Peg Herring's Blog, page 33
November 29, 2010
I Can Write It, You Can Write It, He Can Write It...
I just finished Martha Grimes' FOUL MATTER, a send-up of the publishing industry that I found thought-provoking. She touched on so many aspects of writing and publishing that I have felt or observed, things like author fantasies (I could write a great novel if I had someplace to go and write uninterrupted), author insecurities (What if I can't finish this mess? What if I'm really not any good at all?), and the outrageousness of publishing (the fact that talent is way down the list of why an author gets published, the manipulation of sales figures and contract wording, and the lack of serious editing, especially for authors who have already "made it").
Aside from enjoying the book immensely, I found that some things I've been subconsciously aware of were confirmed, at least for me. Talent is subjective. We don't know if we have it, nor do our editors, agents, and readers. Writing is an art, and people only know what they like. There are those who try to speak for the world, hence Pulitzer Prizes and the New York Times Bestseller List. But no one can define talent outside his or her own opinion. To me, if you put William Kent Kruger's prose alongside John Grisham's, there is no comparison, and they both tell a good story. But which of them is making money hand over fist?
Perhaps time is the best judge of writing talent, although there are those who hate the classics and claim Ernest Hemingway bores them. For genre fiction, time is an enemy in most cases. Reading Agatha Christie today requires a suspension of modernity; one has to step back in time mentally and appreciate what she was doing at the time. I doubt she would be widely published today.
So what's a writer to do? I guess we have to assume that we can write, that what we do will be appreciated by somebody. Maybe we'll hit the scene at just the right moment and make a splash. Maybe we'll be mildly successful and have a string of respectable successes. Maybe we won't be recognized at all, even though we know in our hearts that we're better than that other guy. In that case, we have to hope that we're ahead of our time and will be wildly popular in the future. Maybe Steig Larsen is watching from some shadowy afterlife and chuckling into his beard.
Aside from enjoying the book immensely, I found that some things I've been subconsciously aware of were confirmed, at least for me. Talent is subjective. We don't know if we have it, nor do our editors, agents, and readers. Writing is an art, and people only know what they like. There are those who try to speak for the world, hence Pulitzer Prizes and the New York Times Bestseller List. But no one can define talent outside his or her own opinion. To me, if you put William Kent Kruger's prose alongside John Grisham's, there is no comparison, and they both tell a good story. But which of them is making money hand over fist?
Perhaps time is the best judge of writing talent, although there are those who hate the classics and claim Ernest Hemingway bores them. For genre fiction, time is an enemy in most cases. Reading Agatha Christie today requires a suspension of modernity; one has to step back in time mentally and appreciate what she was doing at the time. I doubt she would be widely published today.
So what's a writer to do? I guess we have to assume that we can write, that what we do will be appreciated by somebody. Maybe we'll hit the scene at just the right moment and make a splash. Maybe we'll be mildly successful and have a string of respectable successes. Maybe we won't be recognized at all, even though we know in our hearts that we're better than that other guy. In that case, we have to hope that we're ahead of our time and will be wildly popular in the future. Maybe Steig Larsen is watching from some shadowy afterlife and chuckling into his beard.
November 22, 2010
Why Do We Buy Stuff?
Here's an exercise I used to do with my sophomores: for one day, list all the products you use in your normal routine. Once you've done that, consider how many of them you really need.
I mean REALLY need.
Many, many of the things we routinely buy and use are things that advertisers have created a "need" for. Some are harmless but useless. Others might not be good for us. We use them anyway, because we've been "taught" through advertising that we must or something bad will happen: people won't like us or we'll turn into ogres.
Some questions to consider: how many different kinds of soap do you have in your home? Shampoo, laundry detergent, hand soap, body wash, floor cleaner, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera? Do you know that some research shows that soapy water doesn't clean your clothes any better than plain water? And soap is, after all, soap. Hmmm.
How about beauty products? We so want to improve ourselves that we buy all sorts of things that our brain KNOWS will not help. Our hearts hope for miracles, nonetheless.
What's the point? Not sure I have one. We like shopping for and trying products. We're used to having them, and they give us the feeling that we're doing something to combat old age or dirt or social ostracism.
