Monday, October 27, 2014
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
August 25, 2014 Check-In
How was your fiction writing/reading week?
The last week, for me, has been busy! I imagine some of you know the feeling. Fall is starting to pick up its pace. Wow. My creative writing and reading has fallen by the wayside and I didn't meet my 30 minute of each per day goal. But I'll try, try again! I did read part of Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Check out a description of the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Chains-The-Seeds-America-Trilogy/dp/1416905863
It's great so far---its historical fiction for young adults. For those who read historical fiction or young adult or both--you may like it. The narrator is a slave girl, the period is right before the Revolutionary War, the setting is colonial New York. I did make a note of the dialogue on one line--- it's very pretty. A character uses a simile that is just beautiful. I'm not sure if people talk that nicely! If you listen closely, people talk in clips, with half-formed thoughts all the time. Maybe in my writing, what will work for me is that I'll try to keep the pretty words for everything outside of the dialogue. Anderson is a very gifted writer and knows the period well. I'm excited to continue reading her work.
Creative writing has been zilch this past week. I have thought about the theme of war a bit (which is a theme in my novel) given the tragic and absolutely horrifying events concerning ISIS and James Foley and also the fighting in Gaza. It's so upsetting. I read about the response of the bishop that spoke at Foley's memorial in Rochester, NY. He quoted St. Francis saying that we must not seek vengeance but that we must try to live into (or something to that effect) the words, "Make me an instrument of your peace..."
I'm really turning this over in my mind a lot and want this theme to be addressed in my Marjorie novel. It really upsets me the violence in our world. I do think art has a place for addressing what upsets us and challenging our responses.
So it's ok that I didn't do the creative writing I keep on keeping on with the goal to creative write. I'll try to squeeze in some time today--maybe fifteen minutes. I can handle that! (Haha-I think.) I start a class this Wednesday evening on world civ. I'm so excited. The books came and the content looks fascinating. I have so much to learn! Yay! I might be able to weave in some facts in my Marjorie novel.
I ordered the book (used) Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan for good advice about descriptive writing---that's something that I've challenged myself to get better at. It will be neat to see what advice she gives.
Fiction readers and writers---hope your week is going well!
The last week, for me, has been busy! I imagine some of you know the feeling. Fall is starting to pick up its pace. Wow. My creative writing and reading has fallen by the wayside and I didn't meet my 30 minute of each per day goal. But I'll try, try again! I did read part of Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. Check out a description of the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Chains-The-Seeds-America-Trilogy/dp/1416905863
It's great so far---its historical fiction for young adults. For those who read historical fiction or young adult or both--you may like it. The narrator is a slave girl, the period is right before the Revolutionary War, the setting is colonial New York. I did make a note of the dialogue on one line--- it's very pretty. A character uses a simile that is just beautiful. I'm not sure if people talk that nicely! If you listen closely, people talk in clips, with half-formed thoughts all the time. Maybe in my writing, what will work for me is that I'll try to keep the pretty words for everything outside of the dialogue. Anderson is a very gifted writer and knows the period well. I'm excited to continue reading her work.
Creative writing has been zilch this past week. I have thought about the theme of war a bit (which is a theme in my novel) given the tragic and absolutely horrifying events concerning ISIS and James Foley and also the fighting in Gaza. It's so upsetting. I read about the response of the bishop that spoke at Foley's memorial in Rochester, NY. He quoted St. Francis saying that we must not seek vengeance but that we must try to live into (or something to that effect) the words, "Make me an instrument of your peace..."
I'm really turning this over in my mind a lot and want this theme to be addressed in my Marjorie novel. It really upsets me the violence in our world. I do think art has a place for addressing what upsets us and challenging our responses.
So it's ok that I didn't do the creative writing I keep on keeping on with the goal to creative write. I'll try to squeeze in some time today--maybe fifteen minutes. I can handle that! (Haha-I think.) I start a class this Wednesday evening on world civ. I'm so excited. The books came and the content looks fascinating. I have so much to learn! Yay! I might be able to weave in some facts in my Marjorie novel.
I ordered the book (used) Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan for good advice about descriptive writing---that's something that I've challenged myself to get better at. It will be neat to see what advice she gives.
Fiction readers and writers---hope your week is going well!
Saturday, August 16, 2014
August 17, 2014 Check-in (A Day Early)
I hope you're doing well.
Fiction reading/creative writing is going well. I went to my book group last night. We read Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kiteridge. Have you read it? We sat out on one of the group member's back decks as the summer sun went down...I didn't budget enough time to read the entire book but managed to read some of the chapters. I wasn't totally prepared for the group, but it didn't matter...there was enough for everyone to talk about...and the important thing was we were together.
We looked out on two mountains and ate chocolate cake (with hints of cinnamon and allspice), cherries, and ice cream. We drank coffee. We laughed and shared our plans for the fall. The table was thoughtfully set with beautiful place mats and napkins. We talked about aging and relationships. We talked about the nature of reality and hope and finding a place in a community.
Olive, in the book, is a flawed character. She's abrasive, sometimes vindictive, and critical. She is harsh to her very kind husband and tough on her son. And yet, and this is a pivotal yet, there are moments in the book were Olive also unknowingly helps others---lonely widower Jack, her former student, and the anorexic girl come to mind. We talked, too, about how God accomplishes his work (healing, for example) in the most flawed characters---the apostle Paul, Moses (who I thought was just a stutterer but the group reminded me also murdered an Egyptian), Peter, Noah, Jonah, David...
This gathering was inspired by a piece of fiction. That's pretty neat in my book. I remember taking a literary theory class in school and how we spoke about the purpose of art...and one purpose is to act as a catharsis--- it is a vehicle for helping us heal and work through things in own lives or work through universal themes that each of us experiences--- loneliness, aging, death, identity and loss of identity.
