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By: Heather Smith,
on 10/11/2016
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On Sixty Minutes, when filmmaker Nate Parker was asked if Birth of a Nation was historically accurate, he noted, “There’s never been a film that was 100 percent historically accurate. That’s why they say based on a true story and doesn’t say, ‘A true story.’” Hollywood may not be the best place to learn one’s history, but here are ten things that the new movie Birth of a Nation got right about Nat Turner’s revolt:
The post 10 things Birth of a Nation got right about Nat Turner appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Candy Gourlay,
on 4/24/2016
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I typically open any given manuscript I’m working on knowing one thing: I haven’t got much time to work on it.
Writing exists around that other time-consuming thing in my life: a full time job. And I love my job, so that’s OK by me.
But is does mean that when I come to work on a manuscript, I feel under pressure to do something Great with it.
I jump right in. Maybe I re-read the last few paragraphs I wrote, maybe I just get on with it. Maybe I pick up an existing scene, maybe I write a new one. Maybe it’s planned, maybe it’s not.
Whilst I have usually planned the plot out, I have always been someone more comfortable with winging it than properly planning it.
And that’s fine, except that I was reading
Candy Gourlay’s post from a few weeks ago and felt the need to try to do things a little differently.
Why don’t I plan more? Is it because it doesn’t work for me, or because in the limited time I have I prioritise the writing itself? Or is it – gulp – because I’ve never taken the time to learn how?
In an odd turn of events, I currently have the time, and it’s coincided wonderfully with having the inclination. Sitting next to me on my desk: Story by Robert McKee,
Writing Children’s Fiction by Yvonne Coppard and Linda Newbery (from whom I have already been lucky enough to glean pearls of wisdom and kindness generously gifted on an Arvon course), On Writing by Stephen King and Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose.
Just as importantly I have surrounded myself by my favourite books, and have gone through each wondering for the first time why exactly they stick in my mind as favourites. Michelle Magorian's Goodnight Mister Tom and Elizabeth Wein's
Code Name Verity for the depth of friendship invoked, Margo Lanagan's
Tender Morsels and Bernard Beckett's
August for their wondrous use of language, Amy Butler Greenfield's
Chantress for its use of setting to reflect the characters perfectly – the list goes on.
Reading these books again and trying to break them down goes against instinct, but as Sarah Waters wrote in a 2010 Guardian article, “Read like mad. But try to do it analytically – which can be hard, because the better and more compelling a novel is, the less conscious you will be of its devices. It’s worth trying to figure those devices out, however: they might come in useful in your own work.”
Diving head-first into learning how to write better, rather than spending the time writing the manuscript itself, feels somewhat intimidating, but cometh the time, cometh the writer. Probably.
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Tonia Allen Gould,
on 10/3/2013
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This is a sponsored post by Grammarly. I use Grammarly for proofreading because some cool guy named, Nikolas Baron from Grammarly’s Online Partnerships Team invited me to coffee. I drink coffee. He wrote, “If you ever find yourself in foggy San Francisco; I’d love to grab some coffee .” Nick had me at coffee.
If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, then you’d know that I live my life fairly openly and somewhat transparently. I’m the first to laugh and poke fun at myself when something humorous has happened to me by attempting to be witty on my wall. I revel in it when I make you laugh because I like to be funny. When you laugh at something I’ve done or said; you have paid me the biggest compliment of all. By the same token, I have no problem posting some ridiculously stupid thing I did, (like the time I pumped unleaded fuel into my Diesel tank), and have no qualms plastering that on my wall where it might seep permanently into the bowels of the internet, perhaps into perpetuity, and for the world to see. I’m okay with that because I want you to know who I really am, not some person I want the world to see.
When I’ve had a bad day, I try to seek resolve and clarity in what happened and hopefully teach myself or others a thing or two so that maybe, together, we can even learn from my mistakes. Know that I am learning from yours. If you really understand who I am as a person, then you’ll distinguish that I always try to keep things as positive as possible because I never want my problems to become yours, but if I’m going through an especially tough time, you can count on the fact that I’m going to share it. Friends are healing and words are powerful. Equally, I hope I can be there to ease your pain in your time of need. The weight of the world is too big to carry it alone.
Know that I’m visiting your wall as often as I can, or I’m picking up stories from the newsfeed and working hard to discover who you really are, too because I want to hear about your life, and read about your achievements. I’m going to miss some big things in your life because I wasn’t ON when you mentioned them. If it’s something you really want me to know about, and I haven’t commented, please pick-up the phone and call me. Sadly, because of where you live, I may have to admire you from afar, and the phone or Facebook is our only real means of communication. If you’re in San Francisco when I meet with Nick from Grammarly, please join us for coffee. That’s how you build your network, and I also don’t know if he’s an axe murderer or not, so you’d be helping me out. Protection in numbers, I always say.
