Thank you, John Curry, for sharing this “Mad Men” article from the Chronicle Review/The Chronicle for Higher Education:
“And now comes Don Draper, icon of masculinity-in-crisis for the 21st century. Don is in pain, yes, and hurting himself, too (for all his spectacular emotional reserve). But he is also different. No tears or blood on that impeccably pressed suit. No close ties to other men. What is it that makes this odd blend of Jay Gatsby, American Gigolo, and the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit so captivating a figure for today?”
Read on here.
Monday, August 31, 2009
I Took a Blog Stay-cation and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt
Actually, I didn’t even get a T-shirt. But I got a little extra time to spend with my novel. I’m trying to come up with a draft of the ending chapters, and it’s hard straddling that line between pushing through and relaxing enough to let things arise on their own.
It was interesting that blogging turns out to be exactly like so much of life on the internet: I missed it terribly even as I barely noticed its absence from my life. What does that mean?
It was interesting that blogging turns out to be exactly like so much of life on the internet: I missed it terribly even as I barely noticed its absence from my life. What does that mean?
ISO Scary Sea Stories
Having just read the excellent (and highly recommended) In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, a nonfiction account of an attack on a whaleship in the early 19th century,this call for submissions caught my eye. (The Essex attack was the basis for Moby-Dick.)
The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror
Edited by Jessy Marie Roberts
http://www.pillhillpress.com/open-submissions.html
Email your submission to pillhillpress@gmail.com. Please put SUBMISSION: THE BITTER END in the subject line of your email, followed by the title of the story.
We are looking for scary stories that take place on ships, boats, rafts, anything - as long as the setting is on - or in - or under - the ocean (or land-locked bodies of water or lakes). Traditional monsters (werewolves, vampires, witches, mummies, ghosts, etc.) are welcome if presented in a new and interesting way. The setting (at sea) must be integral to plot development.
Stories can be realistic or fantastical. They can take place at any time - past, present, future, alternate. We are looking for a good variety of unique and terrifying sea stories. We are looking for short stories 500-5,000 words in length.
Please do not send stories with a strong religious theme. Also, please do not send rape/torture stories, anything 'x' rated or pornographic, pet mutilation tales, fiction about child abuse and/or pedophilia, or submissions that denigrate any race, gender or sexual orientation.
Submissions will be accepted until Saturday, October 31, 2009. We will not make final selections until the end of the submission period. Responses will be sent by November 30, 2009. Please do not query about the status of your submission until December 1, 2009. We will send notification that we received your story within one week of submission. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your submission, please resend.
The Bitter End: Tales of Nautical Terror
Edited by Jessy Marie Roberts
http://www.pillhillpress.com/open-submissions.html
Email your submission to pillhillpress@gmail.com. Please put SUBMISSION: THE BITTER END in the subject line of your email, followed by the title of the story.
We are looking for scary stories that take place on ships, boats, rafts, anything - as long as the setting is on - or in - or under - the ocean (or land-locked bodies of water or lakes). Traditional monsters (werewolves, vampires, witches, mummies, ghosts, etc.) are welcome if presented in a new and interesting way. The setting (at sea) must be integral to plot development.
Stories can be realistic or fantastical. They can take place at any time - past, present, future, alternate. We are looking for a good variety of unique and terrifying sea stories. We are looking for short stories 500-5,000 words in length.
Please do not send stories with a strong religious theme. Also, please do not send rape/torture stories, anything 'x' rated or pornographic, pet mutilation tales, fiction about child abuse and/or pedophilia, or submissions that denigrate any race, gender or sexual orientation.
Submissions will be accepted until Saturday, October 31, 2009. We will not make final selections until the end of the submission period. Responses will be sent by November 30, 2009. Please do not query about the status of your submission until December 1, 2009. We will send notification that we received your story within one week of submission. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your submission, please resend.
