Sandra Gulland's Blog, page 10
June 28, 2015
A Sundae of Sundries: great new links for readers, writers, historians & sundry other folk
Below are some links I found of special interest this week, and I think you may too. On the home front, I continue to wrestle the WIP. Middles are famously challenging, but so are beginnings and endings. ;-)
Especially for writers …
• 9 Famous Authors Rejected by Publishers. These are the types of stories all writers need.
• Amazon plans to pay many self-published authors based on exactly how many pages readers complete. This is not good news! From an article in The Atlantic: “A system with per-page payouts is a system that rewards cliffhangers and mysteries across all genres.”
• Writing Spaces: Where 9 Famous Creatives Do Their Best Work. The first, of E.B. White, is an image I keep in my office.
For flâneurs through history …
• Taking a Shower in the 1800s.
For Baroque enthusiasts …
• The King Dances — a regal performance with heat and dazzle. I would so love to be able to see this.
For Napoleonistas …
• A perfect time to shed UK’s Napoleon complex. It’s about time!
• 200 Years After Waterloo, Napoleon Still Divides Europe.
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June 21, 2015
A Sundae of Sundries: great links for readers, writers, historians & sundry other folk
Happy Father’s Day Sunday! I will begin by sharing with you the website I put up in my father’s memory after his death. Such a sweet and cheerful soul! I talked to him every day, and he always made me laugh. Miss him!
Here are some links I think you may find of special interest this week:
For writers …
• I really liked the book Do the Work by Steven Pressville. Jump on this opportunity to get a digital edition free. (The offer lasts until Monday night.)
• The Writer’s Union of Canada offered a course on the publishing process, which was given coast-to-coast. Now they have offered a video of the course for $9.99. To get an idea of what the video offers, watch this short, free video on YouTube.
For flâneurs through history …
• A friend brought the life of Ninon de l’Enclos to my attention. Not that I didn’t know about her, but she is part of the world of the Sun King, and I’ve jumped ahead in history now, to the early Napoleonic era. I have her filed under “Fascinating Woman Whose Story Should Be Told.” Indeed.
• The Original Waist Trainer — on “stays”—or what we now call corsets. Very interesting!
For Napoleonistas …
• With the 200th anniversary of Waterloo, there has been a lot to be found on the Net. I love best Napoleon’s 100 Days in 100 Objects. For example, Smuggling the Crown Jewels out of France, and the panic of the King’s guard on learning that Napoleon was approaching. I found it sadly interesting to find out that Napoleon left the Tuileries for the smaller Élysée Palace because the Tuileries had too many memories.
For readers …
• I’ve started reading Balzac’s amazing series of novels and novellas, The Human Comedy, set in France just after the Napoleonic era. Balzac wrote over 90 for the series in under 20 years. 90! Amazingly, a Kindle edition of the series—translated, annotated and illustrated—is available for only $2.50. From an article in the Guardian:
“Balzac was also incredibly influential. Without him, no Proust, no Flaubert, and – who knows? – no realism.” — Peter Brooks
“The 19th century, as we know it, is largely an invention of Balzac’s.” — Oscar Wilde
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June 14, 2015
A Sundae of Sundries: great links for readers, writers, historians & sundry other folk
Happy Sunday! I’m newly home from weeks away for wedding festivities and grandmother pleasures—I was going to say “duties,” but “pleasures” is far more apt—and diving back into the WIP. Here are some links I think you may find of special interest this week:
For writers …
• What authors do when they are “Between Books.” I smiled at this:
“We leaf through our dozens of books on the writer’s craft, thinking that maybe there is something left to be said on the subject and that we just might be the one to say it (a great way to postpone writing fiction).
• I’ve mentioned Sarah Selecky’s website Story is a State of Mind before. She’s a wonderful writer and teacher, and if you’re looking for a guide in your work, I highly recommend her courses. I subscribe to her newsletter and read her blog, which I love. Here is her latest blog post, about the importance of attention in writing: What does “show, don’t tell” really mean?
• This made me laugh! If Jane Austen Got Feedback from Some Guy in A Writing Workshop.
For flâneurs through history …
• It is astonishing to me what you can find on the Internet. Have a look at this book, published in 1829: Domestic Duties; or Instructions to Young Married Ladies on the management of their households, and the regulation of their conduct in the various relations and duties of Married Life.
