After I finish reading a book, I always go online and start trying to find what other readers (or critics) have written about it. That's sort of my go-to way of "discussing" my feelings with the rest of the reading world--the Internet as a book club.
Anyway, I finished The Handmaid's Tale on Wednesday night and yeah, it blew my mind. This is just an incredible book. Terrifying, gripping, wildly funny in places--but given the context, the kind of humor that makes you laugh out loud and then clamp your hand over your mouth because really, nothing in the book should be a laughing matter. Probably the best dystopian literature I've ever read. It also taught me the difference between Sci-Fi and speculative, at least as Margaret Atwood sees it: sci-fi involving technology and things that cannot exist in present day or the past; speculative being more of a "social science fiction" in which technology is existant or realistic but social structures are of the future. Atwood has said: "I made a rule for myself: I would not include anything that human beings had not already done in some other place or time, or for which the technology did not already exist. I did not wish to be accused of dark, twisted inventions, or of misrepresenting the human potential for deplorable behaviour." (Guardian article linked below) It's chilling that she found a precedent for all the details.
Once I finished, I dove into Googling and Goodreads-ing to find commentary. Then, in todays' YA Highway Field Trip Friday (which is the best part of a Friday morning, IMHO--well, aside from coffee and the promise of Friday night), there is a link to a piece in the Guardian by Margaret Atwood about the writing and reception of The Handmaid's Tale: Haunted by the Handmaid's Tale. Perfect timing! It's wonderful to get a chance to see what Atwood's experience as author of the book has been, and her thoughts on its creation and reception.
Have you read this one? What did you think?
Friday, January 27, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
RTW: Mashup Dialogue
Road Trip Wednesday is a weekly blog carnival hosted by YA Highway. This week's topic is: Pick two of your favorite YA characters and write a dialogue between them.
I knew who I would pick. I knew exactly what the scene would be.
But. I can't write it.
There's no way I can recreate these two characters myself and write this imaginary dialogue. No. Freaking. Way. Each half of this pair is remarkable for his/her quick wit, hilarious dialect, general exuberance, impressive resourcefulness, sharp intelligence, and heart.
I will tell you who the characters are:
Tiny Cooper (of Will Grayson, Will Grayson), who does frenetic things like:
“After Tiny has tried ballerina pose, swing-batter-batter pose, pump-up-the-jam pose, and top-of-the-mountain-sound-of-music pose in the reflection of the bean, he walks us to a bench overlooking Lake Shore Drive.”
and says things like:
“You may choose your song, but know this: Tiny. Cooper. Hates. Over. The. Rainbow.”
Taylor Renee Krystal Hawkins (of Beauty Queens), who said things like:
"And we pray that, as we are fine, upstandin', law-abidin' girls who represent the best of the best, you will protect us from harm and keep us safe until we are rescued and can tell our story to People magazine. Amen."
and:
"Ladies! Ladies! My stars! That's enough. Now. We all know Miss Arkansas's girls are fake, miss Ohio's easier than making cereal, and Miss Montana's dress is something my blind meemaw would wear to bingo night. And Miss New Mexico -- aren't you from the chill-out state? Maybe you can channel up some new-age-Whole-Foods-incense calm right about now, because we have a big job ahead called staying alive.”
And the scene is the two of them trying to co-direct a beauty pageant.
Can you imagine it?!
I feel like it can only end in a glitter fight.
Followed by a reconciliation and a rousing song and dance number.
Someone who is adept at fan fic--please! Write this dialogue.
I knew who I would pick. I knew exactly what the scene would be.
But. I can't write it.
There's no way I can recreate these two characters myself and write this imaginary dialogue. No. Freaking. Way. Each half of this pair is remarkable for his/her quick wit, hilarious dialect, general exuberance, impressive resourcefulness, sharp intelligence, and heart.
I will tell you who the characters are:
Tiny Cooper (of Will Grayson, Will Grayson), who does frenetic things like:
“After Tiny has tried ballerina pose, swing-batter-batter pose, pump-up-the-jam pose, and top-of-the-mountain-sound-of-music pose in the reflection of the bean, he walks us to a bench overlooking Lake Shore Drive.”
and says things like:
“You may choose your song, but know this: Tiny. Cooper. Hates. Over. The. Rainbow.”
