TSS Week 30

A good friend and colleague lent me The House of the Spirits weeks ago because we like to discuss books together and she thought I would like it. I was eager to read it because I have heard such great things about Isabel Allende's work but had never read any. I finished the novel yesterday and I am so glad that I read it.

The House of the Spirits is about a Chilean family's trials and triumphs. Allende is all about the details and small nuances of her characters which, while it annoys me in some other authors, is endearing and captivating in her work. I constantly looked forward to returning to the novel when I had a few spare minutes to read. I got lost in it.

The family encounters great suffering as their country undergoes extreme change (the coup d’etat of 1973), which each character seems to contribute to in his/her own way. This novel is often cited as an example of magic realism, which is a fantastic element that really adds to its appeal for me.

The Writer's Weekend Update

I am having serious laptop problems, which is simply disastrous for a writer. I'm going to take it in today to see if it can be repaired. Even if it can, it might be time to upgrade. I have been told that creative people should use Macs rather than PCs. Anyone think there's any truth to that, or have an opinion? I haven't used a Mac since I was in grade school playing Oregon Trail, and I'm intrigued. I've heard good things about Scrivener.

Right now, I am finishing up an article on Swiss artist Jean Tinguely for Swiss Made Magazine. I haven't written for them in a while, though they recently published an older piece of mine on Herman Hesse (pages 92-95).

I broke 24,000 words in my novel last weekend because I went to an Austin WriterGrrls write-in. The hosts are lovely ladies with a lovely home and I always make good progress when I write there. They are hoping to host these write-ins on a monthly basis, which would be wonderful for me.

I was reading a blog post recently that said that for new authors, you should never, never submit a manuscript of more than 80,000 words. In reality, it should be closer to 50,000. This is good to know. I am just wondering how many words I need to write in order to come up with 50-80,000 good ones. I am halfway at my target mark, but I am still only focusing on one character's perspective on the narrative (there are two others waiting in the wings). And obviously, I know that the 24,000+ words I have written do not all merit being included! It's such an intense process, especially for a first-timer like me.

The Writer Re-Organizes

Over the holiday last weekend, I sat down and read my novel draft. I started my novel over a year ago but I have let life get in the way so much that every few months I have to sit down and reread what I've written. I made a lot of progress during November 2008 thanks to NaNoWriMo, but I haven't worked on it consistently since, so rereading what I had written was a surprise to me. (Imagine that!) It was as if someone else had written it. There were parts that made me think, "Wow, this is really good," and other parts where I said to myself, "Why did I make this character do that? What was I thinking?" It was a really interesting experience. As I've said, I've had the experience many times, but never with 20,000+ words in one sitting.

My goal now is to really buckle down and not let myself get to that point again, where I have to reread to remember. If I can't finish this novel now, when can I? When I'm in graduate school? When I have children? Now is the perfect time.

Anyway, I decided to jot down each scene on a small index card and put them up on a bulletin board. I've seen writers do this and it seems like a good way to: a) help me remember what I've written ;) and b) rearrange scenes and visualize the plot in a way that a super long Microsoft Word file does not. I've also color-coded according to who the narrator is and if the scene is written yet. I hope this works. Do any other writers out there have suggestions or insight into their own plotting processes?

The Writer Moderates, Take 3

I am so pleased with the outcome of our latest BookWoman panel on Mental Health. There was a great turnout and the discussion was very helpful. Our panelists were:

Polly Ross Hughes, an award-winning journalist who has done extensive work on mental health issues and has just started her own publishing company.

Andrea Ball, an award-winning journalist who currently writes on philanthropy for the Austin American-Statesman.

Holly Hollan, the author of Soaring & Crashing, My Bipolar Adventures.

Diana Kern, the founder of EXPECT RECOVERY!

I am so thankful to all of them for participating, as well as to Susan Post of BookWoman for providing the venue and support, and all of the people who came out.

The Writer Must Refocus

Despite my silence, a lot has been going on recently. I am stuck in a quandary of where to spend my time and devote my energy. My personal Achilles' heel is to believe I can do 50,000 things at a time and to then attempt it. Through discussions with friends and personal reflection, I have realized once again that it is time to prioritize and make some sacrifices. (Ugh! So hard!)

Anywho, rather than waste more time discussing how I manage (or don't manage) my time :) I am going to give my brief updates!

The most pressing and arguably exciting news is that next Saturday, May 23rd, is my newest panel on women's issues at BookWoman in Austin, Texas. You can find all of the info at their website. The panel is chock full of impressive ladies and it should be great, so if you are in Austin please come out. We'd love to meet and talk with you!

Aside from that, I am focusing once again on my novel. The critique group I belong to is really helping me learn how to "show, don't tell" and bring my scenes to life. It's very exciting!

TSS Week 29

After These Things is an excellent sequel to Only Human, Diski's novel about the biblical Abraham and Sarah. After These Things picks up with Isaac, their son, and his children and grandchildren. If you are familiar with the Bible, you know about Isaac and Rebekah, their twins, Jacob and Esau, and Jacob's adventures with wives Leah and Rachel. If not... it's pretty interesting reading.

