Last day of NaBloPoMo!

Sure has been fun blogging every day. I certainly had no problem generating content, with all the events and reading challenges I've found. Haven't managed to get all of them squared away online yet, but have spent a few days roughing them out on paper. I definitely have my work cut out for me this coming year; I think I've have 15 books/month to read if i want to complete them all.

I suppose I'll keep up the daily blogging for as long as I can, but not be so worried if I can't get it in under the wire of midnight.

WoW: Johnson's Exercises/extra credit

Here is one of Johnson’s suggestions to get the writing muscles warmed up:

Spend five minutes listing everything you can think of that’s the color blue; tomorrow, green, and so on…

Wednesday, 11/12: blue
sky, water, kids' and husband's eyes, jeans, house, bird, roses, cloak, college colors, dragon, crayon, dress, feelings, comedy, diapers

Thursday, 11/13: green
leaves, traffic light, my eyes, diaper bag, mold, eggs, grass, money, vegetables, kiwi, apple

Friday, 11/14: purple
flowers, blouses, truffle tin, index cards, shoes, filing crates, amethyst, eggplant, rain, eyeliner, yoga mat, poppet

Saturday, 11/15: red
wagon, fire truck, lis, cheeks, cape, apple, tomato, ornaments, blood, balloon

Sunday, 11/16: black
cat, tie, bat, light, hat, book, box, night, mood, dress, hole, pride, clouds, limo, heart, panther, wolf

Monday, 11/17: white
paper, flag, rabbit, smoke, hat, snow, out, ghost, rice, sugar

Tuesday, 11/18: brown
cow, hair, nose, wood, stone, molasses, dirt, chocolate, leather

This was a hard one to do, for several reasons (mostly my fault):
I did these at night, usually when I was too tired to think.
I tried to limit myself to not using the same word for more than two colors.
I tried to limit use of same-category words within each color, like food and animals.

I probably would have gotten more from it had I not written them at the last minute, and maybe if I'd done the other exercise (the alphabet). Glad I gave it a try, though!

I've been tagged!

I'm still learning my way around the blogosphere, and I've managed to catch someone's (Alice!) attention long enough that I now have some sort of writing assignment:

Ok, so... 7 random/weird facts about me (I leave it to the reader to decide which are weird and which are random):

1. I was reading books on my own before I was 4. Kindergarten was a disappointment, I'd hoped they would have new books for me to read, but I was SOL. In first grade, the teacher tried to fob "Dick and Jane" off on me. Poor judgement on her part!

2. I take notes on nearly every book I read, not just because I want them to draw from for reviews, or because I am a quote slut, but it slows me down and helps me get more out of the book--I sometimes don't know when to stop skimming, if I let myself start.

3. I actually really love short story collections. Not that I need to find more authors to follow, but collections are actually my most reliable source for new reading material.

4. It bothers me to read a series out of order. I hate not knowing the full backstory that authors leave out for the sake of developing a good story. Unfortunately, I also hate it when authors provide too much backstory in their novels; it makes me think they're just bumping their word count and making the plot suffer.

5. I still read Lilian Jackson Braun's Cat Who... series, even though she jumped the shark a long time ago. (come on, you know she did, diety bless her heart)

6. I read my first Harlequin novel before I started 5th grade; it was my mom's, and I had her permission to read it. Of course, now, I wonder what the heck she was thinking...

7. My wildest (book-related) fantasy involves me accepting an Oscar for Best Screenplay (Book Adaptation)--for a Pern novel, and having Neil Gaiman sign it, even though he didn't win that year.

Now, for the next round of victims, I choose:

Linda, Chris, Janet, Jill, Nymeth, Ali, and Wendi

Note, my taggees don't have to have a bookish theme, I only did because, um... baaaaaa!

Write on Wednesday: Warm Ups

Do you do writing exercises or warm ups? Do you think they could be valuable? Have you found warm up exercises helpful in some other area of your life, e.g. art, music, athletics?

Extra Credit: Try one of Johnson’s exercises above, and post about your experiences. Or create an exercise of your own and share it.

I've been wanting to start the Artist's Pages on and off for a few years now. A friend of mine was going to "lead" a group of us with this, but had to put it off due to too much life happening at once. I should ask her if she's still interested. I'm sure that both kinds of warmups (freestyle and themed) are valuable, each in its own way, and this is probably different for each writer. I used to be a middle-distance runner (800m to 5K) in high school (which was 20+ years and 40 pounds ago), and I know that practice (from sprints to long-distance running) and conditioning (stretching for flexibility, and weights for strength) were crucial to my performance.

I think I will try one of Johnson's warm-ups, maybe for a week, and post those results a week from today.

