Photo by: N.L. Belardes
One Bakersfield Woman's Blog to Mankind
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
How do you handle stress?
My co-workers and I sat around the conference table wide-eyed and searching for a response to the loaded question my boss had just asked.
“How do you handle stress?”
It was a loaded question because just a week ago my boss dropped an economic bomb on us and we had spent the last seven days more stressed out than we’ve ever been in our entire careers.
Career? Did ten years at a job turn it into a career? It didn’t feel like a career when my dreams went in an entirely different direction.
It was also a loaded question because my boss wasn’t asking it to alleviate our stress; it was his icebreaker.
So there we sat, three managers and my boss, searching for politically correct words to answer his loaded question while he waited.
“I shut myself up in my garage and build things.” One of my co-workers responded.
My boss nodded his head and looked at me.
“I shut the world out, watch DVD’s, read books and eat ice cream.” I replied.
He nodded again and turned to my other co-worker who just shrugged his shoulders and remained silent.
Avoidance! Apparently that’s how we handled stress.
Avoidance wasn’t a new revelation for me. I’d been handling stress through avoidance for years. During my divorce I was practically a hermit and read five books a week; the used bookstore knew me by name. I always reverted to avoidance or escapism when under extreme stress.
I had been practicing my stress avoidance regime for the last several months while buying my first home. I was a pro at it. You see I was buying a house from a bank that wouldn’t respond while loan documents, interest rates, and commitment letters expired over and over again. Every time I turned around, I was being charged another five hundred dollars because the seller’s bank wasn’t responding. I had given notice on my rental because my home was supposed to close in April. I had to be out by the 31st and I didn’t know where I was going to live. Estimates to move and store my belongings were outrageous, and my boss’ economic bomb, that just upped the stress ante. Every day was a ‘bucket day’!
It had gotten to the point that I was having a hard time functioning; writing would have been impossible, so my blog suffered. All I wanted to do was crawl into the darkness and escape my problems until by some miracle everything worked out.
Darkness by Darren Hayes
I still believed deep down inside that everything would eventually work out. I was still fighting for my dreams. But right now… I was just handling the stress.
My co-workers and I sat around the conference table wide-eyed and searching for a response to the loaded question my boss had just asked.
“How do you handle stress?”
It was a loaded question because just a week ago my boss dropped an economic bomb on us and we had spent the last seven days more stressed out than we’ve ever been in our entire careers.
Career? Did ten years at a job turn it into a career? It didn’t feel like a career when my dreams went in an entirely different direction.
It was also a loaded question because my boss wasn’t asking it to alleviate our stress; it was his icebreaker.
So there we sat, three managers and my boss, searching for politically correct words to answer his loaded question while he waited.
“I shut myself up in my garage and build things.” One of my co-workers responded.
My boss nodded his head and looked at me.
“I shut the world out, watch DVD’s, read books and eat ice cream.” I replied.
He nodded again and turned to my other co-worker who just shrugged his shoulders and remained silent.
Avoidance! Apparently that’s how we handled stress.
Avoidance wasn’t a new revelation for me. I’d been handling stress through avoidance for years. During my divorce I was practically a hermit and read five books a week; the used bookstore knew me by name. I always reverted to avoidance or escapism when under extreme stress.
I had been practicing my stress avoidance regime for the last several months while buying my first home. I was a pro at it. You see I was buying a house from a bank that wouldn’t respond while loan documents, interest rates, and commitment letters expired over and over again. Every time I turned around, I was being charged another five hundred dollars because the seller’s bank wasn’t responding. I had given notice on my rental because my home was supposed to close in April. I had to be out by the 31st and I didn’t know where I was going to live. Estimates to move and store my belongings were outrageous, and my boss’ economic bomb, that just upped the stress ante. Every day was a ‘bucket day’!
It had gotten to the point that I was having a hard time functioning; writing would have been impossible, so my blog suffered. All I wanted to do was crawl into the darkness and escape my problems until by some miracle everything worked out.
Darkness by Darren Hayes
I still believed deep down inside that everything would eventually work out. I was still fighting for my dreams. But right now… I was just handling the stress.
Labels: avoid truth, avoidance, Blogging, career, economy, ice cream, money, stress, Writing
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Modern Novelist
"I feel successful when the writing goes well. This lasts five minutes. Once, when I was on the bestseller list, I also felt successful. That lasted three minutes."
~Jacqueline Briskin, modern novelist.
"I feel successful when the writing goes well. This lasts five minutes. Once, when I was on the bestseller list, I also felt successful. That lasted three minutes."
~Jacqueline Briskin, modern novelist.
Labels: bestseller, daily quote, Jacqueline Briskin, modern, novelist, successful, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, Writing
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Do you Twitter?
The verb twitter means: to talk lightly and rapidly, especially of trivial matters; chatter.
Some ingenious person took that meaning to heart and created a great social networking sight which links to cell phones via text messaging allowing the world to communicate rapidly of trivial matters; to twitter.
I always thought twitter meant: to tremble with excitement or the like; be in a flutter. Turns out it means that too.
When my cell phone vibrates with a twitter message, I tremble with excitement for I’m connected to my friends and woven into their lives in a whole new fashion. Not only that, I’m connected to new friends across the world.
As with any new social networking site, Twitter took a while for me to figure out. What was appropriate twitter material? How did you reply to one person only and not the whole group? Then I began to think of Twitter as an open chat forum connected to the Internet and my cell phone at the same time and things began to click. I realized the trick to Twitter was to make your 140 character messages interesting and generic at the same time. The collective Twitter group didn’t need to be involved in private conversations, but witty repartee worked. Twitter became a place to discuss chocolate cravings with old and new friends as well as rising gas prices or any other trivial matter. The operative word here being trivial.
Surprisingly my Twitter audience grew rapidly; soon there were lots of Twitter-ites hanging on my every word. Yikes! And some become Twitter obsessed! There are a couple Twitter friends in my group that send so many twitter messages I finally had to quit following them via my cell phone and only follow them online. I couldn’t handle my cell phone vibrating non-stop all day with no orgasm. I mean with all that vibrating going on, one expects a climax eventually. Right?
But that’s one of the nice features of Twitter. You have the option of following people online only or online and via your cell phone. My Twitter friends whom I want to be more deeply woven into their lives, them I follow online and via my cell phone so that our Twitter conversations can be instantaneous and continuous.
Literature has also found a place on Twitter. Novelist N.L. Belardes is writing a novel called Small Places on Twitter 140 characters at a time. I enjoy following the story and receiving little bits of literature throughout the day, it feeds my literary soul during the daily grind.
I’m also following Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice on Twitter. Although unlike Small Places which is sent out one twitter message at a time, Pride and Prejudice’s twitter message is a daily link to the next installment of the novel online. I’m enjoying reading Pride and Prejudice again. The DailyLit has other novels to choose from if Jane Austin is not your cup of tea.
Needless to say, Twitter has become one of my new favorite things…
Do you Twitter? If so, please follow me on Twitter and join in the conversations.
The verb twitter means: to talk lightly and rapidly, especially of trivial matters; chatter.
Some ingenious person took that meaning to heart and created a great social networking sight which links to cell phones via text messaging allowing the world to communicate rapidly of trivial matters; to twitter.
I always thought twitter meant: to tremble with excitement or the like; be in a flutter. Turns out it means that too.
When my cell phone vibrates with a twitter message, I tremble with excitement for I’m connected to my friends and woven into their lives in a whole new fashion. Not only that, I’m connected to new friends across the world.
As with any new social networking site, Twitter took a while for me to figure out. What was appropriate twitter material? How did you reply to one person only and not the whole group? Then I began to think of Twitter as an open chat forum connected to the Internet and my cell phone at the same time and things began to click. I realized the trick to Twitter was to make your 140 character messages interesting and generic at the same time. The collective Twitter group didn’t need to be involved in private conversations, but witty repartee worked. Twitter became a place to discuss chocolate cravings with old and new friends as well as rising gas prices or any other trivial matter. The operative word here being trivial.
Surprisingly my Twitter audience grew rapidly; soon there were lots of Twitter-ites hanging on my every word. Yikes! And some become Twitter obsessed! There are a couple Twitter friends in my group that send so many twitter messages I finally had to quit following them via my cell phone and only follow them online. I couldn’t handle my cell phone vibrating non-stop all day with no orgasm. I mean with all that vibrating going on, one expects a climax eventually. Right?
But that’s one of the nice features of Twitter. You have the option of following people online only or online and via your cell phone. My Twitter friends whom I want to be more deeply woven into their lives, them I follow online and via my cell phone so that our Twitter conversations can be instantaneous and continuous.
