Sunday, December 4, 2011

Read any good books lately? "Scribbling Women"


When Harrison was let out of the crate on Thursday, he stood still for just a moment. Then ran around the house in circles like it was his personal racetrack. and, I guess it is. In his excitement, I believe he hit his foot on something when I heard a small whimper, but he trudged on not letting a minor incident damage his enthusiasm.

Healing is a process and so is life. The latest book I read, "Scribbling Women, True Tales from Astonishing Lives" demonstrates the process of how life creates writers, in particular, writers with whom you may not be familiar. But you should because these women writers set the stage for all women writers after them. They wrote when many women were barely allowed to learn to read.

Marthe Jocelyn captured my attention on the first page of her introduction. Just for the record, as I type this blog, I am sitting on my patio, the birds chirp and Harrison lays on the cool decking of the pool relaxing in the sun. Jocelyn writes:

"I like to write outside, at a table on my front porch, or even in the hammock. Sometimes I sit on a park bench and scribble away while I watch the world around me. Once in a hwile, I stay in bed on a cold winter morning, with a hot water bottle, a cup of team, and notebook across my knees. I am a professional writer. I write books for young readers and get paid for it."

Jocelyn turns to her research and explains how she came across the letters of lady Mary Wortley Montago. "As I learned and thought about Lady Mary's life, I realized that there must be dozen of other women who had written letters, or travel journals, or essays, or diaries; women whose observations, like Lady Mary's had chronicled or changed the world around them, even in very small ways."

After much research writing over three years, Jocelyn shares with us eleven women who took the time to scribble. From Sei Shonazou who lived from 965-1010 to Doris Pilkington Garimara born in 1937,these women traveled the globe and give a unique perspective into their lives. Surely, none of these women could have imagined how Jocelyn would uncover their writing much less publish it for the entire world to read. But I see Jocelyn's book as a victory for them. This book should be required reading for all writers, especially women. What we share in our diaries, blogs or stories to our children can make us immortal by what we leave behind.

Isabella Beeton lived a mere twenty-eight years yet she wrote a book with five hundred and fifty-six thousand words. Her book sold sixty thousand copies during the first year and two million within the decade. I shall be forever grateful that she standardized cooking measurement and the layout of recipes which continues today.


Life is a process we live day by day, and we need to revel and scribble in every moment of it. Whether we enjoy composing outdoors or on a couch or at a desk, it really doesn't matter where we do it. As Jocelyn wrote "What will your own story be? Get scribbling..."

Monday, October 24, 2011

Write to the Heart of the Matter...for Value Meals on the Volga



Value Meals on the Volga was my first book.

For any writer, the first book evokes special memories. The steps of the cooking, researching, writing and editing heightened my understanding of every aspect of creating a book. I learned a tremendous amount during during the process, however I learned considerably more about publishing after the book was in print.

I have an opportunity to revisit Value Meals on the Volga at a special author event at Barnes & Noble next Tuesday, November 1.

A panel of writers from the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers will discuss our writing and our published works. We will sign copies of the books which will be available for purchase. For more details, visit http://infiniteadventure.weebly.com/news--events.html

Hope to see you there!
WHEN: Tuesday NOVEMBER 1st , 2011 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Free Event
WHERE: Barnes and Noble Booksellers - 90th St., Shea Blvd., west of the 101, Scottsdale

BTW, the first sentence of Value Meals on the Volga is: "How will your grandchildren remember you?"


Sunday, October 9, 2011

My Life in a Crate...Writing on Three Legs


When I last updated this blog in July, I was prepared for a relaxing one week vacation. It didn't quite turn out that way. Instead, I feel I have been living my life in a crate, both figuratively and literally.

I feel crated literally because my dog has been in a crate for the last four weeks and figuratively because my writing has been locked up in the crate with him.

Before the first weekend of vacation was over, my dog Harrison was scheduled to see the veterinarian on Monday. After two radiograms Harrison was diagnosed with dysplasia. He suffered pain from arthritis since his leg bone was out of his hip socket. Two weeks later, he had FHO (femoral head ostectomy surgery) on his back right leg. This surgery removes the ball of the bone at the top of the femur. With proper recuperation the tendons and ligaments strengthen and he can regain full use of his leg.

