Bits and pieces of things that caught my eye not only for my own interest, but enough to want to share with you, too…
Reading Stuff
Author Maureen Johnson led a widespread discussion this past week on the power of book covers and how the content they represent can change based upon the gender of the author. Much of the debate rests in parity of marketing and perception. For example, I’ve read of those that feel the cover of The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides would be much different had it been written by a woman. My feelings on the whole thing vary widely – too widely to offer a useful post on it on my own, but Johnson puts forth an interesting argument that you can read here, or you can also just skip to the slideshow of photos she selected from entries in her “Cover Flip” challenge. She asked followers to create a cover for a novel as if it were written by an author of the opposite gender. The slideshow shows the original and the flip. I have to say, people submitted some spot-on ideas.
Jezebel.com posted a funny “book report” about The Great Gatsby. With the release of the movie, many have been joining into the 2-sided camp (no grey area) of “loved-the-book-and-super-excited-for-the-movie” and “hated-the-book-and-really-proud-to-admit-it”. This “Book Report by a Kid Who Only Saw the Movie” provides a great respite from the ridiculous debate. Also, it is one of those rare articles that the comment section is just as entertaining as the article itself.
Miscellaneous Stuff:
Disney wanted to trademark the phrase “Día de los Muertos” because it wants to make a movie about it. Really. I don’t even have words that can make sense of this ridiculous and offensive move. The good news is that they’ve now withdrawn the application.
Song of the Week
I’m a Peter, Paul, and Mary fan – I even have a channel based off of them in Pandora. One of the songs Pandora frequently plays is “Early Morning Rain”. There’s something about the guitar work, the echo harmony, and the soft tone to it that I just love and every time it comes on it makes me pause and absorb it.
Claire Messud has a new novel out and I’ve never read her, but a couple of the reviews I’ve seen are what have caught my eye. In one, she complains to an interviewer about a question posed on whether or not she would be friends with her main character. Messud reacts with aggravation at the implication that this question wouldn’t be asked of a male author’s characters. Is she correct? I’m not sure. Looking at the first part of the interview gives some insight into why Messud might have reacted the way she did. I might be on her side since I also saw a review from Huffington Post that in their “Who will read this” had this: “This book will definitely appeal to women, as Messud really captures what it’s like to be a woman.” What does that even mean? “Summer will definitely appeal to those who like warm weather because it really captures what it’s like to be hot.”
Writing Stuff
I’ve posted a link or two in a previous Summation about the idea of dream agents and how popularity and success don’t always mean that those particular agents are the right one for a write seeking one. Stina Lindenblatt on the QueryTracker blog this week talks about “stalking” potential agents – but in that good, Twitter and blogging way. In other words, if you are really doing your research ahead of time, you will track conversations and behaviors from an agent that will be better signs that s/he might be the best one to shop your writing.
On a somewhat related note, I joked on Twitter last week that a year ago, agents were scoffing at the idea that writers were querying “New Adult” novels and that this was not a “real” genre. I remember at the time thinking, “but I bet it will be”. Sure enough, Publisher’s Marketplace (a hub for publishing news, sales, etc) has now officially included it in its list of genres and now agents are all “SEND ME YOUR NEW ADULT”. Are they the same ones that snubbed it before? I don’t know, but it is an excellent example of determining if that agent really is the one you want if s/he is. Not sure what New Adult is? Tamara Mataya talks a little bit about it in a new blog of NA writers and even more can be found on the NA Alley blog.
Brief thoughts on books you may or may not want to explore on your own.
Care to chat with me more about these books or others? Leave a comment or find me on Twitter – @ProfeJMarie.
ADULT FICTION
The Language of Sisters, by Amy Hatvany
The title of this book was the primary draw for this book, but it fell a little short for me. Nicole is called back to her home after finding out that her sister, Jenny, who has been living in an institution for a brain disease, has been raped and is pregnant. They decide to take her out of the institution until the baby is born and we see how Nicole deals with taking care of her sister again like she used to before leaving town for college and a career. The book follows Nicole’s journey in rediscovering an old life and making it her new one, which I think goes over pretty well. However, for me, based upon the title I had hoped for more of an exploration of the relationship between Nicole and Jenny. The author every once in awhile shows how Nicole can understand what Jenny says by simply looking into her eyes (Jenny can’t speak, though she could say a few words when she was younger – I didn’t understand where this changed) and I thought that was cool and wished Nicole as narrator would delve into how that feels and how it developed.