Literature has also found a place on Twitter. Novelist N.L. Belardes is writing a novel called Small Places on Twitter 140 characters at a time. I enjoy following the story and receiving little bits of literature throughout the day, it feeds my literary soul during the daily grind.
I’m also following Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice on Twitter. Although unlike Small Places which is sent out one twitter message at a time, Pride and Prejudice’s twitter message is a daily link to the next installment of the novel online. I’m enjoying reading Pride and Prejudice again. The DailyLit has other novels to choose from if Jane Austin is not your cup of tea.
Needless to say, Twitter has become one of my new favorite things…
Do you Twitter? If so, please follow me on Twitter and join in the conversations.
Labels: a twitter novel, chatting, groups, Internet, Jane Austin, N.L. Belardes, novelists, online, Pride and Prejudice, Small Places, social networking, text messaging, Twitter, twitter.com, Writing
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Metamorphoses 2008!
Metamorphoses 2008 is here and available at the Cerro Coso Book Nook and at all Cerro Coso campuses! The 2008 issue is available for $5 to the general public. Students, faculty, and staff are eligible to receive one free copy. See the online order form or visit the Book Nook in person for details. You can also Download Metmamorphoses 2008 in PDF format (6mb).
2009 Submissions Open:
Met is now accepting submissions for the 2009 edition. Submit your literary or art work today!
I have three poems published in the 2008 Metamorphoses: Walking the Tree Streets, The Button Factory and October.
When I picked up my issue of Metamorphoses and reread my poems in book-form, my first thought was: I should write like this more often!
There's a lot of great poetry, short stories and art in this year's Metamorphoses! If you like literature and art, you've got to pick up a copy of MET. You can get one online, it's just a click away.
Metamorphoses 2008 is here and available at the Cerro Coso Book Nook and at all Cerro Coso campuses! The 2008 issue is available for $5 to the general public. Students, faculty, and staff are eligible to receive one free copy. See the online order form or visit the Book Nook in person for details. You can also Download Metmamorphoses 2008 in PDF format (6mb).
2009 Submissions Open:
Met is now accepting submissions for the 2009 edition. Submit your literary or art work today!
I have three poems published in the 2008 Metamorphoses: Walking the Tree Streets, The Button Factory and October.
When I picked up my issue of Metamorphoses and reread my poems in book-form, my first thought was: I should write like this more often!
There's a lot of great poetry, short stories and art in this year's Metamorphoses! If you like literature and art, you've got to pick up a copy of MET. You can get one online, it's just a click away.
Labels: Cerro Coso Community College, Literary, Literature, Matildakay, Metamorphoses, Poetry, writers, Writing
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Writer
"It has begun to occur to me that life is a stage I'm going through."
~Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer.
"It has begun to occur to me that life is a stage I'm going through."
~Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer.
Labels: daily quote, Ellen Goodman, life, Pulitzer Prize, stage, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, writers, Writing
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Magazine Writer
"It is all right to say exactly what you think if you have learned to think exactly."
~Marcelene Cox, magazine writer.
"It is all right to say exactly what you think if you have learned to think exactly."
~Marcelene Cox, magazine writer.
Labels: daily quote, magazine writer, Marcelene Cox, say what you think, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, writers, Writing
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet
"The beautiful feeling after writing a poem is on the whole better even than after sex, and that's saying a lot."
~Anne Sexton, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
"The beautiful feeling after writing a poem is on the whole better even than after sex, and that's saying a lot."
~Anne Sexton, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.
Labels: Anne Sexton, beautiful, daily quote, poet, Poetry, Pulitzer Prize, Sex, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, writers, Writing
Monday, January 21, 2008
Japanese Short Story Writer
"By putting his hand around my neck, he slowly strangled himself."
~Minako Ohba, Japanese short story writer.
"By putting his hand around my neck, he slowly strangled himself."
~Minako Ohba, Japanese short story writer.
Labels: daily quote, Japanese, Minako Ohba, short story, strangled, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, writers, Writing
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Best-Selling Author
"I wrote for twelve years and collected 250 rejection slips before getting any fiction published, so I guess outside reinforcement isn't all that important to me."
~Lisa Alther, best-selling author.
"I wrote for twelve years and collected 250 rejection slips before getting any fiction published, so I guess outside reinforcement isn't all that important to me."
~Lisa Alther, best-selling author.
Labels: author, Fiction, Lisa Alther, publishing, rejection, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, writers, Writing
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Prickly English Poet
"My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence."
~Dame Edith Sitwell, prickly English poet.
"My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence."
~Dame Edith Sitwell, prickly English poet.
Labels: Dame Edith Sitwell, English poet, hobbies, Music, poet, Poetry, Reading, silence, wild women, wild words, Wild words from wild women, Writing
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The Almost Moon
I walked through Barnes and Noble last night and browsed the tables full of new and suggested books looking for something new to read when the name "Sebold" jumped out at me. A new book by Alice Sebold!
I discovered Alice Sebold's books The Lovely Bones and Lucky this past year and devoured them. Sebold is by far my favorite new author. Her beautiful intelligent voice and her ability to infuse each and every word with such emotional intensity keeps me rivited to the of the story.
So I scooped up Sebold's new novel, The Almost Moon, took it home and read the first paragraph.
"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily. Dementia, as it descends, has a way of revealing the core of the person affected by it. My mother's core was rotten like the brackish water at the bottom of a weeks-old vase of flowers. She had been beautiful when my father met her and still capable of love when I became their late-in-life child, but by the time she gazed up at me that day, none of this mattered."
See how Sebold grabs you right from the first sentence. I can't wait to dive into The Almost Moon.
I walked through Barnes and Noble last night and browsed the tables full of new and suggested books looking for something new to read when the name "Sebold" jumped out at me. A new book by Alice Sebold!
I discovered Alice Sebold's books The Lovely Bones and Lucky this past year and devoured them. Sebold is by far my favorite new author. Her beautiful intelligent voice and her ability to infuse each and every word with such emotional intensity keeps me rivited to the of the story.
So I scooped up Sebold's new novel, The Almost Moon, took it home and read the first paragraph.
"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily. Dementia, as it descends, has a way of revealing the core of the person affected by it. My mother's core was rotten like the brackish water at the bottom of a weeks-old vase of flowers. She had been beautiful when my father met her and still capable of love when I became their late-in-life child, but by the time she gazed up at me that day, none of this mattered."
See how Sebold grabs you right from the first sentence. I can't wait to dive into The Almost Moon.
Labels: Alice Sebold, Dementia, Lucky, Reading, The Almost Moon, The Lovely Bones, Writing
Friday, December 28, 2007
Tis the Season… thank goodness its over
The two weeks leading up to Christmas were the most hectic days I’ve had in a long time. Not only did I have to work long hours to finish everything at work before the holiday, but our office was also being carpeted over the holidays and we had to clean out our office as if we were moving. As if I didn’t have enough to do already!
And although I started my Christmas shopping early this year, well earlier than I normally do, I still found myself picking up last minute gifts on Christmas Eve. I bought Christmas cards; but I apologize to all my family and friends, because I was just too busy to get them mailed out. And anyone who has ever received a gift from me knows that I like to wrap pretty packages. But pretty packages take time and so I spent many hours gift-wrapping. I also baked desserts for two Christmas dinners and made Christmas fudge.
Are you tired yet? I know I am. I’ve spent these days since Christmas relaxing, putting things away and reclaiming my laptop and trying to recapture my writing spirit.
Tis the Season… thank goodness its over! Now if only I had a few weeks off before going back to work. But unfortunately my time off is quickly coming to a close and I’m sure chaos will ensue post haste.
The two weeks leading up to Christmas were the most hectic days I’ve had in a long time. Not only did I have to work long hours to finish everything at work before the holiday, but our office was also being carpeted over the holidays and we had to clean out our office as if we were moving. As if I didn’t have enough to do already!
And although I started my Christmas shopping early this year, well earlier than I normally do, I still found myself picking up last minute gifts on Christmas Eve. I bought Christmas cards; but I apologize to all my family and friends, because I was just too busy to get them mailed out. And anyone who has ever received a gift from me knows that I like to wrap pretty packages. But pretty packages take time and so I spent many hours gift-wrapping. I also baked desserts for two Christmas dinners and made Christmas fudge.
Are you tired yet? I know I am. I’ve spent these days since Christmas relaxing, putting things away and reclaiming my laptop and trying to recapture my writing spirit.
Tis the Season… thank goodness its over! Now if only I had a few weeks off before going back to work. But unfortunately my time off is quickly coming to a close and I’m sure chaos will ensue post haste.
