My friend Marna’s very first book just went live yesterday, it’s an ebook and everyone should go buy it here:
And because Marna is just cool like that and her book lends itself she set up a cafepress shop.
And I should point out my other friend Sonja also has ebooks, you can find those here:
Phew. It took me almost two weeks to get through “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield. I picked this book up because i kept seeing recommendations for it, plus at least one friend who suggested it well over a year ago. But it’s a bit of a dense book.
Part one defines and talks about what Pressfield terms Resistance. Resistance is that inertia that keeps you from writing or pursing your dreams. Anyone whose ever stepped outside their comfort zone knows this well. Resistance is that little voice that tells you to put it off, you can do it later. Much of this I already knew, but that’s because I made the decision a year ago to stop letting it get me and just write.
The second part talks about what differentiates the professional from the amateur. I found some relief in this part, that even though i haven’t sold a darn thing I still, by the definitions of this book anyway, fall into the category of the professional. Mainly I show up to do it every day, I at least expect to get paid for it (eventually), and well, it’s a job, not just a hobby.
Part three, well, some parts of it made me roll my eyes a bit. Here he gets into angels and muses and the divine well of inspiration and ideas. I think a lot of this is open to debate, but I do see where he’s coming from.
It’s not a bad book. Just one I had to read slowly, in pieces. A lot of it I knew already, but it’s always reassuring to realize you aren’t crazy, the process is normal and in fact if you’re not meeting Resistance then perhaps you should check yourself. I’d recommend it, if nothing else just for the assurance factor.
Okay, looks like this is the week you get to read about me struggling to finish this draft. I confess Monday I didn’t work on it at all. Yesterday I reminded myself I needed to just get on with it and kicked out another chapter. Today I’m going to hopefully write the chapter that needs to be done from scratch. After that, is one more chapter. And I think the final chapter from the first draft shouldn’t need a lot of work. So, I’m looking at being done by Friday, as I said before.
Yesterday while I was out I found myself browsing a book section, feeling anxious about things. Picked up “M is for Magic” by Neil Gaiman. Using that as bribery right now. No reading it until I finish. It was also pointed out to me that “Little Brother” by Cory Doctorow is available online under Creative Commons, because, well, it is Cory Doctorow. I really enjoyed “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom” last year, so I’ll undoubtedly read this one too, at some point. Probably go ahead and buy it though.
Between Cory and Neil and some others I think I need to seriously spend some more time in the YA section.
Any of you that have been writers for any length of time (or college students) have probably heard of “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. I picked it up a couple of years ago after hearing about it. Finding it involved a slight bit of adventure in that I had to go to two different bookstores before I finally found the slim volume.
This is the best book on writing that I own.
It can also be coma inducing. It’s pretty dry in places. And most of the advice is stuff you’ve probably heard before. But for clear, concise writing rules (with examples) you can’t get any better. There is one main rule I keep at the front of my brain whenever I write:
17. Omit needless words.
We’ve all heard that one before. But there are 22 other rules, plus an extensive section on style. It feels kind of like having an affable English teacher in your pocket.This book is simply a must have in any writer’s library.
Harper Collins is putting American Gods up for the next month, free of charge. This was the first book of his that I read, and I’d highly recommend it. Just click on the the link below.
Taking this off of hiatus.
I have Internet at home now and can give this site the care and attention I’ve wanted to. So the question is, what have I been doing for the last month? Reading, mostly. I’ve gotten some writing done, but for the most part I’ve been making use of the local library. This entry has the non-fiction and DVDs:
Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People by Helen Zia
I’m pretty much as WASP as they come. I grew up in places where it was rare to see a minority face. So perhaps because of that I’m always interested in learning about other cultures. This book is a fascinating look at what it is and has been to be an Asian in this country in the last fifty years. It talks about the troubles and triumphs both within and without the Asian American community. I felt like I got a glimpse of a world I knew very little about.
Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll by M.G. Lord
In case you couldn’t tell, I like to browse the non-fiction section. This book caught my eye. Like most girls in this country I grew up with a couple of abused Barbie Dolls. This book is a fascinating read, full of trivia about Mattel and Barbie (for instance, the original Barbie had her eyes downcast to appear more submissive) and also an examination of how Barbie has influenced the culture, or perhaps how the culture has used her.
The View from the Vysotka: A Portrait of Russia Today Through one of Moscow’s Most Famous Addresses by Anne Nivat
I’ve always been interested in Russia. This book is by an admitted Russophile, a French woman who now makes her home in this vysotka on Ironmongers Quay. The book is a series of interviews with both the people who work and live in the vysotka and their perspective on Russia. Three vysotka were built at the end of Stalin’s life, massive skyscrapers that were supposed to point to the future. This one overlooks the Kremlin.
Flicks
Moonlighting, Seasons 1&2
I was somewhere around 7 years old when this show debuted in 1986, so I’d never seen it. Despite laughing at some of the mid 80’s technology (rotary pay phones!) and clothing (shoulder pads!) this show is still funny and entertaining just on its own merits, especially the dialogue. Anyone who wants to study witty banter and sexual tension could do worse then this show. “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice” is a noteworthy season 2 show that was done mostly in black and white, a daring thing the executives were sure would be terrible. Of course that episode was brilliant. The season two Christmas show was also great, especially an unexpected, touching, tribute to Christmas at the end.
Guns, Germs and Steel
I admit I never could finish this book. So when I saw the National Geographic channel special at the library we grabbed it. This three part series was interesting, but perhaps because I was already familiar with the theories of the book it wasn’t earth shattering.
Trekkies
Confession here: I used to be a HUGE Star Trek geek. I could probably write a whole entry about the influence of Star Trek on me. About the extent of my fandom these days is I’m a regular reader of Wil Wheaton.net. So, I’d heard about this documentary, but never seen it. The first thing I have to say, compared to some of these people, I am so not a geek. This show is a funny, sometimes freaky, sometimes strange look at the fans of Star Trek, focusing its attention, of course, on the ones that are perhaps a bit more out there. Still and all, one comes away from it feeling that for the most part Star Trek fans are an intelligent, caring bunch. And the cast interviews are great too.
The Human Face
This 4 part BBC miniseries was an excellent look at an intersting subject. Hosted by John Cleese with some help from Elizabeth Hurley this books explores it’s subject and unearths many interesting facts and people. For instance, the golden ratio, 1|1.618 applies to beauty. If you could find it, I’d recommend it.
Is it irony or sheer churlishness that I used a rejection letter as a bookmark in a book about the joy and zest of writing?
Ray Bradbury has long been one of my favorite authors. My first exposure to Bradbury was my parents worn copy of The Illustrated Man, which I read as a teen. Once I discovered a love of science fiction, there was a used bookstore in town where I could acquire cheap 60’s copies of all sorts of scifi. Bradbury, Clarke, and Heinlein were my beacons at that age. Star Trek (I preferred the classic) was my first fan fiction. I emulated the stories I loved, borrowed characters and made my first clumsy attempts at spinning my own worlds.
So imagine my burst of joy when I finally spotted this book in the store. I’d heard of Zen in the Art of Writing before, but I’m fairly certain I’d never laid eyes on a copy. There was no question I’d buy it.
Whoa. I dog eared one page. I never dog ear books. To me, often, books are precious things that should be handled with care. But this one…this one begs for a highlighter, for dog eared pages and a well worn, almost falling off cover and a broken spine. This book shouts about a writers Truth far better then virtually any book I have ever read, and I’ve read a lot of books about writing.
Bradbury lays it all out. His philosophy, his joy. The essay “Drunk, and in Charge of a Bicycle” actually brought me to the verge of tears. I can’t remember the last time an essay did that. It’s a book that may challenge you and shatter you.
This book belongs in any writers library. Really it applies to any creative person. And clearly, I can’t recommend it enough.