Ralph Webster
Author
Whose voice? A Man’s or a Woman’s?
This past week I was asked “how was writing One More Moon different from what I’d experienced writing the last book?” It’s a curious question – one that I find myself reflecting upon now and certainly something that I was not overly conscious of when I was writing. Had I considered the difference, would it have changed the way I wrote One More Moon?
Old habits are hard to break. I can’t say the way I approached the writing changed much – the way I researched, my daily routine, the thought process. I always take my craft seriously. Even though this was a different story, little else changed. One initial reviewer noticed. But, no one else did and I never gave it much more thought.
I realize now that it’s very obvious. The difference? My first book, A Smile in One Eye, is told by a man, my father. I tried to put myself into my father’s head and explain his world from a man’s perspective. My new book, One More Moon, is told by a woman, my grandmother. I had to find her voice, understand the world from her vantage point, and speak the words she would have said. I honestly can’t say that I purposely tried to write one with a male voice and the other with a female voice. I didn’t instinctively prepare or choose my words differently. I wasn’t aware of the nuance – I hope this was because I didn’t want there to be one. I didn’t try to express their emotions or how they said things differently simply because one was a man and the other a woman. My aim was to portray and project the individual characters as I knew them. I wanted them to be real.
Now I wonder how readers will react. Do readers prefer books written in a woman’s voice versus a man’s? Did I make these characters authentic? Should I have used a different pen name? Will their voices stand up to the scrutiny of my readers? When put to paper, what does distinguish a man’s voice from a woman’s? Is there a stereotype that one is supposed to follow? As One More Moon rolls out in the coming weeks and months I am sure I will learn many of the answers. Readers have a way of being very direct in their observations. They will tell me the answers.
A Great Book Club
I love to meet with book clubs and community groups – whether in person or via Skype. And, the participants agree. The discussions are lively, compelling and thought-provoking. Although One More Moon will not be released until February, 2018, here is a review of my first book, A Smile in One Eye: A Tear in the Other by one book club member.
“What a great book and story line throughout! I loved the way the difficult and challenging life stories unfolded throughout the book. This family faced multiple hardships, losses, and the tumult of world conflicts in a manner that grabs your heart no matter what generation is depicted. I found myself longing to know them better, but by the time I finished, I felt I did know them all. Having Mr. Webster and his wife at our Book Club turned a great book into a fascinating one, as he…
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A Great Book Club
I love to meet with book clubs and community groups – whether in person or via Skype. And, I think the participants agree. The discussions are lively, compelling and thought-provoking. Although One More Moon will not be released until February, 2018, here is a review of my first book, A Smile in One Eye: A Tear in the Other by one book club member.
“What a great book and story line throughout! I loved the way the difficult and challenging life stories unfolded throughout the book. This family faced multiple hardships, losses, and the tumult of world conflicts in a manner that grabs your heart no matter what generation is depicted. I found myself longing to know them better, but by the time I finished, I felt I did know them all. Having Mr. Webster and his wife at our Book Club turned a great book into a fascinating one, as he shared the process of developing his writing of the story! I plan to read it again, now that I’ve met Ralph and Ginger!
Why I Wrote One More Moon
Many of my friends have asked “what drives you to want to write a book?” After-all, I am at a pretty good place in life – retired, healthy, happy, energetic – certainly not lacking. Why would I want to spend most of my days (and many of my nights) working on a second book? I never planned to become an author. This wasn’t my life’s work. This was never my training and certainly not my profession. In high school I was the guy sent to shop class – never advanced English.
The thing is I have more things that I want to say! I suspect that most of us do. That’s why I put so much energy into writing One More Moon. I know that telling a story is a wonderful way to convey a thought.
I want to leave something “of me” behind for my future generations. I am convinced that they won’t care too much about my stuff (I am sure that they won’t know what to do with it.) But, my words? My words won’t take much space (and they won’t require dusting!) I hope my words will live on. I want my words to continue to be heard. I want the chance to make a difference in the lives of my grandchildren’s children.
There are many things I care deeply about. I want my future generations to have a sense of where we came from. I want them to understand the struggles that led to where they are with their lives. I want to pass on certain values.
My two books tell the story of refugees – people who were forced to leave their homelands, not because of their faults, but because of the arrogant and dangerous self-righteousness of others.
I want the words that I leave on this earth to remind the future generations that everyone (no matter the differences in our genes, our DNA, our circumstance, our beliefs) is entitled to respect and dignity – that we all belong to the same race – the human race. I want them to care and pay attention when political leaders prey on our differences. I want others to know that we should never be defined that way. We must be defined by our similarities. Sometimes that is not an easy thing to do – but that is what we have to do to make this world continue to work. What we share in common is a thread that should never be broken.
That’s why I wrote One More Moon!
Now on NetGalley!
I hope you will look for One More Moon on NetGalley – download it, read it, and let me know your comments. Thanks!
Thank You Breakfast Book Club!
A heartfelt thank you to the Breakfast Book Club in Port Orange, Florida. I was thrilled that you selected A Smile in One Eye as this month’s book and enjoyed being part of your discussion via Skype yesterday!
Hope we can do it again with One More Moon.
Kindle Scout Campaign!!!
The Kindle Scout campaign for One More Moon has been launched. Please take a moment, take a look, and cast your vote! Thank you! Ralph Webster
It is time to unveil the cover!
It is time to unveil the cover. The writing is done. The editing is complete. Interior design is underway. Won’t be long now before One More Moon is available!
Learn more at One More Moon
Great Book Club Discussion in Kitty Hawk
Great book club discussion in Kitty Hawk, NC last evening! Thank you for choosing A Smile in One Eye as your book this month. Special thanks to Stacey Keller Starsman for hosting.
Hope we can do this again soon. One More Moon (Goodbye Mussolini! One Woman’s Story of Fate and Survival) should be released shortly after the first of the year.
Thank You Island Bookstore!
Have to admit it was a very strange feeling seeing my book so prominently displayed in a bookstore today! Lots of visitors on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Great response to the book signing! Thank you to the Island Bookstore!
Ralph Webster 