Not surprisingly, I've been felled by a sinus infection. Seems that burnout compromises our immune system. Go figure.
I've been trying to catch up on some great posts by fellow bloggers. Check these out if you can: On gothic literature, BikeProf and Kate weigh in. Danielle provides her insights on Turn of the Screw. Dorothy W. waxes poetic on Proust and Joyce. And Litlove cannily discusses the uncanny.
I've been experiencing some uncanny-ness myself as of late. I've been getting what I call "signs from the universe." These are the little taps on the shoulder from god or a Higher Power or what-have-you that ask if you are paying attention to your life. It has been my experience that when you ignore the shoulder-taps, they turn into shoves.
The taps have to do with writing and my building my life around this vocation, versus having to build my writing around my life (a perennial concern of mine, which I know other writers share). One big honking tap: A great idea emerged on how to begin my novel, a situation that had been perplexing me for many a moon. Two more taps: Two of my writer friends are taking great strides in their writing lives. And a few more taps: Various and sundry people have been asking me about or reminding me to dust off The Novel.
So, looks like I'll soon, once again, be reinventing my life.
In other literary stewpot news, I'm still in Lite Mode. (Witness my blog entries.) Can't focus on deep reading (another tap--more like an anti-tap, if there is such a thing. A thwack on the forehead from an angel's thumb and forefinger). So, I've been culling my shelves for light mysteries. Thanks to my RIP Challenge reading, I've de-snobbed my literary habits and let some genre reading shine in. Finished Dianne Day's Fire and Fog, an enjoyable mystery about the Great San Francisco earthquake (plus: a strong heroine, minus: a little weak on historical ambience. And she used "myriad of," a pet grammar peeve of mine), and am currently reading Jane Langton's Emily Dickinson is Dead (plus: quotes from the poetess and lots of Amherst references, minus: rife with stereotypes). In between, I wove in Poker Face, an interesting little memoir by Kate Lederer, sister of poker professionals Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. Frustrating as it is to put off Deep Thoughts and Serious Reading, I am learning many literary lessons: Tolerance for the Light Read 101, Fun with Plot, What NOT to do when Writing your own Novel Workshop, and Reading with Burnout for Dummies.
Y'all have a great weekend and, if you haven't Hallween memed yet (see my previous entry), then get to it! I need to add some TBR horror lit and sci-fi/fantasy books to my list!
8 comments:
Hope you feel better LK! I'd totally do your Halloween meme, but I just don't have enough answers, since scary stuff isn't really for me -- sorry! I'd have to say, um, I don't know, too many times.
Those signs from the universe sound very exciting --
Ooooo life reinvention - I like nothing better. I admit it's truly scary (unlike genre reading which is only superficially scary) but once you start making changes you wonder why on earth it didn't all happen sooner. You should so go for your writing! I'll bet you could really make it happen.
OK, Dorothy, you are officially off the hook. :)
Litlove, I hope you are right. I know in my heart the writing path is the right one for me, but I guess I just haven't figured out how to do the work-writing balance thing yet...
Hello Ms. Kitten, I'm sorry you're under the weather -- that's no fun. I'm all for reading lite. I've got a thing for people like Alan Furst and Dennis Lehane at times like this -- when only an atmospheric thriller or mystery will do. Or a cookbook. Who knew that descriptions of well prepared and interesting food could be so comforting? As for figuring out how to make room for your writing life, I wish you well. Sometimes you simply have to insist on changes in your life if it means you will have more of what you need and love. It sounds like you're on the brink of something like that. Wishing you a nice cup of tea, a quiet day to recover in, and more room to write, BL
Sometimes reading "lite" is just what's needed. I have read several of the Day mysteries and they are fun. Good luck on the writing...it looks like someone is trying to tell you something! :)
Sinus infections are the worst. Take care and feel better soon!
I hope you're better soon. Today I feel like I'm coming down with something and hope it passes quickly. I don't have time to be sick! ;)
Thanks for all the good wishes, everyone. It's bad a bad, bad, bad...month? six weeks? But, like a kidney stone, this too shall pass...
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