One author's life in the writing trenches with news about her new NOIR SERIES, the pains and joys of writing memoir, her lust for travel, and an imagination that won't shut down.
Showing posts with label Barbara Sullivan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barbara Sullivan. Show all posts
Thank you, Cheryl
Fassett, fellow blogger and writer extraordinaire, for honoring me with a Fabulous Blog Ribbon. After a mixed
summer of highs and lows, you made my entry to fall, my favorite season, a
grander one.
Check out her blog Catching Fireflieswhere she captures
creativity, magic and inspiration.
I’m a little late thanking Cheryl due to a cracked rib. I
had no idea they hurt so much and could slow me down to half speed. But being
recognized by one of my favorite bloggers is enough to sprinkle fairy dust over
my writer’s world.
For those unfamiliar with blog awards, they
come with a set of “rules,” but I would rather call them guidelines and give
out awards without asking for anything back, in this case answering questions
and passing the award to five fellow bloggers.
Call me conflicted, but sometimes these
things remind me of a chain letter when they’re actually meant to help bloggers
expand readership and feel good about the time and energy they put into their
blogs. I know what it takes to keep up a blog, keep up with life, and keep up
with other people's postings, and therefore I am reluctant to add one more “to do” to the
list of these extraordinary bloggers. I hope you visit their pages to see why I love them so much.
Here are the guidelines for receiving this Fabulous Blog Ribbon: 1. Thank the blogger who gave it to you and
share the link back to the awarding blog. 2. Name 5 fabulous moments in your life. 3. Name 5 things that you love. 4. Name 5 things you hate. 5. Pass the award to 5 deserving bloggers.
So, without further ado…
Five Fabulous Moments
in My Life
The birth of my son, Jason
Finding my sweetheart, Dan, and being with him for
36 years
Discovering my life as a writer—over and over
and over again
Being in Paris the first time
Seeing Fleetwood Mac in concert for the first
time
Five Seven Things
I Love
My friends and family, with all my heart
Writing, writing, writing
Paris
Books by my favorite authors and discovering new
ones
Music, mostly rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, funk, French
pop, folk
Dancing
Art in all forms
Five Things I Hate
Crazymakers
The word hate
War
Dishonesty and greed
Not giving art & culture in our society and
government programs the recognition it deserves
Kirsten Steen and her exquisite blog Write-on-Thymefor keeping me in touch
with our beloved Paris (plus having such gorgeous music on her blog, too!)
New to the blogosphere in March, Karla Droste
with open heart and adventurous spirit takes us on her life-changing journey in
Re-inventing Karla
DianeProkop keeps my reading pile high, not just in height, but in the quality
of her book reviews and recommendations
Supremely gifted artist and creative, Beth I. Robinson, who keeps me laughing
and gives me the gift of being inside the head of a working artist (p.s. check
out one of my favorite pieces of hers at her website)
* Ribbon recipients: please accept this
Fabulous Blog Ribbon, enjoy
freely, post the ribbon, know that I give this ribbon to you with no expectation
of you having to do anything more than enjoy it for all the hard work you put
into your blog.
As for something to entertain you further, I offer this bit
of writerly eroticism:
Thanks for tuning in!
And yes, for those who asked, my cracked rib is healing
nicely. Thanks for being concerned!
Keep creativity in your heart and soul,
Val
COMING UP:
Where I Work: a photographic peek into my writing
spaces
A Confession: What happened after my six readers
responded to the Beta version of my novel
Sparrow here, Captain Val’s muse. Thank
you for all the support you’ve given her lately and, new pirates, welcome aboard the Gobsmacked.
I’m once again filling in for
Captain Val as she is a tad bit overwhelmed (taxes, polishing her novel, family, a
short trip to Ashland, and, well, life). For those who remember my last post
(read it here), she did apologize for calling me flighty. I’m not upset
anymore. She needs me. And what’s a muse for?
Of course,
now I have to think of something muse-like to write about. As my role is to
inspire and sprinkle some kind of writerly fairy dust, I decided that perhaps
the lot of you could stand a little sparkle also. It’s January, it’s winter,
the holidays are over, and don’t you feel a little … well, just a smidgen in need? of encouragement? of love? of
inspiration?
Good. Now
that’s settled, let’s start with a bit of humor, sent by Kathryn Lang and found at Jason Love’s website.
Isn’t it refreshing to see that
writers can make fun of
themselves—well most of them. I do understand your angst. We all have it. But
if writing is like dealing with cancerous tumors, as one writer told Captain Val, stop writing and become a pilot or a nurse, anything that
gives you joy. Life is short!
Now, onward to inspiration.
I am not a writer, just a muse. So I turn to others, your kin, with their words of wisdom. Think of what I offer as your very own
goody grab bag.
