So I just finished edits and now I'm working on finishing the first draft of another book. Completely different genre. Completely different feel, themes, dialogue, etc. I swear it's like I'm learning how to write all over again. I really can't stand drafting books. I honestly don't know how I've made it as far as I have as a writer. How did I ever get through anything when it's so much torture just to pound out a story? Shouldn't it be enjoyable?
Have you ever been working on a scene and time seems to be dragging on so freaking slow? You think, dang, this is boring. Nothing is happening. Yeah, I'm moving things along and important stuff is taking place, but nothing feels like it's happening because I know there's more exciting things coming up! This is where I kind of die because I am not the type of writer to jump ahead and write certain scenes before others. I have to write in order or I'm seriously screwed up. I've tried to do that several times and it just didn't work. So I'm kind of stuck in this limbo state of pushing my way through scenes. The only thing that's keeping me going is the fact that I felt the exact same way on my novella, Thirds, and when it was finally finished and people read it, they said very good things about it. In fact, that was the book my dad called me up about and told me I was the next J.K. Rowling. *snort* Well, although I don't believe that (and Thirds is nothing like Harry Potter) I was extremely flattered. I don't think I've ever heard my dad say something like that to me before. It was a moment made of awesome.
So...I have hope.
But this writing while I think I'm stuck in a pit of suckiness really...well...sucks.
And maybe this post sucks because it's all about me, but maybe you can relate to some of this? Who knows. I do know I need to read something good soon. I haven't had the time to read any books lately, and perhaps that's what I need.
At least I'm posting here! Yay! I still exist on the Lit Lab!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Buchpreisbindung
I found this article about German's book pricing policy, Buchpreisbindung, and how it may be helping to keep smaller book stores in business.
Some kibbles and bits:
"The idea [of the Buchpreisbindung] was to eliminate price competition in order to promote the same of little-known books," says Simone Thelen, spokewoman for the Mayersche chain.
Catherine Brull, a native of Belgium who has worked in the shop for seven years, is getting ready to crack open her new copy of Super Sad True Love Story, which is priced at 19.95 euros, about $28, including tax.
After price regulation ended in England, the price of books rose by 8 percent; and when it ended in Sweden, one out of four bookstores went out of business.
[O]ne of the major reasons Germany has a healthy book publishing industry, beyond its pricing law, is because Germans (like the English, the Irish, the Japanese, the French, and many other nationalities) tend to read more, and more seriously, than Americans.
In 2007 an Association of American Publishers (AAP) survey revealed that one in four Americans did not read a single book -- not one book -- the previous year.
"Books are not just a commodity here," [Simone Thelen] says. "They have a cultural value that has to be saved."
Some kibbles and bits:
"The idea [of the Buchpreisbindung] was to eliminate price competition in order to promote the same of little-known books," says Simone Thelen, spokewoman for the Mayersche chain.
Catherine Brull, a native of Belgium who has worked in the shop for seven years, is getting ready to crack open her new copy of Super Sad True Love Story, which is priced at 19.95 euros, about $28, including tax.
After price regulation ended in England, the price of books rose by 8 percent; and when it ended in Sweden, one out of four bookstores went out of business.
[O]ne of the major reasons Germany has a healthy book publishing industry, beyond its pricing law, is because Germans (like the English, the Irish, the Japanese, the French, and many other nationalities) tend to read more, and more seriously, than Americans.
In 2007 an Association of American Publishers (AAP) survey revealed that one in four Americans did not read a single book -- not one book -- the previous year.
"Books are not just a commodity here," [Simone Thelen] says. "They have a cultural value that has to be saved."
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Stories of Lydia Davis
One of the books I'm currently reading is the Collected Stories of Lydia Davis. Ms Davis is at the forefront of a certain type of short fiction which is gaining popularity among the literary journal set. I've read about 60 of her stories (they range in length from one sentence to thousands of words) and I believe I have figured out what Ms Davis is doing. I have discovered the key to the "Lydia Davis-style short story," and because I am a generous soul, I'm going to share that key with you guys.
How does a traditional story work? We're all familiar with the rising action/climax/falling action structure, right? It goes like this:
1. Introduce characters and problem to be solved.
2. Increase the severity of the problem.
3. Bring problem to a climax (a crisis point which must be resolved before anything else can happen).
4. Show how things are after crisis resolved.
That's your basic story, Ma'am. Short stories, in the search for brevity and power (because there's an idea that concentrating the story elements into the smallest possible space--which is to say, flash fiction--increases the power and impact of the story; I have doubts that this idea is actually true, but it's a common idea these days) often skip steps 1 and 4. The problem, characters and setting all come at once with no introduction. A common short story these days starts in medias res, with all the parts moving and the train about to crash, as it were. Then the train crashes and the resolution of the conflict is implied in the climax scene somehow (the author doesn't say it explicitly, but the reader can figure out that, for example, the guy will end up with the girl or whatever).
What Ms Davis' stories seem to do is jump with both feet into step 2, where the characters/crisis/setting (sometimes just character and crisis without setting) are shown, in the most arresting and concrete terms Ms Davis can muster. And then the story is over. The climax doesn't happen; the story begins and ends with the conflict/problem/crisis. The reader is made uncomfortable and then abandoned to sort out his discomfort.
In other words, Ms Davis writes premises without dramatic action. I may wonder aloud if I think these are properly stories. I think of a story as the telling of what happened. Possibly Ms Davis' art is to demonstrate or illustrate that conflict between people is generally never resolved, that it goes on and on with no relief and that, luv, is how life really works. I don't argue with that proposition, if that's what she's implying. I just don't know if that makes what Lydia Davis writes "stories."
I like reading them, whatever they are.
Anyway, do you think that the crisis/conflict in a work of fiction need be resolved in order for that piece of fiction to be a proper story?