In Sunlight and In Shadow, by Mark Helprin
So first of all, this book is really really long. As in 700 pages long. It is part love story, part war story, and part mafia story (in a light way, although very important – if that makes any sense). The characters are beautiful, perfect, high-moral ground living people, but you can get past that based upon the way Helprin describes them (most of the time – it can be a bit much, too). The story moves very slowly (too slowly, really) and has a 75-page backstory inserted at an inopportune time, even if it ends up being useful backstory. The ending matches the rest of the story by being drawn out and while the actual end fits, the development is a bit incongruous.
The thing is, I could tell you lots of things wrong with it, but it was never really a chore to read it. Helprin writes beautifully (in fact, the entire back cover says so – and not one critic says anything about story, so that is really interesting right there), and that is part of what brings you back. Plus these paper doll characters do have you pulling for them. Would I recommend it to anyone? Honestly, probably not – only to a rare few, I think, but in spite of it taking me what felt like eons to read it, I still enjoyed it.
ADULT NON-FICTION
Lean In, by Sheryl Sandberg
I read this book because it was the hot thing to read (and still is) and because some colleagues suggested we do so for a book club. I didn’t do a very good job of adding to the book club discussion (going on asynchronously even now), but not for lack of enjoying this book. Sandberg does a great job of highlighting the challenges that many women face in holding positions of power and influence. Many characteristics that are deemed praiseworthy in successful men are frequently portrayed negatively in successful women. While she acknowledges that change still needs to happen, she also helps women understand how they have been affected by societal expectation. We (women, that is) make decisions based upon what has been and not what is or should be.
Much of what Sandberg discussed resonated with me as I feel that I have been one to “lean in” on many occasions. Sometimes I haven’t done this, and sometimes when I have, it hasn’t been successful. Sandberg recognizes this, too. I found this book to be validating, above all else, and highly recommend it – for men, too, as they can not only learn and recognize what challenges women face (and not all of what might be “obvious” things), but also learn some great leadership tools that are effective no matter what gender you are (as they should be).
And that is my month.
Currently I am reading…well, I’m dabbling unsuccessfully in some self-pubbed ebooks that were either recommended or by authors I follow in blogs and on Twitter. I’ll let you know next month if any of them “take”.
More importantly: what are YOU reading? What should I be reading next? Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Leave a comment or send me a shout out on Twitter – let’s chat!
Bits and pieces of things that caught my eye not only for my own interest, but enough to want to share with you, too…
Reading Stuff
Gretchen Rubin wrote this post called, “Now I Stop Reading a Book If I Don’t Enjoy It. Do You?” that I liked because I run into this dilemma all of the time I know that most of you probably don’t have any problem deciding to not finish a book. There are gajillions of books out there and there will never be enough time to read them all, so you are all quite smart. Me, not so much. I am a work in progress with this because I am getting better at setting books aside, but I’m not great at it yet. My reasoning is that I’m invested; I want to see if it will pay off. Enough people thought the book was good enough to get published, there must be something redeemable. In fact, I am currently reading In Sunlight and Shadow, by Mark Helprin and while it has been long and slow, it has actually been good enough to keep reading. Plus I bought the hardcover so I feel a little more compelled. However, I just read 75 pages that are good backstory, but I don’t know at all how it contributes to the main story at this point. If it had been in the first couple of hundred pages, I could see it, but it’s in the 400s. But at this point there’s “only” 200 pages left to go and I can’t possibly put this book down.
Writing Stuff
I liked this post by Chuck Sambuchino on “What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel” as it culled quotes from a handful of agents. I’ve seen this kind of thing before (from agent blogs and tweets), but there were a couple of good reminders. One of the more interesting things is the section on prologues. This gets a lot of attention in the query world, as it seems the majority of agents really don’t like them. However, many of the novels I’ve read recently have them. Interestingly, I think none of them were the author’s debut, though. So – toss the prologue in your first novel, then by all means, bring it back. Haha!
Author K.M. Weiland has a short and simple post on making your characters “pop”. What I like about it is that it isn’t complicated. She mentions that you just need to do something to keep them from falling directly into full stereotype: a physical descriptor, a behavior, a personality bit – something that may be slightly unexpected for your type of character or distinctive. Check out her examples.
