Another week, another fizzle in the writing department.
I could produce a veritable tsunami wave of excuses, but the bottom line is: Didn't write. Thought of writing. Still didn't write. Read a little. Ran around a lot. In tight, little, nonconcentric circles.
I've got to face facts: My life is a bit of a runaway train right now. Not conducive to the meditative, introspective act of fiction writing.
It is humbling for me to see, plainly, how much more structure and organization my life requires, if I want to accomplish what I want to accomplish at work, at love, spiritually, creatively.
But, I vow to rise to the challenge! Hope all others are experiencing more satisfaction and success in their literary endeavors. I think at this point I will be quite happy if and when I can finish reading just one of my many bedside books!
6.06.2008
'Fess Up Friday: Eh
A frustrating week all around. But, for the purposes of this blog, managed a short session of writing.
The universe is pounding me with learning the lesson of managing long-term projects, though. Three major projects I am currently working on:
Building a new website
Developing a marketing communications plan
Buying a home
I should have much sharper organizational skills by the end of it all, which should help with being able to take on a Novel with more success than I have had.
The universe is pounding me with learning the lesson of managing long-term projects, though. Three major projects I am currently working on:
Building a new website
Developing a marketing communications plan
Buying a home
I should have much sharper organizational skills by the end of it all, which should help with being able to take on a Novel with more success than I have had.
6.02.2008
Monday musing
From Martha Graham, dancer/choreographer:
There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You only have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.
From Sarah, a mystery writer (from the book Claiming Your Creative Self by Ellen Clegg):
Sarah counts every moment when she's thinking about her novel as writing time, but she distinguishes between the thinking time and the actual process of stringing together words at the computer. The computer time is sacrosanct, and claiming it involves a regular act of intentional will that many...do not allow themselves....These days Sarah feels comfortable with her own idiosyncratic ways of working. It's natural for her to be thinking of sixteen things at once, including the plot of her novel, what the kids are saying the back seat of the car, and what kind of plan she wants to put in the garden. It's equally natural for her to walk to her studio, sit down at the computer, clear her mind of everything, and bring 100 percent concentration to her writing.
There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You only have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.
From Sarah, a mystery writer (from the book Claiming Your Creative Self by Ellen Clegg):
Sarah counts every moment when she's thinking about her novel as writing time, but she distinguishes between the thinking time and the actual process of stringing together words at the computer. The computer time is sacrosanct, and claiming it involves a regular act of intentional will that many...do not allow themselves....These days Sarah feels comfortable with her own idiosyncratic ways of working. It's natural for her to be thinking of sixteen things at once, including the plot of her novel, what the kids are saying the back seat of the car, and what kind of plan she wants to put in the garden. It's equally natural for her to walk to her studio, sit down at the computer, clear her mind of everything, and bring 100 percent concentration to her writing.
5.30.2008
"Fess Up Friday: Blurbing
I have never felt so unsettled and unfocused and tried to write fiction! It is like drinking a gallon of coffee, hopping on a stationery bicycle, and trying to pedal and compose. Jee-ayng-llling. Still, I managed to type about 10 minutes worth of something that may purport to be the first chapter. It's something, and the good related news is that I have made even more progress on getting a grip on the personal environs and my work schedule and job. I'm definitely not waiting for life to be perfect to be able to write, but I do need some more calm and centeredness to really produce.
In the meantime, other 'Fessers provide much inspiration and knowlege. (I'm working on a way to set up a better system so we can track each others' progress...just give me a little time...)
This is from Ms. Litlove, who brings the perspective of being an academic writer and a fiction writer:
Fiction is the place where readers explore all kinds of powerful dimensions of experience but they need to be held by the writer while they do so. There are lots of ways to hold the reader – the desire to know what happens next, the sheer beauty of an author’s prose, the clever use of metaphor to talk about difficult things in indirect ways, the promise of meaning and closure. But when it goes wrong, I think, it’s because something has bled out of the author’s mind that is raw in a threatening way, or depressing or a bit desperate. And after all, that’s why creative writing is so damn hard; it requires mastery and discipline way beyond the normal levels.
And the dear Smithereens is making progress! Despite what she calls "cheating." I call it getting on a schedule (and I will cheat by stealing her work habits):
I write mostly on Thursdays and Fridays, when I know I’ll be reporting soon. It feels as if I’m back to that university stage where I gave all my essays at the last possible moment. Oh, I’d thought I’d gotten beyond that stage and matured somehow. Guess not.
I don't know...writing to a deadline is as good as anything else, if it gets you going...
Toujours Jacques has been considering starting a private, writing-dedicated blog:
I’m seriously considering starting another blog, maybe private for now–I’m not sure. I want a space to write daily–mostly about Iris Murdoch, but also about writing itself. I know many of you have a second blog where you focus on your writing or your writing process.
