Recent Reads: Loss Great Crush

Hated this one!  Just awful, solipsistic, not the least bit funny, self-indulgent... an utter waste of time.

OMG!!!  I had forgotten how beautifully written this book is!  Not a single throwaway sentence, every single word belonged on the page!  And the story - wow!  I had forgotten so many details in the 30 years since I last read it.  Wow - jaw dropping!

I love the idea of Dorsey's books - his tone and humour grab me, but as I've said before: He carries on the joke just a wee bit too long.  

Holy Grail or Fool's Gold? by guest author Caro Soles

Writing Classes:  

Holy Grail or Fool's Gold?

by Caro Soles

The only way to learn how to write is to plunk oneself on a  chair and start  typing. What happens next will show whether or not you have what it takes.

Or what happens next will be, in the vernacular, a hot mess. And depression.

Or you might read those first fine careless pages the next day and fall in love with your words. And that way lies certain disaster.

One can spend years typing oneself in and out of depression, elation and frustration, and eventually one can learn the craft after trial and error and the reading of many books on writing. This was my method. Looking back I figure I spent the equivalent of time it would take to get a PhD writing my way through one flawed novel after another until I finally got good enough to be published, to get an agent, to be able to consider myself finally a real writer. 

Did I take a course? No, because they were few and far between way back in that distant past. But I did go to a wonderful writing conference, and I did attend any genre convention I could find that had panels on writing and publishing. And now I am on those panels. And I am teaching writing, giving the kind of course that would have shaved years off the long apprenticeship I served. 

In my opinion, this is the main gift any writing course can give you: by pointing out the pitfalls that lie ahead, help you to avoid them, to achieve your goal sooner. It will still take years to hone your craft, but at least you will now have a bright flashlight to illumine your way through the gloom!

Will taking a class turn you into a successful writer? There is no secret handshake, no hidden formula, no short cut to success. And success itself is something different for everyone. What I try to do in my classes is to give my students a way to deal with all those ideas swimming around in their head, all those characters struggling to have their say. I help them open the door.

That first evening in class, when everyone talks about their ideas for the novel they know is in there somewhere, the terms used are broad and rarely does any clear picture emerge of what the writer wants to say. But there is enough to let me know what is in there, what help is needed to get it out into the light. Once that does emerge, we have a clear picture of the story that writer wants to tell. And as a group we help give them a structure to hang it on. By the end, each writer has a story with a beginning, middle and at least the hint of an end, although sometimes along the way the original idea has been thrown out the window and a bright new shiny one has evolved in its place.

Does this mean that every student will write and sell a novel? Some do, *for example, the person whose blog you are now reading. Most, however, will not. In this business talent is only part of the equation. I see a lot of talented people in my classes. And I know that first night that very few will ever succeed. Not because they are not good enough or cannot become good enough, but because they refuse to take the time to learn, or because they don't have the drive, the sheer cussedness to hang in through rejection and disappointment till that glorious day when they see those wonderful words: 'We would like to publish your novel'.

Of course, not everyone who comes to class has dreams of publication. Some just want to get that book out, that story that has been banging around inside their head for a long time. Some just want to experiment. And some write as a sort of therapy. It doesn't matter. A classroom is a safe place to do all these things, and have a good time while writing your way into your dream. 

Will you find the Holy Grail in a classroom? You'll never know if you don't try!

*Yes! Indeed!  I was one of Caro's students a few years ago!

Caro Soles teaches at George Brown College: 

Writing a Novel 1 (fall term)  and

Writing a Novel 2 (Winter and Spring term)

Check out Caro's books on AMAZON 

Have a look at Caro's website and blog HERE

And, you can follow her on Twitter @CaroSoles

Interview with Sarah Dearing, author of The Art of Sufficient Conclusions

Your first book, The Bull Is Not Killed, came out in 1998.  CourageMy Love, which came out in 2001, was your next release.  Finally, after a decade, The Art of Sufficient Conclusions came out.  How good did it feel when you got the first copy in your hands?  What kinds of responses or feedback have you been getting for The Art of Sufficient Conclusions?

