tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30625096925909987542024-02-07T11:53:00.831-06:00Sarahlynn's Reading and Writing BlogHerein lie my my thoughts as I read, write, parent, read some more, think about editing, then take a nap.
I used to work in publishing; now I stay home with my children. Late at night, when everyone else sleeps, I write. My website: <a href="http://www.sarahlynnlester.com">SarahlynnLester.com</a>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-28998534758048211512022-02-13T22:18:00.003-06:002022-02-13T22:18:57.606-06:00Reader’s Block<p> Let’s skip over the fact that I’ve failed to blog for nearly two years. Lots has happened! I started grad school. Switched to a very, very cool program. (I’m working on my MFA in Creative Writing at Stonecoast and am currently studying epistolary fiction and non-traditional novel forms.)</p><p>I’m currently 14 books into my 2022 reading year, and it’s going great so far. But my phone (Reddit) has been a huge distraction to prolonged focus. This issue started in the early days of the pandemic and hasn’t lessened. I have to choose my books carefully, and if I reach too hard for a “should read” book, I play game after game on my phone instead. (See, for example, <i>An American Marriage </i>. It’s good! But I know the read is going to hurt, which makes it hard for me to keep going.) </p><p>Apparently, David Markson wrote a novel called </i> Reader’s Block</i>. I haven’t read it. But that title! Resonance. I’m adding the book to my thesis reading list for next semester. </p>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-88410093015362879772020-02-09T16:07:00.000-06:002020-02-09T16:13:35.107-06:00Hunger Games Birthday PartyI don't think of myself as creative. I think of myself more as a reteller or a modify-er or an adapter than a creator of original content. I'm not sure what it means to be <i>original</i>, exactly. I write novels. But, is any story truly original? For Mother-Son Glow Night at the elementary school, my son and I wore all black instead of neon on all white. We took bright tape and made ourselves into colorful stick figures--love those black lights. But, maybe I saw a picture of something like that somewhere? And, I throw birthday parties. Before kids, Paul and I threw themed parties for holidays and Harry Potter book/movies launches. These days, it's mostly kid parties. We've hosted <i>The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe</i>, <i>Peter Pan</i>/Tinker Bell, Super Mario, <i>How to Train Your Dragon</i>, firefighter, My Little Pony, Alton Brown's <i>Good Eats</i> (okay, that was creative), Angelina Ballerina, <i>Sing</i>, Warrior Cats, and Harry Potter.<br />
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This January, we recreated <i>The Hunger Games </i>as a 13th birthday party.<br />
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When guests arrived, they wrote their names on slips of paper and dropped those into a glass bowl for the reaping. They each chose a district and decorated a jumpsuit based their district's specialization. The kids got really creative! They modeled their attire, and the most creative uniform earned its creator a prize. <br />
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The next activity was makeup. Tributes made up themselves or each other, and they could stencil on tattoos, do a beauty makeup, or practice their camouflaging skills. Another judging, another prize. (The prizes were framed posters of quotes from the books.)<br />
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Now that they were all made-up and costumed, they had one-on-one interviews with Caesar Flickerman. This activity was a version of the cannot-tell-a-lie/don't smile game. Caesar shared with the audience one ridiculous thing about each tribute, and the tribute had to pretend it was true and elaborate on their supposed skill--without cracking up. This was hilarious. The winner (a girl who apparently chews others' fingernails when nervous) won a prize.<br />
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Enough stalling. Time for the arena! Decked out in their clothes-protecting coveralls, tributes entered the arena (about an acre and a half encompassing our yard and the yards of our two closest neighbors). They were each armed with colored chalk powder (think Holi or a color run). A pile of silver bags lay in the middle of the driveway at the start--the cornucopia. Silver bags containing additional weaponry (liquid/powdered chalks and squirt bottles/guns), water bottles, and beef jerky lay scattered around the arena. Every 15 minutes or so marked a new day, and if contestants went two days without finding food or water, they died. Dead tributes--lost to hunger or battle--could reenter the arena as "mutts." The contest lasted about 6 days.<br />
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Afterwards, cold kids warmed up with hot chocolate inside, and we moved on to the Victor's Feast. In addition to cake and ice cream, attendees enjoyed capital stew with wild rice, "Peeta" bread, Prim's goat cheese, and nightlock berries (blueberries and blackberries). In the center of the table was a tiny, glass goblet containing an emesis inducer. (It was just vinegar, and the kids enjoyed daring each other to try it.)<br />
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Once full, they moved on to "tributes for the Capital," or gifts for the birthday girl. As they left, guests took silver "sponsor gifts" home with them. These were the party favors and contained soup, bread from Mellark bakery, burn ointment, bandages, tracker-jacker repellent, and tracker-jacker antidote. They also got a photo taken immediately after The Hunger Games, when they were muddy, cold, and covered in colored chalk.<br />
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We had a blast!Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-15975810969669583992019-12-19T11:21:00.000-06:002019-12-19T11:21:12.722-06:00I Have an Agent!I enjoyed the querying process, but I’m done! In November, I received offers of representation for my latest manuscript, <i>Opposite of Down</i>. And, in early December, I signed with an amazing agent and agency.<br />
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I‘m thrilled to announce that I’m now represented by <a href="http://bookendsliterary.com/about-us/#Davis" target="_blank">Naomi Davis</a> at BookEnds Literary Agency.<br />
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My favorite Christmas present this year is the editorial letter from Naomi. The changes she recommends for my manuscript are manageable, in line with my vision for the book, and will make it so much stronger. ❤️❤️❤️<br />
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Back to revising.Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-70066858606952627402019-12-05T08:00:00.000-06:002019-12-05T08:00:02.116-06:00Writing from Hobby to Career--Part 2I've always wanted to be a writer. When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. (And I was already writing stories.) By the time I was a teenager, I wanted to be a doctor-writer. I read my mom's copy of <i>Prince of Tides</i> and imagined my days as both a psychiatrist and an author. I went away to college (full pre-med track but also an English Lit major) and saved all my science textbooks and notes for future use in fiction.<br />
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Fortunately, I realized that "it sounds fun and also might make for good stories" wasn't good enough reason to go to medical school. (If it were free, I'd totally still go. Medical school still sounds fun to me! But I still don't want to actually work as a doctor.)<br />
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I want to work as a writer. So, here's how I took my writing from hobby status to career status. <br />
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Hobby status. I wrote novels (4+ of them), short stories, and essays. I blogged daily. I threw myself into NaNoWriMo. I drafted in a cafe while my daughter was at preschool. I participated in a critique group. I read a lot. I followed industry blogs and websites. I took classes on campus and online. I joined a writing group and attended a convention. Pretty serious hobby, right? <br />
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Career status. I got more serious about all of the above. I wrote three more novels, each time identifying my weakest tendencies and attacking them. I don't like hurting my precious characters? Fine. Next novel has DEAD CHILDREN in the backstory. My close-third-person perspective isn't close enough? Fine. Next novel is first person, present tense. My pacing is soggy? Fine. I'll outline a novel I love and map my own outline/character/story to the pacing of the published novel I like. I began writing year 'round, not just when it fit into my schedule. I threw myself into a <i>weekly</i> critique group then joined a <i>monthly</i> critique group on top of that. I submitted work to contests and first page reads for feedback. I had headshots taken and a website developed. I became more thoughtful and intentional in my social media presence. I joined a second writing organization (and a goaltenders group and a writing accountability group). I started querying my critiqued manuscripts to agents.<br />
