Okay, it's been 2012 for over a week now--almost two...What have I been doing, anyway? Well, I've been reading, and writing, and working! Okay, I've also been dealing with a family health crisis--my mom had a stroke the day after Christmas, so that has taken a lot of time and energy to deal with. But she is recovering very well, and is back to reading some books herself--her first read was Flyaway by Helen Landalf and she loved it! What a relief; one of my big worries was that she wouldn't be able to read...as that is one of her life's joys.
Speaking of the joy of reading, check out this amazing (short) video on YouTube, the Joy of Books.
So what books have I been reading? I'm currently reading Madame Bovary--for the first time, oddly enough. I have been trying to get through Joyce's Ulysses but it is really difficult. I mean War and Peace is a lightweight romance novel compared to that! I love moments of Joyce's writing, but there's no thread to hang onto...Or there's a thread, then not, then there is, then there isn't.
I'm working on editing another excellent YA novel right now--the first in a series that is sort of a female Harry Potter, with Dragons--I'm really enjoying the project and I think the manuscript will be ready for the author to pitch it to agents and editors at the Southern California Writer's Conference in February.
hasta pronto!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Some Pros and Cons of Freelancing
When I say I am a freelancer, people always say "How cool--that must be fun!" and of course, it is--but there are good and not-so-good points to working for yourself...Most all authors are freelancers, even if they have a "day job" because they are not usually getting paid to write (as they write--maybe months or even years later).
Here are just a few of the Pros and Cons of Freelancing:
Pro: You make your own schedule (plenty of time to read).
Con: You can easily feel guilty if you are not working (never enough time to read for FUN).
Pro: You're your own boss (no one to tell you what to do).
Con: You have to motivate yourself--and on some (sunny) days that is really difficult to do.
Pro: You set your own rates and can ask for what you feel your skills are truly worth.
Con: You don't get a weekly paycheck. (Sometimes more than a few weeks go by!)
Pro: You can work from home (in your pajamas, even, though I don't because I feel better when I am "dressed for work")
Con: Your home is your office and your job never really stops.
Feel free to add to this list...I would love to hear from you.
hasta pronto!
Here are just a few of the Pros and Cons of Freelancing:
Pro: You make your own schedule (plenty of time to read).
Con: You can easily feel guilty if you are not working (never enough time to read for FUN).
Pro: You're your own boss (no one to tell you what to do).
Con: You have to motivate yourself--and on some (sunny) days that is really difficult to do.
Pro: You set your own rates and can ask for what you feel your skills are truly worth.
Con: You don't get a weekly paycheck. (Sometimes more than a few weeks go by!)
Pro: You can work from home (in your pajamas, even, though I don't because I feel better when I am "dressed for work")
Con: Your home is your office and your job never really stops.
Feel free to add to this list...I would love to hear from you.
hasta pronto!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
"The Submission" and "Flyaway"
So much good reading this last month--no wonder I haven't written much here! I finally got to read Amy Waldman's book The Submission last week and have been recommending it to everyone. She has a masterful way of weaving a variety of character's stories--and they are diverse--into a vivid tapestry. And she really captures certain parts of New York--and the way those New Yorkers talk--with perfect pitch. Well worth reading; even if you don't think you care about a 9/11 memorial or racial politics--turns out, you do.
I've been editing a manuscript that also deals with racial politics--but set in Israel...with a heart-wrenching love story at its center. The book has so much potential; the author is reworking it again now...And every time it gets better and better.
And speaking of new books getting out there--my dear friend Helen Landalf's first YA book Flyaway is coming out next month...but it's not too early to pre-order it as a holiday gift for a special young lady (or young man) on your list. Try Powell's or of course, Amazon. Helen is a rare talent, and this book is both real and uplifting. (Will also appeal to bird lovers. )Check out Helen's site.
I'm back to my classics this week--reading George Eliot's Daniel Deronda which my cousin Kiki recommended to me long ago...I have always been a fan of Eliot, but somehow missed this one. What a cast of characters...
Hasta pronto!
I've been editing a manuscript that also deals with racial politics--but set in Israel...with a heart-wrenching love story at its center. The book has so much potential; the author is reworking it again now...And every time it gets better and better.