• Imagine busy city streets without any traffic rules whatsoever: London Traffic Rules of the 1800s. Not that long ago.
• It’s hard for us to understand the fears around bathing today, but it’s also hard to imagine the intense paranoia of a post-plague world. A New Idea: Bathing for Health and Beauty.
• It’s No Joke: The Life of a Victorian Street Clown.
For Napoleonistas …
• What did Napoleon Look Like?
For everyone …
• I found Obama’s eulogy for Joe Biden’s son Beau Biden very, very moving: President Obama’s Eulogy for Beau Biden is Mandatory Listening, or here for a direct link to the YouTube recording.
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June 9, 2015
How to write a novel when life is incredibly full
{Carrie & Bruce & wee Kiki}
I’ve been away from home and in glowing excitement turmoil for three weeks: our daughter married, family visiting, a wee grand-daughter to look after while the new Mr. & Mrs. Sudds went on their honeymoon.
{My growing family, including a number who flew in from California.}
This has all been way more than wonderful (so wonderful!), but writing — especially writing fiction — requires dull routine, a daily perseverance.
I’ve been able to touch-base with the WIP almost daily through Cup of Work. This helps a great deal, but even so it’s never easy to come back to a work of fiction.
It takes days.
I begin by circling, like a dog settling down for a nap.
First circle:
Where to begin? A novel is an unwieldy beast, and mine is at a particularly unwieldy stage.
Forgive me a moment as I think out loud:
— I have 64-pages of new scenes. I need to sort out how these will fit in to the existing draft.
— I have a 367-page printout of draft 5.5. This needs to be read, edited and revised.
— I have stacks of research material to read.
— I have a 250-page Excel worksheet, an attempt to sort out the story’s plot points and themes (@ to my latest plot-system enthusiasm, Book Architecture; How to Plot and Outline Without Using a Formula by Stuart Horwitz). Like so many things in my life, this worksheet has spun way out of control.
— And last, but certainly not least: I have a deadline. Of sorts. I’m to touch-base with my agent in three weeks.
Yikes.
What can be accomplished in only three weeks?
I’m still at a structural stage with all this new material to incorporate, so a close read/edit of draft 5.5 is premature. A cut & paste edit comes to mind. The Excel worksheet analysis might be helpful, I think, but only if I go about it more systematically.
Second circle:
Might I tackle only the first 100 pages? This seems like a workable goal. I could use a bare bones Excel worksheet to establish the overall story arcs and themes, and then cut-and-paste.
Third circle:
So! How to write a novel when life is so full? I have a plan. This week: Excel. Next week: cut & paste the first 100 pages. Last week: a fast read & edit. Research reading at leisure.
And fuelling it all, the glow of love …
{Carrie and her girls: Ellie — don’t you love her choice of shoes? — and Kiki.}
Wee Kiki stayed awake at the wedding until midnight, and insisted on sleeping in her dress that night. “I want to go back to the wedding!” she said on waking the next morning.
We all do!
These wonderful photos are by Danielle Blancher (Danielle Blancher Photography).
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How to write a novel when life is so incredibly full
{Carrie & Bruce & wee Kiki}
I’ve been away from home and in glowing excitement turmoil for three weeks: our daughter married, family visiting, a wee grand-daughter to look after while the new Mr. & Mrs. Sudds went on their honeymoon.
{My growing family, including a number who flew in from California.}
This has all been way more than wonderful (so wonderful!), but writing — especially writing fiction — requires dull routine, a daily perseverance.
I’ve been able to touch-base with the WIP almost daily through Cup of Work. This helps a great deal, but even so it’s never easy to come back to a work of fiction.
It takes days.
I begin by circling, like a dog settling down for a nap.
First circle:
Where to begin? A novel is an unwieldy beast, and mine is at a particularly unwieldy stage.
Forgive me a moment as I think out loud:
— I have 64-pages of new scenes. I need to sort out how these will fit in to the existing draft.
— I have a 367-page printout of draft 5.5. This needs to be read, edited and revised.
— I have stacks of research material to read.
— I have a 250-page Excel worksheet, an attempt to sort out the story’s plot points and themes (@ to my latest plot-system enthusiasm, Book Architecture; How to Plot and Outline Without Using a Formula by Stuart Horwitz). Like so many things in my life, this worksheet has spun way out of control.