Taylor Renee Krystal Hawkins (of Beauty Queens), who said things like:
"And we pray that, as we are fine, upstandin', law-abidin' girls who represent the best of the best, you will protect us from harm and keep us safe until we are rescued and can tell our story to People magazine. Amen."
and:
"Ladies! Ladies! My stars! That's enough. Now. We all know Miss Arkansas's girls are fake, miss Ohio's easier than making cereal, and Miss Montana's dress is something my blind meemaw would wear to bingo night. And Miss New Mexico -- aren't you from the chill-out state? Maybe you can channel up some new-age-Whole-Foods-incense calm right about now, because we have a big job ahead called staying alive.”
And the scene is the two of them trying to co-direct a beauty pageant.
Can you imagine it?!
I feel like it can only end in a glitter fight.
Someone who is adept at fan fic--please! Write this dialogue.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Tense and Sensibility
I'm currently in the midst of rewriting my WIP from past to present tense. (Yup, that's about as fun as it sounds.) I've never used present tense before--it hasn't come naturally to the story, the POV, or my writing style. But when I first scribbled down the first six pages of this story,* I used present tense. It was one of those Ouija board writing moments. Weird.
So weird, in fact, that I when I kept drafting the WIP I quickly switched to past. I wrote the whole first draft, all 65K, in past tense. Now that I'm finally revising it, I am switching the whole thing back. This is odd because I don't typically like present tense. I am rarely a fan as a reader, and definitely not as a writer. I worry that present tense is gimmicky (or will be interpreted as such). Mary Kole has some reassuring words on that; Philip Pullman does not.
The reason why I'm making this switch is that the narrator's voice came to me as present tense. The urgency works for the story; it complements the POV. Past projects would've sounded strange in present tense, but this WIP sounds strange in any other. And so I forge ahead, swapping was for is and cutting hads all over the place. We'll see how it turns out.
Do you favor one tense over another? Do you have strong reactions to reading any particular tense?
So weird, in fact, that I when I kept drafting the WIP I quickly switched to past. I wrote the whole first draft, all 65K, in past tense. Now that I'm finally revising it, I am switching the whole thing back. This is odd because I don't typically like present tense. I am rarely a fan as a reader, and definitely not as a writer. I worry that present tense is gimmicky (or will be interpreted as such). Mary Kole has some reassuring words on that; Philip Pullman does not.
The reason why I'm making this switch is that the narrator's voice came to me as present tense. The urgency works for the story; it complements the POV. Past projects would've sounded strange in present tense, but this WIP sounds strange in any other. And so I forge ahead, swapping was for is and cutting hads all over the place. We'll see how it turns out.
Do you favor one tense over another? Do you have strong reactions to reading any particular tense?
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Disenchantments
Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev's band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she's abandoning their plans - and Colby - to start college in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev's already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what's next?
I loved this book. It's is a wonderful portrait of the weird time right after HS graduation, when the only life you've known is coming to a close and you have only vague, possibly unrealistic ideas about what "real life" is going to be like. Over the course of a week, the titular girl band and their protag roadie Colby travel the Pacific Northwest on tour. Despite their (awesome) love of classic girl groups and grrl bands like Sleater-Kinney,* The Chiffons, The Runaways, Heart, etc., The Disenchantments really suck. Which is great! How many teenage bands are actually any good? It's one of the many details of The Disenchantments that makes it a wonderfully authentic book.
Nina LaCour has a real talent for creating mood, and I loved the dreamy, hazy atmosphere of The Disenchantments. I wanted to linger in its dusty little towns and observe the complex people living in them. This book's smart and slightly philosophical; and the characters are the perfect blend of quirky-memorable and real.
People talk a lot about great beginnings, not as much about truly satisfying endings. I thought The Disenchantments' was perfect, in terms of plot, tone, and realism. But I'm not saying anymore. Because I want you to go read it, once it comes out on February 16th.
