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!

Brave Nude World; Two Book Reviews

Just finished 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Actor-writer-comedian Albert Brooks. The book takes place in the not-too-distant future, and while it is funny, and probably quite prescient, it is just not a novel--it's more a collection of characters wandering through a series of plots, in search of a heart, or even a unifying theme.
It most definitely suffered by comparison to Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel by Gary Shteyngart--which I read a couple of weeks ago.

Super Sad True Love Story (SSTLS) deals with the same premise, and I found it to be a much better book, overall; it grew on me slowly, though, and at page 50, I almost gave up on it as a "gimmick" book...Glad I didn't, as the eventual emotional payoff was worth it.
Both books came out recently, and both are enjoying some success, but personally, I don't think Albert Brooks book would have been published if he wasn't, well, Albert Brooks.
Both humorist-authors see the U.S. as heading toward becoming an economic "also ran" (duh) and see the population's widening age-and-money gap as a source of contention in the near future, with young and old furiously haggling for bigger pieces of the country's dwindling funds (double duh).
Some of the things that SSTLS foresees in our future are funnier and seems just as likely--constant shopping on our ever-present "apparati" (like an iPhone, plus some) as well as "Onionskin" brand see-though jeans, made to showcase young women's shaved genitalia. I can't say I am looking forward to that potential clothing fad--though many current styles ("booty shorts" for one) seems nearly as odd.
Anyway, it's a brave new--or nude--world a comin,' according to our current novelists. Be prepared.
Meanwhile, I'm back to re-reading Jane Austen; this time it is Emma. And some non-fiction... More on that later.
Hasta pronto!