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Procrastination: It's A Good Thing, guest post by Gabriella Contestabile @gcontestabile64 @iReadBookTours

A problem that has always vexed me as a writer is my proclivity to procrastinate. Sometimes there’s a valid excuse, a last minute day job project, a family emergency, a power outage. Usually, however, it’s just me staring at the blank screen or a journal page wondering why I became a writer to begin with, and why accounting might not have been a wiser career choice.

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That said procrastination helped me write a stronger ending for my novel ‘The Artisan’s Star’. The same happened with my second book, ‘Sass, Smarts, and Stilettos’. I took so long to write ‘Artisan’s Star’ I matured along with my protagonist. I stood at the same crossroads as Elio who, in the final chapters and with fresh awareness, makes a different and far more satisfying lifestyle choice.

“Sass, Smarts, and Stilettos” took me only a year and a half to write, thanks to my publisher, Julie Salisbury. Even there, life got in the way. My ninety-four year old mother moved in with us. It turned our world inside out. Carving out time to write became more and more difficult.

Still, her presence re-connected me with my past in a profound and visceral way. It brought up vibrant memories of our immigrant experience, her sartorial skills, her love of her métier as a magliaia (knitwear seamstress) in Italy, our transatlantic crossing on the SS Andrea Doria. It forced me to go deeper and it made me even more proud of my heritage.

One evening over chamomile tea with honey, our evening ritual, mom told me she regretted selling her knitting machine. So I decided to buy her one. While researching on line I discovered Emily Cunetto, a young knitwear designer living in California who works on two knitting machines not unlike the ones my mother worked on over seventy years ago. That led to more research on exciting new slow fashion initiatives, notably Fibershed, Grow Your Jeans, and the atelier of Jussara Lee in the West Village.

And now an entire new world of possibilities opened up taking the book’s narrative full circle, from the teachings of my grandmother in our hillside village in Abruzzo to sustainability and slow fashion initiatives taking root around the world, a movement driven by young entrepreneurs who believe in doing what’s right for humanity and our environment, and are making great inroads along the way.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that procrastination can be a good thing. And I’m not alone. In Walter Isaacson’s brilliant biography ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ he advises us to learn from Leonardo, to maintain a childlike sense of wonder and to procrastinate. In the words of history’s most creative thinker, “Men of lofty genius sometimes accomplish the most when they work least. For their minds are occupied with their ideas and the perfection of their conceptions to which they afterwards give form.’

My screenwriting teacher once said that to a writer everything is material. Once your book is inside your head, you are always thinking, imagining, and making connections, which will one day tell a reader this is a story of multiple layers and facets, deeply felt and understood, an experience worth taking in, not unlike DaVinci’s ‘Madonna of the Rocks.’

Gabriella Contestabile is the author of the novel, The Artisan’s Star, and owner of Su Misura (Made to Measure) Journeys; a boutique travel concept for the female traveler who relishes off-the-beaten-track adventures that celebrate the Italian way of life.

The book/travel initiative has its roots in her pre-writer life as a foreign language teacher, later as Executive Director and Vice President of International Training in a number of global companies (including Estee Lauder, Shiseido, and Prada Beauty) where she would create immersive and unconventional learning experiences in unique settings around the world.

One of her favorite pastimes, wherever she is in the world, is to scout out the best, and most ‘Italian’ espresso in the hood. It requires multiple tastings, but that’s the idea. Gabriella was born in Italy, and raised in Ottawa and New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, her mother, and a furry Shih Tzu named Oreo.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ LinkedIn

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Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how long you have been writing?

I am the "Studentessa Matta" which means "crazy language student," and for the past seven years, I have been writing a dual language blog in Italian and English to promote the study of the Italian language and culture. I am an artist and art historian and own my own graphic design business. In fact, I designed and illustrated the artwork for the cover designs of both my novels "Dreaming Sophia" and "Waking Isabella." The blog posts I write are non-fiction articles, and about four years ago I got the idea to try my hand at fiction writing. My first novel "Dreaming Sophia," was published in 2016.

As I was working on my first book "Dreaming Sophia," trying my hand at fiction writing, I discovered that I enjoy the process of writing a novel and creating new worlds filled with interesting characters. Inventing a story and weaving in historical details is a bit of a departure from the kind of writing I do on the Studentessa Matta blog - where I blog about more exact things: language learning and cultural anecdotes. So about midway through the first book, I was already casting around for concepts for my second novel. Now I am embarking on the writing of my third novel.

