Comparisons

I'm currently reading The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. It's about a woman who goes back to her home town, Templeton, to figure out what to do after an ill-advised love affair with her married professor results in pregnancy. But home isn't the quite the safe haven she expected it to be. I bought the book because Templeton is a fictionalized Cooperstown, NY. My sister and her family lived there in the eighties, so some of the places are familiar.

Compared to JS&MN I'm whizzing through this one. More than halfway through in just a few days. And as the tension is building, I'll probably finish before the weekend. And that leads me to my pondering for the day.

Do books benefit or suffer because of the book they follow? This is a much shorter book (only 300 or so pages) with shorter chapters than JS&MN. The writing is more modern, although still with beautiful descriptions and well-drawn characters, and more accessible. But would I be enjoying it quite as much without having just spent over a month on the previous read? I know the converse is true. I've had to put a book aside that I knew I'd like because it followed something that I loved, and it didn't quite make it to the same level.

Makes me wonder if I mightn't be better off hanging out with a crowd of lesser writers instead of the wonderful scribes who populate the Pirates. Then my stuff would look awesome in comparison. Of course, this way, I'm forced to really try to get my best work in front of them. And that's really what helps me in the long run.

Pirates and Palette Cleansers

Not two things one would normally put together, but that's what happened Monday evening. At the Pirate gathering, we talked about the books we were currently reading or had just finished. Since I had just made it through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell--a good book, but loooong--I said I was looking for something short and light as a palette cleanser. "What would that be?" Jenny asked. Good question. For me it depends what I've been either reading a lot of or having trouble getting through. Usual cleansers are:

--Margaret Atwood
--Neil Gaiman
--A good funny book
--Short stories
--A good mystery (Sometimes easier said than done. Just ask D.B.)
--Children's/YA since I'm always looking for books to recommend to the nieces and nephews
--Maybe non-fiction

I don't usually go for things like chick lit or romance, the usual easy reading fare. Predictable and poorly written just don't relax me. And before I get a ton of nasty comments, I know there are good reads in both genres, but I haven't found many lately. Could be I'm looking in the wrong places, but there are a lot of things I'm pretty sure I'll like already on the nightstand, and on the bookshelves and stacked in the corner so searching is a low priority for me right now.

Any particular genre or writer you turn to when you've been reading things that are too heavy or not your cup of tea?

Walk On The Moon

I keep forgetting to post the link to first singles from Great Big Sea's upcoming album, Fortune's Favour, due out on June 24th. The new singles are Walk On The Moon, Here And Now and Love Me Tonight. All feature Alan Doyle on the lead and have a more commercial pop feel than most of their original fare. They also have three of my favorites from previous albums: Feel It Turn (Sean), Consequence Free and Ordinary Day. Check it out for yourself and compare.

Just go to http://www.greatbigsea.com/ On the right side of the page is a link that looks like this:

May Goals

Still in that poor me phase. Just found out that I'll be on this bland diet at least through the middle of July. Oh boy! At least I've found a couple more canned veggies I'm allowed. And frozen spinach is okay. I've now added a dark green (the spinach), an orange (carrots) and a red (beets) to the repetoire along with a new light green (asparagus). Dropped the peas--those things have way more calories than their size should allow. And I'll be cutting back on the fruits. Again with the calories. The up side of all of this is that I've joined myfooddiary.com to track what I'm eating so I know that I'm getting my nutrients without too much fat, cholesterol or calories. This may be what I needed to jump start the weight loss process.

So how'd I do with my April writing goals? Not so hot. Not much with actual revision on MMG, although I did work on it in my head. Check out Kristin Nelson's recents blogs about back cover copy. The idea of the 'plot catalyst' that should happen within the first thirty pages helped me solidify what actually is mine. Not Kitty's mother dying--that happens before the book starts. Nope, it's the first haunting of her brother that really sets things in motion for her. Duh! And I worked a little bit on Vesta. Picked up some more books for research on Tarot and crystals, which will both figure in the story.

New goals? Actually write the first ten chapters of revisions on MMG--that's one per weekend. Type up what I have so far on Vesta with the few changes I've decided will put her in more peril. Peril=conflict=good. Continue research on metaphysical themes.

That's fairly ambitious, but I've been a slacker for way too long. Time to Cowboy Up as the amazing Jenny says.

Thankful For Small Blessings

I got back to work Wednesday morning. When I came in my to-do list had 4 things on it from the previous week. Not too bad. By the end of the day I'd completed 8 items with 7 left over. Thursday I completed 10 items and had 15 left over. Yes, I'm moving backwards this week. Watch me defy the laws of physics soon!

This morning while I was getting ready I started feeling pretty sorry for myself. I'm on this icky diet, I'm exhausted and I have 15 things to try to check off my list along with anything else that might just land on it. Poor me. So I pull out the new bottle of makeup I bought yesterday. The brand is called Boots and it's sold at Target. One of the reasons I picked it up was because they actually have testers in the store. No guessing at whether it matches or not. Cool. Usually you can only test makeup at boutique stores or department stores. I'm not big on shopping (except for books and craft supplies) so I hate going to the mall to do that.

Then I started thinking about the first job I had when I moved to Colorado. I worked at May D&F department store in the Women's Better Sportswear Department. Yes, I got to deal on a daily basis with just the type of women that description brings to mind. Most were okay. Some were just over the top. On Christmas Eve day they pulled me over to the perfume counter to help out because a lot of men wait to the last minute to shop then have no idea what to get so they go to two counters--perfume and jewelry. By the time my shift ended at 6:00 p.m., my head was splitting from having dozens of different perfumes sprayed at me and on me so they could be tested.

So today could be worse.

Time To Read

I've been down sick for a week now. I won't bore you with details--they aren't particularly pleasant--but once I quit sleeping most of the day I realized I had time to read. I've been slogging through Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Now don't misunderstand. It's a good book, a very good book. But it's long. Over 800 pages long. And the chapters are long. So when you pick it up, you've committed yourself to a bit of time. It's a book that's hard to put down once you start, but hard to pick up in the first place.

The book is a best-seller so I don't think the length was a huge turnoff. However, how many people who bought it have read it? Would it matter to you? I mean, she's got the money. So what if no one really got past the first hundred pages? Some authors would be okay with that.

While, yes, I do want to be able to make a buck from my writing, I also want my words to mean something to others. Maybe over-reaching in the long run, but what can I say? I'm a dreamer.

So what motivates you to keep going? Is it the bucks? You can be honest here. No judging. Or do you want to make an impression with your words? Or both?

Southern Gothic--Or Why Do I Keep Setting Novels in Florida?

Vesta is turning into a Southern Gothic novel. I wasn't going for that, but that's where it's going none the less. This will be the second novel set in central Florida. One might deduce from that that I like Florida. Nothing could be further from the truth. I lived in Florida for several years and, other than being excited to wear shorts on Thanksgiving the first year, did not like it at all. For many reasons. But here I am having set my first two novels there. And the next one? Plans are for that to be set in Florida as well. Hmm.

The rule is "Write what you know." It's not "Write what you like." Do I know Florida better than anyplace else? No, I lived in Michigan longer and in Colorado longer than either. And I liked them both better than Florida. So why Florida? Maybe I'm working out something. Maybe it feels more menacing to me so I feel comfortable having bad things happen to my characters there. Again I say, "hmmm."

Where do you set your stories? Is it somewhere you know? I realize the answers will be very different for SF/F writers. But do the places feel familiar? Do you like the settings? Does it make a difference?