Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I didn’t exactly jump on the Resolution Bandwagon this year. I dipped my toe in but that’s about it. Now it’s the last day of January and I can’t let the next eleven months slip away without a vision or a plan. But before I can look ahead, I need to briefly look back and acknowledge what I accomplished in 2012:

1. By far, my biggest accomplishment was finishing and submitting my novel. Regardless of the outcome I can now say “I’ve written a novel.” That is huge.

2. I started rewriting my second novel.

3. Started writing an online Book Club column on a local community news website.

4. Read 52 books.

5. Posted book reflections on all 52 books read in 2012.

6. Expanded my platform to include Twitter. (@KimHaasWrites)

7. Filled numerous notebooks with morning pages and writing practice.

8. Set up a submission tracker spreadsheet.

9. Revised several short stories.

10. Made new connections via blogs.

11. Incorporated more photos into my blog posts.

12. Tried to honor the ebb and flow of my creative process. 

So, not a bad year. Now, what do I want in 2013?

1. Publish my novel-in-stories which means find an agent or self-publish.

2. Finish rewrite of new novel.

3. Polish and submit short stories.

4. Blog more consistently.

5. Create/share/sell more art & collage.

6. Attend a writer’s conference or retreat.

7. Work through Priscilla Long’s book, “The Writer’s Portable Mentor.”

8. Create and follow DIY MFA program. 

9. Finish flash fiction collection, “Ripe.”

As I look at my list I see some problems with vagueness. What does “more” mean? For my blog it means add one craft or process post a week in addition to Quotable Tuesday and Five on Friday. It means to post every other Wednesday for my book club column. I need to create a timeline (self-imposed deadlines) for submissions, agent queries and my rewrite. I saw an old list that had me finishing the rewrite this past October and a revision by today. Always looking for that balance between stretching but doable and completely unrealistic.

So, that’s my look back and look ahead. How about you? What did you accomplish in 2012 and what are your aspirations for 2013? is there a way we can support and encourage each other? I’d love to start a submission challenge group. Anybody interested? Let me know in the comments.

 

 

 

Book Gratitude

Cross posted from thelivingstonpost.com.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d take a few minutes to briefly reflect on the books I am grateful for having come into my life this past year.

1. For making me laugh out loud on just about every page: “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” (A Mostly True Memoir)” by Jenny Lawson, the Bloggess
2. For proving to me that celebrities can write moving stories of substance and not just as part of their brand: “When It Happens to You” a novel in stories by Molly Ringwald
3. For making me actually cry: “The Fault in Our Stars”  a YA novel by John Green
4. For exposing me to a foreign culture: “Drifting House” stories by Krys Lee
5. For illuminating the beauty of compassion and forgiveness to ourselves and others: “You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know- A True Story of Family, Face Blindness, and Forgiveness” by Heather Sellers

For a thorough look at all the wonderful books I have read over the past six years, visit this page.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share my love of books and writing here with you. What books are you grateful for? Please leave a comment below.

Hope you all found much to be grateful for this year. Thank you for allowing me to a part of your lives.

Dig Deep or Ditch It?

A few years ago I wrote a draft of a novel during NaNoWriMo. I worked my butt off, as you have to do if you’re going to write a novel in a month. So I did it. Yay, me! It was a big deal. I had committed to something, followed through and had this messy draft of a story that intrigued me. Flash forward to this year. I finished a different novel, a novel-in-stories. Again, yay, me! Another big deal. That was in March. It is now October and it’s not that I haven’t written anything since then. I have. Morning pages. Revised some stories.  Wrote many freewrites and scenes on the NaNoWriMo novel. I set myself some lofty goals. In March I believe I said I’d have a second draft of this novel done by October 31. Ummm… well. Not so much. And it’s not because I haven’t been working on it. I have. Could I work on it more? Sure. But the thing I am struggling with now is I am not sure if I am not engaged with this project because it’s not the right one for me at this time or if I’m just wimping out and not feeling connected to it because I am not putting in enough time. I have other projects whispering around the edges for my attention, which is always tempting. The grass is always greener even (especially?) in writing. The thing is, at one point I thought the novel-in-stories wasn’t the “right project” for me. Then I decided to finish it for a contest that was due in March and with that deadline I buckled down and plowed through whatever resistance I had. I love those stories now. It’s the best thing I have written so far. I can’t believe that at one point I was going to give up.