Facebook is a journal. When you make a post, you are chronicling your life in some way, and chances are if we are “friends,” I respect or admire you. By living your life well, or at least as best you can, you can count on me to appreciate and never judge the things you have to say. I hope you respect and admire the life I lead as well, but be sure that I know that I can’t please everyone, nor will everyone “like” me or what I have to say, and that’s okay. Kindly also note that, although few and far between, some of you may have turned me off by posting negative comments about the people in your life who came into yours with some degree of baggage. I can’t help worry that if you discard some fallible, vulnerable human for being fallible and vulnerable, and you did this publicly, you might discard me just as carelessly too. I’m not too keen on public embarrassment, and the good Lord knows, I’m fallible and vulnerable, too. All humans are. If you are one of these people who like to air your dirty laundry on Facebook, please stop it. Smack your face until it turns blue the next time you contemplate doing it again. Facebook is not a platform for this, the Jerry Springer Show is. Public humiliation is a low blow, and I could harp on this all day. At least be kind enough to judge or admonish others quietly, and to yourself, or more politely by considering doing it directly to their faces. I can admire someone who stands up face-to-face to others for being personally wronged.
I’m a boastful mother, and I know this. I brag about my children when they’ve reached a milestone or accomplished something in their lives. They are a cornerstone in mine and frankly, I am smitten and consumed by them. It’s true; I’m proud of myself for raising them well , and for—I’m going to say it, and I knock on wood, for getting them through life so far, pretty much unscathed. Truth be told, from where I sit, if they fart, they might as well be sprouting cute, furry bunnies from their adorable, round little rumpuses. They are perfect in my eyes. I made them, and I am proud of Hubs and me for that. Again, I can’t help being boastful. Please do me a favor and brag about your kids more often, so that I can feel better about myself.
I celebrate big, too. I work hard, and I love to talk about the milestones or accomplishments I’ve made in my life because since an early age, I had to advocate and pat myself on the back. I grew up knowing that I have to love myself first, so I can learn to love others more. Here again, when you pat me on the back and say, “Good job,” that’s one of the highest compliments you can pay me. If you knew my background, as some of you do, you would know that I’ve had to overcome much to be where I am today, and well, darn it, I’m proud of whom I have become. Perhaps I do push myself too hard, too often. But, if you are “friends” of mine on Facebook, please believe me when I say that I love to hear all about your accomplishments, where you’ve been, where you’re going, and what you’re doing—as much as I like to talk about my own. I see it every day on Facebook, there are people reaching out and looking for words of encouragement. I’m blessed. I have lots of great friends who support and encourage me often. Every now and then give someone with fewer “friends” that all important nudge of encouragement. Consider your life to be enriched when someone shares their blessings with you.
I believe that Facebook, at least for me, has become my conduit for self-expression. So, I just really try and be myself. As a public speaker who sometimes talks about advocating Social Media, I have heard all sorts of philosophies on what works and what doesn’t. I understand the “Do’s and Don’ts” and all about meeting expectations on how to express oneself correctly when using social platforms. But, what I’ve really learned is this: There is no perfect, in a nutshell, way to lead your live socially. Not to sound cliché, but I encourage you to just stay true to yourself without bashing other people. (I told you, I could go on and on about this.)
Below are my personal, albeit essential, Social Media Strategies on How I Like to Conduct Myself on Six Social Media Platforms:
LinkedIn: Be Professional, Build Your Network and Explore. The days of the job hunt and cold call are over if you use the network wisely.
Facebook: Be Discriminate about Whom You Let into Your Network, So You Can Be Personal. I posted about errant panties ending up the laundry tonight. It’s a funny story.
Twitter: Be Personal and Professional. Be Professional Most of the Time. Post frequent and meaningful content that appeals to a wide audience. Follow people smarter than you.
Pinterest: Pinning is loads of fun. I advocate having loads of fun.
Instagram: Have Fun. Show the World Your Inner-Photographer and Videographer. Note: I’m personally bored with cat posts.
WordPress: Life’s a Crazy Journey, So Write about It. Start a Blog.
by Teri Terry
The very lovely Dr Elisabeth Carter
Dr Elisabeth Carter has a BA in psycholinguistics, a Masters in criminology, and a PhD in sociology. WOW. Her recent book Analysing Police Interviews: Laughter, Confession and the Tape won the British Society of Criminology's Criminology book prize 2012.
Last Thursday I went to a Chiltern Writers talk by Elisabeth Carter which was touted as
Can I be honest here? Sometimes, I get....down. And being me, I sometimes wallow in my down-ness. Sniff, sniffle.... So this weekend I was down-ish and I didn't want to "do anything". My Hub was tolerant - at best - but I knew I'd get no pity from him. He has lived with me too long.
So I have decided on a new tact when this down-ness hits. It is the advice my mother, - long may she reign! - gave me when I was an eleven year old. Do Something!
Here's the thing. Once I start Doing Something, I suddenly find so many things to do, I no longer have time to feel down! Amazing! Like weeding! and a weeded bed looks so nice, who can stay down? Or FINALLY turning that old towel into reusable mopping cloths as per Michele over on
Michele Made Me. (Hers look nicer but mine work just fine.)
What about replacing the foam cushions in our old sofa with foam from the cushions in the attic? Or writing up directions on how to make Bead Bugs, or sending cards to my friends, or shortening the curtains, or working on that song I wrote or practicing the piano or the accordion or the guitar.... Oh no! Now I feel down because I have TOO MUCH TO DO. Just kidding.
 |
| Or I could work on the Craft Fair, October 13th, 2012! Here is Genevieve at last year's Fair. |
So I will make a list of Things to Do When Feeling Down to keep with me at All Times.
I am not feeling down today but here are some things I hope to do:
Go to Quaker Meeting - It is First Day after all.