Thursday Thirteen #9: 13 Things I Miss Most About My Pre-Motherhood Life

Thirteen Things about Marina



1. Ability to read more books and
2. reviewing them (quantity and quality).
3. Going to book groups.
4. Writing in general ("real" blogging and letters).
5. Online conversations with other book lovers.
6. Trading books with people from all over the U.S.A.
7. Space I had for books and writing.
8. Browsing for hours at the library,
9. and in bookstores.
10. Reading challenging/difficult material (as opposed to fluffy/cozy mysteries--not that they aren't good writing--sometimes I just need different brain cells engaged, yanno?
11. Staying up 'til the wee hours to finish a good book.
12. Being able to read (or write, or type) without anything attached to one of my boobs.
13. The quiet. The blessed, blessed quiet.




Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. aliceaudrey shows us 13 OMG pictures
2. after hours offers moms some sage and outrageously funny advice to get through one's day
3. Twisted Cinderella talks about how having a newborn reschedules one's day
4. Anna posts her first T13 and introduces herself
5. Sue answers two memes and posts 13 facts about herself
6. Nicholas lists 5-word titled books
7. Sheri tells us about her "Stupid Injuries"
8. fickleminded didn't post a T13, but invited me to her new photo meme

9. [you're next!]




The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Watch this space

I'm hoping to blog regularly again soon(ish).



Morgann is 2 months old (that's what I've been occupied with since I last wrote) and I'm finally trying to take back small bits of my life. I'll be participating in NaBloPoMo next month (because no, I'm still not ready to tackle a novel), so I hope to have something for y'all to read daily, be it a meme, a review, a blogroll, or an excuse for not having book-related content in the post.

It seems I'm not up to the challenge after all...

I am barely 2/3 of the way through my second of three books for the Book-to-Movie Challenge, ending today. I'll finish Cider House Rules for the sake of finishing it in 2007, but I will save Neverwhere for another challenge (perhaps the Fairy tale/Mythology one in the spring). I'm disappointed that I didn't push myself harder.

Looking back on the month, I didn't write what I wanted to; I really wanted better content on the site, and to start drawing regular readers, but I couldn't seem to stick to my self-suggested assignments. Maybe I will try again next month, or in January (probably the more realistic goal, given the holiday season). I'm finding that it takes so much time to do the networking necessary to get that readership, that it seems hard to justify that effort right now; that is, it's hard for me to see the payoff.

My husband wants me to have more drive for my "career", to formulate a plan towards earning money. It's a fair request, but I truly do not know that I can be successful. I know that in everything I've tried so far (journalism, government,teaching, library) I've been burned, and I am afraid that my last beloved thing will be ruined for me if this, too, goes south.

Well, I am going to start on a master list of "assignments"; reviews of the Harper Collins books, challenges, regular memes (like Thursday 13 and Saturday Review of Books), and other articles to write, so that I can move toward a more professional attitude, and start acting like I know what I'm doing.

Har har.

Review two-fer

I may have come up with a solution to my severe reviewing backlog! Up until now, as I've read a book, I've taken notes, or at least marked pages to which I need to return (say, for quotes I want to discuss). However, I don't usually do this with much of my non-classic fiction. After I've finished reading, I draft my review on binder paper, thus setting up a (large) space to fill. I think that, in the case of these long-ago-read books, I'm putting too much pressure on myself to write that much about a book I barely remember, and in most cases, have no notes from which to draw. So, I found a stash of index cards from a long-abandoned project, and I am using those as my draft papers. Hopefully, this will further my goal of getting these older books out of my house, and in turn make more room on my bookshelves so that I can someday dismantle and repurpose my brick-and-board setup. I will probably still have to invest in some new shelving (at least 6 of my current units are double-shelved), but freeing up that wall space in favor of a better-laid-out office will help our living situation a lot.

Anyway, here is my first Index Card review, of Death at Gallows Green, by Robin Paige:

I find it interesting that they introduced Beatrix Potter as a character in the tale. I didn't know it at the time I'd read this book [a few years ago now], but at some point during the research, the decision was made to give Potter her own series--which is now on its fourth of eight titles.

Team Paige writes a good mystery and believeable characters; they also use the results of their research to good end. They are not over-cautious about what naughtiness they unveil, and their tension-building (in terms of the Ardleigh-Sheridan romance) flows at a reasonable pace.

I also find the English versus American theme to be highly entertaining and informative. It's interesting to see how different authors handle it; I'm currently reading Wharton's Age of Innocence and am finding the undercurrent of snobbery quite similar.

This is the second in the series; Death at Daisy's Folly is next [it also needs reviewing]. I can't remember offhand if I've read the fourth (Death at Devil's Bridge) yet. This particular book goes in the "give back to friend" pile.

