Thursday, January 19, 2012

One Way or Another


 


Today it is my turn to get the blog chain rolling with a new topic. My topic is inspired by the million awesome Tumblr blogs that I keep coming across during my internet explorations.

Post pictures, songs, movie clips, poems, or novel excerpts that make you feel. Feel what, you ask? Feel anything. Happy. Sad. Angry. Nostalgic. Hopeful. Hopeless. Jealous. Joyful. 

I have read in several different places that YA novelist John Green said of his latest novel, The Fault In Our Stars that he wants to make his readers "Feel All The Things." I would love that someone could go through this blog chain and through what we all choose to post have that same Feel All The Things feeling.

So here's mine:



Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a gray mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.


by: John Masefield 
(I wrote a paper on this poem in high school. After turning a poem inside out so that you can write a five page paper on it you will either love it or hate it when you are done. I loved it.)


*(Personal Note: French words are the WORST!)
Athlete Aimee Mullins
“Born without fibulae in both legs, Aimee’s medical prognosis was discouraging; she was told she would never walk, and would likely spend the rest of her life using a wheelchair. In an attempt for an outside chance at independent mobility, doctors amputated both her legs below the knee on her first birthday. The decision paid off. By age two, she had learned to walk on prosthetic legs, and spent her childhood doing the usual athletic activities of her peers: swimming, biking, softball, soccer, and skiing, always alongside “able-bodies” kids.”

 
" The man had killed the thing he loved, and so he had to die
Yet each man kills the thing he loves, by each let this be heard
Some do it with a bitter look, some with a flattering word
The coward does it with a kiss, the brave man with a sword
Some kill their love when they are young, and some when they are old
Some strangle with the hands of lust, some with the hands of gold
The kindest use a knife, because the dead so soon grow cold
Some love too little, some too long, some sell, and others buy
Some do the deed with many tears, and some without a sigh
For each man kills the thing he loves, yet each man does not die
— from The Ballad of Reading Goal by Oscar Wilde



"Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that. You forget some things, dont you? Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget." — Cormac McCarthy

And that about sums it about for me. Please keep following this blog chain to see what everyone else posts - next up is Cole.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Our House Is A Very Very Very Fine House


It's a new year and with it a new blog chain has begun. Jon kicked things of with a topic that takes us back in time.

Imagine the home(s) where you grew up, and start drawing a floor plan. As you draw, memories will surface. Grab onto one of those memories and tell us a story.

It's funny that Jon started up this topic about homes, because it is a subject that has very much been on my mind lately as my husband and I are - after years and years and years of renting - just now starting the process of looking for a home to buy. It's much different looking to buy rather than rent. It's permanent (and pricey!) so you really have to think about what is important to you in a home. Since leaving my parents home when I left for college, I have been a bit of a nomad. I think the longest I've lived anywhere without changing addresses is about two years. So when I think of home, the place that comes to mind isn't one of my half-remembered past addresses, but the home I grew up in.

It's not difficult for me to remember the house either - I was just there last week. My family moved there when I was five years old. 28 years later my parents are still in that same house. It's funny now seeing my daughter banging on the same piano where I once practiced my scales. 

Me and my daughter, Zoe aka baby Beethoven, at the piano.
 
Or watch them jump of the diving board for the first time - nose pinched close with two fingers and the rest of their limbs flailing - the same way I once had.
Me, Zoe, and my son Jamie poolside at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Or seeing the kitchen table that my sisters and I once sat it, now occupied by my children and their cousins.

Jamie kissing his cousin Eleni.

In the stories I write, I love to use the device of planting something early in a story that will pay-off later. Watching my kids and my nieces and nephew playing in the house where I grew up is one of the greatest pay-offs of all.

Just like those episodes of House Hunters that you can't stop watching - this blog chain also goes on and on. To catch more posts make sure to check out Matt's post from earlier today and tomorrow you can find a fresh new blog entry from Cole.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

In A Perfect World

Tere began this blog chain with a question about writing habits. Specifically she asked:

What conditions do you need to get your best writing done? Closed door, crowded coffee house? Computer or notebook? Can you just sit down to write, or do you need to wait for the time to be right?

