writing in partnership means to compromise. They may not always agree, but will discuss issues when needed. There are two types of writers??seat-of-the-pants? and ?plotters.? Kassy works with more structure, but she and Elaine are essentially ?seat-of-the-pants? workers. Elaine keeps a little notebook of character profiles, while Kassy uses character forms. If Kassy, writes a scene, she?ll read her scene to Elaine, who may or may not agree. If not, Kassy allows Elaine to rewrite it to see if they can come up with a scenario that pleases both of them. Kassy then gave examples of how they discover plots, often when they are traveling. For instance, they found single pieces of clothing along the side of the road when they were driving one day and began to question where they came from, and then played the ?What if..? game. Kassy also related that during their travels through Utah, they spotted a sign pointing to La Verkins Overlook. The comment was made that you can?t overlook the La Verkins!
Their stories have been published by Wild Rose Press, and include:
First I?m Nobody, presently in e-format and due in print on December 19, 2008,
followed by Redigo?s Choice, which will appear in e-format on December 5th, and is due for printing on March 6, 2009. The third book, still in the process of writing, has no title. The series is entitled The Lazy M Ranch Series.
Kassy concluded her talk by saying working with a partner really requires that each one only does half the work. However, they are contracted as a pair when their stories are accepted for publication.
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