So this is the way the night tastes
one at a time
not early or late...
- W.S. Merwin, "Blueberries After Dark"
from The Shadow of Sirius, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
It was semi-dark in the courtyard of the Hammer Museum two weeks ago when I arrived, after bravely journeying across Los Angeles in the middle of rush hour, too late for the beginning of W.S. Merwin's poetry reading.
I had made great time at first, but traffic came to almost a dead stop a few miles before the 110 freeway.
Sunset bathed a mackerel sky with otherworldly color. I saw dark shadows of migrating birds, all heading south against the clouds. Planes were circling above and around to line up for the landing queue at LAX. KUSC played "The Skywalker Symphony."
My estimated arrival in Westwood shifted from "probably early" to "probably late" but I was in a surreal time-warp where time stood still and birds were traveling far faster than I was.
Eventually, I gave up on the 10 and just starting driving along Pico Boulevard, arriving at the Hammer Museum too late to make it inside where Wendy Wright's purse sat on the empty chair meant for me.
Yet, as I entered the courtyard, Merwin's melodious voice filled the air with poetry. Perhaps 50 people sat quietly around the bamboo and maple-filled courtyard, in the semi-dark with eyes closed, listening. Another 230 people were inside.
Poetry is alive and doing well in Los Angeles.
Inside this pocket of nature, framed by the skyscrapers of Westwood, I heard Merwin read from The Shadow of Sirius.
From "The Nomad Flute" --do you still hear me/does your air/remember you...
And, yes, Merwin, I still hear you, the way your voice sounds as I sit among bamboo and contemplate skyscrapers. I remember how the night tastes - cool, refreshing and full of poetry.
Deborah P Kolodji, W.S. Merwin
photo by Taoli-Ambika Talwar
(Note: Every cloud has a silver lining - by being outside the actual reading and listening from the courtyard, I was one of the first in the book signing line.)
one at a time
not early or late...
- W.S. Merwin, "Blueberries After Dark"
from The Shadow of Sirius, winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
It was semi-dark in the courtyard of the Hammer Museum two weeks ago when I arrived, after bravely journeying across Los Angeles in the middle of rush hour, too late for the beginning of W.S. Merwin's poetry reading.
I had made great time at first, but traffic came to almost a dead stop a few miles before the 110 freeway.
Sunset bathed a mackerel sky with otherworldly color. I saw dark shadows of migrating birds, all heading south against the clouds. Planes were circling above and around to line up for the landing queue at LAX. KUSC played "The Skywalker Symphony."
My estimated arrival in Westwood shifted from "probably early" to "probably late" but I was in a surreal time-warp where time stood still and birds were traveling far faster than I was.
Eventually, I gave up on the 10 and just starting driving along Pico Boulevard, arriving at the Hammer Museum too late to make it inside where Wendy Wright's purse sat on the empty chair meant for me.
Yet, as I entered the courtyard, Merwin's melodious voice filled the air with poetry. Perhaps 50 people sat quietly around the bamboo and maple-filled courtyard, in the semi-dark with eyes closed, listening. Another 230 people were inside.
Poetry is alive and doing well in Los Angeles.
Inside this pocket of nature, framed by the skyscrapers of Westwood, I heard Merwin read from The Shadow of Sirius.
From "The Nomad Flute" --do you still hear me/does your air/remember you...
And, yes, Merwin, I still hear you, the way your voice sounds as I sit among bamboo and contemplate skyscrapers. I remember how the night tastes - cool, refreshing and full of poetry.
Deborah P Kolodji, W.S. Merwin
photo by Taoli-Ambika Talwar
(Note: Every cloud has a silver lining - by being outside the actual reading and listening from the courtyard, I was one of the first in the book signing line.)
Tomorrow's my 46th birthday. I'm looking back over the last year, in which I learned and did a good bit. Here's some of the things on the list:
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
- Mood:
contemplative - Music:Akron/Family - Lumen
This summer, while sorting through old papers while preparing to move my mother out here, I found my first publication. It's in a poetry anthology called FOR KIDS BY KIDS and I'm kinda surprised they picked such a morbid little poem from a ten year old. Here it is in its entirety:
My Mother Got A Job
My mother got a job,
Down at the Tribune
Writing the obituaries.