*Are you watching Carrie in Portlandia? I'm obsessed. So funny.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Hippocratic Oath for Revisions
This week I'm returning to a sh!tty first draft from a long hiatus. It's been so long and the draft is so raw that I don't know whether to call this an extension of drafting, rewriting, or revising. It'll probably be all three.
I get nervous when I start a revision, for a lot of reasons but mostly because I'm afraid of making the MS worse. The phrase that pops in my head as I work is a famous one from the Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm." [Oh, wait. Apparently that line was never explicitly stated in the actual oath itself.] Anyway, my manuscript is like a sick patient and I'm standing at the operating table, scalpel in hand, not totally sure what to do. All I know is that I want the story to get better, and I better not hurt it.
It makes me wish that there was a writers' Hippocratic Oath for Revisions; something to guide the process or the way I should approach the daunting work. So I wrote one.
The Hippocratic Oath for Revisions/Rewrites
—Adapted from the Modern Hippocratic Oath, which was written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University. The Modern Hippocratic Oath is used in many medical schools today. Full text of the oath: The Hippocratic Oath Today
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard work I already have done on this manuscript, and I will gladly view this revision (including its successes and missteps) as a learning experience for the manuscripts to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick story, all measures [that] are required to make it well, avoiding those twin traps of overcorrection and "therapeutic nihilism," or the idea that fixing what is wrong with the story is impossible.
I will remember that there is science to writing as well as art. I will seek out craft advice as well as my own creativity. I will remember that showing warmth, sympathy, and understanding to myself, the author, may outweigh draconian work schedules or self-criticism. (Conversely, I will commit to regular and focused work on the task at hand.)
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my beta readers, CPs, and writing friends when the skills of another are needed for a manuscript's recovery.
When making changes, I will remember this: First, do no harm. I will prevent creating new problems whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of cutting and adding. If it is given me to save a book, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to trunk a book; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own strengths and weaknesses.
I will remember that I remain a member of the writing community, with special obligations to all my fellow writers as well as readers. I will respect the great storytelling tradition as I work. I will think of words and meaning, not sales figures and markets.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of writing. Even in the midst of revisions.
So, writer friends: What have I left out of the oath? Or what should be cut?
I get nervous when I start a revision, for a lot of reasons but mostly because I'm afraid of making the MS worse. The phrase that pops in my head as I work is a famous one from the Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm." [Oh, wait. Apparently that line was never explicitly stated in the actual oath itself.] Anyway, my manuscript is like a sick patient and I'm standing at the operating table, scalpel in hand, not totally sure what to do. All I know is that I want the story to get better, and I better not hurt it.
It makes me wish that there was a writers' Hippocratic Oath for Revisions; something to guide the process or the way I should approach the daunting work. So I wrote one.
The Hippocratic Oath for Revisions/Rewrites
—Adapted from the Modern Hippocratic Oath, which was written in 1964 by Louis Lasagna, Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University. The Modern Hippocratic Oath is used in many medical schools today. Full text of the oath: The Hippocratic Oath Today
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard work I already have done on this manuscript, and I will gladly view this revision (including its successes and missteps) as a learning experience for the manuscripts to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick story, all measures [that] are required to make it well, avoiding those twin traps of overcorrection and "therapeutic nihilism," or the idea that fixing what is wrong with the story is impossible.
I will remember that there is science to writing as well as art. I will seek out craft advice as well as my own creativity. I will remember that showing warmth, sympathy, and understanding to myself, the author, may outweigh draconian work schedules or self-criticism. (Conversely, I will commit to regular and focused work on the task at hand.)
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my beta readers, CPs, and writing friends when the skills of another are needed for a manuscript's recovery.
When making changes, I will remember this: First, do no harm. I will prevent creating new problems whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of cutting and adding. If it is given me to save a book, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to trunk a book; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own strengths and weaknesses.
I will remember that I remain a member of the writing community, with special obligations to all my fellow writers as well as readers. I will respect the great storytelling tradition as I work. I will think of words and meaning, not sales figures and markets.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of writing. Even in the midst of revisions.
So, writer friends: What have I left out of the oath? Or what should be cut?