How does a traditional story work? We're all familiar with the rising action/climax/falling action structure, right? It goes like this:
1. Introduce characters and problem to be solved.
2. Increase the severity of the problem.
3. Bring problem to a climax (a crisis point which must be resolved before anything else can happen).
4. Show how things are after crisis resolved.
That's your basic story, Ma'am. Short stories, in the search for brevity and power (because there's an idea that concentrating the story elements into the smallest possible space--which is to say, flash fiction--increases the power and impact of the story; I have doubts that this idea is actually true, but it's a common idea these days) often skip steps 1 and 4. The problem, characters and setting all come at once with no introduction. A common short story these days starts in medias res, with all the parts moving and the train about to crash, as it were. Then the train crashes and the resolution of the conflict is implied in the climax scene somehow (the author doesn't say it explicitly, but the reader can figure out that, for example, the guy will end up with the girl or whatever).
What Ms Davis' stories seem to do is jump with both feet into step 2, where the characters/crisis/setting (sometimes just character and crisis without setting) are shown, in the most arresting and concrete terms Ms Davis can muster. And then the story is over. The climax doesn't happen; the story begins and ends with the conflict/problem/crisis. The reader is made uncomfortable and then abandoned to sort out his discomfort.
In other words, Ms Davis writes premises without dramatic action. I may wonder aloud if I think these are properly stories. I think of a story as the telling of what happened. Possibly Ms Davis' art is to demonstrate or illustrate that conflict between people is generally never resolved, that it goes on and on with no relief and that, luv, is how life really works. I don't argue with that proposition, if that's what she's implying. I just don't know if that makes what Lydia Davis writes "stories."
I like reading them, whatever they are.
Anyway, do you think that the crisis/conflict in a work of fiction need be resolved in order for that piece of fiction to be a proper story?
Saturday, September 24, 2011
No Matter What Happens, Remember Who Your Characters Are
This week I read a novel where a lot of interesting and surprising things happened, plotwise. It was a very active story and you couldn't predict where things were going as the events careened from chapter to chapter, carrying the characters along with them. Which is exactly the problem with this book.
Part of what made the plot twists possible was the author's annoying habit of changing the characters however she needed to in order to make them into people who'd fit the new plot threads. After about 140 pages of this I realized that I didn't know who any of these people were, because they weren't anybody at all. None of the characters were centered. This caused a great deal of emotional disconnect for me, because since the characters never became well-defined, I stopped trying to care what happened to them, because they were more like a faceless mob than a half dozen real people.
It is possible that, because this is a first-person narrative and the protagonist is blind to a lot of the character traits of the people around her, all of this shifting of identities is meant to be a sort of voyage of discovery for the narrator and the reader. Gradually we see beyond the prejudices of the narrator and find out who all her friends and relatives truly are. But on the page, it doesn't work that way, and you can see how the character changes exist merely to allow the plot to move forward in its clunky, episodic manner. Chapter after chapter, the narrator is saying things like "I could see that my daughter was no longer shy" or "I never knew my husband was so depressed" and the problem is that, if you're going for irony here, the reader has to have seen it when the narrator hasn't. No, the daughter was shy when the story needed her shyness, and she was outgoing when the story required an outgoing daughter. It was all very improbable.
So my advice to you is this: as your characters travel along within your narrative, take the time to ask yourself if each character would, given who you say they are, behave the way you make them behave in each circumstance. You should probably do a read-through of the MS with nothing else in mind than to make sure that the characters are consistent all the way through. My characters have a knack for being a bit differently imagined at the end of the first draft than when I started, and I have to spend time making the characterizations match up at each end of the story.
Part of what made the plot twists possible was the author's annoying habit of changing the characters however she needed to in order to make them into people who'd fit the new plot threads. After about 140 pages of this I realized that I didn't know who any of these people were, because they weren't anybody at all. None of the characters were centered. This caused a great deal of emotional disconnect for me, because since the characters never became well-defined, I stopped trying to care what happened to them, because they were more like a faceless mob than a half dozen real people.
It is possible that, because this is a first-person narrative and the protagonist is blind to a lot of the character traits of the people around her, all of this shifting of identities is meant to be a sort of voyage of discovery for the narrator and the reader. Gradually we see beyond the prejudices of the narrator and find out who all her friends and relatives truly are. But on the page, it doesn't work that way, and you can see how the character changes exist merely to allow the plot to move forward in its clunky, episodic manner. Chapter after chapter, the narrator is saying things like "I could see that my daughter was no longer shy" or "I never knew my husband was so depressed" and the problem is that, if you're going for irony here, the reader has to have seen it when the narrator hasn't. No, the daughter was shy when the story needed her shyness, and she was outgoing when the story required an outgoing daughter. It was all very improbable.
So my advice to you is this: as your characters travel along within your narrative, take the time to ask yourself if each character would, given who you say they are, behave the way you make them behave in each circumstance. You should probably do a read-through of the MS with nothing else in mind than to make sure that the characters are consistent all the way through. My characters have a knack for being a bit differently imagined at the end of the first draft than when I started, and I have to spend time making the characterizations match up at each end of the story.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Transitions are hard
No, I'm not necessarily talking about the small transitions in a story, say, from paragraph to paragraph. Although those can definitely be hard too. (For the record, I usually deal with them by choosing the easiest, most obvious transition I can think of.)
But today I'm thinking more about the bigger transitions. Today, I'm acknowledging that I'm in a funk. And I've been in a funk for a couple of months...just about the time I moved across town into a new home, and just about the time I gave up my research career for scientific writing. I'm in a funk, which is strange because I don't think I should be in a funk. I just bought a new home that I'm totally excited about. I'm loving my job and my boss, and I'm getting paid more than I was before. So, why the blech?
I think back to those (rare) occasions when I finish one story and focus my attention on another. Whenever that happens I tell myself that I should be thrilled that I finished something and thrilled that I get to start something new. But usually I don't feel very thrilled. I feel lost. I feel a nothingness that doesn't help me get very motivated. In my writing, having finished enough stories, I've learned for the most part just to let these phases pass. I might be down, but I know it's temporary.
Well, today I'm realizing that I should probably take the same approach to life. I'm in a funk, but most likely it's temporary and caused by nothing more than the difficulty of transitioning.
