By nature, I pick everything apart. And while that proves true for almost every media stream out there, for some reason when it comes to superhero movies it isn’t a problem. I had a blast going on about some of my most anticipated.
I share my thoughts at SFSignal today. Check it out!
I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff VanderMeer last week and talk books, fiction, and inspiration. He also brought copies of Booklife and Finch. I haven’t yet jumped into Finch, but man, I’ve got to say, Booklife is the book I wish I had two years ago. I am envious of all the writers out there who have access to this book now, because they have so much essential information in one place. They won’t have to make as many stupid mistakes as I have, nor feel as aimless, floundering around trying to figure out what to do once the book is finished (or even begun, in some cases).
No, I don’t mean to imply that Booklife is magic. It’s not. What VanderMeer makes clear is that establishing a healthy Booklife takes a ton of work. There’s a great deal about VanderMeer’s book that speaks to the individual and their own contribution to their career; in other words, just because you have the manual doesn’t mean you’ll figure out how to run the machine. It takes lots of elbow grease and, over the long haul, lots of resilience.
But through all the talk of hard work and determination, of coping with rejection, of building networks, VanderMeer never loses track of what brought him to writing the book in the first place: a passion for writing. But even that is measured most cleverly. In the “Private Booklife” section, VanderMeer defines the “Pillars of Your Private Booklife”: curiosity, receptivity, passion, imagination, discipline, and endurance (167).
He’s right, absolutely, and I love the flow of those concepts. Curiosity is a willingness to seek out; receptivity a willingness to absorb–passion, in a way, synthesizes the two by stoking the flame. Imagination, then, processes all three into something new, into a creation, while discipline grants perspective and focus. Lastly, endurance for the long haul. Because it gets hard, and if you don’t keep at it, those earlier pillars just won’t hold.
It occurs to me that many writers have weak pillars. I know I do; namely receptivity and discipline. I can get so wrapped up in my own research, my own stories, that I forget to find space to be inspired, and to reach out and help others. A bit of writer’s myopia there. And discipline, yeah. I’ve gotten much better, but since having my own Booklife-type epiphany a little over a year ago (i.e. treating my writing process like laying a foundation for a career instead of a pie-in-the-sky fantasy) I still struggle with discipline (Twitter, I’m looking at you).
I’ve also struggled with endurance a great deal this year. I am a patient person, always have been. But certain events this year have really pushed my limit, left me feeling really lost. Admittedly, being faced with my first novel rejection had a big downer factor. Then there’s all the uncertainty surrounding the state of some of my current work, which I can’t really get into at length (because I’m not a public person in that respect) but I can assure you is frustrating. Beyond. Frustrating. But, yes, a seemingly endless lesson in endurance. The hardest thing for me has been to keep writing in spite of it. I’ve done it, to varying levels of success, but it it has been hard won.
No writer is perfect. We’re all terribly flawed, and we have to be to write well. To be aware of ourselves, our process, our approach, makes us better writers and brings us closer to our characters. But it all starts with work, within, and turning our creative inclinations into a solid foundation.
For more discussion, check out Booklife online, too.
(I’ll be writing more about Booklife and reflecting on the reading, etc., a little later. Stay tuned!)
Unless you’re me. Oh, it isn’t that I never tried. It’s just that Austen always seemed a little too foofy for me, a bit too girlie and modern (to a medievalist, anyway). Not to mention that in undergraduate and graduate studies I was constantly trying to distance myself from women writers and feminist readings because everyone always assumed that’s what I was. I wanted to play with the boys and talk about chivalry and brain bashing. I didn’t want to have anything to do with feminist bullcrap.
Yeah. That was pretty stupid of me.
I entirely blame my son for my becoming a total feminist. No, on the surface, I don’t look like much of one. I’m a stay at home mother who loves cooking, knitting, and gardening. But I’ve also got two degrees, and have been writing novels for the better part of my life. That my son makes me happy–that being his mother is exactly What I Want to Be When I Grow Up is a different approach to feminism, you might think. But to me, it’s not. To me it’s no different than another woman deciding she wants to be a CEO or a barista or a truck driver or a journalist. It’s about choice and agency–being able to make that choice.
