You heard it here … well, not first, but you are hearing it here! Briana Vedsted’s new book, Me and Billy the Kid, is now available on Amazon! Now, go git yourself a copy, pardner :)
Me and Billy the Kid has officially been released! Buy it here on amazon.com!
As much as I love to blog and tweet, I’ve been trying to step back, to read and smell the roses. That means renewing my acquaintance with and my love of the short story. I do enjoy novels, of course, but, as a writer, my first love was the short story. In all the forty plus years I’ve been writing, the very first novel I ever wrote was in 2007. It remains unpublished and in serious need of revision.
I feel a stronger affinity with the short story. I’m attracted to the economy of language in the short story. You have to say so much with so little. I was reminded of this recently when I was perusing an issue of the New Yorker (October 7, 2013) and came across a story by Paul Theroux, “I’m the Meat, You’re the Knife.” (Note about the link: You’ll need to be a subscriber to read the story online.)
It was the third sentence that drew me in: “Sometimes bad news takes the form of a greeting.” I already knew that Murray Cutler was sick and that this was somehow meaningful to the narrator. So I read on and, since this is a short story, through to the end. Along the way, I found myself underlining sentences. In pink ink no less. I haven’t underlined in a magazine or a book in years. I used to do it all the time, especially when I was a student. But when I started to recycle my books by trying to sell them, well, no one wants to buy a used book that’s pockmarked with marginal notes, yellow highlighter and exclamation marks. But it was fun to underline the sentences that made me pause and wonder. And really fun to do it with pink ink.
Here’s what I found to be pink ink-worthy:
“But a death is not something you mention in passing to someone you run into. And it was better to keep these two dramas separate. Individually, they were tragedies; lumped together, they were merely news.”
“He had been a practical man, who believed in the economy of the plain truth, who thought that fiction was folly and only jackasses and liars made up stories.”
“The nature and purpose of a ritual is to meet expectations; it is the unexpected that is upsetting.”
“He possessed a victim by caressing him openly, looking like a dear friend and benefactor, and that was the paradox, because the victim was too fearful to make a scene.”
“Murray Cutler had never looked more like meat.”
In this story, Theroux write of a whole life, a novel’s worth of a life.
In an interview with Deborah Treisman, Theroux said, “The impulse to write comes, I think, from a desire—perhaps a need—to give imaginative life to experience, to share it with the reader, not to cover up the truth but to deliver it obliquely.” The truth in this story is delivered obliquely, but it is there and it is chilling.
I’m very honored to have a story published on We Poets Show It: http://wepoetsshowit.com/2013/10/31/debut-writer-love-letter-to-a-young-man-in-a-foreign-land-by-marie-ann-bailey/ Like so many of my story or poetry ideas, this one just slowly emerged and then wouldn’t leave my head until I wrote it down. How I came about to write it reminded me that my writing muse is like Nature: she dictates when, where, how I will express myself, much like Nature will determine when, where, and how a farmer can grow his crop. This is probably one reason I have such a hard time with writing prompts. The more I want to do them, the more my muse recedes into shadows.
This particular story, “Love Letter to a Young Man in a Foreign Land,” is special to me because it’s part fiction, part fact. It evokes for me the pain and doubt I actually felt back then, and that I’m relieved to no longer feel, unless I’m writing about it. Please follow the link over to We Poets Show It and let me know there what you think of my little story.
Here is the Eighteenth installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do by Marie Ann Bailey of 1WriteWay at http://1writeway.com and John W. Howell of Fiction Favorites at http://johnwhowell.com. These lists are simu-published on our blogs each Monday. We hope you enjoy.
10. When commuting to work by car, do not apply mascara while driving or use an electric razor. The former situation will have you likely wind up with a mascara brush sticking out of your eye as you slam on the brake to avoid hitting the car in front of you which decided to stop for the red light. The latter situation could cause you to shave up the side of your head, giving you a “hair style” unacceptable to your boss or to several urban gangs.
9. When commuting to work by car, refrain from driving like James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. At best, you’ll just wind up stopped at the next intersection while everyone behind you throws daggers at you with their eyes or maybe even for real. At worst, you’ll wind up alongside the road being attended to by a traffic officer eager to make his quota early, with everyone passing you with smiles of glee as they know you are getting your just desserts.
8. When commuting to work by car, refrain from listening to state or national news on your radio. Screaming expletives at the top of your lungs might make your fellow commuters worry that you are having a meltdown, at which point they will call the local police, who will only add to your near blood-boiling frustration by pulling you over and making you late for work, not to mention the possibility of you failing the “walk the line test” even though you haven’t been drinking.
7. When commuting to work by car, do not think you are encouraging the driver ahead of you to go faster by following them so closely that you can see yourself in their rearview mirror. Chances are they will suddenly step on the brake and cause you to read-end them which will result in (1) serious damage to your nice car that you will have to pay for because the accident was your fault (really, it was) and/or (2) serious damage to their nice car that you will have to pay for because the accident was your fault (really, it was).
6. When commuting to work by car, do not try to eat your breakfast and drive at the same time. At best, you’ll just gross people out when they see you stuff a double-Egg McMuffin in your mouth. At worst, the coffee you start to sip in order to wash down the Egg McMuffin will wind up covering your nice white shirt or blouse when you suddenly have to step on the brake to avoid hitting someone pulling out of a McDonald’s in front of you.