Labels: Christmas, shopping, Tis the Season, Writing
Monday, December 10, 2007
Great story about the Writers of the Nervous Breakdown blog community
N.L. of Noveltown and ABC23 wrote a great story about the writers of the Nervous Breakdown blog community. TheNervousBreakdown.com is one of my favorite literary blog sites because of the quality of the writing.
Check out N.L.'s article and mini-documentary on TheNervousBreakdown.com. Not only does Rich Ferguson do some great performance art, Brad Listi and Lenore Zion both make some incredible remarks. Brenda Knight adds some zest in the article when she talks about J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and the Beat Generation and how they would form blog communities if around today.
Check out the article, "Non-Striking Writers Form Attention-Getting Blog Site"
Here's an Excerpt:
Nick Belardes of ABC23 caught up with the brainchild of the site, LA Times best selling author of "Attention. Deficit. Disorder," Brad Listi, and some of the writers of thenervousbreakdown.com near downtown Los Angeles to find out just what the buzz was all about.
Listi, also a professor at Santa Monica College, said, "It's a site that features a multitude of great writers, literary writers from around the world." He added, "What separates us from a lot of other blog sites, or whatever you'd like to call it, is that we're featuring writing of a real literary quality, and it's a one-stop place where readers who are enthusiastic about quality writing can come on a daily basis and hear from all these great voices."
View Slideshow of Related Pics of Listi, Ferguson and Zion.
If you're looking for a blog site that has a good variety of great literary writers, TheNervousBreakdown.com is it!
N.L. of Noveltown and ABC23 wrote a great story about the writers of the Nervous Breakdown blog community. TheNervousBreakdown.com is one of my favorite literary blog sites because of the quality of the writing.
Check out N.L.'s article and mini-documentary on TheNervousBreakdown.com. Not only does Rich Ferguson do some great performance art, Brad Listi and Lenore Zion both make some incredible remarks. Brenda Knight adds some zest in the article when she talks about J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and the Beat Generation and how they would form blog communities if around today.
Check out the article, "Non-Striking Writers Form Attention-Getting Blog Site"
Here's an Excerpt:
Nick Belardes of ABC23 caught up with the brainchild of the site, LA Times best selling author of "Attention. Deficit. Disorder," Brad Listi, and some of the writers of thenervousbreakdown.com near downtown Los Angeles to find out just what the buzz was all about.
Listi, also a professor at Santa Monica College, said, "It's a site that features a multitude of great writers, literary writers from around the world." He added, "What separates us from a lot of other blog sites, or whatever you'd like to call it, is that we're featuring writing of a real literary quality, and it's a one-stop place where readers who are enthusiastic about quality writing can come on a daily basis and hear from all these great voices."
View Slideshow of Related Pics of Listi, Ferguson and Zion.
If you're looking for a blog site that has a good variety of great literary writers, TheNervousBreakdown.com is it!
Labels: Brad Listi, Lenore Zion, Literary, N.L. Belardes, Noveltown, Rich Ferguson, The Nervous Breakdown, TheNervousBreakdown.com, writers, Writing
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Break time over…
You may have noticed that I’ve been distant from the blog this past month. In many ways, I took a much-needed break.
There has been a lot going on in my life, some of which I’ll eventually share with you all. But for now, I’ll simply declare break time over.
How many of you went out shopping at 5am on Black Friday?
I did.
I braved the mobs for great deals and waited in an incredibly long non-moving line with no roller coaster at the end of it.
Was it worth it?
I guess I’ll find out on Christmas morning.
As we rush full steam into the holidays…
I’ll do my best to get back into the bloginess of things.
Repeat after me: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."
You may have noticed that I’ve been distant from the blog this past month. In many ways, I took a much-needed break.
There has been a lot going on in my life, some of which I’ll eventually share with you all. But for now, I’ll simply declare break time over.
How many of you went out shopping at 5am on Black Friday?
I did.
I braved the mobs for great deals and waited in an incredibly long non-moving line with no roller coaster at the end of it.
Was it worth it?
I guess I’ll find out on Christmas morning.
As we rush full steam into the holidays…
I’ll do my best to get back into the bloginess of things.
Repeat after me: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."
Labels: Black Friday, Blogging, Christmas, Dory, Finding Nemo, just keep swimming, shopping, Writing
Friday, November 02, 2007
Dia de los Muertos
On the Day of the Dead as I remembered my grandparents, a reader gave me an unexpected renewed sense of purpose.
I always enjoy meeting readers of my blog and hearing their comments. But tonight those comments were much needed motivation. Perhaps God sent her to me with the message to write, I thought as I listened intently to her comments and took them into my heart. I will, I told myself.
Here are some images from tonight's local Day of the Dead celebration festivities at the Nile downtown.
On the Day of the Dead as I remembered my grandparents, a reader gave me an unexpected renewed sense of purpose.
I always enjoy meeting readers of my blog and hearing their comments. But tonight those comments were much needed motivation. Perhaps God sent her to me with the message to write, I thought as I listened intently to her comments and took them into my heart. I will, I told myself.
Here are some images from tonight's local Day of the Dead celebration festivities at the Nile downtown.
Labels: Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, God, grandparents remembered, Writing
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Daydream believer and decorating my own soul…
Getty Villa Museum, Malibu, California
In my daydreams I explore the unknown, I’m brave, I’m empowered to be the purest form of myself possible, to express myself vibrantly, to be free to live life as I’d like it to be. In my daydreams, my destiny doesn’t seem so precarious. In my daydreams I am Jane Austin, Wonder Woman, and Carrie Bradshaw. In my daydreams I look like I stepped from the pages of Vogue magazine, write with literary prowess, make people laugh, charm men, and love openly. In my daydreams Mr. Big exists. In my daydreams I have good knees and a collection of expensive high heel shoes to be rivaled. In my daydreams I live in San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York in a fabulous urban house or apartment, or on the central California coast in a lazy beach house with the ocean waves a few hundred feet from my front door or someplace like Kentucky where the land is green, plantations are large and the horses are thoroughbreds. In my daydreams my passport is full of foreign stamps, money is not a constant worry and I have friends all over the world.
Author David Morell, creator of Rambo said in his keynote speech at the 2007 Yosemite Writers Conference that “daydreams are your subconscious bubbling up as your narrative voice.” I am a daydream believer, for in our daydreams our characters run free and have adventures. The trick for the writer is to transfer those adventures from the daydream onto the page. Or maybe the ruse is to live your life as if it were your daydreams.
There are times when I get lost in my daydreams…
Sometimes when my day job or the routine of responsibility becomes overbearing, when things aren’t going as I’d like them to, I escape into my daydreams, picture myself in a different situation, a different city, or a new house. It may seem strange, but I pay attention to the little details and decorate the rooms. Maybe I’m decorating my own soul for imagining myself living a different life calms the chaos of my day, calms the unrest of what should be and isn’t, calms the inevitability of fate.
And then there are days when I manage to capture my daydreams on the page and set them free. Those are days when I feel most like a writer, those are the days when I feel most alive.
Getty Villa Museum, Malibu, California
In my daydreams I explore the unknown, I’m brave, I’m empowered to be the purest form of myself possible, to express myself vibrantly, to be free to live life as I’d like it to be. In my daydreams, my destiny doesn’t seem so precarious. In my daydreams I am Jane Austin, Wonder Woman, and Carrie Bradshaw. In my daydreams I look like I stepped from the pages of Vogue magazine, write with literary prowess, make people laugh, charm men, and love openly. In my daydreams Mr. Big exists. In my daydreams I have good knees and a collection of expensive high heel shoes to be rivaled. In my daydreams I live in San Francisco, Los Angeles or New York in a fabulous urban house or apartment, or on the central California coast in a lazy beach house with the ocean waves a few hundred feet from my front door or someplace like Kentucky where the land is green, plantations are large and the horses are thoroughbreds. In my daydreams my passport is full of foreign stamps, money is not a constant worry and I have friends all over the world.
Author David Morell, creator of Rambo said in his keynote speech at the 2007 Yosemite Writers Conference that “daydreams are your subconscious bubbling up as your narrative voice.” I am a daydream believer, for in our daydreams our characters run free and have adventures. The trick for the writer is to transfer those adventures from the daydream onto the page. Or maybe the ruse is to live your life as if it were your daydreams.
There are times when I get lost in my daydreams…
Sometimes when my day job or the routine of responsibility becomes overbearing, when things aren’t going as I’d like them to, I escape into my daydreams, picture myself in a different situation, a different city, or a new house. It may seem strange, but I pay attention to the little details and decorate the rooms. Maybe I’m decorating my own soul for imagining myself living a different life calms the chaos of my day, calms the unrest of what should be and isn’t, calms the inevitability of fate.
