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This is our porch. My husband built it from the ground up and both of us lovingly painted it, back when we had energy to spare, evidently. Since this photo was taken, the paint may have dulled and flaked a bit, but it's still as welcoming as ever. It's Porch Season here in Nova Scotia, so I spent the morning out there working on this note of introduction.  

 

 

NOTE

: a characteristic feature

: to notice or observe with care

: to record or preserve in writing

: to make special mention of or remark on

:a short, informal letter

 
The word "nuance" is a special to me. So much so, that I chose it in the early days of the Internet as my online nickname. Well, not exactly. I use nuanc, instead. Why not spell it correctly? Here's the history:

It's 1996. I am signing up for my first email account. 
       AOL: User Name: _____
       Me:  ???...nuance@aol.com
       AOL: That name is already in use. 
       Me:  Who else in the world would pick that for a handle?
       AOL: Would you like nuance4l37? nuance1996? nancynuance? nuancenut?
       Me:  No, I would not. 
       Me:  nuanc@aol.com
       AOL: As you wish.

I wish AOL had said that!

But I was happy with the compromise because it made sense in my life. Friends and family often call me Nanc, pronounced with a soft c, as in Nancy. I believe it was my beloved sister Suze who first wrote it that way in her gorgeous handwriting. 

Since Nanc is my nickname, nuanc worked: pronounced like nuance, but more me. 

The other part that felt right at that time in history, is that the u makes it newanc and being online was a whole new world. I mean…we used to call it Cyberspace. It's all so ancient now. 

Nuance is one of the qualities I shoot for in my fiction. The characters I write are made up of layers of motivation and intention, of past mistakes and future needs, of sobering self-deception and heartbreaking honesty. They are products of their heritage while growing before our eyes into new versions of themselves. Settings, too, aren't just a place for the characters to be, but are interactive landscapes of evolving history, climate, and societal forces that influence the people who live there. And, the plot, the plot, the plot! What happens arises from the interactions of all of these complex variables that sometimes makes it hard for even the writer to know what happens next.

I find it is often the subtlest shadings that have the biggest impact.

 

NUANCE

:sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to

express delicate shadings of meaning, feeling, or value

My plan is to send a newsletter each month and an occasional special email--when I have a major book announcement or something equally exciting and rare. If you are up for that, please check to make sure that these newsletters aren't landing in your spam folder.

Until next time, all the best,