So, that's where I am today. And maybe things are finally turning, because I've spent the last three nights working hard on Cyberlama again, and I finally sent in the manuscript for my crime novella, Bread, to a small press after I got the full request over five months ago. With my revisions, I'm taking the Bailey approach and using pen and paper, and really I'm only saying that because I wanted to talk about Bailey. And I also want to say "Tolstoy"!
As for Michelle, I drew a winner from the nice comments on my Monarch post on Monday. The winner is: J.B. Chicoine - writer and painter extraordinaire! J.B Chicoine, you said you were trying to win it, well, here you go! You can thank the Math Goodies Custom Number Generator if you really want. Or you can thank me. I love carrot cake. Please send me your contact info to dmalasarn (at) gmail (dot) com.
We also have another winner from Judy Croome's guest post, "A Wounded Name." S. P. Bowers, you win a free copy of The Story of an African Farm and Judy's own Dancing in the Shadows of Love!
Oh, and one other thing, if you want, you can check out my terry-cloth-monkey-mom interview at the Potomac Review blog here.
But today I'm thinking more about the bigger transitions. Today, I'm acknowledging that I'm in a funk. And I've been in a funk for a couple of months...just about the time I moved across town into a new home, and just about the time I gave up my research career for scientific writing. I'm in a funk, which is strange because I don't think I should be in a funk. I just bought a new home that I'm totally excited about. I'm loving my job and my boss, and I'm getting paid more than I was before. So, why the blech?
I think back to those (rare) occasions when I finish one story and focus my attention on another. Whenever that happens I tell myself that I should be thrilled that I finished something and thrilled that I get to start something new. But usually I don't feel very thrilled. I feel lost. I feel a nothingness that doesn't help me get very motivated. In my writing, having finished enough stories, I've learned for the most part just to let these phases pass. I might be down, but I know it's temporary.
Well, today I'm realizing that I should probably take the same approach to life. I'm in a funk, but most likely it's temporary and caused by nothing more than the difficulty of transitioning.
So, that's where I am today. And maybe things are finally turning, because I've spent the last three nights working hard on Cyberlama again, and I finally sent in the manuscript for my crime novella, Bread, to a small press after I got the full request over five months ago. With my revisions, I'm taking the Bailey approach and using pen and paper, and really I'm only saying that because I wanted to talk about Bailey. And I also want to say "Tolstoy"!
As for Michelle, I drew a winner from the nice comments on my Monarch post on Monday. The winner is: J.B. Chicoine - writer and painter extraordinaire! J.B Chicoine, you said you were trying to win it, well, here you go! You can thank the Math Goodies Custom Number Generator if you really want. Or you can thank me. I love carrot cake. Please send me your contact info to dmalasarn (at) gmail (dot) com.
We also have another winner from Judy Croome's guest post, "A Wounded Name." S. P. Bowers, you win a free copy of The Story of an African Farm and Judy's own Dancing in the Shadows of Love!
Oh, and one other thing, if you want, you can check out my terry-cloth-monkey-mom interview at the Potomac Review blog here.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
This is Not the Book I Bought
Something that happens to me often is that I'll look at a book in a shop, or read about a book online and I'll think, "Hey, this looks interesting." I'll read the cover copy or a review or a publisher's facebook post and get a certain idea of what the book is going to be, how I think it's written and what the tone will be and I'll think, "Yeah, this looks like something I'd enjoy." You know, the regular process of buying a book.
So then I take my new book home and open it to the first page and read the first chapter or so and I realize that the book in my hand is not the book I was imagining in the shop. I'm reading a different book than the one I thought I was buying. For this reason, the first chapter or so of every book I read is a sort of negotiation between me and the author, a breaking-in period of sorts.
Sometimes the book I'm reading is amazing and so much better than whatever I'd imagined I'd be reading, and that's a cool experience. I love it when a writer's imagination outstrips my own. Sometimes the book I'm reading is nowhere as cool as the book I thought I'd purchased, and of course that sucks. Usually I'll finish reading those books anyway and grumble about them to Mighty Reader and anyone else who'll listen to me.
Possibly what I'm getting at is the idea that cover copy and reviews of books don't really give a good picture of what the actual reading experience will be like. Which means, maybe, that I'd do just as well picking up books randomly from the bookstore shelves. I don't know; I'm much better at observing phenomena than I am at drawing conclusions. That's why I make art, not politics or anything practical.
Anyway, I wonder if I'm alone in this habit? Does anyone else sort of build a strong mental picture of what the book they're about to read is about, only to find that picture proved wrong by the actual book? Or do you pretty much know what you're getting into and I'm just babbling here?
So then I take my new book home and open it to the first page and read the first chapter or so and I realize that the book in my hand is not the book I was imagining in the shop. I'm reading a different book than the one I thought I was buying. For this reason, the first chapter or so of every book I read is a sort of negotiation between me and the author, a breaking-in period of sorts.
Sometimes the book I'm reading is amazing and so much better than whatever I'd imagined I'd be reading, and that's a cool experience. I love it when a writer's imagination outstrips my own. Sometimes the book I'm reading is nowhere as cool as the book I thought I'd purchased, and of course that sucks. Usually I'll finish reading those books anyway and grumble about them to Mighty Reader and anyone else who'll listen to me.
Possibly what I'm getting at is the idea that cover copy and reviews of books don't really give a good picture of what the actual reading experience will be like. Which means, maybe, that I'd do just as well picking up books randomly from the bookstore shelves. I don't know; I'm much better at observing phenomena than I am at drawing conclusions. That's why I make art, not politics or anything practical.
Anyway, I wonder if I'm alone in this habit? Does anyone else sort of build a strong mental picture of what the book they're about to read is about, only to find that picture proved wrong by the actual book? Or do you pretty much know what you're getting into and I'm just babbling here?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle
Happy Monday, everyone!
Today I get to talk about Michelle's novel, Monarch, which was officially available as of last week. But I won't be talking too much about the story. You can find brief synopses of that if you're interested. Instead, I want to talk about what I love about Michelle's writing in general and why I think she's definitely worth a read.
