Category: Reader

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This One’s Dedicated to All You Artists Out There

This past summer, my oldest son, Ryan, who is getting his Masters of Music Composition attended a music workshop in Darmstadt, Germany for two weeks. This weekend, I’ll be spending two days at a writers’ workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio ~ the Bed Bug Capital of the Country. Similar, but somehow different.

I am excited, anxious even, for the honest evaluation. This workshop, given by Writers Digest, is aimed at those of us who have written manuscripts, but can’t quite get an agent to bite. Call us The Rejectables, if you like, but the experts (their word, I trust it’s accurate) will read our first 50 pages and our query letters and tell us what Agents are really thinking when they mail back our rejection notices. I don’t think I’ll be the only attendee, therefore, I can find comfort in knowing that I’m not alone.

I have no problem being alone, though, I just want to be published.

This past Tuesday, I went to the national book launch (held right here in Des Moines, Iowa) for Sara Gruen’s new novel, Ape House. Gruen wrote the wonderful book, Water for Elephants. During the Q & A, I asked her what a typical day is like for her, and how that compares to a promotional book tour. Her response: “My typical day is 8 hours in a quiet room in front of a computer in my pajamas. A promotional tour is like being shot from a cannon.” Well, at least I have the solitary part down!

From my previous life as an art dealer working with dozens of visual artists and through my aforementioned son, I know that many of us creative types don’t just value our time alone, we NEED it. That’s not something that everyone understands, but it’s a fine example of one of my credos: Live and let live.

In other news: I have several friends who are writers from all different genres: Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Non-fiction; and all kinds of publishers (Self, University, Major). But that’s not really the news part, that I have friends, I mean. The news is that I have invited several of them to be Guest Bloggers on this site. I am eager (and I think you will find it interesting as well) to hear how they got published, their first-hand experiences. When I told this bit of exciting news to my husband (always the first to know everything in my world), he looked at me with a perfectly blank expression. Ok, so maybe only we artists are enthralled with other writers’ experiences, but nonetheless, I feel grateful that they have agreed to share their stories with me and you.

Now, I must go pack for Cincinnati. Can’t wait to hear what the experts have to say about my writing. You’ll be the first second to know.

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What a day for a daydream

I recently read a ten-year old, timeless book, On Writing, by Stephen King. I am not the first to say what a first-class book it is. I like his approach (not the alcohol and drug use)(in that regard, I’m so boringly boring), but rather his idea that if you have a good “situation” or idea, the plot and characters will write themselves. We all know it isn’t quite that easy, but I follow that dogma much more readily than John Grisham’s well-defined plot outlines that he stretches into a pre-determined novel. I’ve written two novels now, and they both ended in completely different places than I thought they would because they grew organically after my daily intake of strong, black coffee. I love that feeling when my fingers take over, my brain gets out of the way, and something totally unexpected results.

But back to Stephen King. He writes in Chapter Two of the On Writing section about the productivity levels of various authors. He compares (among others) “John Creasey, a British mystery novelist, (who) wrote five hundred books under ten different names” to Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird) who wrote only one book. King wonders: How long did it take (Lee and other less prolific authors) to write the books they did write, and what they did with the rest of their time? He asks, “If God gives you something you can do, why in God’s name wouldn’t you do it?”

Obviously, Stephen King was never a stay-at-home mother.

Today, I sit in my favorite Eames lounge chair, feet propped up on the ottoman, CNBC quietly keeping me abreast of the daily market fluctuations (Dow up 142 pts., at the moment), dog at my side, rain dribbling down the window over my left shoulder, clouds above obscuring the dreamy blue skies that I know are out there somewhere. Off to my right? Five muscular workmen remodeling my kitchen and bathroom. They have power drills, shop-vacs, radios, and cell phones at such a level that there is no way I could concentrate on Left On Blue, my new novel. I can’t even concentrate on the delicious novel I’m reading, The Invisible Bridge, by Julie Orringer. (I’m only 200 pages in, and I highly recommend it.) Would Stephen King have been able to concentrate in this chaos? Would he have gotten in his self-imposed 1000 words today?

