Other people's words

"Go to where the silence is and say something." - Amy Goodman.

A great start to the day ...

... Waking up and hearing that The Cry of the Go-Away Bird was listed as one of the best 100 books of 2011 by The Listener!

THE CRY OF THE GO-AWAY BIRD, by Andrea Eames (Harvill Secker, $37.99). Eames shies away from neither the shortcomings of the whites – including her narrator – nor the actions of the blacks attacking them in this wonderful evocation of early 2000s Zimbabwe through the eyes of a teenage girl living on a farm with her mother and stepfather. What really makes the novel is Eames’s striking descriptive language and acute attention to detail.

Wow! Thank you!

You can see the rest of the list here. I really want to read The Stranger's Child.

The Relaxed Writer's guide to setting New Year's writing goals

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."- Epictetus

I've been working on some goals for the coming year. I hear this is a fairly common exercise at this time ... they're called resolutions, or something. So, not enormously original of me, but there you go. I found this exercise, from The Relaxed Writer, really helpful - I tend to focus on the negative (what I DON'T want). Not the best mindset, but here you can make it work for you, and achieve something useful. It's a ten-minute exercise, and I really recommend it. Michael Losier calls this exercise "Clarity Through Contrast."

"Here's how it works.

1. Take a sheet of clean paper and draw a vertical line down the middle to create two columns.

2. Label the sheet, "My Writing Life"

3. Fold the page in half.

4. Set a timer for 10 minutes. On the left-hand side, as quickly as you can, list exactly what you DON'T want your writing life to look like in the coming year.

For instance:

I don't want...

"to not have a place to write"
"to struggle to find time for my writing"
"to be so isolated"
"to keep postponing developing story ideas"

5. Keep going until the timer chimes or you've completely exhausted all possibilities. If you feel uncomfortable with all the negative statements you're making, please be patient and stick with me. Emotionally connecting to your goals will help you achieve them. (I see this time and again in my private coaching practice.) The more you can allow yourself to really feel, see and experience what you don't want, the easier you'll be able to connect with what you do want.

Please try not to edit yourself as you do this exercise. Redundancy is fine--even instructive! In this step and the next, pay attention to the themes and variations you lay out on the page. Notice where you concentrate your attention. Notice which topics appear again and again and again in different forms. If you pay close attention, the repetition will show you where you've been stuck.

6. Next, unfold the page. Use each bullet point in the left-hand column as a writing prompt. You're going to discover what you DO want by writing a specific, clear intention for yourself. How? Just rewrite each negative statement in the left-hand column into a positive one.
For instance:

I want...

"to have a dedicated space to write"
"to create a consistent, sustainable writing schedule"
"to refresh my network with new colleagues and writing peers"
"to send X new queries each week"
Voila! You've got marching orders for the new year--a perfect starting point to help you make good decisions and take the steps necessary to clear your internal and external environment of unneeded clutter.

Enjoy the process."

From Marla's website:

Marla Beck coaches mid-career literary and freelance writers to finish their books and create more fulfilling creative and professional writing careers. Check out her free resources for writers here and read The Relaxed Writer here.

As a very un-relaxed writer, I visit it often and find it hugely helpful!

A holiday classic

I know I've already posted a Christmas message, but I thought I should introduce you to a new family tradition that LOML and I have started - watching the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special. We saw it for the second time today (at the Cartoon Cereal Party at the Alamo Drafthouse, where we consumed large amounts of sugary cereal and watched '80s and early '90s classics), and it loses none of its lustre the second time around. Seriously. This is life-changing stuff. It's available on Hulu, but I have also embedded the Youtube videos for those of you who can't access it there. Marvel at the dreadful Christmas song, the bizarre character reactions, the really odd choice of voice actors, the scintillating dialogue and the Beast Monster - so good they named it twice.

You're welcome.







(Also, I always mishear the villain's name as Pork Rind).

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Another bloody earthquake in Christchurch

Looks like it was a 5.8 this time. We've managed to get hold of most of our family and friends - so far so good - but I know that many people are still waiting to hear. Take care, everyone! We're thinking of you! Please let us know if you read this and you are safe.

The lead-up to Christmas

Not long now ... and everyone in our household is very excited!

Philippe Starck on Creativity

I'm sure this article has crossed your radar already - it's definitely worth reading (although there's some dissent in the comments!). Some gems:

"Creativity is almost a mortal sickness. It’s not easy to be happy and creative: With creativity comes great anxiety, great effort, great desire for love. To be creative, you have to be curious, generous, to want to try to understand."

"My inspiration comes from the existence of my life. I try to understand my mistakes. I try to understand why I do that. I try to understand how I can avoid doing that in future."

"If you are truly creative, it’s not possible to stop creating, even for a moment. Even though sometimes I wish I could. It’s a continuous process."

Did anyone else watch that reality show where Starck mentored young British designers?

Titles are hard

They really are. I am dreadful at choosing a title - it takes me forever to settle on something descriptive and evocative without being cheesy or too vague. These ideas from Daily Writing Tips, posted on 16 December, are a great way to kick-start the process.

"Picking a title can often be the hardest part of a writing project. Sometimes the title just comes to you, but more often than not, you have to put quite a bit of work into finding just the right one. You may even have to sift through several titles before you find one that sits well with you. Here are a few suggestions to try:

1. Mad Libs
Think of a couple adjectives, nouns and verbs that describe your story. Write them all down on a sheet of paper and combine them into different phrases. Sometimes you can pick up on a title that works.