Maybe someday she will see
That someone she knows has died
And she will put her head on the desk and cry.
My Mother Got A Job
My mother got a job,
Down at the Tribune
Writing the obituaries.
Maybe someday she will see
That someone she knows has died
And she will put her head on the desk and cry.
Rich Horton's year-end wrap-up for Realms of Fantasy includes this:
Three novelettes stood out for me. Adam Corbin Fusco's "Sails Above Greensea" (April) is another of quite a few recent pieces about flying sailing ships (or balloons, as the case may be): here the conflict is between the two remaining city-sized Greatships on a nearly submerged world, the two ships captained by a father and his estranged son. "Digging for Paradise", by Ian Creasey (August), tells of a sorcerer who schemes to take a company into the very far future. The narrator must choose between revenge or more constructive options. Cat Rambo's "Diary of a Beast's Life" (December) is told by a centaur who is captured and sold into slavery along with various other fantastical beasts -- because beasts, for all their evident intelligence, are inevitably considered subhuman by humans. An old, sad, story, but powerfully told again.
Three novelettes stood out for me. Adam Corbin Fusco's "Sails Above Greensea" (April) is another of quite a few recent pieces about flying sailing ships (or balloons, as the case may be): here the conflict is between the two remaining city-sized Greatships on a nearly submerged world, the two ships captained by a father and his estranged son. "Digging for Paradise", by Ian Creasey (August), tells of a sorcerer who schemes to take a company into the very far future. The narrator must choose between revenge or more constructive options. Cat Rambo's "Diary of a Beast's Life" (December) is told by a centaur who is captured and sold into slavery along with various other fantastical beasts -- because beasts, for all their evident intelligence, are inevitably considered subhuman by humans. An old, sad, story, but powerfully told again.
- Mood:
busy - Music:Nat King Cole - Autumn Leaves
I live near Fantasy Island.
The Queen Anne’s cottage in the opening credits of the old TV show is actually physically located in the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, California. This is just a short car ride from my home.
Because I’m a member of the Arboretum, I sometimes spend a few hours walking there after Mass on Sunday mornings. I’ve always enjoyed the path to the lagoon through the Jungle Garden. Even if you’ve never been to Arcadia, you know this place.
It’s where the Tarzan movies were filmed. If you’ve ever seen Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in leech-infested waters in "The African Queen," watched "Anaconda," or the 1998 Disney version of “The Jungle Book,” or any of another hundred movies or TV episodes, you’ve been there.
Down by the water, there’s a palm tree that grows in an upward arc over the water. At this spot, you almost always see a black-crowned night heron.
Or two of them.
Sunday was no exception. As I sat on the base of the palm tree and fellow poet Lindy Hill sat on a tree stump, we watched a night heron for about ten minutes, including about five minutes where it toyed with its fish.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkolodji/s
fantasy island
the fish almost too big
for a night heron
The Queen Anne’s cottage in the opening credits of the old TV show is actually physically located in the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, California. This is just a short car ride from my home.
Because I’m a member of the Arboretum, I sometimes spend a few hours walking there after Mass on Sunday mornings. I’ve always enjoyed the path to the lagoon through the Jungle Garden. Even if you’ve never been to Arcadia, you know this place.
It’s where the Tarzan movies were filmed. If you’ve ever seen Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn in leech-infested waters in "The African Queen," watched "Anaconda," or the 1998 Disney version of “The Jungle Book,” or any of another hundred movies or TV episodes, you’ve been there.
Down by the water, there’s a palm tree that grows in an upward arc over the water. At this spot, you almost always see a black-crowned night heron.
Or two of them.