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But the biggest switch was mental. I stopped thinking of writing as a "some day" activity. I stopped putting everything else in my life first. I stopped apologizing for the time and money I spend on writing. I started acting like writing was my job. "I won't be here when you get home from school, because I'll be with my writing group. Let yourself in and text me--I'll be home soon." "No, I'm sorry, I can't volunteer in the school library on Tuesday afternoons--I'm in critique group then." I began thinking of myself as a writer.<br />
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And you know what? I <i>am</i> a writer. I have many career goals I have yet to achieve, but I'm doing the work I can do to achieve them. My writing is far better than it was ten years ago, but hopefully nowhere near as good as it will be ten year from now.<br />
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In the meantime, as they say, "Writers write."Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-60202066213672477572019-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:002019-11-21T08:00:00.917-06:00Writing from Hobby to Career--Part ITwitter is full of writers feeling guilty for not writing. In the evenings. Over weekends. On vacation.<br />
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Lots of people in more traditional jobs work from home on evenings/weekends/vacations. Does your career commonly have the "I should <i>always</i> be working" guilt that writing has for many authors?<br />
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I have a hypothesis about why so many writers feel this way.<br />
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Most of us start writing as a "hobby" before we go pro. We write late at night, after our families are asleep. Or we wake early to write in the pre-dawn quiet. We might borrow thirty minutes of our lunch breaks at work. Grab the opportunity provided by waiting in the car-rider pick-up line at school. We plot during exercise. Draft during kids' TV shows. Edit aloud in the shower.<br />
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And most authors never fully leave that space. Many keep a "day" job until they retire. But, even if an author is fortunate enough to be able to chose to make writing their only job, the mentality of writing fitting into every free moment, every liminal space, every unstructured corner of our lives is hard to lose.<br />
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Our practice of writing is from its inception entwined with borrowed, stolen, and found moments.Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-71885940052890418852019-11-07T08:00:00.001-06:002019-11-07T08:00:11.223-06:00NaNoWriMoIt's National Novel Writing Month! And I'm, well, I'm writing. Hopefully 50,000 new words before December 1st. I don't start a new project each November. What I do is work on a novel throughout the spring/summer/fall then finish a first draft in a furious 50,000 word burst.<br />
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In some ways, that's easier than doing a proper NaNoWriMo--I already know my characters, voice, and story. On the other hand, beginnings are easiest and most exciting. Middles are challenging--keep them tight and not at all soggy! And endings are tricky--pick up all the threads you've introduced intentionally or subconsciously and tie all the pieces together.<br />
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In December, I'm a soggy noodle. A soggy noodle with a lot of Christmas/end-of-year stuff to accomplish. But it's worth it to have written a book a year for the past few years. I revisit each chapter as I send it to my critique group, so the draft is solid by the end of the chapter-level-critique process each spring.<br />
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I love the camaraderie of critique groups, writing groups, and accountability groups--including NaNoWriMo--in what can be a solitary occupation. I wouldn't change a thing.Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-48688509677171112902019-10-24T15:13:00.000-05:002019-10-24T15:13:01.438-05:00Is Querying Hard?That's what writers who've been through the process say. "Querying is hard." I always thought they meant that <i>rejection</i> is hard. And that's true--rejection is not a lot of fun. I wrote novels (and edited and critiqued and workshopped them) for twelve <i>years</i> before I was both a strong enough writer and also ready to weather the waves of rejection. <br />
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Still, the process seemed overwhelming, and I wasn't sure how to start. Bearing in mind that I'm new to querying and am far from expert at the process, here's how I've approached the task of finding an agent. The below notes are for fiction only.<br />
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1) Complete your novel. Revise it. Work it through critique groups and beta readers. Enter contests to get feedback. Polish it until it shines. When you can't make it any better without professional/editorial feedback, move on to step two.<br />
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2) Why query agents? If you want to indie/self publish, or you're pursuing small-press publication, you can maybe skip querying agents with your manuscript. But, if you're hoping to be published by a major publishing house, you'll probably need a literary agent. Most editors/big houses do not accept unsolicited submissions.<br />
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3) According to QueryTracker.net, there are about 2,000 literary agents. Which one is right for you? And how do you know? I started at QueryTracker. Agents > Search for Agents > Advanced Search > Genres. Selecting my genre narrowed 2000 agents to 117. This is a far more manageable number. What next?<br />
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4) One of my critique partners, <a href="https://johndavisfrain.com/" target="_blank">John Frain</a>, spent much of last year searching for an agent. He created a table to help keep track of various factors to help him determine which agents were likely to be good fits for his work and career goals. I took his table, tweaked the headings, and asked Paul to make it into a spreadsheet for me. Now, bear in mind that my categories are completely arbitrary and possibly wrong. I needed a place to start. The first two columns are Agent Name and Agency. I've removed those from the attached image, but I've found including Agency as a separate column is critical. Many agencies have "only query one agent at a time" or "a no from one is a no from all" policies, so being able to sort by Agency is important in the AgentTracker spreadsheet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQZcsvt_YwGoPCfSoK5IbocFZskfI2dtUQh-K34o_Q1etD5fofQ-_Ykafete6bq5px5BPJs-68EJgxWCSZvK6nmj18DPlYE0wnQGRyRVDL3ZRL2KAuqHnr0Wyfpbgp9qSgKpXwe2HLI8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-10-21+at+2.35.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="1013" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQZcsvt_YwGoPCfSoK5IbocFZskfI2dtUQh-K34o_Q1etD5fofQ-_Ykafete6bq5px5BPJs-68EJgxWCSZvK6nmj18DPlYE0wnQGRyRVDL3ZRL2KAuqHnr0Wyfpbgp9qSgKpXwe2HLI8/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-10-21+at+2.35.40+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
5) Now, I know who to query first! I started with "matches" of 8 and above and am working my way thought the list, sending several queries a week. But, how do I keep track of all my submissions? That's a different spreadsheet. Again, Agent Name and Agency columns are redacted. Also, some agents use QueryManager rather than email for submissions. I include those links within my Agent Query Submissions spreadsheet, but removed them for this image. I use colors to differentiate the two different novels I'm querying right now. (I've also learned to send only one project to each agent.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1VGw98jtq07JfTTGYav5Absorv-5sBrgh5LgxOii9Zn5N_XS4I9ML0QiVFZo2VXtabALSBnPB1yQZV2_lmDptdCqmRM8zAuCxdiO56KBB_2SKTR3PqWQNi0op_ATz8MfTRH3fRzG0e8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-10-21+at+2.50.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="1117" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_1VGw98jtq07JfTTGYav5Absorv-5sBrgh5LgxOii9Zn5N_XS4I9ML0QiVFZo2VXtabALSBnPB1yQZV2_lmDptdCqmRM8zAuCxdiO56KBB_2SKTR3PqWQNi0op_ATz8MfTRH3fRzG0e8/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-10-21+at+2.50.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
6) The query! Finally! I worked on my query letters for weeks. I read <a href="https://queryshark.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Query Shark</a> and other industry blogs/columns until my eyes blurred. I went through several drafts of each letter. I ran them past my critique partners and, for one project, a professional editor. I continually tweak the letters. But even a solid query letter isn't enough. In my experience, a personalized query earns more personalized responses (both personalized rejections and requests for more). By "personalized query," I mean more than simply addressing the letter to its intended recipient. That's a given. I mean: I'm querying you because you represent this author whose career I admire and here's why. Or: your website says you're looking for projects like this and here's how my project does that.<br />
<br />
Populating the AgentTracker spreadsheet took me easily 60 hours of work. But each customized query takes the better part of an hour by itself.<br />