In a perfect world I would have nothing but time to write. And surf the internet. But mostly write. Sometimes while eating ice cream. And ice cream would be good for you - like eating salad.

Yes, that's right. Endless time to write and ice cream is now a vegetable. That's my idea of a perfect world. In retrospect, I guess I could've mentioned something about world peace too. But it doesn't really matter, because sadly, this perfect world exists only in my fantasy.

In the real world I have a full time job and two small children. Free time is not abundant and ice cream goes straight to my thighs. And yet somehow I manage to carve out little bits of time to write.

Now once again, in perhaps not a perfect world, but in maybe a semi-perfect one - these little bits of time would be considered sacred by all around me. In this semi-perfect world there would be a very easy way to deal with anyone who disturbed me.

Effective, yes?

Also, in this semi-perfect world? I'd be getting these for Christmas.

And I don't mean some lame stuffed toy version. I want the real thing.

But once again, sadly, the world isn't perfect and it isn't semi-perfect either.

I know. It sucks.

But I don't want this post to focus on the negative. I don't want you to read this post and think, "My God she's right. The world isn't perfect or even semi-perfect. Why do I even get up in the morning?" Although it is a valid question. In a perfect world - everyone would get to sleep in if they wanted to and no one would ever again have to worry about getting up in the morning. That would now be an afternoon problem.

But I digress. My point is that even in this so-very-much-less-than-perfect world, there is always a way to find a time and find a place to write - at least there is for those who want to do it badly enough.

Me? I'm one of those that want it badly.

So when I don't have time to write because I have to sit in traffic on my way home from work or give the kids a bath or cook dinner - then I plot away inside my head. I plan how to finish the scene I'm in the middle of or how to start the next one. Or if, like now, I'm in the midst of edits - then I work through what I've changed, what else needs to be changed, and how exactly I plan to do it. Then, when I actually have time to sit at the computer, I don't need to spend a lot of time staring at the screen, I can just jump right in.

No, it's not a perfect or semi-perfect way to write, but so far it's working for me.

That's it from me, but the blog chain doesn't end with here- make sure to check out the other posts on this great topic. You can find Matt's right before mine and Cole will be up tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

It's The Climb

*

This is the month in creating writing goals and making big accomplishments. What is your greatest accomplishment -- in writing, your life or perhaps something incidental that had a big effect on you?

Above is the latest blog chain question, brought to us by Michelle Hickman. It is a BIG question and it has led me to some deep thoughts, and these deep thoughts have in turn led me to Miley Cyrus. Yes, that's right, I said Miley Cyrus. I know, I know, it was an unexpected turn for me too.

The thing is when I started thinking of trying to name my one biggest accomplishment, I went through all the usual suspects.

Getting $5000 from my film school to make a short film that I'd written.

Meeting my wonderful husband and quietly stalking him until he succumbed to my many charms.

My two incredibly naughty, but also insanely wonderful children.

Finishing three novels.

Finding an agent.

Getting a two book deal with HarperTeen.

These are the big moments. The ones you can point out and easily identify. I love these moments. And I would like many more of these celebratory let's buy some champagne moments. But in between these highs were the lows.

Rejection. Uncertainty. More Rejection. And worst of all - morning sickness.

And that's when a certain song came into my head. It's a song that has made me flip to a radio station playing commercials when it came on just to avoid listening to it one more time. And yet I have to admit that the lyrics - as cheesy and unoriginal as a Velveeta between Wonderbread - really hit the spot for me at this exact moment trying to answer this exact question. And so I'm gonna let Miley finish out this blog post for me - cause she has already sung exactly what I want to say. 

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!

And just in case the song is not stuck in your head - here's the video too! Feel free to grab a hair brush and sing along.



Want to hear about more amazing accomplishments? Make sure to check out Matt's post prior to mine and Cole's immediately after.