I’m pretty sure I’ve realized that what I need to do is buckle down, put in some serious writing time and finish a second draft of this novel. But I’m curious, how do you handle this situation? Or is it even an issue for you? How do you know if it’s time to put a project aside or even away or time to dig deep and see what happens? I’d love to hear from you.

            

Books Read in August

“Of Mice and Men” a novel by John Steinbeck

A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.

This is on my daughter’s Honor’s summer reading list. I don’t remember ever reading it, but was familiar with the story. It’s good to read the classics and see what makes them endure. The compelling story that keeps you turning the pages, the complex characters that stir your empathy and scorn, the beautiful use of setting.

What I learned: The power of foreshadowing.

“Other People We Married” stories by Emma Straub

In the living room, the conversation was about teacher/student romance.

A woman consults a psychic to find her missing cat; a widow and widower, set up by their therapist take a trip to Italy where she is haunted by the memory of her husband; a woman take sup birdwatching a hobby after her husband’s death. Straub insinuates herself deep into the crevices of relationships, revealing the messy chaos hidden beneath the surface.

What I learned: To put characters into unique situations that become the container for the story.

 “When You think You’re Not Enough” by Daphne Rose Kingma

There is only one of you.

Part of me is embarrassed to be posting such a book but seriously, don’t many of us have trouble loving and accepting ourselves? Of course we do. I am not alone. Stroll through the mammoth self-help sections in any bookstore as well as the relationship, diet, and addiction shelves and you’ll see what I mean. Kingma addresses the reasons why we may not love and accept ourselves then gives concrete steps to change that dynamic. One if them is action. “Action has the ability to change the energy in your body, as well as in the people and things around you.” She also addresses the beauty of anger. “It’s the emotion of self-care, of self-protection. It is the emotion by which we make ourselves known to others as worthy, valuable human beings.”

What I learned: That anger can be beautiful. How freeing is that?

 “Boys and Girls Like You and Me” stories by Aryn Kyle

The first man I slept with kept his eyes closed the whole time.

How awesome is that first sentence? Loved loved loved these stories. They are dark and funny and vaguely disturbing, everything I hope my own stories are and will be.  The relationships range from student/teacher to a young girl and her dad’s fairly brittle girlfriend to employee/boss to a solitary woman and Goth teen.

What I learned: To not be afraid to put odd couples together and see what happens.

 “Drifting House” stories by Krys Lee

For three years after her ex-husband and their daughter, Yuri, disappeared to California, Mrs. Shin had designed clothes by day and sold handprinted scarves by night to save the necessary sum of money to depart Seoul and come to America.

These amazing stories take place in the rigid confines of North Korea, in the aftermath of South Korea’s financial collapse and America where immigrants try to put families back together or keep them from falling apart. The complexity of family and cultural identity is explored and the sacrifices and chocies these characters must make will haunt you long after you have finished reading these moving yet deeply disturbing stories.

What I learned: To allow characters to make the seemingly impossible choice.

“Dead to You” a YA novel by Lisa McMann

There are three of them. No, four.

I devoured this page-turner in a single afternoon. Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now he is sixteen and reunited with his family. But after the initial joy, things become tense. Ethan has no memory of his life before being abducted.  His younger brother doesn’t understand why Ethan even got in the car that took him away from them and ruined their family. Questions remain and new ones arise, making you turn the page to discover the answers.

What I learned: It’s all about having questions that must be answered, drawing the reader through the story.

 “Why We Broke Up” a YA novel by Daniel handler and illustrated by Maira Kalman

Dear Ed, In a sec you’ll hear a thunk.

The thunk is a the break-up box. You know, the box you keep all of your ex’s stuff in to either pine over, torch or return. Kalman’s illustrations of the contents of said box enhance the love story revealed by letters Min writes to Ed, explaining why they broke up. It stirs up all the buried angst we may have left from whatever heartbreak we’ve endured over the years whether you are sixteen or sixty. So so good.

 What I learned: How well a very particular structure can work as the container for the story.

