To blog or not to blog? That is the question.

In the past year I’ve heard two different sides of the same coin and that alone drove me to neglect this lovely blog here.

On one side, people were saying that blogging was a good thing, that it got your name out there and you never knew who could see it. On the other side I had a couple of teachers telling me that if I planned on making money by writing that it was stupid to start giving my product away for free. (Well maybe not in those terms.)

So here I am now, my senior year is starting and once again I am faced with the decision, do I start this blog up again or not?

In the back of my head I decided that I was going to start this blog up again no matter what.  It would be a way to keep myself sane and slowly start to categorize the many thoughts that spiral through my head every second. That is not to say that every single thought in my head is going to end up on this blog, just a god number of them.

In the meantime, some of you may like to know where I have been. That answer is simple.

I’ve been writing!

Not only have I been writing but I managed to get two op-eds published in the Hartford Courant. The first in July on the appeal of villains in Harry Potter and the second, a reflection of my impending future as a college graduate brought on by the movie One Day, published on Wednesday.

As my journalism teacher and thesis advisor told me “You’re building up excellent ‘street cred.’”

So perhaps you will see more pieces from me in there soon.

What can you expect from me this year?

More writing. More reading. More reviews (maybe even some movie reviews) and perhaps some fun articles about musings around town and Manhattan.

So stick around, its sure to be a great year.

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,600 times in 2010. That’s about 4 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 25 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 28 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 1mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was July 29th with 80 views. The most popular post that day was REVIEW: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were twitter.com, community.livejournal.com, bareadingchallenges.blogspot.com, callapidderdays.com, and healthfitnesstherapy.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for the book of lost things, book of lost things, the book of lost things review, john connolly the book of lost things, and pics of the book of lost things.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

REVIEW: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger July 2010
3 comments

REVIEW: The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly August 2010
13 comments

REVIEW: The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger July 2010
6 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

REVIEW: The Magicians by Lev Grossman July 2010
14 comments

POLL: What should I read next? July 2010
2 comments

Many all-nighters during this time meant that I was exhausted and had very little time to read for fun. However, since the year is almost over, I feel it is about time to address a resolutions I have made for myself.

I have read quite a few articles over the years on how to make a proper New Years resolution that you can stick to, and overall they suggest sticking to positive things. For example: “I will jog a mile each morning” is better then “I won’t eat so much fast food.” That is the mentality I tried to stick to in making these resolutions that I should (hopefully stick to). My hope is to look back at this post a year from now and see which resolutions I kept and which one I failed at. My hope is tracking my progress on my blog will also help me stick to them.

1. Read, Write, Read, Write: Improve my Writing One Chapter at a Time

Christmas dinner lead me to the revelation that an elementary school teacher who is a good friend of the family thought I was a good writer in fifth grade. That’s great and made me feel really good about myself, but there is always room for improvement. One of my many mantras when it comes to writing is that nothing is ever complete.

In the bookstore near school I found a copy of The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante. It has fourteen chapters detailing different aspects of writing. The book has 677 pages of instruction and details on how to write. The reviews on Amazon have been generally positive which led me to believe this book could be useful.

My goal with this book is to read a chapter a month and continuously edit my previous NaNoWriMo novel before I attempt another next November.

2.  Off The Shelf Challenge

As pointed out to me many times by my mother, my room is full of books. (I shall take photos before the new year.) This challenge is supposed to help me eradicate some of this pile.

The challenge is hosted by BA Reading Challenges and is done in levels. I myself have decided that I would aim for level four or five which would put my reading at about 50-75 books from my shelf. This would translate to roughly a book a week, which would of course be reviewed here.

My post for this challenge can be found here.

3. Knit, Knit, Knit

This summer my knitting went on a steady decline, which is why this blog has not featured any finished objects (FOs) since its creation.  However, I recently made a list of things I wanted to make and things that people have commissioned me to make and it currently totals about nine items, plus a few pairs of socks I am currently working on for myself.

