Robert Jacoby's Blog, page 10
August 24, 2014
More great songs you may not know by bands you've never heard of
My latest mix cd:
1. Racy by Hooray for Earth
2. Rome by Phoenix
3. Burnout by Collarbones
4. Immaculada by Kodacrome
5. Endless Drain by Major Leagues
6. Middle Sea by Yuck
7. Rebirth by Yuck
8. 3AM Spiritual by Smith Westerns
9. Double Vision (edited) by Jacuzzi Boys
10. Split by The Ocean Party
11. Quarter Life Crisis by The Ocean Party
12. Hindsight by The Stevens
13. Walkin' Down My Street by Nude Beach
14. Pigeon by Tennis
15. Voices Drifting by The Holidays
16. A Bullet For You by Brass Bed
17. Entropic by Coastal Cities
18. Every Man Knows His Plague; and You are Mine by Tiny Little Houses
19. steppenwolf, pg. 247 by Jon Lemmon
Support the artists! Purchase, don't pirate! Enjoy!
1. Racy by Hooray for Earth
2. Rome by Phoenix
3. Burnout by Collarbones
4. Immaculada by Kodacrome
5. Endless Drain by Major Leagues
6. Middle Sea by Yuck
7. Rebirth by Yuck
8. 3AM Spiritual by Smith Westerns
9. Double Vision (edited) by Jacuzzi Boys
10. Split by The Ocean Party
11. Quarter Life Crisis by The Ocean Party
12. Hindsight by The Stevens
13. Walkin' Down My Street by Nude Beach
14. Pigeon by Tennis
15. Voices Drifting by The Holidays
16. A Bullet For You by Brass Bed
17. Entropic by Coastal Cities
18. Every Man Knows His Plague; and You are Mine by Tiny Little Houses
19. steppenwolf, pg. 247 by Jon Lemmon
Support the artists! Purchase, don't pirate! Enjoy!
Review of Sophie's Choice by William Styron
Title: A writer gets carried away with himself and his style
Some random notes on reading this novel:
1. "Call me Stingo."
Wow. He really nearly opened Sophie's Choice with that line. At least he saved it for the second paragraph! What balls to take something from Moby Dick and try to make it your own like that.
2. Novelists give themselves away in their books. They can't help it. You've got several hundred pages to fill; some of you is bound to come out inside the story, intentionally or not. In Sophie's Choice, Styron doesn't shy away from this; he *embraces* it. He *celebrates* it. He pulls the plug on himself and let's all of him out.
3. Styron is a writer who loves to write. Boy does he love to write. And write, and write, and write. He can say in 2 pages what could take 2 sentences to express. It's how he does it.
4. In Sophie's Choice Styron gets to "split" himself up: At several points in the text we're told that the "I" is in the "now" (late 1970s) writing about his younger self in 1947. It's a neat literary trick that allows Styron (the writer) to give to his narrator (Stingo, the writer) speech and insight he'd normally not have. If you're not going to take the "God" point of view 3rd person to tell your story, you'll use the 1st person to make the "I" the god. This fits Styron's "fuck God" motto perfectly.
5. This novel is an interesting look into Styron the writer because he uses Stingo, the book's narrator, to explain how he, Styron, came to write two of his novels, Lie Down in Darkness and The Confessions of Nat Turner. Stingo/Styron goes into much detail explaining his writing, why he chose these subjects, his writing habits. See note #3 above.
6. Weeks after writing notes 1-5 I can write this: It took a lot of text for Styron to get to Sophie's Choice. If you want to venture into this novel, keep in mind that it gets to be a bit of a slog after a while. If you know nothing of the Holocaust, this fictionalized look will be a good introduction. If you're a bit of a history buff, like me, you'll know this already but may appreciate the fictionalized details.
Be prepared to go down a few personal side stories with Styron as he admires his alter ego, Stingo, the novelist in the novel. Some of his escapades are really funny; others seem to me to be just the ego-driven ramblings of a young man who hasn't lived much or thought very broadly yet thinks very highly of himself.