I feel like I’ve used this song before in one of my posts, but since I don’t tag the videos, I couldn’t easily search for it. Who cares if I have, because if you are a Minnesotan, you are happy-dancing today. It really is a beautiful day.
So I’m writing this novel that is set in my home state of Minnesota and the story begins in early April. A couple of weeks ago, I’m looking at how I’m describing the weather and I’m looking outside my window and thinking, what? In my novel, the snow is gone, the temperatures are cool, but warming, and there is indication that tulips might be blooming soon. I’m walking through my neighborhood and I’m still wearing gloves and an ear band because it has barely crossed 32F and while the snow is gone from my sidewalk, there is still all kinds of it on everyone’s yard.
And then, on April 18, this happens:
Who created this state, anyway?
I grew up here and though I lived away from Minnesota for seven years after I got married, I moved back and have lived here again for 13 years. And yet, I don’t seem to have any idea what Minnesota weather is like. (Seriously – how is it that I can remember my sister’s junior high school choir songs, but I cannot remember what the weather was like in April last year?) This is the kind of detail that can unhinge a reader like me. If I’m reading a novel that’s set in Minnesota and the author has the adult characters walking around outside in anything less than three layers of heavy clothing in the middle of January, I’m gonna think the author is a fraud – so much so that I might begin questioning everything else in the book or let other details irritate me that would normally mean nothing.
So when I read an article reminding me that this weather really is abnormal and that the total snow we’ve gotten so far this month exceeds the total amount of snow we’ve gotten in the past 10 Aprils, I feel better.
However, it brings up the question, how much can an author mess up before it discredits the story for the reader? For me, and for many other readers I know (and don’t know), story can often trump almost everything else. For some, it also makes a difference what kinds of details get messed up. As an educator, I am especially sensitive to school and teaching situations, so when an author gets stuff really wrong, it takes me out of the story, which is exactly what an author doesn’t want to happen.
Let me take you through a hierarchy of examples:
In If I Stay, by Gayle Forman, I remember thinking it was highly unusual for a sixth grade class (that was not identified as gifted or advanced or whatever) to be reading To Kill a Mockingbird. As an English teacher, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it taught before 8th grade. Guess what? I don’t care. I noticed it, but since these kinds of off-details didn’t keep showing up, it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the story. Something like this is definitely an extremely minor detail of no real import.
More on the cusp was Katherine Hannigan’s novel, True…(sort of). In this middle grade novel there is a character who is suffering from abuse. When I reviewed this novel I wrote this:
What disturbs me is that Ferris Boyd is introduced to her classmates (before she arrives) as one who is not to be touched and doesn’t talk. As soon as I read those lines I knew immediately that she was being abused. Kids reading this wouldn’t – and that is okay, but it disturbs me to portray a teacher, administrator, and counselor as three trained professionals who would not see this red flag immediately. The story won me overall for the portrayal of the characters, but I had a difficult time glossing over that aspect.
In Megan Abbott’s Dare Me, there is a scene where the high school cheerleading coach is having sex with an army recruiter in the middle of the teacher’s lounge in the middle of the school day (plus, they didn’t even bother to lock the door). This scene was so egregious that had the book been trying to pull off a more realistic plot, I wouldn’t have been able to keep reading.
Though not a novel, I have a final example where something crossed the line for me. Some years ago, while Parenthood was in its second or third season, I decided to give it a try. One of the storylines had a single mother dating one of her adolescent daughter’s teachers (the daughter didn’t know this, of course). I was so irritated with this scenario that I never watched the show again. Does this situation happen in real life? I suppose, but considering the number of schools and states I had taught in at that point and never having run into that, it felt like lazy and offensive writing. I cannot even imagine pursuing any kind of relationship with a current student’s parent.
Some of you are now thinking, “whatever, it’s just a show/book” because for you, that situation doesn’t hit your occupational or knowledge base funny bone.
Imagine you are a scientist. How many science fiction novels out there make you crazy for how off the mark the “facts” are? I am married to a scientist, which was enough for me to know that he could never read The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker because some of her foundational facts about the effects of the Earth slowing in its rotation are inaccurate. Don’t get me wrong, my husband enjoys science fiction and can get past a lot of stuff – because story wins out – but in this book, the effects are part of the plot, so implausibility – or perhaps just plain carelessness – would stop him in his tracks. (Check out the comments of NPR’s review of this novel – it is an interesting mix of those who can handle it and those who can’t.)