For Christmas I received a copy of Cookie A.’s Knit. Sock. Love from my mother and I want to set the goal of eventually knitting all the patterns in the book at least once. I also have her first book Sock Innovation which I have only made a couple patterns from but still want to work with.

Along with the goal comes one of my latest obsessions Hogwarts at Ravelry. I signed up for this term and was sorted into Slytherin House, also currently I’m the prefect of Slytherin house. Currently the three courses they are teaching are: Astronomy, Herbology, and History of Magic. This term ends January 17th, same as my semester vacation, which leaves me with lots of time to knit away.

4.  Journaling is Might

A couple years ago I discovered Embodiment and had good intentions in sticking to their initiative. They encourage writing at least a little bit a day and I thought the practice would be a good one, but I fell off the wagon pretty quickly. So I’ve decided to make it my goal to keep my eyes open and write down anything that inspires me. At least one sentence every day for 2010 in my journal.

5. Project 365, Photos that is

Much of what I have written about so far involve lifestyle changes and commitment.  Well, this one is no different.

Project 365, is a photography project where participants commit to taking one photo a day.  Years ago I was an intern with Laurie Klein Photography where I got to experiment with my own style of photographs. It was a great experience and when I met with her a year and a half later to do a show with the other girls she mentored she suggested committed to something similar. As I am somewhat out of practice with my use of a camera I think this would be a really good option for me to try to get back into the swing of things.

I used to be really good at capturing people in portraits and I want to do that again as well as photograph things like still lives.  My SLR camera needs to be repaired because the shutter is sticking and eventually I want to buy a digital SLR for myself, but a $500 camera seems pointless at the moment when I have not been actively taking pictures.

Benefits of Project 365

While these plans all involve a bit of a time commitment I also have other monthly plans such as ScriptFrenzy and NaNoEdMo to occupy my time as well.  In addition to some current projects that are going to carry into the Ne Year. Currently I am reading all of Kate Morton’s books for a review essay I am writing for a class. (Perhaps even sending to a couple places in hopes of seeing it in print.)

At the end of this month I have some reflections about the way in which I handled NaNoWriMo and that is most telling if we look at my NaNoWriMo graph:

The purple line represents the suggested word count from the organizers of NaNoWriMo (about 1,667 words per day to finish on time). The first day I wrote 3,000 words and from there tried to write at least the minimum if not more to stay above the purple line, just in case some of those days the words wouldn’t come.   In about the third week I really needed it, there were three days when I was forcing the minimum out until inspiration struck again so that I could finish up the month.

The Process

Overall what I learned from this that when I get stuck on a writing project I should push forward and see where it goes.   I am not sure how much of this original plot I will end up keeping but I do know that I think this story is worth saving and I want to spend some time editing and revising it.  The most important thing that NaNoWriMo taught me was that I should write something everyday. On the days that I didn’t write I was working on school papers and articles for the school newspaper. More then likely I was working on them during the days I was writing as well, but the fact that I had a story and an outside project to escape to when working on term papers became to tedious was a real comfort.

The Plot?

Regarding the plot of my book. I still feel a bit odd discussing it, but I imagine one word to describe it would be “steampunk.” I haven’t quite built the world that its in to the fullest but it’s on my list of things to do when I revise. My character on the other hand are three sisters: Maud, Cassandra, and Adelle and centers around the exploration of their relationships and their marriages. Particularly it focuses on Maud.  I’ll release more details when the plot gets to be a bit richer in the editing process.

I am very happy with my characters but I feel that there might be certain aspects that could be changed about them to give them more depth and  more interest and I think that is part of what the editing process is about. I managed to turn off “active editor” mode but I did not manage to turn off my mind to what I was writing.  As I wrote I made notes on things that I wanted to include things that would make the story more effective as I was writing that didn’t quite factor in. I plan on pulling those out of the box when I revise this manuscript.

