M.J. Pullen's Blog, page 6

Oscar 2018 Wrap + Molotov Cocktail Drink Recipes

In keeping with my post-Oscars tradition, I thought I’d do a quick post to wrap up last night’s festivities, and share some pictures from our annual spread of food puns. It was s different gathering than usual, since my long-time Oscar buddy Rob and his beautiful wife Tiffany were busy having their first evening home with their brand new son. We missed them, of course, but we’re delighted to have a new little boy in our lives to love (especially since he’s one we can hand back after we love on him!).

If you stayed up to watch last night, you know that the Oscar wins were pretty evenly divided between several films, with no one movie running away with the night. I like it that way, don’t you? Different faces on the podium, spread the joy around, etc.

I loved Jimmy Kimmel and the fact that his Oscars show is pretty much an extension of his regular show, just slightly more high-brow. Taking the celebs across the street to hand out candy to patrons at the movie theater was a nice touch. Also, the costume designer who won a jet ski for the brevity of his speech. If Jimmy Kimmel is becoming our collective conscience, I’m glad our conscience hasn’t lost his easy generosity and cheesy sense of humor.

The speeches were great (Gary Oldman needs an editor, perhaps, he was a bit rambly). My two favorite speeches were from Frances McDormand, who invited all the female nominees to stand and celebrate with her when she won for best actress (I admit it, I cried), and seeing Jordan Peele become the first African-American to win for Best Original Screenplay. I loved Get Out, on so many levels (even though I am a big chicken about horror movies and spent a decent part of the film hiding under a blanket). The teacup Hubs put out with our “Get Stout” offering was still creeping me out by the light of day. So there’s pun #1.

Pun #2 was Phantom Bread, on which we served “The Roast” for adults in honor of #3 The Post. The kids got to enjoy some “government coverups” (pigs in blankets) from the same theme. There was a Victory Garden Salad in honor of #4 Darkest Hour, as some tuna/egg and zucchini/cheese boats went out to rescue the troops at #5 Dunkirk. A friend also brought “Dunkirk Donuts,” which were well-received by all the short people in our house. For desserts, we had #6 Lady Bird Fingers with berries & whipped cream; and #7 “The Shape of Jello.”

The adults enjoyed a peaches & cream milkshake, made by a dear friend in honor of #8 Call Me By Your Name. And ever the mixologist, Hubs made two kinds of Molotov Cocktails (with Fireball whiskey!) in honor of #9 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Honestly, when he suggested this particular ingredient would be central to our evening, I cringed a little. Fireball isn’t exactly my favorite sipping drink. But these cocktails were so delicious (especially the surprising first one), that I thought I’d share his recipes with you.

Old Fashioned Fireball

This one surprised all of us with how much we liked it. I’m giving you two versions, the super-nerdy first one in which you can tell my husband is a chemical engineer, and the second is for less-persnickety bartenders who are comfortable with words like “splash,” “dash,” and “smidgen.”

10 parts orange juice 
10 parts Fireball whiskey
1 part maple syrup
Shake, pour over ice

OR

3 parts orange juice
3 parts Fireball whiskey
Splash maple syrup
Shake, pour over ice

Fiery Apple Pie

4 parts apple juice
1.5 vanilla vodka
1.5 Fireball whiskey
Pinch cinnamon
Shake, pour over ice
Garnish with a cinnamon stick

If you make these at home, I’m sure Hubs would love to know how they came out. And if you do your own Oscar puns, post pictures or comments below.

Enjoy! 

     

P.S. I’ll be sending out the next installment of Easy as Pie, my novella in progress, to my Distracted Reader newsletter subscribers in the next few days. If you aren’t on my list and want to get in on the fun, sign up here!

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Nerdiest Oscar Post Ever: The Dunkirk-Darkest Machete Order

It’s Oscar Week! I am super excited. We managed to stream both Lady Bird[image error] and Get Out[image error] over the weekend. Both are wonderful in their own ways, with brilliant acting and directing. But I have to say that Get Out will be giving me chills for weeks. The alternate ending is worth watching, too, if you can.