Another tack I'm going to try with my reading: I've a few dozen (at first pass, anyway) books that should be readable in a short sitting, and hence also quickly reviewed. Those books are in a stack, which I'll pull from daily until they're gone. By doing this, I might have a chance at reaching my goal of 100 read for this year.

So, the first book I chose (because I have to send it to my expecting-within-a-month sister very soon) is:

First Six Weeks: Baby Tips (Little Terror series), by Charlotte Preston and Trevor Dunton

A nice, quick read (perfect for the fact that new parents don't have time to read), only a few questionable pieces of advice, which may actually be a factor of the published date of the book [it's nearly 10 years old].

The points I found lacking: when listing the "cons" of formula feeding, they missed the ones about future weight gain and risk of developing diabetes; I also don't understand what they mean by stating that babies don't cry at will for the first 3 months--that just doesn't sound right, or at least not how I'd describe what's going on with the crying. The author also suggests highly diluted orange juice to treat constipation, whereas my sources say that citrus juices should not be introduced so early. They also talk about the safe use of covers (in the interest of preventing SIDS), whereas now, someone's come up with sleepsacs, which are much safer, and quite easy to find.

I do like how the author reminds the parents to keep communication lines open, and that she's honest about the energy level that's to be expected.

I'm all caught up with my page count for Age of Innocence. I may try to get ahead tonight, just so I'm not rushed to finish just before I drive into Austin for the book group discussion.

Nearly halfway through the month!

I need to get out of this reading/writing lull, and quick. I've put off my normal weekly errands until tomorrow, and it's also Thursday 13... and I still need to fix up last week's posts.

*sigh*

You'd think, with the night off from the husband, I'd have gotten more done.

I finished 3 more chapters of Puss 'n' Cahoots, now I'll be putting it away until I get Age of Innocence finished.

Texas Book Festival, Writers on Reading

Session 1, Writers on Reading: Valerie Martin and Jane Hamilton, Russell Perreault (moderator)

[I arrived plenty early to this one (I was worried that it would be packed, as free books were part of the deal), despite leaving 25 minutes late. Anthony had awoken, and I decided to get him diapered and started on his breakfast so it would be one less thing for DH to manage without caffeine, and in his state of Ick-fighting. I finished preparing the books I’d be releasing with all the BookCrossing information I could manage, and ate my breakast.]

Jane Hamilton started the discussion off by opining that the book festival raised Austin to the “highest state of grooviosity” she knew. She said that she doesn’t think of herself as a genre writer, but if pressed, says that she writes thrillers. Hamilton also talked about her experiences with Heart of Darkness, and admitted that authors sometimes could not answer the discussion questions in reader’s guides.

Valerie Martin opened her portion of the talk by sharing a story illustrating how some people are nervous about talking to authors, and suggested to book group leaders that they provide plenty of good food and drink if an author comes to talk to their group. She also defined fiction as a conversation between the author and all the books they have read before, and directed our attention to specific novel mentions in books--the author is really telling you “go read this” (also). One good discussion topic in book group is what other books to which the author leads your reading. She explains further that novelists write from a disagreement with something that another author has written, that everything an author has to say about the book is in the book (this is why she feels strange talking about her books).

A few more points the Hamilton had to make (in response to questions) include: if an author reads while writing, they run risk of incorporating the style and voice of the other author (Martin agrees about fiction, but acknowledges that one always has non-fiction research to do, but that this doesn’t interfere--Hamilton concurred), that her characters always evolve while she’s writing them, and that writers are either never really alone while working, or are completely comfortable with it.

Works and people cited or written by the authors:
Trespass (VM)
Light of the Piazza (novella and movie)
Sephora and the Slave Girl (Willa Cather)
Elizabeth Taylor (author, not actress)
Disgrace (Coetzee)
Property (VM?)

Tomorrow is storytime and errand day, and voting day. I’ll write up another talk from Saturday after I’ve wound down from all that. Oh--good news--my aunt is rallying, and it looks like she may have some more time with us yet after all. Our family will probably pay her a special visit when we go out to see our new nephew in December.

I did it

I have 10+ pages of handwritten material for my DayDiary submission. I can't publish any of it until after the book comes out, and then only 500 words worth (assuming that any of it makes the cut). I will check in later to write about the writing, the day, and how I'm getting by with no sleep. That kid had better take a nap today so help me...

I told Steve last night that I might could be book-published next year. He was surpised and happy. I haven't slept since 6:57 yesterday morning. I have to walk away from the writing so I can breathe and figure out how to clean it up for submission. I have a lot of chronicle and only a little depth and humor. Did not get to bake bread last night, so must go fix big salad and coffee for husband, hope it gets him through the day.

Links, explanations later, when I can see straight again.