It's OK:
3/5 on Amazon
2/5 on Goodreads
PS: I picked up my copy of this novel in Costa Rica, of all places. I ran out of books to read, of the ones I'd brought with me. I read about 100 or so pages in, and our stay ended, but the manager of the resort said, Take it with you. So I did. It's this old, water-worn, beat-up copy of a paperback that's styled like a romance novel. In blazing letters across the front it states: "A novel for everyone!"
Wow is that off base.
PPS: If you're still going to read Sophie's Choice, I recommend balancing it out with Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. It was published just after the war, by a man who survived a concentration camp. It's a somber look at the human experiences of the camps and of how people learned to sustain themselves in and through those experiences.
Some random notes on reading this novel:
1. "Call me Stingo."
Wow. He really nearly opened Sophie's Choice with that line. At least he saved it for the second paragraph! What balls to take something from Moby Dick and try to make it your own like that.
2. Novelists give themselves away in their books. They can't help it. You've got several hundred pages to fill; some of you is bound to come out inside the story, intentionally or not. In Sophie's Choice, Styron doesn't shy away from this; he *embraces* it. He *celebrates* it. He pulls the plug on himself and let's all of him out.
3. Styron is a writer who loves to write. Boy does he love to write. And write, and write, and write. He can say in 2 pages what could take 2 sentences to express. It's how he does it.
4. In Sophie's Choice Styron gets to "split" himself up: At several points in the text we're told that the "I" is in the "now" (late 1970s) writing about his younger self in 1947. It's a neat literary trick that allows Styron (the writer) to give to his narrator (Stingo, the writer) speech and insight he'd normally not have. If you're not going to take the "God" point of view 3rd person to tell your story, you'll use the 1st person to make the "I" the god. This fits Styron's "fuck God" motto perfectly.
5. This novel is an interesting look into Styron the writer because he uses Stingo, the book's narrator, to explain how he, Styron, came to write two of his novels, Lie Down in Darkness and The Confessions of Nat Turner. Stingo/Styron goes into much detail explaining his writing, why he chose these subjects, his writing habits. See note #3 above.
6. Weeks after writing notes 1-5 I can write this: It took a lot of text for Styron to get to Sophie's Choice. If you want to venture into this novel, keep in mind that it gets to be a bit of a slog after a while. If you know nothing of the Holocaust, this fictionalized look will be a good introduction. If you're a bit of a history buff, like me, you'll know this already but may appreciate the fictionalized details.
Be prepared to go down a few personal side stories with Styron as he admires his alter ego, Stingo, the novelist in the novel. Some of his escapades are really funny; others seem to me to be just the ego-driven ramblings of a young man who hasn't lived much or thought very broadly yet thinks very highly of himself.
It's OK:
3/5 on Amazon
2/5 on Goodreads
PS: I picked up my copy of this novel in Costa Rica, of all places. I ran out of books to read, of the ones I'd brought with me. I read about 100 or so pages in, and our stay ended, but the manager of the resort said, Take it with you. So I did. It's this old, water-worn, beat-up copy of a paperback that's styled like a romance novel. In blazing letters across the front it states: "A novel for everyone!"
Wow is that off base.
PPS: If you're still going to read Sophie's Choice, I recommend balancing it out with Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. It was published just after the war, by a man who survived a concentration camp. It's a somber look at the human experiences of the camps and of how people learned to sustain themselves in and through those experiences.
August 17, 2014
Sunday morning musings
Yesterday I printed out the latest version of my second novel, still titled Dusk and Ember. Clocked in at 252 pages. A little more than 50,000 words. The last three printings I’ve done this summer—June, July, and now August—I’ve added another 50 pages to each successive print. I’m pleased so far. The biggest (most important) alterations in this version is the division of the novel into four parts. This I think is going to let me keep in my mind the four basic parts; work on each for what it is, by itself, but also in relation to the whole.