This little dog and his rehabilitation took over my life for the past four weeks. Not to mention how much he has taken over my household since his arrival on January 25th of this year. Harrison was 3 months old when he was found in a field by Maricopa Animal Control. I took him into my home the first day he was available for adoption.

He is a small dog, and only God knows his breed. The Maricopa Animal Control folks said he was likely a short hair Chihuahua-Terrier mix. Others have told me he looks like a Corgi, a Jack Russell terrier, a Dachshund, a Doberman pinscher and a Pit Bull. One of the veterinarians said he could be a Chihuahua and Labrador mix. But let’s not go there.

His progress has been slow, however that is normal. He has learned what it is like to be in a crate 99% of his day. Like Harrison, I felt like my writing has been crated away as I focused on him. It took more time than I imagined following the doctor's directions to a T. Harrison is a puppy and he views directions as mere suggestions to his routine. .Have you ever tried to do massage therapy on a dog? A dog that was less than anxious to have you touch his sore leg? Besides these exercises I gave up much of my writing time to spend more time with him to alleviate his boredom.

The last two weeks Harrison has been on limited leash time. He wants to walk on only three legs, so I constantly encourage him to put his "leg down." We need to walk at a pace so slow I could doze off yet it forces him to use the leg. Which is exactly the workout he needs to build up his strength.

Thursday starts the 5th week of recuperation for Harrison. He can roam freely without a leash. How will he react to his new found freedom? At eleven months old on that day, he begins a new life. He will walk unleashed for the first time without pain in his hip. Will he chase bugs for hours? Will he jump on the couch and laze in the sunlight? Will he dive into the swimming pool for the first time? Or, will he sit quietly outside the crate in shock?

As I finish this update, Harrison has no idea what lies ahead. Soon we will both be out of the crate. I cannot wait.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Read any good first sentences lately? Miss Julia's School of Beauty


"I am sick and tired of people asking how married life is treating me."

This first sentence from Ann B. Ross's Miss Julia's School of Beauty should have been my first clue. This was simply not the book for me.

I like to pick books outside my preferred genres to find out how other writers and readers live. I previously read Miss Julia Hits the Road (Southern Comedy of Manners). I found most of the characters mildly amusing and enjoyed the setting in the South where I lived for ten years. It wasn't my favorite book, but it was a fun jaunt to hear during my daily commutes. I could understand how Ross built a following of loyal southern readers.

Unfortunately The School of Beauty book left me cold. I actually skipped three of the CD discs and went straight to the final CD to confirm my view of how it would all end.

The first sentence of complaint should have been enough foreshadowing for me to have stopped the audio book immediately. Let me explain. I have been single for over eighteen years. If I had met someone since that time who was worthy of marriage, I am sure I would be married. I understand marriage is not day after day of wedded bliss. It is work, courage, understanding and a choice every day of your life.

Yet the lead character, Miss Julia, follows this complaint with page after page of lament. And, she has only been married for three weeks. She does her best to try to lose the best thing that ever happened to her. Miss Julia has plenty of money to live without working for the rest of her life. She has friends and family and a man who loves her (only God knows why) at her side. Her rants about her perceived problems continue until the final page of the book. I think the better title for Miss Julia's School of Beauty should more aptly be Miss Julia's School of Ungratefulness.

I realize Ross's followers may disagree but I cannot find humor nor interest in this book or its outcome. I only hope her other books do not follow this same pattern. There is a lot to be said for gratitude and I hope Miss Julia finds it.




Sunday, June 26, 2011

Read any good first sentences lately? "I am shown into a small, drab room, told to sit down and wait."


"I am shown into a small, drab room, told to sit down and wait.
"

I love this first sentence because it makes me want to know more. Who showed this person into the room? How old it this person? Where are they? What are they waiting for? Are they a man or woman? How long will they have to wait?