<br />
So far, perhaps because I was so ready for it, the rejection hasn't been too hard to handle. Still, querying is hard (time-consuming, creatively demanding) work. It's also--dare I say it?--a lot of fun. Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-6604735822943144662019-10-10T14:09:00.000-05:002019-10-21T14:11:24.328-05:00Autumnal Mood<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
I feel melancholic in autumn.</div>
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I always have.</div>
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And I love it.</div>
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In college, a small, wooded area stretched beside the field between the sophomore and senior dorms. I'd escape into a copse of trees, sit against a trunk, and cry into the rain. </div>
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Autumn is a time of beginnings: new school years, my birthday, a reprieve from stifling summer heat. </div>
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It’s also a time of endings as the leaves wither and fall, I grow another year older, and the calendar year wanes. </div>
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I love the scent of rain, the threat of an impending storm, the invigorating tempest, the soothing pattern of a drizzle. But I hate the humid aftermath. </div>
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The muggy wake of a storm front feels like my head after crying--after the dam has burst and the excitement has past. I’m dehydrated and yet swollen. Puffy eyes, mucous breath. </div>
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So too the air seems after the rain passes, and I’m left wondering: what’s next to look forward to?</div>
Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-500713246540852042019-09-26T07:35:00.000-05:002019-09-26T07:35:06.847-05:00Improving Craft--and Acumen I started what would become my first full-length novel during NaNoWriMo in 2007, almost twelve years ago. At the time, I had a preschooler and an infant. I'd just stopped working (in health sciences publishing) to stay home with the girls. <br />
<br />
I still love the idea of that book, <i>Seek Ye First</i>. It's a scavenger-hunt mystery set partially around St. Louis and partially in an online gaming world called Poirot. But the writing wasn't great. I had a literature degree! I read <i>a lot</i>. At the time, I kept a daily blog. I should have been able to write, right? But no. What all that knowledge and experience enabled me to do was to recognize (eventually) that my writing wasn't great. <br />
<br />
My POV was too distant, my verbs too weak, my stakes too low. (I created these awesome characters and didn't want to hurt them.) Tell, not show--I had a great fondness for summarizing scenes. <br />
<br />
To be honest, I haven't perfected my writing. But, it's significantly better in 2019 than it was in 2007. In the intervening years, I've written four additional novels that will live in the box under my desk until our leaky roof destroys them. <br />
<br />
I've also written two novels that I am proud of. <i>Finally!</i> And I'm very excited by the novel I'm writing now. And the one I'm outlining to write next.<br />
<br />
In addition to reading and writing books, over the past twelve years, I've taken writing classes (online and on campus). I've participated in several critique groups. I've read a lot of industry blogs. I joined local/national writers' groups. I've found beta readers and entered contests. In short, I went from being an aspiring writer to treating my writing as a profession.<br />
<br />
Maybe I waited longer than I needed to start sending my work to agents. I thought I was ready twelve years ago. I wasn't. I'm ready now.Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-68111210984708858022018-05-29T20:58:00.001-05:002018-05-29T20:58:19.700-05:00Publishing that First BookJ. K. Rowling's <i>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</i> was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/revealed-jk-rowlings-original-pitch-for-harry-potter-2017-10" target="_blank">rejected by twelve publishers</a>, the story goes.<br />
<br />
Ouch. How wrong they were, we think.<br />
<br />
But were they?<br />
<br />
Common publishing practice recommends querying agents and editors by sending a 250-word letter introducing the novel (like back cover copy--the intent is to entice, not to give away the ending) and the first chapter. I have no idea what Rowling's query letter looked like. Writing engaging query letters is a different skill from writing good novels.<br />
<br />
The world Rowling built in the Harry Potter books is wonderful, amazing, magical. That's really hard to demonstrate in 250 words. And that first chapter . . .<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
#</div>
<br />
My eldest daughter is 14 years old. She has Down syndrome and isn't an especially strong reader. As we're heading to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter later this summer, Ellie is reading <i>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</i> aloud to me. This is a laborious process for both of us. We stop after every paragraph to discuss and make sure she's "getting" it. <br />
<br />
I've read Chapter One at least four times before, but never like this. And I've gotta be honest--it breaks all the rules. It's sloooooooow. It's really more of a prologue than a first chapter. We start with a not-very-interesting minor character (Vernon Dursley) and follow him through an entire day. I get why Rowling starts this way. She's introducing the world of magic through the eyes of someone very much outside that world. <br />
<br />
For a fast reader, someone already invested in the story, or someone willing to give a book longer than one chapter to get interesting, this works great. But let's be honest. <i>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</i> really picks up in Diagon Alley. That's Chapter 5.<br />
<br />
So if publishers were wrong to reject Harry Potter (and financially, obviously, they were) it's perhaps because of the early decision model as much as any individual business decision. It's a tricky thing to allow for a potential break-out success that breaks the rules. Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-52938804101496476062014-08-17T20:11:00.000-05:002014-08-17T20:11:34.396-05:00Following ThroughThese days, authors often talk about how fun writing is. I read dust jackets and learn that, for many authors, writing is about spending time with their imaginary friends, more like play than work. After reading quite a few authors talk about their processes in this way, I began to despair. Writing is hard, sometimes tedious work for me; does this mean that I am not real writer? A few years ago, I stumbled upon <a href="http://blog.sarahlynnlester.com/2009/06/so-whats-your-method.html" target="_blank">Nick Hornby's description of his frustrating writing process</a>. For him writing can be horrible, irritating, grim, and dull. Relief!<br />
<br />
Today I stumbled upon another writing process gem. I'm reading <i>Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World's Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor: A century of wisdom</i> by Caroline Stoessinger. As a child, Alice was friends with Franz Kafka. "Alice would beg him to tell her the stories over and over again. But she always wanted to know the ending - and that he could not answer. He simply could not complete his work. Later on, he would write, 'I am familiar with indecision, there's nothing I know so well, but whenever something summons me, I fall flat, worn out by half-hearted inclinations and hesitations over a thousand earlier trivialities.'"<br />
<br />
Aha! Another glimpse of my truth. Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-38607672202543670702014-06-11T23:45:00.001-05:002014-06-11T23:45:21.107-05:00Hope<div><p style="margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you." - Ira Glass</span></p></div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"I love this quote. In fact, I've shared it on social media before. The idea of the gap is really helpful because it's hopeful. It tells you that you have good taste--which is a prerequisite for making good art. Thus, the very fact you're making crap art but you know it's crap gives you a hint that you can someday make good art. I love that. Usually, this time is really frustrating for a young artist, because all she makes is crap. And, of course, we've all seen artists who don't have good taste; they believe everything they make is wonderful, and that poorly trained taste keeps them from improving past a certain point. I was lucky to get early encouragement, where other people thought what I was doing was better than I thought it was. I also was lucky to hunt down some people who made a living writing who told me frankly, Kid, you can do this." - Brent Weeks</span></div><div><br></div>O<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">h, hello, hope. It's lovely to see you 'round these parts again. Lovely. </span>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-23556273192055668882014-02-28T17:45:00.000-06:002015-02-11T14:48:30.445-06:00Three Is Greater Than Two"Three is greater than two," I say apologetically when people
ask me about my writing. In other words: I'm not writing. I . . .