I would also like to think that art acts as a social lubricant---it helps bind people together. It helps draw people together as if they were all huddled and gathering warmth around the same fire---and the artwork is that fire. This carries hints of romanticism---but I don't mean for this to be a sweet notion...
Today, I had writers critique group. I submitted my fifth chapter for the Marjorie novel. I got some really helpful critiques. Things that I didn't catch in my own writing, like my disregard for point of view in the latter part of chapter 5, were pointed out to me. My very smart critique partner also pointed out that radios (which I have a boy listening to in the chapter) weren't really popular in 1907 (when my story is set). I would not have known. What an anachronism. Oopsie daisy. I might as well have put an ipad in the scene. I have to go now to research what exactly boys did in 1907 for recreation---marbles, baseball, lacrosse? Goodness knows...
The chapter uses "astronomy" imagery. It's a novel in free verse, heavy in imagery...I'm working with the idea that each person is tied to something from nature---Marjorie scenes use astronomical imagery, scenes about Henrik (a Civil War vet) use river imagery, her father's scenes use rock imagery...
My smart critique partner suggested that I tie the astronomy imagery with Marjorie's educational ambitions---one of the conflicts for Marjorie is that she needs to decide whether or not to go to college. So perhaps she could be interested in pursuing astronomy in college....This would add a layer to the imagery...the imagery would serve a purpose...I think of my Marjorie as a dreamer (and thus associated with things celestial) but I never thought of her as interested in astronomy...This was a really great suggestion.
I offered some critique too and I'm really excited for my smart writer friend's novel. It's really neat to see her process over the last year and a while. I really like her main character, but I can't tell you more about it...you'll have to wait until it's published and get a copy!
Fiction reading/creative writing is going well. I went to my book group last night. We read Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kiteridge. Have you read it? We sat out on one of the group member's back decks as the summer sun went down...I didn't budget enough time to read the entire book but managed to read some of the chapters. I wasn't totally prepared for the group, but it didn't matter...there was enough for everyone to talk about...and the important thing was we were together.
We looked out on two mountains and ate chocolate cake (with hints of cinnamon and allspice), cherries, and ice cream. We drank coffee. We laughed and shared our plans for the fall. The table was thoughtfully set with beautiful place mats and napkins. We talked about aging and relationships. We talked about the nature of reality and hope and finding a place in a community.
Olive, in the book, is a flawed character. She's abrasive, sometimes vindictive, and critical. She is harsh to her very kind husband and tough on her son. And yet, and this is a pivotal yet, there are moments in the book were Olive also unknowingly helps others---lonely widower Jack, her former student, and the anorexic girl come to mind. We talked, too, about how God accomplishes his work (healing, for example) in the most flawed characters---the apostle Paul, Moses (who I thought was just a stutterer but the group reminded me also murdered an Egyptian), Peter, Noah, Jonah, David...
This gathering was inspired by a piece of fiction. That's pretty neat in my book. I remember taking a literary theory class in school and how we spoke about the purpose of art...and one purpose is to act as a catharsis--- it is a vehicle for helping us heal and work through things in own lives or work through universal themes that each of us experiences--- loneliness, aging, death, identity and loss of identity.
I would also like to think that art acts as a social lubricant---it helps bind people together. It helps draw people together as if they were all huddled and gathering warmth around the same fire---and the artwork is that fire. This carries hints of romanticism---but I don't mean for this to be a sweet notion...
Today, I had writers critique group. I submitted my fifth chapter for the Marjorie novel. I got some really helpful critiques. Things that I didn't catch in my own writing, like my disregard for point of view in the latter part of chapter 5, were pointed out to me. My very smart critique partner also pointed out that radios (which I have a boy listening to in the chapter) weren't really popular in 1907 (when my story is set). I would not have known. What an anachronism. Oopsie daisy. I might as well have put an ipad in the scene. I have to go now to research what exactly boys did in 1907 for recreation---marbles, baseball, lacrosse? Goodness knows...
The chapter uses "astronomy" imagery. It's a novel in free verse, heavy in imagery...I'm working with the idea that each person is tied to something from nature---Marjorie scenes use astronomical imagery, scenes about Henrik (a Civil War vet) use river imagery, her father's scenes use rock imagery...
My smart critique partner suggested that I tie the astronomy imagery with Marjorie's educational ambitions---one of the conflicts for Marjorie is that she needs to decide whether or not to go to college. So perhaps she could be interested in pursuing astronomy in college....This would add a layer to the imagery...the imagery would serve a purpose...I think of my Marjorie as a dreamer (and thus associated with things celestial) but I never thought of her as interested in astronomy...This was a really great suggestion.
I offered some critique too and I'm really excited for my smart writer friend's novel. It's really neat to see her process over the last year and a while. I really like her main character, but I can't tell you more about it...you'll have to wait until it's published and get a copy!
Sunday, August 10, 2014
August 10, 2014 Update
How was your creative week?
I've been reading Olive Kiteridge the last few days for my book group. It's a theology book group, so I need to find a theological angle to the novel. It takes place in Crosby, Maine, and the thirteen chapters center on Olive Kiteridge, a wife, mother, and seventh-grade math teacher. I've read in several reviews that she is a "flawed character," and so, what I'd like to do is challenge the group to compare her to the flawed characters they know about in the Bible and how God uses them. How does God work through flawed, abrasive Olive in her interactions with others? This is a truth I find over and over and over again...God's love does not work through perfect people. God's love works through you and me in our very humanity.....
I did a write-in this afternoon at a local coffee shop with another writer. I worked on the fifth chapter of my novel. It is very challenging. It is hard work. In theory, writing sounds easy. It's easy to say you're a writer. It's hard to write. When you try to paint scenes with words, you realize just what craft and mastery is involved. If I can not stare at the chasm between where I want to be in my writing and where I am now, and instead focus on the joy of the journey of mastering something that I feel intrinsically motivated to pursue...Why would I write if it wasn't for an intrinsic pull to create, to explain the world around me, to focus on the details of living, and not let life slip by without observing it and writing it down...Writing helps me to know what I think and what I want to teach myself more of or find out more about. When I stumble over the words, or the content in the novel, and go, well, how would you really describe a course catalog and a radio program from 1907...it leads to new worlds for me...new things I didn't know the moment before...