It's just when you stop and think about it, we're being had, every day, by clever advertisers who make us want to buy, even feel compelled to buy. And that sometimes irritates me.
I mean REALLY need.
Many, many of the things we routinely buy and use are things that advertisers have created a "need" for. Some are harmless but useless. Others might not be good for us. We use them anyway, because we've been "taught" through advertising that we must or something bad will happen: people won't like us or we'll turn into ogres.
Some questions to consider: how many different kinds of soap do you have in your home? Shampoo, laundry detergent, hand soap, body wash, floor cleaner, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera? Do you know that some research shows that soapy water doesn't clean your clothes any better than plain water? And soap is, after all, soap. Hmmm.
How about beauty products? We so want to improve ourselves that we buy all sorts of things that our brain KNOWS will not help. Our hearts hope for miracles, nonetheless.
What's the point? Not sure I have one. We like shopping for and trying products. We're used to having them, and they give us the feeling that we're doing something to combat old age or dirt or social ostracism.
It's just when you stop and think about it, we're being had, every day, by clever advertisers who make us want to buy, even feel compelled to buy. And that sometimes irritates me.
November 15, 2010
Holy Season in Michigan
The joke here is that the first day of deer season is a holiday, and in truth it's pretty close. Schools are closed. Businesses that are sole proprietorships are liable to be locked up, at least until noon. And vacation time is hoarded all year long so that hunters can have The First Day off and as many afterward as they can afford.
Those who don't hunt don't get it. The chance to be cold sitting still for hours. The chance to be dirty in a camp with other dirty men and no plumbing. The chance to shoot something that requires dragging, hanging, gutting, cleaning, and sectioning. Many of us shudder and opt for heat, showers, and meat packaged by the people at the market instead.
Whatever you think of hunting, its pull is strong on many. Some primal urge leads people--no, it is not just men--to pit themselves against the creatures of nature. Is it fair? I can't say. Is it necessary? It depends on whom you listen to. One might descry the pack mentality, the stone-age urges, and the hedonistic tendencies. But those same things operate in shopping excursions, teenage parties, and most corporate operations world-wide.
At least the hunters are getting some fresh air.
Those who don't hunt don't get it. The chance to be cold sitting still for hours. The chance to be dirty in a camp with other dirty men and no plumbing. The chance to shoot something that requires dragging, hanging, gutting, cleaning, and sectioning. Many of us shudder and opt for heat, showers, and meat packaged by the people at the market instead.
Whatever you think of hunting, its pull is strong on many. Some primal urge leads people--no, it is not just men--to pit themselves against the creatures of nature. Is it fair? I can't say. Is it necessary? It depends on whom you listen to. One might descry the pack mentality, the stone-age urges, and the hedonistic tendencies. But those same things operate in shopping excursions, teenage parties, and most corporate operations world-wide.
At least the hunters are getting some fresh air.
November 6, 2010
One More Kindle Blog: I DID IT!
Everyone is talking about e-books, and I'm just another voice. Still, I am pleased with my accomplishment: I loaded MACBETH'S NIECE for Kindle and it actually works!
MACBETH'S NIECE is my first book, published in 2008, and it went out of print some months back. I was hesitant about moving forward with a Kindle version: could I do it? Or more appropriately in my case, how would I screw it up?
Well, I didn't. It came through nicely on my Kindle this morning, Tessa and her dashing Englishman and the whole crowd of romantic Scots, from outlaw to honest, from rustic to royal. If you're up for romantic adventure in 11th century Scotland, there it is. Hooray for technology, and huzzah for Macbeth and his niece!
http://www.amazon.com/Macbeths-Niece-...
MACBETH'S NIECE is my first book, published in 2008, and it went out of print some months back. I was hesitant about moving forward with a Kindle version: could I do it? Or more appropriately in my case, how would I screw it up?
Well, I didn't. It came through nicely on my Kindle this morning, Tessa and her dashing Englishman and the whole crowd of romantic Scots, from outlaw to honest, from rustic to royal. If you're up for romantic adventure in 11th century Scotland, there it is. Hooray for technology, and huzzah for Macbeth and his niece!
http://www.amazon.com/Macbeths-Niece-...