Practice the accordion!! Yay!
Make a bath puppet from another old towel. Because puppets are so much fun and easy to do and I don't really need a pattern.
Write - a poem, a story, directions for a craft, a letter.
Send e-cards to my sister and brother who share a birthday - eight years apart.
Maybe even straighten up a room or two.
Thanks for reading!
So... I don't know if you guys know this, but... a couple of weeks ago, THIS happened:
GIANT TOWERS of KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES ARCs were given away at BEA--along with a small batch of LET THE SKY FALL ARCs. And even more KEEPER ARCs will go out this weekend at ALA. And then the special mailings will begin...
All of which is SUPER exciting.
But it's also... awkward. Really awkward. Because all those books are Advance READER/REVIEWER Copies. And reviews put me in a rather sticky situation.
See ... here's the thing:
I DON'T expect everyone to love my books the way I do. I get it that some people won't like them--or that some will think they're good-not-great and give them mid-level rankings--or that even in a favorable review they might point out small quibbles with things in the interests of being fair. It's the nature of this business and I totally, totally get it.
HOWEVER ...
I'm not sure I want to SEE the negative reviews.
Especially since I kinda sorta *know* some of you--and while I would NEVER (seriously, NEVER) expect all of you to 5-Star my books if that's not genuinely how you feel about them, it might be a *little* awkward knowing what you really think. Seems like ignorance might be bliss in that area, yanno?
39 Comments on So... this is awkward..., last added: 6/22/2012
As you *probably* know by now--thanks to the absurd amount of whining I've been doing--KEEPER book 2 is currently kicking my butt. Don't worry--I am managing to fight back, but it's pretty much taking ALL of my energy. I'm only getting only a couple hours of restless sleep and working allllllllllllllll day (okay, fine, minus a couple of Twitter breaks--but that's to keep a *little* bit of sanity) and still not producing as many words each day as I need to be because I spend so dang much time staring at the screen thinking arrrrrrrrrgh, this is HAAARRRD! (also tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired)
Someday, when my brain is working again, I will add my own thoughts to the never-ending discussion on why writing book 2 is such a mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting experience for a new author. But for today I'm just going to share something an awesome friend shared with me to keep me going through the next few hellish weeks I have ahead of me. THIS is why writers write.
I also found this, when I was searching through images (for research--I assure you) which is something I firmly believe in:
I can tell you this--Book 2 is scaring the crap out of me right now. But I have to believe that's a good sign. After all, if it were easy to make someone lose themselves so deeply in your story that they forget the world around them, then everyone would do it.
But they don't. WE do. WE write. Partially because we're all a little bit crazy (come on, it takes a *tiny* bit of crazy to do this). But mostly because we love it. Even during the hard times, there is nothing better than losing yourself in a story. YOUR story.
So if you need me, I'll be in Sophie's world, clinging to the dream that if I just keep going, I will find my way back out. I think I can I think I can I think I can I think I can...
1. I intended to get back to my good blogging habits today--really I did.
2. But the jet lag--it's BAD.
3. So bad, I'm too tired to even search for a jet lag themed lolcat to include with this pitiful post.
4. And don't even get me started on the MOUNTAIN of laundry waiting for me downstairs.
5. (I may or may not be hiding in my bedroom so I can pretend it doesn't exist)
6. All of which means yeah, this lame list is the best I have to offer you today.
7. I'm soooooooo sorry.
8. But I do have something AWESOME for you guys tomorrow.
9. An interview AND one of the best contests I've hosted. So hopefully that'll make up for today's lameness.
10. And... that's all for today. See you guys tomorrow! If you need me I'll be ignoring household chores.
ZzZzZzZzZzZzZz.....
1. I'd planned to have a meaningful, inspiring post for you guys today. I'd even started one--it's saved in my drafts folder.
2. BUT... yesterday was a crazy awesome day, filled with crazy awesome things, that made my brain all crazy and awesome and incapable of doing anything except spewing out terrible sentences like this one.
3. Which meant the idea of writing a relatively coherent blog post went out the window.
4. As you can probably tell, by the lameness of this post. (I'm not even sure if this statement qualifies as a new confession--but I'm counting it anyway.)
5. At this point you're probably wondering WHAT could possibly have me so flummoxed. And really, there were MANY things.
6. Most of which would require FAR too much explanation for my current incoherent state.
7. But there was also THIS.
8. It's not every day a good friend of mine reveals her book cover--especially a supremely awesome one.
9. (Um... and her post may or may not be live. I forgot what time she told me she was scheduling it for)
10. But never fear--because her cover is also up on Goodreads, where you would be crazy to not go mark it "to read." And it's also up on Amazon, where you should seriously SERIOUSLY consider pre-ordering. So feel free to go take care of those things and then hop back over to her blog. By then I'm sure the post will be live and you can tell her how crazy awesome her cover is. Because it is CRAZY AWESOME.
Huge hugs and congrats Sarah. It could NOT happen to a sweeter, more talented writer!!!!!!
And... that is pretty much all I'm capable of (besides a whole lot of staring at the lovely lovely cover and then staring some more.) So I'm going to wrap this pitiful post up with a promise of better things to come tomorrow.
In the meantime, what about you guys? Anything you want to unload? Feel free to do so in the comments!