I'll be interested in seeing if that works for you, TJ.
Okay, let's brace up. We have another chance to unfurl some glorious ribbons of mellifluous prosody this week....
In the meantime, other 'Fessers provide much inspiration and knowlege. (I'm working on a way to set up a better system so we can track each others' progress...just give me a little time...)
This is from Ms. Litlove, who brings the perspective of being an academic writer and a fiction writer:
Fiction is the place where readers explore all kinds of powerful dimensions of experience but they need to be held by the writer while they do so. There are lots of ways to hold the reader – the desire to know what happens next, the sheer beauty of an author’s prose, the clever use of metaphor to talk about difficult things in indirect ways, the promise of meaning and closure. But when it goes wrong, I think, it’s because something has bled out of the author’s mind that is raw in a threatening way, or depressing or a bit desperate. And after all, that’s why creative writing is so damn hard; it requires mastery and discipline way beyond the normal levels.
And the dear Smithereens is making progress! Despite what she calls "cheating." I call it getting on a schedule (and I will cheat by stealing her work habits):
I write mostly on Thursdays and Fridays, when I know I’ll be reporting soon. It feels as if I’m back to that university stage where I gave all my essays at the last possible moment. Oh, I’d thought I’d gotten beyond that stage and matured somehow. Guess not.
I don't know...writing to a deadline is as good as anything else, if it gets you going...
Toujours Jacques has been considering starting a private, writing-dedicated blog:
I’m seriously considering starting another blog, maybe private for now–I’m not sure. I want a space to write daily–mostly about Iris Murdoch, but also about writing itself. I know many of you have a second blog where you focus on your writing or your writing process.
I'll be interested in seeing if that works for you, TJ.
Okay, let's brace up. We have another chance to unfurl some glorious ribbons of mellifluous prosody this week....
5.28.2008
'Fessing Up, Part 2
This is an addendum to my pathetic 'Fess Up from last week. Excellent and inspirational advice from mischief mari:
And speaking of house-cleaning: this afternoon I started clearing up some of the clutter in my tiny little corner of our home office. I came across some writing journals that I kept at the suggestion of a producer who snored through a very cruddy draft of my screenplay. One was a personal diary, really, of my thoughts on writing: my fears, my hopes, my frustrations. The other journal was more like a log of ideas - unique ideas or thoughts that I could put into the next draft. While I kept these two journals, I didn’t touch my screenplay. Initially, I felt even more lost because I was in such a hurry to finish my screenplay, make it into a movie and become ridiculously famous for it. But, you see, those thoughts have nothing to do with writing a good story; they’re all about the dreams of making it in Hollywood. The journals, however, saved me. I took time away from my story, confronted my writing anxieties, and found a few really wonderful ideas that I put into the next draft.
Eventually I got back to the screenplay and produced one of my best works ever. I held several readings with some really great actors and took some other steps toward making it into a film. My lawyer got the script to a few production companies including one headed by an A-list actor. Unfortunately, as often happens in the film industry, the project hit some snags that brought the whole production to a halt, and though I’m not sure whether I want to start this particular project up again, the journal exercise was one of the best things I could have possibly done for myself. I hope this suggestion might be helpful to other writers, no matter what form of writing they are pursuing.
I especially liked this, since I've spent a lot of my time the past few weeks cleaning, purging, and decluttering. I know the work will pay off, but it's frustrating to have little actual output (vis a vis writing) to show for it. This post made me feel a whole lot better. Thanks, MM!
And speaking of house-cleaning: this afternoon I started clearing up some of the clutter in my tiny little corner of our home office. I came across some writing journals that I kept at the suggestion of a producer who snored through a very cruddy draft of my screenplay. One was a personal diary, really, of my thoughts on writing: my fears, my hopes, my frustrations. The other journal was more like a log of ideas - unique ideas or thoughts that I could put into the next draft. While I kept these two journals, I didn’t touch my screenplay. Initially, I felt even more lost because I was in such a hurry to finish my screenplay, make it into a movie and become ridiculously famous for it. But, you see, those thoughts have nothing to do with writing a good story; they’re all about the dreams of making it in Hollywood. The journals, however, saved me. I took time away from my story, confronted my writing anxieties, and found a few really wonderful ideas that I put into the next draft.
Eventually I got back to the screenplay and produced one of my best works ever. I held several readings with some really great actors and took some other steps toward making it into a film. My lawyer got the script to a few production companies including one headed by an A-list actor. Unfortunately, as often happens in the film industry, the project hit some snags that brought the whole production to a halt, and though I’m not sure whether I want to start this particular project up again, the journal exercise was one of the best things I could have possibly done for myself. I hope this suggestion might be helpful to other writers, no matter what form of writing they are pursuing.