Let’s start at the beginning. 2012.
How did you approach the new year? Resolutions? A to-do list of all the things you want to fix or make or change? Now that we're in the year of the dragon, let's do something auspicious. Ellen
Goodman has a the right idea.
"We spend January 1st
walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done,
cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk
through the rooms of our lives ... not looking for flaws, but for potential."
Potential. I like that! Thank you Becky Green Aaronson for posting this.
Barbara Sullivan, Captain Val’s go to advisor on all things literary, uses
this idea of potential when guiding her through a rewrite. I paraphrase here:
Don’t look at what
isn’t working. Read through your novel. Look for and highlight all the
passages, scenes, descriptions that knock you out. The ones that cheer you as
in “I can’t believe I wrote that!” That’s the good stuff you want to tap. That
gives you the potential, the scaffolding, for everything else.
Captain Val’s crewmate, Chris
Scofield, sent this quote from Josephine
Demott Robinson, a circus performer in the first half of the 20th century. Her
advice not to let failure deter you is sound and is the idea that you need to
encourage your efforts. Like the inferred note of self-assessment too, not so
bad, a little more practice and you'll get there, an applicable bit of
inspiration for everyone. For writers, this can be what you need during each
rewrite.
"Never mind if you fall far short of the thing you want to do, encourage
your effort. If no one else will say it to you, say it to yourself. ‘Not so
bad.’ It will make the next effort easier and better."
Do you encourage your efforts? Do you give yourself credit for every growth jump you take? Captain Val doesn’t wait
to publish before she rewards herself. She rewards the levels of efforts it
takes to get there. If she finishes an application to a residency, she
celebrates. If she finishes a first draft, she celebrates. Every rewrite, every
move to the next professional level is cause for celebration according to her.
(Yes, she does like to celebrate!)
Another bit for those who love the
crazy free-spirited Jack Kerouac. In 1958, he wrote a letter to Don Allen and included a
30-point list of “essentials” that he titled “Belief and Technique for Modern
Prose.” You can read the entire list on Lists of Note, but here are numbers 14-17:
· Like Proust be an old teahead of time
· Telling the true story of the world in
interior monolog
· The jewel center of interest is the eye
within the eye
· Write in recollection and amazement for
yourself
The ultimate inspiration for
February and the Year of the Dragon? Kristen Lamb’s treasure chest blog Warrior Writers offers “Three
Steps to Freedom: Grab Hold of your Brilliant Future.” What a title! And this
is not just for writers. Everyone! Read this. Please! Here’s a taste:
This
blog is dedicated to helping writers holistically. We are more than robots
sitting at a desk pounding out word count. We have hopes, dreams, fears, bad
habits and baggage. …
Three Lessons of Confession
Confess the Real Emotion—Name It and Claim It
One of the first things that offered me a new sense of
empowerment was when I learned to confess the real emotion I was feeling.
Ah,
there’s my call to duty. Seems as if the Captain needs me for a few hours while
she polishes her novel.
My inner child at the moment
BUT
before I go, I want a word with the guy who wrote “Housebreaking Your Muse.”I beg your pardon! Muses are not DOGS! How demeaning! Muses everywhere
demand an apology. I know you were trying to be cute, but muses are energy,
light, intuition, not a bad pup that needs its nose rubbed in its pee. It’s the
writer who needs training, focus, meditation … whatever! Muses are always there for
our captains. So, please! No more!
Sigh.
Again,
gentle readers, thank you for letting me be here. Captain Val will be back next week.
In the
meantime, what inspires you? Can you see the potential instead of what doesn't work? In fact, tell us
how you're going to change your outlook, how you'll approach your project from now on. Will you now approach your writing with a fresh new attitude? What will you do? What will be your reward for the first step you take?
Oh, what fun! Captain Val would love to hear from you, and you don’t need to be a writer to do this. I
think February should be The Potential Month, See the Possibilities Month. Now
I’m excited!
For now,
until next time, much love,
Sparrow
p.s. And don't forget to call on your Muse for help! (But please, don't use a dog whistle.)
Coming Soon!
Captain Val Throws a
Creative Soiree with her Crew
Waiting for Wild and Why I'll Read Everything Cheryl Strayed Writes
How a Research Trip
to Paris went Aground and What Saved It
“It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join
the navy.”
Steve Jobs (RIP fellow buccaneer)
Me Hearties!!
What
a few weeks it’s been. I’ve been to Wordstock, am creatin’ a writin’ workshop to present on Tuesday, and finished
writin’ the last chapter of me novel. Ai! The last chapter. Nye, it’s not the
end. I’ve plenty to do in the finishing stages (more on that in a later blog),
but I have popped a celebratory champagne cork with my critique
group. I’m an ardent believer in rewards at every stage!
