Peg Herring's Blog, page 49
March 17, 2010
What I Love About Books
They end.
Where else in life do you get the satisfaction of completion that you get with a book? Housework is infinitely renewable. You can clean the sink today, but it will need it again tomorrow. Our jobs seldom allow everything to be sewn up tightly at the end of a day, a week, or even a year. And relationships are notoriously messy. They never all get combed neatly into place.
But a book! When you're done, you're done. Everything is known. The author has told all, and you have absorbed it, savored it, finished with it. In addition, everything is left in place. If for some reason you should return to reread that book later, it will not have changed one iota. No new smudges, no starting over to learn the ropes, no irrational switches in character since last time.
Each new book is an adventure in itself. Some allow us to have similar adventures if we enjoy the first one: same characters, different day. But when you close that book at "The End", it is something you've accomplished complete. Done. What a feeling!
Where else in life do you get the satisfaction of completion that you get with a book? Housework is infinitely renewable. You can clean the sink today, but it will need it again tomorrow. Our jobs seldom allow everything to be sewn up tightly at the end of a day, a week, or even a year. And relationships are notoriously messy. They never all get combed neatly into place.
But a book! When you're done, you're done. Everything is known. The author has told all, and you have absorbed it, savored it, finished with it. In addition, everything is left in place. If for some reason you should return to reread that book later, it will not have changed one iota. No new smudges, no starting over to learn the ropes, no irrational switches in character since last time.
Each new book is an adventure in itself. Some allow us to have similar adventures if we enjoy the first one: same characters, different day. But when you close that book at "The End", it is something you've accomplished complete. Done. What a feeling!
March 16, 2010
What It Takes To Be an Author Once You Are an Author
Sorry. There isn't enough time in a day to tell you that. But what I find as I speak to wanna-be writers is a total misunderstanding of the "life" of an author. People can accept that they have to work hard initially to create that wonderful, sellable piece of writing. Some can even accept that it won't be perfect the first time they come to "The End", and they'll have to do some editing. But the Jessica Fletcher mystique lives on, the idea that once a book is accepted, the work is done and the author's only job is to attend parties and sip champagne.
Recently a listener stopped me mid-sentence to ask, "But aren't there people who put your books in stores for you?" The question revealed her belief that once a book "makes it", i.e. gets published, the author's work is done. The grinds at the publisher will make the calls, set up signings, track figures, and schlepp books. Reality dictates that the author will do a large share of that, at least if she wants to publish more books.
Another question I got that same night was when I mentioned the time I spend formatting a MS for the distinct and diverse demands of different publishers. Again the question: "Don't they have people who fix all that?" Answer: Yeah, they do. Me. Publishers can't afford to pay editors to "fix" things for an author that she can fix herself. They give you guidelines; you format.
What it boils down to is a misunderstanding of the (admittedly lower level) author's duties. I am the one who cares if my books succeed. I am the one my publishers expect to see that it does. Yes, they'll do what they can to help, but I am not their job. It really is up to me to "be" the author now that I are one.
Recently a listener stopped me mid-sentence to ask, "But aren't there people who put your books in stores for you?" The question revealed her belief that once a book "makes it", i.e. gets published, the author's work is done. The grinds at the publisher will make the calls, set up signings, track figures, and schlepp books. Reality dictates that the author will do a large share of that, at least if she wants to publish more books.
Another question I got that same night was when I mentioned the time I spend formatting a MS for the distinct and diverse demands of different publishers. Again the question: "Don't they have people who fix all that?" Answer: Yeah, they do. Me. Publishers can't afford to pay editors to "fix" things for an author that she can fix herself. They give you guidelines; you format.
What it boils down to is a misunderstanding of the (admittedly lower level) author's duties. I am the one who cares if my books succeed. I am the one my publishers expect to see that it does. Yes, they'll do what they can to help, but I am not their job. It really is up to me to "be" the author now that I are one.
March 15, 2010
Music Can Make You Crazy...And Bring You Back
Cool piece on "60 Minues" last night about a profoundly developmentally disabled pianist who can play any song he's heard, in any key, in any style. And he's very, very good.
I read somewhere that one of the oddities of women's brains is that we recall the words to songs much better than men can.
A song playing in your head can make you nuts. Someone advised me to "sing" it to the end, and my brain would know it was done and move on. Doesn't work for me; it just starts over.
I can't imagine my life without music. I actively participate in its creation, and I constantly have a song running through the back of my mind.
Oddly, I prefer not to "play" music. In the car or in my office, the musical devices are silent most of the time. I guess the CD player would interfere with the song my brain is already singing.
I read somewhere that one of the oddities of women's brains is that we recall the words to songs much better than men can.
A song playing in your head can make you nuts. Someone advised me to "sing" it to the end, and my brain would know it was done and move on. Doesn't work for me; it just starts over.
I can't imagine my life without music. I actively participate in its creation, and I constantly have a song running through the back of my mind.
Oddly, I prefer not to "play" music. In the car or in my office, the musical devices are silent most of the time. I guess the CD player would interfere with the song my brain is already singing.
