Inspiration & Perspiration:
Danielle Trussoni’s Newsletter
May 3rd Newsletter
“Genius is 1 Percent Inspiration and 99 Percent Perspiration.”
– Thomas Edison
Happy Monday from the Writing Cave.
April was a busy and exciting month, particularly because spring finally arrived in the Hudson Valley. The trees are in bloom and I have been cutting them and putting them all over my house.
Winter felt interminable, and I’m thankful for longer days, warmer weather, and meeting friends outside again.
Thank you to everyone who entered to win copies of The Ancestor this month in celebration of the paperback release. If you did not win this time around, signed copies are still available here!
The winners from week three are:
1. @csm1321 (Instagram)
2. @morgan__whitlow (Instagram)
3. @owl.always.love.paper (Instagram)
4. @damned_poet (Twitter)
5. @horrorbookgeek (Twitter)
6. @janmah55 (Twitter)
The winners from week four are:
1. @rcc3nc (Instagram)
2. @untamed_ardour (Instagram)
3. @oliviakusch (Instagram)
If you are one of the winners, respond to this email with the best address for me to send your copy! Books will be sent out to all winners shortly. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for future giveaways.
In my last newsletter, I mentioned that I would be announcing the dates for my next writing workshop. As a reminder, it will be a small and exclusive workshop about the art of beginnings: how to open your book, what makes an opening effective, how to hook your reader, and more.
The workshop will take place this summer for four weeks, from June 28th to July 19th, 2021 and will cost $500. Only 4 people will be allowed to register, as I want to work intensely with the writers who join. It is more expensive than my usual workshops because each student can submit up to 50 pages of a book opening and will receive a written analysis of their opening, editorial feedback on structure and language, and suggestions about how to improve. If you’re interested in signing up, respond to this email letting me know. I can’t wait to work with you!
As you probably know, I’ve been racing to finish my new novel. I am happy to report that I’m almost there. I usually write the first draft quickly, sometimes in 3 or 4 months, and then spend many months after revising. I write all my early drafts by hand. Transcribing these pages into a Word Doc becomes the next draft.
This is what one of my first drafts looks like:
I will leave you with this photo of an angel I took last month when I went to the Morgan Library in Manhattan to do some research for my new book.
Thank you as always for staying connected with me through this newsletter and on social media. I love hearing from you, so please feel free to reach out.
Yours,
Danielle