*BTW the  mountain in this pic is Mount Everest. You want to hear about some uphill battles? Read some books about trying to climb Everest. On the way up to the top climbers pass by the dead and frozen bodies of climbers that have been there for years or even decades because it is just too difficult to bring them back down. Now my own personal policy is that if I am going somewhere and there is more than one dead body along the way - I should probably turn back. But the people climbing Everest do the opposite - they just keep going up - despite the dead bodies, despite the cold, despite the thin air. It is kind of nuts. But also really interesting. If you want to read more I highly recommend checking out Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. High Crimes by Michael Kodas is also an excellent Everest based read.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The Monster Mash


Today the blog chain is seasonably themed with this question from Matt:


What is your all-time favorite monster? 


This time of year is all about monsters and things that go bump in the night... and I'm not really into those things. I am a weenie and a scaredy-cat who has a hard time sitting through scary movies. While for most people Halloween is the time of year to celebrate chills and thrills, for me it is the time of year to celebrate the joy of fun-sized 3 Musketeers.

They are so much fun though that I often have trouble stopping with just one, which could result in me becoming a Homer Simpson type monster.

That though is definitely NOT my favorite monster. Honestly picking one favorite is kinda difficult. If I go the sexy monster route then we are definitely gonna take a trip into Buffy-land. But once there - do I choose Angel or Spike? 


Okay, let's skip that question - I can't choose. Instead, let's go with my other favorite kind of monsters - the Muppety kind.

Again there are several choices:


In the end though, I have to give the title of favorite monster to Cookie. Cause I know he could take down a bag of fun size candy bars too.


Want to see more monsters? Well this chain is just getting started. To keep following along head on over to Cole's blog next. 

And in the meantime - who is your favorite monster?

Monday, October 10, 2011

A Little Help From My Friends





 Is it blog chain time again? Why yes it is. And Sarah started us off with this question:

Do you work with critique partners? How did you find your crit pals, and what influence have they had on your work?

To answer the questions briefly and in order, my answers are as follows:

Do you work with critique partners? Hell yes!
How did you find your crit pals? Here and there.
What influence have they had on your work? TONS!!!! Seriously, OMG so much influence.

So what I like about this question is that it doesn't ask about beta readers, but specifically refers to crit partners or pals, which to me implies an ongoing relationship and exchange of work and ideas and support between two (or more) people.

There is just something about exchanging your work with another person. In a lot of ways it is an act of faith. You put the time into not only reading but really thinking and commenting on someone else's work, and hope that on their end they are doing the same thing.

Sometimes it can blow up in your face. I had one truly awful crit exchange experience that to this day makes me shake my head in disgust when I think about it. But I didn't let that one experience stop me from reaching out to other people, and putting my work in their hands and in return putting my time into reading the work they put into mine.

When I was in the beginning stages of writing Another Little Piece, I had that "ooh this is really something" feeling. Of course, who doesn't have that feeling at the start of a new WIP? I was also experimenting a bit and playing with form - switching pronouns, moving around in the timeline, and even adding bits of poetry. It felt like it was working, but I couldn't shake the worry that it might also be a hot mess.

I needed feedback, and I found it at the Absolute Write Water Cooler. I exchanged work with several different people, and found one person whose advice I became addicted to - the amazing Alyson Greene. As I wrote, I sent chunks of my MS to her, and receiving her feedback while I was in the midst of writing was not only motivational, but also incorporating her criticisms as I wrote helped me subtly change course as I went forward, which saved me from having to double-back and fix tons of things later.

But here's the really great thing about the crit partner relationship - you get something out of giving too. Reading someone else's work - you learn from their strengths and you share in their weaknesses. And when your partner tells you that their notes helped make their story stronger - that is just an awesome amazing feeling.

Now let's keep that amazing feeling going. Leave a comment about how much your crit parners mean to you, and then keep following along on the blog chain by checking out Abby's post before mine and Matt's directly after.