I remember when I started this blog and it only had eight followers--all of which were family members I'd guilted into clicking the "follow" button.
I remember how it stayed that way for MONTHS.
I remember how it felt when my first non-family follower appeared. And then another. And another.
I remember how often I'd check back, worrying the followers might have disappeared.
I remember how lonely it was before I made other writer friends. How hard it was to stay motivated. How much I wondered if I was fooling myself, chasing an impossible dream.
I remember squealing the first time an author @replied to me on Twitter. Squealing even louder when the first author "followed" me. And literally jumping up and down the first time an author responded to one of my emails.
I remember the first time someone who wasn't a friend or family member read some of my pages and told me I was "the real deal." How much those words meant to me. How much I'd needed to hear them.
I remember how hard it was to find Critique Partners. How scary it was to suggest swapping pages with someone. How long it took me to work up the courage to open their notes. How hard it was to let their constructive criticism make me a better writer. How devastating and discouraging it was, the few times the CP attempt just didn't quite *work out*
I remember how many drafts I threw away before I finally figured out the plot and typed, "the end." And how typing those words was just the beginning of the work.
I remember the way my legs shook as I walked into my first writer's conference all alone and picked up my badge. How I couldn't find anyone to sit with at the mixer, and called my husband near tears, wondering if I should go home early.
I remember how sick I felt when I got the list of agents I'd be pitching to. How I texted/dm-ed my friends in a panic, wondering if I'd be able to do it. How I couldn't eat for the entire conference because of the nerves.
I remember how shocked and overwhelmed I was when the agents requested pages. How I worried I'd misunderstood them. How scared I was to let myself hope it was a good sign.
I remember being so afraid to query that my friends had to bully me on Twitter to #hitsend.
I remember crying myself to sleep a few hours later, after getting my first rejection. Then crying again 2 weeks later, when Laura offered to represent me. Happy tears that time, though. :)
I remember the punched in the gut feeling of reading my first Laura-Revision-Letter. Worrying I wouldn't be good enough to pull it off. Having to force myself to dive in and get started. Having to tear my draft apart in order to make it better. And then having to tear it apart again.
I remember getting an email from a friend asking me if I wanted to try organizing a free online writer's conference, and wondering how the heck something like that would be possible. How I decided to give it a try anyway. How I worried the whole thing would be an epic failure.
I remember dancing around my house the first time an author sent me their ARC. How I obsessed over every word of that review, wanting to do the book justice. How that ARC still has a special spot on my bookshelf. Next to the signed copy I bought for myself.
I remember the first time someone recognized me from my blog at a book event. How strange it felt to have someone know who I was--and to care enough to come over and say hi. How I struggled to find something to say.
I remember all of these things--and so many more--in vivid, precise detail. Every step of my journey. Every high. Every low. Every unexpected curve. All the joy, heartache, and fear that went along with it.
And I'm telling you all of this because sometimes I feel like people see where I'm at now, and don't realize all the scary, stressful, sometimes painful steps I took to reach this point. Or worse, they think I've forgotten.
I haven
I know it's supposed to be MMGM--and I feel SO terrible for missing another week (especially since I have a REALLY awesome book to feature). But I just spent 4 days at Comic Con.
FOUR DAYS
!!!!!!
Don't get me wrong--I had a blast!!!! (and I promise a full report tomorrow!)
But I also did a LOT of waking up at the crack of dawn and standing in endlessly long lines and walking all day and fighting through crowds of 120,000 crazies and posing for pictures and wearing uncomfortable costumes and not having time to eat until dinner and then being so tired I practically fell asleep in my room service cheeseburger and then waking up the next day to do it all over again. For FOUR days.
So after I drove home and unpacked and showered off the Comic Con grime and ate dinner and sat down to try and write a post that didn't involve exclamation mark abuse or really really really long run-on sentences or lolcats, I realized: I just didn't have it in me. So... SORRY!
I promise things will be back to normal tomorrow. I just need ONE night of actual sleep to recover. Then tomorrow I will have PICTURES!
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Sorry again for the Shannonfail!
Whew--it has been a CRAZY summer (and it's only July--eep!). Thanks to deadlines and travel and WriteOnCon planning and other general chaos, I feel like I've written more posts about how I WON'T be blogging than actual, useful posts (which is delightfully ironic, if you think about it). So I promised myself that this week I would get back on track and write five real, legitimate posts. Which brings me to my truths:
1. I ... don't really know what to blog about.
2. I have like, dozens of partial post ideas, but my brain is still a little frazzled and AHHHHH!!!! from everything I have going on behind the scenes here in Shannon-land, so I'm having a hard time turning it into a coherent post.
3. Which of course led to the great OMG-I've-Forgotten-How-To-Blog! FreakOut of 2011, complete with lots of dramatic sighs and pouting and whimpering and the like.
4. I'll let you decide if I'm kidding. ;)
5. After I recovered, I realized I could cheat by blogging about how hard it is to blog. (Genius, no?) So that covered today. Tomorrow though...
6. While I'm confessing things, I should also admit I'm tempted to simply upload a ton of hunky celebrity photos and call it a blog post. I never mind an excuse to google Jared Leto:
7. How about a little Ian while I'm at it?
8. Sorry...what was I saying?
9. I've completely forgotten. Something about sucking at blogging.
10. Which, clearly I don't need to tell you, if you've made it this far. Anyone still there? *taps screen*
So yeah--not my most compelling post. But I promise I will TRY to regroup. Or ... find more smexy celebrities. (Ooo--or maybe some LOLcats! *races off to icanhazcheeseburger!*)
*Phew*--those were some pretty shameful confessions. What about you guys, anything you want to confess today? Share away in the comments!
