Writers Unbound

I’m with you on this one. Seems I only get through one or two books per year, usually over Christmas Break or on a plane somewhere.

However, this year, I just got tired of it, and one of my resolutions was to fix it. This is what I did.

1) Begin with outlining what challenges you, i.e. Why is this so difficult?

Me: Time, too many books, and too many books half-read.

2) Brainstorm the challenges one by one. Figure out which is the biggest challenge. 

Me: It wasn’t really about Time. In reality, I always try to pick up a book or magazine at the end of the night. If my computer is backing up or taking time to upload, I try to pick up a work-related book to kill the time. So the other two challenges were the real issues. Really, it came down to not knowing which book to pick up, and/or where that particular book was.

3) Solve the big one. Solving the biggest challenge will in and of itself help the others along. Therefore, put your effort into this specific one first and foremost.

Me: It was all about organization and location. So, I cleared a shelf and designated it as mine. No one else’s books can go on this shelf. Then, I resolved to read one book at a time! No more half read books lying about the house.

I placed the books in order that I want to read them on the shelf and voila! a book is always right out front, easy to find, and ready to go at the end of the night.

As writers we all like to read, right? But let’s remind ourselves that it is absolutely vital that we hone our craft by picking up others writing. Let’s make a commitment to training ourselves in this way.

So, what’s your #1 reading challenge? 

Novelists, how many times have you hesitated in selecting the next word, the next turn of phrase? Don’t worry- this is a good thing!

Portions of my work in progress take place in Mexico, and although the English language has three times the vocabulary as the Spanish language, I’ve found that some of the character’s sentiments simply cannot be expressed in English. I’ve counted on the surrounding dialogue and context to clue in my non-Spanish speaking readers, and my reading group has been receptive so far.

A reading group is, of course, one of the best ways to deal with word selection. Having a trusted group of individuals to give feedback is tantamount. If you’re too shy or simply lacking in time, try out a virtual writing group! 

Another option when dealing with word selection is to read major works by famous authors for clues. This would be a very academic undertaking, but the results are worth the effort.

For example, I would recommend Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw for word selection hints. In this book, the main character (the Governess) is constantly concerned with her word selection when telling her ghostly tale. In fact, the story has been said to be a story about reading and interpretation of prose. Of course, this is an aspect of the novel I would have missed if I had not studied it (hard) years ago as an undergrad, so be sure to not only read the book, but also some critical essays on the book for hints like this.

Is word selection as important as characterization or plot in your novel? I think so. I strive for a whole package in what I write and what I read. What’s your opinion?

word selection, novels, fiction writing

My novel is …crazy. It really is. It has the first chapter. And of course, that first chapter is near perfection. Then it has this medium sized middle. The problem is, the middle is allll out of order. And then I just wrote the end!

Now, I’m sure you can tell by the general subject matter of WritersUnbound that I tend to know the freelancing side of things better. Sigh. ‘Tis true. I work for a regional publication, and I freelance mostly as a biz-tech writer. So, these things I know. However, how do you learn something more? By doing it, of course!

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t need some direction in the midst of this rough draft. Here are the sources I turn to when things get all crazy. Like this morning.

• How To Write Your Novel in 100 Days: Ok, don’t write it off because of the average title. This is not an average article, course or post. This is pure inspiration. Written from the POV of a Peace Corps worker reaching out to other Corps volunteers with a tale to tell, this is as simple as three paragraphs a day to read with one short TO DO. It really works. If you are really serious about writing your novel, you must at least read the story about Sinclair Lewis on the front page. 
• About.com Guide To Fiction Writing. Yes, I work at About.com, and yes, that’s how I found this page- but this is not a personal plug! This page and the writer have some excellent tips and ideas, in addition to a great forum.
• How To Write Your Novel and Still Have Time For Sex. Really, do I need to say more? You know you’re going to click on this!

Happy “novelling”!

novels, write your book, goals

I hate the stereotype of the frustrated newbie author: book sitting half finished on the computer while he slaves away at writing that pays the bills (or the cube farm job that pays the bills, or raising the children while the other parent pays the bills…you get the idea). I think I hate the stereotype because sometimes it’s me…well, except I’m a female.

I have written my book in fits and starts. The chapters are all out of order and discombobulated. The majority of it was written longhand in the mountains of Mexico, or on the plane on the way home, because 1) I was inspired and 2) I was on vacation.

But as soon as I got home, the book sat. And sat. And still it sits.