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What sort of research did you do to write this book? 

Researching my stories is one of the fascinating parts of my writing process. I live for part of the year in Italy and travel around the country extensively. In the process, I am always collecting fascinating stories about festivals and local traditions and things I have seen and experienced personally regarding Italian culture. I also am continually researching the articles I publish on my blog Studentessa Matta, so I am always learning about new things. As I begin spinning my fictional stories, I read up on all the historical figures that are of prime interest. As I do, I learn amazing little details and make the most exciting discoveries. I enjoy the little ah-ha moments and connections I make between historical figures.

For this particular book, "Waking Isabella," after thoroughly researching Isabella de’ Medici, I made a special trip — a pilgrimage of sorts — to Cerreto Guidi to visit her the hunting lodge where the princess was murdered. Standing in the room where she was killed by her husband was a truly unique and chilling experience.

Where do you get the inspiration and ideas for each of your books? 

My journey to learn the language has brought me even closer to Italy, a country that I have now adopted. The friendships I have made and the experiences I have had of living and traveling in Italy have given me insight into so many stories, traditions, and cultural ambiguities that many foreigners have never even heard of. It has also given me opportunities I never thought imaginable, like zip lining in the Basilicata, taking part in the jousting festival in Arezzo and attending a friend’s wedding in Naples.

In my books, I strive to weave together a bit of the Italian language as well as art history. I want people to be inspired to learn the language and realize that art can "talk" to them if they listen. My novels are set in modern times, but they also take the reader back into the past to get a feeling for Italian personalities from previous eras. The stories weave together historical and contemporary information, as well as a bit fantasy and time travel as well.

Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?

I am a little of both. I begin with an outline and a pretty clear idea of how the story will start, what will happen along the way, and how it will end. But, sometimes the best ideas and the story takes off when I just sit down to write, with only a general idea of what is going to happen. It is as if the characters grab hold of my pen (or keyboard) and start taking control! For instance, Margherita's story in "Waking Isabella" just flowed and "happened" unconsciously one day, as did all the scenes that deal with Isabella that are set in the past.

How long does it take you to write a book? Can you describe your process a bit more? 

My first novel took me about a year and a half. My second took me about nine months. I learned a lot during the writing and publishing of my first that helped to streamline the publication of the second.

After thoroughly researching my topic and story, I start with a 50 page outline and a whole bunch of ideas and notes. I then begin to flush out my story outline some more and then after a while I dive in and start writing. Once I’m off and running I work for several hours each day. When the first draft is done, I begin the revisions and filling in more detail, more layers and layers of dialogue and colorful imagery. It is like painting in a way. I create a rough sketch and then continue going back over the story adding more and more layers and colors.

During my draft writing, which can take several months, I stop periodically to review my work with an informal editor. With her I read chapters out loud. She gives me feedback as well as a few reality checks. We have a wonderful collaborative work flow and it is very helpful to me to have someone who is keyed into my story at an very early stage with whom I can bounce ideas off and talk about the characters.

When I feel the manuscript is ready, I send it to my editor and then to the final proofreader. The tricky part is to know when you are done writing. I can still read sentences and want to make a change here or there, in word choice or stylistic phrases. I could hold onto my work forever, but really the end goal is to get my work into the hands of my readers to enjoy. I remind myself, the goal is to entertain and engage the reader. Only in that way does an author learn and continue growing and it frees them up to start their next project!

Do you have an agent or a publisher, and if you can share, who they are?

I am an Indie author and created my own Printing Press called "Matta Press." In addition to being an author, I am a professional book designer as well as a graphic designer and illustrator. I have run my own business for years, so I decided I would be up to the challenge of setting up my own publishing label and self-publish my books under my own label.

What were some of the challenges you faced with your writing and on the road to getting published? 

With my first book initially, I was working with an independent publishing house. But then, my editor at the time encouraged me to break off and self-publish. In the beginning I was quite intimidated by the idea, but she said, "no one else is ever going to more than what you have already done for yourself…if anybody could do it, Melissa, you can!"

Self-publishing was all new to me, and I had to learn a lot about the process to finalize and produce my first book. I hired a consultant who helped tremendously. Still, with the first book, I think I did everything I possibly could do upside down and backward. Leave it to me to find the most complicated way to accomplish something! But still, I persisted.