1. Got back from Big Sur and I can officially say it was one of my favorite conferences EVER.
2. It also takes the prize for the most exhausting conference I've ever been to. They aren't joking when they call it boot camp for writers.
3. I came home just in time for WriteOnCon 2011s epic announcement and contests, which soaked up most of my day yesterday. (If you missed the excitement, make sure you head to http://writeoncon.com/ to check it out. We have eight AMAZING prizes we're giving away.)
4. So...sadly, this is me:
5: Which means I'm going to do something I try not to do, and take the rest of the week off blogging. I am SO behind on life and writing and sleep I have to take the time to catch up.
6. I feel really bad doing it, but it has to be done.
7. But I'm REALLY scared you're all going to forget about me in my absence.
8. So I'm going to resort to bribery.
9. I promise I will return on Monday with an awesome contest. Make sure you stop by--you won't want to miss it.
10. I...can't think of a 10th thing. So I'll just say HAVE A GREAT WEEK and loathe myself for pretty much writing the lamest blog post ever.
See you next week!
1. I know I'm supposed to be finishing my Shannon Style revision series today, but sadly I just don't have the time. Also, I kind of feel like this:
2. It's really my own fault. For some strange reason EVERYTHING was happening in February and March. And apparently I went crazypants and was like: well hello tiny slot of empty space in my already full calendar: I SHOULD FILL YOU.
3. No really. For example: On Thursday I'm now driving up to Big Sur for the AB Lit Big Sur Writer's Workshop.
4. I was not planning to go to this workshop. I wanted to go. But I was not planning it. After all, I was JUST at the San Francisco Writers Conference last week.
5. But, through a series of strange coincidences and events (plus lots and lots of emails), I am now going.
6. Part of me is SO RIDICULOUSLY EXCITED I can't stop doing this:
7. The other, more practical part of me is thinking about laundry and packing up again and the seven hour drive from So Cal to Big Sur (yes...SEVEN HOURS!!!!)--not to mention cleaning my pages up enough for the intense critiques--and feeling like this:
8. So...I apologize in advance for being a bit like this:
30 Comments on Tell the Truth Tuesday: The Overwhelmed Shannon edition, last added: 3/4/2011
Dear Yesterday,
I'm sure you'll try to convince me that since the zombie-duck apocalypse didn't happen and Were-platypus (or is it platypi?) have yet to take over the world, you really weren't all that bad. But considering the fact that you included the words "cat fight," "Veterinarian," and "large, pus-filled abscess," I think I have sufficient evidence to say: YOU SUCK.
Frustratedly Yours,
A very dissatisfied Shannon
Dear Mangy Gray Cat,
I consider myself a friend to all things feline. In fact, the ridiculous amount of time I spend cleaning cat hair off everything I own gives me adequate proof of my generous, kitty-loving ways. But mark my words: if you set so much as a toe--nay, a WHISKER--within a 50-foot radius of my home, I'm getting the hose. And I have one of those nozzles that makes the water shoot out like a plasma blaster.
Ominously yours,
The crazy blonde lady you should be very, very afraid of
Dear Veterinarian,
Honestly, I know how lucky I am to have you. You give me wonderful discounts because my cats were strays, and you made room in your very busy schedule to squeeze in an emergency patient. That being said, I really, REALLY don't think you have any idea how cruel it is to tell a girl who gets light headed just THINKING about gore that she must: apply warm compresses twice a day and extract all the pus. Especially when you follow it with: be careful, it might squirt.
Squeamishly yours,
The customer who nearly passed out in your examination room
Dear Patrick,
I'm very, very sorry I couldn't run downstairs fast enough to protect you. I'm also very, very sorry for your shaved bottom. I'd like to tell you that it doesn't look as humiliating as you might be thinking. But it really, really does. Maybe keep a low profile in the neighborhood until it grows back. Or walk backwards.
Unhelpfully yours,
The lady who feeds you, so you're not allowed to hate her
Dear Followers,
If you can't tell by my previous memos, yesterday was kind of an ordeal and I didn't have the time or energy to tackle your questions. (or to respond to yesterday's blog comments) I promise I will make up for lost time next week. Once I'm no longer up to my elbows in cat pus.
Regretfully yours,
The blogger who just used the word "pus" way too many times, and hopes her followers will forgive her for it
Not sure if you've looked up in the sky recently, but if you have, you might have seen something like this:
Sorry about that. That was my doing.
Yes, swine have most likely sprouted wings and taken to the skies, all because--as some of you already know--I crossed over to the dark side this weekend. I joined Facebook.
Which is especially shocking because it comes only days after I made yet another huge, personal concession and joined Goodreads.
But the reason I caved--and believe me, I did NOT make the decisions lightly--is because I want to support the writing community as much as I can, and because I like to be as accessible as possible, to anyone who wants to reach me. (well...not to the creepers, but hopefully my security settings will keep them away. :D)
So in that vein, I joined Goodreads, because I realize how much it can matter to authors to have their books marked as "to read" or "read" and to have reviews posted on there. The star system still TOTALLY makes me ookey--I keep going back and adjusting them, and am tempted to simply remove them all together. But as a fellow writer in the trenches who will hopefully someday be having my book marked as "to read," I thought it only fair that I give support where I can.