As the person in charge of all things “household” in my family, it’s my job to sit here amid the clutter, dust, commotion, and whispered swearing in case there’s a problem or question. But writing? Not today. Reading? Sporadically. Eating? Standing up, out of a wrapper. Blogging? Ah, yes!

The best part, is of course, the workmen. Not in the way you might think, but in a writer’s people-who-are-fabulous-to-watch sort of way. The tattoos, for instance, they have several great examples to observe. And the clothing, ripped under the arm, stained from paint, torn at the neck. One guy has on a gray t-shirt with a skull as large as his extra-large abdomen, in RED, no less. Another man, is covered in sweat, I mean soaked clear through his t-shirt and his shorts. I comment on all this, not judgmentally, but as a seer of truth, a beacon of reality. Left On Blue takes place largely in Wyoming. I am positive that the workmen in Wyoming aren’t that different from the workmen in my kitchen. This is good stuff, man.

Will someone please tell Stephen King that just because I didn’t get my 1000 words in today, I’m still working here.

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Eenie, meenie, minie, moe

The dilemma, should you chose to engage: Ebooks vs. real books vs. audio books vs. movies

(Faithful readers, you’re going to have to suffer a little backstory for the newbies reading my blog. This, of course, ass-u-ming that anyone actually IS reading my blog.)(I know, I know, comments like this will NEVER bring me advertisers!)

Last month I mentioned that I went to see the movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and how much I enjoyed it, and how I was kicking myself for not reading the book first, years ago. I ran right out after the movie to pick up The Girl Who Played With Fire in paperback, and I read the 600+ pages in a couple days. This morning I tried to order a paperback copy of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest from my local Barnes & Noble store, to pick up later today, and got a text message back saying they only had a hardback copy available and that the price was $28, if I still wanted it. After careful consideration (and a quick shower), I declined their generous offer, and bought the book via Kindle for Mac for $9.99. Thus, in one trilogy, I will have had three very different experiences in the adventures of Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Sander. I can also throw in the audio-book experience, but from a different author: In February, I listened to Dark Place by Gillian Flynn, the story of a young girl who was the lone survivor of a murdered family.

So, what’s a popcorn-loving, minimalist-techie, avid reader to do? Read the book asap, and proudly shelve the novel once finished? Conspiratorially buy the ebook version, thus stealing strangers’ opportunities to judge me by the cover of the book I’m reading? Wait for the movie to come out and indulge my snack-habit? Plug-in headphones and sit like a statue for umpteen hours? Ah, the agony of choices!

In the past 12 years, I have moved 5 times… more than some people, less than others. But the past 3 times I’ve moved, I’ve had to give away stacks of books, out of necessity, not desire. I currently live in a fabulous glass and concrete loft with my fabulous husband, but I no longer have room for a fabulous library. Ok, so ebooks sound like the way to go. And, if I save money on “real” books I can pay for my latest obsession, aka the iPad.

But, I LOVE curling up with a juicy paperback (yes, I usually prefer paperbacks to hardbacks because they’re more intimate and cozy). There’s something just so… intimate and cozy about books. Ok, so then, make room for more books, or learn to enjoy giving them away. (One specific comment about Larsson’s trilogy: When I read The Girl Who Played With Fire, I must admit that I was a bit overwhelmed by 600 pages of Swedish names of people and places, and got all the ‘holms and ‘sons confused, not to mention I’m sure I massacred the pronunciations. The movie didn’t present that problem.)

In February, when we were traveling and I did not have access to English books, I downloaded the audio version of Dark Place to my iTunes, and listened to people being bludgeoned to death while at a sublime tropical resort. Not bad, as I laid by the pool slathered in sunscreen. At least I didn’t worry about getting the book pages wet or greasy. Alas, audiobooks are two or three times as expensive as ebooks or “real” books. However, I learned a lot about how readers will “hear” my own books.