Anyway, most of what I’m reading these days is by women authors. And when I visited my great-aunt, she gave me a beautiful edition of Pride and Prejudice which I had never had occasion to read. Of course, I’d seen various televised and movie versions, and we both noted Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy as the absolute dreamiest. That an 80 year old woman and 27 year old could agree is a little amusing to say the least.little too foofy for me, a bit too girlie and modern (to a medievalist, anyway). Not to mention that in undergraduate and graduate studies I was constantly trying to
On the ride home, after having decimated Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks on my way there, I picked up Austen, likely for the fifth time. I just never could get past the first few pages before. But this time, it worked.
No, Austen is not for everyone. But what is so remarkable to me is how flawlessly her novels are structured. As I read I kept glancing at the progress throughout he book–physically–with where the plot is moving. She weaves and winds, pulls tight some strings, and lets others dangle, while always maintaining remarkable control.
I think about Austen, as a woman, very often. And reading her works give me a window into a world of a woman who, born in a time as restrictive as hers, gave a voice to her struggle with wit, humor, and poignancy. Though she was not the first woman writer, as some critics often treat her (there are quite a few of those in the Middle Ages) she is no less remarkable.
It’s strange, as in many college courses, they teach classes like “English Before 1800″. You lump together almost two milennia of writing, you miss the nuances, and the changes. And in the view of all those years, Austen is absolutely radical.
I’ve heard that Persuasion, her last work, is arguably her best. And I look forward to reading it. For me, her characterization is just so endearing and, dare I say, effective. No, there is no brain bashing in Austen (unless you’re talking about the zombie flick they’re doing)–but what she accomplishes in dialogue and detail is really, truly, not to be missed.
I’ve been making an attempt to read more. Our power went kaput yesterday, and without electricity, I picked up one of the books I received for Christmas, Emma Bull’s Territory. It had been suggested by a listener a few months ago, who said my style reminded her of Bull’s a bit. I didn’t realize how large of a compliment that was until I picked up and started reading.
What strikes me about Bull is her ability to infuse the book with its own personality. It’s beyond narrative voice, something that Paul Jessup was talking about yesterday in his post about narrative urgency. It’s almost to the point where the book literally comes alive in your hands. And the best books do this flawlessly, bringing you in as sweetly and silkily as possible. With so little time to read these days, I just don’t have time for books that come off as under-confident or take a while to cut to the chase. If a book seems uncomfortable in its own binding, I’m just going to put it away.
My goal this year was to read some great fantasy from living writers that is not George R. R. Martin. It’s been three years since his last book, and I’m at the point that I’ll have to reread the entire series again when the next one comes out. When I was younger, I had time for that. These days, not so much. So I’ve read Cherie Priest, Elizabeth Bear, Joe Abercrombie, and now Emma Bull.
What strikes me about Bull is that her book is so balanced. Of course I haven’t finished it yet, but in comparison to the other writers I’ve been reading, Bull’s book just feels better. It’s a remarkable balance between the characters, the narrative voice, and her incredible talent for description that, while short, evokes an entire world. (As I’ve Twittered, too, I have a soft spot for cowboys and magic, of course, so perhaps I’m a little biased).
Now, I know, apples and oranges. It’s not fair to compare this to the other books, which include modern day gothic horror, epic fantasy, and urban fantasy. But I don’t think genre really matters when it comes to voice and bookish personality. Take Bear, for instance. I really enjoyed Blood and Iron, but the book’s personality shifts 3/4 of the way into the book. I know why Bear did this, it’s a choice a writer must make, and she chose to alter the way she was telling the story to fit the events within. But as a result, I put the book down for a few days and felt a little distanced from the story through the end
I can’t say what exactly makes that balance. It’s a combination of a hundred elements, likely, including dialogue, description, narrative voice–even font and production. I know that as a writer myself, its probably the hardest thing for me to recognize in my own work as I edit because, well, that’s my voice. Every character is a decision I’ve made, and I have no idea how it works as a whole. This is why The Aldersgate is currently lying in state. I want more distance before I do the final edit.