When I think about Michelle's writing, the first thing that always comes to mind is nature. Whether you read her first publication, Cinders, or Monarch or have had the chance to read drafts of some of her other stories, you'll notice that there are always a lot of references to nature: butterflies, the sea, the woods, the weather. What always strikes me about these references is how invested Michelle is in them. She doesn't use it as some sort of writerly crutch. I think any reader can really tell how much she loves nature herself, how much she is surrounded by it. When Michelle writes about nature, I fall in love with it again.
The second thing that comes to mind when I think about Michelle's writing is intelligence. Way back when, I remember encountering Michelle in the blog world. I think my first introduction to her was probably the first paragraph of Monarch, actually. But what got me truly intrigued by her was her intelligence, which came through in her blog posts, in our conversations, and definitely in her writing. When I read (and reread) Monarch, I love Michelle's ability to see and analyze the world intelligently and sympathetically.
And, thirdly, what I love about Michelle's writing is that she consistently makes her prose shine. I always feel like I can pick up one of Michelle's final drafts, open it anywhere, and read it when I want to see some smooth prose. Michelle is a perfectionist in the best sense of the word. She makes sure each paragraph flows well and is highly polished, and I feel secure in her ability when I go to read.
As for Monarch itself, this is a book I did really enjoy. There were characters I really liked, scenes that were beautifully written. And, really, if ever you wonder whether or not one book can be about so many different things (and fit into so many genre categories), check it out and see just how much Michelle managed to cram it all into one story.
I hope you'll give Monarch a chance if you haven't already! One commentor will WIN a free copy here!
Today I get to talk about Michelle's novel, Monarch, which was officially available as of last week. But I won't be talking too much about the story. You can find brief synopses of that if you're interested. Instead, I want to talk about what I love about Michelle's writing in general and why I think she's definitely worth a read.
When I think about Michelle's writing, the first thing that always comes to mind is nature. Whether you read her first publication, Cinders, or Monarch or have had the chance to read drafts of some of her other stories, you'll notice that there are always a lot of references to nature: butterflies, the sea, the woods, the weather. What always strikes me about these references is how invested Michelle is in them. She doesn't use it as some sort of writerly crutch. I think any reader can really tell how much she loves nature herself, how much she is surrounded by it. When Michelle writes about nature, I fall in love with it again.
The second thing that comes to mind when I think about Michelle's writing is intelligence. Way back when, I remember encountering Michelle in the blog world. I think my first introduction to her was probably the first paragraph of Monarch, actually. But what got me truly intrigued by her was her intelligence, which came through in her blog posts, in our conversations, and definitely in her writing. When I read (and reread) Monarch, I love Michelle's ability to see and analyze the world intelligently and sympathetically.
And, thirdly, what I love about Michelle's writing is that she consistently makes her prose shine. I always feel like I can pick up one of Michelle's final drafts, open it anywhere, and read it when I want to see some smooth prose. Michelle is a perfectionist in the best sense of the word. She makes sure each paragraph flows well and is highly polished, and I feel secure in her ability when I go to read.
As for Monarch itself, this is a book I did really enjoy. There were characters I really liked, scenes that were beautifully written. And, really, if ever you wonder whether or not one book can be about so many different things (and fit into so many genre categories), check it out and see just how much Michelle managed to cram it all into one story.
I hope you'll give Monarch a chance if you haven't already! One commentor will WIN a free copy here!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday Filler! Margaret Atwood and Endings!
This article by Margaret Atwood is amazing and useful and true. It makes me laugh because someone recently told me she objected to one of my books because the ending seemed tragic for its own sake. Discuss.
Also, yesterday Michelle's latest novel, MONARCH was finally officially published! Have you bought a copy yet? Why the hell not?
Also, yesterday Michelle's latest novel, MONARCH was finally officially published! Have you bought a copy yet? Why the hell not?
Thursday, September 15, 2011
My Honest Thoughts On How To Get Published - A Simple Post and a Celebration for My Novel, Monarch
Today as I celebrate the release of my first traditionally published novel, Monarch, I wonder if there's anything I can possibly say that will express my gratitude, excitement, fear, and hopes of finally reaching this point. In my career so far things have happened gradually. There has been no big bang, no rush to the top, nothing that has made me feel like anything earth-shattering has happened.
I get emails sometimes from authors asking how to get published. What's the best course? Is self-publishing the answer?
I want to say to them that there is no outside answer. In many ways it can be about who you know, some luck, a lot of hard work, but I've found for me it has been one thing over and over.
Patience.
As I was writing books a few years ago I honestly looked at my work and knew it wasn't ready. For five years after college I didn't write a word. When I started again I was in bad shape and I knew it. So I forced myself to be patient even though lots of friends around me were getting agents and publishing contracts. And trust me, I KNOW how hard that is to see when you aren't getting anywhere. But, I want to point out that things have progressed faster than I thought they would and that's the point I want to make today.
You never, ever know when things are going to pick up.
But they'll only pick up if you keep working hard.
For me? I'm very happy today. I feel validated and respected and all those wonderful things that come with publication, but at the same time I'm still just me and I still have huge goals and things I'm working toward. I still need a lot of patience and have a long way to go. I hope that never changes. So tell me, what's your best advice to those seeking their dreams?
I get emails sometimes from authors asking how to get published. What's the best course? Is self-publishing the answer?
I want to say to them that there is no outside answer. In many ways it can be about who you know, some luck, a lot of hard work, but I've found for me it has been one thing over and over.
Patience.
Patience with yourself. All that writing you've done. Do some more and have patience that you'll only get better with each word, page, book. Is it taking years? That's completely normal.
Patience with the industry. Traditional publishing is not broken. It may have kinks that need ironing out, but that will happen. Things change, but publishing will always be around in some form or another. Self-publishing is obviously an answer for some authors, and although I think it's a fabulous route to go, I honestly don't think it's for everyone.