Sunday was no exception. As I sat on the base of the palm tree and fellow poet Lindy Hill sat on a tree stump, we watched a night heron for about ten minutes, including about five minutes where it toyed with its fish.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dkolodji/s
fantasy island
the fish almost too big
for a night heron
The novel continues! I'm up to 18,503 words now, which, for those of you who are counting, is a little over a day ahead of schedule. So that's good. The novel is evolving in odd, unpredictably interesting ways, which is why I'm able to be ahead a little bit.
On Sunday, I took a class at Richard Hugo House http://www.hugohouse.org/ from Jeff VanderMeer called "Exploring Your Booklife." The lessons were taken from his new book, "Booklife" which talks about how to balance one's writing life with other activities, as well as how to meet your writing goals. It was a medium-sized class, about 7-8 of us, which was good, because that way everyone had a chance to ask all the questions they wanted. Although we did some writing in the morning, it's the first class I've taken at Hugo House that wasn't craft oriented. That said, it was extremely helpful. Yesterday, I made myself a list of goals for 2010, including steps to take in order to reach said goals. So often, it seems like I'm either overly optimistic on when I'll finish projects, or I make myself arbitrary deadlines that don't mean anything. Now I think I've got a better grasp on what I want, and what I need to do to get there, so maybe I won't feel like I'm floundering around quite so much.
Well, time to figure out what's for dinner and get a few haiku things done. I'm still hoping to get to work on "Pawn" tonight. On Sunday night, I'd just finished getting ready for bed when an idea about Lucian's past popped into my head, so I opened my notebook and jotted it down on the bathroom counter. My muse must have seen that as an open invitation, because then she threw a few more ideas at me, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the bathroom floor, back against the cupboard, writing page after page of backstory. Some 45 minutes later, I finally exhausted that train of thought and finally went to bed. Even when the timing's weird like that, I really can't complain when the inspiration hits me.
Oh, one last thing: if you're a fan of Pink Martini, check out their new album, "Splendor in the Grass." I've been listening to it over and over, laughing and dancing around the kitchen, much to the cat's chagrin.
On Sunday, I took a class at Richard Hugo House http://www.hugohouse.org/ from Jeff VanderMeer called "Exploring Your Booklife." The lessons were taken from his new book, "Booklife" which talks about how to balance one's writing life with other activities, as well as how to meet your writing goals. It was a medium-sized class, about 7-8 of us, which was good, because that way everyone had a chance to ask all the questions they wanted. Although we did some writing in the morning, it's the first class I've taken at Hugo House that wasn't craft oriented. That said, it was extremely helpful. Yesterday, I made myself a list of goals for 2010, including steps to take in order to reach said goals. So often, it seems like I'm either overly optimistic on when I'll finish projects, or I make myself arbitrary deadlines that don't mean anything. Now I think I've got a better grasp on what I want, and what I need to do to get there, so maybe I won't feel like I'm floundering around quite so much.
Well, time to figure out what's for dinner and get a few haiku things done. I'm still hoping to get to work on "Pawn" tonight. On Sunday night, I'd just finished getting ready for bed when an idea about Lucian's past popped into my head, so I opened my notebook and jotted it down on the bathroom counter. My muse must have seen that as an open invitation, because then she threw a few more ideas at me, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the bathroom floor, back against the cupboard, writing page after page of backstory. Some 45 minutes later, I finally exhausted that train of thought and finally went to bed. Even when the timing's weird like that, I really can't complain when the inspiration hits me.
Oh, one last thing: if you're a fan of Pink Martini, check out their new album, "Splendor in the Grass." I've been listening to it over and over, laughing and dancing around the kitchen, much to the cat's chagrin.
- Location:dusty desk
- Mood:accomplished
- Music:"And Now I'm Back" - Pink Martini
I wanted to point people at BOOKLIFE: STRATEGIES AND SURVIVAL TIPS FOR THE 21ST-CENTURY WRITER. We just hosted Jeff VanderMeer while he passed through on the Finch & Booklife tour, and it's been busy enough that I haven't sat down and gone cover to cover with it yet. I have used part of it in a class already, skimmed through it, and attended one workshop and one lecture on it, though, so I feel comfortable recommending it. ;)
It's addressed not just to writers but to people with creative projects of all types. Jeff uses the term "Booklife" to describe one's existence and career path as an artist and sections include: Building Your Booklife (mapping your future, choosing platforms, managing involvement, etc); Communicating Your Booklife (networking, PR, leveraging opportunities); Balancing Things, figuring out your writing process, and appendices by a number of people on things like podcasts, press releases, book reviews, and reputation management.