And then there are days when I manage to capture my daydreams on the page and set them free. Those are days when I feel most like a writer, those are the days when I feel most alive.
Labels: David Morrell, daydream beliver, daydreams, imagination, soul, Writing
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Women on the edge, writing from the edge
On one of my weekly treks to the Noveltown postal hub where big puffy packages arrive full of books, I opened Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles, edited by Samantha Dunn and Julianne Ortale. Dunn sent the book of short stories for N.L. Belardes of Noveltown to read and review. Good thing he never got the chance.
The title, Women on the Edge, and the Andy Warhol-style pop art faces of the women authors on the book cover called out to me as if they knew what I needed to know: revelations in writing and life from women writers.
I discovered compelling literary stories from women who have experienced hard lives, emotional times, strange events, unexpected turns and twists, and women who were unafraid to face obstacles. After reading such haunting stories I can easily say Belardes is not getting this book back.
Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander, wrote the foreword for Women on the Edge.
I pondered one of her quotes:
“Out here on the perimeter, there are no stars. Out here we is stoned, immaculate.”~The Doors, from L.A. Woman
Not a huge Doors fan, I wondered how a rock music quote could encapsulate women on the edge, writing from the edge. With each story I read, the subtle nuances, the profound moments, the hard emotions, and Fitch’s words in the foreword about these stories and women authors echoed true. Women on the Edge stories were about women at varying stages of life experiencing the beauty of life at its messiest.
I found myself living through the characters as if their experiences were my own. I understood Mrs. Poovey’s need to feel useful and needed again in Julianne Ortale’s Milk, and Debbie’s ostracization as a school girl in Aimee Bender’s Debbieland, or having to put a grandmother away in a home in Dylan Landis’ Rose, or wanting to know if love is somewhere in your future in Liz Gonzalez’s Destiny, and dealing with the loss of a loved one in Jody Hauber’s Between the Dog and the Wolf. These were stories from the heart about women whom I felt I was or had been at some point in my life.
The characters haunted me. So did the writing. I was just as enthralled with the language, beautiful prose and fine sentences expertly disguised within the hard, dark and emotional circumstances of each story.
In the end, I realize the beauty of Women on the Edge is the stories within tell a tale of what it is to be a woman. And that story links the contributing women authors and characters to women everywhere out on the edge, which is life.
Samantha Dunn - Photo by: Lupe Fernandez
You will want to read these stories!
Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles
Authors/Stories:
Karen Horn, Levinium 241
Julianne Ortale, Milk
Erin Julia McGuire, Crowfeathers
Aimee Bender, Debbieland
Samantha Dunn, Going Green
Lindsay Fitzgerald, Hunger
Dylan Landis, Rose
Lisa Teasley, Magda in Rosarito, Beached
Lisa Glatt, Ludlow
Abby Mims, Me and Mr. Jones
Michelle Latiolais, Boys
Rachel Resnick, Meat-Eaters of Marrakesh
Liz Gonzalez, Destiny
Anita Santiago, Flying Blind
Carol Muske-Dukes, Contraband
Rochelle Low, Where Angels Tread
Jody Hauber, Between the Dog and the Wolf
Mary Rakow, The Memory Room
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Samantha Dunn about Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles and how this wonderful collection of short stories came together.
(Read the full blog and the interview with Samantha Dunn on Noveltown's blog Papaerback Writer.)
On one of my weekly treks to the Noveltown postal hub where big puffy packages arrive full of books, I opened Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles, edited by Samantha Dunn and Julianne Ortale. Dunn sent the book of short stories for N.L. Belardes of Noveltown to read and review. Good thing he never got the chance.
The title, Women on the Edge, and the Andy Warhol-style pop art faces of the women authors on the book cover called out to me as if they knew what I needed to know: revelations in writing and life from women writers.
I discovered compelling literary stories from women who have experienced hard lives, emotional times, strange events, unexpected turns and twists, and women who were unafraid to face obstacles. After reading such haunting stories I can easily say Belardes is not getting this book back.
Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander, wrote the foreword for Women on the Edge.
I pondered one of her quotes:
“Out here on the perimeter, there are no stars. Out here we is stoned, immaculate.”~The Doors, from L.A. Woman
Not a huge Doors fan, I wondered how a rock music quote could encapsulate women on the edge, writing from the edge. With each story I read, the subtle nuances, the profound moments, the hard emotions, and Fitch’s words in the foreword about these stories and women authors echoed true. Women on the Edge stories were about women at varying stages of life experiencing the beauty of life at its messiest.
I found myself living through the characters as if their experiences were my own. I understood Mrs. Poovey’s need to feel useful and needed again in Julianne Ortale’s Milk, and Debbie’s ostracization as a school girl in Aimee Bender’s Debbieland, or having to put a grandmother away in a home in Dylan Landis’ Rose, or wanting to know if love is somewhere in your future in Liz Gonzalez’s Destiny, and dealing with the loss of a loved one in Jody Hauber’s Between the Dog and the Wolf. These were stories from the heart about women whom I felt I was or had been at some point in my life.
The characters haunted me. So did the writing. I was just as enthralled with the language, beautiful prose and fine sentences expertly disguised within the hard, dark and emotional circumstances of each story.
In the end, I realize the beauty of Women on the Edge is the stories within tell a tale of what it is to be a woman. And that story links the contributing women authors and characters to women everywhere out on the edge, which is life.
Samantha Dunn - Photo by: Lupe Fernandez
You will want to read these stories!
Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles
Authors/Stories:
Karen Horn, Levinium 241
Julianne Ortale, Milk
Erin Julia McGuire, Crowfeathers
Aimee Bender, Debbieland
Samantha Dunn, Going Green
Lindsay Fitzgerald, Hunger
Dylan Landis, Rose
Lisa Teasley, Magda in Rosarito, Beached
Lisa Glatt, Ludlow
Abby Mims, Me and Mr. Jones
Michelle Latiolais, Boys
Rachel Resnick, Meat-Eaters of Marrakesh
Liz Gonzalez, Destiny
Anita Santiago, Flying Blind
Carol Muske-Dukes, Contraband
Rochelle Low, Where Angels Tread
Jody Hauber, Between the Dog and the Wolf
Mary Rakow, The Memory Room
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with Samantha Dunn about Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles and how this wonderful collection of short stories came together.
(Read the full blog and the interview with Samantha Dunn on Noveltown's blog Papaerback Writer.)
Labels: literary fiction, Los Angeles, Noveltown, Samantha Dunn, short stories, The Doors, women on the edge, Women on the Edge Writing from Los Angeles, women's fiction, Writing, writing from the edge
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The Showtime link up
Last week the blog I wrote about my new favorite TV show Californication was linked on Showtime for four (4) days! Did you all hear that? Showtime’s website had a link to Matildakay.com for four wonderful days! Four days where I danced in the streets and sang show tunes in my linkage glee! Four days that I couldn’t post any other blogs (not even this one to tell you all about the amazing linkage) because Showtime linked up to Matildakay.com and not the individual Californication blog. (If I had posted anything new the Californication blog would have been buried under all the regular Matildakay blogginess and Showtime viewers would not have been able to find it.) Four days of constantly checking to see if my blog was still linked on Showtime. (I think they got more traffic out of me than I got out of them.) Four days of my writing being recognized on Showtime.
It was a wonderful four days of linkage!
Coincidentally the Showtime link up happened on the same day that someone else tried to convince me to completely rewrite a blog I had written, to change my writing style. I considered rewriting, but I couldn’t shake the negative feelings about the whole situation and my closest friends advised against rewriting. I eventually decided not to rewrite but instead to bask in being linked on Showtime while it lasted.
And the minute the Showtime link up ended… I headed out of town for a much needed girl’s day.
Eventually the show must go on as the theatre people say. So we now return to our regularly scheduled programming of Matildakay blogginess.
Last week the blog I wrote about my new favorite TV show Californication was linked on Showtime for four (4) days! Did you all hear that? Showtime’s website had a link to Matildakay.com for four wonderful days! Four days where I danced in the streets and sang show tunes in my linkage glee! Four days that I couldn’t post any other blogs (not even this one to tell you all about the amazing linkage) because Showtime linked up to Matildakay.com and not the individual Californication blog. (If I had posted anything new the Californication blog would have been buried under all the regular Matildakay blogginess and Showtime viewers would not have been able to find it.) Four days of constantly checking to see if my blog was still linked on Showtime. (I think they got more traffic out of me than I got out of them.) Four days of my writing being recognized on Showtime.
