End of Summer--New Beginnings

Ah...Summer has flown by, and this weekend marks the un-official "end of summer" though school has been back in session for weeks, for most teachers and students. The end of summer brings me back to San Diego, which is always a pleasant place to be--and where summer lingers far longer than in most other cities.
I'm looking forward--as always--to the Southern California Writers Conference at the end of the month. The Los Angeles Conference is held up in Newport Beach, Sept 23-25th; for those who haven't heard me on the subject yet, check out previous posts, and see their great site (full of book, agent, and author news, videos, and info) here. Of course, you can also find them on Facebook, "meet" some of their staff there, and follow their fearless leader's always-entertaining blog.
I'll be doing a couple of "pitch" talks at SCWC with my good friend, writer and editor Marla Miller, of "Marketing the Muse." Check out her site here.
My reading last month was mostly non-fiction--a history of the "Mexican War" and quite a few essays and articles written about the current immigration situation.

A great friend who lives in Tucson gave me Crossing With the Virgin: Stories from the Migrant Trail which was hard to put down. The true stories are full of interest to me, since it sheds light on the subject our film, "El Camino" deals with. No reading on this sad subject can be anything but depressing, but it is heartening to read how many people are working to help the thousands of unfortunate souls forced to cross borders illegally.
I just found a used copy of Wolf Solent by John Cowper Pwys, a book I've wanted to read for years; the author is often compared to Austen and Hardy, both favorites of mine. (No one who's read this blog can be in doubt of my favorite of those two being Austen, but Hardy has his gifts--description and character--that offset his bleak outlook). I'll start the book today, and will comment on it soon.
Hasta pronto!

From Monte Cristo, Across the Universe...

Getting ready to set sail for a Spring Cruise and I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo, which turns out to include quite a bit of the ol' "seafarin' yarn" in it...as well as quite a few familiar plot twists, like the unjustly accused man who serves years in prison, the "romantic robber", and a search for "hidden treasure" on a desert island. The thing is, Dumas wrote this long before most of those other books were written, so it's not derivative--it's original!
And, yes, in answer to an email--I do read most of the classic books I discuss here as ebooks on my iPod (with the Kindle app for iPhone). Not only is that much more practical for someone who live son a 35 foot vessel, but I like having the illuminated screen for midnight reading, without turning on a light. Here is the link to the free public domain book at Amazon.
Last night, going through the DVD collection, we happened upon Across the Universe, known to most of us Boomers as "the Beatles Musical." We both remembered liking the movie, but the second viewing was even better! Unlike most musicals, this movie has a script--and because so much time is spent on songs (and a majority of the covers of the Beatles tunes are amazing and heartfelt) the script has to be succinct and clear. And it is that and more.
One scene is memorable--a great singer is courted by a semi-sleazy record producer and he offers her a deal. She demurs, saying it sounds like a good deal, she has to ask the guys in her band.
"No, you don't" he replies, simply but tellingly.
Those three words say so much about him and her and the whole backstory of her and the band. Great writing.
Back to the list of items I have "to do before sailing"...
hasta pronto!

Resolution: Attend a Writers Conference in 2011

This is a short follow-up post to remind you of your New Year's resolution: write more. Okay, one way is to attend your writer's group. (Don't have one? Start one!) That will spur you on to write, because otherwise you'll have to say "I didn't write anything this week/month" to more people than just a few of your personalities (and the voice of your grandmother in your head).
My writers circle (we like the word circle better than group) of six warm and talented women, has been meeting in some incarnation for about 5 years, almost monthly; we always enjoy the opportunity to share new and revised short stories and poetry, encourage new work, and, of course, to constructively critique each other's writing. So start attending or creating a writer's group!
I talked about writers conferences and workshops (like the Southern California Writers Conference and San Diego Writers, Ink) last week, but I bet you haven't signed up for a conference or a workshop/class this Spring, yet, right?
Check out this short piece on Divine Caroline (a very cool site that is a virtual "writers community") on how and why writers conferences benefit writers.
And see info and links for my amiga CM Mayo's latest fiction writing workshops here.
Meanwhile--until you get to your group, or find your circle, just resolve to write or rewrite something today...or this week, and I will, too.
I'm re-reading "Anna Karenina" and loving it--"A Tale of Two Cities" was much better than I remembered.
hasta pronto!

A New Year's Resolution for Writers

Writers write.
We've all heard and read this so many times, it has probably ceased to mean anything, but nonetheless, it's true. Actors will find a way to act, painters will find a time and place to paint, and writers do, in fact, write! One of the best things about being a writer is the simple fact of being able to do it almost anywhere...and almost anytime (even when pen and paper are not handy--one can always THINK about one's story, setting, or characters!) unlike most artists, who require studios, orchestras, or productions companies.
So, for 2011, make a promise to yourself to write--no, it doesn't have to be every day, and it doesn't have to be work on a project with a date-specific deadline, or even a goal. Just write. Enjoy the process.
For those who need encouragement--and who, among us does not, at times--here are two encouraging groups that can set you on course, and teach you a course, as well.
Regular readers may remember my recommending the Southern California Writer's Conference before, but it's worth repeating. The next conference happens February 18-21st here in San Diego, and the lineup of authors, agents, editors, and workshop leaders is very impressive, as always. (Full Disclosure: I'm on staff and have been for years, but I'd recommend you go whether I was there teaching a workshop or not). The 25th anniversary conference this year promises to be a special and inspiring one--but no doubt fun and laugh-filled!
Another great local (San Diego) resource is San Diego Writer's, Ink which is a wonderful, warm, giving community of writers and teachers (who are all published writers and really know the ins and outs of what they teach).
Of course, no mention of resolutions for writers would be complete without this brief directive--keep reading great writing while you are working on your own books or stories or notes for future works. The rule holds: Good in, good out, and that's nowhere more true than with writers. That doesn't mean you have to read Literature at all times, but don't waste your time with junk, either. There are plenty of good writers writing in all genres of fiction and non-fiction--if you're in doubt, drop by your favorite bookstore or neighborhood library this week and do some looking. I love to look in the new fiction and new nonfiction to start with, but I often end up buying or checking out a classic, too.
That's all for now, I've got to save some time to write today--how about you?
Happy New Year--and hasta pronto!

