Alisa M. Libby's Blog, page 13
October 19, 2010
artists at Comic Con
Another note about Comic Con, this time about the actual comics.
I loved our collection of comics as a kid (especially our anthology of the "The Superhero Women" by Stan Lee) but I haven't read much lately. It was fun to browse the tables and see what a lot of artists are up to these days. I purchased two prints from young women comic artists: Celine Chapus and Annie Szabla. Celine draws a lot of angels, unicorns, and mermaids, so I was instantly intrigued (seriously, it's like she's inside of my head). And Annie's style is really lush and fairy-tale-like. I hope to follow these two artists, with their distinctive styles.
Not to get high-horse-ish or anything, but I was pleased to purchase art from women artists, in – if this weekend was any indication – such a male-dominated field. Also, the portrayals of women have changed since I read comic books. Those Marvel women I admired were beautiful and, yes, dramatically curvaceous – but many of the comic women now are anatomically impossible. To be fair, the men are also impossibly muscled. I'm not knocking the artistic choice, I just find it interesting. From what I saw, the women drawn by women (and some men, too) were within the realm of un-surgically-altered reality; this was nice to see.
Also, in Comic Con news: in case you hadn't heard, I met James Marsters. And he is super fantastic.
October 17, 2010
I met Spike
I'm back from New England Comic Con where today I met James Marsters - aka Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I am not great at meeting famous people (the more I like their work, the more of a bumbling moron I become). I didn't need an autograph or a photo, I just wanted to give him a book postcard on which I had written a message. Luckily, Mr. Marsters was absolutely gracious and lovely and personable. We talked about books and I told him that he was my favorite on Buffy. I shook his hand and was about to walk away when he called me back to say that the reason why Buffy was such a great show is because of the writers. We talked about how genre fiction is so great because you can "tell the truth" through fantasy. Which is exactly why I love writing fiction. It's so gratifying to meet someone you admire and find that they are genuine and interesting to talk to. Thank you, James!
It was a fantastically fun weekend overall – my sister joined me on Saturday and we saw Nicolas Brendon (Xander) do the "snoopy dance" (yay). Buffy has inspired me over the years, with it's humor and darkness and parallels between Buffy's magical plight and the human condition. Meeting people I've adored on screen was, while potentially horribly embarrassing (since this afternoon I have worried I embarrassed myself without even realizing it), also really inspiring and invigorating. As was the Comic Con in general – so many artists (whom I'll discuss in a different post) and people dreaming big dreams and writing and drawing and acting them out. It's fun to meet people knowing that you already have something in common; I bonded with the volunteers (one said "James Marsters said 'Good Morning' to me!"). I'm convinced that Buffy attracts good, creative people. Cheers to you all.
I met Spike
I'm back from New England Comic Con where today I met James Marsters - aka Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I am not great at meeting famous people (the more I like their work, the more of a bumbling moron I become). I didn't need an autograph or a photo, I just wanted to give him a book postcard on which I had written a message. Luckily, Mr. Marsters was absolutely gracious and lovely and personable. We talked about books and I told him that he was my favorite on Buffy. I shook his hand and was about to walk away when he called me back to say that the reason why Buffy was such a great show is because of the writers. We talked about how genre fiction is so great because you can "tell the truth" through fantasy. Which is exactly why I love writing fiction. It's so gratifying to meet someone you admire and find that they are genuine and interesting to talk to. Thank you, James!
It was a fantastically fun weekend overall – my sister joined me on Saturday and we saw Nicolas Brendon (Xander) do the "snoopy dance" (yay). Buffy has inspired me over the years, with it's humor and darkness and parallels between Buffy's magical plight and the human condition. Meeting people I've adored on screen was, while potentially horribly embarrassing (since this afternoon I have worried I embarrassed myself without even realizing it), also really inspiring and invigorating. As was the Comic Con in general – so many artists (whom I'll discuss in a different post) and people dreaming big dreams and writing and drawing and acting them out. It's fun to meet people knowing that you already have something in common; I bonded with the volunteers ("James Marsters said 'Good Morning' to me!"). I'm convinced that Buffy attracts good, creative people. Cheers to you all.
October 13, 2010
impatience.
It was recently suggested to me that perhaps spending three days in a row writing for hours on end may not be the healthiest approach to the writing life. Alas, what's a writer with a day job to do?
This might be a worthy experiment: is the end result better if I write for maybe three or four hours instead of six or seven (or more)? Or what if I take longer breaks? This is why cookie-baking is nice, because I can give my brain a break: let's think about measuring flour and cracking eggs, brain. Isn't that soothing?
But then…the impatience. The part of me that insists on sipping from the mug of steaming hot cocoa, or taking a bite of the fresh-from-the-oven pizza, then informing Tom "I burnt my tongue." It's a million times worse when it comes to writing. The impatience monster gets angry and stamps her flat little foot. "You write too SLOW." She tells me. "You need to finish this draft FAST. So you can revise it again and make it BETTER. You need to do more, better, faster!" Impatience and Insecurity are playmates. One whispers in the other's ear.
