Archive for March, 2009
THE ROSES OF PROSE
Here is an invitation to a new group blog. I’ll be a contributing member! I hope you stop by to check it out.
FIRST ROUND EDITS COMPLETE!
Last week, I completed the first round of professional edits for my upcoming novel. Surprisingly, I am invigorated to dive back into this manuscript. I have been working on novel number two for some time now, and the distance from Double Out and Back has granted me objectivity necessary to improve the prose. The changes are not huge, but the meticulous detail and agonizing over the best way to craft each paragraph, sentence, phrase, and word become a labor of love.
All of this means I am one step closer to publication. Hooray! I can’t wait for you all to read it when it comes out.
DOUBLE OUT AND BACK a novel: UPDATE
Last month, my publisher added my title to its website list of Coming Soon e-books, along with a blurb and a short bio of me. It feels so great to see that information up there.
Every step closer to publication is amazing. This week, I took another thrilling step. Red Rose Publishing assigned an editor to work with me on my manuscript. After the initial rush of excitement that this is moving forward, I froze in my chair.
Oh…hmmm….now the real work begins. It’s actually pretty painless so far. I’m enjoying delving back into this manuscript with fresh eyes. I have been working on the second novel for a long enough time, that I have distance from Double Out and Back. The good news: I still like the novel. I hope you will too.
I’ll continue to fill you in as I get closer to publication.
RUNNING TO WRITE AND WRITING TO RUN
Sitting and writing is great exercise for my creative brain. However, having a healthy mind does not guarantee a healthy body. I spend a lot of time with my butt glued to a chair and hands tapping on keyboard to meet my writing goals. This sedentary vocation puts me at great risk of widening hips, clothes that mysteriously “shrink,” and a whole host of health problems.
To avoid (or at least fend off) the dreaded, hip-widening phenomenon, I run. While I run, I have a chance observe my neighborhood on foot, instead of from the window of a car. I can’t stand the treadmill. I prefer to get outside in the fresh air.
The two activities—writing and running—complement one another very well. They both require discipline, dedication, and stamina. To improve my aerobic health, I need to vary my workouts: long runs, speed work, hills. To improve my craft, I need to vary my writing sessions, too: outlining, plotting, brainstorming, free flowing prose to get an idea out of my head, and meticulous editing.
Often, my writing creeps into my running sessions. I can really clear my mind, freeing my imagination to spark ideas for new stories. I can meditate on whatever is giving me trouble, like how to weave in a particular subplot or what obstacles to put in the way of my protagonist. Running is a great cure for writer’s block.
While many of my running sessions help my writing, I have not had running sneak into my writing sessions. . . . Until this week! Under doctor’s orders I have been writing the alphabet WITH MY FEET!
I know, it sounds weird, but it has been helping me to increase the range of motion, strengthen and stretch my feet. Because I have increased my mileage as I prepare for a 10-mile race in April, I have developed tendonitis in the bottom of my feet. Ugh! My orthopedist has given me meds, as well as some special exercises, including the alphabet game. I hope this will help me save my feet to make it through my upcoming race.
Wish me luck! And who knows, maybe someday instead of just the alphabet, I will write a poem—WITH MY FEET.
HAPPY PURIM!
It is my favorite holiday! Tonight is Purim, the most joyous of all Jewish holidays. It is so joyous, in fact, that rabbis have commanded adults to get drunk and be merry! We read the Book of Esther and every time the villain, Haman’s name is mentioned in the story, the entire crowd, boos and makes noise to blot out his name. It is a wild time. We dress up in costumes, have carnivals, eat triangular shaped cookies called, “Hamentashen” (named after the villain Haman and shaped like his three-cornered hat). As a child I loved playing games and winning prizes at the Purim Carnival, dressing in costumes, and making noise. Now I get to share that great tradition with my children. Plus, I get to down shots of Goldschlager and act rowdy at the synagogue. Really! The rabbi said I should.
For those of you not familiar with the story, I have excerpted the following summary of the Book of Esther from a site called, Judaism 101. I have often thought this story was ripe for a Disney interpretation. It has everything most Disney hits need: an orphaned young woman raised by a kind uncle, a despicable villain, and a benevolent king. Read the synopsis below and let me know if you agree!
The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.
The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people’s, and they do not observe the king’s laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them.” Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.
Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king’s presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman’s plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai. (end of excerpt)
I am all for celebrating differences, and searching for similarities among people. In that vein, I am fascinated by how similar the traditions of various religions. We all must trace back our festivities to the same ancient rituals. Purim is the prime example of this. Mardi Gras and Carnivale celebrations are wild and crazy traditions also at this time of year.
Well, it’s time to go put on my costume and celebrate! I hope you all enjoy the night, too.
OBAMA AND THE WIZARDS
I agree with President Obama on many matters, even some of his favorite pastimes. Like Obama, I am a huge basketball fan. I was raised on the Celtics and Larry Bird. But during the years I have lived in and around D.C., I have enjoyed watching past and present Wizards, Michael Jordan, Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and more from fifth row, center court. My team is having a horrible season. As of this writing, we are 14W-45L, and in last place in our conference.
I didn’t attend the Wizards game on Friday night, but President Obama did. He watched his first Washington Wizards game at Verizon Center. The man is amazing. I know he was cheering for the Bulls, but he even brought “hope” to the Wizards, whose only light during this losing season is that they are in the running for the top draft pick for next season.
With our leader, who actually leads, in the front row, the Wizards beat the Bulls 113-90. Let the Obama brand of optimism and “Yes We Can” motto spill over into every aspect of life. If he can bring hope to my Wizards, anything is possible.