underestimated . . . the difference it would make in my life to move to
three children from two. Misunderestimated. I love being a mom and I
am besotted with these unique, amazing little (not so little!) people
I'm getting to raise. But I've yet to find space for myself in all the
physical, temporal, and mental chaos of my life, so I'm not writing.<br />
<br />
That's
true and also incomplete. I can write anecdotes and passionate
arguments on Facebook all day. But I'm not writing creatively. The
difference between a Facebook post and a blog post highlights the other
reason I'm not writing. The Big reason. The Real Reason. A Facebook
update can be quick, funny, incomplete, utterly lacking in context. It
can simply be a picture. It can be a short conversation. It's a
snapshot of a moment. The way I blog, on the other hand, tends to be to
collect anecdotes for a few hours or days or weeks or years, then
assemble them into something that makes a sort of narrative or point,
even if it's a very short or simple one. Blogging - let alone writing
memoir or fiction - requires perspective for me.<br />
<br />
Perspective and some sort of connection to emotion. But emotion is <i>painful</i>,
y'all. I feel like I barely get through my days doing the things that I
need to do. Children dressed and off to their appropriate places with
their appropriate things (snacks, water bottles, lunches, signed
permission forms, money for this that and everything else, dance gear,
gymnastics apparal, instruments, music, themed hats). Weekly schedules
created and maintained. Meals planned, shopped for, and prepared. I've
given up on cleaning up altogether. Committees worked. Summers
planned down to the minute. These classes, these camps, these
vacations, these meals, these structured free times. We don't do so
well with unstructured time.<br />
<br />
And as for me, I find a sense
of accomplishment in managing and balancing all of this. I call it My
Life. I also have something to pour into the space where I used to keep
writing and dealing with emotions and exercising and tidying my house
and whatnot. That something is food. I look forward to what I get to
eat next. Predictable results, etc. But doing My Life and then eating
and reading or watching TV or playing Nintendo or whatever else I do
after the children are in bed and before I turn into a pumpkin (more
committees) - in the space I used to use for writing or running or both
(in addition to reading - there's always reading, for better and for
worse) all of that allows me to mute my feelings.<br />
<br />
And
muting my feelings is a relief. As a teenager I felt so much, so
acutely, it was unbearable. I filled notebooks with scrawls of rage and
pain, pages warped by tears. Becoming an adult - and this happened
gradually in my early-to-mid-twenties - was a relief. I could feel it
happening. I sought it out. I called it perspective, I called it a
mature ability to organize my thoughts logically, to present arguments
rationally, to exist in a world with lots of pointy edges.<br />
<br />
When
I'm feeling a lot of pain, I can distract myself with TV or books or
games or busyness and try to think about the pain as little as possible
until a skin forms over the gaping wound, until I can examine it from
afar without pressing too hard on the tender spot. This is a coping
mechanism, and it works - to an extent - but it's not conducive to good
writing because to <i>write</i>, I have to <i>feel</i>. I'm not sure I even remember how to turn that back on, anymore.<br />
<br />
It's
not that anything so bad has ever happened to me. I've lived a pretty
charmed life. But it's cumulative, you know? I was a kid, and I was
hurt by things I'd shrug off, now. I've had friend drama (and loss),
relationship drama (and loss), family drama (and loss). I have a child
with disabilities. She's great, but it's a lot to manage, sometimes. I
have children, and that really is sort of like letting your heart walk
around out in the world unprotected. I lost my dad too soon. It's
easier to just . . . mute that a little. Let the skin grow closed, just
a thin layer, so that light gets through but not too much. A
manageable amount. That's how I'm living my life these days: in
manageable amounts. Later, I'm sure, there will be more writing.<br />
<br />Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-71552874889738534042014-01-16T20:19:00.001-06:002014-01-16T20:19:25.343-06:00Radio SilenceHello, fellow readers! I blogged regularly from 2004 to 2011 (here and elsewhere) and then sporadically for another year or so after that. But lately . . . not so much. I'm still reading and writing, but I've fallen out of the habit of blogging-for-fun. I post my book reviews at Goodreads and my cute kid anecdotes on Facebook. I imagine that I'll be back here regularly again someday, perhaps when Child #3 starts preschool in the fall and I free up a bit more creative bandwidth from endlessly hilarious games of make believe. Until then, thanks for stopping by and happy reading!Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-73540807814004895222012-03-07T16:04:00.001-06:002012-03-07T16:04:48.462-06:00Gentleman's Agreement by Laura Zametkin Hobson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lMb-ZlnQLDL9a0-gQ-ckSnsQYuGWx_PoZuke809_9I-hOeT5DoPLKaCuhsB_CTKju-884u7ZHh5U2aAw4ckXDscR_kRm9lH8s5diPlKuW2uE4FmaW3Jt0cfOkddgzAy_gmfYhoPrYa3D/s1600/Hobson_Gentlemans-lowres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lMb-ZlnQLDL9a0-gQ-ckSnsQYuGWx_PoZuke809_9I-hOeT5DoPLKaCuhsB_CTKju-884u7ZHh5U2aAw4ckXDscR_kRm9lH8s5diPlKuW2uE4FmaW3Jt0cfOkddgzAy_gmfYhoPrYa3D/s200/Hobson_Gentlemans-lowres.jpg" /></a></div>Have you read <i>Gentleman's Agreement</i> by Laura Zametkin Hobson No? Well, you should read it! Everyone should read it! Once upon a time, lots of people did - it spent five months at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List after it published in 1947 - but it has since fallen out of favor. I'd never heard of it until a friend picked it for our book club's February selection, spurring probably the best discussion we've ever had.<br />
<br />
The novel's current lack of visibility might be due in part to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gentlemans-Agreement-Laura-Z-Hobson/dp/0877955514">its Amazon blurb</a>: <i>The plot of GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT concerns the experiences of a young Gentile writer who poses as a Jew in order to secure material on anti-Semitism for a series of magazine articles. A thesis novel concerning the social and economic aspects of anti-Semitism in American life.</i> <br />
<br />
No, really, it's <b>good</b>! I wrote all over my copy of the book, and then typed up my notes. And, yet, it was fun.<br />
<br />
It's a quick read, easy, but not shallow (except a little right at the end). And it's non-threatening, too, for a book with such a <i>point</i>. The main character is an ally (not prone to some of the major prejudices of his day) which casts the reader into the same role and allows us to hear hard truths and appreciate them while thinking ourselves exempt or hidden.<br />
<br />
This is one of those books that has stuck with me and I find myself using some of its figures of speech in my everyday life weeks after completing the read. Flick, tap.<br />
<br />