Patience with others. Your beta readers when they take so long to read your book. Agents when they never get back to you. Family and friends when they don't understand what you're trying to do.
As I was writing books a few years ago I honestly looked at my work and knew it wasn't ready. For five years after college I didn't write a word. When I started again I was in bad shape and I knew it. So I forced myself to be patient even though lots of friends around me were getting agents and publishing contracts. And trust me, I KNOW how hard that is to see when you aren't getting anywhere. But, I want to point out that things have progressed faster than I thought they would and that's the point I want to make today.
You never, ever know when things are going to pick up.
But they'll only pick up if you keep working hard.
For me? I'm very happy today. I feel validated and respected and all those wonderful things that come with publication, but at the same time I'm still just me and I still have huge goals and things I'm working toward. I still need a lot of patience and have a long way to go. I hope that never changes. So tell me, what's your best advice to those seeking their dreams?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A Wounded Name by Judy Croome
I've talked here in the past about how much I love Japanese writers and British writers. I've always been interested by how place and culture affects what we write.
Well, when Judy Croome published her book Dancing in the Shadows of Love (and, really, it is an excellent book that I've bought four copies of already), we asked her if she would give us some information on the writing culture in South Africa. Below is her excellent guest post on the subject...and stick around to the end to win some free books.
Newspaper headlines blare MURDER CENTRAL! HIGHEST RAPES PER DAY! And don’t forget our recent history: APARTHEID!
This darkness is part of our past and our present, but what the scaremongers conveniently forget is that every country has its demons, just as every country has its moments of glory.
South Africa is not only a land of darkness; she is also a land of hope and glory and great natural beauty.
There is much to inspire us. The iconic Nelson Mandela heads the list, but we also have Oscar Pistorious, an amputee athlete known as the Blade Runner. Dr. Chris Barnard, who performed the world’s first-ever successful heart transplant was born in the Karoo and performed his world famous operations in Cape Town. And did you know that the great JR Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein?
The list of South Africa’s achievements goes on and on, and includes nine Nobel Laureates: three medical, four peace and two literature prize winners.
Two Nobel Literature prize winners? J M Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer have both won the Nobel Prize for Literature. And don’t forget J M Coetzee was the first author ever to win the coveted Man Booker Prize twice.
Eish!* South Africa’s current literary scene has a big history to live up to.
There was the short story writer Herman Charles Bosman, who is best known for the Oom Schalk Lourens series set in the Marico region and for his semi-autobiographical book, Cold Stone Jug, based on his experiences in prison, where he served a sentence for killing his step-brother. Between his Bohemian life-style and satirical sketches of rural Afrikaans life, Bosman also found the time to translate the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam into Afrikaans.
Olive Schreiner is best remembered today for her highly acclaimed novel The Story of an African Farm (1883.) For a Victorian woman, Schreiner was ground-breaking in her free-thinking views: the novel deals with some of the critical issues of the day, including agnosticism, career aspirations of women and an insightful portrayal of the elemental nature of life on the colonial frontier. But Schreiner was no radical, for her writings tend to hint at universal values such as moderation, peace and co-operation among people, rather than promoting socio-political causes, such as feminism or anti-racism.
During the apartheid era, many of the most influential anti-apartheid activists were local South African writers. There was JM Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer, who was a close friend of Nelson Mandela's defence attorneys during his 1962 trial. When Mandela was released from prison in 1990, Gordimer was one of the first people he wanted to see.
Alan Paton, Andre Brink and Breyten Breytenbach all wrote passionately against the apartheid regime: perhaps for personal reasons, but their voices were effective nonetheless. One wonders what was discussed at the Sunday lunch table in the prominent Afrikaans Breytenbach family, for Breyten Breytenbach’s brother was Colonel Jan Breytenbach, who formed the elite 32 Battalion - known as the Buffalo Battalion - of the South African Defence Force; in the brilliant movie “Blood Diamond,” Leonardo di Caprio’s tragic character, Danny Archer, had served in 32B.
Our literary history also includes some well-respected poets, such as Guy Butler and Roy Campbell. In his poetry, Butler strove for the synthesis of European and African elements into a single voice, while Campbell was considered by T. S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas to have been one of the best poets of the early 20th century.
In contemporary South Africa, we have a vibrant literary community. Writers such as Lauren Beukes (who won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award) and Sifiso Mzobe (whose debut novel Young Blood won both the Herman Charles Bosman Prize and the 2011 Sunday Times Literary Award for Fiction) carry the torch of South African literature high.
South African authors today reflect the literary voices of this wounded nation as she struggles to throw off the demons of her past and overcome the challenges of her present.
And it is their myriad voices that are helping to rebuild South Africa’s reputation: one that will match the warmth and hope of a country battered and scarred by dark memories, yet ever hopeful of a future glory.
###
*“Eish!” A catch-all South African exclamation that expresses anything from surprise to annoyance. Not allowed to appear in print without an exclamation mark.
###
Judy Croome lives and writes in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was recently shortlisted in the African Writing Flash Fiction 2011 competition, and other short stories and poems have appeared in Itch-e Magazine and Notes from Underground Anthology. Her independently published novel, Dancing in the Shadows of Love, is available from Amazon.com and other bookstores. Visit Judy on her blog www.judycroome.blogspot.com.
###
One lucky commentator will receive a free copy of The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner (cover may not match image) and a copy of Judy’s novel Dancing in the Shadows of Love.
###
Bibliography
The South African Fact Book by Hopkins, et al. (2009; Penguin, South Africa)
Only an Anguish to Live Here: Olive Schreiner and the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902 by Karel Schoeman (1992; Human & Rousseau, South Africa)
Nadine Gordimer and the South African Experience by Per Wästberg
Roy Campbell: Bombast and Fire by Joseph Pearce
Wikipedia, a Free Encyclopedia
Well, when Judy Croome published her book Dancing in the Shadows of Love (and, really, it is an excellent book that I've bought four copies of already), we asked her if she would give us some information on the writing culture in South Africa. Below is her excellent guest post on the subject...and stick around to the end to win some free books.