Monday, January 16, 2012
Crying in public and TFIOS
I have a unique talent at being in public while finishing the books that make me cry. I turn the final pages while screwing up my mouth and shaking a little, telling myself Don't cry Don't cry Don't cry, but then--Oh, what the hell--I let myself go. If a book is so good that it can break the fourth wall of reading and make me sob, I think I should honor those feelings and blubber on the bus. Or the elliptical, or the subway, or in a cafe, etc.
You can see where this was going. I had a long walk down a long avenue, in tears, after I finished The Fault in Our Stars. (A great thing about NYC is that nobody bats an eye if you are weeping while you walk.)
Which is not to say that TFIOS was a morbid book, or a sad book, or a particularly tragic one. It was a human book, and it bursted forth with all of the emotions and experiences and fears and joys of being a human being in this crazy and beautiful and sometimes cruel world. It was more a book about living life than dying.
After the initial tears dried, I felt grateful. Grateful for having spent a few hundred with Hazel and Augustus and their wonderful parents (for whom my heart broke a thousand times) and friends and Sisyphus the Hamster and the Dutch assistant whose name I will never be able to spell nor pronounce. I don't know what else to say about TFIOS, other than I loved it.
You can see where this was going. I had a long walk down a long avenue, in tears, after I finished The Fault in Our Stars. (A great thing about NYC is that nobody bats an eye if you are weeping while you walk.)
Which is not to say that TFIOS was a morbid book, or a sad book, or a particularly tragic one. It was a human book, and it bursted forth with all of the emotions and experiences and fears and joys of being a human being in this crazy and beautiful and sometimes cruel world. It was more a book about living life than dying.After the initial tears dried, I felt grateful. Grateful for having spent a few hundred with Hazel and Augustus and their wonderful parents (for whom my heart broke a thousand times) and friends and Sisyphus the Hamster and the Dutch assistant whose name I will never be able to spell nor pronounce. I don't know what else to say about TFIOS, other than I loved it.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Cover study: Revolution
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| US Hardcover |
While carting my hardcover edition on my commute this week, I had a lot of time to contemplate the cover. This is a case in which the cover and the book don't match for me. My version of Andi looks nothing like the contemporary girl on the cover (where's the metal?), nor does my Alexandrine look like the historical girl (where's the boyishness?). I understand, of course, that many covers aren't really literal representations of characters, but are marketing tools; designed to communicate tone or genre or grab visual interest. Or to look snazzy as thumbnails online. In this case, the US hardcover cover does a great job of conveying historical and literary.
Perusing Goodreads, I found some other editions with different covers:
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| I love the UK edition, which focuses on a specific plot device. |
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| The US paperback is great, too--that girl has an energy and mood more in line with the Andi I've pictured. |
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| I like the edginess to the French edition. It's using the same images as US hardcover, but in a sharp way. Unlike the US hardcover, which had a stately scripted font, this version's font looks, well, revolutionary. |
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| The black nail polish on this edition is so Andi. Love that. Not sure where it's published: Taschenbuch suggests German but the publisher is listed as Bloomsbury on Goodreads. |
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| And finally, this German edition. The image doesn't work for me--contemporary Andi would never be wearing a chemise like that and looking so dewy. But I love the variation on the title, Das Blut der Lilie, which I believe translates to something like "the blood of the lily." |
It's cool to see how covers evolve with different editions. If you've read Revolution, which is your favorite? If you haven't read, which appeals to you?
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
RTW: Name Change
Road Trip Wednesday is a weekly blog carnival hosted by YA Highway. This week's topic is: What would your pseudonym or pen name be?
I thought this would be an easy-breezy RTW post. All I had to do was come up with a pseudonym for myself.
I thought this would be an easy-breezy RTW post. All I had to do was come up with a pseudonym for myself.
Until I tried to pick one. I have newfound respect for what parents go through while trying to name their kids. A name is hard to pick.
It's even weirder because I have an easy time naming characters--usually a name pops into my head with little effort, and I can't imagine the character being anyone else. Audrey is Audrey; Quint is Quint; Alexis is Alexis and no other name would work.(I do seem to like names that start with the letter a. A lot.) Sometimes I don't even like the name I give a character, but I go with it anyway because that's who s/he is.