The novel is about a California-based widower and writer who gets a job with a major weekly magazine in New York City and relocates his family. The first people he meets are his new editor - who gives him the assignment of writing a series on antisemitism - and the editor's niece - who inspired the idea for the assignment and becomes the love interest/second main character. The writer gets the idea that in order to write convincingly and interestingly about antisemitism, he must experience it first-hand. So he introduces himself to everyone he meets as a Jew and undergoes a rapid transformation.<br />
<br />
The novel deals not only with antisemitism but also with other forms of prejudice, including racism and sexism. I especially enjoyed some of the nascent feminism, as the author gently drew us along with contemporary lines like, "I'm having people over tonight. A couple of girls and people." How great is that? The role of women's work in the running of a household provides an interesting background, as do the the characters' remarks about "womanish softness" of thought and "a vague resentment that it's a man's world." <br />
<br />
But the parts that really stuck with me were about antisemitism and are equally relevant today, with our own various -isms. Prejudice comes in little "flicks" and "taps." “Rarely was the circumstance so arranged that you could fight back.” "They gave you at once the wound and the burden of proper behavior toward it.” There's a lot of discussion about “the complacence of essentially decent people about prejudice” and the question of whether it's gauche or required to make a scene and speak out against prejudice whenever you encounter it (even if it's at a formal dinner party with an important client).<br />
<br />
All this unfolds as part of a love story between the writer and his editor's niece. She inspired the assignment and is passionately antisemitic . . . but perhaps she <br />
has a different understanding of what antisemitism is and means and how best to respond. What brought the couple together eventually drives a wedge between them.<br />
<br />
If you read - or have read - this one, please let me know; I'd love to discuss it with you! And if it doesn't sound like something you're willing to read, the novel inspired <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentleman%27s_Agreement">a movie</a> by the same name, starring Gregory Peck.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://barriesummy.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-review-club-march-2012.html"><img src="http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk225/goofygirldesign2/BookReviewClub-Button.gif" /></a></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Click icon for more<br /><br />
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@Barrie Summy</div>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-52803642824921600912012-01-04T00:20:00.001-06:002012-01-04T00:20:10.388-06:00Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits by Jack Murnighan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SdZnr9jz7TmiBkeJyRS-0qSs513jxIW2KxgFDAQ4kz7mN0nvj_MMLjyBtLeuhY9AmMfKIpF5BpxuiGGikwhF9uwi4-3Txv4_j4ZrlrdkSX4OVSb58NtOl5kLV42HV0oeNQEmTxoQDPM6/s1600/Copy+of+beowulfRC2%255B8%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4SdZnr9jz7TmiBkeJyRS-0qSs513jxIW2KxgFDAQ4kz7mN0nvj_MMLjyBtLeuhY9AmMfKIpF5BpxuiGGikwhF9uwi4-3Txv4_j4ZrlrdkSX4OVSb58NtOl5kLV42HV0oeNQEmTxoQDPM6/s200/Copy+of+beowulfRC2%255B8%255D.jpg" /></a></div>It took me more than two years to read this book, but don't let that scare you away. I think you should read it, too!<br />
<br />
I loved this book. I didn't agree with the author about everything, but I did agree with him about a lot of things and I loved his passion for literature alongside his irreverent take towards it. This month, for <a href="http://barriesummy.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-review-club-january-2012.html">Barrie Summy's Book Review Club</a>, I'm discussing <a href="http://site.jackmurnighan.com/Writings.html">Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits</a> by Jack Murnighan.<br />
<br />
Murnighan "has a Ph.D. in medieval and renaissance literature from Duke University. He is the author of <i>The Naughty Bits</i> and <i>Classic Nasty</i> and has written for <i>Esquire</i>, <i>Glamour</i>, and <i>Nerve</i>. He lives in New York City and teaches creative nonfiction at the University of the Arts."<br />
<br />
I don't hold all that against him, though. He writes like a hip professor who really really wants to pass along not the IMPORTANT SYMBOLISM or CRITICAL HISTORICAL CONTEXT of classic literature but rather a love of reading great books along with an understanding of how to read "tough" books and why the effort is worthwhile.<br />
<br />
The publisher's blurb: <blockquote><i>Did anyone tell you that Anna Karenina is a beach read, that Dickens is hilarious, that the Iliad’s battle scenes rival Hollywood’s for gore, or that Joyce is at his best when he’s talking about booze, sex, or organ meats?<br />
<br />
Writer and professor Jack Murnighan says it’s time to give literature another look, but this time you’ll enjoy yourself. With a little help, you’ll see just how great the great books are: how they can make you laugh, moisten your eyes, turn you on, and leave you awestruck and deeply moved. Beowulf on the Beach is your field guide–erudite, witty, and fun-loving–for helping you read and relish fifty of the biggest (and most skipped) classics of all time. For each book, Murnighan reveals how to get the most out of your reading and provides a crib sheet that includes the Buzz, the Best Line, What’s Sexy, and What to Skip.</i> </blockquote><br />
I found that if I tried to read the book straight through, the chapters and various classics began to bleed together. So I used it as my palate cleanser, reading a chapter or two between other books as I finished them. <br />
<br />
And now I intend to start all over, using <i>Beowulf on the Beach</i> as a to-do list to fill in the gaps in my reading of the classics. I'm especially loving the "what to skip" bits, some of which confirm that a book that's supposed to be "great" but I have no interest in might not actually be so wonderful after all. (Murnighan has a theory that people like sets of three and sometimes an author or books is tossed in with two other, far greater works to make a complete set.)<br />
<br />
My favorite part of the book is that Murnighan is so completely un-snobby about literature. He tells you everything you need to know about each book in order not to embarrass yourself at a literary cocktail party. And he also tells you what questions to ask to poke holes in the blowhard who quotes famous lines from books he probably hasn't read. <br />
<br />
(Fourth Monday Book Club, this book is why we're reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez's <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude</i> this month. I hear it's "the greatest novel of our era." And who can resist that?)<br />
<br />
For more great reviews, click here:<br />
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@Barrie Summy</div>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-30364971099577479952011-12-07T01:15:00.001-06:002011-12-07T01:15:03.004-06:00Ghost Story by Jim ButcherHey! This here's <a href="http://barriesummy.blogspot.com/2011/12/book-review-club-december-2011.html">Barrie Summy's</a> monthly book review club.<br />
<br />
For next month my book club is reading <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude</i> by Gabriel García Márquez. And that was my choice. But there's another reader inside me, too. And that reader likes to read fun books that are quick and consumable and exciting and pulpy and fun. Also, did I mention, fun?<br />
<br />