I especially liked this, since I've spent a lot of my time the past few weeks cleaning, purging, and decluttering. I know the work will pay off, but it's frustrating to have little actual output (vis a vis writing) to show for it. This post made me feel a whole lot better. Thanks, MM!
5.23.2008
'Fess Up Friday: Oops
OKay, this was a crazy week, and I lost my momentum.
I started having doubts about my mystery idea. Sort of being shot down before I even start. But I'm going to forge ahead anyway. I guess I just have to blow through all these writer's blocks and get down to serious business.
I will add some other 'Fesser's tips a bit later...hope everyone is having a great week.
I started having doubts about my mystery idea. Sort of being shot down before I even start. But I'm going to forge ahead anyway. I guess I just have to blow through all these writer's blocks and get down to serious business.
I will add some other 'Fesser's tips a bit later...hope everyone is having a great week.
5.19.2008
5.16.2008
'Fess Up Friday: Progress!
Week 3 of FUF (see May 4 post), and I finally have some good progress to report!
This week, I met with a fellow writer for tea. It was such a relief and delight to talk about writing with a serious writer! I think that was the inspiration I need to tackle the Mystery Novel. (I have 2 novels going on, one literary mainstream and now the mystery.)
I completed the following tasks:
*named my characters
*decided on the murder mystery and setting
*wrote some dialogue and characterization
*started an outline
What I've learned? When you're uninspired, burned out, or not sure where to start, talk to a fellow writer or group of serious writers. You catch the fever.
Lots of great stuff from FUFers too, this week, but today's tip comes from Dark Orpheus:
Neil Gaiman, offering his opinion on actually getting your first draft written:
As for thinking time versus writing time, well, that's up to you. But -- and I wish it were otherwise -- books don't get written by thinking about them, they get written by writing them. And that's when you make discoveries about what you're writing. That's when you get the happy accidents.
Happy writing everyone!
This week, I met with a fellow writer for tea. It was such a relief and delight to talk about writing with a serious writer! I think that was the inspiration I need to tackle the Mystery Novel. (I have 2 novels going on, one literary mainstream and now the mystery.)
I completed the following tasks:
*named my characters
*decided on the murder mystery and setting
*wrote some dialogue and characterization
*started an outline
What I've learned? When you're uninspired, burned out, or not sure where to start, talk to a fellow writer or group of serious writers. You catch the fever.
Lots of great stuff from FUFers too, this week, but today's tip comes from Dark Orpheus:
Neil Gaiman, offering his opinion on actually getting your first draft written:
As for thinking time versus writing time, well, that's up to you. But -- and I wish it were otherwise -- books don't get written by thinking about them, they get written by writing them. And that's when you make discoveries about what you're writing. That's when you get the happy accidents.
Happy writing everyone!
5.15.2008
Outrageous prediction
I have six minutes to kill before a webinar, so I thought I'd post my Thursday thoughts on the presidential election. I am going out on a limb with a rather out-there prediction.
I'm reading David Kennedy'as "Freedom from Fear" book about the Great Depression (and WW2), and I am amazed at some of the parallels between the first 30 years of the 20th century and the last 30:
* Predominantly Republican rule, with a "laissez faire," no regulations, decentralized government approach
* Significant infighting in the Democratic party, particuluarly in the runup that led to Hoover's election (hence my upcoming prediction)
* Significant problems in the farming markets, sudden and dramatic shift in inventory and demand in manufacturing
* Abuse in the unregulated banking and stock markets
Perhaps this is a stretch, but FDR contracted polio in 1921 -- which effectively removed him from the mudslinging among the Democrats, so that he was able to emerge in the '30s as a new, promising candidate, when people were finally more open to change. (Shades of John Edwards...?)
Anyway, my prediction if history repeats itself: Americans are traditionally loathe to have government intervention, and the majority (I fear) are still loathe to embracing the change of a black man or white woman in charge. Clinton and Obama have divided the party, and neither has emerged as a uniter. Things still aren't bad enough for people to squeal. It's very close, what with people losing homes and the alarming price escalations of fuel and food. But, I'm betting on the rural, conservative, Libertarian mindset to balk at the thought of universal health care, and still be suspicious of change in the form of race or gender, without sufficient cause.
So, I predict John McCain will win. I predict it will end the GOP stranglehold, as conditions deteriorate and McCain delivers more of the same in terms of no taxes, no government oversight, no market regulation. And then I predict people will be ready to start really being able to consider embracing more "radical" ideas. (Radical for Americans, anyway!)