I think the best thing for me is to find people who are as excited about my projects as I am. I love writing but love it, even more, when I have the collaboration of people who inspire me and fuel my creative process with the right kind of constructive feedback. So, finding the right editors is very important. Also, I can read a sentence a hundred times and never see the missing word or typo, so it was important to find an eagle-eyed proofreader, one who can see the typographical errors and knows how to place a comma with precision.

In the end, however, it was exhilarating to write and self-publish a novel. Afterward, I realized I couldn't let all that knowledge go to waste…so why not work on a second book? And now…a third!

What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author? 

When I was writing my first book "Dreaming Sophia," I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Miss Sophia Loren in person. I was researching at the time for my book, and when I learned she was giving a one-woman show in Las Vegas, I knew I had to find a way to meet her. Had I not been involved in writing the book I would never have had the courage to do so. After her show, in a private reception, I had the opportunity to speak with her in Italian, kiss her on both cheeks and tell her about my novel. We also had a photo taken together.

There were two things she said that resonated with me that evening. The first: "Believe in your dreams, dreams become reality." The second: "Be brave. Just do it." I would say this is also my advice to anyone who wants to write a book. You can second-guess yourself all you want, but it just comes down to hard work (lots and lots and lots of draft variations), believing in yourself and just doing it!

On the Studentessa Matta language learning site you can find lots of free ways to practice Italian. I write both in Italian and English so you can flex and improve your communication skills - for free. Each week I post about Italian language learning as well as fun and interesting stories about Italian culture. You can find all the videos from this channel on the blog as well, with transcripts and translations.

For those of you who want to dive in a little deeper into Italian language studies in Italy, I also organize small group language immersion programs. This year the programs will be held in Montepulciano and Arezzo. I invite you to join me! Please visit the Studentessa Matta site for more details: www.StudentessaMatta.com

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Plot vs Character, guest post by Daniel M. Annechino

Of all the issues related to writing fiction, none is more subjective or controversial than the long-standing argument over which is more important, plot or characters. Anyone with even the most limited knowledge of fiction—reader or writer—could build a strong case either way, and there is no absolute right or wrong. As a writer myself, I, of course, have my own opinion; a very strong opinion. Needless to say, any successful, well-written novel must have both a strong plot and fascinating characters. That’s a given. However, I’d like to build a case for characters.

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Of all the novels I’ve read throughout my life, those most memorable, locked in my mind forever, are books whose main characters were three dimensional and lifelike. A novel could have a highly compelling plot, but if interesting characters do not support it, the story will likely fall flat no matter how complex, leaving the reader disappointed. As a novelist, you’re competing with God and that’s no easy task. To create characters who live and breathe and literally jump off the pages requires a very unique talent.

Not to minimize the importance of plot, it is my strong contention that plots—and please forgive me for saying this—are a dime a dozen. Consider this: if you pick up any major newspaper in the country and skim through its pages, you will find dozens of plot ideas from real-life situations. The husband who has two wives—one on the east coast and one on the west coast. The corrupt politician who accepts a bribe. A national security leak. A conflict in the Middle East. For no particular reason a lunatic walks into a classroom and executes the students. An average Joe rescues a child from a burning building and becomes an overnight hero.

Not only are plots everywhere, but many storylines have a familiar ring. How many times have the two main characters in a romance novel hated each other throughout the book, only to fall in love at the end? How many times has the good guy, the character you least expected, turn out to be the villain? How many books about lawyers and doctors and superheroes follow the same formula? How many times have you read a classic cat and mouse whodunit mystery with a familiar storyline?

On the flip side, have you ever seen the likes of Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, or Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind? Has either character ever been cloned in any other novel? Their uniqueness and originality cannot be easily duplicated. Although the plots for both of these memorable tales were compelling and engaging, it was the main characters that grabbed your attention and kept you turning pages.

The ultimate challenge for all novelists is to write a book with both an original, attention-grabbing plot and fascinating characters. And this is a tall order. But remember this: if you create complex, truly intriguing characters, the story can be a lazy tale about someone building a horse barn and your readers will be totally engaged.

Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money, while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly. He has written and published five novels—all thrillers. But his latest work, More Than a Soldier, is a Historical Biography set in Italy during WWII.

A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

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