It was done extremely well, just like the first novel, though at first I had a hard time latching on because I didn't like Isaac and Rebekah the way I liked Abraham and Sarah. Jacob didn't do much for me either, though of course I fell in love with the maltreated Leah, because what women without extreme coquettishness and beauty does not relate to Leah? The Bible says even God had pity on her.

I also liked that God was not a character in this novel. He was in the previous one, and he was anthropomorphic enough to be annoying. Although Diski introduced "the Editor" as narrator (which was an interesting contrivance), this character didn't do much for me and ultimately became a distraction.

Poetry Challenge: Rekindled

NaPoWriMo has been great so far, and it reminded me about my poetry challenge way back when. I need to take it up again, because it gave me the opportunity to really stretch my writing, not to mention to experience fantastic poets I hadn't read before. To recap:

1. Sappho

2. Omar Khayyam

3. Anne Sexton

4. Dorothy Parker

5. Adrienne Rich

TSS Week 28

I am still reading After These Things and I am enjoying it, but I do skip around a lot (in terms of books) so today I will talk a bit about the other ones I've started.

1. Twilight

People have been at me to read this series for ages. Everyone raves, regardless of age. I decided to bite the bullet when my colleagues started raving as well. I am sure I will like it because for all my literary pretense, I do enjoy pop lit (e.g. Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code). Only about 25 pages in but it is good. I have seen the movie so no surprises in the book so far.

2. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers

I was looking for guidance on how to structure my novel and I asked for advice from my local writing group, the Austin WriterGrrls. One person who responded recommended this book, and I just started working on it. It is fabulous! The author, Christopher Vogler, brings together Jungian psychology and the work of Joseph Campbell to isolate a story-telling pattern that has been around since the days of early myth and prevails, even now, in popular novels and films. It has served as a great guide for me and I feel it would resonate with anyone who is a consumer of pop culture. Still in the early stages, though, so we shall see!

3. Les Miserables

I have been reading this novel for a while now, but I recently let it go for a bit because I was frustrated with a lot of sections on French history that were hard to follow. I wonder if Hugo did not envision his novel as being a classic worldwide? Did he expect only his countrymen and women to read it, or was he trying to educate the rest of us? I have come to a point where I skip or skim the parts that are not relevant to the plot, so it is going well once again. Terribly interesting story, from what I can remember of the film.

Please note that I am not complaining about sections on Napoleon or the French Revolution, only the stories about mayors and small-time scandals. It doesn't interest me enough to do the work to look it all up, and from what I can see, it is not essential to the story.

Little Writing Tidbits

New York Times: H.P. Lowers Bar for Printing Glossy Color Magazines

I found this article very interesting. It made me wonder if this could be somewhere to take Della Donna in the future. I love the idea of laying out and printing a physical magazine, but I prefer to keep DD free and accessible to everyone, as it currently is.

Also, I think NaPoWriMo is genius! (More feasible than NaNoWriMo, for me at least.) I am a few days behind since I just found it but I have already started writing some poems.

Finally, I am also taking part in ProBlogger's free course, "31 Days to Build a Better Blog." It is really convenient, since one email comes to my inbox each day.

Book Meme

I found this meme over at The Bluestocking Society and thought I would give it a whirl. Feel free to take it and do it yourself too.

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?

I like both kinds of paperback, though I like trade slightly more.

Bookmark or dog-ear?

I bookmark to remember where I left off, and I dog-ear to remember what I want to reread and write down.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?

I don't alphabetize. I'm more into how they look on the shelf (by size and all).

Keep, throw away or sell?

I only keep if it is life-changing (otherwise I would have more than I have room for). Otherwise I let people mooch or give away. What kind of person throws away books?

Keep dust jacket or toss it?

I'm not big on hardcovers but when I have them, I keep it.

Last book you bought?

I'm Not Scared by Niccolò Ammaniti. Impulse buy for $1!

Last book someone bought for you?

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

What are some of the books on your to-buy list?

I have hundreds on my to-read list, but to buy and own? I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

Collection (short stories, same author) or anthology (short stories, different author)?

Collections.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?

Harry Potter!

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?

All day reading? :) But seriously... nighttime.

The books you need to go with other books on your shelves?

I'm not sure what this means. Honestly, the last thing I "need" is more books :)

Do you read anywhere and anytime you can or do you have a set reading time and/or place?

I carry books everywhere just in case. I mostly read before bed but I also read when I am waiting for someone or alone in a restaurant or something.

Do you have seasonal reading habits?

No, not really.

Do you read one book at a time or do you have two or more books going at once?

Multiple, multiple, multiple. Forget one or two, it is usually more like five.

What are your pet peeves about the way people treat books?

I don’t like checking a book out of the library and finding food on the pages. That skeeves me out.

Name one book you surprised yourself by liking.

"The Metamorphosis." I didn't expect to dislike it but I didn't expect to be so blown away either.

How often do you read a book and not review it on your blog? What are your reasons for not blogging about a book?

I'd say of ever 3-5 books I read, I blog about one. The reason is laziness.