And speaking of new books getting out there--my dear friend Helen Landalf's first YA book Flyaway is coming out next month...but it's not too early to pre-order it as a holiday gift for a special young lady (or young man) on your list. Try Powell's or of course, Amazon. Helen is a rare talent, and this book is both real and uplifting. (Will also appeal to bird lovers. )Check out Helen's site.
I'm back to my classics this week--reading George Eliot's Daniel Deronda which my cousin Kiki recommended to me long ago...I have always been a fan of Eliot, but somehow missed this one. What a cast of characters...
Hasta pronto!
Friday, October 14, 2011
New York, New York
Another virtual trip to New York--in the pages of Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland. (Check out her site here, though quite out-of-date, it is still chock-full of info, excerpts and artwork). The character of Clara is a wonder--smart, caring, and independent...Especially for the 1900s. I loved Vreelands attention to detail, from the intricately described mosaic patterns and glass-blowing techniques to the clothes Clara and the "Tiffany girls" wore. Though I will say that I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as Luncheon of the Boating Party or The Forest Lover, and my friends have echoed that sentiment.
Diane, a voracious reader friend, told me she "tried to read" the book but lost interest and never finished it. I almost gave up in the first fifty pages too, which I think was the fault of editing, rather than writing. (I also spotted more than a few glaring editorial errors, such as using the word "careening" for "careering" three times!) It never fails that if an author has gained some prominence (been on bestseller lists, won awards) she stops being well edited. Editors begin to fear the author, I guess, which is not good for the author at all...but the one who really suffers is the reader.
However, I'm being picky--big surprise--and I still recommend the book. How many books nowadays deal with a woman finding herself in a man's world, without turning into some sort of tough moll or cop or killer. This character, Clara, is an artists, down to her bones, but she is also a "modern" woman of her time--forced to make hard choices in life and love. And what a character LC Tiffany was; you'll definitely never look at a Tiffany lamp (or window) in the same way again.
Last but not least, I so enjoy New York novels--I loved strolling the familiar streets again, especially with the added attraction of the Gilded Age setting. It was a perfect follow up to Edward Rutherford's New York, The Novel which I enjoyed so much recently.
Here onboard the "Watchfire" (currently moored in beautiful Coronado, California) the latest news is the addition of a canine crew member named "Ready." It has been fun re-learning how to be a dog "owner" not just a dog lover. I'll try to find some dog books for an upcoming post.
Hasta pronto!
Diane, a voracious reader friend, told me she "tried to read" the book but lost interest and never finished it. I almost gave up in the first fifty pages too, which I think was the fault of editing, rather than writing. (I also spotted more than a few glaring editorial errors, such as using the word "careening" for "careering" three times!) It never fails that if an author has gained some prominence (been on bestseller lists, won awards) she stops being well edited. Editors begin to fear the author, I guess, which is not good for the author at all...but the one who really suffers is the reader.
However, I'm being picky--big surprise--and I still recommend the book. How many books nowadays deal with a woman finding herself in a man's world, without turning into some sort of tough moll or cop or killer. This character, Clara, is an artists, down to her bones, but she is also a "modern" woman of her time--forced to make hard choices in life and love. And what a character LC Tiffany was; you'll definitely never look at a Tiffany lamp (or window) in the same way again.
Last but not least, I so enjoy New York novels--I loved strolling the familiar streets again, especially with the added attraction of the Gilded Age setting. It was a perfect follow up to Edward Rutherford's New York, The Novel which I enjoyed so much recently.
Here onboard the "Watchfire" (currently moored in beautiful Coronado, California) the latest news is the addition of a canine crew member named "Ready." It has been fun re-learning how to be a dog "owner" not just a dog lover. I'll try to find some dog books for an upcoming post.
Hasta pronto!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
A Writers Conference and a Readers Contest
Yes, it's here--the Southern California Writers Conference begins tomorrow, up in Newport Beach. So, I'm finishing up my advance reads and polishing up my class notes. Packing can wait...And I've been reading SUCH fun stuff! Not only the advance reads--though a couple were VERY good--but also a book of essays and other nonfiction musings by a good friend who is also a fine writer (Can't say who, for now, as the manuscript is still being submitted to agents and editors, and so is still technically "under wraps.")
