Ex-journalist / novelist / paperback writer / etc.
I guess if I had a spirit animal in the writing world (beyond the grumpy feline that’s in the picture above), it would be a snail. Because it’s February and I don’t have much of a (personal) word count to show for it. Writing is a marathon and not a sprint, but I still need to show up to practice every day and that’s what’s been lacking lately.
We’ll catch up on Friday. **Muah!**
Friday Fare is where I post links to the random articles that have resonated with me during the week. As evidenced below, I barely read jack sh*t this week.
I’m not going to lie: I’m one of those ridiculously “the glass if half full and there for the filling” kind of optimists that should probably be committed for half of the lunacy I inflict on the ones that are nearest and dearest to me.
But this week was hard. Getting to this afternoon has been a long slog of early wake-ups, endless coffee cups, irritated IMs to co-workers, and garden-variety shenanigans that managed to wear on me.
And David Bowie. And Alan Rickman. Cancer sucks and only robs the world.
I’m grateful that it’s Friday.
***
Listening to: My favorite Bowie song is “Heroes.” The Wallflowers did a passable cover of it for the Godzilla (1998) soundtrack but will never come close to the urgency of Bowie’s voice in the original. Thursday morning also found me musing about the first time I ever saw Alan Rickman on screen. In all honesty, it was probably “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” (I remember one reviewer skewering Kevin Costner’s “So-Cal” accent, so out of place in Sherwood Forest.) But I prefer to think that my first Rickman movie was Anthony Minghella’s “Truly, Madly, Deeply.” Truly, it was this scene that was in my head when I read the news that Mr. Rickman had died.
Reading: I started and put down Brene Brown’s “Daring Greatly.” I’m torn between my mother-in-law’s adage that there’s too many books in the world to get stuck reading one that I don’t want to read and another writer friend’s recommendation that I really need to read this book. (i.e. – could be another “Big Magic” for me.)
Fiction Update: Had a meeting with my writers group on Tuesday evening and tried out the first scene of the short story that I’ve been working on. Got some great feedback – hoping I’ll find a couple quiet hours this weekend to work on finishing. (Like I told my group – I know how it begins, I know how it ends, it’s the middle that needs work. Oh – and I have a 4,000 word limit.)
Friday Fare is where I post links to the random articles that have resonated with me during the week. Sometimes they make me smarter, sometimes they make me hungry … sometimes they have to do with writing and sometimes they are just plain random.
I’ve read a lot this week, but the only article that really resonated with me was J.T. Ellison’s Annual Review.
And yeah … that’s about it. SO … without further ado – let’s go to the more concrete part of my week!
***
Listening to: Dawes is currently keeping me company. Love this song.
Reading: I’ve been pretty obsessed with William Kent Krueger’s “Cork O’Connor” novels lately. He has 14 out right now and I’m on #4. However, I also have a huge pile of books that are checked out from the library, so I need to catch up with those too!
Fiction Update: Dragonfly and working on a short story for an upcoming anthology. It’s going. It’s not a sprint, but it’s going.
As I mentioned before, one of my favorite things about the end of a calendar year is the influx of posts that talk about the “best of.” Best recipes, best songs, best books read, etc. On the flip side of that are the articles and posts that recap the year in review – what was done well, what could have gone better, and how the lessons learned frame the upcoming year.
First and foremost, 2015 marked the year that I really started to take this blog seriously and I came out swinging with the announcement that the first 50 pages of my story “After Life” received the Hugh Holton Award from the Mystery Writers of America – Midwest Chapter. It took a few more months, but a beta draft of “AL” was distributed for critique to some trusted friends in July.
March found me dabbling in marketing ideas.
I was MIA in May, June and July – I would have been knee deep in edits for AL, as well as in the middle of moving with my family. The item of note that I missed out in blogging about was that in May, I went to see Old Crow Medicine Show in Mankato. That concert is up there in my top 5.
In August, I returned and was full of apologies. The blog took a turn for the dull during the fall as I did a 30-day writing challenge that I’m still mentally recovering from.
That brings me to December – I told you the books that have stuck with me during 2015 and then I took a bit of a digital sabbatical of sorts as I spent a week-long vacation with my family between Christmas and the New Year.