The fifth chapter is about Marjorie at school. Her teacher, a poet, is introducing the students in this relatively poor rural farming community in 1907 to the University of Wisconsin catalog. They are twelfth graders who haven't thought much about higher education. A boy asks why the girls in the class are getting the catalogs. My hope in this chapter is to bring up the theme of women's higher education, and really highlight what a recent development in US history, and what a turning point that period was for women's rights. And ask the essential question---why educate women? As the boy says in this chapter, "They were just going to get married and have babies. Why do they need to know about political systems? or differential equations? or ..."They have no place in the public sphere..."
And I want to research the debates that were going on in that period...to add some meat to this chapter... Why, when women had been historically relegated to motherhood and the domestic sphere prior to this period...why was there a turn of tides in 1907 through the advent of the 19th amendment? What was going on in US society that lay the groundwork for this? x
Anyways, these are the themes I'm exploring in this chapter...it's still a work in progress...I'm fascinated by this topic...just trying to translate it from exposition to creative fiction is an absolute challenge.
One word at a time...
I've been reading Olive Kiteridge the last few days for my book group. It's a theology book group, so I need to find a theological angle to the novel. It takes place in Crosby, Maine, and the thirteen chapters center on Olive Kiteridge, a wife, mother, and seventh-grade math teacher. I've read in several reviews that she is a "flawed character," and so, what I'd like to do is challenge the group to compare her to the flawed characters they know about in the Bible and how God uses them. How does God work through flawed, abrasive Olive in her interactions with others? This is a truth I find over and over and over again...God's love does not work through perfect people. God's love works through you and me in our very humanity.....
I did a write-in this afternoon at a local coffee shop with another writer. I worked on the fifth chapter of my novel. It is very challenging. It is hard work. In theory, writing sounds easy. It's easy to say you're a writer. It's hard to write. When you try to paint scenes with words, you realize just what craft and mastery is involved. If I can not stare at the chasm between where I want to be in my writing and where I am now, and instead focus on the joy of the journey of mastering something that I feel intrinsically motivated to pursue...Why would I write if it wasn't for an intrinsic pull to create, to explain the world around me, to focus on the details of living, and not let life slip by without observing it and writing it down...Writing helps me to know what I think and what I want to teach myself more of or find out more about. When I stumble over the words, or the content in the novel, and go, well, how would you really describe a course catalog and a radio program from 1907...it leads to new worlds for me...new things I didn't know the moment before...
The fifth chapter is about Marjorie at school. Her teacher, a poet, is introducing the students in this relatively poor rural farming community in 1907 to the University of Wisconsin catalog. They are twelfth graders who haven't thought much about higher education. A boy asks why the girls in the class are getting the catalogs. My hope in this chapter is to bring up the theme of women's higher education, and really highlight what a recent development in US history, and what a turning point that period was for women's rights. And ask the essential question---why educate women? As the boy says in this chapter, "They were just going to get married and have babies. Why do they need to know about political systems? or differential equations? or ..."They have no place in the public sphere..."
And I want to research the debates that were going on in that period...to add some meat to this chapter... Why, when women had been historically relegated to motherhood and the domestic sphere prior to this period...why was there a turn of tides in 1907 through the advent of the 19th amendment? What was going on in US society that lay the groundwork for this? x
Anyways, these are the themes I'm exploring in this chapter...it's still a work in progress...I'm fascinated by this topic...just trying to translate it from exposition to creative fiction is an absolute challenge.
One word at a time...
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
August 6, 2014 Update
The last few days have been spent traveling back from Maine to Virginia by way of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. As I drove this journey of 15 odd hours (spread across several days) and I as I drove it alone in my strikingly blue car, a few questions ran through my mind, provoked by what I was seeing outside my window.
Example: Why is it called the Mason-Dixon line?
Example 2: Why is it called Maryland? Which Mary? It must have been some Catholic Mary-- Bloody Mary? The Mary from William and Mary? She was a Protestant, though.
I've had very little time to read or fiction write the last few days, but did keep my creative brain plugged in by listening to The Iliad by Homer on CD while on my similarly epic journey. (Which is not a correct allusion, because The Iliad is about war, and not a journey, which I came to find out. That would be The Odyssey. I want to reference The Iliad in my novel, in scenes with a character who is a veteran of the Civil War.
From The Iliad I learned, simply:
-War is perennial, and very brutal and sad. It was happening a thousand years ago in desperately gory detail. It will likely continue to happen.
-Women rarely appeared in this book and when they did Homer spent a great deal of time describing their 'ambrosia' scent and the like.
-Poseidon had sea blue hair. Who knew? I thought that was a pretty big revelation when all said and done.
From The Iliad I asked:
-Why do people go to war? Don't we teach children that violence isn't the answer to their problems? (Or perhaps some don't.) It is confusing. This is a question I'm going to try to address in my novel.
This all goes to say that literature and yes, even road trips....can get us thinking...and that is why travel and the arts are just so important.
I hope your reading and writing week has gone well.
Example: Why is it called the Mason-Dixon line?
Example 2: Why is it called Maryland? Which Mary? It must have been some Catholic Mary-- Bloody Mary? The Mary from William and Mary? She was a Protestant, though.
I've had very little time to read or fiction write the last few days, but did keep my creative brain plugged in by listening to The Iliad by Homer on CD while on my similarly epic journey. (Which is not a correct allusion, because The Iliad is about war, and not a journey, which I came to find out. That would be The Odyssey. I want to reference The Iliad in my novel, in scenes with a character who is a veteran of the Civil War.