Isn't picking a pen name kind of like making myself a character? It should be that easy.
I tried rebranding myself Dorothy or Dot, thanks to a long-running inside joke that all Dorothies are automatically awesome people (e.g. Parker; Zbornak [heck yeah Golden Girls!]; of the ruby red slippers). But I am not a Dorothy. Nor am I a Hazel or a Julia or Mae or any other name I tried. (Obviously you can see that I have a thing for old-timey girl names.)
And so I'm copping out and saying that I wouldn't use a pen name, unless I had a really compelling reason to do so. Then I'd probably rely on a variant spelling of my last name or my initials or a family name or my middle name swapped for a last/first. Or add a "von," because I've always wanted to do that.
What about you?
It's even weirder because I have an easy time naming characters--usually a name pops into my head with little effort, and I can't imagine the character being anyone else. Audrey is Audrey; Quint is Quint; Alexis is Alexis and no other name would work.(I do seem to like names that start with the letter a. A lot.) Sometimes I don't even like the name I give a character, but I go with it anyway because that's who s/he is.
Isn't picking a pen name kind of like making myself a character? It should be that easy.
I tried rebranding myself Dorothy or Dot, thanks to a long-running inside joke that all Dorothies are automatically awesome people (e.g. Parker; Zbornak [heck yeah Golden Girls!]; of the ruby red slippers). But I am not a Dorothy. Nor am I a Hazel or a Julia or Mae or any other name I tried. (Obviously you can see that I have a thing for old-timey girl names.)
And so I'm copping out and saying that I wouldn't use a pen name, unless I had a really compelling reason to do so. Then I'd probably rely on a variant spelling of my last name or my initials or a family name or my middle name swapped for a last/first. Or add a "von," because I've always wanted to do that.
What about you?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Off Topic: The Perfect Writer Meal
So you know how I was saying that I'm trying to find more balance? What I eat is a big part of what needs balancing. I won't bore you with more odes to my beloved pizza-nachos (or doughnuts), but suffice it to say that I've resolved to prepare more of my meals and eat a more balanced diet overall. I've been at this for about 2 weeks and it feels fantastic.
The thing is, though, I have been sort of between writing projects during this time. When I'm in the midst of a first draft or revisions, it's really hard to come home after a long work day, cook, and then sit down to write/revise. I know I'm preaching to the choir on this one.
Good news: I think I've found the perfect healthy, non-processed meal for writers. Drumroll, please: Soup!
(If you have an aversion to soup--sorry. This is not going to be the post for you.)
I've found that making soup and writing are a good pair. For my favorite soup recipe (my mom's red lentil soup, which is hearty and delicious and perfect for this time of year), it takes all of 10 minutes to chop a few veggies and get everything in the pot. Then, during the hour it simmers, I sit at the kitchen table and work on writing. With occasional breaks to stir, of course--but one can do other things while soup cooks, unlike sauteing chicken or making a stir-fry. Another 10-15 after it's done on the stove to cool (more writing time), and then I can break from writing to eat. Or break for the night, if that's the kind of evening I need.
When I posted about balance, I really meant that I don't want to do less of anything but want to figure out how to get more of some things in my life: more healthy eating, more time to recharge, more time for fun. Getting more without making less (of good things) hinges on efficiency. The soup-writing ritual is that. And tasty.
After the jump, my red lentil recipe:
The thing is, though, I have been sort of between writing projects during this time. When I'm in the midst of a first draft or revisions, it's really hard to come home after a long work day, cook, and then sit down to write/revise. I know I'm preaching to the choir on this one.
Good news: I think I've found the perfect healthy, non-processed meal for writers. Drumroll, please: Soup!
I've found that making soup and writing are a good pair. For my favorite soup recipe (my mom's red lentil soup, which is hearty and delicious and perfect for this time of year), it takes all of 10 minutes to chop a few veggies and get everything in the pot. Then, during the hour it simmers, I sit at the kitchen table and work on writing. With occasional breaks to stir, of course--but one can do other things while soup cooks, unlike sauteing chicken or making a stir-fry. Another 10-15 after it's done on the stove to cool (more writing time), and then I can break from writing to eat. Or break for the night, if that's the kind of evening I need.