That’s the blog recap. In terms of my writing life, there was progress: A finished draft of AL that’s about ready for the next round of edits. A short story that was completed, but rejected, for a short story anthology. Work on another WIP called “Dragonfly.” And the hatching of a new short story idea over my Christmas holiday. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on all of my floating threads of ideas, but progress!
If there was a “theme” to what I wanted to accomplish in my writing life during 2015, I feel that I’ve succeeded. One of the things that I wanted to do in 2015 was to intentionally network with other writers and continue to build a tribe for my writing life. There are two more people in my circle of friends and they are both there because of our shared writing interests. I also got a chance to meet several members of the Mystery Writers of America – Midwest Chapter during June’s Printers Row Literary Festival and am grateful to have made those contacts. I’ve also been attending Twin Cities Sisters in Crime meetings and have met several awesome folks through that group as well.
What’s in the cards for 2016? My “concrete” goals are as follows: 1) I want to get “AL” in query-ready shape by the fall and attend a conference that has a “pitch session” to meet potential agents. 2) Attend one of The Loft Literary Center’s more “intensive” courses and either workshop/polish “AL” or attend a course on short story writing. 3) Read more – short stories, classic mysteries, you name it … but read more.
In terms of this blog itself, I’ve been trying to post on Tuesdays and Fridays. I don’t see deviating from that formula – Tuesday features a post that’s more “in depth” while Friday is a round-up of the articles that engaged me over the week, as well as what I’m reading, listening to, etc. I’ve broadened my social media scope and have added Instagram. (That has everything to do with a pre-Christmas purchase of a better phone. 🙂 Yay for better technology!) You might see more pictures on this blog – my To Be Read (TBR) piles, random pictures of my cat … that sort of thing.
I’m hoping that 2016 will be a productive year. One of the things that bothered me about 2015 was my (perceived) lack of efficiency when it came to my writing. And as I’ve ruminated about last year, I realize that I tend to set broad goals for myself that aren’t always quantified. I’d set deadlines to have edits on “AL” done by April 1st, miss that date, then push them back to July 1st. What I found was that it didn’t matter the date, I’d sail by those deadlines. One way that I hope to change my approach this year is to think about the milestones I need to hit to make my deadlines – whether that’s write 1,000 words a day (even if it’s shit) or to set up a calendar that breaks down the chapters that I need to edit to hit a fall deadline for pitch conferences. I’m still figuring out what my approach needs to be.
2015 was a good year. I’m looking forward to see what 2016 holds. Thanks for being on this journey with me!
One of the things that I love about this time of year (other than copious amounts of sugar cookies) is that this is when news outlets start assembling their “best of” lists. The best movies of 2015, the best songs from 2015, best books, best memes, etc. Since I’m firmly behind the eight ball when it comes to trends, I’m usually reading a book that was a smash hit five years ago and has already been adapted for the big screen (looking at you Gone Girl. Haven’t watched the movie though …). So I went through my Goodreads list for 2015 and picked out the books that impacted me during the year. This year’s goal was to read 30 books. It was something of a laughable goal, because if I really put my mind to it – I can slam a book down in a day. But I work full time. I’m a mom. And on the side, I – you know – like to write. So 30 was doable. I’ve already exceeded that goal by one. 🙂
Here’s what has stuck with me, long after I’ve turned the final chapter:
Shivaree – JD Horn Amazing – the first couple books on this list were actually published in 2015. This makes me feel relevant! But back to the book … I read Shivaree in one evening. Started in the afternoon, could not put it down, and went to bed shortly after midnight. And then proceeded to have some pretty haunting dreams. Shivaree is set in the south after the Korean War and is a paranormal, Southern Gothic horror. I almost didn’t make it past the first chapter but was glad that I stayed the course. Mr. Horn uses rich characterization of the setting, the historical context, and the people he’s created to drive a gripping narrative. Seriously – I need to read more of this man’s work.
Big Magic – Elizabeth Gilbert In my Goodreads review of Ms. Gilbert’s non-fiction on nurturing your creative life, I wrote that I felt like Ms. Gilbert had wrote this book for me. There were so many spots where I wished I was reading a physical copy of the book (checked out the book from my library for Kindle), so I could take a highlighter and mark pages to go back to and re-read again and again. I will be purchasing this book when it’s out in paperback. (Don’t get me wrong – I love hardcovers, but I’m a paperback kinda girl.)