5. When commuting to work by car, avoid the temptation to pick your nose, pop a pimple, or check your teeth while waiting for a green light. With your luck, the other commuters viewing your activities will likely be attending the same business meeting that you have scheduled that morning, only their role will be as a grossed out customer.
4. When commuting to work by car, do not try to read The Wall Street Journal or finish that last chapter of Prodigy of Rainbow Tower while driving. With the former, you may wind up with a face full of newsprint when you rear-end the person in front of you and your airbag engages. At worst, you’ll never get to finish Prodigy because the traffic cop saw you reading, pulled you over, and then confiscated your book (because, of course, it had been on his to-read list).
3. When commuting to work by car, do not expect to have a smooth commute when you’re running 15 minutes late for a meeting with the CEO of your company. Do expect that the city utility vehicles will be out in full force, trimming trees and picking up yard waste on every street that is normally part of your commute, making your commute time double and your chances of being fired triple.
2. When commuting to work by car, do not expect that your fellow commuters will be understanding if you alternate between speeding and slowing down because you are trying to check your text messages before you get to your office. At best, you’ll have some near-misses as commuters try to get around you and put distance between your bad driving and theirs. At worst, the same traffic cop that pulled you over in #4 and #9 will be more than happy to pull you over again since you are single-handedly helping the officer meet a quota.
1. When commuting to work by car, do not treat your driving as a right, but rather as a privilege which can be taken away at any moment for bad behavior. At best, you’ll rack up more fines and fees in a month than you pay in car insurance in a year. At worst, well, bad driving can lead to bad things happening to other people or to you. Be mindful. Be aware. Drive safely.
All my NaNo writing buddies, you must read this! Tip #6 is my favorite: “Every book you’ve ever loved started out as a beautifully flawed first draft. In November, embrace imperfection and see where it takes you.”
NaNoWriMo is my birthday present to myself each year. Every year, I love it. And every year, I hate it…there’s simply too much to do in the tiny little month of November.
Even without my birthday falling at the beginning of the month and Thanksgiving at the end, there always seems to be unexpected craziness. Last year it was shingles; this year it’s a family vacation.
I tend to arrive at December 1st a little bit out of breath.
And still, I love NaNoWriMo.
I love the community, the late-night writing sprints, the before and after parties my local team throws. I love the write-ins, the pep talks, the excitement and uploading my word count. I adore getting the chance to encourage my peeps and watch everyone chase their goals.
Whether you’re gearing up for NaNoWriMo or not, I wish you luck in your writing goals this month.
I’d…
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My guest post on Dean’z Doodlez. It’s all about … drum roll … you guessed it … NaNoWriMo! (What, I think I heard a few groans there.) Well, if you’re already sick of hearing about NaNoWriMo, go on over to Dean’z Doodlez anyway and check out his artwork. And then hop over to Dean’z Worldz and have a sample of his writing. Dean is one very talented young man :)
The CSB’s Weekly Writing Prompt is live. This one is “choose your favorite childhood memory” and write about it. Step up and submit! If you’re doing the NaNo, make the prompt part of your novel :)
Two bits of exciting news here! (Yup, I will take time out from NaNo to reblog exciting stuff.) Dean of Dean’z Doodlez has a NEW blog which you absolutely must check out (just follow the links, my good readers). AND he has a new book available on Amazon and Goodreads! Links are included in his blog post so go there NOW! (Just pretend I’m Ionia from http://readfulthingsblog.com/ and do what I say. Just because I don’t look anything like her and am way too old to be her … oh, never mind, just go to Dean’z Worldz!)
Katie Sullivan is an amazing blogger and this post is full of links to other great reads. If you have time for only one blog to read, then read this one :)
On the first day of NaNo, my true muse gave to me. . .
A family that’s dear to me.
It came to me, yesterday, how I could blog and NaNo at the same time (because NaNo is a verb, now). The reviled and/or beloved holiday song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, was to become The Thirty Days of NaNo.
That was, until I had an unfortunate flash of prescience. Or perhaps it was foreshadowing. That, or it was simple, dumb luck (to be said with Dame Maggie Smith’s accent and intonation when she admonishes Harry and Ron in Harry Potter).
The circumstances around the prescience are mundane. Needless to say, never should I utter the words, even in type, ‘barring catastrophe.’ It is like saying ‘bring it’ to the Universe.
Three days later, and my family has made two trips to the Emergency Room. My father…
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I will be drinking lots of caffeine.
Although I may need more than just caffeine to meet my daily nutritional requirements.
Wish me luck :)
Related posts:
Pretty much several posts from Kristen Lamb’s blog. Start with this one: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/10/10/how-to-make-sure-your-nano-project-isnt-a-hot-mess/
At least two from Victoria Grefer: http://crimsonleague.com/2013/10/13/authors-and-national-novel-writing-month-4-good-reasons-not-to-nanowrimo/ (hey, it’s not for everyone!) and http://crimsonleague.com/2013/10/15/4-fantastic-reasons-to-sign-up-for-national-novel-writing-month/
Definitely this post from Lauren Sapala on how NaNoWriMo can change your life … for the better: http://laurensapala.com/?p=1177
And last but not least, Charmaine Clancy‘s guide to writing a novel in 30 days: http://charmaineclancy.com/nanowrimo2013/
Marie at 1 Write Way 