Quotable Tuesday

Thank you to Dylan Landis for sharing this lovely gem:

“If loneliness is the disease, the story is the cure.”
– Richard Ford

 

 

Five on Friday

1. This is a question I often pose to myself and I love hearing why others write. 

2. Well, this is encouraging. 

3. What do you get when you pay an editor to review your ms?

4. Will any of these 5 debut novels make it onto your to-be-read list?

5. An interview with one of the best, hardest working writers around. He has much to teach both aspiring and established writers.

WriteLikeCrazy

Tayari Jones is hosting a writing challenge for August that I am totally on board with. I don’t know about you, but this summer has been crazy busy. Our oldest daughter graduated high school then, the day after her grad party, completely changed her post high school plans. We’ve also had tons of company staying with us so writing has fallen somewhat into the nooks and crannies of my life. This challenge to write like crazy came at the perfect time. Today was the first day and I met my goal of writing for two hours. The challenge for me is to set a goal that is high enough but not too daunting that I am left feeling dejected for not meeting my extremely high expectations. I think I managed to find a balance this time. I will post my progress in my Writing Process Journal page on this blog at the end of the month but will probably check in here as the month progresses. 

Books Read in July

“The Age of Miracles” a novel by Karen Thompson Walker

We didn’t notice right away. We couldn’t feel it.

 This novel has gotten so much press that I don’t feel I can add much to all the praise except to say that it combines two of my favorite genres; dystopian and coming-of-age. It’s hard to do one or the other without being cliché but she manages to do both while staying wonderfully original. At a time of life when normal is so out of reach for a young teenage girl, Julia must navigate not only adolescence but also the strange new world where the earth’s rotation has inexplicably slowed so the days and nights grow longer and longer with devastating consequences.

What I learned: That a fantastic premise needs to be grounded in specific characters and details.

 

“The Lost Wife” a novel by Alyson Richman

He dressed deliberately for the occasion, his suit pressed and his shoes shined.

 This is not a book I would’ve normally chosen on my own but a friend suggested it and I was totally swept away by the love story of Josef and Lenka set in prewar Prague.  When they realize that a Nazi invasion is imminent, the newly married couple is torn apart, and each is forced to live a life without the other.

What I learned: That the Nazis took away so many so-called freedoms such as radios  before shipping them off to camps.

 

“Tin House Summer Reading” volume 13, Number 4

Julia had been tending a fantasy about the famous photographer who would be lodgin with her at the college’s guesthouse.

So many amazing stories by so many amazing writers such as Amy Hempel, Sherman Alexie and the incomparable Alice Munro. The story ‘Deer” by Nina Buckless still haunts me.

What I learned: That I really really want to be published in this literary journal.

 

“The Catastrophic History of You and Me” a YA novel by Jess Rothenberg

There’s always that one guy who gets a hold on you.

This novel explores first love, first loss and first betrayal from the vantage point of fifteen-year-old Brie who is newly D & G. (Dead & Gone). The rules in this new land of forever are complicated and so is her view of what she left behind.  There’s her family, her best friends and her boyfriend , Jacob who Brie loved deeply. In this new world she encounters the strangely familiar Patrick who becomes her guide to this new world as she straddles what she left behind and what lies ahead.

 What I learned: That no matter what kind of world yo create, the story relies on the characters that inhabit that world. 

Five on Friday

1. Michael Cunninghman gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of this year’s Pulitzer non-selection.

2. Who knew that Flannery O’Connor started out as a cartoonist?

3. I spent five hours strolling through artist booths here today. Being around all that awesome creativity never fails to inspire me.

4. Excellent interview with Cheryl Strayed. Thank you to Dylan Landis for sharing.

5. 22 rules of storytelling. Lots or good stuff here. 

Books Read in May & June

“Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” (A Mostly True Memoir)” by Jenny Lawson, the Bloggess

 This book is totally true, except for the parts that aren’t. It’s basically like Little House on the Prairie but with more cursing.

I admit, I came late to this particular party. “The Bloggess” party as she is known in the blogosphere. But now I visit her site regularly and I devoured her book so that my sister could take it back with her on the plane but not before I practically read the whole thing to her out loud. It went something like, “Okay, just this paragraph. It’s freakin’ hilarious.” “Okay, just this footnote.” And on and on until pretty soon my sister was convinced she’d have no need to actually read the book herself. But it’s like that. It’s so damn funny, you can’t keep it to yourself. In fact, it should come with a disclaimer that if you read it in public you’ll end up laughing out loud, sitting there at your table, all alone. If you’re okay with that, then go ahead. I’m fairly certain I laughed out loud on almost every other page. That’s a lot of funny, people.  Whether she’s writing about her father’s weird obsession with dead animals or her marriage (a virtual fount of material) or their struggle to have a baby, she never shies away from any part of it all. She lets it all hang out, the good, the bad, the ugly and manages to make us laugh while doing so. Seriously. Stop reading this blog right now and go. Buy. This. Book.