 A decade was far too long between books, and I hope that never happens again, but when I finally held a copy, it felt as though the wait was worth it for finding the right publisher and editor. Mansfield Press provided the most rigorous editing process I’ve ever been through so I felt confident it was the best book it could be, which is no small thing, particularly for as personal book as this one. The cover is perfect and thoughtful, which is not always the case. I had to fight over the cover of Courage of My Love to get it changed from a stock image of a passive woman to one with energy and life.  The most satisfying responses are from women who, like the main character Abby, grew up fatherless, see some reflection of themselves in her and realize they may not be so strange after all.  

The Art of Sufficient Conclusions is described as a “literary mash-up of fiction, memoir, and archival material.”  That’s quite the balancing act!  Did you have to rein yourself in at times?  Did Nonfiction Sarah take over at times?  Was Literary Sarah trying to steer things?

The most difficult part was stepping away from the factual and making Abby less like me, while still being true. It was constraining at times. 

As they say in real estate: location, location, location!  Setting plays a significant role in all three of your novels.  In fact, in their review of Courage My Love, The Globe and Mail said: “Sarah Dearing so strongly depicts an angle on a place and a time, so profoundly evokes a stench and a feeling, that it creates a true literary landscape. It’s a place you could paint from memory.”  Wow!  Talk about high praise!   Talk to me about place.  Do you have to love a place to write about it?  Can you write about a (real) place you’ve never been to?

Place intrigues me on several levels. I’m constantly aware of how my environment affects my mood and perspective and I need it to change frequently, even if it’s something minor like rearranging the furniture or taking a different route somewhere. It’s contradictory because I also love the familiarity and ritual surrounding certain kinds of places, like cottages, where even minor change feels like an affront. Loving a place provides a great deal of motivation to try to do it justice in writing, but it’s not necessary. It might be easier, or more enjoyable, but it’s not a prerequisite. London, England features significantly in The Art of Sufficient Conclusions, and I write about not loving it at all. I think it’s possible to write about a real place without ever having been, but where’s the fun in that?  Travel allows us to be different versions of ourselves and to discover things about who we are, either personally or culturally. I think that’s an important part of being a writer. 

The publishing landscape has undergone a sea change since your previous books were released.  How do you feel about the changes in the book world?  What opportunities do you see in ebooks and social media? 

I remember it was a bit of a parlour game when writers got together to bitch about our publicists and now we have to be our own publicists. There’s an irony there but since I try not to look backwards, I am actually quite ambivalent about changes in the book world. I think the potential is there to reach more readers through ebooks but I don’t think ebooks have reached their full potential yet. As far as social media goes, I suspect it is effective but I’m not very motivated to self-promote right now. I only want to focus on my next project, particularly after such a long gap between books. Once I’m in a fictional world, I need to be as fully immersed as possible, to the exclusion of just about everything else. I hope I can get more in the swing of it with my next novel.

I have to ask this (I already have my own answer to the question...) but if a hot-shot Hollywood director showed up on your doorstep and offered you a bucket of cash to make a movie of The Art of Sufficient Conclusions, who would you cast as Abbie?

The first person to come to mind is Lauren Ambrose, who played Claire in Six Feet Under. I’m curious who your choice would be.

What can you tell me about your current work in progress?

I have two novels in progress, but the one I’m focused on right now (maybe because I’m tired of winter) is inspired by time I spent working at a dodgy hotel on Corn Island, Nicaragua, and is more like my first novel in terms of style. It’s also narrated by a 13 year-old girl who is nothing like me, which is sort of like taking a vacation from myself. It’s a wonderful thing to be constrained only by the authenticity of voice and plot.

Mystery author Elmore Leonard once said: “My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip.”  What piece of advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Read lots of great books in whatever genre you’re writing and feel envy. 

What do you think is the biggest misconception, the most frequently circulated myth about writing and being an author?

The glamour of it all?  