There's an accompanying website for Booklife that is well worth checking out. Jeff is thorough, lucid, and has a healthy sense of humor about the absurdities of the field, so it's an entertaining as well as informative read.
In the interest of full disclosure, this was written by a friend and I even contributed the part on writing workshops. Still worth picking up!
It's addressed not just to writers but to people with creative projects of all types. Jeff uses the term "Booklife" to describe one's existence and career path as an artist and sections include: Building Your Booklife (mapping your future, choosing platforms, managing involvement, etc); Communicating Your Booklife (networking, PR, leveraging opportunities); Balancing Things, figuring out your writing process, and appendices by a number of people on things like podcasts, press releases, book reviews, and reputation management.
There's an accompanying website for Booklife that is well worth checking out. Jeff is thorough, lucid, and has a healthy sense of humor about the absurdities of the field, so it's an entertaining as well as informative read.
In the interest of full disclosure, this was written by a friend and I even contributed the part on writing workshops. Still worth picking up!
- Mood: busy
- Music:Nanci Griffith - Rubi's Arms
Yesterday the Southern California Haiku Study Group went on a ginko walk (a haiku walk) to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. Ten poets accepted the challenge for a morning of wildlife adventure - Peggy Castro, Margaret Hehman-Smith, G. Murray Thomas, Kathabela Wilson, Rick Wilson, Sharon Hawley, Genie Nakano, Christine Moore, Wendy Wright, and myself.
Upon our arrival at Bolsa Chica, there was immediate pelican action.
buzzed
by low flying pelicans
I shrink
The los Amigos de Bolsa Chica volunteer organization hosts a free first Saturday "tour." This consists of five stations on or near the bridge covering birds of Bolsa Chica, endangered species of Bolsa Chica, ecology of Bolsa Chica, history of Bolsa Chica, and restoration efforts of Bolsa Chica. There was a ten minute talk at each station. We decided to listen to the first three volunteers and then proceed on our walk. We became immediately famous because when Phil Smith, the first volunteer, asked us why we were at Bolsa Chica, I told him we were there to write haiku. This was a first for them. He quickly notified the other stations so that when we arrived, they would ask "Are you the poets?"
( Read more... )
Upon our arrival at Bolsa Chica, there was immediate pelican action.
buzzed
by low flying pelicans
I shrink
The los Amigos de Bolsa Chica volunteer organization hosts a free first Saturday "tour." This consists of five stations on or near the bridge covering birds of Bolsa Chica, endangered species of Bolsa Chica, ecology of Bolsa Chica, history of Bolsa Chica, and restoration efforts of Bolsa Chica. There was a ten minute talk at each station. We decided to listen to the first three volunteers and then proceed on our walk. We became immediately famous because when Phil Smith, the first volunteer, asked us why we were at Bolsa Chica, I told him we were there to write haiku. This was a first for them. He quickly notified the other stations so that when we arrived, they would ask "Are you the poets?"
( Read more... )
eek!- 09:27 Portland reading was terrific fun! Thank you to all the organizers, other readers, and listeners!! #
- 11:56 RT @torforgeauthors Jeff VanderMeer: A Day in the Life of a Literature Professor, or Why I Do What I Do bit.ly/1a5OvR #
Boy, am I lame at it!
The month of July was, well, Interesting, so I think I forgot to announce a totally terrific thing. Thanks to Tor Books, Bone Dance is back in print! (Oh, and in Canada, too!) I think that must be Theo on the cover, even though he's not wearing glasses; Sparrow looks very Hispanic/Native North American, as Frances points out at a rather tense moment in the book.