And I joined Facebook because I realize that many of you aren't on Twitter (which, seriously guys--you are missing out!) and I've gotten to the point where I can't "follow back" everyone anyway. Plus I just don't have the kind of blog hopping time I used to. So I wanted to create one more place where I could keep up with what you have going on, and where you can reach me if you need me. (What you could possibly need me for at this point, I don't know. Thoughts on hot guys, perhaps? lolcat pictures? Shannon Shame? I don't have much else...)
But yeah. I've officially crossed over to the dark side. And while it is--I'll confess--not AS bad as I thought it would be (in fact, turns out my agent is even on Facebook--who knew? Yay! A whole new way to potentially drive her crazy!) I am a little worried about the whole TIME SUCK issue, so I'm going to be very careful about balancing my social networking time.
All of which is my longwinded, rambling way of saying:
*herald trumpets sound*
If you would like to "friend" me on Facebook, I *think* you can do that HERE.
And if you would like to "friend" me on Goodreads, I *think* you can do that HERE.
I've been trying to track some of you down and send the invites myself, but I'm still moderately befuddled by the complexity of these websites (oh how I long for the simplicity of Twitter) so I know I'm missing like a bazillion of you. So please, if you want to see what kind of shenanigans I can cause in these new venues (*rubs palms together with an evil smile*) send me a friend invite. I promise I'll accept. Well...unless you're a creeper. But I'm pretty sure that doesn't count any of you. ;)
Have a great day, and watch out for those flying swine!
Okay, I know this seems obvious. I mean, writers write because we love to write, right? (heh, try saying that five times fast) We write the stories that we want to tell. So we're always writing for ourselves, right?
Not...necessarily.
Because we also want to get published, so sometimes we can't help thinking: maybe I should tell THIS kind of story--it might sell better. Or Dreamy Agent X likes THIS kind of book, so maybe I should write that. And even if it doesn't go that far, sometimes it's impossible not to think: I have to finish this draft/revision so I can query/sub it and finally get a book deal.
And it's understandable. Being published is a BIG dream--it's only natural that it would influence us. I know I'm totally guilty of thinking that way. But it also puts a LOT of extra pressure on every word I type when I do it. And it tends to rob me of my joy of writing.
So a while ago I came up with my own solution to the problem, and I thought I'd let you in on the secret. But I'm trusting you guys with this. Everyone agree to keep my secret?
*waits for everyone to nod*
Okay.
*whispers* I have a sekrit project.
Other than like...three people deep deep DEEP in the inner circle of trust, no one knows what it's about. Not even my agent. (She doesn't even know it exists--shhh--don't tell her!) And I know that might seem strange. Like...why write something and keep it a secret--especially from your agent?
And the answer is: because this one's MINE.
I'm not writing it to please anyone other than myself. If I want to break a rule and do something unconventional--I can. If I want to throw in a joke that I know only *I* will think is funny, I can. If I want to drag out my favorite scenes way longer than they need to be or let my characters run wild, I can. I don't have to think about what readers or agents or editors will want from me. I only think about what *I* want, because it's mine mine all mine.
I know that might seem like a waste of good writing time--but I assure you, it isn't. Because any time I've hit a wall or gotten discouraged or had a bad day and feel like just giving up the whole "being published" dream, I turn to my sekrit project. A couple of scenes just playing around, and I fall back in love with writing. Every. single. time.
Will I ever share my sekrit project with anyone? Maybe... Maybe not. It won't be for a while. I'm sure it'll need some MAJOR revision if I do--it's a hot mess--and I'm not ready for that right now. It's MY hot mess, and I love it just the way it is.
And I can tell you this. If I ever do decide to clue ze agent into ze sekrit project and transform it into ze possibly publishable manuscript, it won't be until I've got another sekrit project tucked safely away. Because I have to sometimes write just for me. It's how I stay sane and keep going through all the ups and downs of this crazy journey. I highly recommend it for any of you. It's amazing what a difference it makes.
But what about you guys? How do you keep from falling out of love with writing? Have you ever tried writing something just for you and you alone?
Well...it's almost November (OMG How did that happen???--stupid Time Goblins!) and if you've been on Twitter or hopping around the blogosphere (or pretty much anywhere except under a dark and isolated rock) you've seen that everyone is talking about the same thing: NaNoWriMo.
Everyone is buddying up and posting the banners and buttons on their blogs and buzzing about the new WIP they're about to dive into. And once again, I'm left feeling like this...
Last year I'd promised myself--PROMISED--that I would organize my writing schedule to start a shiny new draft November 1st and NaNo right along with the rest of you. But...sadly...life doesn't always go according to schedule (something I find SEVERELY annoying) and I'm just not in a position to start a new draft right now.
So once again I shall be left out of all the NaNo coolness. Le Sigh.
The one silver lining to this is that several of my writer friends will be NaNo-ing in one form or another, so come December I'll have LOTS of shiny new drafts to rip apart read and critique! And, for those of you participating, I'm happy to be your cheerleader.
Go! Write! Win!