Parts 1 and 2 are the most done. Part 3, there is a framework. Part 4. That’s just about open, except for some text and many notes near the end.
“Dusk and Ember” is different from my first novel “There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes” in an important way: this one is growing very much organically, all over the place, all over its parts. With “Noah” I started at the beginning and wrote with some rough framework for its arc. But I was always sure to keep going back to the beginning and working my way forward. I think I’ll need to do that now for Dusk and Ember; I can’t get too far ahead of myself. I need to go back to revise and revise and revise Parts 1 and 2, so that Parts 3 and (especially) 4 make the most sense.
This morning I read more of William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith. Almost done. Sifted through emails. An article I wrote with a colleague is going to be published in CMSWire. Had a few published there already; see: http://www.cmswire.com/news/topic/rob... Read an article on Brainpickings: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph.... Read some online news at http://www.breitbart.com/. Still waiting for the editorial review to finish on “Never Stop Dancing.”
And looking forward to spending the day in DC with my oldest daughter and her fiancé.
Parts 1 and 2 are the most done. Part 3, there is a framework. Part 4. That’s just about open, except for some text and many notes near the end.
“Dusk and Ember” is different from my first novel “There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes” in an important way: this one is growing very much organically, all over the place, all over its parts. With “Noah” I started at the beginning and wrote with some rough framework for its arc. But I was always sure to keep going back to the beginning and working my way forward. I think I’ll need to do that now for Dusk and Ember; I can’t get too far ahead of myself. I need to go back to revise and revise and revise Parts 1 and 2, so that Parts 3 and (especially) 4 make the most sense.
This morning I read more of William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith. Almost done. Sifted through emails. An article I wrote with a colleague is going to be published in CMSWire. Had a few published there already; see: http://www.cmswire.com/news/topic/rob... Read an article on Brainpickings: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph.... Read some online news at http://www.breitbart.com/. Still waiting for the editorial review to finish on “Never Stop Dancing.”
And looking forward to spending the day in DC with my oldest daughter and her fiancé.
July 19, 2014
Progress on the new novel
I don't write much about the new novel and its progress. I don't talk about it much, not in any detail at least. I feel like some air lets out of me, a balloon, when I talk (or write, even in my journal) about what the story is, how it's developing, where it's going, exactly. It releases tension that needs to stay internal, I think. You see, I don't know where the story (a scene, a chapter) might go until I'm there in it with the characters, watching with them, waiting with them, to see what will happen. Oh, I have general ideas, of course, outlines for chapters and scenes, on paper, in my head, of way points/milestones. But those can change, too, with any new idea, phrase. I don't know until I'm writing what might happen.
So I'm at another way point: printing out another clean version of the book. Word count is nearly 50,000 (about half of what a typical novel runs). That's including several pages of material I know won't be used (front material, notes) and even more material in the back, maybe half a dozen pages, of notes on characters, scenes, dialogues, words to use. That's not counting an extra file of Leftover Material that's about 100 pages (plus/minus 25,000 words).
And there's also an old file I just discovered this morning: an early draft of the novel dating back to November 2005. Wow. Yes. More than 10 years ago is when this novel started. So much time. So little time....
I'll print out the current version, of course, and that Leftover Material file. Maybe I'll also print out that November 2005 version, just to have it handy, to see if anything can be salvaged.
There's a lot of going back and forth. That's what this novel is, too. Remembering. Memory and now. How stories change. The stories we tell ourselves, each other.
The title is still Dusk and Ember. It's still Richard Issych's story--Richard from my first novel, There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes. The novel-in-progress takes place before the events in Noah; and it centers around a murder, over one night, and its consequences.
So I'm at another way point: printing out another clean version of the book. Word count is nearly 50,000 (about half of what a typical novel runs). That's including several pages of material I know won't be used (front material, notes) and even more material in the back, maybe half a dozen pages, of notes on characters, scenes, dialogues, words to use. That's not counting an extra file of Leftover Material that's about 100 pages (plus/minus 25,000 words).