I love Bone Dance, not least because it challenged so many things I hadn't realized I believed about genre. And I still want to run away to live with the Hoodoo Engineers.
In other news, I miraculously Leave The House for two, count 'em, two conventions this month! First, my home con, TusCon, November 13 - 15 at the InnSuites hotel in Tucson. Then, on November 27 - 29, Will and I are Guests of Honor at the Darkover Grand Council in Timonium, MD (near Baltimore). Marion Zimmer Bradley bought my first published short story, so I feel pretty swell about that. *g*
The month of July was, well, Interesting, so I think I forgot to announce a totally terrific thing. Thanks to Tor Books, Bone Dance is back in print! (Oh, and in Canada, too!) I think that must be Theo on the cover, even though he's not wearing glasses; Sparrow looks very Hispanic/Native North American, as Frances points out at a rather tense moment in the book.
I love Bone Dance, not least because it challenged so many things I hadn't realized I believed about genre. And I still want to run away to live with the Hoodoo Engineers.
In other news, I miraculously Leave The House for two, count 'em, two conventions this month! First, my home con, TusCon, November 13 - 15 at the InnSuites hotel in Tucson. Then, on November 27 - 29, Will and I are Guests of Honor at the Darkover Grand Council in Timonium, MD (near Baltimore). Marion Zimmer Bradley bought my first published short story, so I feel pretty swell about that. *g*
- Mood:
frazzled
Well, the novel continues. Today I reached 10,220 words, so that's just over 1/5 of the way done! I'm getting to that point of it, though, where I need to throw in a bit of a twist to keep it interesting, so my narrator just discovered a hidden room in the restaurant. I have no idea where it came from, or what's going to happen to it, or if I'm about to take a sizeable step away from the usual plot, but at least I have an interesting place to resume tomorrow.
The rain continues in copious amounts. Last night, Guy Fawkes Day, we fell asleep to thunder & lightning. Time for sleep so I can get up and churn out 1,667 more words tomorrow.
The rain continues in copious amounts. Last night, Guy Fawkes Day, we fell asleep to thunder & lightning. Time for sleep so I can get up and churn out 1,667 more words tomorrow.
- Location:home and dry
- Mood:
sleepy - Music:overflowing gutters
If you've read (and hopefully enjoyed) my collection, Eyes Like Sky And Coal And Moonlight, might I ask that you spread a little love its way in the form of an Amazon review?
- Mood: contemplative
- Music:Santana - Se A Cabo
The reading with Cherie Priest and Jeff VanderMeer last night was swell, and nicely attended. Thank you so much to everyone who made it and to Duane Wilkins of the University Bookstore for arranging it. If you read spec fic and haven't been to the bookstore lately, you should check it out -- one of the best selections in the area (in my opinion). Afterwards there was beer, nachos, and much good conversation.
My story, "The Mermaids Singing Each To Each," is up at Clarkesworld. It was inspired by a link that Katherine Sparrow pointed me at, about the existence of huge lumps of floating trash in our oceans nowadays.
I will be teaching a one day workshop as part of the Field's Edge Writers Community program on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at the Bainbridge Public Library.
I am reading tomorrow night (November 6) at The Press Club in Portland Oregon: Join Underland Press to celebrate the weird and the wonderful with readings by acclaimed authors Jeff VanderMeer, Jay Lake, Cat Rambo, and Jeff Johnson. With art by Benjamin W. Burch and music by DJ Santo, along with crepes, wine, and beer at the Press Club, we'll stay and talk fantastic lit 'till the management kicks us out.
My story, "The Mermaids Singing Each To Each," is up at Clarkesworld. It was inspired by a link that Katherine Sparrow pointed me at, about the existence of huge lumps of floating trash in our oceans nowadays.
I will be teaching a one day workshop as part of the Field's Edge Writers Community program on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at the Bainbridge Public Library.