These two films put us at having seen 6 out of 9 of the Best Picture noms, which is a pretty good streak for us. It’s always a challenge to squeeze in enough adult time between the nominations and the awards to see all the films, but we do what we can.

You’ve probably noticed, as I have, that this year’s films seem to cluster around themes. Racism and justice, holding leadership accountable, the impact of the media, coming of age… And two of this year’s best picture films (Dunkirk and Darkest Hour) center on the same critical moment in World War II in Britain, taking different perspectives on Britain’s response to the fall of France and Belgium to the Nazis in May 1940.

This is me in the underground bunker at the Churchill War Rooms, now a museum. The guards were super friendly, and great listeners. (July 2016)

Since I studied this era in British history a good bit recently, I was nerdy excited to see both films come out, and was thrilled that they are both (to me) excellent and revelatory in completely different ways.

**Edit to Add: Someone asked me about spoilers, and I will say that depending on your knowledge of WWII history, this might contain some information you don’t know if you haven’t seen the films. Since both movies are (I think) about telling the unexpected or little known side of well-known time in history, I don’t think what I say here will in any way ruin your experience with either film.**

Darkest Hour focuses on the political machinations in 1940 Westminister in general, the character of Winston Churchill (and others, including Clementine Churchill, Elizabeth Layton, Neville Chamberlain, Lord Halifax and King George VI) in particular. It shows in excruciating detail how close England came to capitulation to Hitler when things looked bleakest. How different history would be…

[By the way, if you’re interested in America’s role during this pre-Pearl Harbor era, I highly recommend Lynne Olson’s fascinating book, Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour[image error]. I don’t consider myself a history expert, or buff even, but the close character studies in that book cast that critical period in a whole new light for me.]

Dunkirk is a gritty, chaotic look at the seminal battle during that same time, which became the rallying point around which the British people gathered their courage to fight another day. It’s an excellent film as well, and what I loved about it from an artistic standpoint was that there was no true main character or protagonist (though there were plenty of heroes and heroic acts). Also, the sound editing is incredible in that movie — not something I usually notice — and I will be rooting for them in that category.

It occurred to me that — for my fellow nerds especially — these two films would go great together. So, with an apologetic nod to Rod Hilton and the Star Wars franchise, I’ve borrowed his term and created my own, smaller-scale machete order, so you can have your own Oscar-nominated, British-resistance night in.

Step #1 – Get the movies

Here are the streaming links*:

Darkest Hour [image error]

Dunkirk [image error]

Or, to purchase the DVDs*:

Darkest Hour [image error]

Dunkirk (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital)

*FTC disclosure: The links to the films and book in this post are affiliate links, which means if you click them and stream the movies from there, or go on to buy anything else while you’re on Amazon, I get a teeny-tiny percentage back from Amazon for sending you there (you don’t pay more than if you search for them yourselves). I really appreciate your support! Most other links are to recipes, information, etc., and are not affiliate links. There, I’m just being nice.

Let it Begin: Pre-Gaming for the Oscars

There’s a spot on the couch with my name on it right now, y’all. The Olympics are here, AND the Oscars are coming!

It’s funny, I’m not exactly a film nerd, and never have been. I know this, in part, because I dated a film nerd in college, and there’s no one who can help you define who you aren’t better than your college boyfriend. But I do love movies, and over the last decade-plus, Oscar Night has become one of my most treasured evenings of the year.

Maybe it’s because writers don’t really have a Super Bowl, so the highest profile night in the entertainment industry is the closest thing we can get. [Don’t get me wrong, I hear that the afterparty following the Pulitzer luncheon can get CRAZY! Remember 2006? When Dele Olojede and John Patrick Shanley wore the same tie, and John was all, Dude that’s a dramatist’s tie, I thought we were clear on that and Dele was all like, sorry I guess I was too busy reporting on the haunting aftereffects of genocide and mass rape to take fashion directives from a playwright. BURN! It didn’t make the “Who Wore It Better?” page in People, but it should have…]

Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching the Oscars for the past decade-plus with one of my oldest and dearest friends. We’ve now included our spouses and a few other friends in on the tradition. And this year, there’s a chance my friend will be too busy welcoming his own little star into the world to give the Oscars a second thought. I’ll be just as excited to be on baby watch as I will be playing Oscar bingo!