March 12, 2010
The Craziness of It All
What if aging happened overnight? If at, let's say twenty-two, you were told, "Okay, tomorrow you're going to wake up old. Your joints will hurt: not all at the same time, but on a rotating basis, some worse than others, some one day, some the next. You won't be able to hurry. You'll walk kind of stooped over, and your sense of balance will be off, so don't climb on anything or reach too far. Your body will sag and put on weight in the most inconvenient areas, so clothing yourself will become more a function of trying to find things that don't bind rather than things that flatter.
"Oh, and you'll lose color. Your hair and skin will sort of blend together. And don't be surprised if your face scares small children, or if you see your mother when you pass a mirror.
"Your organs will work sluggishly, but we'll find you some pills that might help. We should plan some surgery dates to fix what we can.
"What? You say you don't want to live that way?"
That's why it's done gradually. You notice, but you get used to it.
"Oh, and you'll lose color. Your hair and skin will sort of blend together. And don't be surprised if your face scares small children, or if you see your mother when you pass a mirror.
"Your organs will work sluggishly, but we'll find you some pills that might help. We should plan some surgery dates to fix what we can.
"What? You say you don't want to live that way?"
That's why it's done gradually. You notice, but you get used to it.
March 11, 2010
What's Your Name?
There are societies where a person chooses his/her own name at the age of maturity, and I vote for that. Parents just aren't the best people to be slapping a moniker on a person, and how do they know how you're going to turn out? Luckily I wasn't a large or one-legged child, but I still got "Piggy" and "Peg-leg" thrown at me by kids (and some weird adults) who thought it was funny. We've never figured out what my mother was thinking when she spelled my sister's name totally differently from the traditional way, but my sister has spent her life dealing with it. And don't get my husband started on being called "Johnny" until he was almost forty.
Every name has its possible pitfalls, so why not let a person choose his own poison? That would prevent being stuck with "Moon" or "Placenta" or "Corinthian" for life. At graduation ceremonies each student could, after serious and ponderous thought, proclaim his new appelation. Of course, a few would proclaim themselves "Bacardi Jones" or "Hottie Smith", but at least they'd have to accept that they did it to themselves. And whatever you chose, you'd have to recognize that your family would still call you what they call you, "Jughead" or "Junior"...or "Johnny".
Every name has its possible pitfalls, so why not let a person choose his own poison? That would prevent being stuck with "Moon" or "Placenta" or "Corinthian" for life. At graduation ceremonies each student could, after serious and ponderous thought, proclaim his new appelation. Of course, a few would proclaim themselves "Bacardi Jones" or "Hottie Smith", but at least they'd have to accept that they did it to themselves. And whatever you chose, you'd have to recognize that your family would still call you what they call you, "Jughead" or "Junior"...or "Johnny".
March 10, 2010
It's the Plot--No, It's the Characters--No, It's...
I can never decide what I love about the books I love. Yes, I want to know what happened, and when it gets to a certain point, I have to read to the end to find out. But there's also, in the back of my mind, the fact that I know what will happen, sort of. The mystery will be solved, the characters, at least most of them, will go on. So is it the plot that's most important, or is it the characters?
Aside from noir, where I don't like anybody and therefore usually don't read, I look for characters that I like or at least sympathize with. The book I just finished, NO GOOD DEEDS by Laura Lippman, has a kid I wanted to slap for his attitude, his language, and his actions. But he's sympathetic. I knew kids like him when I taught school: self-destructive but not on purpose. Mixed up about what life is and what it could be. This kid drives the plot with his contrariness, and that's what makes a book worthwhile to me, characters who can't possibly act other than their personalities demand and the resulting events. Although things somehow end up at a logical place, not everyone will be perfect at the end. Not every wrinkle in life's fabric will be smoothed. But because the characters somehow focused their strengths and overcame their weaknesses, there is closure. That's what I want as a mystery reader.
Aside from noir, where I don't like anybody and therefore usually don't read, I look for characters that I like or at least sympathize with. The book I just finished, NO GOOD DEEDS by Laura Lippman, has a kid I wanted to slap for his attitude, his language, and his actions. But he's sympathetic. I knew kids like him when I taught school: self-destructive but not on purpose. Mixed up about what life is and what it could be. This kid drives the plot with his contrariness, and that's what makes a book worthwhile to me, characters who can't possibly act other than their personalities demand and the resulting events. Although things somehow end up at a logical place, not everyone will be perfect at the end. Not every wrinkle in life's fabric will be smoothed. But because the characters somehow focused their strengths and overcame their weaknesses, there is closure. That's what I want as a mystery reader.
March 9, 2010
Writer's Prescription: Butt in Chair
You have an idea. Maybe you have the first three chapters done. But somehow, the rest isn't coming. Is it writer's block? Is it bad plotting? Will it ever become a novel?
Experts everywhere have one answer: butt in chair. You have to write. You have to sit there. You have to keep at it. Will it be good? Maybe, maybe not. But you can't fix it if it isn't there.