From The Iliad I learned, simply:
-War is perennial, and very brutal and sad. It was happening a thousand years ago in desperately gory detail. It will likely continue to happen.
-Women rarely appeared in this book and when they did Homer spent a great deal of time describing their 'ambrosia' scent and the like.
-Poseidon had sea blue hair. Who knew? I thought that was a pretty big revelation when all said and done.
From The Iliad I asked:
-Why do people go to war? Don't we teach children that violence isn't the answer to their problems? (Or perhaps some don't.) It is confusing. This is a question I'm going to try to address in my novel.
This all goes to say that literature and yes, even road trips....can get us thinking...and that is why travel and the arts are just so important.
I hope your reading and writing week has gone well.
Monday, August 4, 2014
August 3, 2014 Check-In (One day late)
This is gonna be quick. I'm on my way back home after a week of vacation in Maine. I've been reading a lot. I started New York by Edward Rutherfurd. It's fabulous and historical fiction. I wrote a bit yesterday and the day before--30 minutes one day and 24 the other. Still life writing, as I call it. Just put myself somewhere (once in a deli, once on the docks at the harbor) and wrote about what caught my eye.
Cultural outings continue, which are wonderful sources of inspiration. I went to the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine, and was wowed by an exhibit on the Shaker religion. I do want to read more about the communities in New York and Maine. If you know a good book, let me know. Today, on my ride home, I'll be visiting a dear friend outside of Hartford, Connecticut, for the night, and plan on visiting the Mark Twain House and Museum beforehand. I believe this was his childhood home, but I'll learn more.
I went blueberry picking yesterday, and thought of a great idea for a children's picture book that incorporates fruit, history, and humor. I might try my hand at sketching out that story this week.
How was your writing/reading week?
How was your writing/reading week?
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
July 30, 2014 Check-In
I fiction read about two hours yesterday. I read both Elizabeth Stuart's Olive Kitteridge (for my theology book group) and Lois Lowry's The Giver. This morning, I took my book to the harbor and sat on a park bench, drank my morning coffee, and read The Giver for about forty minutes. Then, I read some more over an egg and cheese sandwich at a breakfast place. The Giver is creepy! It's a warning against totalitarianism. I am a little confused about the difference between totalitarianism and communism. I was using them interchangeably, and they are actually opposite ends of the political spectrum. Totalitarianism means a central power makes decisions for the people and owns property, while communism means the community makes decisions and property is owned communally. I'd like to learn more about examples of actual governments that operated under both regimes. Was Mussolini's Italy a totalitarian government? Was the form USSR communist? What about Stalin or Lenin though? Weren't they authoritative? I'm confused still about what these political systems mean....The Giver is very much a commentary on a political structure. Was Lowry writing in response to the systems that had been in play in the 20th century and the consequences of operating under those systems?
I'd like to find some commentary on The Giver....If you know any, please let me know!
I wrote for a very little bit yesterday. I will concertedly try to fiction write today. Thinking of not working on the novel today...just writing still life scenes of what I see before me. Good writing toggles between the character's inner world and descriptions of places, objects, settings. Both the inanimate and animate need to be written down by the writer.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Behind!
I went to a wedding this past weekend, which was beautiful. Nothing got done really over the weekend in the way of writing or reading, but I have since travelled to Maine for a week of relaxation with family. I've gone to the library several times and several book stores in Maine over the last two days (ha!) and gotten loads of books, including The Giver, which a friend at the wedding recommended. I also read part of a book called The New Feminine Brain by Mona Lisa Schulz last night for a while. She's a neuropsychiatrist ( I think that's what she called herself) and a medical intuitive, who has collaborated by Christiane Northrup, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. Mona Lisa writes about how men's and women's brains are just different. From the hormones running through them, to the way the left and right brains operate. She argues that men's brains have less connectivity between the left and right hemispheres than women, and women's brains (in general) are more intuitive (this is attributed to the right hemisphere). Interesting....Will look again at the book to flesh out what she's trying to say and be able to remember some examples to add some body to her argument....I still need to clarify in mind what she is trying to say...
I went to a presentation last night at Maine Media Workshops and College at the Rockport Opera House. There were two presenters---one an archival researcher, who clears permissions and finds images for documentaries that appear on channels like PBS. The other was a photographer professor, who examines the intersection of science and art in his photography. He's particularly interested in capturing the unseeable in his photography---the wormholes, the paradoxes, the other dimensions. He sees the artist and physicist as both trying to attempt to describe the unseeable....which makes sense to me. They just use different languages to do so...It was particularly inspiring to see someone who asked questions about everything, and explored the answers slowly and with observation and not speedily heading to Google to get the answer. I felt a kindred spirit.
How can I do this in my own life?
I went to a presentation last night at Maine Media Workshops and College at the Rockport Opera House. There were two presenters---one an archival researcher, who clears permissions and finds images for documentaries that appear on channels like PBS. The other was a photographer professor, who examines the intersection of science and art in his photography. He's particularly interested in capturing the unseeable in his photography---the wormholes, the paradoxes, the other dimensions. He sees the artist and physicist as both trying to attempt to describe the unseeable....which makes sense to me. They just use different languages to do so...It was particularly inspiring to see someone who asked questions about everything, and explored the answers slowly and with observation and not speedily heading to Google to get the answer. I felt a kindred spirit.
How can I do this in my own life?
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
July 23, 2014 Check-In
How was your week?
Mine is going well. I didn't do much creative wise on Monday but yesterday I did. I went to the library after work and got out a few books on poetry (a manual, a collection by Margaret Atwood, and a Bill Moyers selections collection), as well as a new book for my theology reading book group --- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I finished Year of Wonders last night. The last thirty (?) or so pages are a whirlwind of action and the strongest part of the book to my mind. I'm not sure if I left with a 'theme' from the book. It was more of a book that was like looking at a painting depicting a life and period intricately but there was no agenda to convince the onlooker of anything -- like a Vermeer painting rather than political art. Have you read it?