Tatiana de Rosnay wrote this first sentence to start her book A Secret Kept. The story revolves around the Rey family told from the perspective of Antoine Rey, a recently divorced architect. His journey takes him back to his childhood and forgotten memories which lead him to investigate the secrets of his families' past

Antoine's perspective and actions are so honest it sometimes hurts to read it, yet anyone who has tried to dig up the past knows the desire for the truth outweighs the pain.

After the first sentence, de Rosnay continues: "Six empty brown plastic chairs face each other on tired linoleum. In a corner, a fake green plant, shiny leaves coated with dust. I do as I am told. I sit down. My thighs tremble. My palms feel clammy, my throat parched. My head throbs. I think, I should call our father now, I should all him before it gets too late. But my hand makes no effort to grab the phone in the pocket of my jeans. Call our father and tell him what? Tell him how?"

This intriguing paragraph paves the way for the rest of the de Rosnay's adventure. Readers, writers and family historians alike will be glued to the Rey family history from the first sentence until the end on page 303. I love this book not only for it's great first sentence, but for the raw emotion it evokes as a seeker of the truth investigates his family's history and relationships.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

"Heard" any good first sentences lately? Midnight in Paris

"Out of the past was the name of the store and its products consisted of memories."
Gil Pender, Midnight in Paris

I have seen the movie “Midnight in Paris” three times in the last three weeks.

Confession: No, I am not a Woody Allen fanatic. Yes, I have seen some of his movies. No, I don’t have to go to his movies on opening weekend. And, yes, you need to make some time over the next few weeks to see this film.

There are many reasons to enjoy this movie and, not in any particular order, here are seven.


1) Paris. Exquisite scenes of Paris. Walking in Paris, talking in Paris, eating in Paris. After a few minutes you will feel like you are actually in Paris.


2) Rachel McAdams. This actress is one of my absolute favorites. She captures each character she portrays so effortlessly, you may not realize all of the films in which you have seen her. The Notebook, The Family Stone, Mean Girls, The Time Traveler’s Wife to name just a few.


3)
Owen Wilson. I am a fan of both The Royal Tenenbaums and Zoolander. Go figure. Wilson plays Gil Pender, the screenwriter turned novelist who is the protagonist of the story. He appears to effortlessly capture the “Woodiness” of Gil Pender, the screenwriter turned novelist who is the protagonist of the story.


4)
Writers of all shapes and sizes. Writers who talk about writing, live writing and love writing. Writers I grew up with during school assignments or as I rambled through the library looking for classics to fill my summer reading list.


5) \
Art, artists and art history. This movie should be required viewing for any art student. Period.



6)
The sound of rain falling in Paris. I will leave it at that.


7) One of the best first sentences for a novel not in a novel. Pender, in Woody Allen tradition, is unsure of his book and literary talent. My favorite part of the film is when Gertrude Stein reads aloud the first sentence of Penders manuscript, the only part we hear. Stein says:

“Out of the past was the name of the store

and its products consisted of memories.”

You knew I was going to return to the first sentence. I have heard there are no coincidences, but to be writing for weeks about first sentences and to experience a first sentence in a movie feels like serendipity. Stein, Hemingway and Pender all realize the value of the first sentence. Gil fears ridicule when it is read aloud however the character Adriana immediately loves it and “is hooked.” I was hooked, too. I was hooked, too.

The first sentence of a book in a movie which encompasses the crux of the film. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Could I have asked for anything more as I continue my quest of first sentences? I think not.


Sunday, June 12, 2011

Read any good first sentences lately? How do writers create such great first sentences?


How do writers create such great first sentences?

I've pondered this question for the last couple of weeks because I wanted to blog about it. When I start to write, I usually have a few ideas and points I want to cover. But rarely do I sit down and immediately write a magical first sentence. One of my friends from my writer's group knew his entire novel before he sat down to write it. Well, my mind doesn't work like that.

When I put my fingers on the keyboard, I sometimes have no idea how to begin the first sentence. Most of the time I write all of my ideas in a narrative form or I type an entire paragraph which I know will be in the piece, but I don’t know where it flows into the story yet. This can go on and on for hours, days or weeks.