Hm. That's not the world's greatest cheer. Perhaps I will spend some time constructing a proper NaNoWriMo cheer just for you. :)
(and no, that's not what my stomach looks like--I wish--and no I will NOT wear a cheerleader costume to Comic Con next year!)
But what about you guys: How many of you are NaNo-ing this month? How many of you aren't and want to pout and sulk along with me?
1. So, I'm still a little sick--but it's my own fault. I've been ignoring all your good advice and staying up too late trying to finish a ton of important stuff. #Shannonfail
2. I also ignored my sore throat and went to a concert on Saturday night and didn't get to bed till almost 2am. AND I sang along with the songs--very off key--using up a lot of the voice I had left. #Shannonfail
3. But...but...it was ANBERLIN! I refuse to call that a #Shannonfail. REFUSE.
4. Those same things keeping me up late at night have also kept me away from blog hopping--which pretty much makes me the Worst. Blogger. Ever! #Shannonfail
5. I miss you guys. A lot. I hate not knowing what you're up to, or reading all the funny things you have to say. I will be back soon--I promise. In the meantime, THANK YOU for bearing with the #Shannonfail.
6. I also haven't been on Twitter much. I swear I'm suffering Twitter withdrawls. The prolific use of hashtags in this post seems to testify to the truthfulness of that statement.
7. And as if that weren't bad enough, I'm also way behind on email. Those of you waiting for a response, I promise--it's coming. I have not forgotten. It's just a temporary #Shannonfail
8. Plus, part of what's keeping me busy is WriteOnCon stuff.
9. We've been hard at work organizing the monthly events, and we'll be announcing the details of the next event tomorrow. Yeah. You probably don't want to wait. Well too bad! (How's that for #Shannonfail?) :)
10. But to make up for it, here's a funny and totally random lolcat. Enjoy!
(I swear this is what my cats think)
*Phew* That was a lot to confess. What about you guys? Anyone have anything they want to get off their chest? Please, unload in the comments.
And come back tomorrow to find out what WriteOnCon has in store. Our next event is going to be all kinds of awesome. You won't want to miss out. #tease
;)
So ... I'm sick.
It's just a cold--and not even THAT bad of one. But it's definitely knocked me on my butt. *sigh*
And yes, I realize it's largely my own fault. Too many nights up till 2am and missed meals and not taking vitamins and going going going on only fumes. Believe me, I'm getting plenty of "I told you sos"--and I have no doubt many of you will join in. But that's okay, I deserve it. I definitely brought this on myself. *grumble*
So I'm laying low today, hoping that if I'm a good girl and stay in bed and drink fluids and all that jazz that it won't turn into "the cold that won't go away" like what happened last time.
But don't worry about me. I've got my "Sick Day Movies" already queued up (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility). I've got Theo--aka "the gremlin"--to keep me company (he LOVES when I'm in bed all day):
(and I took this picture yesterday, so you can see I'm not deathly pale or anything)
Not to mention I have no shortage of awesome books to read:
(and this is just one stack of ARCs. There's 2 more. And at least 4 piles of recent releases. My TBR piles are out. of. control.)
But I'm sorry for such a lame post. My slight fever is making the whole being coherent a tad more challenging that it already is. So I'm just going to quit while I'm ahead and stop here. :)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Oh, and if you haven't entered for a chance to win a signed copy of Eoin Colfer's THE ATLANTIS COMPLEX, you better get on that. You only have till midnight tonight to
enter. :)
By:
Joe Sottile,
on 8/5/2010
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Yes, good for the soul, and good for the blog—perhaps!I have nothing to confess personally about J.D. Salinger. I know he’s not doinga lot of writing right now, but I have been waiting for some new stories by him—storiesthat he agreed could be published after his death. I wish the lawyers involved would get theiracts together. I am looking forward to those stories.
But I do want to take some time here to applaud Salingerfor what he did for me when I was 16-years-old. It changed my life.
I confess that I wasn’t always a book lover. Thebook that changed my life was Catcher inthe Rye. I couldn’t believe how authentic J. D. Salinger was as a writer.And I read Catcher at the perfect age, the same age as Holden. I wanted to be like Salingeras a writer, and never be a phony. He really turned me on to reading and writing.
Now that I enjoyed literature Ialso wanted to teach. I did happily teach for thirty-three years. And, now andthen, I actually dream at night about finding my class and teaching again. ThenI wake up sad in the morning with noclass and no official teaching responsibilities.
Nevertheless, I try to get into classes and dopoetry performances as much as I can. But it’s challenging to work around theI-got-to-teach-for-the-test teachers. They need to realize that teaching about“Egypt” isn’t as important as making poetry connections and establishingrapport with kids that are hungry for words that shed life on their ownexistence on Planet Earth.
At the end of my “Tribute” section on my Web site, Ihave a poem written by a former student, Jay Perrin, that is priceless. What asuperb gift from a student on the last day of school! You will find the poem byfollowing this site…
http://www.consideration.org/sottile/for-teachers/tribute.html
By: Rebecca,
on 4/30/2010
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Happy Friday to all! The sun is out, spring is in full force and the weekend is almost upon us. Get busy procrastinating with the links below and before you know it the day will be over.
There are dancers among us.
How I’d like to spend the month of June.
You can make a difference.
Coming soon to Thailand, Professors Without Borders.