Nothing cheers me more than great non-fiction writing, which is why one of my workshops this weekend is "How to Write and Sell Gripping Nonfiction." (See my last post for info on the other SCWC class I'm co-teaching.) I think that too many new writers think that nonfiction is somehow the domain of doddering academics and dust-covered biographers. And it just ain't so! Some of the best books I've ever read have been nonfiction: "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek"; "Under the Tuscan Sun"; The Log From the Sea of Cortez"; and "John Adams," to name a few exceptional works in different categories.
Speaking of my reading list, "Wolf Solent" is moving slowly and has been set aside for now--I may or may not return to it when I'm less swamped with "to do" reading lists. However, I am very much enjoying reading a new-to-me classic "The Way we Live Now" by Anthony Trollope, on Kindle.
And now, on to a contest...Readers Digest is sponsoring a "Life Story" contest where the entries must be under 150 words. (Winner gets $25,000) I think one must be on Facebook to enter, read, and vote for the best story; here is the link to my contest page. For those who have not yet succumbed to the relentless pressure and joined Facebook, here is my entry, which I called "Always/Siempre":
Married just six months, we took off for Mexico on a 26 foot sailboat. My grandfather once said “If you want to get to know someone, take a long trip in a small boat.” Suffice to say, we got to know each other. In the Sea of Cortez, the unspoiled beauty and the warmth of the people were the perfect backdrop to our honeymoon. Perhaps more importantly, we were in love and full of romance, so we found love and romance wherever we went. One day in an Immigration office (not known for either sentiment) I met a not-so-newlywed officer who talked about his beloved wife of ten years. He taught me the words “luna de miel” (honeymoon) and “siempre” (always) so he could admonish us to remain “siempre luna de miel.” We’ve
never forgotten his advice; it’s been twenty-two years, and we’re still on our honeymoon.
That's it--now you try writing a story in 150 words--it's great writing practice. And if you love the results, submit it--you might win $25k!
hasta pronto!
Nothing cheers me more than great non-fiction writing, which is why one of my workshops this weekend is "How to Write and Sell Gripping Nonfiction." (See my last post for info on the other SCWC class I'm co-teaching.) I think that too many new writers think that nonfiction is somehow the domain of doddering academics and dust-covered biographers. And it just ain't so! Some of the best books I've ever read have been nonfiction: "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek"; "Under the Tuscan Sun"; The Log From the Sea of Cortez"; and "John Adams," to name a few exceptional works in different categories.
Speaking of my reading list, "Wolf Solent" is moving slowly and has been set aside for now--I may or may not return to it when I'm less swamped with "to do" reading lists. However, I am very much enjoying reading a new-to-me classic "The Way we Live Now" by Anthony Trollope, on Kindle.
And now, on to a contest...Readers Digest is sponsoring a "Life Story" contest where the entries must be under 150 words. (Winner gets $25,000) I think one must be on Facebook to enter, read, and vote for the best story; here is the link to my contest page. For those who have not yet succumbed to the relentless pressure and joined Facebook, here is my entry, which I called "Always/Siempre":
Married just six months, we took off for Mexico on a 26 foot sailboat. My grandfather once said “If you want to get to know someone, take a long trip in a small boat.” Suffice to say, we got to know each other. In the Sea of Cortez, the unspoiled beauty and the warmth of the people were the perfect backdrop to our honeymoon. Perhaps more importantly, we were in love and full of romance, so we found love and romance wherever we went. One day in an Immigration office (not known for either sentiment) I met a not-so-newlywed officer who talked about his beloved wife of ten years. He taught me the words “luna de miel” (honeymoon) and “siempre” (always) so he could admonish us to remain “siempre luna de miel.” We’ve
never forgotten his advice; it’s been twenty-two years, and we’re still on our honeymoon.
That's it--now you try writing a story in 150 words--it's great writing practice. And if you love the results, submit it--you might win $25k!
hasta pronto!
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