What’s next?

NaNoWriMo has several official and unofficial challenges put up by various sites. They’re listed on the “Now What?” page of the official site. As far as I am concerned.  I am planning to commit 50 hours of editing this novel in the month of March for National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo) and then partaking in ScriptFrenzy again in April. Maybe even working on Write A Damn Novel in June (WriDaNoJu).

My observations about my NaNoWriMo writing habits? Well for one, most of my writing gets done at midnight and beyond when no one else is awake to possibly bother me and after my homework gets done. If there’s a scene in my head it’s easy to churn out the recommended 1,667 words. However a downfall that I think will come up in the editing process is I tend to let my characters go into internal monologue or circular arguments that don’t really go anywhere.  Given that NaNoWriMo is not an exercise in producing quality but simply producing I will not go back and edit these things now but I will add them to my list of concerns.

Another thing I noticed is that the  ideas I get for scenes come to me at one of two particular times. One is while I am writing a completely unrelated scene and my mind goes on a tangent about what I should write next.  The second time is when I am doing something that is not NaNoWriMo related. (Yea, that paper I worked on for Hail Wedded Love last week, definitely inspired the artificial intelligence in my store. )

Which is one of the reasons that why I am worried about how much time I will have to write next weekend, with the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and a Wizard Wrock Festival, I realize that the events are important and more then likely someone I don’t know, who I’ve never met, will say something that will spark a thought in my head and then it will lead to another 2,000 words of NaNoWriMo.

Also, a lovely challenge to my faithful readers and those who might be reading this for the first time.

I am not revealing my plot to you guys but I would you to blindly prompt me with a question about my novel. Characters? Relationships? Favorite alcoholic beverage? Anything is fair game. Whatever you want to know, whatever makes a character interesting to you, put me to the challenge and ask me a question.

Come on readers! I dare you!

I will write up scenes and post a few samplings here when I reach 35,000 words.

Written to complete her friend Allie’s dream of writing a book on how to navigate the publishing world, How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead is packed with information and affirmations for every writer, and even a few suggestions that just seem like fun.  While the title might seem cheesy and the author may not be as well known as Ray Bradbury and Stephen King, the advice offered in this book is advice from a real do-it-yourself type personality that takes the reader through personal experiences, Q&As with other underground writers like Michelle Tea and Margaret Cho, as well as some inspirational exercises to challenge the reader.

This is the second book I’ve read by Ariel Gore (see my review of Bluebird) and at first I have to admit I wasn’t as taken with this book as I was with her psychology text, however I stuck with it and I was very glad that I did.  While the first fifty or so pages didn’t hold any particularly riveting information for me, the back two hundred gave me some keen insight as to how to put together a press kit and press release, find an agent, look at publishers, and most importantly, how to look for a publisher that would be the right fit for my writing.

More importantly, these pages had things that I hadn’t considered. For one, the culture of zines and how useful they can be to getting a writer’s name out there.  One of the challenges, presented after one of Gore’s interviews, challenges the reader to make a zine and distribute it so that the writer gets hands on experience with the whole spectrum of publishing.  This challenge in particular was definitely one that resonated with me and made me want to challenge myself to do something similar.

In the very end, I was glad that I picked up this book and that it turned out to be such an insightful source of information.  It really shows how an author can be self-made and how they don’t have to rely on big publishing houses and large advances to get their name out there.

FINAL GRADE:  B+

Carey Wallace’s novel recounts Carolina Fatoni’s experiences as realizes that she is slowly losing her sight. Set in Italy, during the 19th Century, the book provides a rich landscape with memorable characters that embrace every fashion from the DaVinci like neighbor and love interest Turri to the narcissistic Romeo turned husband Pietro.  The exquisite prose takes place in three primary locations: Carolina’s childhood home, Carolina’s new home with her husband Pietro, and the lake between the two houses, where Carolina and Turri spend most of their time.  The fluffy style of the prose makes for an enjoyable light read but at the same time brings about questions about human nature, marriage, and friendship and begs the reader to answer the question: Does love really conquer all?

