My background in theatre and love of art contribute to the visual quality I bring to my writing. I believe that picturing things is inherent to how humans communicate. (Think cave paintings.) I like to write about innovations in technology, art, or science, and about issues that affect society. I like to write stories that stir emotions and serve as a catalyst to deeper understanding about ourselves and the rest of the planet. I believe rhythm is the key to good writing, be it for the written or the spoken word. And more important than anything--to tell a good story.

Influences
When I was little I wrote and told stories. I pretended to be the different characters, acting out scenes and various voices and dialects--often in the woods near my house--to an audience that wasn't actually there.

When I was thirteen I saw a play that deeply affected me--The Diary of Anne Frank. Not only was I enchanted by actors creating a life onstage, I was thoroughly engaged in this true story of a spirited girl who wanted to write and live life to the fullest. Like Anne, I wanted to write. Like the actress who portrayed her, I wanted to act. And what gave it all more resonance is that I had grown up listening to stories about the German occupation of Paris. Stories told by my mother and grandmother, who had lived in hiding for over a year--sometimes listening to the sound of Nazi goose steps just a few feet from where they sat, clutching their knees and praying.

In college I majored in Communicative Arts, wrote stories, and acted in college and community productions. My first "real" job was assistant to the travel editor of Town & Country Magazine in New York City. There were other jobs, of course--from sales to showroom modeling. Not the stuff you put in your professional resume, but a reflection of the serendipitous experience most writers seem to have in their back pockets.

Watching the soaps
One of the quirkiest jobs I ever had was in San Francisco in the mid-eighties--watching soap operas from a cable feed directly from New York and then writing and recording 60 second spots summarizing the events of the day's episodes. Within an hour of the telecast, people from all over the country could call a designated 976 number to find out what happened that day on their favorite soap. The company was Megaphone, the first telephone information access company in the U.S.

The new "multimedia"
I continued writing for local papers, corporate videos, brochures, and ad copy. I had a nightlife column in The Pacific Sun. I did voiceover work on the side. And then in the mid-90s I learned about the new "multimedia." I was drawn to it, wanting to be a part of something that for me evoked images of Hollywood in the early days--a convergence of artists from various disciplines who would pull their resources together and break new ground. So I learned about CD ROMs, the Internet, and DVDs. I helped to create company websites. I continued to hone my writing skills--writing for such companies as LeapFrog, Hotwire, Broderbund, and Autodesk, never losing sight of what I feel is most important for a writer--to communicate clearly and to tell a good story.

In addition to writing for corporate clients, I write articles, reviews, and poetry that have appeared in such publications as /Bewildering Stories/, /Litterbox Magazine/, and /Oscar Frenzy/. My blogs are Slicks Flicks [www.slicksflicks.blogspot.com] (movie reviews) and Meanderings [www.slicksplace.blogspot.com] (journal).

-Francine