I'm reading David Kennedy'as "Freedom from Fear" book about the Great Depression (and WW2), and I am amazed at some of the parallels between the first 30 years of the 20th century and the last 30:
* Predominantly Republican rule, with a "laissez faire," no regulations, decentralized government approach
* Significant infighting in the Democratic party, particuluarly in the runup that led to Hoover's election (hence my upcoming prediction)
* Significant problems in the farming markets, sudden and dramatic shift in inventory and demand in manufacturing
* Abuse in the unregulated banking and stock markets
Perhaps this is a stretch, but FDR contracted polio in 1921 -- which effectively removed him from the mudslinging among the Democrats, so that he was able to emerge in the '30s as a new, promising candidate, when people were finally more open to change. (Shades of John Edwards...?)
Anyway, my prediction if history repeats itself: Americans are traditionally loathe to have government intervention, and the majority (I fear) are still loathe to embracing the change of a black man or white woman in charge. Clinton and Obama have divided the party, and neither has emerged as a uniter. Things still aren't bad enough for people to squeal. It's very close, what with people losing homes and the alarming price escalations of fuel and food. But, I'm betting on the rural, conservative, Libertarian mindset to balk at the thought of universal health care, and still be suspicious of change in the form of race or gender, without sufficient cause.
So, I predict John McCain will win. I predict it will end the GOP stranglehold, as conditions deteriorate and McCain delivers more of the same in terms of no taxes, no government oversight, no market regulation. And then I predict people will be ready to start really being able to consider embracing more "radical" ideas. (Radical for Americans, anyway!)
5.09.2008
'Fess Up Friday: Falling Short
I hope my 'Fess Up Friday (see May 4 post) isn't going to be a series of lame and somewhat masochistic reports of inactivity. But Week 2 is certainly no poster child for Successful Authorship.
1. Last Sat. I met a friend at a mystery bookstore for a signing and reading of two local writers I'm very interested in. The event, however, was cancelled. I did manage to find a lovely collection of James Cain novels and an Inspector Maigret paperback. But not meeting one writer in particular, Domenic Stanberry, was very disappointing.
2. I managed to open my draft of my novel. It was like a vampire hunter opening Dracula's crypt -- the light burned my eyes. Had to back away.
Here is a writing tip for everyone else who can maybe actually benefit from it. Courtesy of BlogLily's Writing Stats, which is fabulously inspirational:
Remember, it is no sign of weakness or defeat that your manuscript ends up in need of major surgery. This is a common occurrence in all writing, and among the best writers.
Oh, and I'm adding this from Yogamum. There are some FABULOUS'Fess Up posts out there, everyone. I'm so glad...they are really going to help me, for one.
Today’s exercise is this: in five minutes, write as many beginnings as you can that have to do with food. Write one, two, eleven, whatever you can do. Again, by a “beginning” I mean anything from a sentence fragment to three full sentences, but no more than that per beginning.
1. Last Sat. I met a friend at a mystery bookstore for a signing and reading of two local writers I'm very interested in. The event, however, was cancelled. I did manage to find a lovely collection of James Cain novels and an Inspector Maigret paperback. But not meeting one writer in particular, Domenic Stanberry, was very disappointing.
2. I managed to open my draft of my novel. It was like a vampire hunter opening Dracula's crypt -- the light burned my eyes. Had to back away.
Here is a writing tip for everyone else who can maybe actually benefit from it. Courtesy of BlogLily's Writing Stats, which is fabulously inspirational:
Remember, it is no sign of weakness or defeat that your manuscript ends up in need of major surgery. This is a common occurrence in all writing, and among the best writers.
Oh, and I'm adding this from Yogamum. There are some FABULOUS'Fess Up posts out there, everyone. I'm so glad...they are really going to help me, for one.
Today’s exercise is this: in five minutes, write as many beginnings as you can that have to do with food. Write one, two, eleven, whatever you can do. Again, by a “beginning” I mean anything from a sentence fragment to three full sentences, but no more than that per beginning.
5.08.2008
6 Literary Quirks
Thanks to Snacky Wombat, I've been tagged for this meme. 6 Boring Quirks About Me.
Now, you don't REALLY want to hear BORING quirks about me, do you? If I were you, I'd want to hear JUICY SCINTILLATING quirks. However, I'm not going to give you either. I'm going to change up the rules just a touch and go with 6 Literary Quirks About Me. Just so it's all in the family.
1. I'm an education junky. If I could go to school for the rest of my life, I would. I would earn more MAs 'cos they are more fun than BAs or PhDs.
2. I can't seem to finish a Faulkner novel all the way through. Think I finished As I Lay Dying maybe in high school. But I tend to start and stop. I get all lost, as if I'm sleepwalking or something. Love his short stories, though.
3. I can't get into chick lit. I'm a chick, I like lit. But can't seem to stand the combo between book covers. I think it has something to do with the cover design: hot pink titles with excessive curlicue typefaces and cute graphic drawings of cartoon chicks running around frantically shopping or solving murders or clubbing their boyfriends into submission or whatnot. What would they have done with Jane Eyre, do you think?