So, is this just me? Or do others notice book personalities, too?
I’ve been contemplating a netbook for a while. For the last ten years I’ve been a Mac person, having gone through two iBooks and a MacBook, as well as an old iMac and a new iMac. After leaving my job as a copywriter, the MacBook started feeling a little too big for me. Aside from GarageBand, there’s nothing on it that requires much in the way of graphics or memory. I write, I surf the web, period.
So when I saw an Asus Eee PC at Best Buy a few weeks ago for $199, I got very curious. I mean, for the price? That’s nuts. I fiddled with the model, and decided to take it home.
Cute, white, Linux. Yes.
However. As any forum will tell you, the 900 4G model is pretty much broken out of the box. It works at first, but if you try to install any system updates, the whole computer basically implodes. The pre-installed version of Linux basically takes up everything but a sliver of space. Go geniuses at Asus.
According to some of the forums I read, Asus was upset with the rate of return on this particular model, and therefore lots of managers at BB are slashing the prices, in hopes to move the stock. But, you can’t play it out of the box.I mean, the trackpad won’t even work properly!
So, we snagged a copy of Ubuntu, and reinstalled and… lo and behold. I have the coolest little netbook on the block!
A caveat, though. Typing is not as easy. Definitely takes some getting used to. And, I’ve yet to really fall in love with text edit, GoogleDocs, or Ooo. I tend to write in GoogleDocs, though, and send it over to Scrivener on the husband’s MacBook. Because, frankly, Scrivener helps me organize in ways that no other program can. But it’s definitely on a large scale. For day to day writing, GD or text is fine.
The best part is that Tyrol (the netbook) can go anywhere. While cartrips were nearly impossible with the big MacBook screen, I can actually plug this baby into the lighter spot, and go indefinitely. It also fits in my purse. My purse! And while, at first, the connectivity seemed an issue, this has apparently resolved.
It’s not perfect. It’s slow sometimes, and cranky. But I’m not looking for perfection. I’m looking for a way to write, wherever I am. Not to mention with the sale of my MacBook I was able to pay for this computer and have cash to spare! Not bad in this day and age.
Overall, I say the computer gets a solid B. But if you aren’t willing to tinker with it, I don’t recommend it. It’s a great deal, though, for a budget conscious family, and with possible upgrades to the SSD, it could even be better!
Update: For the long term this little netbook was not a relationship made in heaven. The typing just never got easier. Or it did, but the wear on my fingers did not. The keyboard on the Eee makes the ; key a half key, and to use it, I have to turn my finger just so. The result? Cramps in the fingers for long-term writing.
If you’re looking for a comfortable keyboard and are a home-row typer, this is an issue and, in my case, something that can’t really be fixed. Unfortunately I’ll be eBaying Tyrol. 
Let’s clear something up first. I’m not an avid TV watcher. I don’t stake out stations like I used to, planning my evenings around programming. When I watch a show, it’s usually on DVD and most likely cancelled–a la Firefly–or on its way out, like Battlestar Galactica. And my route to the show usually involves someone, like in the case of Lost, insisting to me that this MUST BE SEEN. Because of this filter of friends and a distance from commercial interruption, I think I tend to hit right most of the time. Except with Heroes. What has been seen cannot be unseen.
So, it was through the casual mention of a pair of friends of mine that I realized, with a little prodding, that indeed Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series was being made into what I assumed was a mini-series. I’m not sure why I thought that, considering the sheer girth of all the books–one alone wouldn’t fit in a mini-series, let alone the whole lot of them.
This past weekend, fingers tired from writing and plotting a WIP, I decided to take a TV break while my husband continued to blow things up in Fallout 3. Enter Hulu. I saw the little teaser and figured: okay, sword and powerful women, pretty costumes. Yeah, I’ll watch the first episode.