What are your thoughts on the following quotation:  “The tendinous part of the mind, so to speak, is more developed in winter; the fleshy, in summer. I should say winter had given the bone and sinew to literature, summer the tissues and the blood,” John Burroughs, The Snow-Walkers.  

It sort of dismisses all the brilliant literature from perpetually warm places. I get what he’s saying, but maybe it’s more about the hardship and isolation of winter; the sensual and social aspects of summer.  Desert/seaside might be an equally apt comparison or mountain/valley.

When you take a break from writing and have time to curl up with a book, what do you like to read?  Who are some of your favourites?

If I really want to get out of my own head, I go for a good mystery or spy thriller from the likes of Ian Rankin or John Le Carre. I think David Mitchell is the most interesting contemporary literary writer and eagerly await whatever he publishes. T.C. Boyle for his expansive vocabulary and George Orwell for his economy. 

The last question is a bit of a freebie:  What is the one question you wish I had asked you but didn’t?  Now, go ahead and ask and answer that question.

Is CanLit ready for a pot-smoking heroine? 

In 2002, the Canadian government tabled a bill to decriminalize the possession of marijuana and I kept meeting pot-smokers, particularly among the 20 to 30 age group. It seemed like a very mainstream activity and since the book is meant, among other things, to document a particular time (post-9/11) this detail seemed important to include. 

Follow Sarah on Twitter @sarahdearing

Sarah's books on AMAZON click HERE

 

Recent Reads: Scoundrel Woman Jump

I have no idea what the point of this book was... Not the amusing joyride I was expecting.  Maybe I missed something, but it just didn't work for me.

I am a die-hard Fforde fan.  This was okay, but it is not the strongest in the Thursday Next series.  Nonetheless, I'll keep reading the series when the next Next installment comes along.  There were a few fun moments and clever lines here.

Jonah Geller is a kick-ass sleuth!  I love Howard's writing - a great plot, terrific characters, and there are some fabulous lines that truly made me laugh out loud!  Delicious, meaty, stick-to-your-ribs, hard-boiled stew.

Guest blogger: Scott Whitmore and Broadening...

Today I'd like to welcome guest blogger Scott Whitmore.  Let's see what he has to say about reading and writing...

Broaden Your Writing by Reading More...

So far, I've written two Steampunk/paranormal/adventure novels, Carpathia and The Devil's Harvest, that feature — I hope readers would agree — the thrills and excitement of an Indiana Jones movie as the good guys and gals battle undead creatures like vampires and zombies.

While that's what I've written, on the other end of the page — so to speak — I enjoy reading from a wide variety of genres. A sampling of the best I read in 2012 include a sci-fi/horror story set on an isolated space station, a historical story about the Irish Republican Army and an urban fantasy with a magic user fighting against dark forces in — of all places — Rochester, New York.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I recall a quote from Stephen King in which he states that the two more important things every writer should do is read a lot and write a lot. No surprise, but I wholeheartedly agree: reading widely is a like a training program for writers to see how your peers handle plot points, develop characters, paint a word picture of a scene, etc. (It goes without saying, of course, that direct copying is wrong ... experience, learn, be influenced, but write your own words and stories).

Side note: Remember when Stephen King first hit the literary scene? He was lambasted as a hack, churning out low-brow chum for the masses like modern Penny Dreadfuls. Millions and millions of books sold to a vast legion of diehard fans and today he is an important force on the literary scene, although King still has not gained the respect of the 'smart set' (to wit: he has made the New York Times "10 Best Books of" list just once, in 2011 for 11/22/63).

Still, who among us would not *love* to get a positive endorsement of our work from King? Or John Grisham (personally not a fan, but can't not respect the achievement), Michael Connelly, or J.K. Rowling? 

I know I would.

Anyway, as I was saying: reading widely from different genres is important and helpful, but what about the subject matter we write about? 

In the lead paragraph above I used the words 'so far' because I do have ideas for stories in other genres: crime, dystopian, sci-fi, fantasy. Of course, there's no telling I won't sit down to write a story in one of those other genres and suddenly the setting shifts to an alternate history like 1880s Romania similar to Carpathia or WWI France like The Devil's Harvest. Perhaps an airship appears ... or a vampire .. or a zombie.

