Stephanie Van Orman
Bio
I write novels like I am part-printer, part book factory, and a little girl running away with a balloon. I'm here as an experiment and I'm unsure if this is a place where I can fit in. We'll see.
Stories (116)
Filter by community
Maybe Take The Easy Path
Occasionally, people will say things about me in my hearing. Things like, "I'm sure Stephanie took lots of creative writing classes after high school." It's usually a mother trying to encourage their nearly-grown child, and they're using me as an instant example because I'm sitting right there.
By Stephanie Van Ormanabout a year ago in Writers
An Audiobook for Every Occasion
Who wants to read when they can listen? I wrote a piece a while back about how I was making auto-narrated audiobooks. I was disappointed in them because I didn't like how the limited voices sounded when they swore (I write fiction), but I also liked the auto-narration because then an actor can't offer an opinion on the text through their tone. It was cheaper. It was faster. I'm not an important novelist. I don't have a publishing company. I'm an independent novelist and I just do my own thing. It's more important to get my books under the eyes and ears of the public than to concern myself about perfect presentation. There's no need to die under my perfectionism. If there was, I would have quit writing ages ago and focused on cleaning my bathroom.
By Stephanie Van Ormanabout a year ago in Writers
Labyrinth
The other day, I watched a video on YouTube speaking about the novel for the film 'Labyrinth' that came out to accompany it. From the moment the content creator started explaining it, I knew I was going to hate it -- hate it with every fiber of my being. The reason for that is that 'Labyrinth' is the only movie I can think of that accomplishes something special and the way the novel was envisioned destroys what the film was capable of. Just by way of research, the novel was written by A.C.H. Smith (the original screenplay for the film was written by Jim Henson, Terry Jones, and Dennis Lee) to coincide with the release of the film. Jim Henson oversaw the novel and it was published with his creative permission.
By Stephanie Van Ormanabout a year ago in BookClub
Team Jacob Won
Don’t get the wrong idea about me. I was not on Team Edward. I wasn’t on Team Twilight. I’m not sure what team I’m on. It’s so confusing for me because I’m a romance novelist. I write all kinds of romances and yet… I wildly do not understand the werewolf romance craze.
By Stephanie Van Orman2 years ago in BookClub
Today's Funeral
I volunteered to take a vegetable platter to a stranger's funeral. When my mother died, I couldn't bear to eat anything at her funeral. I felt sick to my stomach and, even though mourners are supposed to eat at funerals, I couldn't bear to eat a mouthful. I felt very much like vomiting blood on the floor of the hall and being carried out on a stretcher. That felt appropriate. What did not feel appropriate was picking up a plate and filling it with vegetables, little sandwiches, and chocolate-covered strawberries.
By Stephanie Van Orman2 years ago in Families
Dear Author
Today's advice column was about a woman who was 70 and married to a man who was 75. A 50 year old woman moved in nearby and the wife noticed that her husband was crushing on the younger woman. The writer said she'd tried to talk to her, but she was unfriendly, but she'd seen her huband text her younger neighbor, look fondly out the window at her house, and more. It made the wife super jealous, but the question of whether or not she should pull the plug on her whole life was giving her pause. She was asking the agony aunt what she should do.
By Stephanie Van Orman2 years ago in Humans
Plagiarism
You should never write anything good... because someone will steal it. I started writing novels 29 years ago. In that time I have written 29 novels to completion. Naturally, not all of those novels have been worth publishing, even from an independent novelist's point of view. But, over a dozen have been and it has become a common occurrence for me to deal with plagiarism. Joy. Let's talk about it.
By Stephanie Van Orman2 years ago in Writers
Digilibraries. Top Story - July 2024.
I'll never beat The Art of War. But let me explain why. About a month ago, I received an invitation from DigiLibraries to post my books there. Obviously, they post free ebooks. I have several ebooks I have authored and I post them for people to download for free, even though I retain the copyright. It's free for the reader, but that doesn't mean people can use my writing without my permission.
By Stephanie Van Orman2 years ago in Writers
Dear Author
I read another terrible advice column. The writer says that her best friend's boyfriend has been making the moves on her. He's been flirting with her and they almost kissed. She's pretty interested in him but she doesn't want to ruin her friendship. What should she do?
By Stephanie Van Orman2 years ago in Humans
Me and My Soap Dispenser
I'm not great at interior design. But when I see a cute soap dispenser, I feel a part of my brain click that doesn't usually. Are there movable parts in your brain? Whether there are or aren't, my brain makes a little sound I can hear on the inside of my head when I see a really cute soap dispenser.
By Stephanie Van Orman2 years ago in Humor