And, movies? Well, there’s the popcorn aspect, and the rapid delivery, and the enveloping atmospheric visual delight, but movie adaptations rarely live up to the book. Movies don’t usually have the option (due to time and money restrictions) to go as deep into a story as a well-written book. Plus, who has the patience to wait for the movie if the book is one you want to read? Not me, unless I completely drop the ball and overlook a good book, as in the case of The Dragon Tattoo.

So… clouds clear, sun shine, crowds hush, like the old E.F. Hutton commercials… In my humble opinion, there is obviously a time and place and reason for all of the above. I (as a writer and a reader) really, really, really, really hope that “real” books will always exist, but I also hope that the iPad will come down in price by October, my birthday and our next overseas trip, so I can load up on the newest, juiciest, most fabulous ebooks to pack in my featherweight carry-on.

Mr. Jobs, are you listening?

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The Girl With the Enthralling New Novel

No excuse is a good excuse. But, facts are facts, and the fact is that I love movie-theater popcorn. Somehow I skipped over/passed by/was oblivious to a great book/author/trilogy. I’m talking about Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series, aka The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books. And, at the risk of committing blasphemy, I hereby admit that I saw the movie before I read the book!

Forgive me, stone me, just listen to me.

We all have 24 hours in every day. Some people accomplish much in life, others not so much. The reality is that each of us makes time for our own priorities. I have read dozens of books since The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was released in America, and I have spent countless hours working out, sleeping, God knows eating, etc., etc. And now I WISH I had made time for the book; the story was that good. The second installment in the series is the next book on my reading list… it just jumped ahead of other books I’ll probably also kick myself for not reading sooner, but nonetheless, The Girl Who Played With Fire will be my next book.

But the amazing fact that I just discovered is the similarity in theme between my new novel, That Changes Everything, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Sure, you have to strip out the details like location, occupations, and the serial rapist/murderers, but the bones are very similar. Both books could be described as such:

An accomplished man has just hit rock bottom. He meets a young, dysfunctional, seductive female. The girl tries to help the man solve a mystery and regain his life; some sort of relationship ensues; maybe they end up together… maybe they don’t. (Not going to give the ending away!)

Now, once you (meaning me) reintroduce a specific location, occupation, time frame, and unique problems, an entirely new book is created. In fact, I’ll bet few people would ever compare the two novels like I have just done because the circumstances and fluff are so dramatic that they greatly disguise the bones. And “to go one moment more,” I realized while I was away in Costa Rica, the same comparison to another of my favorite books that was made into a movie: Out of Africa. This time, you also have to change the genders of the two main characters, but the comparison remains.

Maybe what they say is true: There’s nothing new under the sun. Perhaps, but my novel is a compelling, current, intense version of two other great stories. It’s the story-telling that makes a book so delicious and fun. I didn’t realize it as I was writing, but now I can see the comparisons. I mean, hey, had you noticed the comparison between Out of Africa and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo before now?

Shameful self-promotion? Yes, but I believe in my work that strongly.

I think you’re gonna like it, too.

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Heart and Soul

“I am an all or nothing person.”  So says Danny King, the protagonist of my novel, That Changes Everything, and so says I.  Has it really been a month since I’ve written a blog?

I’ve been writing!  A lot.  I finished the first draft of my novel, all 73,000 words, and for about two days I was so excited and happy with it.  Then, like the devil perched on my left shoulder, whispers of doubt invaded my head.  What about this scene?  What about that scene?  Is this character entirely believable?  Totally sincere?  So even before I print off copies or send out query letters, I’m back to writing, and writing, and writing.  And reading.

A wise young man I know, also a writer, has an ongoing debate, with himself or anyone whom he can engage:  Is it better for a writer to read other great writers, or is it better for the writer in question to just get out there and live life, then write their own story in their own voice?  Ooh, good question.

The answer has many arguments, but like nature vs. nurture, I absolutely think it should be a combination.  No great stance, or position there, I realize, but how could one argue differently?

Off to read and write, not necessarily in that order.

Best wishes, Karolyn