A Wounded Name
South Africa is a country with a bad-ass reputation.Newspaper headlines blare MURDER CENTRAL! HIGHEST RAPES PER DAY! And don’t forget our recent history: APARTHEID!
This darkness is part of our past and our present, but what the scaremongers conveniently forget is that every country has its demons, just as every country has its moments of glory.
South Africa is not only a land of darkness; she is also a land of hope and glory and great natural beauty.
There is much to inspire us. The iconic Nelson Mandela heads the list, but we also have Oscar Pistorious, an amputee athlete known as the Blade Runner. Dr. Chris Barnard, who performed the world’s first-ever successful heart transplant was born in the Karoo and performed his world famous operations in Cape Town. And did you know that the great JR Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein?
The list of South Africa’s achievements goes on and on, and includes nine Nobel Laureates: three medical, four peace and two literature prize winners.
Two Nobel Literature prize winners? J M Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer have both won the Nobel Prize for Literature. And don’t forget J M Coetzee was the first author ever to win the coveted Man Booker Prize twice.
Eish!* South Africa’s current literary scene has a big history to live up to.
There was the short story writer Herman Charles Bosman, who is best known for the Oom Schalk Lourens series set in the Marico region and for his semi-autobiographical book, Cold Stone Jug, based on his experiences in prison, where he served a sentence for killing his step-brother. Between his Bohemian life-style and satirical sketches of rural Afrikaans life, Bosman also found the time to translate the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam into Afrikaans.
Olive Schreiner is best remembered today for her highly acclaimed novel The Story of an African Farm (1883.) For a Victorian woman, Schreiner was ground-breaking in her free-thinking views: the novel deals with some of the critical issues of the day, including agnosticism, career aspirations of women and an insightful portrayal of the elemental nature of life on the colonial frontier. But Schreiner was no radical, for her writings tend to hint at universal values such as moderation, peace and co-operation among people, rather than promoting socio-political causes, such as feminism or anti-racism.
During the apartheid era, many of the most influential anti-apartheid activists were local South African writers. There was JM Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer, who was a close friend of Nelson Mandela's defence attorneys during his 1962 trial. When Mandela was released from prison in 1990, Gordimer was one of the first people he wanted to see.
Alan Paton, Andre Brink and Breyten Breytenbach all wrote passionately against the apartheid regime: perhaps for personal reasons, but their voices were effective nonetheless. One wonders what was discussed at the Sunday lunch table in the prominent Afrikaans Breytenbach family, for Breyten Breytenbach’s brother was Colonel Jan Breytenbach, who formed the elite 32 Battalion - known as the Buffalo Battalion - of the South African Defence Force; in the brilliant movie “Blood Diamond,” Leonardo di Caprio’s tragic character, Danny Archer, had served in 32B.
Our literary history also includes some well-respected poets, such as Guy Butler and Roy Campbell. In his poetry, Butler strove for the synthesis of European and African elements into a single voice, while Campbell was considered by T. S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas to have been one of the best poets of the early 20th century.
In contemporary South Africa, we have a vibrant literary community. Writers such as Lauren Beukes (who won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award) and Sifiso Mzobe (whose debut novel Young Blood won both the Herman Charles Bosman Prize and the 2011 Sunday Times Literary Award for Fiction) carry the torch of South African literature high.
South African authors today reflect the literary voices of this wounded nation as she struggles to throw off the demons of her past and overcome the challenges of her present.
And it is their myriad voices that are helping to rebuild South Africa’s reputation: one that will match the warmth and hope of a country battered and scarred by dark memories, yet ever hopeful of a future glory.
###
*“Eish!” A catch-all South African exclamation that expresses anything from surprise to annoyance. Not allowed to appear in print without an exclamation mark.
###
Judy Croome lives and writes in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was recently shortlisted in the African Writing Flash Fiction 2011 competition, and other short stories and poems have appeared in Itch-e Magazine and Notes from Underground Anthology. Her independently published novel, Dancing in the Shadows of Love, is available from Amazon.com and other bookstores. Visit Judy on her blog www.judycroome.blogspot.com.
###
One lucky commentator will receive a free copy of The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner (cover may not match image) and a copy of Judy’s novel Dancing in the Shadows of Love.
###
Bibliography
The South African Fact Book by Hopkins, et al. (2009; Penguin, South Africa)
Only an Anguish to Live Here: Olive Schreiner and the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902 by Karel Schoeman (1992; Human & Rousseau, South Africa)
Nadine Gordimer and the South African Experience by Per Wästberg
Roy Campbell: Bombast and Fire by Joseph Pearce
Wikipedia, a Free Encyclopedia
You Want Me to What? Some Clarification...
Yesterday I was speaking with a friend about our new anthology coming out next year. You know, the anthology in which you, our readers, will contribute. She shocked me when she said she didn't have an interest in submitting something to the contest because why would she want to rewrite a fantasy story?
A rewrite? Fantasy?
I quickly made it clear that our contest does not ask you to rewrite a story. The concept is simple. You read one or both of these two short stories...
or
...and then write your own story (no more than 3,000 words) inspired by one or both of these two stories.
Simple as that!
Oh, and even better. You pretty much have free reign here. You can write in any genre you like, although we do prefer short prose stories as opposed to poems or visual artwork.
So what are we going after here? We'd like to see an anthology filled with brilliantly creative stories loosely tied together by similar themes. Those themes will come from the stories which inspired your creativity. Earlier this year we released our 2010 anthology, Notes from Underground. One of our readers described it as a junk drawer of goodies or something like that. I love that description because it truly is a mishmash collection of writing with no unifying theme or idea other than the writers could fill up ten of their own pages with whatever they wanted. It turned out beautifully and what a collection!
We're just as excited about this next collection, Variations on a Theme. Our goal with these anthologies is to create something new and exciting each time and we adore being able to showcase your work. We're also excited to hand out cash prizes for this anthology. We hope you'll join us this time around! If you've submitted in the past and not been selected, try again. The true mark of a great writer is one with great patience and persistence.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE
A rewrite? Fantasy?