4. I do most of my reading in bed, before going to sleep. I don't think it helps my insomnia. But I have gotten through two volumes of Proust that way.
5. I have trouble marking pages. Maybe it's a leftover from my Catholic schoolgirl days, but I feel as if I'm vandalizing a book if I mark in ink or highlighter or even pencil. No, no: Desecration is more like it.
6. But I love reading notes from previous readers. Margin notes, dedications, anything marked up by previous owners or readers of the book make me happy. I like feeling a literary link with someone I don't even know.
Here are the rules for this meme:
Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours (literary, if you so choose)
Link the person who tagged you - that'd be Snacky, and by all means visit minus the spine and lurk.
Mention the rules in your blog
Tag six following bloggers by linking them
Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged
Uh, I am tagging the first six people who see this. You know who you are.
Now, you don't REALLY want to hear BORING quirks about me, do you? If I were you, I'd want to hear JUICY SCINTILLATING quirks. However, I'm not going to give you either. I'm going to change up the rules just a touch and go with 6 Literary Quirks About Me. Just so it's all in the family.
1. I'm an education junky. If I could go to school for the rest of my life, I would. I would earn more MAs 'cos they are more fun than BAs or PhDs.
2. I can't seem to finish a Faulkner novel all the way through. Think I finished As I Lay Dying maybe in high school. But I tend to start and stop. I get all lost, as if I'm sleepwalking or something. Love his short stories, though.
3. I can't get into chick lit. I'm a chick, I like lit. But can't seem to stand the combo between book covers. I think it has something to do with the cover design: hot pink titles with excessive curlicue typefaces and cute graphic drawings of cartoon chicks running around frantically shopping or solving murders or clubbing their boyfriends into submission or whatnot. What would they have done with Jane Eyre, do you think?
4. I do most of my reading in bed, before going to sleep. I don't think it helps my insomnia. But I have gotten through two volumes of Proust that way.
5. I have trouble marking pages. Maybe it's a leftover from my Catholic schoolgirl days, but I feel as if I'm vandalizing a book if I mark in ink or highlighter or even pencil. No, no: Desecration is more like it.
6. But I love reading notes from previous readers. Margin notes, dedications, anything marked up by previous owners or readers of the book make me happy. I like feeling a literary link with someone I don't even know.
Here are the rules for this meme:
Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours (literary, if you so choose)
Link the person who tagged you - that'd be Snacky, and by all means visit minus the spine and lurk.
Mention the rules in your blog
Tag six following bloggers by linking them
Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged
Uh, I am tagging the first six people who see this. You know who you are.
5.07.2008
Decluttering
I don't know about you, but accumulation is a major problem of mine. I am not even the type of person who measures life by material goods. Who cares what kind of car you drive or how many designer purses you have? Tell me how many stories you've written or animals you've cared for or places you've traveled or people you've helped, and I'm in.
Nevertheless, I find myself gathering weight around me like a bedroom floor gathers dust bunnies. From literal weight in fleshy pounds to hundreds of books to gew-gaws and knick-knacks, I'm a human flea market.
My life has reached a tipping point of late in the clutter department. I am having trouble focusing on reading and writing because I am so distracted by junk. So, I've been working on decluttering.
All of which points to my sharing this newly found resource with you: Freecyle.
Here's a description of what Freecyle is: The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,355 groups with 5,062,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free.
Isn't that cool?
Share your tips on how to declutter! The best tip will get a FREE book!!!! (Hey, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this decluttering thing!)
5.05.2008
Green versus new
President George Bush gave a high school commencement speech in a town devastated a year ago by a tornado. He said of Greensburg, Kansas: "This community is dedicated to putting the 'green' in Greensburg."
Too bad Bush wasn't as interested in putting the 'new' back in New Orleans.
Too bad Bush wasn't as interested in putting the 'new' back in New Orleans.
5.02.2008
'Fess Up Friday: Beginnings
'Fess Up Fridays are intended to be a way for me and other struggling writers to post our weekly efforts toward writing, be they nonexistent, miniscule, or breathtaking breakthroughs. I'm hoping this will keep writing top of mind for me and others, and inch us closer to meeting our writing goals.
Having blathered all of that, this week's report is full of vigorous toeing of waters: Exhausting but you don't actually get immersed.
1. Reading. I started two new mysteries, The English School of Murder by Ruth Dudley Edwards and The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. And I bought Don't Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden, a how-to on writing murder mysteries. This is all to learn about the craft, get inspired, get ideas. So far, I'm learning more about what I do NOT want to do.