Write a whole story. Once you're written "The End", then you can worry about whether it's good or not and begin the process of making it better. What keeps wanna-be writers from becoming writers is Not Writing. An idea in your head is safe and promising, but you'll never know if you've got what it takes until you write it down.
So put your butt in a chair and write. Now. Every day. Until it's done.
Experts everywhere have one answer: butt in chair. You have to write. You have to sit there. You have to keep at it. Will it be good? Maybe, maybe not. But you can't fix it if it isn't there.
Write a whole story. Once you're written "The End", then you can worry about whether it's good or not and begin the process of making it better. What keeps wanna-be writers from becoming writers is Not Writing. An idea in your head is safe and promising, but you'll never know if you've got what it takes until you write it down.
So put your butt in a chair and write. Now. Every day. Until it's done.
March 8, 2010
Songwriters or Stalkers: You Be the Judge
Ever notice how many songs have lyrics that, while ariose and catchy, sound kinda scary when you actually think about them?
The Beatles "Little Girl" is a prime example. "I'd rather see you dead, Little Girl/ Than see you with another man"...etc. How many times does a song say "I'll never let you go" or "You can't hide from me" or other words to that effect? Fun to sing, but in the real world, you'd be slapping a PPO on that guy in a heartbeat. Think of your favorite love song lyrics and see if they aren't a little over the line, a little obsessive, a little creepy.
Or maybe just being a mystery writer makes me think of things like that.
The Beatles "Little Girl" is a prime example. "I'd rather see you dead, Little Girl/ Than see you with another man"...etc. How many times does a song say "I'll never let you go" or "You can't hide from me" or other words to that effect? Fun to sing, but in the real world, you'd be slapping a PPO on that guy in a heartbeat. Think of your favorite love song lyrics and see if they aren't a little over the line, a little obsessive, a little creepy.
Or maybe just being a mystery writer makes me think of things like that.
March 5, 2010
Attending Cons
Conferences, conventions, whatever. You need to go.
As a reader, you will be thrilled to meet your favorite writers, chat with them, get their autographs, and return home geeked to have rubbed elbows. I still can't help adding, "Oh, she's so nice when you meet her in person," to conversations that arise about authors.
As a writer, you network, you learn, and you pay your dues. I didn't feel like a "real" writer until I went to my first con and discovered that -- Well, you know: the whole putting your pants on one leg at a time thing. They write. I write. They publish. Maybe I could, too. And I did.
Add to that the atmosphere of a bunch of people who love the written word and could talk about it for days. The panels where writers spill their secrets, where agents reveal how they pick winners (just kidding - nobody really knows how to do that), and editors explained the complicated and perilous journey a manuscript makes.
Throw in some unusual stuff, like experts in crime-solving who tell you how it's really done. A few cocktails. Some eating fo fancy food. It all adds up to fun, so when the next con comes anywhere near you, you should go. Just leave lots of room in your suitcase for all the books you're going to buy.
As a reader, you will be thrilled to meet your favorite writers, chat with them, get their autographs, and return home geeked to have rubbed elbows. I still can't help adding, "Oh, she's so nice when you meet her in person," to conversations that arise about authors.
As a writer, you network, you learn, and you pay your dues. I didn't feel like a "real" writer until I went to my first con and discovered that -- Well, you know: the whole putting your pants on one leg at a time thing. They write. I write. They publish. Maybe I could, too. And I did.
Add to that the atmosphere of a bunch of people who love the written word and could talk about it for days. The panels where writers spill their secrets, where agents reveal how they pick winners (just kidding - nobody really knows how to do that), and editors explained the complicated and perilous journey a manuscript makes.
Throw in some unusual stuff, like experts in crime-solving who tell you how it's really done. A few cocktails. Some eating fo fancy food. It all adds up to fun, so when the next con comes anywhere near you, you should go. Just leave lots of room in your suitcase for all the books you're going to buy.
March 4, 2010
Attitude
I'm in New Orleans, and I've seen the gamut of attitudes. The friendly trolley drivers who answer the same questions over and over with humor and patience. The bored, tattooed, pierced and ill-mannered clerk who lets the old man in line ahead of me know what a pain he is for not knowing what she knows in all her eighteen years of wisdom. The tourists who represent every attitude from "Oh my goodness" to "How cool" to "Get me out of here".
I saw a poster that said something like "The difference between a catastrophe and an adventure is all in your attitude." That's not quite true: New Orleans faced a real catastrophe that hasn't faded from memory. Everywhere you hear references to "before Katrina" or "when Katrina hit..." But as far as their attitude goes, I have to say, these people haven't lost their sense of adventure.
I saw a poster that said something like "The difference between a catastrophe and an adventure is all in your attitude." That's not quite true: New Orleans faced a real catastrophe that hasn't faded from memory. Everywhere you hear references to "before Katrina" or "when Katrina hit..." But as far as their attitude goes, I have to say, these people haven't lost their sense of adventure.