How long can you go without sleep?
The Supreme Court may be coming to a television near you.
Watch the sky reboot.
Apple vs. Gizmodo.
Confessions of a poet laureate.
For the love of homemade maps.
Saving the world’s languages.
... is these.
I don't even listen to music. I just wear them.
Because the fact is this: when I was a teacher, I was in my classroom unable to be reached all day. Nobody ever said, "I know you're working, but..." or "Do you have to teach the WHOLE day?"
Nobody ever asks a surgeon to make a quick run to the airport an hour away.
But people ignore the fact that I'm writing -- that I'm a writer -- all. the. time.
And here is a secret: I am not always strong enough to say, "No, I can't. I am writing." Because of course a surgeon's patients will die if he runs off to the airport. Nobody's going to die if my paragraph goes unfinished.
But that doesn't mean it's fair to ask me. And it doesn't mean I should say yes. Nobody in the world will respect my writing time, if I can't.
So, I have the earphones. And the basement office where the phone can't reach.
And some advice for this December: love your family and friends. Spend time with them and do nice things for them. Be excited to celebrate whatever you celebrate.
But, when it's time, DO NOT FEEL BAD about announcing, "I have to go write." Do not let anyone talk you out of it. Leave the drama and the guilt and the wrapping paper where they are and escape into your story.
And bring your earphones.
In which I ask you to confess your indiscretions.
Shh. Here is a secret: I am cheating on Ant. Oh, I still love him and his story and I'm still working on his rewrite. But I have a new love, a sweet little picture book with shin-kicking and interplanetary travel and no thorny plot problems. And it rocks.
This always happens to me. The best books I write are the books I am not supposed to be writing. Picture books come to me so much more easily than anything else -- they're like my secret trysts in the middle of the much longer work of novel-ing. And unlike a real affair, everyone wins: I get a break and a great new book, and whatever I AM supposed to be writing benefits from my taking a minute to step back and have writing be pure fun again.
So, tell me. What are your illicit writing secrets?
I took one look at my to-be-read-before-school-starts (kids start in just over a week -- eep!) pile and I think there's no point in denying it: I am a series junkie.
A Fabumouse School Adventureby "Geronimo Stilton"
copyright 2009 in the U.S. by Scholastic
#38 in the series
I haven't read all of these, but I thought it would be a good idea to read one to refresh myself on the series. Incoming 4th graders are often comforted to find a tub full of Geronimo Stilton (along with the entire Magic Tree House series in the two tubs next to Geronimo Stilton). That's one of the best things about series reading: the comfort factor. But lest the faithful reader get bored with the series, out comes a variation on the theme. Case in point:
Thea Stilton and the Dragon's Codeby "Geronimo Stilton"
copyright April, 2009 in the U.S. by Scholastic
This seems to be the first Thea Stilton ("Geronimo Stilton Special Edition"), with another coming out in September and another in March. (On a side note, it looks like Geronimo Stilton is going to break into the graphic novel market next week with
Geronimo Stilton #1: The Discovery of America.)
Thea Stilton is Geronimo's sister. In this sub-series, she is all grown up and back at her alma mater, Mouseford Academy, teaching journalism. Five of her students make up a mystery-solving, adventure-loving group called The Thea Sisters. In this book, they solve the mystery of a disappearing classmate.
by Jeff Smith
Scholastic, 2009
This is the final book in the Bone series. But end of series does not necessarily mean last book. (see above: "switch it up" factor) Now we've got the series prequel, in which we see how young Princess Rose (later known as Gran'ma Ben) got started:
Roseby Jeff Smith
illustrated by Charles Vess
The Bone books are enormously popular in my classroom, and because of that, I see it as my obligation to stay current with the series. (or, alternatively, "I am a series junkie.") The first month or two of school, lots of my readers immerse themselves in graphic novels. Some may be "picture reading," but as long as we can talk about the basic plot and the characters, that's okay with me. After these reluctant text-readers have lived in my classroom for a month or two, they've had a chance to see that all kinds of reading is valued there: easy, challenging, graphic novel, wordless, picture book, poetry, and on and on.
With The Light: Raising an Autistic Child, Volume 2by Keiko Tobe
Yen Press/Hachette Book Group USA, 2008
Back in January of 2008, when I discovered the first volume of this series, I declared it "
Required Reading." Recently, I spotted volumes 2-4 on a bookstore shelf, but our public library only has volume 2. I'll be putting in a request that the other volumes be purchased.
These 500+ traditional manga (reads right to left) graphic novels give the reader a glimpse into the struggles and joys of a family learning to understand their autistic child, Hikaru. The first volume was birth through early elementary years. Volume 2 is "Later Elementary Years."
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
August 25, 2009
(this one is on my to-be-ordered list since it can't be on the to-be-read pile quite yet...)
I had the good fortune to read the first book in this trilogy just last week -- that means I don't have long to wait to read the second book! (unlike the wait for Suzanne Collins' third book in the Hunger Games trilogy...)
So there you have it. Proof positive that I am a series junkie. Excuse me now. I need to dig in and get caught up with my stories!
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I like how you compare some people’s use of facebook to the Jerry springer show, i think this is one reason I have taken to rarely going on Facebook and next to never writing a status as I prefer the atmosphere on wordpress.
I see what you mean about WordPress. There’s no drama here. All commentary.