I went for a run and thought about writing on my jog. I looked up at the clouds and thought, it will take me a lifetime to be able to translate the beauty of what I see right here in that simple skyskape into words. What words to pick? What rhythm, sound, meter? How to communicate that wonder and beauty to others...
A child can color a cloud and we know it signifies a cloud. You see someone like the Renaissance artist Titian who can draw a cloud and there's beauty in his symbolism. It took years of mastery and probably iterations upon iterations of clouds to give us something that has both sacredness and symbolism because the time the artist paid to developing his craft.
Writing about a cloud in the sky will take a lifetime of work. And what a joy of a journey and work I feel more and more drawn to each day.
Mine is going well. I didn't do much creative wise on Monday but yesterday I did. I went to the library after work and got out a few books on poetry (a manual, a collection by Margaret Atwood, and a Bill Moyers selections collection), as well as a new book for my theology reading book group --- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I finished Year of Wonders last night. The last thirty (?) or so pages are a whirlwind of action and the strongest part of the book to my mind. I'm not sure if I left with a 'theme' from the book. It was more of a book that was like looking at a painting depicting a life and period intricately but there was no agenda to convince the onlooker of anything -- like a Vermeer painting rather than political art. Have you read it?
I went for a run and thought about writing on my jog. I looked up at the clouds and thought, it will take me a lifetime to be able to translate the beauty of what I see right here in that simple skyskape into words. What words to pick? What rhythm, sound, meter? How to communicate that wonder and beauty to others...
A child can color a cloud and we know it signifies a cloud. You see someone like the Renaissance artist Titian who can draw a cloud and there's beauty in his symbolism. It took years of mastery and probably iterations upon iterations of clouds to give us something that has both sacredness and symbolism because the time the artist paid to developing his craft.
Writing about a cloud in the sky will take a lifetime of work. And what a joy of a journey and work I feel more and more drawn to each day.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
July 20, 2014 Check-in
Weds-
On Wednesday, I went to hear Angie Smibert, a good friend and fellow writing critique group member, talk at Hollins University. Angie has written and published a great YA trilogy and you can check out her wonderful work her: http://www.angiesmibert.com/blog/
Several other members of our writing group were there to support Angie. She spoke to us, her critique partners, members of the Hollins creative writing program in children's literature, and others (the lectures are open to the public) about her journey to becoming a full-time writer. One thing that struck me, among many other things, was that she said something to the effect that she chose writing, because anything else was not enough. I get that. Writing gives me the space to reflect, to learn, to explore, to articulate, to grow. I feel a sense of companionship and belonging and wholeness when I'm writing. What about you?
Afterwards our group went out to a restaurant and were joined by some others.
Thurs-
Zip. Zonked from the night before. When I got home from work, I went for a long run and watched House and did not fiction write or read. What about you? How was your Thursday?
Friday-
I critiqued pieces for my writers' group. It takes some time and I try to be gentle and helpful. Friday evening, I went to my theology book group meeting. We discussed Hammer of God, which, no, is not about Thor. It was, however, written by a Scandinavian author so both Thor and the book do share that. I read a third of the novel, but was happy to participate when I could and hear other's views. The first novella, which I read, takes place in Odejso, Sweden, and centers on a curate named Sarvonius. He is motivated to help his congregants by bolstering his reputation. He causes division among his church by harping on everyone's faults rather than speaking about God's grace. He separates rather than binds up and make whole. The congregation want to oust him, and he comes to the realization that he has been doing his ministry in the wrong spirit. He affirms the importance of proclaiming God's unmerited grace. Bo Giertz wrote this as an argument against pietism, which was a 18th/19th century movement that said you had to X,Y,Z and not A,B,C to earn God's favor. When he comes to this realization, he is welcomed back warmly by the dean...much like the prodigal son.
How do your characters change in the courses of your stories? What are the inciting incidents, obstacles that lead them to change? Who changes them? Do you leave room in your story for the characters to keep changing even after the last page and the novel is over?
Sat-
I continued to critique pieces for my writers' group. Then, it was critique time! We met at a local lake and discussed our pieces at a picnic table. There were some very good comments. We discussed magical realism. If anyone wants to chime in and tell me how it's different than paranormal fiction, please do. I got some helpful comments about my novel -- my thoughts are still percolating. We discussed point of view, characters' voice, and poetry. Allison recommended I read a book about the craft of poetry (and poetry) since I'm writing my novel in free verse. That's actually really helpful since I do get confused about where my line breaks should be since I'm not following a set meter or number of feet.
After critiquing, I swam, we had a potluck and barbeque and since our deal Allison is moving, shared a time for her to open going away presents. Not surprisingly, we all pretty much got her books! I got her this book which I really want to read myself ----- http://www.amazon.com/Chains-The-Seeds-America-Trilogy/dp/1416905863
It's historical fiction, which I'm attempting in my novel.
Sunday-
Went to church. Some hymns really do have the loveliest lyrics. They are poetry. Perhaps that is where my ear first learned to love the music in language.
The rest of the day will be some time to just be and create....I'm going to dip back into Year of Wonders, read some of Walking on Water, by Madeliene L'Engle, and shoot for writing the fourth chapter in my novel. This chapter is about the raising of a wheat silo...
Update - read a lot on Sunday afternoon and even got a jog in. Started outlining my fourth chapter in The Tower. After outlining, I just sat and closed my eyes and tried to play out the scene in my head. I don't think "writing" needs to be just in front of the computer or notebook. A part of "writing" is "visualizing" the scene first...then translating the images into words....Well, at least for me it seems to be so far. What about you?