I’m not even particularly worried about selling or publishing my book. I will be happy just to get the damn thing out of my head (and off my hard drive, and out of my notebooks, and off the ‘memo’ screen of my Blackberry…you see where this is going?)

I am going to finish this book in 2008, dammit. If you’re in this boat with me, here’s some resources and inspiration:

• Walter Mosley (whom I looove) on NPR.
• Advice from Peace Corps Writers (two of my favorite people: peace corps workers and writers combined into one!)
• Do you get the Worldwide Freelance Writer newsletter? They had this link about a young girl who has already written two published books. (I would just like to point out that this girl doesn’t have a job or children to support….I’m KIDDING! )

As always, I wish us all success!

novel, walter mosley, author

With the introduction of the Amazon Kindle, everyone’s talking about e-reading.

After handling a good friend’s new Kindle and then bugging the CompUSA guy about the Sony Reader, I’m leaning toward the second generation Sony Reader.

My reasoning is a tad bit less “techie” than most reviews about this online, but comes almost exclusively from the perspective of an avid reader. Here goes:

The Sony is significantly less bulky and easier to carry than the Kindle. A lot of this comes from the fact that the Kindle has a keyboard that is (IMHO) pretty darned useless (keeping in mind that I played with it for only a couple minutes).

I feel that the screens are pretty much on the same level. My understanding is that the Kindle has a bit more options as far as font and size, but I was quite happy with the default settings of the Sony.

The Sony has speakers, so you can use it while driving (seems dangerous to drive around with headphones on!).

As far as convenience goes, I would like to point out that I’ve ran into the Sony at multiple stores, including the local grocery-store-with-an-electronics-section. My understanding as far as the Amazon goes is that you have to get it online. However, I did notice 2 day shipping was free.

Lastly, the Kindle costs 1$100 more than the Sony.

My money’s on the Sony, and the Sony is on my Christmas list

Happy e-reading to you. Be sure to download some of these classic books!

kindle, sony

I spent a massive portion of last week running the Scholastic Book Fair at my child’s school. Overall I think I spent upwards of 30 hours between prep, marketing, set up, working at it, and tearing it down.

So, on top of that, I figured I’d give Scholastic a little extra boost (as if the sweat of my labor wasn’t enough) and feature them in a market profile:

Scholastic Inc.

 Imprints/Divisions: Scholastic Press, Scholastic Library Publishing, Grolier, Children’s Press, Franklin Watts, Grolier Online.

Accepting:  Agented queries on children’s (up to middle grades) fiction and non fiction. (Also accepting non-agented queries on professional books only).

Offers: Variable advance, royalties on retail price.

Not currently interested in: fairy tales, retellings, board books or series fictions.

Best of luck! 

(Oh, and  by the way, my weekend wasn’t ALL work. I did get to see Love in the Time of Cholera, the movie based on Gaby Garcia Marquez’s novel. I loved it! Two thumbs up!)

scholastic, gabriel garcia marquez, love in the time of cholera

Directly before the passing of acclaimed novelist and journalist Norman Mailer, I happened upon an article about him in Playboy’s current magazine. (I won’t say WHERE I happened upon this, but needless to say, it wasn’t at the library or anything!)

Anyway, it’s honestly a really prolific article/interview and I’m glad I got to read it. Mailer’s death wasn’t entirely surprising, according to the blogosphere, but it’s still a blow for writers and readers everywhere.

Meanwhile, I am anticipating the movie release of my NUMBER ONE FAVORITE BOOK of ALL TIME by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the Time of Cholera, due out this weekend.

I’ve heard that fans of the book will be a wee bit disappointed by the movie, but I’m just happy to relive one of my favorite stories of all time, good movie or bad. I have been looking forward to it for quite a while.

If I can pattern my fiction writing after one novelist, it would be Marquez. He captures setting like no one else. In fact, I haven’t read Cholera in almost two years.

The last time I read it was in the summer of 2005, while in the mountains of Mexico, and while I cannot even begin to tell you much about the characters, I could probably describe the town/setting in intricate detail. It’s his ability to capture place as a writer that has always pulled at me. If only I could do the same. It’s really place, not people, who seem to inspire my own writing.

How about you? What is it that inspires/inspired your novel?

Will you be seeing Cholera with me this weekend?

Any thoughts on Mailer’s passing?

Norman Mailer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gabo, Love in the Time of Cholera

Publisher’s Weekly reported that Harper Lee will be receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor on Monday for her literary contribution To Kill a Mockingbird.

