Ellyn Oaksmith's Blog, page 5
November 13, 2015
What am I learning from NanoWriMo 2015? 5 Great Things
What am I learning from NanoWriMo 2015? 5 Great Things
Sign up for my newsletter (link on header) by 2016 and receive a limited edition free e-copy. I’m taking the weekend off from my 1,000 word daily quota for Funny is the New Sad: Road Tripping with Depression to regroup, reflect, and watch football. Five things I’m learning: Writing fast is great. I lose fear and inhibitions and yes, the typos flow but they can be fixed later. This was a great…
November 12, 2015
NanoWriMo - Funny is the New Sad Post #9 -- Christmas with the Butthole Surfers
NanoWriMo – Funny is the New Sad Post #9 — Christmas with the Butthole Surfers
Designed by John Portman and Associates. (Author’s note: When writing of a novel, I’m never quite sure of the shape until I’m done. Never having written a memoir, I realize now — this isn’t one. It’s my version of a story. It isn’t my father’s experience, nor anyone else in my family. Memories are built upon other memories. All this happened a quarter century ago. For me, the emotions remain…
November 11, 2015
NanoWriMo - Sad is the New Funny Post #7: Not Street Wise
NanoWriMo – Sad is the New Funny Post #7: Not Street Wise
A documentary filmed in Seattle about street kids in 1984 Christmas 1984. My 13 year old brother was gone. A runaway. Deck the halls with, what? Fear? My parents, I knew, were scared out of their minds. They didn’t tell me, knowing I’d feel helpless all the way across the country in Massachusetts. Once I’d settled in at home, the panic and worry seeped slowly out. As usual, my dad made it seem…
November 9, 2015
NanoWriMo Post #7 Happy News. New Cover. Onward: Sad is the New Happy: Road-tripping with Depression
NanoWriMo Post #7 Happy News. New Cover. Onward: Sad is the New Happy: Road-tripping with Depression
Colored letters — confusing or useful? Click on photo to purchase. Last night I found out I was a finalist in a contest I’d forgotten about. So I made this graphic on Canva.com, which is what I do when I want to say I’m writing but I’m not. Also, I made a new cover. Not sure about the colored letters. What do you think? Comments appreciated. I don’t think much serious memoir writing will get…
November 8, 2015
NanoWriMo2015 Day 6: Funny is the New Sad: West Coast Edition (Christmas Part 2)
NanoWriMo2015 Day 6: Funny is the New Sad: West Coast Edition (Christmas Part 2)
Ugh. The thing about this blog memoir thing is I have hung myself. One entry a day. It’s Sunday people. Time to eat white sugary things, lie in bed, read Fannie Flagg’s awesome new book and think about cleaning the house. Instead I wake up at 6:00, angry at my husband for sleeping, panicked. That prompt, that last lousy prompt: Christmas Part 1. That means there is a part 2. And the reason I’m…
November 7, 2015
NanoWriMo2015 -- New Title, quicky cover and blurb reveal
NanoWriMo2015 — New Title, quicky cover and blurb reveal
My attempt at a book cover. Funny is the New Sad: A Slanted Memoir Author: Ellyn Oaksmith Genre: Satire/Humor Synopsis Got depression? I sure do. Every time I think I’ve slapped it down with swimming laps, talking to my dog, grooming my obese polydactyl shelter cat, it rears it’s ugly head to remind me — it’s a gift. After completing my first young adult novel, Chasing Nirvana (well, it’s almost…
November 6, 2015
NaNoWriMo Day#4: Sad is the New Funny: Roadtripping with Depression (Christmas part1)
NaNoWriMo Day#4: Sad is the New Funny: Roadtripping with Depression (Christmas part1)
Merry Christmas from LA Christmas. A time of light, cheer, love, celebrating the birth of a pretty cool Jew. Just imagine my mom: the cute Canadian, bustling around, baking, cleaning, getting excited that all her little chicks (the angry/funny writer, the wicked smart/hilarious depressive, the little well-read brother trying to figure us all out) were all going to be together. A Dysfunctional…
November 5, 2015
Depression is Funny: #3 NaNoWriMo Edition
Depression is Funny: #3 NaNoWriMo Edition
See Heather. See Ellyn. See Heather and Ellyn Ski. It’s 1:40 a.m, in the midst of night sweats and insomnia. Everyone is telling me to slow down, using that “I’m being patient because you’re crazy” tone. Chasing Nirvana is called, in the vast auditorium in my head where I give TED talks to adoring throngs as The Novel That Will Kill Me. I’m in last draft manic territory. Where I can’t sleep, lose…
November 3, 2015
Depression and Comedy: Quick Post #1
Depression and Comedy: Quick Post #1
What a steal! It all began with a pair of white jeans, which is funny because I still love white jeans. It didn’t occur to me until I started writing this that a thing I love to wear year round and collect were the first thing I stole. Weird. There I was, a screenwriter with an agent at CAA, rounds of meetings, big name producers, a meeting with Henry Winkler, Sherry Lansing (head of Paramount)…
November 2, 2015
Depression and Comedy: Introduction
Depression and Comedy: Introduction
This isn’t going to be a full fledged blog — just a micro update on what I’m going to do. Don’t hate me. I just realized I thought I was writing an LGBT book because it was an awsome plot. Turns out the G, which I haven’t experienced personally experienced (except one weird moment with a friend who was drunk and forgot I was straight,) is really, in the end, a metaphor for depression. With which…