2. Pick a Part
Look for an important turning point in your novel or just focus on the climax. Describe this event on paper. Pick out the words or phrases that stand out to you in your description. Mix and match these words to see what works for you.

3. Live by Example
Pick out novels or short stories that run in the same genre as your project. Study the titles and how they relate to the story as a whole. Then, look at your project as a whole. Think of the theme or overall message of your book. Write down some words that go along with your theme and work them to see if you can find a fitting title.

4. Go for the Obscure
Avoid the obvious “The” titles like “The Pink Slipper” or “The Brown Dog.” Look for slight recurring themes or undercurrents in your novel and try naming your novel after those subtle nuances. JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is a genius with titles. The titles, especially the Half-Blood Prince, all highlight under-riding themes that later play a large role in the series as a whole.

5. Appeal to the Higher
Poets usually have a way of weaving words in a beautiful tapestry of art that put prose writers to shame. Read some famous poetry and write down words and phrases that stick out to you. Song lyrics often have the same effect. You can find some powerful titles by mixing, matching and combining words from powerful lyrics.

6. A Writer’s Best Friend
Consult your thesaurus and look up synonyms for commonly occurring words in your novel. Write down as many synonyms as you can to try and get a fresh point of view on an event in your novel. Look up these synonyms in the dictionary to get a better understanding of their meaning. Use different words in context to find a combination that you like.

7. Super Easy Way
Type “title generator” into Google and see what pops up. There are several websites that will either have you type in a couple descriptive words and scramble them for you or they’ll just generate some random titles for a variety of genres. Some, like guywiththecoat.com, just generate extremely random and funny titles. Mostly, these titles are just good for a laugh, like “Pants Ride the Bus,” but you may actually be able to find something that works with your project."

Other people's words

"Every day I must prove to myself I am a writer. The knowledge goes away in my sleep. What I wrote yesterday was paltry, meagre, so flawed it is barely anything. Or, if it is good, I am no longer the person who could write it. In either case - shame or approval - it is utterly separate from me, that piece of writing, as if a skin formed on it like the skin on pudding when it chills, a thin, rubbery, albumenlike skin separating it from me. I am insufficient again. And every day I must reach down into myself and see if the place that makes writing exists." - Bonnie Friedman, Writing Past Dark.

Two Squirrels and Frankie

Vanessa and Warren of Two Squirrels were featured in Spaces, a special edition of Frankie magazine, just months before their shop was destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake. I have a copy of Spaces on my coffee table, and it is bittersweet to leaf through and see the gorgeous images of a place that no longer exists. Frankie is still supporting them, though, and has just published an article about Vanessa and Warren's new venture online. You can read it here.

And - more exciting news! Soon, Two Squirrels will be online as well. Good news for those of us who aren't within driving distance of New Zealand!

Follow their blog to stay abreast of these new events.

So many black cats!

For a moment I wondered what was going on here - Mink managed to clone himself? But it turns out that these cats were auditioning for a Hollywood movie in 1961.





Via the lovely Freelancer's Fashionblog.

Other people's words

“Don’t forget, a great impression of simplicity can only be achieved by great agony of body and spirit.” - The Red Shoes (1948)

A Very Mullord Christmas

My best friend, Ally Mullord, writes a hilarious column for New Zealand's 3 News website. In the spirit of the season, I thought I would share her recent articles on preparing for the Christmas holiday. Because who doesn't like to read about butt towels on a Friday morning?

Christmas Gift Guide Part One

"With less than a fortnight until Christmas, chances are all the presents will be bought and wrapped and stuck under the tree - unless you’re like me, in which case you haven’t bought a single present and are definitely in need of last-minute present ideas.

Today we will cover short-notice presents for pretty much anyone, and a few things which might seem like good gift ideas but generally aren’t. Tomorrow: finding the perfect item for that hard-to-buy-for person."

Read more

Part Two: Bird Baths and Butt Towels - Christmas gifts for the person who has everything

"It's hard to find the perfect Christmas present.

It's even harder when the person you're buying for has very broad tastes, already seems to own everything they might need, or is a distant relative you don't know well. Luckily, Part Two of our Christmas Gift Guide will spear-tackle your gift dilemmas."

Read more

Christmas Safety Guide - Decking the Halls with Care

"Christmas is really dangerous. Did you realise how dangerous Christmas is? I did not. For example, every year several people injure themselves on the turkey. Not carving the turkey or cooking the turkey – just on it. “Maude! Call the ambulance, the wing’s stuck in my ear!”

I suppose this is a Christmas safety article."

Read more

Born in the wrong era

I've posted one of these before ... and here is yet more proof that I need to get back to the 1920s, somehow. (Via Dear Golden).

New dresses at Two Squirrels!

If you haven't already, you need to head down to Two Squirrels and see what treasures Vanessa has in store at the moment! (There are even a couple from Austin).





Stay tuned to the Two Squirrels blog for details and their holiday hours.

Phew!

Getting back into a solid routine (after all our overseas guests) and surviving the holiday season mean that I'm on a short hiatus. See you soon!

Gratuitous Mo

Odds and ends

Christina and Scott left yesterday, and we miss them already! The house feels a bit empty (despite Mink and Mo's best efforts). We had such a wonderful time, though - here are a few odd pictures from their trip that didn't make it into earlier blog posts.










(And one of Mo for good measure).

Nights out in Austin

Setting up the Christmas tree (with help from Mo and a terrible camera flash)