When I posted about balance, I really meant that I don't want to do less of anything but want to figure out how to get more of some things in my life: more healthy eating, more time to recharge, more time for fun. Getting more without making less (of good things) hinges on efficiency. The soup-writing ritual is that. And tasty.
After the jump, my red lentil recipe:
Monday, January 9, 2012
State of Wonder-ful
This was one of those 2011 books on seemingly every "Best of" list, and deservingly so. The prose was classic Patchett: accessible, beautiful, lyrical. The characters were classic Patchett: otherworldly and achingly human at the same time; ordinary people in extraordinary situations that still managed to feel real; strong, complex female characters. The setting was classic Patchett: richly described, and equal parts enviable (I want to go to there!) and terrifying. Being a midwest native, I particularly loved how she described the cold winter prairie of Minnesota and the passion a true Midwesterner has for that oft-overlooked landscape. And leave it to Patchett to work the issue of medical ethics so seamlessly into the plot, which was full of adventure, mystery, and emotion.
Hopefully saying "classic Patchett" doesn't cheapen the singularity of this great book. More, I feel the need to remark on how frequently she's written incredible characters, settings, theme, and plots in her novels. This was a very different book than Bel Canto--one of my favorites--but her writing was just as great.
Have I sold you on this one yet? :) I can only hope that every book I read in 2012 is this fantastic.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
On Balance
I didn't want to want any resolutions or goals for 2012. Partly that's because the one resolution I made last year--start a meditation practice (go ahead and laugh; yes I do eat a lot of quinoa and recycle)--I totally failed. In the 365 days of 2011, I tried to meditate twice. For a total of 8 minutes.
My parents used to refer to me as "the rifle" because once I set something in my sight, I pulled the trigger and bam! achieved it.* An exaggeration, but sorta true of grades, college applications, exercise plans, financial goals, etc. I am a perfectionist and a workaholic and for the most part, that has served me incredibly well. I have work I love, both in my day job and my writing career. Except that mostly good workaholic trait has a dark side, which is probably the reason why my 2011 meditation resolution didn't happen: I can't always stop working, even when I could use a break.
I couldn't let myself take just five minutes each day to sit quietly. Five minutes. It's not like I never procrastinate or waste time on the Internet or have days when I have trouble doing the simplest of work tasks; I'm not a robot. But whenever I'm not being productive, I feel guilty and can't stop thinking about what I should be doing. Thinking leads to acting. It's those 15 minutes at the end of a long day when I should be stretching before bed or otherwise relaxing (meditating, maybe?) or spending quality time with my fiance but instead I decide to write out a grocery list. Or do the dishes. Or take out the trash. Or send a couple or emails. Or do some blog work.
This all leads up to my word** of 2012:
Balance. I need more of it, and there is no time like the present to try to find it.
I used to think that some magical change in my life was right around the corner (work project wrapping up; finishing a draft; etc.) and afterward I would have mythical free time and then I could seek balance. I need it in my work habits and other aspects of my lifestyle. (Hello, eating habits. Takeout every night does not equal balance. Even if you split it equally between nachos and pizza.) Then I had the epiphany that modern life doesn't work that way. There's always more to do, especially as you progress in a career/hobby/lifestyle/relationship/whatever. If I don't learn how to carve out time for self-care and joy and fun and friends now, I'm never going to. You need to find balance in the busy present, not assume it will figure itself out for you in the future.
It's at this point in the post where I feel like I should be providing solutions for adding balance, but it's January 5th so obviously I don't have any yet. It's the word I'm trying to guide me this year, and hopefully I'll have some insight related to it next January (and not a post saying that it needs to be my word for 2013!). I will say that reevaluating eating habits has been in process for a week and as much as I miss my pizza nachos diet, I feel better. (It helps that balance means that pizza nachos doesn't have to go away entirely.)
