1. One of each, please:)
2. This brief interview with Peter Turchi makes me want to grab his book, Maps of the Imagination: the Writer as Cartographer off my bookshelf and finally read the whole thing.
3. I’ll be picking up the current issue of Time magazine to read the John Irving profile by Ben Percy.
4. File this under an article I could’ve written myself but didn’t. It’s so true. Couple friends are so hard to find.
5. With my graphic design background,I find myself inspired by this site.
These are some pix of the state of my office while frantically finishing my novel. Notice my essentials: chocolate, Starbucks and an empty wine glass.
On Thursday, March 15 I finished and submitted a draft of my novel-in-stories to this contest. I’d seen it in the December issue of Poets & Writers and wished I had something ready. My awesome writing group convinced me that I could definitely get my current work-in-progress done by the deadline. I had my doubts, but I focused and worked hard almost every day, putting in nine hours that final day. I learned a lot over those three months of intense work.
I learned that:
- it is incredibly satisfying to be able to say “I wrote a novel” rather than “I’m writing a novel”
- I can work and write in an incredibly focused way, especially with a deadline prodding me
- I work best in forty-five minute sessions, followed by fifteen minutes of some other mindless task like dishes or folding clothes or browsing through the bookstore, letting the scene/story percolate
- when I am immersed in my writing but not drowning, the story is always simmering. I go to bed thinking about the characters and story and wake up thinking about them.
- I can’t read very much when I working so hard on my own writing. There’s not enough space in my brain to contain it all.
- I have several phrases and words that I like and use more often than I should
- I actually have a revision process that works for me
- that at some point I have to just let it go out into the world, trusting that I wrote to the best of my ability
“Mockingjay” a YA novel by Suzanne Collins
I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash settles on the worn leather.
The last in “The Hunger Games” trilogy, this novel wraps up the story of Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is the symbol and inspiration for the uprisings and rebellions that have spread across the districts. As she struggles to do the right thing she also struggles with her exactly she can trust. I appreciated that Collins gave us a glimpse into Katniss’s future at the end.
What I learned: To keep the plot clear and precise even if it is the third in a trilogy.
“There is No Dog” a YA novel by Meg Rosoff
Oh Glorious, most glorious glorious! And yet again glorious!
What if God were a self absorbed, sulky teenage boy named Bob who wreaked havoc on earth whenever he fell in love? That’s the premise of this quirky, clever novel that could have come off as gimmicky but, instead, is delightfully funny and provocative.
What I learned: That a great premise needs to supported by great characters making choices and interacting with each other.
“Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self” stories by Danielle Evans
Me and Jasmine and Michael were hanging out at Mr. Thompson’s pool.
This is an amazing collection that left me wanting to dissect each story to see how she made me feel so deeply about the characters and also laugh out loud in places. Whether the stories center around teenagers skirting the edge of adulthood for a night or a complicated father/daughter relationship, Evans puts us right there with them in a debut that leaves me eagerly waiting for her next book.
What I learned: To write close to my characters, watching and waiting to see what they do next and letting them make that bad choice. That’s where the story is.
1. Love Gretchen Rubin’s thoughts on doing something everyday.
2. English as the “vacuum cleaner of a language”.
3. I keep waiting for Tayari Jones to write a book on the writing prcess. Her advice always resonates with me. I especially like: “But don’t commit to the publishing, commit to the writing.”
5. “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed is definitely on my TBR list.
“You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. Just change their height and hair color. No one ever once has recognized him or herself in my fiction. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should’ve behaved better.”
-Anne Lamott
• an interview with the awesome Ben Percy
• does writing by hand save time?
• we all must deal with the “fleas of life”
• Ann Patchett’s take on the Pulitzer fiction snub
• Read how Robin Black deals with her demons
“Clean” a YA novel by Amy Reed
I can’t sleep, as usual.