I am reading tomorrow night (November 6) at The Press Club in Portland Oregon: Join Underland Press to celebrate the weird and the wonderful with readings by acclaimed authors Jeff VanderMeer, Jay Lake, Cat Rambo, and Jeff Johnson. With art by Benjamin W. Burch and music by DJ Santo, along with crepes, wine, and beer at the Press Club, we'll stay and talk fantastic lit 'till the management kicks us out.
- Music:Carla Bruni - Ma Jeunesse
Just a few notes this morning:
Science Fiction Poetry Association
- Karen Romanko posted a report on the progress of the SFPA message board, and cross-posted it to![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
spec_poetry.
- The Sept/Oct issue of Star*Line will be picked up from the printers in the next day or so, and mailed as soon as possible thereafter.
Southern California Haiku Study Group
- We will be having a ginko walk at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on Saturday morning. We will meet at the bridge at 10 am and have lunch, writing, and haiku sharing at Wendy Wright's afterwards. Please e-mail me if you are interested in joining us. Carpools are being organized from the San Gabriel Valley Area and Long Beach.
- Margaret Chula will be leading a haibun workshop at the November 21st SCHSG meeting at the Pacific Asia Museum.
Other Haiku Notes
- Michael Dylan Welch has posted his photos of the Seabeck Haiku Getaway:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MichaeDylan
--Penny Harter has blogged her memories of her week in the Pacific Northwest:
http://penhart.wordpress.com/2009/1
--Once more the deadline for![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
origa's Calico Cat Contest slipped by. I seem to be deadline challenged lately.
Science Fiction Poetry Association
- Karen Romanko posted a report on the progress of the SFPA message board, and cross-posted it to
spec_poetry.- The Sept/Oct issue of Star*Line will be picked up from the printers in the next day or so, and mailed as soon as possible thereafter.
Southern California Haiku Study Group
- We will be having a ginko walk at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve on Saturday morning. We will meet at the bridge at 10 am and have lunch, writing, and haiku sharing at Wendy Wright's afterwards. Please e-mail me if you are interested in joining us. Carpools are being organized from the San Gabriel Valley Area and Long Beach.
- Margaret Chula will be leading a haibun workshop at the November 21st SCHSG meeting at the Pacific Asia Museum.
Other Haiku Notes
- Michael Dylan Welch has posted his photos of the Seabeck Haiku Getaway:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MichaeDylan
--Penny Harter has blogged her memories of her week in the Pacific Northwest:
http://penhart.wordpress.com/2009/1
--Once more the deadline for
origa's Calico Cat Contest slipped by. I seem to be deadline challenged lately.Well, even though I don't have as many words as I did when I abandoned my first novel this month, I'm still feeling good about the change. I'm at 4,857 words tonight, and although it's tempting to grind out that next 150 to make it to 5,000, I'm going to call it a night. My wrists are still recovering from planting spring flower bulbs yesterday, and typing several thousand words since then isn't doing them any favors.
So that's the update. Still playing catch-up. When I get there, then the experiment of working on two novels at a time can resume.
So that's the update. Still playing catch-up. When I get there, then the experiment of working on two novels at a time can resume.
- Location:desk
- Mood: tired
Yep, it's official. I've started my novel over. It was inevitable, I'm afraid. I mean, any time I spend half the afternoon outside planting over a hundred spring bulbs when I should be writing must mean that there's something seriously wrong with the story. So, having dirtied my hands and cleared my head, I came back inside, warmed up a bowl of leftover jasmine rice, and had that "aha!" moment that I've been waiting for. I could almost hear the door slam as my muse walked back into the house, waved her arms in the air, and announced, "I'm back! Did you miss me?"
So my word count has gone from 5,000ish to 1,004, but it's all good. I am not trying to write another fantasy novel. (Working on one--"Pawn"--is quite enough!) Instead, I am now writing a haiku novel. Or rather, a novel with haiku in it. And haiku poets. (No, they're no one you know.) And that's all I'm going to tell you, because that's all I know, and frankly, you aren't going to get to read it anyway. (Sorry.) So I'm glad I finally made the choice to bail and start fresh. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me, which may seem odd since I'm now 5,000 words behind for the day, but just being able to look forward to writing tomorrow morning means a lot. Why spend 30 days with a novel you hate?