Once I start to edit my work, I tie loose ends together. During editing, I typically uncover underlying meanings which I use to add to the essence of the story. This step helps me to flesh out the first draft. Often when I reread what I have written, a sentence in the middle or the end usually hits me WRITE to the Heart of the Matter and I cut and paste it into my opening line. Other times, the final sentences reveal to me what the first line should be. At that point, I go back to the beginning, add the first line and, with revisions to a few key words, I tighten the entire story.

Blogs in particular work this way for me. I have some ideas I want to share and I simply start to type it out, refining it as I click the keys, backspace, insert and delete. Which, I just did right now. This doesn’t sound pretty but it is how my mind works through the creative process.

Last Sunday I wrote an email to Lev Grossman after I published my blog about the first sentence of The Magicians. I wanted to make sure he was okay that I used his book as an example of a good first sentence. I didn't expect an immediate answer, so I was surprised when he replied within twenty-four hours.

Not only did he approve, but he shared with me how he wrote that first sentence. Grossman said:

"Glad you liked the first line. Oddly enough it was one of the last lines that I wrote -- I finished the book and then I went back and added that to the beginning."

He is a writer after my own heart. Now back to that first sentence.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Read any good first sentences lately? "With her back defiantly against the wall...


"With her back defiantly against the wall of the crowded kitchen,
sixteen year old Hannah
Schreissmiller
looked through tear-blurred eyes at Fritz."

What strikes me most about this first sentence is how precisely it describes and foreshadows the life of the lead character, Hannah Schreissmiller.

Second Hoeing by Hope William Sykes was first published in 1935. After seventy-six years, this story still tugs at your heart. Hannah and her family grapple in the Colorado beet fields for sustenance and acceptance. She struggles to survive despite her internal conflict to leave her family and her external conflict with her father. As a first generation German from Russia, Hannah's back is against the wall during much more than the first sentence.

Her inner strength and defiance spur conflicts between generations, fellow immigrants and neighbors. Despite its seemingly simple plot line, Second Hoeing is filled with memorable characters who create generation and immigration clashes on each page. While it was written about Germans from Russia, the themes are universal.

Ah, the courage and stamina it takes to assimilate in a new country. Something we cannot take for granted today. Will Hannah's back be against the wall for her entire life? Read it for yourself. I guarantee you will not regret the time you spend to get to the last sentence of this book.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Read any good first sentences lately? "Quentin did a magic trick. Nobody noticed."



"Quentin did a magic trick. Nobody noticed."

I recently read a book which started with these two lines. I was immediately hooked. Why? Well, I have loved the name "Quentin" since I saw the character of Quentin Collins on the daytime series "Dark Shadows." Also, the book title was The Magicians, and I felt I was in the right place.

Simple and straight to the point, the first sentence sets the stage for the dynamic story that follows. I listened to the audio book so I was unaware of the endorsements on the back cover which describe the book as a Harry Potter "coming of age" dark fantasy.

I understand the comparison, however as I read Lev Grossman's book, I experienced it as a tribute to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with the audience targeted for young adults. It's a book you can't easily set aside and if you listen to the audio book, be prepared to drive on auto pilot and arrive at your destination sooner than you desire.

The first sentence made me laugh and made me curious...two essential ingredients to get the reader to turn to page two.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Read any good first sentences lately?

Writing to the Heart of the Matter means evoking emotion from every word, every sentence and every paragraph. And, most critical of all, is the first sentence.

The first sentence determines if any of the rest of your writing is read. It sets the stage for everything that follows. Whether you write family histories, genealogical mysteries or business memos, the first sentence creates the tone. The first sentence is your port of entry. Does the reader want to continue, or do they jump ship?

How can you tell if the first sentence works? Read. Read more. Read often. Read all genres.
Discover what drags you into the story. Go to a library and browse the new releases. Pick up one after another and read to find out what the writer does to draw you into the book.
Chances are you will prefer sentences of the books you like to read. Over the next few weeks I will share with you some of my favorites. Yet each writer's first sentence is where imagination begins.

Over the next few weeks I will share with you some of my favorite first sentences. In the meantime, write your own first sentences, or review what you have written before. And, consider, would you continue to read it if you didn't know what was going to happen next?