That reader <a href="http://sarahlynn.blogspot.com/2009/01/shh-im-reading.html">discovered</a> Harry Dresden a few years ago. What's not to love? In <a href="http://www.jim-butcher.com/">Jim Butcher</a>'s contemporary urban fantasy series, Chicago looks much as it does today. Except that, in the Yellow Pages, there's a single listing for a "Professional Wizard." That's Harry Dresden, and he's an old-school private investigator who solves problems with little help from modern technology (electronics don't do so well around magic).<br />
<br />
The novels might start like classic noir detective stories but soon the missing artifact or other <i>de rigueur</i> case turns out to have an occult twist. To sum up the awesomeness here, so far we have:<br />
1) Funny series novels set in Chicago<br />
2) Classic mystery set-up<br />
3) Magic.<br />
<br />
What's not to love? That's harder to put my finger on. But I found that I don't want to read two Dresden novels back-to-back. Butcher's voice grates on me after that and little . . . flaws? stylistic choices? character idiosyncrasies? . . . in the writing begin to call attention to themselves and draw me out of the story.<br />
<br />
So I read the books one-at-a-time, with space between, because I really like to enjoy each one. These stories have it all: wizards, magical politics, faeries, goblins, trolls, zombies, vampires, werewolves, angels, priests, fighting, battles, war, romance, you name it and it's probably somewhere in this world. As an added bonus, the main characters are geeks.<br />
<br />
Another benefit to the slow-read approach is that I didn't catch up to the author for a long time.<br />
<br />
But when I finished <i>Ghost Story</i> (Book 13, naturally) last week, I was stuck. The next novel isn't due until next summer! And only one per year after that! Alas. <br />
<br />
If the above description captures your interest, let me underscore that/reassure you in two ways: Butcher's writing improves as the series progresses, and the novels are better than the short-lived Sci Fi Channel series loosely based on the books.<br />
<br />
If you've tried just one or two of the novels but haven't gotten hooked, I'd recommend perseverance. I was shocked - shocked! - at what happened in <i>Changes</i> (Book 12). It sent me scrambling for <i>Side Jobs</i>, an anthology of short stories and a novelette set between various novels in the series, as well as a novella set immediately after <i>Changes</i>. Then I rushed right into <i>Ghost Story</i>, which left me hanging deliciously.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to book 14 - and it's worth noting that the author does have a planned story arc for the entire series, including an ending - but I think the first 11 novels, fun as they were, were worth reading as prelude alone for all the <i>changes</i> in books 12 and 13. <br />
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Recommended light holiday reading.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;"><a href="http://barriesummy.blogspot.com/2011/12/book-review-club-december-2011.html"><img src="http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk225/goofygirldesign2/BookReviewClub-Button.gif" /></a></div><div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Click icon for more<br />
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@Barrie Summy</div>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-61910629138547113252011-06-14T00:12:00.001-05:002011-06-14T00:12:49.113-05:00Simple GiftsI used to have this idea about writing a novel called <i>Simple Gifts</i> about a child with special needs. I can't imagine writing that book, now or ever. Because the more I learn, the more it becomes apparent to me that there's nothing at all "simple" about a child with special needs.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fYi9Vr8bHJY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-46114363240510600932011-06-01T00:44:00.001-05:002011-06-01T00:58:02.853-05:00Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://covers.powells.com/9780743260039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="182" width="120" src="http://covers.powells.com/9780743260039.jpg" /></a></div>Every time I hear or see Sarah Vowell - as a contributor on NPR's <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/">This American Life</a> or as a guest on <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">The Daily Show</a> - I want to read one of her books. But picking up a nonfiction book about American history is not my first inclination when I'm looking for a fun read.<br />
<br />
This month I took the plunge into Vowell's <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780743260046">Assassination Vacation</a>. What better book for the beginning of vacation season? The book follows Vowell's road trips to sites associated with the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley.<br />
<br />
Despite my reluctance to read history, I fully expected to love this book.<br />
<br />
And I did enjoy it quite a bit.<br />
<br />
The two reasons I didn't love the book as much as I expected to: in the prologue Vowell (quoting a friend) used the word "retarded" twice as a pejorative having nothing to do with people with intellectual disabilities. Yes, I'm hypersensitive about this issue. But it jarred me out of the (otherwise hilarious) narrative and got us off on the wrong foot.<br />
<br />
A deeper "problem" with the book is Vowell's disjointed, stream-of-consciousness style. I love it and my brain often works the same way. But I found the plot (such as it is) hard to follow sometimes. Tangent split off from tangent and I dutifully followed Vowell's breadcrumb trail but in my sleep deprived state - I have a newborn baby! - I had a hard time finding my way back to the main narrative. (Are you picturing the birds of sleeplessness devouring bread crumbs? Because I am.)<br />
<br />
Not being intimately familiar with all the characters (the assassins, their families, people near the Presidents at the time of the attacks, etc.) I occasionally had to stop and reorient myself. Wait. Who are we talking about again? And how does this relate?<br />
<br />
But I am so so glad I read the book. I learned a ton - painlessly - and I took away something even more valuable. As an ignorant American (alas) I have little sense of historical <i>time</i>. I know that our nation's history is relatively short but thinking, "The Civil War was 150 years ago," didn't really <i>mean</i> much to me. That is, until I saw it this way:<br />
<br />
Robert Todd Lincoln - the President's son - was an adult with an established career when his father was murdered. He was still practicing law when my grandparents were born. In fact he didn't die until they were adults. Wow, these are all current events when I think about it that way. And I didn't realize how recently we held public hangings in this country. <br />
<br />
To sum up: Sarah Vowell is hilarious and it's worth the time to read or listen to her work whereever you find it. This is a good, interesting, and educational read. Vowell is passionate about American History - she considers it her religion - and she shares her excitement in a way that's quite infectious.<br />
<br />
One additional caveat. Vowell wrote this book during the Iraq War and President G.W. Bush's second term. <i>Assassination Vacation</i> is very much a product of its own place in history; Vowell ties in current events and politics with the historical narratives, and she is very much a liberal. <br />
<br />
More book reviews here!<br />