Anyway, time to answer a few much-neglected emails and then to let my wrists rest for the night. Typing on my Eee PC is an interesting experience, and while I am getting used to the smaller keyboard, it just makes me love my Macbook all the more.
Oh, and did I explain why I'm using my EeePC (aka Immelman) for NaNoWriMo this year when I've got a perfectly wonderful Macbook? Well, I haven't used poor little Immelman for much since I got him, so I figured now is his chance to shine (yes, my laptops apparently have genders...don't ask). Anyway, since Immelman is considerably more convenient to tote around to cafes and libraries and such, he gets the honor of being my official NaNo laptop this year. It's also my way of separating my NaNo noveling from my "serious" work on "Pawn." Yes, it's confusing. Just trust me. It all makes sense in my head.
Why Immelman as a name? Go watch a few episodes of the anime show "Last Exile." You can find it on Netflix. The animation is gorgeous, and I loved Neo's character, but the ending of the series...well...let's just say someday I'm gonna write a better, more satisfying one.
Good night, all.
So my word count has gone from 5,000ish to 1,004, but it's all good. I am not trying to write another fantasy novel. (Working on one--"Pawn"--is quite enough!) Instead, I am now writing a haiku novel. Or rather, a novel with haiku in it. And haiku poets. (No, they're no one you know.) And that's all I'm going to tell you, because that's all I know, and frankly, you aren't going to get to read it anyway. (Sorry.) So I'm glad I finally made the choice to bail and start fresh. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me, which may seem odd since I'm now 5,000 words behind for the day, but just being able to look forward to writing tomorrow morning means a lot. Why spend 30 days with a novel you hate?
Anyway, time to answer a few much-neglected emails and then to let my wrists rest for the night. Typing on my Eee PC is an interesting experience, and while I am getting used to the smaller keyboard, it just makes me love my Macbook all the more.
Oh, and did I explain why I'm using my EeePC (aka Immelman) for NaNoWriMo this year when I've got a perfectly wonderful Macbook? Well, I haven't used poor little Immelman for much since I got him, so I figured now is his chance to shine (yes, my laptops apparently have genders...don't ask). Anyway, since Immelman is considerably more convenient to tote around to cafes and libraries and such, he gets the honor of being my official NaNo laptop this year. It's also my way of separating my NaNo noveling from my "serious" work on "Pawn." Yes, it's confusing. Just trust me. It all makes sense in my head.
Why Immelman as a name? Go watch a few episodes of the anime show "Last Exile." You can find it on Netflix. The animation is gorgeous, and I loved Neo's character, but the ending of the series...well...let's just say someday I'm gonna write a better, more satisfying one.
Good night, all.
- Location:at my Beastie
- Mood:
cheerful - Music:ambient house sounds
Maybe someday I'll be smart enough to prepare for NaNoWriMo. Not by plotting out my story or characters, but by simply getting in the right mindset to begin 30 days of frenzied writing. In previous years, I've been frantically finishing up other projects before changing gears and launching into NaNoing. This year, my intent was to do that and be done with this draft of "Pawn" before Nov. 1st rolled around.
Fail.
While Russ & I spent last week relaxing in Port Townsend, I did not get more than about 10 minutes of work done on "Pawn." Before that, it was getting ready for the Seabeck Retreat, going to said wonderful retreat, and basking in the aftermath. As a result, I was still only halfway through this draft of "Pawn" when the proverbial clock struck 12:00 on Nov. 1st.
That said, I have been dutifully working on my NaNo novel since then and just cleared 5,000 words a little while ago. This would be worth celebrating for several reasons, the first of which is that we're into day 3 of NaNoWriMo and I have yet to scrap this version and start over. The second is that 5,000 words by noon of the 3rd day means that I'm right on track to finish it early this year (before Thanksgiving, is my goal). And the third is that I'm finally making good use of my little laptop (Immelman).