2. Clip file. I started a clip file for news items, author interviews,book reviews -- anything essentially that catches my interest as possible plots or characters. I found this great interview of Cara Black, which gives me some insight on how one writer, at least, approaches her material.
3. Working space. A friend of mine, in an hour, whisked about my sun room to create a working space for me (I've only lived there five years!). And I set up Airport so my computer doesn't have to remain tethered to a dark corner of my apartment, where the cable umbilical is.
So, there you have it! Next week I will write something, if if only for 10 minutes.
Hope the other 'Fessers in the club have inspiring reports.
AMUSING MUSE:
The best writing tip of all: Sit.
Having blathered all of that, this week's report is full of vigorous toeing of waters: Exhausting but you don't actually get immersed.
1. Reading. I started two new mysteries, The English School of Murder by Ruth Dudley Edwards and The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. And I bought Don't Murder Your Mystery by Chris Roerden, a how-to on writing murder mysteries. This is all to learn about the craft, get inspired, get ideas. So far, I'm learning more about what I do NOT want to do.
2. Clip file. I started a clip file for news items, author interviews,book reviews -- anything essentially that catches my interest as possible plots or characters. I found this great interview of Cara Black, which gives me some insight on how one writer, at least, approaches her material.
3. Working space. A friend of mine, in an hour, whisked about my sun room to create a working space for me (I've only lived there five years!). And I set up Airport so my computer doesn't have to remain tethered to a dark corner of my apartment, where the cable umbilical is.
So, there you have it! Next week I will write something, if if only for 10 minutes.
Hope the other 'Fessers in the club have inspiring reports.
AMUSING MUSE:
The best writing tip of all: Sit.
4.25.2008
The Reading...and the Writing...Games
Can you believe April is just about over? Time passes so quickly; I find this concept very difficult to accept and grasp. We are only here 90 years or so, and man, we have to cram in a lot of living in between jobs, shampooing and conditioning the hair, cleaning dustbunnies from under the bed, and chopping vegetables.
Not a great segue, but this does lead me willy-nilly to my book reading. I managed to avoid Colette's Pure and Impure for my March Dangerous Read. It wasn't that it was too dangerous; the prose was more like Virgina Woolf lite, and the first dozen pages or so melted in my brain like so much English toffee. So, I put that down and took refuge in rereading a biography of Dian Fossey and an account of the Titanic sinking (nothing like other people's misfortunes to get you over feeling angry about having to wait for the cable guy on Saturday).
Picked up a silly book. The title got me: Bookmarked to Die. I knew it had to be bibliocentric, and sure enough, the protaganist is a librarian, Helma Zukas. She was a bit too priggish for my tastes, and the story was basic -- two local authors are murdered, the Police Chief (who happens to be Helma's beau) is mad at her so she must regain his trust by solving the mystery. Or something like that. It was silly fun, easy to read, and not too offensive. I figured it would be a good basic book to look at for writing mysteries.
Next up is what portends to be a more literary take on a crime novel, Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files. I'd really like to find some more noir, too, a la James Cain. Love that hardboiled grit.
Re the writing schedule: I'm keeping it simple and doable. 3 times a week during lunch or after work, 1 hour on weekends. I have my best energy and focus mid-day, and that's when I usually exercise. Now will balance that with writing. It's got to be part of the day; otherwise, will just slip off the radar.
I joined the organization Sisters in Crime, too. A few weeks ago I went to a luncheon they hosted in San Francisco, and the people were great. (Much more laid-back than the usual egomaniacal lit-uh-awry stiffs I typically meet at writing events.) They have a good local chapter. I'm hoping that the networking and events will keep me motivated, too.
Anyone out there who wants to commiserate over or share writing experiences, feel free to email me or post here.
Not a great segue, but this does lead me willy-nilly to my book reading. I managed to avoid Colette's Pure and Impure for my March Dangerous Read. It wasn't that it was too dangerous; the prose was more like Virgina Woolf lite, and the first dozen pages or so melted in my brain like so much English toffee. So, I put that down and took refuge in rereading a biography of Dian Fossey and an account of the Titanic sinking (nothing like other people's misfortunes to get you over feeling angry about having to wait for the cable guy on Saturday).
Picked up a silly book. The title got me: Bookmarked to Die. I knew it had to be bibliocentric, and sure enough, the protaganist is a librarian, Helma Zukas. She was a bit too priggish for my tastes, and the story was basic -- two local authors are murdered, the Police Chief (who happens to be Helma's beau) is mad at her so she must regain his trust by solving the mystery. Or something like that. It was silly fun, easy to read, and not too offensive. I figured it would be a good basic book to look at for writing mysteries.
Next up is what portends to be a more literary take on a crime novel, Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files. I'd really like to find some more noir, too, a la James Cain. Love that hardboiled grit.
