Justine Musk's Blog, page 51
November 19, 2009
the most important trait you need to become a published writer
According to my newly developed determination to post on a much more frequent basis, I am due for an entry here. Alas, I am occupied with an essay on the art of obsession -- either that or sex scenes, I haven't decided yet -- for Storytellers Unplugged, which needs to go up tomorrow.
So I will take the pathetic and easy way out and cross-post my last post from Tribal Writer*. I promise to do this rarely, since Tribal Writer is supposed to be my helpful, writing-related blog, and this Livejou...
So I will take the pathetic and easy way out and cross-post my last post from Tribal Writer*. I promise to do this rarely, since Tribal Writer is supposed to be my helpful, writing-related blog, and this Livejou...
November 17, 2009
how to figure out your novel hook, part two
cross-posted to Tribal Writer
1
In my last blog entry I talked about finding your novel 'hook' -- the one or two sentence description that strikes at the heart of your story and sells it to the right reader.
It's useful to work this out early because it forces you to hone your sense of the story that you want to tell, in a way that helps you tell it.
It's hard to find the center of a completed manuscript if there's no center there to begin with.
You want to make sure you put the 'there' there....
1
In my last blog entry I talked about finding your novel 'hook' -- the one or two sentence description that strikes at the heart of your story and sells it to the right reader.
It's useful to work this out early because it forces you to hone your sense of the story that you want to tell, in a way that helps you tell it.
It's hard to find the center of a completed manuscript if there's no center there to begin with.
You want to make sure you put the 'there' there....
November 15, 2009
backyard fashion shoot
Fashion shoot in my backyard today. The photographer is a friend of mine and I was happy to offer the space to his crew, which included an actress from High School Musical and her "really good" hair and makeup people.
Since my ex-husband and I separated, my house has come in handy: it's been used for a wedding (complete with Chinese tea ceremony in the living room) and a music video.
The shoot involved a silver disco ball. This pleased me.
Unexpected bonus: the stylist, Simeon, also happens to...
Since my ex-husband and I separated, my house has come in handy: it's been used for a wedding (complete with Chinese tea ceremony in the living room) and a music video.
The shoot involved a silver disco ball. This pleased me.
Unexpected bonus: the stylist, Simeon, also happens to...
November 14, 2009
Writer's Block: Chemistry test
Has your idea of the perfect romantic partner changed with age? Do you think we can teach ourselves to desire partners who are better for us or are we constrained by the laws of attraction?
I'm fascinated by the idea of limerence, which wikipedia defines as an "involuntary cognitive and emotional state of intense romantic desire for another person".
Emphasis on involuntary. It's a compulsion.
When you can't stop thinking about someone, or when thoughts of that person literall...
November 13, 2009
searching for my 'hook', part one
cross-posted to my other blog Tribal Writer
I'm writing a novel called 'The Decadents' and need to figure out the answer to the question people ask when they discover you're writing a novel (usually after, 'Are you published?' and 'Have I heard of you?' and sometimes 'Who is your publisher?', which is another way of asking, 'Is it a real publisher?')
They ask, "What is it about?"
It's a powerful question.
And if you can't answer it – without going into some rambling description that makes your li...
I'm writing a novel called 'The Decadents' and need to figure out the answer to the question people ask when they discover you're writing a novel (usually after, 'Are you published?' and 'Have I heard of you?' and sometimes 'Who is your publisher?', which is another way of asking, 'Is it a real publisher?')
They ask, "What is it about?"
It's a powerful question.
And if you can't answer it – without going into some rambling description that makes your li...
searching for my 'hook'
cross-posted to my other blog Tribal Writer
I'm writing a novel called 'The Decadents' and need to figure out the answer to the question people ask when they discover you're writing a novel (usually after, 'Are you published?' and 'Have I heard of you?' and sometimes 'Who is your publisher?', which is another way of asking, 'Is it a real publisher?')
They ask, "What is it about?"
It's a powerful question.
And if you can't answer it – without going into some rambling description that makes your li...
I'm writing a novel called 'The Decadents' and need to figure out the answer to the question people ask when they discover you're writing a novel (usually after, 'Are you published?' and 'Have I heard of you?' and sometimes 'Who is your publisher?', which is another way of asking, 'Is it a real publisher?')
They ask, "What is it about?"
It's a powerful question.
And if you can't answer it – without going into some rambling description that makes your li...
November 12, 2009
melting ice caps and old dreams of the Oriental
I was in New York for about five minutes with Dude. We went to the big annual awards dinner his environmental nonprofit organization holds every year. I was very pleased to see one of those awards go to new friend (and Dude's old friend) Sebastian Copeland, an internationally renowned photographer who spent months trekking through the Arctic and Antarctic documenting the melting ice caps.
And getting cold.
Dude is gearing up for his trip to Copenhagen for the conference, and I'm planning to ...
And getting cold.
Dude is gearing up for his trip to Copenhagen for the conference, and I'm planning to ...
November 8, 2009
a question for you, and pondering Johnny Depp
1
At the other half of this blog I posted how the internet killed storytelling. except if maybe it didn't and I was reflecting again on how optimistic I am about all this stuff.
I think the Internet is awesome. I love the Internet.
And that it's forcing publishing to reinvent itself is a good thing.
Am I nuts?
2
And on a completely different note, I saw someone who looks exactly like Johnny Depp* (I am a fan, but then again, who isn't? what's not to love?) walking down Third Street Promenade in ...
At the other half of this blog I posted how the internet killed storytelling. except if maybe it didn't and I was reflecting again on how optimistic I am about all this stuff.
I think the Internet is awesome. I love the Internet.
And that it's forcing publishing to reinvent itself is a good thing.
Am I nuts?
2
And on a completely different note, I saw someone who looks exactly like Johnny Depp* (I am a fan, but then again, who isn't? what's not to love?) walking down Third Street Promenade in ...
a question for you
At the other half of this blog I posted how the internet killed storytelling. except if maybe it didn't and I was reflecting again on how optimistic I am about all this stuff.
I think the Internet is awesome. I love the Internet.
And that it's forcing publishing to reinvent itself is a good thing.
Am I nuts?
I think the Internet is awesome. I love the Internet.
And that it's forcing publishing to reinvent itself is a good thing.
Am I nuts?
November 7, 2009
unicorn-related quotes of the day
"It's like the panoramic poster hanging above my bed, the one with the rainbow and the flying unicorns and the sunset. Sure, it's all the things I love and they're all together, and the girl-unicorn is looking towards the boy-unicorn with pure unbridled passion, and even though I'm not sure rainbows and sunsets can really happen at the same time, well, this picture looks pretty realistic—I mean, just check out the authentic musculature in the stallion's powerful haunches—and so maybe all my d...