One more thing to clarify--this doesn't mean I will be working, writing, or blogging any less on the whole. Rather, I'm going to try to do those things more efficiently and make sure I am scheduling time for fun, relaxation, and exploration. Balance doesn't mean a life of leisure, after all!
What's your word for 2012?
*[ETA] Because I like to keep it real: rifles misfire. See: 8th-grade Geography Bee; German Language Exam; Organic Chemistry. (I hate you, carbon rings!)
My parents used to refer to me as "the rifle" because once I set something in my sight, I pulled the trigger and bam! achieved it.* An exaggeration, but sorta true of grades, college applications, exercise plans, financial goals, etc. I am a perfectionist and a workaholic and for the most part, that has served me incredibly well. I have work I love, both in my day job and my writing career. Except that mostly good workaholic trait has a dark side, which is probably the reason why my 2011 meditation resolution didn't happen: I can't always stop working, even when I could use a break.
I couldn't let myself take just five minutes each day to sit quietly. Five minutes. It's not like I never procrastinate or waste time on the Internet or have days when I have trouble doing the simplest of work tasks; I'm not a robot. But whenever I'm not being productive, I feel guilty and can't stop thinking about what I should be doing. Thinking leads to acting. It's those 15 minutes at the end of a long day when I should be stretching before bed or otherwise relaxing (meditating, maybe?) or spending quality time with my fiance but instead I decide to write out a grocery list. Or do the dishes. Or take out the trash. Or send a couple or emails. Or do some blog work.
This all leads up to my word** of 2012:
Balance. I need more of it, and there is no time like the present to try to find it.
I used to think that some magical change in my life was right around the corner (work project wrapping up; finishing a draft; etc.) and afterward I would have mythical free time and then I could seek balance. I need it in my work habits and other aspects of my lifestyle. (Hello, eating habits. Takeout every night does not equal balance. Even if you split it equally between nachos and pizza.) Then I had the epiphany that modern life doesn't work that way. There's always more to do, especially as you progress in a career/hobby/lifestyle/relationship/whatever. If I don't learn how to carve out time for self-care and joy and fun and friends now, I'm never going to. You need to find balance in the busy present, not assume it will figure itself out for you in the future.
It's at this point in the post where I feel like I should be providing solutions for adding balance, but it's January 5th so obviously I don't have any yet. It's the word I'm trying to guide me this year, and hopefully I'll have some insight related to it next January (and not a post saying that it needs to be my word for 2013!). I will say that reevaluating eating habits has been in process for a week and as much as I miss my pizza nachos diet, I feel better. (It helps that balance means that pizza nachos doesn't have to go away entirely.)
One more thing to clarify--this doesn't mean I will be working, writing, or blogging any less on the whole. Rather, I'm going to try to do those things more efficiently and make sure I am scheduling time for fun, relaxation, and exploration. Balance doesn't mean a life of leisure, after all!
What's your word for 2012?
*[ETA] Because I like to keep it real: rifles misfire. See: 8th-grade Geography Bee; German Language Exam; Organic Chemistry. (I hate you, carbon rings!)
Monday, January 2, 2012
Reading Goals: How did I do?
Here's what I read in 2011:
The Angel's Game ~ If I Stay ~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower ~ Jane Eyre ~ Where She Went ~ Let the Great World Spin ~ Looking for Alaska ~ Anna and the French Kiss ~ Half a Life ~ Divergent ~ American Wife ~ Like Mandarin ~ Sweet Valley Confidential ~ Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet ~ Loving Frank ~ When You Reach Me ~ Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ~ Bird by Bird ~ Flyaway ~ The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney ~ Sparrow Road ~ Maggie Brooklyn: Girl's Best Friend ~ Imaginary Girls ~ The Lover's Dictionary ~ Lola and the Boy Next Door ~ Bossypants ~ The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest ~ 13 Reasons Why ~ A Visit from the Goon Squad ~ And Then Things Fall Apart ~ Armageddon in Retrospect ~ Stiltsville ~ Hector and the Search for Happiness ~ Someone Like You ~ Love in the Time of Cholera ~ Mostly Good Girls ~ Beauty Queens ~ The Graveyard Book ~ The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake ~ Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ~ Prep ~ The Marriage Plot ~ Daughter of Smoke and Bone ~ The Forest for the Trees ~ Notes from an Accidental Band Geek ~ The Picture of Dorian Gray ~ How I Live Now ~ Crossed ~ The Scorpio Races ~ Cutting for Stone ~ The Bell Jar ~ Belly Up
and I'm in the middle of State of Wonder, so I started it in 2011.