— And last, but certainly not least: I have a deadline. Of sorts. I’m to touch-base with my agent in three weeks.
Yikes.
What can be accomplished in only three weeks?
I’m still at a structural stage with all this new material to incorporate, so a close read/edit of draft 5.5 is premature. A cut & paste edit comes to mind. The Excel worksheet analysis might be helpful, I think, but only if I go about it more systematically.
Second circle:
Might I tackle only the first 100 pages? This seems like a workable goal. I could use a bare bones Excel worksheet to establish the overall story arcs and themes, and then cut-and-paste.
Third circle:
So! How to write a novel when life is so full? I have a plan. This week: Excel. Next week: cut & paste the first 100 pages. Last week: a fast read & edit. Research reading at leisure.
And fuelling it all, the glow of love …
{Carrie and her two daughters: Ellie — don’t you love her choice of shoes? — and Kiki.}
Wee Kiki stayed awake at the wedding until midnight, and insisted on sleeping in her dress that night. “I want to go back to the wedding!” she said on waking the next morning.
We all do!
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May 31, 2015
Sundae Sundries: links worth sharing
I was Mother-of-the-Bride last night: such a happy time! Needless to say, I’ve been just a bit preoccupied. Here, at least, are this week’s Sunday Sundries:
For writers …
• The only technique to learn something new. This applies to any passion, and especially to writing.
• Write a Plot Outline: The Infographic. This is great.
• What makes authors dress up like clowns? Kathy L. Patrick’s Pulpwood Queens Author Extravaganza. So much fun.
• Elevator Pitches. We all hate having to come up with a few sentences to convey the essence of the sprawling novel we’re writing, but I’m afraid it’s important. My agent recommended this CBC podcast, and I’m glad she did.
• Was this review helpful to you? Hahahaha. Although not so funny to authors. Even one one-star review drags down a book’s sales and upsets a book’s publisher.
For promoters …
• V is for Virtual Tour provides an informative description of a virtual (i.e. blog) tour from The Publishing Bones. (How to set up a blog tour is one of my most visited posts.)
For flâneurs through history …
• In and Out of Jane Austen’s Window: people used to walk everywhere.
• Laughing at French Smiles and Dentures. This made me laugh!
• The Cloister and Accounts Payable. In researching Mistress of the Sun, I learned that Cloister life was like a mini-world, and woman the capable managers.
For Napoleonistas …
• Pacino dreams of playing Napoleon. I’d love to see this.
• Bonaparte: 1769 – 1802, by Patrice Gueniffey (translated by Steven Rendall): a translation of the first in a new, prize-winning two-book biography of Napoleon.
• Tweetable Napoleon: a collection of his quotes: a page I’ve just set up on my website.
For readers …
• A memoir I’m relishing now: H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. A woman falconer takes on the challenge of training a hawk as a way of overcoming grief. Fascinating, and beautifully written.
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May 20, 2015
Notes on the run
{A photo from years ago.}
Sorry about that last blog post! I meant to click “Save Draft,” but clicked “Publish” instead.
So much going on!
I’m in Ottawa with my dear sister Robin and her great mate Betsy. We’ve been “talking up a storm,” eating really well, and then talking and eating well again. (“Town” on Elgin! The best restaurant ever!) Tomorrow we head back home to the country for more talking and fine dining.
Sigh!
And then to Toronto for more family and more talking and feasting, all leading up to our daughter’s wedding.
The best of times! I’d count my blessings, but they seem to be innumerable.
xo
P.S. If you haven’t read H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald, do so now.
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Sundae Sundries: links worth sharing
“Sundae Sundries” offer links to things on the Net that I have found especially of interest of late. It is intended to be posted every Sunday, but Life is now in pre-daughter-getting-married-mode, so routine has gone out the window. Enjoy!
Links on writing …
• What does “show, don’t tell” really mean? Sarah Selecky is a fine writer and teacher of writing. If you are a writer or aspire to be one, her website is well worth checking out, as are her classes. I subscribe to her emails on writing. Highly recommended!