On Wednesday, I went to hear Angie Smibert, a good friend and fellow writing critique group member, talk at Hollins University. Angie has written and published a great YA trilogy and you can check out her wonderful work her: http://www.angiesmibert.com/blog/
Several other members of our writing group were there to support Angie. She spoke to us, her critique partners, members of the Hollins creative writing program in children's literature, and others (the lectures are open to the public) about her journey to becoming a full-time writer. One thing that struck me, among many other things, was that she said something to the effect that she chose writing, because anything else was not enough. I get that. Writing gives me the space to reflect, to learn, to explore, to articulate, to grow. I feel a sense of companionship and belonging and wholeness when I'm writing. What about you?
Afterwards our group went out to a restaurant and were joined by some others.
Thurs-
Zip. Zonked from the night before. When I got home from work, I went for a long run and watched House and did not fiction write or read. What about you? How was your Thursday?
Friday-
I critiqued pieces for my writers' group. It takes some time and I try to be gentle and helpful. Friday evening, I went to my theology book group meeting. We discussed Hammer of God, which, no, is not about Thor. It was, however, written by a Scandinavian author so both Thor and the book do share that. I read a third of the novel, but was happy to participate when I could and hear other's views. The first novella, which I read, takes place in Odejso, Sweden, and centers on a curate named Sarvonius. He is motivated to help his congregants by bolstering his reputation. He causes division among his church by harping on everyone's faults rather than speaking about God's grace. He separates rather than binds up and make whole. The congregation want to oust him, and he comes to the realization that he has been doing his ministry in the wrong spirit. He affirms the importance of proclaiming God's unmerited grace. Bo Giertz wrote this as an argument against pietism, which was a 18th/19th century movement that said you had to X,Y,Z and not A,B,C to earn God's favor. When he comes to this realization, he is welcomed back warmly by the dean...much like the prodigal son.
How do your characters change in the courses of your stories? What are the inciting incidents, obstacles that lead them to change? Who changes them? Do you leave room in your story for the characters to keep changing even after the last page and the novel is over?
Sat-
I continued to critique pieces for my writers' group. Then, it was critique time! We met at a local lake and discussed our pieces at a picnic table. There were some very good comments. We discussed magical realism. If anyone wants to chime in and tell me how it's different than paranormal fiction, please do. I got some helpful comments about my novel -- my thoughts are still percolating. We discussed point of view, characters' voice, and poetry. Allison recommended I read a book about the craft of poetry (and poetry) since I'm writing my novel in free verse. That's actually really helpful since I do get confused about where my line breaks should be since I'm not following a set meter or number of feet.
After critiquing, I swam, we had a potluck and barbeque and since our deal Allison is moving, shared a time for her to open going away presents. Not surprisingly, we all pretty much got her books! I got her this book which I really want to read myself ----- http://www.amazon.com/Chains-The-Seeds-America-Trilogy/dp/1416905863
It's historical fiction, which I'm attempting in my novel.
Sunday-
Went to church. Some hymns really do have the loveliest lyrics. They are poetry. Perhaps that is where my ear first learned to love the music in language.
The rest of the day will be some time to just be and create....I'm going to dip back into Year of Wonders, read some of Walking on Water, by Madeliene L'Engle, and shoot for writing the fourth chapter in my novel. This chapter is about the raising of a wheat silo...
Update - read a lot on Sunday afternoon and even got a jog in. Started outlining my fourth chapter in The Tower. After outlining, I just sat and closed my eyes and tried to play out the scene in my head. I don't think "writing" needs to be just in front of the computer or notebook. A part of "writing" is "visualizing" the scene first...then translating the images into words....Well, at least for me it seems to be so far. What about you?
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
July 16, 2014
Wow ---- check-in came fast! Not too much to report these last two days...
Monday:
Wrote for a little less than an hour Monday am. Read Kidlit/Writers digest for a little less than 10 minutes...
Tuesday:
Fiction read abt an hour in A Hammer of God. Why, when you reread chapters, can they seem so different depending on where you're sitting, level of concentration, and time of day?
Monday:
Wrote for a little less than an hour Monday am. Read Kidlit/Writers digest for a little less than 10 minutes...
Tuesday:
Fiction read abt an hour in A Hammer of God. Why, when you reread chapters, can they seem so different depending on where you're sitting, level of concentration, and time of day?
Monday, July 14, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
July 13, 2014 Check-in
Weds-
I fiction read for 30 minutes in Year of Wonders.
Thurs-
I fiction read for 40 min read in Year of Wonders and 10 minutes in KidLit411.
Friday-
I wrote for 30 minutes in the morning. Morning time works for me! I fiction read for 30 minutes in Year of Wonders in the evening.
Sat-
I went to the wonderful Smithfield Historic Plantation in Blacksburg, Virginia, for some creative inspiration. It was a great trip---I learned all sorts of things. I love meeting people who are passionate about what they love and want to share it with a guilelessness that shows how innately they've been drawn to the subject. I learned that tea used to be shipped in bricks and the binder was pig blood and later pig manure. I learned that the origin of the phrase, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." Any guesses?
I fiction read for about 40 minutes in Hammer of God. I need to shake a tail feather on reading this! My book group is meeting this Friday.
Sunday-
I fiction read for about two hours in Hammer of God. It's three novellas in one book. I think each one takes place in Sweden in the 1800s--I'm only through most of the first novella. I do jump around a lot when reading. I tend to like to get a feel for how a book hangs so I'll dip into the middle then read the end and try to understand the structure of the book from a birds eye view. Then I'll read the beginning again. This book is all about pastors who learn about God's grace during their work. I find the characters do a lot of preaching of the author's thoughts. So it's theology through dialogue more so than theology as revealed through events. Though I'm a bit wrong about this in a way, because the end of the story of the first novella is really about a character's transformation after a decision by the church has been made about him. The author writes a lot about light in his physical descriptions. I have more respect for any author now that I have started trying my hand at creative writing myself. It is just tough sometimes to eek out the words. I wrote for about a half an hour in the sun at a local coffee shop for quiet to write because I was free of distraction there. Do you know how horses have blinders when they ride through city streets so things don't distract them from the sides (other lanes)? I kind of feel like when I write I need to put on blinders too, just so I can zero in and focus. I heard that metaphor once sometime a while ago, about needing to be like horses and put blinders on sometimes in life. Not sure where I heard and from whom, but it's stuck with me.