It is hard to summarize this book  well enough without giving away the decadent prose and human connection that Wallace is capable of conveying to the reading. Every word of this novel is important and chosen with care and each scene carefully placed and thought out to advance the storyline. While reading this post, if you’re worrying about the fact that I can’t summarize the plot beyond one paragraph, it is because with such a short novel I don’t find it beneficial to write a summary longer then the plot and as such would like to leave those who choose to read it with something to be desired.

The succinct appearance of the book should not be a turn-off for anyone because in the brief . Though the book is only the size of a five by seven photograph and about an inch in width it is a rich text that I found myself analyzing despite the fact that this was supposed to be a book I would read outside of coursework.

When I started reading, I found myself unsure of what to expect but after Carolina’s marriage, when her blindness slowly started to take over her vision, the novel really hit its stride.  Not only was Wallace able to make my sympathize for Carolina but also made me feel ambiguous towards her husband. Depending on the scene she’d constructed I had no idea whether I was supposed to like him or hate him. It wasn’t until I reached the end of her charming narrative that I had formed a solid opinion on him and even then my opinion was turned on his head.

At about halfway through the novel, I also noticed a certain level of Gothic influence playing into Wallace’s plot.  Perhaps I’ve been reading a little too much Jane Eyre, but the Gothic trope of a ghost or inexplicable and unseen presence plays a key role once Carolina completely loses her sight and begins exploring the house.  Between this similarity and Turri’s DaVinci-like proliferation of various inventions, it is no doubt that this novel would be a remarkable and breezy read for history fanatics.

In the end when I finished reading The Blind Contessa’s New Machine I found myself wishing that the  volume was about twice the length. I was hesitant about letting the characters go despite the fact that my opinion kept fluctuating on them from the very beginning.  Upon looking back, however, at it, the novel was perfect in its succinct and tender treatment of a real life situation. I felt as if this story could be set in any day and, while the circumstance would be different, the root of the story would essentially be the same. Saying as much I dub The Blind Contessa’s New Machine as one for those who enjoy a profound love story and would like to come away with a deeper understanding of what love is.

Final Grade: A+

What bothers me so much about NaNoWriMo however, is that over the years it has gotten a bad reputation for producing bad prose and fiction.  I want to challenge this claim right now by posting some NaNoWriMo author trivia.  Sarah Gruen, author of Water for Elephants is among the list of published NaNoWriMo participants.  I will not make any claim to how good her writing is since I have never read her book myself, but looking at that list and seeing that people have published novels is somewhat enlightening.

What I think people fail to realize about NaNoWriMo is that you aren’t meant to produce a novel that’s read for publication in 30 days. All good writers know that their best work comes about from drafts and when it comes to long work such as novels sometimes the story can be reworked many times before its even ready for publication.  The NaNoWriMo website itself makes it very clear that novel will probably need extensive editing and that the produced manuscript from the  month of November should be regarded as a draft.

In poking around the internet I found this article in which three published NaNoWriMo participants speak out.  If you ever thought that NaNoWriMo was meant to produce finished and polished material, think again, and then take a look at Simon Hayes photograph from that article:

This photo depicts his drafts for the fourth novel in his Hal Spacejock effort called No Free Lunch. In the article he remarks:

“The red folder at the bottom is my 2007 NaNoWriMo effort, plus another 50,000 words of writing. Each slab of paper on top is another draft. The finished advanced proof copy was the result of 15-20 drafts & rewrites, most of them on the PC.

In other words, don’t take your nanowrimo effort and start submitting to publishers. You’re only one-tenth of the way towards a publishable novel.”

The remark that Hayes makes is not one that most people want to hear. Today people want things done yesterday, but Hayes makes a point that NaNoWriMo is useful for getting the ideas down onto paper and then reworking them later.