And there's also an old file I just discovered this morning: an early draft of the novel dating back to November 2005. Wow. Yes. More than 10 years ago is when this novel started. So much time. So little time....
I'll print out the current version, of course, and that Leftover Material file. Maybe I'll also print out that November 2005 version, just to have it handy, to see if anything can be salvaged.
There's a lot of going back and forth. That's what this novel is, too. Remembering. Memory and now. How stories change. The stories we tell ourselves, each other.
The title is still Dusk and Ember. It's still Richard Issych's story--Richard from my first novel, There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes. The novel-in-progress takes place before the events in Noah; and it centers around a murder, over one night, and its consequences.
July 17, 2014
Review of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
No apologies for this review. After all these years I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Nothing at all, it turns out:
Title: Retarded look at "The American Dream"
Body: I didn't like this book much. Oh, there are funny episodes strewn throughout, even some laugh-out-loud moments. But as the "story" moves on you'll find that everything is self-induced. It's just Hunter S. Thompson (and his lawyer) sent by a magazine to cover events in Las Vegas over a weekend, but instead they're loading themselves up on whatever drug they can get their hands on: mescaline, acid, cocaine, uppers, downers, ether, amyl, tequila, rum, pot. "In search of the American Dream."
Right.
Just watch the fun now, kids! We’re going to get loaded up on whatever mind-altering substances are available and Let’s…See…What…Happens! Even if that means putting ourselves and innocent folks in life-threatening circumstances! And when we “come down,” don't worry, we’ll just reach for more (or different) drugs and do those! And do it all over again! And again! And because we don’t *really* have anything to say, about anything (throwing a sentence or two in about Nixon to make it look like you're talking about “something” doesn't count), we’ll get in the car (our *rental* car) and drive around and drag race with "the man"! And vomit out the window! And ruin hotel rooms that we don’t have to pay for!
What a dick move.
After a couple of episodes I was wondering when the heroin or crystal meth was going to be administered. Oh. Wait. Is *that* stepping over the line?
Crap like this wears thin really fast because, in the end, it has to end. It’s the same reason Cheech and Chong aren't doing their "drug bit" anymore: it's old and pathetic. Because it's only funny being a dope-head for a little while. A *real* little while. Then you wake up. And that’s when your limited view of the world is revealed; if not to you then certainly to everyone around you: that the drugs are not expanding your universe, they’re actually making the universe collapse in on you—selfish, self-absorbed, pitiable “you.”
How childish. How retarded. And by that I mean "stunted," for that's the origination of this text: a stunted and self-centered view of the world.
Title: Retarded look at "The American Dream"
Body: I didn't like this book much. Oh, there are funny episodes strewn throughout, even some laugh-out-loud moments. But as the "story" moves on you'll find that everything is self-induced. It's just Hunter S. Thompson (and his lawyer) sent by a magazine to cover events in Las Vegas over a weekend, but instead they're loading themselves up on whatever drug they can get their hands on: mescaline, acid, cocaine, uppers, downers, ether, amyl, tequila, rum, pot. "In search of the American Dream."
Right.
Just watch the fun now, kids! We’re going to get loaded up on whatever mind-altering substances are available and Let’s…See…What…Happens! Even if that means putting ourselves and innocent folks in life-threatening circumstances! And when we “come down,” don't worry, we’ll just reach for more (or different) drugs and do those! And do it all over again! And again! And because we don’t *really* have anything to say, about anything (throwing a sentence or two in about Nixon to make it look like you're talking about “something” doesn't count), we’ll get in the car (our *rental* car) and drive around and drag race with "the man"! And vomit out the window! And ruin hotel rooms that we don’t have to pay for!
What a dick move.
After a couple of episodes I was wondering when the heroin or crystal meth was going to be administered. Oh. Wait. Is *that* stepping over the line?