It was a wonderful four days of linkage!
Coincidentally the Showtime link up happened on the same day that someone else tried to convince me to completely rewrite a blog I had written, to change my writing style. I considered rewriting, but I couldn’t shake the negative feelings about the whole situation and my closest friends advised against rewriting. I eventually decided not to rewrite but instead to bask in being linked on Showtime while it lasted.
And the minute the Showtime link up ended… I headed out of town for a much needed girl’s day.
Eventually the show must go on as the theatre people say. So we now return to our regularly scheduled programming of Matildakay blogginess.
Labels: Blogging, Californication, Matildakay, matildakay.com, Showtime, Writing
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Yosemite Writers Conference: The writers New Year
In trying to sum up my experience at the Yosemite Writers Conference I thought I’d share a few of the memorable sentiments, phrases and writing advice that really resonated with me.
“Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth,” ~Pablo Picasso, “and that is fiction” ~Ginny Rorby
“Sheroes” (women heroes) ~Brenda Knight
“You can change what people think with your writing.” ~N.L. Belardes
“Social networking is a way to raise awareness.” ~N.L. Belardes
“Write from the heart, write what’s around you, write the truth of hidden history” ~Brenda Knight
“Make writing a practice, make it a priority” ~Kate Gale
“You want to aspire to write great work.” ~Kate Gale
“You have to make your book stand out.” ~Farrin Jacobs
“Write the novel you want to write.” ~Steve Yarborough
“Your voice is important. Use your voice to capture attention for yourself, use your voice as a community service.” ~N.L. Belardes
“It really was inspiring. Felt like the writer's New Year for me.” ~Genevieve Choate
“One of the things you achieve from a point of view character is VOICE.” ~Hallie Ephron
“Movies have ruined more fiction writers.” ~David Morrell
“The most important thing in a book should be tension.” ~Irene Webb
“Be a first rate version of yourself not a second rate version of someone else.” ~David Morrell
“Develop an identity for yourself as a writer.” ~David Morrell
“Never underestimate the emotion of jealousy.” ~Bonnie Hearn Hill
“You can have a literary voice and still tell a good story.” ~Bonnie Hearn Hill
“Writing well is the best revenge.” ~David Morrell
“Always remember the enthusiasm with which the idea struck you.” ~David Morrell
More on the 2007 Yosemite Writers Conference:
Yosemite Writers Conference: The Writers New Year
Is Book Publishing Dead? Yosemite Writers Conference provides food for hungry writers
Yosemite Writers Conference: A Conversation about Blogging
Rambo Creator Reinvents Captain America
Yosemite Writers Conference: Demystifying Chick lit and Women’s fiction
Yosemite Writers Conference: Poetry talk
Mystery talk after David Morrell's big speech
2007 Yosemite Writers Conference: Brenda Knight Sidesteps the TVA man
Yosemite Writers and the Chukchansi bathroom break
Headed to Yosemite Writers Conference to talk writing for social change
In trying to sum up my experience at the Yosemite Writers Conference I thought I’d share a few of the memorable sentiments, phrases and writing advice that really resonated with me.
“Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth,” ~Pablo Picasso, “and that is fiction” ~Ginny Rorby
“Sheroes” (women heroes) ~Brenda Knight
“You can change what people think with your writing.” ~N.L. Belardes
“Social networking is a way to raise awareness.” ~N.L. Belardes
“Write from the heart, write what’s around you, write the truth of hidden history” ~Brenda Knight
“Make writing a practice, make it a priority” ~Kate Gale
“You want to aspire to write great work.” ~Kate Gale
“You have to make your book stand out.” ~Farrin Jacobs
“Write the novel you want to write.” ~Steve Yarborough
“Your voice is important. Use your voice to capture attention for yourself, use your voice as a community service.” ~N.L. Belardes
“It really was inspiring. Felt like the writer's New Year for me.” ~Genevieve Choate
“One of the things you achieve from a point of view character is VOICE.” ~Hallie Ephron
“Movies have ruined more fiction writers.” ~David Morrell
“The most important thing in a book should be tension.” ~Irene Webb
“Be a first rate version of yourself not a second rate version of someone else.” ~David Morrell
“Develop an identity for yourself as a writer.” ~David Morrell
“Never underestimate the emotion of jealousy.” ~Bonnie Hearn Hill
“You can have a literary voice and still tell a good story.” ~Bonnie Hearn Hill
“Writing well is the best revenge.” ~David Morrell
“Always remember the enthusiasm with which the idea struck you.” ~David Morrell
More on the 2007 Yosemite Writers Conference:
Yosemite Writers Conference: The Writers New Year
Is Book Publishing Dead? Yosemite Writers Conference provides food for hungry writers
Yosemite Writers Conference: A Conversation about Blogging
Rambo Creator Reinvents Captain America
Yosemite Writers Conference: Demystifying Chick lit and Women’s fiction
Yosemite Writers Conference: Poetry talk
Mystery talk after David Morrell's big speech
2007 Yosemite Writers Conference: Brenda Knight Sidesteps the TVA man
Yosemite Writers and the Chukchansi bathroom break
Headed to Yosemite Writers Conference to talk writing for social change
Labels: Brenda Knight, David Morrell, Literary, N.L. Belardes, Steve Yarborough, Writing, writing advice, Yosemite Writer's Conference
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Yosemite Writers Conference: Poetry talk
Kate Gale, editor of Red Hen Press out of Los Angeles, California, sat reading from a poetry book before beginning her workshop “Editing Poetry: Entering the process whole and coming out humming.” Her wet hair fresh from the Tenaya Lodge swimming pool was a metaphor for her no bullshit attitude about poetry.
Is poetry still being published? At another panel I heard someone say poetry was dead. According to Gale, poetry is not dead, but you won’t get rich publishing poetry. I for one was excited that there was a poetry workshop at this year’s conference for I am a lover of poetry.
Gale opened the workshop reading two poems, one from the book she had been reading by another poet and one of her own that she had been working on for a few weeks. Her poem was rich in imagery, emotion, insecurities, and fireworks, literally fireworks as she found a way to express a woman’s self-worth issues and her desire to receive recognition from her lover as a request for fireworks. I may not be interpreting her poem correctly, but I loved Gale’s voice. Her poem grabbed my attention and took me on a journey.
I found the poetry workshop very constructive and informative as Gale mapped out the process of writing and publishing poetry. She answered questions regarding publishing poetry in literary magazines and publishing collections of poetry that I have always wondered about.
She stressed the importance of reading poetry to get in a poetry frame of mind before writing. Of making writing a practice and a priority, good advice for any writer. How important creative writing workshops are that will give you rigorous feedback on your work. And what type of poetry is currently being published.
One thing Gale said that really stood out to me is, “Great poems are where the creative meets the intellectual.”
And really that is the type of poetry I want to read and write.
More on the 2007 Yosemite Writers Conference:
Mystery talk after David Morrell's big speech
2007 Yosemite Writers Conference: Brenda Knight Sidesteps the TVA man
Yosemite Writers and the Chukchansi bathroom break
Headed to Yosemite Writers Conference to talk writing for social change
Kate Gale, editor of Red Hen Press out of Los Angeles, California, sat reading from a poetry book before beginning her workshop “Editing Poetry: Entering the process whole and coming out humming.” Her wet hair fresh from the Tenaya Lodge swimming pool was a metaphor for her no bullshit attitude about poetry.
Is poetry still being published? At another panel I heard someone say poetry was dead. According to Gale, poetry is not dead, but you won’t get rich publishing poetry. I for one was excited that there was a poetry workshop at this year’s conference for I am a lover of poetry.
Gale opened the workshop reading two poems, one from the book she had been reading by another poet and one of her own that she had been working on for a few weeks. Her poem was rich in imagery, emotion, insecurities, and fireworks, literally fireworks as she found a way to express a woman’s self-worth issues and her desire to receive recognition from her lover as a request for fireworks. I may not be interpreting her poem correctly, but I loved Gale’s voice. Her poem grabbed my attention and took me on a journey.
I found the poetry workshop very constructive and informative as Gale mapped out the process of writing and publishing poetry. She answered questions regarding publishing poetry in literary magazines and publishing collections of poetry that I have always wondered about.
She stressed the importance of reading poetry to get in a poetry frame of mind before writing. Of making writing a practice and a priority, good advice for any writer. How important creative writing workshops are that will give you rigorous feedback on your work. And what type of poetry is currently being published.
One thing Gale said that really stood out to me is, “Great poems are where the creative meets the intellectual.”