Links of interest to us flâneurs through history …
• A treatise on landscape painting in water colours by UK artist David Cox (1783-1859) and others, published in 1813. This is a rare book, and one I wanted to find because Hortense de Beauharnais, the subject of the novel I am writing, is an artist. I was delighted to find it available for download on Internet Archive.
• Feeling Swinish: Or the Origins of “Pandemic.” This relates to a blog post I wrote: The use of quarantine to prevent the spread of deadly diseases in 18th century France.
Links for social historians …
• Gossip, Flattery, and Flirtation: The Art of Eighteenth-Century Letter Writing Irresistible! I have Richardson’s Familiar Letters on order.
• Defiant Dressing: What Joan of Arc Wore. Because anything to do with Joan of Arc is fascinating.
Links on life …
• I love the blog BrainPickings, and recently, in particular, this post: “How to Merge Money and Meaning: An Animated Field Guide to Finding Fulfilling Work in the Modern World.”
• Through this post I discovered the YouTube School of Life series “How to Live,” which the wonderful writer Alain de Botton is a significant part of. Well! I’m an Alain de Botton fan, so call me Interested. To sample their offerings, watch this short video: How to Find Fulfilling Work.
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May 10, 2015
A Sundae of Sundries: links worth sharing
Happy Mother’s Day, one and all. This is my first “Sunday Sundries.” I come upon many links on the Net I want to share, and this is a way of doing so.
Links on writing …
• This short YouTube video on The Hero’s Journey is well worth watching. (Read this Brain Pickings blog post for more on Joseph Campbell’s story structure.)
• 10 top writing tips and the psychology behind them.
• How to Meditate When You’re Too Busy to Meditate, and Why You Should Care, a post written with writers in mind.
• 5 Things I’ve Learned from Writing a YA Novel, an essay I wrote for Writer Unboxed.
• The Terror of Last-Minute Revision: Confessions of an Editor-turned-Novelist, an essay for The Savvy Reader.
Links of interest to all us research nerds …
• Just for a smile: Scary hair towers.
• A wonderful historical blog: “All Things Georgian.”
Links for Napoleonatics …
• Madame Campan’s Academy, a play about Hortense, the subject of the YA novel I’m writing. The opening promotion goes like this:
You think your life is challenging? Imagine your stepfather is Napoleon Bonaparte!
That’s so good. (If only I had thought of it.)
• I love this movie of kids enacting the life of Napoleon.
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May 8, 2015
On writing YA fiction, newsletter mysteries and a cup of work
I’ve two guest blog posts on-line now that might be of interest to you. One is on what I’ve learned writing YA fiction, and the other is on a rather unusual approach to writing.
“5 Things I’ve Learned from Writing a YA Novel” for Writer Unboxed.
“The Terror of Last-Minute Revision: Confessions of an Editor-turned-Novelist” at The Savvy Reader.
Newsletter: a winner, and subscription mysteries
The day before we left San Miguel de Allende, I sent out a newsletter. (Yes, a crazy thing to do at the time!) If you missed it, click here. I’ll be sending off the winner of a book to Cindy today. She’s thrilled!
A reader wrote that she subscribed some time ago, yet doesn’t get the newsletters. I checked, and she is subscribed, but it’s curious that she doesn’t receive them. Are you subscribed, and yet not receiving them? Be sure to let me know.
A Sundae of Sundries … coming right up
I can’t linger now (the day begins!), but just want to say I’m going to begin posting a weekly summary of links I feel are share-worthy—”A Sundae of Sundries”—on … of course … Sundays.
Snow-birds landing heavily laden
We’ve been back home in Canada four days now: I’ve still got stacks of books to sort, piles of mail to answer, more friends to hug.
A few nights ago my husband cooked a chicken stuffed with the wild leeks he’d picked on the hill behind our house that afternoon. I love our two very-different lives—the one in festive, vibrant Mexico, and the other in our very quiet and somewhat remote part of rural Ontario.
Cup of Work to the rescue
But now for coffee and my Cup of Work. It takes time to get back into familiar daily routines. My Cup of Work is one anchor, no matter where we are, no matter how unsettled.
If you would like to know more about “Cup of Work” —
“I’ll have a “Cup of Work” please—writing on the road plus treasure hunts
A writer’s routine: evolving what works
A writer’s routine: how to get into a creative head space
Enjoy your weekend!
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