Um, so, yeah. In three days I watched all nine episodes. And as a huge fantasy geek (but not a purist, I don’t think) I thought a little review would be helpful for those interested in the show who may not have yet seen it, or know what it’s about.
A few caveats. I haven’t read the books since I was fifteen, and the memory is a little groggy. I also have a weak spot for impossible romances, dynamic sword fights, and wizards. In the face of those weaknesses I can ignore a great deal. I also like New Zealand. A lot. So if this is biased, so be it. I’ve warned you.
The story is basic as fantasy story lines go. A young man named Richard finds his life turned upside down when he runs into a beautiful woman from across the boundary named Kahlan; she is searching for someone called the Seeker, who is prophesied to kill the evil overlord Darken Rahl. Rahl of course has been reigning terror on the Midlands (that place over the Boundary) for the last 23 years, and is a baddie to end all baddies.
Richard, of course, discovers that he is this Seeker, but in the process also learns his father is not his father, and that a strange old man has been watching him for the last 23 years (in the books, he knows Zedd quite well, just doesn’t know he is, well, a wizard). Madness, murder, mayhem, and many adventures ensue.
Except, well, The Legend of the Seeker (FYI, still not sold on the name… sounds a little too hokey for me, and a bit too much like the last Susan Cooper movie and the famous kid on a broomstick) is really a re-imagining. They’ve taken the heart of the books, lightened it up significantly–especially in the character of Kahlan, who comes across as much warmer than I recall–and turned it into an episodic series with swashbuckling, magic-making, and of course, a dash of impossible romance.
I honestly couldn’t figure out what was so good upon watching the first few episodes. Yes, the costumes are gorgeous–rivalling some of the stuff from the Rings movies (I wonder if some of the folks working on it, in fact, worked on that movie, too). The fight scenes? I’ve never seen such convincing and beautifully shot scenes before on a television series. I watched, and loved, the Hercules/Xena franchises back in the 90s, but let’s face it: fighting was not their forte.
Then, well, I saw Ted Raimi. Where Ted Raimi is, you know Sam’s somewhere. And lo and behold, a quick look at IMDB revealed that yes, in fact, he’s an executive producer. So there we go. Not surprising that the filming is so impressive, not to mention that the sense of humor is left in tact (and it’s humor along the lines of Firefly, not goofball like Hercules, thankfully). And, I discovered, Terry Goodkind himself is involved and is helping mold this particular imagining, which I think is a huge contributing factor to its quality. Writers are often too aloof to be involved, or strictly forbidden from involvement!
True, there are lots of Richard without a shirt shots, cheesy homages, and a few unconvincing actors. But by and large, the relatively unknown cast holds their own. And I’ve got to say, Bridget Regan pretty much looks exactly like Kahlan as I imagined her, not to mention her awesome costume. Her chemistry with Craig Horner is great, and that’s really central to the whole story. Not to mention Bruce Spence who, if you look closely, is the same dude who was the Mouth of Sauron in The Return of the King. Thankfully he’s considerably nicer in this particular incarnation, and though his Zedd towers over the one I’d had in mind, he captivates the wily, weird, and wacky Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander with near-perfect pitch.
I’ve noticed the quality of the episodes has actually improved consistently throughout the telling, and I’m admittedly hooked for a while. Though I’m a little worried they’re spending so much money on the show (but not the website… agh, ABC and Disney, this was the best you came up with?!) and that it airs on Sunday nights–but, well, for the meantime I’m enjoying myself. It’s been a long time since a true high fantasy TV show.
Check it out if you’ve got the chance. I’m always concerned about shows I like biting the bullet, but at very least they’ve filmed 22 episodes. Tempted as I am to drag out Goodkind’s tomes again, I think I’ll wait a while though… well, that journey is another post in and of itself!
You can watch Legend of the Seeker on Hulu, or on ABC depending on your local schedule.
(N.B. OH! And holy crap. I just realized Craig Parker, who plays Darken Rahl, was Haldir in LoTR… oh dear. The blond wig was confusing, but I knew I’d seen that smirk somewhere…)