I tried something different after the stint at the coffee shop writing. I sat on my couch for an hour and just closed my eyes and took myself to the scene I was trying to write about, without pressure to get anywhere. I just let things float in and then float out with no anxiety to get it on paper or any anxiety of the blank page staring me in the face. I tried to smell the room I was writing about, tried to walk through it and notice the wallpaper, the floor, the skin on my character's hands and face. I started to ask myself questions about the characters I was meeting. Why did they do this? What did they want from life? What did they do all day? I started to think of writing as a receptive act --- trying to listen for the story to come and reveal itself---rather than a purely creative act. I did naturally fall asleep as I was daydreaming about my story. It was lovely to just rest --- to just be.
I'm not sure how your creative mind works but when I tap into mine it works best when it's unencumbered and making free form associations and sort of unspooling itself naturally. This is the land of right brain thinking and at this point in my writing life I am quite aware when I am flipping the switch and allowing myself to enter that territory. It's the space of circles and intuition, not lines. It is a creative space and truly I need to carve out time for it because my engines run on linear thinking much of the time. And getting quiet and stopping and shutting my eyes is one way I can flip that switch and visit my story, let the ribbons of creativity unspool, and listen more to what my story is telling me, rather than force the story, like heavy, plodding, thick legs and feet, out.
I wrote for an additional hour and forty minutes in the evening on a chapter about memories, what gives our lives meaning, the Civil War, aging, and slaying dragons. Very grateful for this time. I feel like I'm getting to know my characters more and walking with them finally.
I fiction read for 30 minutes in Year of Wonders.
Thurs-
I fiction read for 40 min read in Year of Wonders and 10 minutes in KidLit411.
Friday-
I wrote for 30 minutes in the morning. Morning time works for me! I fiction read for 30 minutes in Year of Wonders in the evening.
Sat-
I went to the wonderful Smithfield Historic Plantation in Blacksburg, Virginia, for some creative inspiration. It was a great trip---I learned all sorts of things. I love meeting people who are passionate about what they love and want to share it with a guilelessness that shows how innately they've been drawn to the subject. I learned that tea used to be shipped in bricks and the binder was pig blood and later pig manure. I learned that the origin of the phrase, "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." Any guesses?
I fiction read for about 40 minutes in Hammer of God. I need to shake a tail feather on reading this! My book group is meeting this Friday.
Sunday-
I fiction read for about two hours in Hammer of God. It's three novellas in one book. I think each one takes place in Sweden in the 1800s--I'm only through most of the first novella. I do jump around a lot when reading. I tend to like to get a feel for how a book hangs so I'll dip into the middle then read the end and try to understand the structure of the book from a birds eye view. Then I'll read the beginning again. This book is all about pastors who learn about God's grace during their work. I find the characters do a lot of preaching of the author's thoughts. So it's theology through dialogue more so than theology as revealed through events. Though I'm a bit wrong about this in a way, because the end of the story of the first novella is really about a character's transformation after a decision by the church has been made about him. The author writes a lot about light in his physical descriptions. I have more respect for any author now that I have started trying my hand at creative writing myself. It is just tough sometimes to eek out the words. I wrote for about a half an hour in the sun at a local coffee shop for quiet to write because I was free of distraction there. Do you know how horses have blinders when they ride through city streets so things don't distract them from the sides (other lanes)? I kind of feel like when I write I need to put on blinders too, just so I can zero in and focus. I heard that metaphor once sometime a while ago, about needing to be like horses and put blinders on sometimes in life. Not sure where I heard and from whom, but it's stuck with me.
I tried something different after the stint at the coffee shop writing. I sat on my couch for an hour and just closed my eyes and took myself to the scene I was trying to write about, without pressure to get anywhere. I just let things float in and then float out with no anxiety to get it on paper or any anxiety of the blank page staring me in the face. I tried to smell the room I was writing about, tried to walk through it and notice the wallpaper, the floor, the skin on my character's hands and face. I started to ask myself questions about the characters I was meeting. Why did they do this? What did they want from life? What did they do all day? I started to think of writing as a receptive act --- trying to listen for the story to come and reveal itself---rather than a purely creative act. I did naturally fall asleep as I was daydreaming about my story. It was lovely to just rest --- to just be.
I'm not sure how your creative mind works but when I tap into mine it works best when it's unencumbered and making free form associations and sort of unspooling itself naturally. This is the land of right brain thinking and at this point in my writing life I am quite aware when I am flipping the switch and allowing myself to enter that territory. It's the space of circles and intuition, not lines. It is a creative space and truly I need to carve out time for it because my engines run on linear thinking much of the time. And getting quiet and stopping and shutting my eyes is one way I can flip that switch and visit my story, let the ribbons of creativity unspool, and listen more to what my story is telling me, rather than force the story, like heavy, plodding, thick legs and feet, out.
I wrote for an additional hour and forty minutes in the evening on a chapter about memories, what gives our lives meaning, the Civil War, aging, and slaying dragons. Very grateful for this time. I feel like I'm getting to know my characters more and walking with them finally.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
July 9, 2014 Check-In
Monday-
I read KidLit411 on Monday, but got sidetracked from writing because I wanted to prepare a care package for one of my best friends who just had a baby, write birthday cards for my aunt and cousin, and another present for a friend. So life intervened and I didn't write and I'm cool with that! I did read for the thirty minutes in Year of Wonders. I love all the words she uses. She has such a rich vocabulary. Sometimes I like to imagine myself as a word hunter, with a net trying to capture new words in the wilds. Thought maybe I'll try to get up in the morning and write then, rather than at the end of the day --- more motivation and less tired at the start of the day.