I quickly made it clear that our contest does not ask you to rewrite a story. The concept is simple. You read one or both of these two short stories...
or
...and then write your own story (no more than 3,000 words) inspired by one or both of these two stories.
Simple as that!
So what are we going after here? We'd like to see an anthology filled with brilliantly creative stories loosely tied together by similar themes. Those themes will come from the stories which inspired your creativity. Earlier this year we released our 2010 anthology, Notes from Underground. One of our readers described it as a junk drawer of goodies or something like that. I love that description because it truly is a mishmash collection of writing with no unifying theme or idea other than the writers could fill up ten of their own pages with whatever they wanted. It turned out beautifully and what a collection!
We're just as excited about this next collection, Variations on a Theme. Our goal with these anthologies is to create something new and exciting each time and we adore being able to showcase your work. We're also excited to hand out cash prizes for this anthology. We hope you'll join us this time around! If you've submitted in the past and not been selected, try again. The true mark of a great writer is one with great patience and persistence.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE
Monday, September 12, 2011
Dated Writing?
Happy Monday, everyone!
Over the weekend I was reviewing some work that felt dated to me. It was a chapter from a travel memoir about a couple of women traveling through Italy during the 60s. The writing was beautiful. The language was tight. It was funny. And I learned something about Italian culture that I didn't already know. Yet I couldn't shake this feeling that the writing felt "old."
Often when people talk about books they love, old or new, they talk about the work being timeless. I've felt it myself, and the timelessness seems to be independent of subject matter or the date when the story itself takes place.
If it's not either of those things, then what is it? What makes something feel dated as opposed to being timeless?
As I reflect on it a bit, I wonder if a story starts to feel dated when the emotional backbone of the piece relies on something current, say a story about how important cell phones are. The story can maybe become timeless when the elements can be extracted to something more universal. A story about a cell phone might become timeless when it can be thought of as a story that is about communication in general. In one sense, my current WIP, Cyberlama is about scientists working to allow some people to live a lot longer. If I keep it at that level, the story will quickly become dated. But as I'm working on it and reflecting on it, I realize that the themes of the story can extend beyond modern science to ideas about aging in general. Maybe that is the thing that will make my story feel more worthwhile to the reader. I'm not sure.
What do you think? Are some works more dated than others? Do you think our attempts to identify what is dated versus what is timeless is arbitrary? How do you make sure your own works will endure?
Over the weekend I was reviewing some work that felt dated to me. It was a chapter from a travel memoir about a couple of women traveling through Italy during the 60s. The writing was beautiful. The language was tight. It was funny. And I learned something about Italian culture that I didn't already know. Yet I couldn't shake this feeling that the writing felt "old."
Often when people talk about books they love, old or new, they talk about the work being timeless. I've felt it myself, and the timelessness seems to be independent of subject matter or the date when the story itself takes place.
If it's not either of those things, then what is it? What makes something feel dated as opposed to being timeless?
As I reflect on it a bit, I wonder if a story starts to feel dated when the emotional backbone of the piece relies on something current, say a story about how important cell phones are. The story can maybe become timeless when the elements can be extracted to something more universal. A story about a cell phone might become timeless when it can be thought of as a story that is about communication in general. In one sense, my current WIP, Cyberlama is about scientists working to allow some people to live a lot longer. If I keep it at that level, the story will quickly become dated. But as I'm working on it and reflecting on it, I realize that the themes of the story can extend beyond modern science to ideas about aging in general. Maybe that is the thing that will make my story feel more worthwhile to the reader. I'm not sure.
What do you think? Are some works more dated than others? Do you think our attempts to identify what is dated versus what is timeless is arbitrary? How do you make sure your own works will endure?
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Anton Chekhov's "The Duel"
If someone was just starting out as a writer and was looking for an example of a well-structured and clearly-formed novel, one that was easily analyzed and short enough to remember all of the important elements at once, I would recommend Anton Chekhov's "The Duel." It's actually a novella instead of a novel, but it's got all the pieces of long-form fiction you need to see as a beginning writer:
There is a complete story arc with rising action, surprising complications and a surprising resolution.
There is a large cast of characters, most of whom add contrast and have some kind of emotional stake in the primary conflict.
There is a clear three-act structure, if you're into that sort of thing. The story falls naturally into beginning/middle/end segments.
There are a variety of points of view.
There is dramatic action, emotional revelation, comedy and beautiful language.
I don't think that reading/writing short stories is a very good way to prepare a writer for the task of the novel, though most of us begin by trying to write short stories. So I've been keeping an eye open for short novels that would be good, clear examples of structure and craft. The problem is that most novels are too large and complex to be really easily understood at the level of mechanics and craft to be useful as a learning aid to beginners. "The Duel" is short enough to read in one day but long enough that the author had to do real work to sustain the reader's interest, to create enough complexity within the story to justify the length. All of the basic elements one could want in long-form fiction using a traditional structure are on view in Chekhov's novella.*
Possibly, when I was writing my first novel long ago, reading "The Duel" wouldn't have enlightened me about how a book is written because maybe without the experience of having struggled against a novel, one can't actually recognize the constituent parts of one. I don't know. But if I were going to teach an introductory course on writing a novel, "The Duel" would be the first required reading I'd give to the class.
I briefly considered Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea to be a useful sort of "beginner's novel" in terms of structure and evident craft, but that novella has essentially just one character so it might be a bit too simple-minded an exemplar. Though the three-act structure is really obvious in it.
*This is not to say that "The Duel" is a 'simple' or 'basic' story. But the structure is simple enough to grasp, and open enough to adapt to other works. Which is the whole point of using examples, right?
There is a complete story arc with rising action, surprising complications and a surprising resolution.
There is a large cast of characters, most of whom add contrast and have some kind of emotional stake in the primary conflict.
There is a clear three-act structure, if you're into that sort of thing. The story falls naturally into beginning/middle/end segments.
There are a variety of points of view.