NaNoWriMo is definitely well under way. Their website is backed up like crazy The forums are also hopping.

Hollywood Writers Strike latest is available at WritersWrite.

NPR interviews a writer who writes about a ghostwriter who writes about a man who may or may not be Tony Blair. Huh?

JK Rowling sues a small Michigan publisher over intellectual property rights. She also finished her first book after the Harry series. What a busy week!

You can now read Gone With the Wind from Rhett’s perspective.

MySpace gets into the book business.

Slate Magazine is having a special fiction week for our reading pleasure.

They’re both making news, ok?

Over the weekend, The Daily Telegraph, out of the U.K., revealed that J.K. Rowling affirmed that her Harry Potter series, or at least the last installment, is inspired by her own Christian faith. In the article, Rowling admitted to struggling with her faith, and said simply ”My faith is sometimes that my faith will return.” Beautiful- but we didn’t expect anything any less eloquent out this accomplished writer, did we? Seems she eluded the questions and comparisons until now as she didn’t want her fans to know where the series was going.

Meanwhile, in different news, in a different genre, it seems literati have two  new translations of Tolstoy’s War and Peace to contend with on the market.

Let me attempt to translate NPR’s coverage:

One new translation is published by Knopf and translated by R. Pevear. It is a translation of Tolstoy’s final version of the book.

The other new translation, published by A. Bromfield and released by the publisher Ecco Press, is 400 pages shorter, and is a translation of an early version- one may even say an early draft- of the tome.

Ecco and Bromfield argue that this shorter version is an ”original version,” not a draft, whereas Pevear and Knopf are quoted as saying it’s really not the same book at all. 

From a writers POV, I’m vaguely uncomfortable with the words “draft” and ”version” being interchangeable in the Ecco argument. Is it a first draft? Is it an original version? The publishers at Knopf argue that the 400 “missing” pages are what makes War and Peace the notable novel that it is.

Um, yeah, rewriting, editing and working on your text is supposed to have that effect on your final work! Can you imagine if all the first drafts generated from NaNaWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) were considered versions instead of drafts? Yikes!

From a readers standpoint, I can tell you that the 400 pages would probably make a huge difference to a lay reader. Have you read War and Peace? I attempted it multiple times in high school. I couldn’t keep the characters straight and gave up.

I’ve read an abridged and unabridged version of Les Miserable, and can honestly say that I would not have moved on to the unabridged if I hadn’t first read the shorter work. But, we’re not talking about abridgement here- the 400 pages missing are said to substantially change the work.

Thoughts?

tolstoy, war and peace, harry potter, nanawrimo, national novel writing month, christianity, christin fiction

I had a great view of the nation’s capitol as I stood in the poetry rooms at the U.S. Library of Congress. (photo by Dorothy K. Fletcher)

The U.S. Library of Congress has named poet Charles Simic America’s new laureate. Technically the position is called the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. In keeping with custom, Simic will serve a one or two year term. Our new laureate was actually born in Yugoslavia. He arrived in the United States in 1954 and has been a U.S. citizen for 36 years. “I am especially touched and honored to be selected,” said Simic, “because I am an immigrant boy who didn’t speak English until I was 15.”

Simic has said he started writing poetry in high school “to get the attention of girls.”

Simic’s accomplishments run as long as the Mississippi River. He’s authored 18 books of poetry. Simic is also an essayist, translator, editor and professor emeritus of creative writing at the University of New Hampshire where he’s taught for 34 years. He’s won a Pulitzer and the Griffin Prize, and he also was a national Book Award finalist. His new collection of poems ‘That Little Something’ will be released in February, 2008.

Simic’s work is very elegant, but it’s also accessible on different levels. Anyone can read his work and take something away. But those who study poetry will see elements and techniques reflecting skill and dexterity. A unique, darkly amusing poem is archived at the Verse Magazine blog. “Night Clerk in a Roach Motel” manages to impart beauty created through dark lines like, “Doors that show traces/ Of numerous attempts at violent entry…” It’s easy to envision a seedy hallway full of doors that have seen better years in a hotel we’d really prefer not to be in.

Simic follows Ted Kooser as laureate. Kooser and former laureate Billy Collins did so much to return poetry to the forefront of American literature. Here’s hoping Simic will do the same.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Library of Congress, new U.S. Poet Laureat Charles Simic, poetry, consultant, Washington, capitol, American Literature, American Poetry