So now you’re probably asking why anyone bothers to do NaNoWriMo if its just going to mean more work in the future.  Well, haven’t you ever heard the saying that “What keeps people from producing art is the lack of a deadline?” NaNoWriMo works as a self imposed deadline that lets people get their ideas out to be reworked later and submitted down the line. It might look like a waste of time to some, but then they must not want to write for money.

Those that think they should produce a novel perfectly polished straight from the first draft are in for a rude awakening since once the first book is published a writer is immediately expected to produce a new one every few years. So if you plan to feed yourself with your writing career, you better put the peddle to the metal and jot down your thoughts.

As I write this, it is going into Day 5, of the 30 day challenge, and I am 11,000 words into my draft.   I am not sure what half of what I’ve written will even end up in the final draft of the novel but at least I have it started and can go back and rework it.  Also, if I ever feel like I’m not being productive on that front, the I Wrote a Novel, Now What? page has more challenges I could use to increase my productivity.

The answer is quite simple. In Bluebird: Women and the New Psychology of Happiness, Ariel Gore says the things that we all know but never say.  She examines the dichotomies of womanhood so well and exactly how society infringes on a woman’s happiness.  What makes this book so relate-able is that is is not a psychologist discussing these issues for other psychologists.  Ariel Gore is a writer, mother, and romantic partner who goes through the same stresses that every woman does and she just happens to want to solve this question of happiness.  She is writing for women like herself and not for those in the psychology field (though I would at least recommend they read the section about her daughter adjusting to college life).

I could go on to quote many examples of this book but I am going to let her preface say it all for you:

I must have been about nine years old when my paternal grandmother gave me the gift of a small glass bluebird. “It’s a symbol of happines,” she told me.

I turned it over in my hand. “Why?” I asked.  I’d already learned that the color blue represented sadness.

My grandmother smiled at me and then frowned. “Ariel,”  she said gravely. “You ask too many questions. A nice young lady doesn’t ask so many questions.”

I put the glass bluebird in my hip pocket.

“Now smile and say ‘Thank You,’” my grandmother instructed me.

I smiled and said “Thank you,” but I kept on asking too many questions.

This preface so brilliantly explains the point that Ariel is trying to make with her book.  Mixed with equal parts: psychology, history, and autobiography this book examines what women need to be happy, why they can’t be happy, and why this status is not okay.  Through interviews with psychologist, research in psychological studies, and keeping her own happiness journal with a few other women, Ariel Gore paints a picture of the little things in life that can make people happy and how to actively seek happiness.

I cannot express in words how much I love this book.   Sure there are plenty of studies on happiness. Plenty of women who write about their own journey and trying to find happiness, but I think that Ariel provides a good mix of advice and anecdote in simple everyday terms.  She looks back on her life, her current status, and takes her own steps to increase her own happiness in doing her research, while at the same time edifying readers with landmark psychological studies and point out their downfalls.

About halfway through this book I told my mother that I was considering buying my own copy to have on the bookshelf. She seemed eager to read it so I picked up a copy on my next trip to The Strand in New York City.  Now having reached the end of this book I still maintain that every woman should read this book and then give it to the men in their lives to read.   It’s a book that will open your eyes and change your outlook on life. Not in the preachy steps to happiness way that only gives the reader one path to follow, but in the form of an ideology that gives women room to “write their own script” as Gore calls it.

Having reached the end of this book I am sorry to have to return it to the library but I have also located some of the texts she references. Texts such as Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and Victor E. Frankl’s Man Searching for Meaning.   I look forward to exploring some of the ideas that Gore discussed and seeing how her own research can help me improve upon my own life.

FINAL GRADE: A+ (I’d give it a higher one if one existed.)

At the moment I am going for level four or five, which is 50 to 75 books depending on what I read in the next few months.  A list will come soon.