There is dramatic action, emotional revelation, comedy and beautiful language.
I don't think that reading/writing short stories is a very good way to prepare a writer for the task of the novel, though most of us begin by trying to write short stories. So I've been keeping an eye open for short novels that would be good, clear examples of structure and craft. The problem is that most novels are too large and complex to be really easily understood at the level of mechanics and craft to be useful as a learning aid to beginners. "The Duel" is short enough to read in one day but long enough that the author had to do real work to sustain the reader's interest, to create enough complexity within the story to justify the length. All of the basic elements one could want in long-form fiction using a traditional structure are on view in Chekhov's novella.*
Possibly, when I was writing my first novel long ago, reading "The Duel" wouldn't have enlightened me about how a book is written because maybe without the experience of having struggled against a novel, one can't actually recognize the constituent parts of one. I don't know. But if I were going to teach an introductory course on writing a novel, "The Duel" would be the first required reading I'd give to the class.
I briefly considered Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea to be a useful sort of "beginner's novel" in terms of structure and evident craft, but that novella has essentially just one character so it might be a bit too simple-minded an exemplar. Though the three-act structure is really obvious in it.
*This is not to say that "The Duel" is a 'simple' or 'basic' story. But the structure is simple enough to grasp, and open enough to adapt to other works. Which is the whole point of using examples, right?
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
So Where the Heck Are We?
To tell you the truth, we're not sure! Davin has been adjusting to a brand new job, I've been dealing with the release of Monarch, and I think Scott is in the busy busy busy time at work and he's also digging away at his detective novel revisions. I think. I could totally be wrong. Amazingly enough, the three of us will be trying to meet sometime soon to try and talk on Skype about some Big Literary Lab Things That Need Discussing. Have I perked your interest?
Anyway, I just wanted all of you to know we haven't left you completely. Here, have some Virginia Woolf. This is a passage From a Room of One's Own and like all of Woolf, it's brilliant and layered and means more than you first think.
What does this mean to you? One of the things I love about Woolf is that there is always this overtone of natural inevitability, but later she comes back to shove it out of the way with her precise characters. Sometimes I feel life is like that, too. We are carried away by the current of events swirling around us until we stop and realize we can tell that cab driver to stop and we can get out. Or we can keep riding.
Anyway, I just wanted all of you to know we haven't left you completely. Here, have some Virginia Woolf. This is a passage From a Room of One's Own and like all of Woolf, it's brilliant and layered and means more than you first think.
At this moment, as so often happens in London, there was a complete lull and suspension of traffic. Nothing came down the street; nobody passed. A single leaf detached itself from the plane tree at the end of the street, and in that pause and suspension fell. Somehow it was like a signal falling, a signal pointing to a force in things which one had overlooked. It seemed to point to a river, which flowed past, invisibly, round the corner, down the street, and took people and eddied them along, as the stream at Oxbridge had taken the undergraduate in his boat and the dead leaves. Now it was bringing from one side of the street to the other diagonally, a girl in patent leather boots, and then a young man in a maroon overcoat; it was also bringing a taxi-cab. And it brought all three together at a point directly beneath my window; where the taxi stopped; and the girl and the young man stopped; and they go into the taxi; and then the cab glided off as if it were swept on by the current elsewhere.
What does this mean to you? One of the things I love about Woolf is that there is always this overtone of natural inevitability, but later she comes back to shove it out of the way with her precise characters. Sometimes I feel life is like that, too. We are carried away by the current of events swirling around us until we stop and realize we can tell that cab driver to stop and we can get out. Or we can keep riding.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Friday Filler: Do you ask for what you're worth?
This last week I have been busily working on a document I have to produce for work. The deadline was yesterday, and I made it, but that's not really the point.
Along the way, my boss and I set up a breakfast meeting to talk to a graphic designer who would produce a schematic for the document. I got to the meeting early and had a chance to chat with her before we officially started. She works freelance, and she was telling me that she had a bad habit of working cheap because the non-profits she likes to help rarely have enough money. I got this just a few days after I was at a pool party and a friend told me she's great at helping other people negotiate, but she isn't so good at negotiating for herself.
I thought about how this might apply to our writing. After all, eventually, money does exchange hands eventually. I'd gotten paid (not much) for a few of my short stories. I've won some prize money. I've also had to put a price on my self-published collection, and that price has fluctuated a lot. I started it with the print version at $7.99 and the e-book at $4.99. Currently, the prices are $5.99 and $0.99. The changes haven't had so much to do with marketing as they do with my own self-esteem and sense of charity. For some of you, you may also face advances and the negotiations that deal with that.
So, I'm curious, how do you value your work? If you were to self-publish your last completed story, how much would you price it for? If you were to be offered an advance, is there any number you'd turn down?
Okay, I know money isn't everything. But it's something. And it's Friday! (So feel free to talk about upcoming meals and dreams and children's birthday parties and the such.)
Along the way, my boss and I set up a breakfast meeting to talk to a graphic designer who would produce a schematic for the document. I got to the meeting early and had a chance to chat with her before we officially started. She works freelance, and she was telling me that she had a bad habit of working cheap because the non-profits she likes to help rarely have enough money. I got this just a few days after I was at a pool party and a friend told me she's great at helping other people negotiate, but she isn't so good at negotiating for herself.
I thought about how this might apply to our writing. After all, eventually, money does exchange hands eventually. I'd gotten paid (not much) for a few of my short stories. I've won some prize money. I've also had to put a price on my self-published collection, and that price has fluctuated a lot. I started it with the print version at $7.99 and the e-book at $4.99. Currently, the prices are $5.99 and $0.99. The changes haven't had so much to do with marketing as they do with my own self-esteem and sense of charity. For some of you, you may also face advances and the negotiations that deal with that.
So, I'm curious, how do you value your work? If you were to self-publish your last completed story, how much would you price it for? If you were to be offered an advance, is there any number you'd turn down?
Okay, I know money isn't everything. But it's something. And it's Friday! (So feel free to talk about upcoming meals and dreams and children's birthday parties and the such.)
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