But Motivation – not Impatience, who can be sloppy in her eagerness – is what will ultimately help me get this draft done. And time – wherever I can find it. And cookies.
October 11, 2010
end of writing weekend
I'm packing it in for the night. I meant to blog more, but I've been busy revising and have avoided the internet entirely.
How do I feel about what I've managed to accomplish? Anxious, mainly. I did a lot, but there's so much more left to do. Most of all I feel anxious about going to work tomorrow and being away from my book. It's like I'm afraid it will morph into something different while I'm away. Or I'll morph – I'll start fretting and second-guessing and I'll think I've gone in the wrong direction with this revision. Plus, I'm not sure how this next scene plays out.
Sigh. Okay, I'm done complaining. I did a lot this weekend. And not just note-gathering and outline-writing. Actual writing/revising of my new draft of this book. It's a good start, at least.
end of writing weekend
I'm packing it in for the night. I meant to blog more, but I've been busy revising and have avoided the internet entirely.
How do I feel about what I've managed to accomplish? Anxious, mainly. I did a lot, but there's so much more left to do. Most of all I feel anxious about going to work tomorrow and being away from my book. It's like I'm afraid it will morph into something different while I'm away. Or I'll morph – I'll start fretting and second-guessing and I'll think I've gone in the wrong direction with this revision. Plus, I'm not sure how this next scene plays out.
Sigh. Okay, I'm done complaining. I did a lot this weekend. And not just note-gathering and outline-writing. Actual writing/revising of my new draft of this book. It's a good start, at least.
October 9, 2010
writing weekend!
Yes, I get to write this weekend – thank goodness! I haven't had a weekend to devote to writing in some time. Not since I've started this revision. I've been scribbling on the train, the bus, during lunch at work. Now, a writing weekend. It's exciting. And scary, since I always have too-high expectations.
That said, I need some writing music. Please forgive my early-90′s weirdness, but I need to go old school with some Siouxsie and the Banshees. I read somewhere that Siouxsie was friends with Billy Idol. I like to think that this is true. According to this video, she clearly has a thing for platinum blond dudes in leather.
writing weekend!
Yes, I get to write this weekend – thank goodness! I haven't had a weekend to devote to writing in some time. Not since I've started this revision. I've been scribbling on the train, the bus, during lunch at work. Now, a writing weekend. It's exciting. And scary, since I always have too-high expectations.
That said, I need some writing music. Please forgive my early-90′s weirdness, but I need to go old school with some Siouxsie and the Banshees. I read somewhere that Siouxsie was friends with Billy Idol. I like to think that this is true. According to this video, she clearly has a thing for platinum blond dudes in leather.
October 7, 2010
Sturbridge Village
What says autumn in New England like wandering around a reproduction 1830′s village while sipping on a warm apple cider? Or, at least, what says New England in the 1830′s?
On Monday, Tom and I watched a cobbler making men's work shoes. The women wore satin slippers – a poor choice in a place with so many horses, but fashion and practicality haven't been related for centuries, apparently. A potter made clay mugs on a potter's wheel, which a farmer might have done in his free time for a little extra money (and I mean a little – 3 cents per mug). And we watched a printing press demonstration. The press was one of the first places in the village where women were employed, using their skill with needle and thread to bind books. Generally these women were related to the printer. Otherwise – a woman, working? – how unseemly!
It made me winsome for hand crafts – women sitting in their kitchens knitting socks and mittens and baking pies. Lucky for us, if I don't get around to making that pair of socks it does not mean that my feet will go cold. It's a luxury to find these tasks quaint and enjoyable, while back then it was constant labor.
The highlight of the trip, of course, were the baby oxen. Here are our new friends, Doc and Blue. We warmed our hands in their fur; these two were like ovens. They do a little work, get a lot of attention, then graze and nap. A fine life for an ox.
October 6, 2010
MSLA
The Author Fest at MSLA this past weekend: I got to do the fancy (sort of) author thing, where I stand at a little cocktail table in an exhibit hall and push my postcard into everybody's face. Which I did in as friendly and un-creepy a manner as I possibly could. In spite of my shy tendencies, this was a lot of fun; I got to talk about my books to people on an individual basis. Plus, I was talking to school librarians who are so supportive, so enthusiastic about books and about finding good books for their students.
I also got to meet some cool authors. I got Paul Yoo's book Girls for Breakfast. Picture book author and illustrator Ralph Masiello bought a copy of The Blood Confession, which I signed for his daughter. I also met Marcella Pixley, author of Freak, and Martha Ackman who wrote Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone, the First Woman to Play Professional Baseball in the Negro League, and picture book authors Virginia Pulitzer, Barbara McGrath, and Darryl Cobb. It was a great chance to connect with authors and readers.
The experience has made me think a lot about school visits. I've only done a few school visits – visiting a high school to speak to a creative writing class – and while nerve-wracking it was a good experience. Writers who do school visits, do feel free to chime in with your experiences!