A Pulitzer Prize
Winner Writes by Hand?
Most
fascinating author at the Wordstock Literary Festival? Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan. She spoke about pushing the limit of form in fiction and working outside the
three-act structure or hero’s journey models.
And, ai, this Pulitzer Prize winner writes by hand. I be gobsmacked.
She
writes a first draft by hand and then enters the draft into her computer, not
stopping to do any editing or changes. After she has the computer draft, she
makes an outline of what she’s written with extensive notes. She is a “Seat of
the Pantser” writer, or as I prefer to call it an “Wild and Organic” writer, writing
whatever comes up in her first draft, not stopping so she doesn’t kill any good
ideas or the flow of her imagination. She said she never writes from her own
life.
With
her novel The Keep, she had this as a
working title, which I found hilarious: A Short Bad Novel. Writers often have a working title for their novels
as the best titles come from the writing of the beast.
Her
Pulitzer Prize winning novel Welcome to the Good Squad ended up echoing a concept album with sides A and B.
Linked short stories that thematically dealt with the music producing world.
When her publisher wanted her to decide what to put on the book—novel or short
story collection—she said neither because she wanted the reader to make that
distinction. It killed hardback sales. So on the paperback, she had them put
“novel.”
Jennifer discusses what inspired her and how the "novel" came about:
At Wordstock, Jennifer,
when asked by the moderator what she thought about meta-fiction and deconstruction
devices that break the usual form of fiction, she made this point: breaking
form has been going on forever. She used Middlemarch as an example, calling its form “flexible and odd.”
I’d never thought of that before, but it be true.
I
wandered around the booths and tables at Wordstock, keeping me nose to the
noticeable and that led to a number of tables that spawned tales
for next time, so you’ll have to wait for those.
I
also met an old friend Diane Prokop who moved to Portland, and she’s now
blogging reviews of books. She’ll be covering Anne Enright, Craig Thompson
(graphic novelist), Justin Torres, Sebastian Barry (Irish
playwright, novelist, and poet) and many more. Check out her site here.
Gobsmacked Awards & Paying Them Forward
Avast!
All me life, I’ve had an aversion to awards. Every award or honor seemed to be
attached to someone else’s rules and an opposing force that sunk the happiness. I don’ mean ta be snivelin’, just honest. On the same
day in high school just before being inducted into the National Honor Society,
I was put on detention for going outside to my boyfriend’s car to tell him not
to park where he was parking. He was there to attend the awards ceremony.
When I was told I would be Valedictorian of our
class, I lost both Valedictorian and Salutorian honors to two secretarial-prep
students. I don’t belittle their academic status, only they didn’t take
physics, trig, Latin, French, chemistry, et. al. for university track.
Ai,
I need to rid meself of this bilge and hold me pirate head up high when someone
gives me an award, so I go forth with a new attitude and graciously accept both the Stylish Blogger Award and the Versatile Blogger Award.
Thanks, Julie!
I don't know Julie Farrar of “Traveling Through …” personally, so receiving these awards from her is an even greater honor. After only ten months
of writin’ me blog, I'm even more gobsmacked at the awards. About Gobsmacked she said,
“I love her title. And I love her love of Paris and the Pacific
Northwest. And I love her pirate talk.”
Huzzah!
to you Julie and a tip o’ me hat. And in accordance with the rules of receiving these awards,
I offer seven doubloons of truth about me.
1) I don’t like black licorice or lima beans.
2) I’m a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary
because it means so much to my mom.
3) I am proudly a former back-to-the-land-style hippie who
has now embraced what I call a bohemian French lifestyle.
4) Although I’m not into sports, I believe that sports keeps
us from waging even more wars than we do.
5) I was trained in ballet even though I’m 5’9” and am not
svelt. I also learned tap, jazz and baton twirling. When young, I marched and
twirled baton in Memorial Day parades.
6) My first crush was on a boy named Punk. True!
7) I’m a Gemini with a Capricorn moon, Pisces rising, Venus
in Cancer, Mars in Gemini and Jupiter in Aries. That means I’m grounded, am in
my head a lot, and am tuned into the collective unconscious. The luck planet of
Jupiter being in Aries gives me an edge.
To Those I Admire
As
a captain who recognizes the steadfast and necessary work of others, I hoist me
flag to these five blogging captains and bestow the same awards on them, for style, because they each have their own, and for versatility because they are:
If
we all sailed under her compassionate care and intelligent insight, we’d rid
the world of numerous ailments. For those who need guidance, both in life and
in writing.