And really that is the type of poetry I want to read and write.
More on the 2007 Yosemite Writers Conference:
Mystery talk after David Morrell's big speech
2007 Yosemite Writers Conference: Brenda Knight Sidesteps the TVA man
Yosemite Writers and the Chukchansi bathroom break
Headed to Yosemite Writers Conference to talk writing for social change
Labels: Kate Gale, Noveltown, Poetry, publishing, Red Hen Press, workshops, Writing
Friday, August 17, 2007
Schedule for the Yosemite Writers Conference
In a recent interview with Bonnie Hearn Hill about the Yosemite Writers Conference, she stated:
“We have four workshops an hour geared for everyone at every stage of her/his career; however, we encourage writers to follow their passion. If a beginning writer wants to attend a workshop on how to sell books to film, that’s fine. I should add that we have a talented sound professional from Hawaii recording all of the workshops, so if you miss one you think you might like, you can purchase a CD.”
Wow! That’s a lot of workshops! And there are a lot of great topics being covered! There are a couple of timeslots where I wish I could clone myself and sit in two workshops at the same time. I just might have to purchase a CD of the workshops so I don’t miss anything.
Take a look at the schedule of workshops for next week’s Yosemite Writers Conference:
Friday August 24:
9:15 – 10:15 AM –
Sharpen Your Hooks – Fiction
Writing For Social Change
Writing and Publishing Your Memoir
Writing Anthologies For the Soul
10:45 – 11:45 AM –
Ghosting Where the Money is: A Guide to Co-authoring
How to Stand Out in the Nonfiction Market
Selling to Chronicle Books
Editing Poetry: Entering the process whole and coming out humming
1:45 – 2:45 PM –
All About Platform: If You Build It, They Will Come
Spiritual Writing in the Age of The Secret
Selling to Tor Books
Chick Lit is Dead, and Other Myths About Women's Fiction
3:00 – 4:00 PM –
How to Pitch an Editor
Rates, rights and rules of engagement: What you need to know about magazine freelancing
Selling to Weiser Books
Take Your Book to the Movies
Saturday August 25:
9:15 – 10:15 AM –
He, She and the Dreaded Omniscient: Point of View at Close Range
Confessions of a Contest Judge
Picture Book Manuscript Critique
Beyond the Basics - What Every Author Needs to Know Before, During and After Publication
10:45 – 11: 45 AM –
Sharpen your Hooks – Nonfiction
Blogging Your Way to Fame
1:45 – 2:45 PM –
How to Pitch an Agent
Murder, They Wrote: A Guide to Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers
Writing for Guideposts
3:00 – 4:00 PM –
Tapping the Hot YA Market
Invisible Genius: Ghostwriting for The Penn Group
Twisting the Mystery Plot
*****************
www.noveltown.net
www.yosemitewriters.com
In a recent interview with Bonnie Hearn Hill about the Yosemite Writers Conference, she stated:
“We have four workshops an hour geared for everyone at every stage of her/his career; however, we encourage writers to follow their passion. If a beginning writer wants to attend a workshop on how to sell books to film, that’s fine. I should add that we have a talented sound professional from Hawaii recording all of the workshops, so if you miss one you think you might like, you can purchase a CD.”
Wow! That’s a lot of workshops! And there are a lot of great topics being covered! There are a couple of timeslots where I wish I could clone myself and sit in two workshops at the same time. I just might have to purchase a CD of the workshops so I don’t miss anything.
Take a look at the schedule of workshops for next week’s Yosemite Writers Conference:
Friday August 24:
9:15 – 10:15 AM –
Sharpen Your Hooks – Fiction
Writing For Social Change
Writing and Publishing Your Memoir
Writing Anthologies For the Soul
10:45 – 11:45 AM –
Ghosting Where the Money is: A Guide to Co-authoring
How to Stand Out in the Nonfiction Market
Selling to Chronicle Books
Editing Poetry: Entering the process whole and coming out humming
1:45 – 2:45 PM –
All About Platform: If You Build It, They Will Come
Spiritual Writing in the Age of The Secret
Selling to Tor Books
Chick Lit is Dead, and Other Myths About Women's Fiction
3:00 – 4:00 PM –
How to Pitch an Editor
Rates, rights and rules of engagement: What you need to know about magazine freelancing
Selling to Weiser Books
Take Your Book to the Movies
Saturday August 25:
9:15 – 10:15 AM –
He, She and the Dreaded Omniscient: Point of View at Close Range
Confessions of a Contest Judge
Picture Book Manuscript Critique
Beyond the Basics - What Every Author Needs to Know Before, During and After Publication
10:45 – 11: 45 AM –
Sharpen your Hooks – Nonfiction
Blogging Your Way to Fame
1:45 – 2:45 PM –
How to Pitch an Agent
Murder, They Wrote: A Guide to Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers
Writing for Guideposts
3:00 – 4:00 PM –
Tapping the Hot YA Market
Invisible Genius: Ghostwriting for The Penn Group
Twisting the Mystery Plot
*****************
www.noveltown.net
www.yosemitewriters.com
Labels: Bonnie Hearn Hill, editors, Fiction, literary agents, Mystery, non-fiction, Noveltown, women's fiction, workshops, Writing, Yosemite Writers Conference
Are you going to the Yosemite Writers Conference?
There's still time to sign up!
The Yosemite Writers Conference is just around the corner. Quite literally. In fact its next week, August 24-26. My excitement is growing by leaps and bounds. I can’t wait to be among so many great writers that I admire. I can’t wait to attend the workshops and panels and soak up all the knowledge I can about writing and the publishing world. I can’t wait to connect to writers from all over the country. I can’t wait to be inspired!
Noveltown is going. Are you?
Want to meet literary agents, publishers, editors, and authors?
Want to learn about the many facets of writing in today’s literary world?
Whether you’re a published author or just realized that you want to be a writer, the Yosemite Writer’s Conference is for you.
Noveltown’s own N.L. Belardes will be speaking at this year’s Yosemite Writer’s Conference, among many others. (Read my previous interview with N.L. about his speaking at the YWC).
I’ve literally been vibrating with anticipation for the Yosemite Writers Conference. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed a preview. You know, like a movie trailer. A teaser. The coming attractions as it were. I went straight to the source. I tracked down Bonnie Hearn Hill, accomplished novelist, instructor and one of many who work very hard each year to put on the Yosemite Writers Conference and I asked her a few questions about what we could expect at this years conference.
She was kind enough to oblige me, instruct me, and encourage me. Read the interview.
Bonnie Hearn Hill
Volunteer faculty
Novelist and instructor
Noveltown: Who are the ‘big’ agents and editors attending the Yosemite Writers Conference this year?
BHH: Please, honey. Never use orphan quotes, and especially not single orphan quotes. I’m excited about all of our agents. Irene Webb is a top film agent. June Clark specializes in nonfiction and works for a leading New York agency. Katharine Sands is also with a major NY firm, and Jeffery McGraw and Arlene Cardoza are building their lists and actively seeking new writers. This is a great opportunity to learn from the people who are in the best position to know what sells.
Noveltown: Which conference panel or workshop are you most excited about this year?
BHH: I’m really excited about the young adult panel. That’s a great market, and we have Farrin Jacobs from HarperCollins, Susan Chang from Tor, along with Melissa Manlove from Chronicle Books. Melissa is also presenting a two-hour picture book critique workshop, and she’s actually doing free line edits. For those who are ready to test their work, the Sharpen Your Hooks workshops are an almost painless way to get feedback. For the first time this year, we’re offering one for fiction and one for nonfiction. Also for the first time, we’re offering two workshops on the high-paying ghostwriting field with representatives of a New York ghostwriting firm, and a magazine-writing panel for those who want to write articles. So I sound as if I’m excited about everything, right? For me, though, the most intriguing might be the Sunday morning one with our Saturday keynote David Morrell, the author who created Rambo. David is actively involved in the conference this year, and he asked if he could do a bonus workshop on Sunday on marketing for writers. I can’t wait.
(Read the full blog and interview on Paperback Writer)
*************
www.noveltown.net
www.yosemitewriters.com
There's still time to sign up!
The Yosemite Writers Conference is just around the corner. Quite literally. In fact its next week, August 24-26. My excitement is growing by leaps and bounds. I can’t wait to be among so many great writers that I admire. I can’t wait to attend the workshops and panels and soak up all the knowledge I can about writing and the publishing world. I can’t wait to connect to writers from all over the country. I can’t wait to be inspired!
Noveltown is going. Are you?
Want to meet literary agents, publishers, editors, and authors?