Winter Garden –Kristen Hannah Oh man, this book got me in the feels. I liked the historical nature of Ms. Hannah’s book, but even though I was reading about fictional people, there were parts of this book that had me sobbing. That’s how invested I was in the characters. (Yes, books make me cry – don’t get me started about “Harry Potter” or “A Prayer for Owen Meany.” My nose is turning red just thinking about it.)
Crazy Old Coot / Old Coots Never Forget – Jerry Johnson If you’ve read this blog for awhile, you’ll know that I talk a lot about Jerry, my mentor from college. I talk about him a lot, but I probably don’t talk about him enough, because Jerry’s one of the first people who really made me believe in my ability to write and he’s been a good friend and one of my best and fiercest critics. If you’re a fan of creative nonfiction, you need to read Jerry’s books. (Here’s the link to his Amazon page.) His essays run the gamut between capturing the atmosphere of curmudgeonly men in their hunting camps to elegies Jerry has written for lost friends. There’s something for everyone in Jerry’s work – reading his blog is time well spent.
What the Night Knows – Dean Koontz There is a fabulous indie used and new bookstore in Red Wing, Minnesota called Fair Trade Books. They have a nifty policy that if you are a newcomer to the store, the owner or one of the employees will try to find a book from their used selection that they’ve specifically chosen for you based on what you’re interested in reading. What the Night Knows was the book that was chosen for me and it was a good read. Koontz is an author I had never read before, but Koontz wrote a convincing thriller that had a heavy supernatural tone throughout. And I loved it. He built a world that I was not able to shake for awhile after finishing his novel.
~*~*~*~*~
As for next year, I think I’m going to be bold and try for 35 books. (Sorry … sarcasm.) J.T. Ellison, one of my favorite authors, has a standalone novel coming out, as well as a prequel that features her Taylor Jackson character. I’m looking forward to reading both of those. I’m also going to start diving into some of the classics of my chosen genre – Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler. I also have a goal to read every Sackett novel that Louis L’Amour ever wrote. (When I was in college, I once spent a Christmas break reading a box of L’Amour books my dad had bought at an auction. I think I averaged two a day, figured out that L’Amour liked to plagiarize from himself and had one hell of a good time reading Westerns. Then I passed them onto my grandpa. Books can build bridges between generations … that was time well spent.)
What are you going to be reading in 2016?
No Friday Fare today! I’m going to be in my hometown, drinking bad coffee, and opening presents with my family. I wish all of my readers peace and light during this holiday season! Thanks for reading!
Friday Fare is where I post links to the random articles that have resonated with me during the week. Sometimes they make me smarter, sometimes they make me hungry … sometimes they have to do with writing and sometimes they are just plain random.
I’ve had a wonderful week that hasn’t left much room for reading, outside of books I’m trying to get through and the regular news / gossip that I consume on a daily basis. Last weekend, my mom and I took a girls weekend and went shopping. Which was ridiculous – I’m not fond of shopping, but I adore my mother, so the opportunity to just hang out with her (something that doesn’t happen a lot now that *I’m* a mom) was wonderful.
On Tuesday, I had dinner with a dear friend of mine who’s a watercolor artist. We respect each others’ creative processes and we’re kindred spirits, so hanging out with Cathy is just a treat.
This weekend, I have a phone date with my former college roommate / soul sister. She’s a ridiculously awesome and busy corporate attorney, so our phone dates are infrequent, but necessary. And then the Urban Family is coming over for dinner on Sunday, so that’s another event that I need to prepare for. But hey – the holiday cards are stamped and addressed, my Christmas presents are basically purchased and are just waiting to be wrapped, so I’m (tentatively) ahead of the eight-ball.
Unfortunately, this busy period (and my regular work deadlines) are hell on my writing regimen. But other than figuring out how to clone myself or inventing one of J.K. Rowling’s “time-turners,” I gotta figure out where I can carve out more writing time and how I can better guard that time. Because yes – I’m very busy, but I also spend way too much time on social media. So the time is there – just gotta work on the discipline part. But having said all these things, I’ve so enjoyed the time I’ve been spending with friends and family lately, I think it’s recharging my mind in different ways.