Unfortunately, there's just one tiny problem: I'm not in love with my novel. Sure, it's in 1st person present tense with an elf, a winged guy, and even haiku in it, but for some reason, it's just not exciting me. Could I write 45,000 more words of it? Maybe. But if I'm not enjoying it, if I'm not itching to sit down and work on it at least some of the time, then something's fundamentally wrong.
In going back through my word count sheets for the previous 4 NaNo novels, I determined that Day 3 & 5,000 words is not the latest that I've restarted a novel. In 2006, I scrapped all 6,668 words on Day 4 and started over, somehow managing to finish 3 days early with over 51,000 words. So it's not impossible. Not recommended, but not impossible.
So am I going to stick with this start and grind through the mediocrity, or am I going to jump ship like I always do (okay, except for year 1, but I started that one a day late & on a complete whim)? I'm hoping that a cheddar, mustard, lettuce sandwich and a cookie will help me decide. Stay tuned!
Fail.
While Russ & I spent last week relaxing in Port Townsend, I did not get more than about 10 minutes of work done on "Pawn." Before that, it was getting ready for the Seabeck Retreat, going to said wonderful retreat, and basking in the aftermath. As a result, I was still only halfway through this draft of "Pawn" when the proverbial clock struck 12:00 on Nov. 1st.
That said, I have been dutifully working on my NaNo novel since then and just cleared 5,000 words a little while ago. This would be worth celebrating for several reasons, the first of which is that we're into day 3 of NaNoWriMo and I have yet to scrap this version and start over. The second is that 5,000 words by noon of the 3rd day means that I'm right on track to finish it early this year (before Thanksgiving, is my goal). And the third is that I'm finally making good use of my little laptop (Immelman).
Unfortunately, there's just one tiny problem: I'm not in love with my novel. Sure, it's in 1st person present tense with an elf, a winged guy, and even haiku in it, but for some reason, it's just not exciting me. Could I write 45,000 more words of it? Maybe. But if I'm not enjoying it, if I'm not itching to sit down and work on it at least some of the time, then something's fundamentally wrong.
In going back through my word count sheets for the previous 4 NaNo novels, I determined that Day 3 & 5,000 words is not the latest that I've restarted a novel. In 2006, I scrapped all 6,668 words on Day 4 and started over, somehow managing to finish 3 days early with over 51,000 words. So it's not impossible. Not recommended, but not impossible.
So am I going to stick with this start and grind through the mediocrity, or am I going to jump ship like I always do (okay, except for year 1, but I started that one a day late & on a complete whim)? I'm hoping that a cheddar, mustard, lettuce sandwich and a cookie will help me decide. Stay tuned!
- Location:desk with kaleidoscopes
- Mood:indecisive
- Music:"Losing Touch" - The Killers
Lots of good stuff in this essay: Justine Musk on why you might not want to put your art at the center of your life.
- Mood:
interested
Profile
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Page Summary
- dkolodji : So this is the way the night tastes [+1]
- catrambo : My 45th Year in Retrospective [+18]
- catrambo : My First Publication [+13]
- catrambo : Nice review [+6]
- dkolodji : A Night Heron’s Fish [+6]
- tanyamcdonald : NaNoWriMo 2009: Day 10 [+0]
- catrambo : Recommended For Creative Folks [+6]
- dkolodji : Ginko Walk at Bolsa Chica [+4]
- coffeeem : Okay, I'm a vegetarian. But YIKES! [+33]
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- coffeeem : D'oh! Self-Promotion! [+39]
- tanyamcdonald : NaNoWriMo 2009: Day 6 [+0]
- catrambo : Request for Amazon Reviews [+3]
- catrambo : Updates [+2]
- dkolodji : Miscellaneous short notes [+0]
- tanyamcdonald : NaNoWriMo 2009: Day 4 [+0]
- tanyamcdonald : NaNoWriMo 2009: take two [+0]
- tanyamcdonald : NaNoWriMo blues [+0]
- coffeeem : Create or...don't. [+9]