Crap like this wears thin really fast because, in the end, it has to end. It’s the same reason Cheech and Chong aren't doing their "drug bit" anymore: it's old and pathetic. Because it's only funny being a dope-head for a little while. A *real* little while. Then you wake up. And that’s when your limited view of the world is revealed; if not to you then certainly to everyone around you: that the drugs are not expanding your universe, they’re actually making the universe collapse in on you—selfish, self-absorbed, pitiable “you.”
How childish. How retarded. And by that I mean "stunted," for that's the origination of this text: a stunted and self-centered view of the world.
Review of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This was a nice book to read on the beach. It kept my interest. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. Usually stuff you find like this on a bookshelf in the supermarket is complete dreck. The situation was completely unrealistic, though. Even so:
Title: Good enough beach read
Body: I brought this book with me to read on a beach vacation. It fit the bill.
Enjoyable and quick and pleasant enough. I had several problems with the plot, the entire situation was not believable, the author's misandry was showing through in spots, and both main characters are incredibly twisted, like a his and (mostly) hers freak-fest.
But I read it for diversion. So it fit the bill.
Liked it.
Title: Good enough beach read
Body: I brought this book with me to read on a beach vacation. It fit the bill.
Enjoyable and quick and pleasant enough. I had several problems with the plot, the entire situation was not believable, the author's misandry was showing through in spots, and both main characters are incredibly twisted, like a his and (mostly) hers freak-fest.
But I read it for diversion. So it fit the bill.
Liked it.
July 10, 2014
Vacation reading and writing
Just back from vacation, mostly at an end-of-the-road kind of beach place. It was very helpful for my reading and writing. I was able to read three books and start a fourth:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Sophie's Choice by William Styron (started)
Not sure which ones I'll do reviews for, if any....
I was also able to write for many days in a row on my second novel, for a couple of hours at least each morning. And then any time I wanted throughout the day. It was glorious. I gained speed and rhythm only a few days in. The beach heat and freedom of time were exhilarating.
I'm missing it already only a few days back. Time now to take all the marked-up typed pages and yellow legal pages of handwritten work and key everything in.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Sophie's Choice by William Styron (started)
Not sure which ones I'll do reviews for, if any....
I was also able to write for many days in a row on my second novel, for a couple of hours at least each morning. And then any time I wanted throughout the day. It was glorious. I gained speed and rhythm only a few days in. The beach heat and freedom of time were exhilarating.
I'm missing it already only a few days back. Time now to take all the marked-up typed pages and yellow legal pages of handwritten work and key everything in.
May 8, 2014
Song of the Day
Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name) by Cymbals Eat Guitars (909 views on YouTube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0j4RM...
May 1, 2014
April 28, 2014
Writing what I can
Just finished a session digging into "leftover material" that went back years. I haven't looked at it in a while because I didn't want the current draft of the first 50 pages veering off into old material, old ideas, that may not work now.
Still.
There are nearly 150 pages (more than 30,000 words) of notes, scenes, bits of scenes, ideas for scenes and characters. I scanned through looking for bits and pieces to bring forward. I went through all the pages. Mostly.
I brought forward maybe 2 pages of material for different part of the novel. And also some epigraph material.
I spent only 45 minutes or so, but it felt much longer. It was tiring.
I don't want to get too ahead of the material. I want the story to grow organically from the characters coming together in the story, in the events they're living. I have to give them time to do this. Be who--show who--they are.
There are still three small notebooks of 100 pages each to go through. Written over the past 4 years or so.
Still.
There are nearly 150 pages (more than 30,000 words) of notes, scenes, bits of scenes, ideas for scenes and characters. I scanned through looking for bits and pieces to bring forward. I went through all the pages. Mostly.
I brought forward maybe 2 pages of material for different part of the novel. And also some epigraph material.
I spent only 45 minutes or so, but it felt much longer. It was tiring.
I don't want to get too ahead of the material. I want the story to grow organically from the characters coming together in the story, in the events they're living. I have to give them time to do this. Be who--show who--they are.
There are still three small notebooks of 100 pages each to go through. Written over the past 4 years or so.