That's 52 finished, so keeping exactly to my book-a-week rate. Not super-impressive, but hey: I work full-time and I wrote one MS and revised another (multiple times). I'm proud.
20 were YA and 8 were MG.
I established some reading goals for 2011 way back when. How'd I do?
1. Read more books than in 2010: Achieved! I read ~35 books in 2010.
2. Catch up on classics: Progress! I did read Jane Eyre and Dorian Gray and modern YA classic Perks of Being a Wallflower. I still need to read House of Mirth, On the Road, Tender is the Night, and some Faulkner.
3. Read some YA Nonfiction: Total fail. I didn't read any. I'll try to do this in 2012.
4. More genres: Progress! I read more fantasy, horror/paranormal/thriller (what is Miss Peregrine's, anyway?), mystery, and romance than in the past. I still need to read more YA historical fiction, strangely enough.
5. Reread old favorites: Total fail. I didn't reread anything. Can you blame me, though, when there are so many wonderful books to read?
I think I know what I need to work on in 2012. I'll add another: Upping my 2012 debut count.
What are your reading resolutions?
The Angel's Game ~ If I Stay ~ The Perks of Being a Wallflower ~ Jane Eyre ~ Where She Went ~ Let the Great World Spin ~ Looking for Alaska ~ Anna and the French Kiss ~ Half a Life ~ Divergent ~ American Wife ~ Like Mandarin ~ Sweet Valley Confidential ~ Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet ~ Loving Frank ~ When You Reach Me ~ Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ~ Bird by Bird ~ Flyaway ~ The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney ~ Sparrow Road ~ Maggie Brooklyn: Girl's Best Friend ~ Imaginary Girls ~ The Lover's Dictionary ~ Lola and the Boy Next Door ~ Bossypants ~ The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest ~ 13 Reasons Why ~ A Visit from the Goon Squad ~ And Then Things Fall Apart ~ Armageddon in Retrospect ~ Stiltsville ~ Hector and the Search for Happiness ~ Someone Like You ~ Love in the Time of Cholera ~ Mostly Good Girls ~ Beauty Queens ~ The Graveyard Book ~ The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake ~ Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ~ Prep ~ The Marriage Plot ~ Daughter of Smoke and Bone ~ The Forest for the Trees ~ Notes from an Accidental Band Geek ~ The Picture of Dorian Gray ~ How I Live Now ~ Crossed ~ The Scorpio Races ~ Cutting for Stone ~ The Bell Jar ~ Belly Up
and I'm in the middle of State of Wonder, so I started it in 2011.
That's 52 finished, so keeping exactly to my book-a-week rate. Not super-impressive, but hey: I work full-time and I wrote one MS and revised another (multiple times). I'm proud.
20 were YA and 8 were MG.
I established some reading goals for 2011 way back when. How'd I do?
1. Read more books than in 2010: Achieved! I read ~35 books in 2010.
2. Catch up on classics: Progress! I did read Jane Eyre and Dorian Gray and modern YA classic Perks of Being a Wallflower. I still need to read House of Mirth, On the Road, Tender is the Night, and some Faulkner.
3. Read some YA Nonfiction: Total fail. I didn't read any. I'll try to do this in 2012.
4. More genres: Progress! I read more fantasy, horror/paranormal/thriller (what is Miss Peregrine's, anyway?), mystery, and romance than in the past. I still need to read more YA historical fiction, strangely enough.
5. Reread old favorites: Total fail. I didn't reread anything. Can you blame me, though, when there are so many wonderful books to read?
I think I know what I need to work on in 2012. I'll add another: Upping my 2012 debut count.
What are your reading resolutions?
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