Re the writing schedule: I'm keeping it simple and doable. 3 times a week during lunch or after work, 1 hour on weekends. I have my best energy and focus mid-day, and that's when I usually exercise. Now will balance that with writing. It's got to be part of the day; otherwise, will just slip off the radar.
I joined the organization Sisters in Crime, too. A few weeks ago I went to a luncheon they hosted in San Francisco, and the people were great. (Much more laid-back than the usual egomaniacal lit-uh-awry stiffs I typically meet at writing events.) They have a good local chapter. I'm hoping that the networking and events will keep me motivated, too.
Anyone out there who wants to commiserate over or share writing experiences, feel free to email me or post here.
4.24.2008
Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day, Andi is giving away a copy of The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming. Please hurry to her site to enter -- the drawing will be held Friday, April 25th at 8am eastern!Other eco-related books to check out: Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet and Diet for a New America.
I wonder what is going to happen in light of the current food crisis. What with this, our mortgage crisis, global warming, and mounting fuel prices, you'd think our country would get a clue that the current way of life is not sustainable.
Any other Earth Day-related books that you'd like to list?
4.21.2008
What students are reading
UC Berkeley surveyed what students have been reading over a 20-year period, and the results are interesting. The top books are: 1987 - The Color Purple, 1997 - The Fountainhead, and 2007 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Ayn Rand's book was actually #2 in 1987 and has disappeared from 2007's top 10, a list which is rife with J.K. Rowling titles. Fortunately, some oldies-but-goodies have consistently made the grade, including Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The article summarizes the findings this way:
What conclusions can we draw from these admittedly unscientific surveys? Student do manage to read for enjoyment, and they read widely. Best seller lists (and Oprah?) influence their reading, but clearly they have strong wills of their own. Can we explain Madame Bovary, Our Man in Havana, All Quiet on the Western Front, Great Expectations, and The Screwtape Letters as recreational reading among college students? No, but we can be thankful.
Amen to that!
Ayn Rand's book was actually #2 in 1987 and has disappeared from 2007's top 10, a list which is rife with J.K. Rowling titles. Fortunately, some oldies-but-goodies have consistently made the grade, including Jane Austen, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The article summarizes the findings this way:
What conclusions can we draw from these admittedly unscientific surveys? Student do manage to read for enjoyment, and they read widely. Best seller lists (and Oprah?) influence their reading, but clearly they have strong wills of their own. Can we explain Madame Bovary, Our Man in Havana, All Quiet on the Western Front, Great Expectations, and The Screwtape Letters as recreational reading among college students? No, but we can be thankful.
Amen to that!
4.18.2008
It's Friday. There. I've said it.
How many of you will stop reading once I write these words: I have nothing to say?
I suppose what I should write is: I have nothing to say about books, which I am reading or otherwise.
I just haven't been able to focus on reading as of late, particularly fiction. I want a book to grab me by the throat and haul me in, and then I think, no, what I REALLY want is to WRITE a book that grabs others by the throats and hauls them in. And by extension I want to READ such a book so I can get INSPIRED to WRITE such a book.
Circular logic. It's a bitch.
Oh, and this from Litlove. Another take on the Big D.
The depressed, it seems, dream a great deal more than the contented, with the result that they wake in the morning feeling exhausted and so perpetuate a cycle of depression. The situation arises when something happens that impacts on a person’s ability to get their basic needs met. Those who have a pessimistic or introspective disposition then tend to worry about their difficulties, ‘misusing their imagination’ as the authors put it (and the imagination is understood as a powerful tool that can do a great deal of harm when put to the wrong use) and allowing emotionally arousing thoughts to go round and round their heads. The result is ‘catastrophic thinking’, the ability to see the situation only as black or white, which in turn triggers the fight or flight responses, releasing adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream that simply make the situation much worse. At night, the mind attempts to deal with this influx of bad feeling by dreaming, distorting the amount of REM sleep (dream sleep) that the individual has. Too much REM sleep means not enough stage 4 sleep, the point where we heal our bodies and enjoy full, blissful rest. The poor individual wakes feeling exhausted and without motivation, and then, convinced it is not normal to feel this way, start to believe they are flawed and freakish. And so it goes on. Isn’t that interesting? I found that most credible and sensible. The problem, then, can be traced back to the (non) fulfillment of those basic needs that sets the worry off in the first place. The authors suggest that the route back to health is to figure out which need is not being met and to do something about it, as far as is possible. Here, for your information, is a very neat list of the basic needs:
Physical needs include a wholesome diet, exercise, good air to breathe and clean water to drink. Emotional needs include the need for security, to feel one has some control over events, to give and receive attention, to be emotionally connected to others, to have intimate closeness to at least one other person, to have status within one’s family and peer groups, to feel autonomous and competent, and to be ‘stretched’ in what we do (because being physically and/or mentally stretched is what gives meaning and purpose to our lives – a healthy brain is a busy problem-solving brain).
