Jennifer McMahon
Jennifer McMahon
Jennifer McMahonis a novelist who formerly resided in Barre, Vermont and now lives in Montpelier, Vermont. She has a civil union with her partner Drea, and one child, daughter Zella. She is a graduate of Goddard College, and studied poetry at Vermont College...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
CountryUnited States of America
sequel stories
I've never done a sequel - so far, there have been too many new stories and characters calling my name.
conflict external forever good leaving problem remember shape whether
At the heart of every story is conflict - whether external or internal, make it a good one, and remember that this problem is going to shape your character, leaving her forever changed.
convinced grew lived named suburban
I was born in 1968 and grew up in my grandmother's house in suburban Connecticut, where I was convinced a ghost named Virgil lived in the attic.
believe taught
My mother taught me to believe in ghosts: to use a Ouija board, have seances, and leave little offerings out for those who have passed.
almost aware characters create creating creepy details ghost good help itself landscape rides setting success ways
I think of setting as almost a character of its own, influencing the other characters in ways they're not even aware of. So much of the success of a good ghost story rides on creating a creepy atmosphere; details of the landscape itself can help create a sense of dread.
college poems poetry studied time trying year
I studied poetry in college and for a year in an MFA program. As time went on, my poems got more and more complicated. What I was really trying to do was tell stories.
falls
You can have the greatest characters in the world and write beautifully, but if nothing's happening, the story falls on its face pretty quickly.
cellar dead eating empty found frying looked orange pebbles railroad shotgun skull stone treasures walls
I found many treasures in the woods over the years: shotgun shells, empty Colt 45 bottles, old railroad spikes, orange and black beetles eating a dead mouse, pebbles that looked just like teeth, old stone walls and cellar holes, a rusted out frying pan, the skull of a cat.
graduated poetry program studied vermont
I graduated with a B.A. from Goddard College in 1991 and then studied poetry for a year in the M.F.A. in Writing Program at Vermont College.
came deal great poetry taught
Poetry taught me a great deal about language and images, but when it came to plotting, I was stumped. It's been very much a learn-by-doing thing for me.
ask exercise pen sit
One exercise I always do when I'm getting to know a character is ask her to tell me her secrets. Sit down with a pen and paper, and start with, 'I never told anybody...' and go from there, writing in the voice of your character.
noises possibly ultimate
My grandmother was a psychiatrist and possibly the ultimate of all skeptics. But even she couldn't explain the strange noises we so often heard in the attic.
constantly fascinated full illnesses medical shelves
My grandmother was a psychiatrist and had shelves full of medical books - I was constantly sneaking looks at some of those. I was fascinated by the descriptions of illnesses and diseases.
bad books calls friend ideas nightmares notebook queen side wake
I have a friend who calls me the queen of the nightmares because I've always had really bad nightmares. I keep a notebook by the side of my bed, so I'll wake up in the night from a bad dream, and my heart's pounding, and I'm really scared, but I write it down, and sometimes I get ideas for books that way.