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@Barrie Summy</div>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-29409794814443843642011-04-28T01:01:00.000-05:002011-06-01T01:01:38.740-05:00Not Writing, Still BusyWriting every day is important to me and it's not something I'm doing at present. The urge is still there. I abandon my bed, driven from potential (and much-needed!) sleep by the need to write. Ideas buzz around in my head, eager to be let out.<br />
<br />
Then I sit at my computer and hear: the baby waking, an older child requesting assistance (or attention), the pug needing to go outside, my email inbox pinging and pinging and pinging, or just my carpets crying for merciful attention from the vacuum cleaner.<br />
<br />
I jot down my thoughts in outline form, hoping to get back to "flesh them out" later. This process satisfies the urge to write but rarely (never) produces anything worth sharing.<br />
<br />
Indeed, this is less than half the post it was intended to be. But Ada needs water for her paintbrush and lunch isn't putting itself on the table.<br />
<br />
<br />
Looking back over our Picasa site for the last month, it appears that I haven't just been on a "babymoon." I did have a baby a month ago and he's rather the center of everything right now. (And rightly so!)<br />
<br />
But I've also written a bunch of thank you notes, read several books, gone to book club twice, toured a local Frank Lloyd Wright house, assisted in homework-related projects, hosted lots of company, gone to church and related meetings (several), attended a reunion event, put together a Seder and Easter, taken the dog and child to the vet and pediatrician, respectively, and coordinated the first annual Paul invitational marathon and supported my husband's running in general. Not too shabby.<br />
<br />
From Ellie's nonfiction writing project "How To Make Cornbread for Chili:"<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zbJZn48rnPsx9TznOtD9fg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_N52tvPelaYk/TZnWed2mahI/AAAAAAABXCI/J1B7tby5KH0/s288/IMG_9012.JPG" height="288" width="216" /></a> <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u_g_mzS3Wzv4xa_fKCbLXQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_N52tvPelaYk/TZnWkEhEUfI/AAAAAAABXDQ/3s_jUfNKCvo/s288/IMG_9021.JPG" height="288" width="216" /></a> <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UE9BM_waMqPcurOwHI9iLQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_N52tvPelaYk/TZnW69nh-9I/AAAAAAABXEg/yeWPjt_uV9k/s288/IMG_9031.JPG" height="288" width="216" /></a>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-59742691394486139592011-04-09T00:58:00.000-05:002011-06-01T00:59:34.097-05:00Permission to Change (Seasons)My apologies for the erratic weather we've had so far this year. I recently realized that it's all my fault.<br />
<br />
See, in December a friend gave me a novel called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_%28novel%29"><i>Snow</i> by Turkish author Orhan Pamuk</a>. As I read it in fits and starts, it took me a really really long time to finish. But I'm finally done! And so now the snow can stop and spring can commence in earnest.<br />
<br />
You're welcome.<br />
<br />
As for why it took me so long to finish this book, well, that's all me I suppose. I kept flipping back to the front cover to verify that the seal on the front proclaiming, "Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature!" was still there and not just something I dreamed.<br />
<br />
Later, I'd turn the book over and peruse the blurbs again. "One of the best books of the year" according to just about everyone from <i>The New York Times Book Review</i> to <i>The Economist</i>. Rave reviews from truly impressive people. <br />
<br />
Repeatedly I read the jacket copy. "Slyly comic." Also, "humor," "wicked grin," etc.<br />
<br />
I was excited to read this fabulous book, which came so highly recommended and is set in Turkey. (My in-laws lived in Turkey for years and my husband was actually born there; they returned to the states when his sister was ready for elementary school.)<br />
<br />
But I just didn't get it. I didn't engage with the story, I didn't connect with the characters, and I felt frustrated by the pace. (The first day seemed to me like it must have been at least 48 hours long. Is Ka really in his late 30's as it appears? If so, how come the 17+ year age difference between close sisters Ipek and Kadife is never discussed?) I utterly missed the humor.<br />
<br />
Obviously, this is all on me since apparently everyone else who's read <i>Snow</i> loved it. But I spent the first 200 pages trying to figure out why the author gave most of the unrelated main characters the same last name (Bey). Then I figured it must be a subtle comment on the provincial nature of Turkish society (the cerebral humor I'd been missing?). By page 300 I'd realized that "Bey" must be a sort of honorific (and it is). Some of my confusion might indeed have been cultural. I certainly feel like an uncultured ignoramus for my utter failure to appreciate this highly acclaimed novel.<br />
<br />
But I finished it, and now it's spring!Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-86225862841711467582011-04-05T23:22:00.001-05:002011-04-05T23:22:56.749-05:00Rope 'Em! by Stacy Nyikos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbBntctmey-PfY3mQ7BTqNrf2X5Gl36WyuuSM1QSu9Fgjc3HQhWjfkfe_7EXR3MCXHz8JXo2_gwA-di8zmOvIXhDyY8ns-iizk-gnNwBjNtW1-nSpXNM4YMpnrOOThmVjedoScPpk7Chc/s1600/Rope-Em-Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbBntctmey-PfY3mQ7BTqNrf2X5Gl36WyuuSM1QSu9Fgjc3HQhWjfkfe_7EXR3MCXHz8JXo2_gwA-di8zmOvIXhDyY8ns-iizk-gnNwBjNtW1-nSpXNM4YMpnrOOThmVjedoScPpk7Chc/s200/Rope-Em-Web.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I love participating in <a href="http://barriesummy.blogspot.com/2011/04/book-review-club-april-2011.html">Barrie Summy's Book Review Club</a>, and I get especially excited when she asks for a volunteer to review a children's picture book. The last one I reviewed was <i><a href="http://sarahlynn.blogspot.com/2009/11/apple-pie-for-dinner.html">An Apple Pie for Dinner</a></i>, which is still a favorite of both my girls. So when Barrie asked if anyone was interested in reviewing a picture book by another member of the Book Review Club, <a href="http://www.stacyanyikos.com/">Stacy Nyikos</a>, I jumped at the chance. And I am very, very glad the author sent me a copy!<br />
<br />
At first I was concerned. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rope-Em-Stacey-Nyikos/dp/1935279645">Amazon.com</a> suggests the book for 9-12 year-olds, which seemed a bit old for a picture book. Would my 7- and 4-year olds enjoy the story or would it be too much for them?<br />
<br />
As I started reading, I remained concerned. A lot of the book - which is hilarious, incidentally - is an extended pun I doubt my 4-year-old understood. It's a Western. Set underwater. At the "OK Coral." On every page I felt like there were at least two jokes I needed to explain in order for my children to "get" the story.<br />
<br />
But I held off and just read the story, instead. And then I read it again. And again. And, later, again. When my Ada's preschool class started a unit on the ocean I allowed her to take the book with her to school to share with her friends. (Ada has a thing for the ocean and another current favorite picture book of both of my girls is a western: <a href="http://www.susanelya.com/files/l_cowboy_jose.htm">Susan Middleton Elya's Cowboy Jose</a>.)<br />
<br />