***
Listening to: Prince did a killer cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Check it out here.
Reading: Just finished Alexandra Sokoloff’s “Huntress Moon,” the first of her FBI Thriller series. Sokoloff is known in the fiction world for taking the lessons she learned from screenwriting in Hollywood and utilizing them in fiction. I’m not sure if that background knowledge that was in my head when I was reading “Huntress Moon” or if this is just the reality of my life, but I really read books anymore as a writer. I’m intrigued to see how a writer described a character or unraveled a plot line. Very fascinating.
Fiction Update: I was feeling antsy the other day and I realized that too much time had passed since I had worked on edits for “Dragonfly.” (And “too much time” is only a matter of days, but that’s how I feel about writing on a daily basis. [Sidenote: Wish I felt this way about exercise. Sigh!]) So I tackled a chapter and it didn’t go great. But … I’m going to back the truck up and take another run at it.
Friday Fare is where I post links to the random articles that have resonated with me during the week. Sometimes they make me smarter, sometimes they make me hungry … sometimes they have to do with writing and sometimes they are just plain random.
Can I tell you that I’ve missed this? I’ve been mentally processing a blog post that recaps the “lessons learned” from my 30-Day Writing Challenge, but at this moment – the only “lesson” is that I’d rather share random article links than tell you about the mommy guilt that I feel when I realize that my kids prefer chicken nuggets to quinoa.
Whoa. Wait. Not sure where that came from.
Anyway … without further ado – my “best of” of this week’s Internet reading!
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Chocolate and peanut butter. Beer and … well, almost anything. New York Times had a piece this week that profiled the comediennes and their friendship.
Another comedian that I admire greatly. Bill Murray … I am so glad that he’s in this world.
The NYT also printed their 100 Notable Books of 2015.
This article made me remember that there is still good in this world.
***
Listening to: YouTube still remains the place for me to discover new-to-me music. I found a recent Old Crow Medicine Show concert from this year’s Live Aid and then followed that up with Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds. Both of these finds made me exceedingly happy.
Reading: I had a revelation the other day, shortly after finishing Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic” and returning a couple of mysteries that I *should* have read and enjoyed. I’ve been enjoying non-fiction. To-wit, I just finished Andie Mitchell’s “It Was Me All Along.” Non-fiction and memoir has captured my attention like fiction hasn’t lately and instead of wondering what the hell that means, I’m just going to enjoy it. But I haven’t turned my back on my favorite mistress/genre – I’ve been having a wonderful affair with the Killer Nashville anthology of short stories. Reading these have been good for developing craft and introducing me to some new authors.
Fiction Update: I have a couple things going on with my fictional world. “Dragonfly” keeps plodding along – the holidays and work deadlines have not been kind to me, but I’ve enjoyed digging in and the work that I’m getting done. And I’ve joined a writing/critique group that’s going to meet monthly. This is my first foray into such a thing, so I’m full of a lot of conflicting feelings and angst, but I recognize that this type of feeling typically precedes a period of creative growth. So – I’m excited, but wary. I think this will help bring me to a “next level” but I also realize that I’m carving out a lot of writing and family time to make these meetings. So … good things are afoot. I love this creative life.
My god, I am glad this is done. OK – without further ado – here is the rest of this effing challenge!
25. Four weird traits you have
26. Things you’d say to an ex
Good Lord, I’m glad I dodged that bullet.
27. What you wore today
Well, on this particular day I’m wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a cardigan sweater that my mom gave to me. This is my typical uniform unless you swap out pajama pants for the jeans.
28. The word/phrase you use constantly.
“Perfect!” Even when it’s not …
29. The night of your 21st birthday.
Mwahahahahahahaha. I need to see if I can actually resurrect the photo from my 21st birthday. I don’t remember much of the night, but I do remember having a ridiculously great time. And my mom picked me up and drove me home from the bar. I have a ridiculously great mom.
30. One thing you’re excited for.
That this challenge is DONE! And we can go back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Thanks for playing!
michellekubitz 