Five teen addicts find themselves in rehab. Even before one of the characters describes the group as a druggie version of “The Breakfast Club” that’s what came to my mind as well. Five kids from different backgrounds, with different issues end up with the same result: they are addicts. As they confront each other and, eventually, themselves they learn they are more alike than different. It’s a rare, raw look behind the scenes of drug use and rehab.
What I learned: How important it is to find the structure for your story, instead of imposing one. This structure felt inevitable. She found a way to not only tell each of their stories but the story of the group as whole. Loved it.
“The Hunger Games” a YA novel by Suzanne Collins
When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.
Okay, I confess that I resisted reading this trilogy for quite a while. Why? I thought it was just another version of “Twilight” which, honestly, was not a selling point for me. But I picked it up because my daughter loved them (she was not a “Twilight “ fan either) and she was sure I would as well. She was right. While there is a love triangle thread as in “Twilight” it is not the main thing that carries the book. Katniss is not consumed by this triangle. Which boy to choose is not the most important thing in her life. She has a few other things going on, including saving her younger sister, Prim’s, life by volunteering to go in her place for the annual “Hunger Games”. If there is anybody left out there who has not read these books yet, here’s a quick recap: What used to be North America is now called Panem and is divided into 12 districts, with the Capitol, lush and rich, in charge. To keep the districts from ever considering rebelling again, they hold an annual Hunger Game where each district is required to send one girl and one boy to a fight to the death on live TV. A reality show of the future. The story follows her through training and the competition where she surprisingly becomes a contender. With the current social and political climate pitting the classes against each other with the 99% versus the 1% this books is a chilling meditation on where that particular road can lead.
What I learned: To not judge a book before I’ve read it myself.
“Pandemonium” a YA novel by Lauren Oliver
Alex and I are lying together on a blanket in the backyard of 37 Brooks.
This is a sequel to “Delirium” which I wrote about here, and the second in what will be a trilogy. It picks up pretty much where “Delirium” left off so I won’t go into a lot of details for those of you who haven’t read it yet. In fact, there’s not much I can say abolut this story without giving away the ending of the first. So i will just say this- read them both.They are riveting.
What I learned: How to end a novel on a doozy of a cliff-hanger!
“Catching Fire” a YA novel by Suzanne Collins
I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the sea has long since leached into the frozen air.
If you haven’t read “The Hunger Games’ and plan to, then stop reading now.
Okay? So, Katniss has won the Hunger Games and has returned home with Peeta as victors. So why doesn’t she feel victorious? Her longtime friend, Gale is keeping her at a distance and Peeta has turned away from her as well. Then there are rumors of unrest, perhaps even rebellion, in other districts. Unrest that Katniss as unknowingly stirred up. Katniss and Peeta are required to go on the Capitol’s grotesque Victory Tour where they need to convince everyone that they really are the lovers they portrayed themselves to be in the arena, a love that gained them much support among the viewers, a love that President Snow isn’t buying at all.
What I learned: Just as the Hunger Games arena throws one obstacle an threat after the other at the participants, as a writer I need to up the stakes (emotional and/or physical) for my characters.
“The Little Book” a novel by Shelden Edwards
Wheeler Burden did not think of visiting Berggasse 19 until the third day in Vienna, or at least there is no mention of it in the journal he kept with meticulous care from almost the moment of his arrival.
This is the first book in my mission to start reading all of the unread books on my bookshelves and it was an excellent beginning. It was the perfect escape from the winter and post-holiday letdown. Edwards started writing this novel in 1974 and finished in 2007 and it reads like an act of devotion- to the writing process but also to his passions which appear in the story: music, philosophy, psychiatry, baseball, turn of the century Vienna, politics, war just to name a few. The story centers around Wheeler Burden who finds himself transported from his life in 1988 San Francisco to 1989 Vienna where he encounters many interesting and possible life-altering people. It was just a delight to read and experience.
What I learned: To fill my stories with my own passions.
“When She Woke” a dystopian novel by Hillary Jordan
When she woke, she was red.