I like the neat list of basic needs. Just another thing to shoot for.
And, tomorrow: I'm going to tackle My Writing Schedule. Enough is enough. Wish me luck.
I suppose what I should write is: I have nothing to say about books, which I am reading or otherwise.
I just haven't been able to focus on reading as of late, particularly fiction. I want a book to grab me by the throat and haul me in, and then I think, no, what I REALLY want is to WRITE a book that grabs others by the throats and hauls them in. And by extension I want to READ such a book so I can get INSPIRED to WRITE such a book.
Circular logic. It's a bitch.
Oh, and this from Litlove. Another take on the Big D.
The depressed, it seems, dream a great deal more than the contented, with the result that they wake in the morning feeling exhausted and so perpetuate a cycle of depression. The situation arises when something happens that impacts on a person’s ability to get their basic needs met. Those who have a pessimistic or introspective disposition then tend to worry about their difficulties, ‘misusing their imagination’ as the authors put it (and the imagination is understood as a powerful tool that can do a great deal of harm when put to the wrong use) and allowing emotionally arousing thoughts to go round and round their heads. The result is ‘catastrophic thinking’, the ability to see the situation only as black or white, which in turn triggers the fight or flight responses, releasing adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream that simply make the situation much worse. At night, the mind attempts to deal with this influx of bad feeling by dreaming, distorting the amount of REM sleep (dream sleep) that the individual has. Too much REM sleep means not enough stage 4 sleep, the point where we heal our bodies and enjoy full, blissful rest. The poor individual wakes feeling exhausted and without motivation, and then, convinced it is not normal to feel this way, start to believe they are flawed and freakish. And so it goes on. Isn’t that interesting? I found that most credible and sensible. The problem, then, can be traced back to the (non) fulfillment of those basic needs that sets the worry off in the first place. The authors suggest that the route back to health is to figure out which need is not being met and to do something about it, as far as is possible. Here, for your information, is a very neat list of the basic needs:
Physical needs include a wholesome diet, exercise, good air to breathe and clean water to drink. Emotional needs include the need for security, to feel one has some control over events, to give and receive attention, to be emotionally connected to others, to have intimate closeness to at least one other person, to have status within one’s family and peer groups, to feel autonomous and competent, and to be ‘stretched’ in what we do (because being physically and/or mentally stretched is what gives meaning and purpose to our lives – a healthy brain is a busy problem-solving brain).
I like the neat list of basic needs. Just another thing to shoot for.
And, tomorrow: I'm going to tackle My Writing Schedule. Enough is enough. Wish me luck.
4.16.2008
William Styron on Libraries
It is National Library Week, folks, and I'm paying a visit tonight. To get into the mood, here is a quote from William Styron's new book of essays. He waxes poetic on the Duke Library, but it could be AnyLibrary USA:
“I read everything I could lay my hands on. Even today I can recall the slightly blind and bloodshot perception I had of the vaulted Gothic reading room, overheated, the smell of glue and sweat and stale documents, winter coughs, whispers, the clock ticking toward midnight as I raised my eyes over the edge of ‘Crime and Punishment.’ The library became my hangout, my private club, my sanctuary, the place of my salvation; during the many months I was at Duke, I felt that when I was reading in the library I was sheltered from the world and from the evil winds of the future; no harm could come to me there.”
Ah, yes.
For more on Styron's new book, click here.
“I read everything I could lay my hands on. Even today I can recall the slightly blind and bloodshot perception I had of the vaulted Gothic reading room, overheated, the smell of glue and sweat and stale documents, winter coughs, whispers, the clock ticking toward midnight as I raised my eyes over the edge of ‘Crime and Punishment.’ The library became my hangout, my private club, my sanctuary, the place of my salvation; during the many months I was at Duke, I felt that when I was reading in the library I was sheltered from the world and from the evil winds of the future; no harm could come to me there.”
Ah, yes.
For more on Styron's new book, click here.
4.11.2008
A poem for Friday
Ignatz Oasis
by Monica Youn
When you have left me
the sky drains of color
like the skin of a tightening fist.
The sun begins
its gold prowl
swatting at tinsel streamers
on the electric fan.
Crouching I hide
in the coolness I had stolen
from the brass rods of your bed.
Ooh, I like it.
For more, visit Guerinca.
by Monica Youn
When you have left me
the sky drains of color
like the skin of a tightening fist.
The sun begins
its gold prowl
swatting at tinsel streamers
on the electric fan.
Crouching I hide
in the coolness I had stolen
from the brass rods of your bed.
Ooh, I like it.
For more, visit Guerinca.
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