Anne McCaffrey

I listen to the "Wingin' It" podcast done by Michael R. Mennenga, Evo Terra and the Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas (I have to agree, that's a fun name) over at The Dragon Page. This is usually a really geeky, freewheeling show that's fun and has no real agenda other than aimless rants and a couple of nice segments (Mur Lafferty's essay and A Different Point of View).

Anyway, I was initially bummed that there would be no "real" Wingin' It last week as the hosts were recovering from Dragon*Con. Instead, Michael aired the session of Anne and Todd McCaffrey (ok, it was mostly Anne) at Dragon*Con.

I'm not really a Pern reader, so I was prepared to skip over that segment. I was driving to game night at the time, so I let the show run while I jostled for room in crowded traffic. For once, I was glad for the traffic.

Anne is a gifted vocal storyteller. Not all writers have the gift of being able to speak as well as they write. Anne's 80 years old, but her voice is strong and clear, and she spoke without the ahhhs and errrrs that mar a lot of people's public speaking.

My takeaway, something I know I've heard before but forget quite a bit, is to write how you feel. Write from the heart. Anne was talking about the death of her father, a military man, and the emotion she felt looking at his coffin with the American flag laid over it. That emotion led to "The Ship Who Sang." She relates that she was usually unable to get through the book at public readings, because the emotion would overcome her, and the Todd would have to pick it up when that happened. At one reading, she saw that there was a camera crew, and she tried to hold back the emotion. Until she saw that the crew was crying.

Great story, related in a perfect voice.

One of those times that you're content to listen to someone related parts of her life, and live vicariously.