Some more book ideas for holiday giving

No, no, I'm not suggesting War and Peace--so don't worry! Almost no one else wants to read my choice of tomes. Though I was pleased to see that Oprah has bestowed her "selection" magic on two Dickens classics...Read the recent piece on her Dickens-duo of holiday book picks here.
As for me, I prefer to recommend books by living writers--and a good case in point is the recent anthology from City Works Press, a local non-profit press that annually produces a couple of top-flight literary works--many of them anthologies. The newest collection of writing is Mamas and Papas: On the Sublime and Heartbreaking Art of Parenting, edited By Alys Masek and Kelly Mayhew. The list of writers includes Neal Pollack, Wanda Coleman, Sam Apple, and Jim Miller (author of one of my recent faves, Flash: A Novel).
As the editors put it: "While we published valentines to the experience of being a parent, we also included pieces that explore the difficulty, contradictions, and frustrations of raising children as well as work that explores what it means to not have children or to acquire and parent them in other ways."
As someone who is "childfree" but adores her three nieces, I really responded to many of these pieces; it's definitely not a "parents only" book--far from it...It speaks to the human condition, and to the essential emotions: wonder, fear, frustration, anger, and joy. (But yes, it is perfect for a new parent as well as someone contemplating parenthood--and for grandparents, too!)
Check out the whole line-up of books from City Works Press--there's something for everyone on your list...Spread some knowledge--spread some joy--give someone a book.
Hasta pronto!

End of Summer Thoughts

Labor Day weekend in San Diego: Gorgeous days, cool weather, shopping for fresh summer fruits and veggies at the Farmer's market, reading a friend's fine YA manuscript (busman's holiday, I know) and an excellent dinner with friends. Then today a bike ride along the waterfront to the Festival of Sail on the embarcadero.
If you haven't read "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron yet, you might not have heard of "artist dates," but the gist of the theory is that we need to live life to be able to write about it well. Julia recommends taking ourselves on "dates" a couple hours per week. Get out and smell the air, see the views, feel the plums--take a hike, visit a museum, a gallery, a park, an art show, a bookstore or a farmer's market...whatever will stimulate your senses and get the creative juices flowing.
A few thoughts from readings this weekend:
Finished up Sherlock Holmes story collection I was reading last week, and was struck throughout by the admiring, intimate, and--would steamy be too strong a word?--voice employed by the character of Watson whenever he refers to Holmes. We may all have missed something in our youth, but the homoerotic overtones are impossible to miss now. I love Conan Doyle's use of Watson as his "excuse" for recording the "tales"; good device.
On a different subject entirely, Tortoises through the Lens, the latest book from Sunbelt has earned some nice comments from the natural history buffs in Southern California. Glad to see it hit the "big time" in the LA Times environmental blog Greenspace on Sunday.
A good article about the way different people (in this case, couples, are reading their books nowadays. This NY Times piece reminded me of Captain Russel and I, but we don't argue about it, we just read side-by-side, he with his book, me with my iPod. I say, as long as people are reading, who cares what they are reading on, or how they are getting their words delivered...Why can't we all get along?
Hasta pronto!

What Was Your First Clue, Sherlock?

Been reading some Sherlock Holmes...Seems a bit silly, I know, but if you want a crash course on how to craft a short story, in the mystery or crime genre, you could do a lot worse than a bit of reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is one of the many Public Domain books available online, for free or almost free. I enjoy reading classic short stories on my iPod Touch, because I can turn it on at 2am, read for a while, then go back to sleep--all without turning on any lights. (Important if you live on a boat.)
I enjoy browsing the many varieties of Best Short Stories collections, too, because there are seemingly endless ways to package and serve up what amounts to a couple of hundred great stories, over and over again. For example: "Best American Short Stories" (pick a year), or the "Best American Short Stories of the Century." I'd take the best stories culled from one hundred years, over those picked from one lousy year, any day. Unless I had the option of "The Ultimate Collection of American Short Stories" at hand, naturally.
Then there's "Best Short Stories of the Modern Age"--when did that start? The Modern Age. Pretty cool to be reading those on your iPhone.
But the best short stories are the collections you find by accident in old-fashioned bookstores full of both new and old books (not necessarily used but old). Or wandering past the shelves in your neighborhood library. I envy anyone who has not yet read the short stories of Willa Cather, or Edith Wharton, or Henry James, or O'Henry, or Hemingway...What are you waiting for? Pick one out, pull up a chair and dive in.
Short stories are NOT a dying art--places to publish them are dying, but the short story lives on--online in places like AmericanLiterature, and in collections old and new.
Happy reading--hasta pronto!