I’m certain Kristin has won these awards too many
times to count, but I don’t care. She’s a buccaneer of the first order in the
way she keeps every writer’s ship afloat. No shrinking violet or shaking in her
boots, not this pirate! She gives us the necessary guidance to fly our flags as
authors.
Lesley’s
new blog deals with “a woman’s reflection on the chronic chaos” of writing and
parenting. Ai! And she deftly ties the lessons of one to the other in ways only
a true creative mind and heart can.
“A Baby Boomer writer's insights into the challenges
of life as wife-mother-daughter-writer-dreamer-homemaker-reader-doer of all
things. Humor and Inspiration.” She receives the awards for her bravery and
honesty for reinventing herself.
For
having the Adams blood coursing through her pirate’s veins. We must never be
afraid to speak up, to try to enlighten the world about serious matters while
doing other work, such as Samantha’s good work of helping bloggers build their
world.
Who Guessed My
Muse’s Name?
Give a hearty Huzzah! to MaryJo Comins! She guessed the name
of my muse: Sparrow.
Sparrow, of course, is named after Jack Sparrow. Sparrow
mimics Jack in being eccentric and loving the pirate life, although she’s walks
more like Marianne Faithful than Keith Richards. Like all birds, she’s flighty.
She hangs around the ship as long as there are no strong winds and she’s in the
mood. In other words, I can’t always count on her, so I must carry on without
her at times. But she’s incredibly creative and inspiring when she’s focused.
Stay
on board for in a few weeks I’ll be introducing The Buccaneer Award.
Until
then, Ahoy! Carry on, and remember to do honor to the pirate code. For more on
that, take heed of Captain Jack’s Pirate Hats Fame. He and his family follow
this code of honor: http://www.captjackspiratehats.com/apirateslife.htm
Unlike their raping and pillaging ancestors, these
modern-day pirates are focused on giving back via art, entertainment, culture,
charity, and living history.
Me very best to you, maties,
Captain Val
Coming Up!
NEXT WEEK! Interview with
Jan Eliot, creator of Stone Soup—and it’s a good one!
What It Takes to be a Writer
(besides a serious masochistic streak!)
It’s
been a tough few weeks for my fellow writers, friends and family. Short
version: a sister who has separated from the love of her life; a close creative
friend having a daughter post a blog about all of mom’s perceived failures as a
mother; a dear friend and accomplished novelist who has had her editor
reject the latest novel while all along saying she loved it; and our oldest
granddaughter, well, for lack of a better way to say it, going to the dark
side.
Ai,
we all face a stream of these situations at times, and the combined heartache
loads us down too much to be creative or funny, and we have to wait out the
storm.
But
when the storm sends a giant wave that hits our writing broadside (like a lying
editor) you fear you’ll sink. The publishing world is cruel, no bones about it.
Writers pray to Neptune to manage the difficult waters. Our fear is we’ll be at
sea and Neptune will have a hissy fit, strike the ground with his trident, and
capsize our ship.
But
most of the time, the damage is to the psyche. Remember being picked last for a
baseball team? Now picture millions standing there, waiting to be picked for
their writing talent (or marketability, as the case may be). It’s not hyperbole
when people tell you getting published by a New York publisher is like winning
the lottery. I often think that submitting a new novel to an editor is like
taking a lovely new puppy to the vet, and the vet says, “I’m sorry, your puppy
is not as cute as the others I’ve seen,” then after examining your dear pup,
adds, “and your puppy needs a major operation, and I’m not sure which
organ needs to come out for your puppy to live.”
This
is how we often interpret editor’s feedback on "our baby." In order to stay afloat, writers
rely heavily on the advice of our fellow shipmates as to what to do.
Unfortunately, no matter our skills, our background, our connections, we can’t
control outside forces, we can only manage how we deal with them. There's no map to the right route. And sometimes that
results in wailing and crying and cursing, because who is going to tell us with
any accuracy what is wrong with our puppy and what organ needs extracting? Or
even if this is an accurate diagnosis? Add to that our new publishing world
and all those personal and family storms and we're lucky we can launch at all.
However! I believe it’s you, reader, who keeps us going and will ultimately
determine what speaks to you and who saves someone’s puppy. As one dear friend said, "Picture your novel on someone's bedside table," and I do.
My
heart goes out to all creatives, for we live in times where GDP trumps GNH
(Gross National Happiness in Bhutan). Ultimately we are alone in dealing with
our shipwrecks, our storms, and the attacks. But in the world of writing and
creating, our fellow crewmembers keep us from jumping overboard.
And
with that, I direct you, mates, to this blog entry, “Creativity,” by my
brilliant friend Barbara Sullivan. I think it speaks best if read aloud because
it connects the two body parts, heart and brain, that can never be extracted.