I'm probably underestimating my kids. I bet they do get the humor in a bull shark chasing cowfish. And what's not to love about a sea horse who's a champion herder?<br />
<br />
I'm still not sure exactly what my girls like about this book. They can't quite articulate why it's so great, but they certainly ask for it at bedtime again and again. They love to hate the shark. They sympathize with the heros. And my preschooler is a big fan of the TEAMWORK message that ends the story and dovetails nicely with a concept emphasized at her school.<br />
<br />
The writing is clever, and with all the puns there's plenty for 9-12 year-olds (and adults) to enjoy. But the story also works on a simpler level for younger children. There's not too much text on the page, and Bret Conover's illustrations are worth the journey through the book all by themselves.<br />
<br />
I can tell you what I like about the book, but for a children's picture book I think the highest praise is when a child requests the book over and over. And that's certainly happening at our house. <i>Cowboy José</i> had to go back to the library yesterday, but we still have <i>Rope 'Em</i> and I know we'll read it again tomorrow!<br />
<br />
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@Barrie Summy</div>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-54606937105883143872011-03-26T01:10:00.000-05:002011-06-01T01:12:16.685-05:00Anouncing. . .Theodore James <br />
Born 3/25/11<br />
Weight: 7 pounds, 13 ounces<br />
Length: 22 inches<br />
<br />
Mom and baby are doing great.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KiOGG2iEiXjE9gIfV0Ds5Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_N52tvPelaYk/TY0a-e05taI/AAAAAAABWZE/7cHcY3ldpXY/s288/IMG_8899.jpg" height="216" width="288" /></a>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-82907507171263133882011-03-17T01:04:00.000-05:002011-06-01T01:05:12.273-05:00Where I WorkI have a corner office, but this isn't as glamorous as it sounds. For one thing, it's in a corner of my living room. For another, it's a bit drafty there near all the windows. And, possibly related to the draftiness, when it pours rain occasionally my to-be-filed pile gets completely soaked.<br />
<br />
But the view and the light are lovely. Plus, I get to work in my pajamas and the commute can't be beat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/F5bIGR4tXBJ1IFHW4nrZ1A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_N52tvPelaYk/TYDuUWmDUuI/AAAAAAABWCw/kiDGuTgEYIo/s288/IMG_8822.JPG" height="288" width="216" /></a> <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pa2imUiAY2l72hAztxzAkg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_N52tvPelaYk/TYDuVt8V7-I/AAAAAAABWC4/7r-5W0Znt9g/s288/IMG_8823.JPG" height="288" width="216" /></a>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3062509692590998754.post-16665505767717781482011-02-02T01:42:00.001-06:002011-02-02T10:10:44.776-06:00The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/df/TheSparrow%281stEd%29.jpg/200px-TheSparrow%281stEd%29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="297" width="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/df/TheSparrow%281stEd%29.jpg/200px-TheSparrow%281stEd%29.jpg" /></a></div>This month for <a href="http://barriesummy.blogspot.com/2011/02/book-review-club-february-2011.html">Barrie Summy's Book Review Club</a> I'm discussing <a href="http://www.marydoriarussell.net/books/the-sparrow/">The Sparrow</a> by Mary Doria Russell. My sister gave this novel to my husband a few years ago, insisting that he had to read it. He didn't. Eventually, I did. Now he has, too, and my book club was supposed to discuss it tonight. We didn't. In fact, we didn't even meet because of the thick sheet of ice dusted with new-fallen snow blanketing our corner of the Midwest.<br />
<br />
So rather than discussing <i>The Sparrow</i> with friends over food and wine at my house (visual enjoyment only, in my case with the wine) instead I'm sitting in my pajamas - which I've been in for 24 hours straight - on my couch in my warm, clean house, writing about the book.<br />
<br />
Some of the women in my book club don't read a lot of science fiction, so I tried to sell them on the idea of this book. "I'd like to suggest something speculative, if you're up for a bit of a journey. The genre for this one I'd call literary sci fi, though it's fairly near future and not too far out there." If we amend "literary sci fi" to "literary Jesuit sci fi," does that pique your interest?<br />
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The idea is this: when new lands and people are discovered, one of the first groups to get there, every time, have been the Jesuits. Why should space be any different?<br />
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I also linked to a reading group guide and this review:<blockquote>"In clean, effortless prose and with captivating flashes of wit, Russell creates memorable characters who navigate a world of exciting ideas and disturbing moral issues without ever losing their humanity or humor. Both heartbreaking and triumphant, and rich in literary pleasures great and small, <i>The Sparrow</i> is a powerful and haunting book. It is a magical novel, as literate as <i>The Name of the Rose</i>, as farsighted as <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i> and as readable as <i>The Thorn Birds</i>."<br />
</blockquote>to prove that the book is absolutely appropriate for a serious book club read.<br />
<br />
Not that we only take on serious reads. After all, this group has read <i>Twilight</i> and <i>Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!)</i>. But mostly we do read upmarket fiction, the kinds of new novels that come with discussion questions printed on the last pages and require long waits at the library.<br />
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Back to <i>The Sparrow</i>. It's a smart book, meaning that it's a book about smart people who don't try to pretend not to be smart. I like that. The characters aren't pretentious, they're just interested in learning stuff. And it's a book that pulls off that amazing storytelling trick of describing something horrific and then making it understandable and a lot harder to judge than you'd assume.<br />
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I'm generally not a fan of books that jump around in time, but this book is told in alternating chapters from the "present" (near future) and the future (slightly further near future). This structure works well for the novel because both time lines proceed chronologically and eventually meet. Needing to know how we could possibly get <i>there</i> from <i>here</i> drives the story.<br />
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I don't want to give too much away, especially since I went on to read the sequel (<i>Children of God</i>) which picks up where <i>The Sparrow</i> leaves off and almost feels like Part II of the same book. So I will close with this: The characters from Russell's novel felt real to me, and I wish that I knew some of them. The situations felt perfectly plausible - no mean feat in speculative fiction. The moral questions felt absolutely current and relevant and important. I love talking about this book with people (which is why I twisted arms to get my husband and one of my book clubs to read it).<br />
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Have you read it? What did you think?<br />
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@Barrie Summy</div>Sarahlynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13658866017847046987noreply@blogger.com3