What I learned: To just own your story.

11/22/63 a novel by Stephen King

I have never been what you’d call a crying man.

My husband is not a big reader of novels but he read all 849 pages of this one in about a week. It took me a bit longer but worth the journey. King makes time travel seem both possible through his careful writing and terrifying because of the unforeseen consequences of changing even the smallest thing in the past much less a huge game-changing event like the assassination of JFK. Really hard to put down even though it must weigh several pounds.

What I learned: That there might be instances where an e-reader is not horrible.

“Imaginary Girls” a YA novel by Nova Ren Suma

Ruby said I’d never drown–not in deep ocean, not by shipwreck, not even by falling drunk into someone’s bottomless backyard pool.

Ruby is Chloe’s mysterious, devoted, glamorous older sister. A party at the reservoir turns into a nightmare after Chloe finds a body floating in the water and she is sent away, far away from Ruby. But Ruby is determined to bring her sister home and will do anything to make that happen. In a story that enchants in a style reminiscient of Alice Hoffman, Suma brings us an eerie tale of a sisters’ intense bond.

What I learned: To let a little surrealism into my stories and see what happens. 

“MWF Seeking BFF- My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend” by Rachel Bertsche

I’ve known by two best friends since I  was 10 and 14.

If I had thought of this and had the guts to actually follow through, I could’ve written this book. I sometimes feel that same pang of loneliness as Bertsche describes. But instead of merely whining about it as I tend to do, she came up with a plan and executed it. She would go on fifty-two girl dates in the span of one year. She met women through friends, friends of friends, at an improv class, even on a rent a friend website. While reflecting on her search she also weaves in research on the art and benefits of friendship. One of the things I loved most is that she suggests that you should have at least one friend you can call adn say “Why do I have 4 jars of pickles in my fridge?” I can think of one, if now friends I could call adn say that to  and they wouldn’t blink or think I was some kind of pickle freak. The other thing I admired is that she made a plan and completely followed through even when it was hard. Truly a lovely book about friendship adn the lengths we can and should go to cultivate and maintain them throughout all the stages of our lives.

What I learned: The best ideas only work if you actually follow through with action like she did. 

“Memoirs of a Muse” a novel by Lara Vapnyar

A Parisian hotel room.

Tanya is a teenager obsessed with Dostoevsky and realtionships to his mistresses dn muses. Noticing that he fails to mention his wife, she is determined to become a muse herself. The woman behind some great writer. once she moves from Russia to America she has her chance after meeting Mark Schneider, a “Significant New York Novelist.” Tanya quickly moves in with him, giving up her own means of supporting herself, ready to throw herself into the role of caring and inspiring this writer who doesn’t seem to actually write all that much. A thoughtful reflection on the creative process as well as the role of women.

What I learned: That I love books that explore the creative process.

“The Fault in Our Stars”  a YA novel by John Green

Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.

So… I have adored all of Green’s books to date, but this one… sigh… this one took my breath away. It’s not only a beautiful love story, it’s a love letter to Existence. I laughed out loud, I cried (which I rarely do while reading a book.) And I was so sad when I had to leave this sweet, tragic, beautiful world he created, filled with beautifully flawed characters that I just fell in love with.Okay. Enough gushing. Just go. Read it for your yourselves.

What I learned: To not be afraid to let crappy things happen to and around my characters. 

“Hint Fiction” edited by Robert Swartwood

Hint fiction is a story of 25 words or fewer that suggests a larger, more complex story. as Swartwood explains in his introduction, “Hint Fiction should not be complete by it having a beginning, middle and end. Instead it should be complete by standing by itself as its own little world.” This collection is filled with such little worlds that stand on their own, hinting at a past or future that the reader need never read to understand that it exists. Reading this collection has made me want to experiment with this form myself.

What I learned: No matter the length of the story, every single word counts.