Want to learn about the many facets of writing in today’s literary world?
Whether you’re a published author or just realized that you want to be a writer, the Yosemite Writer’s Conference is for you.
Noveltown’s own N.L. Belardes will be speaking at this year’s Yosemite Writer’s Conference, among many others. (Read my previous interview with N.L. about his speaking at the YWC).
I’ve literally been vibrating with anticipation for the Yosemite Writers Conference. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed a preview. You know, like a movie trailer. A teaser. The coming attractions as it were. I went straight to the source. I tracked down Bonnie Hearn Hill, accomplished novelist, instructor and one of many who work very hard each year to put on the Yosemite Writers Conference and I asked her a few questions about what we could expect at this years conference.
She was kind enough to oblige me, instruct me, and encourage me. Read the interview.
Bonnie Hearn Hill
Volunteer faculty
Novelist and instructor
Noveltown: Who are the ‘big’ agents and editors attending the Yosemite Writers Conference this year?
BHH: Please, honey. Never use orphan quotes, and especially not single orphan quotes. I’m excited about all of our agents. Irene Webb is a top film agent. June Clark specializes in nonfiction and works for a leading New York agency. Katharine Sands is also with a major NY firm, and Jeffery McGraw and Arlene Cardoza are building their lists and actively seeking new writers. This is a great opportunity to learn from the people who are in the best position to know what sells.
Noveltown: Which conference panel or workshop are you most excited about this year?
BHH: I’m really excited about the young adult panel. That’s a great market, and we have Farrin Jacobs from HarperCollins, Susan Chang from Tor, along with Melissa Manlove from Chronicle Books. Melissa is also presenting a two-hour picture book critique workshop, and she’s actually doing free line edits. For those who are ready to test their work, the Sharpen Your Hooks workshops are an almost painless way to get feedback. For the first time this year, we’re offering one for fiction and one for nonfiction. Also for the first time, we’re offering two workshops on the high-paying ghostwriting field with representatives of a New York ghostwriting firm, and a magazine-writing panel for those who want to write articles. So I sound as if I’m excited about everything, right? For me, though, the most intriguing might be the Sunday morning one with our Saturday keynote David Morrell, the author who created Rambo. David is actively involved in the conference this year, and he asked if he could do a bonus workshop on Sunday on marketing for writers. I can’t wait.
(Read the full blog and interview on Paperback Writer)
*************
www.noveltown.net
www.yosemitewriters.com
Labels: Bonnie Hearn Hill, editors, literary agents, N.L. Belardes, Noveltown, Writing, Yosemite Writers Conference
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Memoir discussions...
I discovered interesting discussions on the memoir this week and shared the ins and outs of the memoir with everyone at Noveltown.
Here's a little bit about the memoir:
Recently, I finished reading Alice Sebold’s memoir: Lucky, a courageous tale of her brutal rape as a college freshman and the transformation in her life that followed. Typically I read more novels than I do memoirs. I don’t know that I would ever have picked up a memoir about a violent rape if Alice Sebold hadn’t been the author. It’s not that I can’t handle reading about rape or violence, but perhaps it’s the trueness of the subject and the personal connection to the author that changes the reality of the words. In a memoir the author shares a little piece of their soul with you in the telling of their story.
However, I find Sebold’s writing so compelling, so open and enchanting, I couldn’t help myself. She took a horrific story of rape and turned it into a story about her life I could not stop reading. The affect of a brutal rape on a person’s life was never more revealing to me than when Sebold stated: “After telling the hard facts to anyone, from lover to friend, I have changed in their eyes.”
After having just devoured Sebold’s memoir, I was ecstatic to find a great discussion on memoirs this week over on the Pub Rants blog from literary agent Kristin who participated in a panel at the Backspace Conference entitled: How to Publish a Memoir if You Aren’t Famous. She wrote several blogs discussing memoirs, which turned out to be the most popular genre at the Backspace Conference. She also brought up some great points that I just had to share with all of you writers contemplating writing a memoir.
Kristin writes:
“Lots of people want to write a memoir and it’s also the hardest project to get published by a non-celebrity. And here’s my little rant, very few people actually have stories that are big enough to capture national attention and hence, editor attention.”
What does that mean for those of you writing memoirs? It means that whether you have experienced divorce, or was a child of divorced parents, had abandonment issues, have mental health issues, suffered heartbreak, lived a wild life of sex, drugs and rock and roll, was in the military and went to war, graduated top of your class in college, had cancer, failed in business, lost a child or spouse, was violently attacked, or any other thing that you’ve experienced in your life, millions of other people have experienced them too.
So what sets your story apart from the millions of other similar stories? What makes your story worthy of garnering attention, of being published?
“People need to have a persuasive reason to read your story. Were you famous or associated with someone famous? If not, you have to find a way to tell your story that is so involving and compelling and unique that it grabs the reader from the very first sentence and never lets them go until the end.”
There's a lot more tips about the memoir. Read the full blog and join in the discussion on Paperback Writer.
I discovered interesting discussions on the memoir this week and shared the ins and outs of the memoir with everyone at Noveltown.
Here's a little bit about the memoir:
Recently, I finished reading Alice Sebold’s memoir: Lucky, a courageous tale of her brutal rape as a college freshman and the transformation in her life that followed. Typically I read more novels than I do memoirs. I don’t know that I would ever have picked up a memoir about a violent rape if Alice Sebold hadn’t been the author. It’s not that I can’t handle reading about rape or violence, but perhaps it’s the trueness of the subject and the personal connection to the author that changes the reality of the words. In a memoir the author shares a little piece of their soul with you in the telling of their story.
However, I find Sebold’s writing so compelling, so open and enchanting, I couldn’t help myself. She took a horrific story of rape and turned it into a story about her life I could not stop reading. The affect of a brutal rape on a person’s life was never more revealing to me than when Sebold stated: “After telling the hard facts to anyone, from lover to friend, I have changed in their eyes.”
After having just devoured Sebold’s memoir, I was ecstatic to find a great discussion on memoirs this week over on the Pub Rants blog from literary agent Kristin who participated in a panel at the Backspace Conference entitled: How to Publish a Memoir if You Aren’t Famous. She wrote several blogs discussing memoirs, which turned out to be the most popular genre at the Backspace Conference. She also brought up some great points that I just had to share with all of you writers contemplating writing a memoir.
Kristin writes:
“Lots of people want to write a memoir and it’s also the hardest project to get published by a non-celebrity. And here’s my little rant, very few people actually have stories that are big enough to capture national attention and hence, editor attention.”
What does that mean for those of you writing memoirs? It means that whether you have experienced divorce, or was a child of divorced parents, had abandonment issues, have mental health issues, suffered heartbreak, lived a wild life of sex, drugs and rock and roll, was in the military and went to war, graduated top of your class in college, had cancer, failed in business, lost a child or spouse, was violently attacked, or any other thing that you’ve experienced in your life, millions of other people have experienced them too.
So what sets your story apart from the millions of other similar stories? What makes your story worthy of garnering attention, of being published?
“People need to have a persuasive reason to read your story. Were you famous or associated with someone famous? If not, you have to find a way to tell your story that is so involving and compelling and unique that it grabs the reader from the very first sentence and never lets them go until the end.”
There's a lot more tips about the memoir. Read the full blog and join in the discussion on Paperback Writer.
Labels: Bakersfield, books, Literary, memoir, Noveltown, Paperback Writer, Writing
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Lost and found in words…
Aspiring writers are always told they must read if they want to be good writers. I’ve read that advice in many articles, heard it at writing conferences, and I can’t tell you how many times N.L. has given me that same advice. “Read, read and read some more.” Its true. The more you read great writers, the more you learn about writing styles, plot and character development, good sentence structure and literary themes. And so now when I read I’m not just devouring the story for escapism or entertainment, I also pay attention to the writing.
Lately I’ve been reverting back to a favorite pastime, losing myself in books. I’m always reading, but I go through phases where I’m devouring words in massive volumes. At one point in my life I was drowning in words, reading up to five and six books a week. I would dive in and escape the real world of divorce in the stories I found within the pages. Eventually life settled down to a normal pace and so did my reading.
Something magical always happens to me when I’m reading. I get lost and found in the words. I can lose myself in the story and escape the mundane routine, the unrequited issues, and the emotional ups and downs. I open my imagination and become part of the story living through the characters. I take a fictional walk and get lost in the writing. But something else happens too. I find myself in the words. I find myself laughing or crying through the words. I find myself saying: “I know exactly what you mean or feel,” “I’ve been there,” “I’ve said that!” and “Oh my God, how did they know.” Screen writer/director Nancy Meyers must have a window into my soul for she seems to write my life almost word for word and I have the uncomfortable pleasure of watching beautiful actresses play out my life on the big screen. The bitch. If she doesn’t quit writing me, there won’t be anything left for me to write. But this magic is the moment when the writing is good and I get lost and found in the words the most. When the words transcend the page and touch my life and I carry them around with me like a secret.