Reading: Breathless in Bombay
From my friends at the fabulous Gettysburg Review, an event recommendation:
The Gandhi Memorial Center presents:
Murzban F. Shroff
Author of BREATHLESS IN BOMBAY
Shortlisted for the 2009 Commonwealth Prize
Thursday, September 3, 2009
6:30pm - refreshments
7:00pm - Address and reading by author
followed by Q & A and book signing
(RSVP to events@gandhimemorialcenter.org by Sept 1)
Breathless in Bombay (St. Martin's Press Griffin Original, February 2008) is a collection of stories as diverse as the city itself. The author, two-time Pushcart nominee, Murzban F. Shroff believes that the spirit of a city lives through its characters and Breathless in Bombay is made up of stories of many lives, many aspirations and the emotions that affect the lives and the livelihoods of the city. From taxi drivers to tycoons, Breathless in Bombay peels away the city's layers by allowing its tradition and personality to unfold through its tales, one citizen at a time. From the laundry wallas' water shortage problems and the fear of displacement, to the efforts of a taxi driver to exploit the tricks of his trade and make ends meet, to the heart-warming relationship of a carriage driver and his horse in the light of an increasingly automotive world, each of Breathless in Bombay's stories is richly crafted and arranged in front of the grand chaotic backdrop of life that is Bombay. Shroff's love for his hometown shines through, as does his deep understanding of its challenges and problems. His words give readers an insider's view of this pulsating, vibrant city. In turn, the reader comes to care for the characters presented in these stories.
Murzban F. Shroff is a Bombay born writer. His stories have been published in over twenty literary journals in the United States including the Gettysburg Review, the Louisville Review and the Minnesota Review. He is currently at work on a novel.
www.gandhimemorialcenter.org
Gandhi Memorial Center
4748 Western Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20816
301-320-6871
The Gandhi Memorial Center presents:
Murzban F. Shroff
Author of BREATHLESS IN BOMBAY
Shortlisted for the 2009 Commonwealth Prize
Thursday, September 3, 2009
6:30pm - refreshments
7:00pm - Address and reading by author
followed by Q & A and book signing
(RSVP to events@gandhimemorialcenter.org by Sept 1)
Breathless in Bombay (St. Martin's Press Griffin Original, February 2008) is a collection of stories as diverse as the city itself. The author, two-time Pushcart nominee, Murzban F. Shroff believes that the spirit of a city lives through its characters and Breathless in Bombay is made up of stories of many lives, many aspirations and the emotions that affect the lives and the livelihoods of the city. From taxi drivers to tycoons, Breathless in Bombay peels away the city's layers by allowing its tradition and personality to unfold through its tales, one citizen at a time. From the laundry wallas' water shortage problems and the fear of displacement, to the efforts of a taxi driver to exploit the tricks of his trade and make ends meet, to the heart-warming relationship of a carriage driver and his horse in the light of an increasingly automotive world, each of Breathless in Bombay's stories is richly crafted and arranged in front of the grand chaotic backdrop of life that is Bombay. Shroff's love for his hometown shines through, as does his deep understanding of its challenges and problems. His words give readers an insider's view of this pulsating, vibrant city. In turn, the reader comes to care for the characters presented in these stories.
Murzban F. Shroff is a Bombay born writer. His stories have been published in over twenty literary journals in the United States including the Gettysburg Review, the Louisville Review and the Minnesota Review. He is currently at work on a novel.
www.gandhimemorialcenter.org
Gandhi Memorial Center
4748 Western Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20816
301-320-6871
Monday, August 24, 2009
Blog Vacation
I'm going to take a few days off from blogging--nothing wrong, just a break. Until later...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Work in Progress: Dreamweaver, or How to Harness Your Subconscious
I’m not a touchy-feely, New Age, hippie type, and yet I fully believe in the power of the subconscious when it comes to writing. How else to explain that magical moment when you figure out the next move in your story, or suddenly see something about the character that surprises you? (One of my favorite writing teachers used to say, “Write until something surprises you.” That’s maybe the best, most succinct writing advice I’ve ever heard, so of course I’ve stolen it and recite it like a wild parrot in my classes.)
The only problem with the subconscious is, well, our lack of control over it (duh). You can sit and sit—you can take a walk—you can go cook something and pretend you’re not dwelling upon that tangly writing problem, and yes, during all this, you can be quite confident that your subconscious is working away. But—it’s doing so on its own schedule. There are rarely immediate answers, and that’s just the way it is.
Or is it?
This technique does not work 100 percent of the time, but it does work enough to become a “trick” that I recommend, and a strategy that I trust for tough writing problems.
