Dani Shapiro: On Character Growth in Writer’s Block

Dani Shapiro is the author of 11 books, and the host and creator of the hit podcast Family Secrets. Her most recent novel, Signal Fires, was named a best book of 2022 by Time Magazine, Washington Post, Amazon, and others, and is a national bestseller. Her most recent memoir, Inheritance, was an instant New York Times bestseller, and named a best book of 2019 by Elle, Vanity Fair, Wired, and Real Simple. Dani’s work has been published in 14 languages and she’s currently developing Signal Fires for its television adaptation. Dani’s book on the process and craft of writing, Still Writing, is being reissued on the occasion of its 10th anniversary in 2023. She occasionally teaches workshops and retreats, and is the co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy. Find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Dani Shapiro

Photo credit: Beowulf Sheehan

In this post, Dani discusses the process of returning to a story years after first starting it with the paperback edition of her newest novel, Signal Fires, her advice for other writers, and more!

Name: Dani Shapiro
Literary agent: Margaret Riley King
Book title: Signal Fires
Publisher: Knopf / Vintage
Expected release date: Paperback release October 24, 2023
Genre/category: Fiction
Previous titles: Inheritance, Still Writing, Hourglass, Devotion, Family History, Black & White, Slow Motion, and others.
Elevator pitch: Two families whose worlds intersect over the course of decades, casting light on the question: how are our fates intertwined?

Bookshop | Amazon
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What prompted you to write this book?

The characters appeared fully formed in my imagination, and I just couldn’t shake them.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I started the novel 15 years ago, wrote about 100 pages, and then hit a wall I couldn’t get past. I was so sad about it, but I put the pages in a drawer and moved on to other books, other work. But I continued to be haunted by the story, and in the early days of the pandemic, I was cleaning out my office closet and found it again. I reread the pages and had the miraculous sense that finally I knew what to do. I returned to the manuscript with a vengeance, completed it within about a year, and then it was published by Knopf, my longtime publisher.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Signal Fires is my first fiction in a long while. I made a big detour into writing memoir, and always hoped I would return to fiction. I love both forms. It has been such a pleasure publishing fiction again. I narrate this novel for the audiobook, which was also a lot of fun, being able to inhabit all my characters. Also, Signal Fires is being developed as a television series, and I am writing the pilot, which is new and exciting for me.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Everything about writing this book was a surprise, especially the way the structure of it fell together for me after such a long time. It was as if my characters were in a deep sleep, in that drawer, just waiting for me to grow more as a writer, until I finally understood and deserved them.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I’ve been hearing from readers that Signal Fires leaves them with a powerful sense of hope and connectedness, even though in places it’s quite emotional, full of the range of what we human beings contend with. We can’t avoid life’s curve balls, and we’re all fallible, but I hope that Signal Fires makes readers feel part of the fabric that we all share. As Rikle put it, the beauty and the terror. They exist side-by-side.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

However much time you have for your writing on any given day, make that time uninterruptible and sacred. Put away your devices and dive in. (OK, that was two pieces of advice.)