In the large stack of books I’m currently reading, here are a few worth mentioning.
A Thousand and One Nights by Lara Tupper: As an active reader of chick-lit, I was given this book to read for Noveltown. Although after reading it, I hesitate to stereotype it as chick-lit. It doesn’t follow the typical chick-lit formula. What it is, is an original, well written adventure of a lounge singer set in exotic locations. I was touched most by the humor within the sadness of the story as the characters isolated by their foreign locations, must depend most upon the person they are growing apart from. I’ll be writing more about A Thousand and One Nights and interviewing Lara Tupper for the Noveltown blog.
The Marriage Diaries by Rebecca Campbell: I picked this book up expecting it to be a light, fun chick-lit read. It was a fun, witty read that had me laughing at times. But it had depth like most marriages do. The writing is brutally honest and dissects the marriage from two points of view, the wife and the husband’s. What would you do if you stumbled onto your husband’s private journal on the home computer hard drive and found out he was contemplating an affair? Campbell smartly takes the characters in a much different direction than I had expected.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Last year at the Yosemite Writers conference a panel of agents all agreed they were looking for the next “Lovely Bones” and that books like that were rare. The Lovely Bones. I wrote the name down in my notes and promised myself I’d read it. I finally read The Lovely Bones and now I know why the agents were all raving, it’s stunning. A literary masterpiece. I literally could not put the book down. Sebold weaves a riveting tale of the human experience uniquely told from the perspective of the murder victim as she watches her family, friends and her killer. From unspeakable tragedy and suspense Sebold gives hope and humor.
She writes:
“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections – sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent – that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life.”
The Lovely Bones is my new favorite book and a must read. If you read nothing else this year, read The Lovely Bones.
I have more books to dive into and get lost and found in the words…
Aspiring writers are always told they must read if they want to be good writers. I’ve read that advice in many articles, heard it at writing conferences, and I can’t tell you how many times N.L. has given me that same advice. “Read, read and read some more.” Its true. The more you read great writers, the more you learn about writing styles, plot and character development, good sentence structure and literary themes. And so now when I read I’m not just devouring the story for escapism or entertainment, I also pay attention to the writing.
Lately I’ve been reverting back to a favorite pastime, losing myself in books. I’m always reading, but I go through phases where I’m devouring words in massive volumes. At one point in my life I was drowning in words, reading up to five and six books a week. I would dive in and escape the real world of divorce in the stories I found within the pages. Eventually life settled down to a normal pace and so did my reading.
Something magical always happens to me when I’m reading. I get lost and found in the words. I can lose myself in the story and escape the mundane routine, the unrequited issues, and the emotional ups and downs. I open my imagination and become part of the story living through the characters. I take a fictional walk and get lost in the writing. But something else happens too. I find myself in the words. I find myself laughing or crying through the words. I find myself saying: “I know exactly what you mean or feel,” “I’ve been there,” “I’ve said that!” and “Oh my God, how did they know.” Screen writer/director Nancy Meyers must have a window into my soul for she seems to write my life almost word for word and I have the uncomfortable pleasure of watching beautiful actresses play out my life on the big screen. The bitch. If she doesn’t quit writing me, there won’t be anything left for me to write. But this magic is the moment when the writing is good and I get lost and found in the words the most. When the words transcend the page and touch my life and I carry them around with me like a secret.
In the large stack of books I’m currently reading, here are a few worth mentioning.
A Thousand and One Nights by Lara Tupper: As an active reader of chick-lit, I was given this book to read for Noveltown. Although after reading it, I hesitate to stereotype it as chick-lit. It doesn’t follow the typical chick-lit formula. What it is, is an original, well written adventure of a lounge singer set in exotic locations. I was touched most by the humor within the sadness of the story as the characters isolated by their foreign locations, must depend most upon the person they are growing apart from. I’ll be writing more about A Thousand and One Nights and interviewing Lara Tupper for the Noveltown blog.
The Marriage Diaries by Rebecca Campbell: I picked this book up expecting it to be a light, fun chick-lit read. It was a fun, witty read that had me laughing at times. But it had depth like most marriages do. The writing is brutally honest and dissects the marriage from two points of view, the wife and the husband’s. What would you do if you stumbled onto your husband’s private journal on the home computer hard drive and found out he was contemplating an affair? Campbell smartly takes the characters in a much different direction than I had expected.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Last year at the Yosemite Writers conference a panel of agents all agreed they were looking for the next “Lovely Bones” and that books like that were rare. The Lovely Bones. I wrote the name down in my notes and promised myself I’d read it. I finally read The Lovely Bones and now I know why the agents were all raving, it’s stunning. A literary masterpiece. I literally could not put the book down. Sebold weaves a riveting tale of the human experience uniquely told from the perspective of the murder victim as she watches her family, friends and her killer. From unspeakable tragedy and suspense Sebold gives hope and humor.
She writes:
“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections – sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent – that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events that my death wrought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous body had been my life.”
The Lovely Bones is my new favorite book and a must read. If you read nothing else this year, read The Lovely Bones.
I have more books to dive into and get lost and found in the words…
Labels: found, Literary, lost, Noveltown, Reading, words, Writing
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Stranger than Fiction
I love movies about writers. Writers are a strange breed. The good ones are disheveled, creative, brilliant and a little bit crazy. I always find it interesting to see how Hollywood portrays the writer.
In movies about writers the writers overcome tragedy, crisis, relationship issues and writer’s block to finish their books and grow as characters while giving us profound gems about the writing process. If the characters are well written, the story works.
Here are some of my favorite movies about writers:
Throw Mama from the Train – “A writer writes always.”
Finding Forrester – “No thinking – that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is… to write, not to think!”
Finding Neverland – “All great writers begin with a good leather binding and a respectable title.”
Stranger than Fiction joins my list of favorite writer movies – “Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method.”
These are all great movies, but what I like so much about Stranger than Fiction is the parallel stories about the writer, and the character the writer is writing.
Harold Crick hears a woman narrating his life and rather than accept that he’s crazy like the psychiatrist tells him, he seeks the help of a literary professor who instructs him to figure out what kind of story he’s in: a comedy or a tragedy. What a brilliant concept. Instead of accepting society’s norm and taking medication to fix your life… turn to literature and figure out what story you’re living. And change your life by changing the story you’re living. I just love that.
All great literature is either a comedy or a tragedy. And so is life.
Comedy or tragedy. There have been times when I’ve wanted to keep track in a notebook like Harold Crick did. Some days my life is comedy, some days its tragedy but I really like the idea of finding the answers to life in literature. That really appeals to me.
In movies about writers the writers overcome tragedy, crisis, relationship issues and writer’s block to finish their books and grow as characters while giving us profound gems about the writing process. If the characters are well written, the story works.
Here are some of my favorite movies about writers:
Throw Mama from the Train – “A writer writes always.”
Finding Forrester – “No thinking – that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is… to write, not to think!”
Wonder Boys – “Writers make choices.”
Finding Neverland – “All great writers begin with a good leather binding and a respectable title.”
Stranger than Fiction joins my list of favorite writer movies – “Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method.”
These are all great movies, but what I like so much about Stranger than Fiction is the parallel stories about the writer, and the character the writer is writing.
Harold Crick hears a woman narrating his life and rather than accept that he’s crazy like the psychiatrist tells him, he seeks the help of a literary professor who instructs him to figure out what kind of story he’s in: a comedy or a tragedy. What a brilliant concept. Instead of accepting society’s norm and taking medication to fix your life… turn to literature and figure out what story you’re living. And change your life by changing the story you’re living. I just love that.
All great literature is either a comedy or a tragedy. And so is life.
Comedy or tragedy. There have been times when I’ve wanted to keep track in a notebook like Harold Crick did. Some days my life is comedy, some days its tragedy but I really like the idea of finding the answers to life in literature. That really appeals to me.
Labels: Bakersfield, character, comedy, Finding Forrester, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, Throw Mama from the Train, tragedy, Wonder Boys, writers block, Writing
About Me
- Name: Matildakay
- Location: Bakersfield, California, United States
An inspirational, eclectic and often humorous peek into the life of single womanhood in Bakersfield, California and beyond...
Keep Moving Forward... in 2008
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