The scenario: You’re stuck in your project. You’ve been thinking and working and trying to write your way through, but nothing is working. You’ve tried stepping away for walks and so forth, but you still can’t figure out what the piece needs. Here’s what you do:
1. Make sure there’s a notepad/pen by your bed.
2. Choose a night when you don’t have to get up early or at the demand of an alarm clock the next morning.
3. Go to bed at a time when you’re able to have a few moments or so to think before dropping off.
4. During this dropping off time, think about your writing problem. Don’t try to solve it, just run through it in your mind (gently, not obsessively—we’re not trying to cause insomnia!)
4a. If you overshoot and wake up in the night, unable to sleep b/c you were obsessive, use that time to think—gently!—about your writing problem.
5. Wake up as naturally as possible—no alarm, no nagging voices—and as you return to the world, think about your writing problem in a drifty, gentle way. Let yourself take a while—15-20 minutes. You must avoid those internal and external nagging voices!
6. Here’s the magic: nine times out of ten you will see the resolution to your problem, or at the least, a way in.
7. Write down your ideas on the notepad and congratulate yourself on your brilliance.
I suppose some people would then advise that in the ideal world, you would go to your writing immediately, but I don’t find that to be necessary. These ideas are so solid and so right that they will stick with you for quite a while. And it’s helpful to have the conscious brain working on the details.
And now, after clearing up a few irritating and lingering personal-life projects, I plan to tackle the ending chapters to the draft of my novel, which I figured out by using the process above.
(P.S. O, Punishing Gods of Writing Hubris, please don’t think that I’m bragging, and OBVIOUSLY I know it will harder to do this than that breezy sentence implies, and yes, I know that this ending in my head will shift and I will despair that I’m a know-nothing and so on…in short, please-please-PLEASE don’t punish me for what may seem to be hubris!)
The only problem with the subconscious is, well, our lack of control over it (duh). You can sit and sit—you can take a walk—you can go cook something and pretend you’re not dwelling upon that tangly writing problem, and yes, during all this, you can be quite confident that your subconscious is working away. But—it’s doing so on its own schedule. There are rarely immediate answers, and that’s just the way it is.
Or is it?
This technique does not work 100 percent of the time, but it does work enough to become a “trick” that I recommend, and a strategy that I trust for tough writing problems.
The scenario: You’re stuck in your project. You’ve been thinking and working and trying to write your way through, but nothing is working. You’ve tried stepping away for walks and so forth, but you still can’t figure out what the piece needs. Here’s what you do:
1. Make sure there’s a notepad/pen by your bed.
2. Choose a night when you don’t have to get up early or at the demand of an alarm clock the next morning.
3. Go to bed at a time when you’re able to have a few moments or so to think before dropping off.
4. During this dropping off time, think about your writing problem. Don’t try to solve it, just run through it in your mind (gently, not obsessively—we’re not trying to cause insomnia!)
4a. If you overshoot and wake up in the night, unable to sleep b/c you were obsessive, use that time to think—gently!—about your writing problem.
5. Wake up as naturally as possible—no alarm, no nagging voices—and as you return to the world, think about your writing problem in a drifty, gentle way. Let yourself take a while—15-20 minutes. You must avoid those internal and external nagging voices!
6. Here’s the magic: nine times out of ten you will see the resolution to your problem, or at the least, a way in.
7. Write down your ideas on the notepad and congratulate yourself on your brilliance.
I suppose some people would then advise that in the ideal world, you would go to your writing immediately, but I don’t find that to be necessary. These ideas are so solid and so right that they will stick with you for quite a while. And it’s helpful to have the conscious brain working on the details.
And now, after clearing up a few irritating and lingering personal-life projects, I plan to tackle the ending chapters to the draft of my novel, which I figured out by using the process above.
(P.S. O, Punishing Gods of Writing Hubris, please don’t think that I’m bragging, and OBVIOUSLY I know it will harder to do this than that breezy sentence implies, and yes, I know that this ending in my head will shift and I will despair that I’m a know-nothing and so on…in short, please-please-PLEASE don’t punish me for what may seem to be hubris!)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Better than Jaws...
…it’s Anna Leahy’s award-winning shark poem: http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/sharksummer/poetry_contest/
She entered this contest posted on this very blog! Congratulations, Anna!
She entered this contest posted on this very blog! Congratulations, Anna!
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