Tuesday-
Not much of any of the Row80 goals accomplished today! I wrote for ten minutes in the morning. The evening (all the way til about 10 pm) was taken up by a fun church council meeting/potluck at the lake. It was a wonderful meeting where we made some good progress about our social ministry programs and also just shared our lives and laughed. Plus I got to learn about the history of the host's house which was so interesting. So I didn't have any time to devote to my Row80 goals after work but I'm ok with that. Good things were going on in their place. Maybe I need to change my goal to 15 minutes a day of reading and writing? We'll see...I will have some time Wednesday to focus on Row80 goals so I'm excited about that.
I read KidLit411 on Monday, but got sidetracked from writing because I wanted to prepare a care package for one of my best friends who just had a baby, write birthday cards for my aunt and cousin, and another present for a friend. So life intervened and I didn't write and I'm cool with that! I did read for the thirty minutes in Year of Wonders. I love all the words she uses. She has such a rich vocabulary. Sometimes I like to imagine myself as a word hunter, with a net trying to capture new words in the wilds. Thought maybe I'll try to get up in the morning and write then, rather than at the end of the day --- more motivation and less tired at the start of the day.
Tuesday-
Not much of any of the Row80 goals accomplished today! I wrote for ten minutes in the morning. The evening (all the way til about 10 pm) was taken up by a fun church council meeting/potluck at the lake. It was a wonderful meeting where we made some good progress about our social ministry programs and also just shared our lives and laughed. Plus I got to learn about the history of the host's house which was so interesting. So I didn't have any time to devote to my Row80 goals after work but I'm ok with that. Good things were going on in their place. Maybe I need to change my goal to 15 minutes a day of reading and writing? We'll see...I will have some time Wednesday to focus on Row80 goals so I'm excited about that.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Goals for ROW80
Reading
I'd like to read works of fiction for a half an hour a day. I could do more but I want to be reasonable and realistic with my goals. I want to set myself up for success! I research and write non-fiction for most of the day for my job, so I'm pretty busy writing already. But creative writing, as opposed to expository writing, is a whole different beast. In addition, I've factored in the time I spend with family, friends, church, running, and life maintenance into this new goal. Thirty minutes seems like a healthy and happy goal, and one I can maintain for eighty days. If I go over, it's just gravy!
Here's a list of books I'm choosing from; it may change as the eighty days go by, and I certainly won't be able to read all of these. Some of these books came suggested by a wonderful writer in my writers group, Marcie Flinchum Atkins. Check out her work here!!! http://www.marcieatkins.com/
-Geraldine Brooks, Year of Wonders
-The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
-The Orchardist, Amanda Coplin
-Chains, Laurie House Alderson
-Copper Sun, Sharon M. Draper
-Helen Frost
-Margarita Engle
-Caroline Starr Rose
-Karen Hesse
-Hammer of God, Bo Giertz
I'm already reading Year of Wonders, a story of the Plague. I'll start Hammer of God soon for my theology reading group. We meet the third Friday of every month so I need to get cooking.
Writing
I'd like to work on my Marjory novel. It's a historical novel set in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in 1907. I'd like to write for a half hour a day. This will be a challenge! I will be very proud of myself if I can do this.
Research
I'd like to do research for the novel for half an hour every Sunday. This will be easy! I love to research.
Craft Reading
I'd like to read for ten minutes every day from KidLit411.
Critique Group
3rd Saturday of July, August, September
Submit a piece; read and critique the group's writing; discuss the industry and craft.
Creative Outings
I'm doing something one time per week that sparks my creativity! I have a list of things I want to do in this area. First adventure on tap is a jaunt to Smithfield Plantation (http://www.smithfieldplantation.org/)
Disclaimer
I retain the right to be completely flexible with my goals!
I'd like to read works of fiction for a half an hour a day. I could do more but I want to be reasonable and realistic with my goals. I want to set myself up for success! I research and write non-fiction for most of the day for my job, so I'm pretty busy writing already. But creative writing, as opposed to expository writing, is a whole different beast. In addition, I've factored in the time I spend with family, friends, church, running, and life maintenance into this new goal. Thirty minutes seems like a healthy and happy goal, and one I can maintain for eighty days. If I go over, it's just gravy!
Here's a list of books I'm choosing from; it may change as the eighty days go by, and I certainly won't be able to read all of these. Some of these books came suggested by a wonderful writer in my writers group, Marcie Flinchum Atkins. Check out her work here!!! http://www.marcieatkins.com/
-Geraldine Brooks, Year of Wonders
-The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
-The Orchardist, Amanda Coplin
-Chains, Laurie House Alderson
-Copper Sun, Sharon M. Draper
-Helen Frost
-Margarita Engle
-Caroline Starr Rose
-Karen Hesse
-Hammer of God, Bo Giertz
I'm already reading Year of Wonders, a story of the Plague. I'll start Hammer of God soon for my theology reading group. We meet the third Friday of every month so I need to get cooking.
Writing
I'd like to work on my Marjory novel. It's a historical novel set in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in 1907. I'd like to write for a half hour a day. This will be a challenge! I will be very proud of myself if I can do this.
Research
I'd like to do research for the novel for half an hour every Sunday. This will be easy! I love to research.
Craft Reading
I'd like to read for ten minutes every day from KidLit411.
Critique Group
3rd Saturday of July, August, September
Submit a piece; read and critique the group's writing; discuss the industry and craft.
Creative Outings
I'm doing something one time per week that sparks my creativity! I have a list of things I want to do in this area. First adventure on tap is a jaunt to Smithfield Plantation (http://www.smithfieldplantation.org/)
Disclaimer
I retain the right to be completely flexible with my goals!
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