Perhaps you are a medical professional. A law enforcement professional. A custodian. A telemarketer. A salesclerk at Target. And then these authors get it all wrong.
Or maybe they just get some of it wrong. It comes down to what is realistic and what is authentic. Is it realistic that a teacher would date his current student’s parent? Maybe, but it the broader context it felt inauthentic. Is it realistic for a cheerleading coach to have sex in the teacher’s lounge for all to see? Not at all. However, within that plotline it was actually authentic.
Story trumps all – for most people, but that means details must remain authentic, even if not always completely accurate.
Come on back next week as I ruminate more on this topic (with help from others) and how to approach this as writers.
When have you been pulled out of a story due to details or a scenario feeling wrong or inauthentic? When (or how often) has this inauthenticity (or just plain inaccuracy) caused you to stop reading?
Seems pretty obvious to me that “Another Brick in the Wall” fits with this post, right?
Bits and pieces of things that caught my eye not only for my own interest, but enough to want to share with you, too…
First of all, I offer my deepest respect and awe for Boston and greater Boston-area law enforcement… and all other related agencies and unnamed investigators involved with apprehending the second primary suspect of the Boston bombing. When I consider their jobs in the past 5 days, all I can think of is just – wow. Hopefully, the most dangerous part is now past.
Onward.
Reading Stuff
The future of e-reading may lie in a program that I might liken to a Netflix subscription. UK bookstore, Waterstones, has plans to roll out an e-book subscription service that will start with short fiction. There are certainly hurdles to cross for it to expand to full-length novels, but I think the model is sound.
Writing Stuff
Literary agent Gemma Cooper shares some of her editorial notes that she most often writes on client manuscripts – or simply sees on submissions. She has several good suggestions on description – such as visual imagery and figurative language – but the tidbit I found most interesting for my own purposes were her thoughts on “noise”. It’s a good reminder for me on remembering all the senses, since I definitely don’t spend much time on “hearing”.
If it is any wonder why it is so difficult to capture an agent’s eye when shopping your novel around, then this post from literary agent Kristin Nelson might help understand it. It is not meant to be discouraging (although it certainly can be), but it certainly puts into perspective just how much your query and first pages have to really have the “wow” factor.
Song of the Week
Y’all, I live in Minnesota (and grew up here), so I’m a hardy sort when it comes to long winters, but man, we just got about 8 inches in the past couple of days and it’s testing all of us this year. It was one of my MN friend’s birthday yesterday, so we shared songs about sunshine with each other. Here’s hers – Natasha Bedingfield, “Pocket Full of Sunshine”:
Bits and pieces of things that caught my eye not only for my own interest, but enough to want to share with you, too…
Just 2 links today, but good ones:
Writing Stuff
Author Chuck Wendig posted a great piece about the recent string of self-publishing articles in Salon. In it he gives a great view of whether or not going “Indie first” (specifically self-pub in this instance, since Indie publishing doesn’t always mean this) is the best way. Ultimately, he says that there is no right way for all authors. Of course, when you are a popular, snarky social media presence, even this viewpoint brings about the extreme and immoveable positions, so the comment section is lively. Basically, I really appreciated his post for the many realities he lists about choosing “Indie first”.
I’ve seen many bloggers write about how others view them as unpublished authors, but they usually do so in a patronizing, defensive, or entitled way. Laura Hughes offers her humble and honest view at how it feels to be an unpublished writer and admitting this to someone new. I am surrounded with people who are immensely supportive of me (as is she), but even so, have rarely offered up to others outside of this circle that I currently write in the hopes to one day be published. Hughes very nicely reveals what it means when people add the air quotes in their head (that I do sometimes, too, about myself) when they find out you are a “writer”.
Song of the Week
A friend of mine went on the search for new music and put out the call to Twitter… so of course I took note, too. Here’s one of the recs, “Love They Say” by Tegan and Sara:
A pregnant marine is being hunted down and she is stuck in the middle of nowhere w/Gibbs and Ziva. I WONDER IF SHE WILL GO INTO LABOR? #NCIS8 hours ago
grading-grading-grading-grading-grading-grading-grading-grading-grading 9 hours ago
Tomorrow, I just might be ready to re-open the MS and wrangle with it again without getting stressed out. 10 hours ago
End of school year continuous headache now in progress. 15 hours ago
An unexpected breakfast with @RositaLG was so much better than my original plan this morning. Loved meeting F2F (and talking books)! 17 hours ago