I could be fooling myself that I'm anything but a writer of novels like the two I've already completed. There's no telling, but there's no reason to be worried about it, either.

First off, I'm writing stories that I would want to read, but more importantly I know my imagination is bigger than any single genre. My two novels are not merely Steampunk, not merely Paranormal, not merely Adventure, not merely Historical ... they are a bit of all those and more. In fact, the third book of the series looks like it will be set in 1950s Chicago during an organized crime turf war. A turf war between some mobsters and werewolves, no less, with perhaps some Cold War intrigue involving Russian spies and nuclear weapons research thrown in for good measure.

Or maybe it will be something else. I'm never exactly sure until I start writing.

Read widely and your imagination will broaden as well. I firmly believe that. And if you, dear Reader, are looking for a new genre or genre mash-up to explore, may I suggest Steampunk/Paranormal/Historical adventures? I happen to know a couple books in that niche I could recommend.

You can't blame me for trying, right?


Born and raised in the Midwest, Scott Whitmore turned to writing after 20 years of service in the US Navy. He has written for The Herald, a daily newspaper located in Everett, Wash., with a circulation of 45,000. He has also contributed to Sports Northwest magazine, SBNation.com, and Racing in America. Scott currently works as a freelance writer and marketing consultant, specializing in motorsports. He wrote and published Short Track Saturday Nights, a book about the 2008 racing season at Evergreen Speedway, Washington’s only NASCAR home track. His novels, Carpathia and The Devil's Harvest, are available at Amazon.com.

Follow him on Twitter @ScottWhitmore 
Check out Scott's blog HERE 

Sailing along with Jinx Schwartz

Interview with Jinx Schwartz

1.      I know this is like asking a mother to name her favourite child, but is there one book of the seven you’ve written that you are especially proud of? 

Oh, boy, that’s a tough one. I guess the Hetta Coffey series, because she makes people laugh, and she’s such a pill. 

2.      When you were starting out, what was the BEST writing advice you ever received? 

My first book, The Texicans, is a Texas Historical/Western, so I naively asked Elmer Kelton, king of the Texas western, to read my galley! What a gentleman; he not only read it, declared it pretty danged good for a first book, and reminded me to “show, don’t tell.” 

3.      Now that you have a few books out, and have learned the ropes, know the business, have honed your craft and all that: what is the one thing you wish you had known about being an author when you started out? What is there in the reality of being an author that is different from what you might have expected? 

I have been lucky. My first book I self-pubbed in hard back. Do not do this! I still have a closet full. However, the book was picked up for an audio edition, and then a paperback by a small publisher…so DO do that, just not in hard cover. And I wasted a year or two trying to get an agent. Silly me.

4.      Imagine writing an online dating profile for Hetta Coffey.  What would it say? 

She’s a woman with a yacht, and not afraid to use it. Wimps need not apply.

5.      What’s more fun to write: dialogue or description? 

Dialogue, for sure. I like it snappy.

6.      Name a character from fiction (any genre or any era) that you wish you could bring to life.  Who would it be and why? 

Jack Reacher, so he could kick that wimp Tom Cruise’s butt.

7.      What’s the funniest or weirdest thing a reader/fan has ever said to you (in any medium: email, in person, Twitter, etc.)? 

One reader said Hetta drank too much. And her point is???

8.      Tell me about your current work in progress. 

More like a work-in-stagnation! Too much marketing getting done, and not enough Hetta #5.

9.      How do you come up with your titles? 

For the Hetta Coffey series, she’s on the hunt for a man and buys a yacht to do it, so: Can’t get a man? Just Add Water.  Followed by Just Add Salt, Just Add Trouble, and Just Deserts. Next? Just ? 

10.  The last question is a freebie: What do you wish I had asked you?  Now ask & answer that question. 

Jinx, what do you want readers to know about you? I live on a boat several months out of the year and can’t really swim. 

 

Check out Jinx Schwartz on Amazon - click here.  

Follow her on Twitter: @jinxschwartz