November 1, 2010
Magna cum Murder, 2010
Good to go; good to come home. Magna was fun, well-organized, and good for networking with both authors and fans. I've put some pictures up at Criminal Minds: http://criminalmindsatwork.blogspot.com. Enjoy!
October 28, 2010
Packing for Magna--with Very Little Method
I've tried being organized, laying out things a week in advance in order to not be last minute about what I will take to a con. It never works.
Whatever I've laid out, a week, a day, or even half a day before will become my most hated items of apparel when the time comes to actually put them into a suitcase. "What was I thinking? Those pants make me look a mile wide!" "And that necklace never hangs right." "Those shoes are sure to hurt after an hour."
Better to wait until an hour before. Forced choices tend to become efficient ones: these pants never wrinkle, this necklace goes with anything, and shoes don't matter anyway if the pants are long enough. And if I keep smiling, no one will care if I end up with one taupe stocking and one suntan.
Whatever I've laid out, a week, a day, or even half a day before will become my most hated items of apparel when the time comes to actually put them into a suitcase. "What was I thinking? Those pants make me look a mile wide!" "And that necklace never hangs right." "Those shoes are sure to hurt after an hour."
Better to wait until an hour before. Forced choices tend to become efficient ones: these pants never wrinkle, this necklace goes with anything, and shoes don't matter anyway if the pants are long enough. And if I keep smiling, no one will care if I end up with one taupe stocking and one suntan.
October 27, 2010
My Life As Someone Else
I've never been particularly fond of Peggy. It makes me feel like I'm ten again (not that that was a bad time, but still). I go by Peg whenever possible, but for some reason, Peg often becomes Pat.
As a teacher, I worked with a woman who is physically similar to me: dark hair, glasses, tall and thin (well, I once was). Her name is Pat, and we understood when new staff members had trouble keeping us separate. I answered to Pat and she answered to Peg. It was fine.
As an author, however, it's important that the correct name gets inserted into the minds of potential customers. But for some reason, people quite often think/hear/say "Pat" instead of Peg. I've been listed in programs as Pat, introduced to audiences as Pat, and thanked for coming as Pat.
Maybe I should have stuck with Peggy...but would I then become "Patty"?
As a teacher, I worked with a woman who is physically similar to me: dark hair, glasses, tall and thin (well, I once was). Her name is Pat, and we understood when new staff members had trouble keeping us separate. I answered to Pat and she answered to Peg. It was fine.
As an author, however, it's important that the correct name gets inserted into the minds of potential customers. But for some reason, people quite often think/hear/say "Pat" instead of Peg. I've been listed in programs as Pat, introduced to audiences as Pat, and thanked for coming as Pat.
Maybe I should have stuck with Peggy...but would I then become "Patty"?
October 26, 2010
Autumn Whine
It isn't pretty any more. It takes a jacket and more to go outside. Walking in the woods is risk-taking behavior, what with gunshots and rampant bowhunters.
Thank goodness for football, or this time of year would be useless.
Thank goodness for football, or this time of year would be useless.
October 25, 2010
October 22, 2010
Best-loved Movie Lines
There are all those shows on TV with lists of the best of everything in entertainment, and they're kind of fun, but each person has his or her own best-loved lists. Families do, too--lines that they share among themselves and laugh every time, while those outside the group smile in slight confusion.
One of our family's sure fire laugh-getters is Monty Python's SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL. We know it's silly, but any one of us can say "It's just a flesh wound," and the rest of us will laugh.
Six of us are headed to see SPAMALOT tonight, so one can guess that there will be much merriment afterward. I hope the hotel people don't call the police...or the Knights Who Say "Neh!"
One of our family's sure fire laugh-getters is Monty Python's SEARCH FOR THE HOLY GRAIL. We know it's silly, but any one of us can say "It's just a flesh wound," and the rest of us will laugh.
Six of us are headed to see SPAMALOT tonight, so one can guess that there will be much merriment afterward. I hope the hotel people don't call the police...or the Knights Who Say "Neh!"