This was a chilling read made even moreso by the current political climate. It’s an America where Roe v. Wade has been overturned, Secretary of Faith is a cabinet position and criminals are injected with a virus that dyes their skin a certain color depending on the class of their crime. Hannah Payne is at the center of this story, newly chromed red for murder, We learn how she arrived at this point in her life, watch as she struggles to find a place in this now alien world she finds herself in and as she questions the basic truths and values she was raised with. Could not put this one down.
What I learned: From the acknowledgments Jordan writes of the seed that inspired this story and it made me realize to always be on the lookout for that idea or image that really resonates in some profound way and then follow its trail with your pen.
“Once Upon a Time, There Was You” a novel by Elizabeth Berg
When John Marsh was a young boy, he used to watch hi smother getting ready to go out for the evening.
Sadie is eighteen, and more than ready to leave the nest but her mother, Irene, is less than ready and her father, John, is living far away, feeling on the periphery of his daughter’s life. John and Irene, long divorced are forced to come together in the wake of a tragedy, to support the daughter they love so much. But how do they feel about each other after so many years apart when both felt they might be making a mistake on the actual day of their wedding those many years ago? Berg does what she is best at, exploring those fragile yet indestructible ties that bind us to each other.
What I learned: I love how Berg weaves in the things she loves, like cooking, into her characters. I need to remember to draw on those things I love or know well as I write my own stories.
“How to Save a Life” a YA novel by Sara Zarr
I am writing in response to your Love Grows post from Christmas Day.
Both voices totally drew me into this story. There’s Jill whose father died less than a year ago. She is about to graduate high school, has pushed her friends and boyfriend away with her grief and now her mom has decided to adopt a baby. Mandy is a pregnant teenager, determined ot give her baby a better life than hers. Told in alternating points of view between Jill and Mandy this lovely novel explores grief, love and what it means to be a family. Loved it.
What I Learned: She really put her characters through an emotional wringer, observed them closely so that we could see them come out the other side, changed but not in any cliché way. The changes felt inevitable and true which is what I seek when I write my own stories.
“Stay Awake” stories by Dan Chaon
Gene’s son Frankie wakes up screaming.
I am a huge fan of Chaon, and especially love his stories so I was thrilled when this latest collection came out. There is a thread of sadness, both wistful and raw, that weaves through these stories. They are haunting and many of the characters themselves are haunted, by grief, loss, their past. After finishing the book, I felt like some of the sadness had seeped off the pages, lingering in the air around me, not wanting to be forgotten. These stories will not be.
What I learned: To not be afraid to let my characters be totally lost. When I feel lost as a writer maybe I need to give in to that. Let them be lost, let myself be lost. Trust that we will eventually find our way.
1. Here’s a way to use Pinterest instead of it using you. Love it! Thanks, Nova 
2. Dani Shapiro reflects on her ideal writing day. It helps to see we all face the same struggles. I also can relate to this from the comments: “My life is structured around a cycle of good intentions, then a crush of depression when I don’t follow through on those good intentions.”
3. How did I not know about this column? I always come to party late. I only started watching “Lost” after it ended.
4. A great interview with Dylan Landis. I love what she says about close-reading and de-boning a good book.
5. Can’t wait to read Dan Chaon’s new collection, “Stay Awake.”. I grabbed it off the library shelf but know that I will have to buy my own copy.
I stumbled across this in my web browsing today and while I definitely see how it relates to human relationships, it got me wondering how it relates to our Art. It’s not enough to say “I love writing.” How do we sustain it? What is our pattern of devotion to writing every day?
I find that when I actively devote myself to writing every day through a meditation practice, then morning pages followed by writing practice focused on my current work-in-progress which leads to more writing on said project, my writing life is in flow. I go to bed and wake up thinking about my story and/or characters just as when you are first in love, he or she is the first and last thing you think of each day. Reading widely and diversely, connecting with other writers via blogs and other on-line writing communities, observing and participating in the world around me and, of course, writing, sustain my writing life.
What sustains yours? What is your pattern of devotion?