Maybe it’s because at our house, we have evolved the tradition of making Oscar-pun-inspired foods and drinks every year, which means I watch each film with that in the back of my mind. Ooh, Dunkirk is compelling and realistic and cinematically interesting. I wonder if this means I have to serve seafood? 

Whatever the reason, I do love the Oscars. And while I don’t get to as many movies as I’d like, we try to cross at least a few of the Best Picture Noms off our list every January/February so that we can have strong feelings about what happens on that night. Bingo helps, too. And booze. And critiquing the outfits of world’s most glamorous people while sitting at home in my jeans, fuzzy socks and that shirt with the red wine stain on it.

So far this year we’ve managed to see “Dunkirk,” “Darkest Hour,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and “The Post.” We also saw — and loved — “I, Tonya,” “The Big Sick,” “The Greatest Showman,” “Coco,” and… you know it, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which are nominated in other categories. We’re hoping to get in a couple more — “Get Out” and maybe “Lady Bird,” — before Oscar night.

What have you seen and loved this year? Do you watch the Oscars like I do, with a glass of wine and way too much emotional investment? Or do you just flip through the highlights and the best dressed the next day?

 

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Marriage Pact Mad Libs – Round 1

A couple of weeks ago on my Facebook page, we played Mad Libs with some excerpts from The Marriage Pact trilogy. It was a ton of fun, and I got to give away Distracted Reader mugs to a few randomly-selected readers who joined in. By coincidence, they all have names that start with “D.” Congratulations Dyana, Deena and Dianne!

We’ll definitely play again soon. (Make sure you like my Facebook page and turn on notifications to play. I’ll also send a note to my Distracted Readers to give you a heads up when the next rounds are coming.)

In the meantime, I thought you’d get a kick out of reading the fruits of our Mad Labor. Enjoy!

 

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Dead Word Compost

In a conversation over in the Draft House Writer’s Studio this week, one of our members mentioned that she has a filing cabinet full of discarded attempts at fiction. She said this with a sense of discouragement I think is common among early-career writers.

We think: I tried. I failed. This is hard. I may never be good enough.

I thought it might be helpful to share my response to her here as well.



I have file folders FULL of terrible stuff on my computer. I mean, awful. There are documents with 15,000+, 20,000+, and nearly 40,000 words. This includes three different books that would’ve been my first novel if I’d kept going. Stories started and abandoned still outnumber stories finished for me. By A LOT.


 


Also, every book I write has a “Murdered Darlings” file. These are from books I DID finish – big chunks of text that needed to come out, but I couldn’t bear to delete. In revision, I often know that I have to cut more than a paragraph to keep the book flowing properly. But sometimes I love what I’ve written, or I’m worried that I will lose some detail and need it again later. So I cut and paste big chunks of text into a separate document. I had one book in which the Murdered Darlings document was more than 25,000 words!

Basically, pruning is easier when you can tell yourself what you’re doing is reversible, that you can always go back to that text if you need it. (Incidentally, I never have. Not once.)


 


These “dead” words seem kind of pathetic on the surface. Time wasted, mistakes made. But if you learn nothing else from our time together, know this: those early drafts — the stuff that was hilarious and poignant when you wrote it, but now reads ridiculous or melodramatic — they are as important to your writing journey as the words you DO publish.


 


Malcolm Gladwell posits that it takes 10,000 hours to become a true expert at anything. (There’s some debate about whether Gladwell oversimplifies the process, but the need for hours and hours practice is undeniable.) Those words you cast aside or bury in the bottom of the filing cabinet represent some of your practice hours. No one wants to hear the violinist picking her way through a tortuously hard piece of music for the first time. But all those hours of practice allow her to play it beautifully for us in concert. Our first, second, third drafts and early writings are the same way.

You can’t skip over them, because they are part of the process; but you can’t hold onto them either. They are the compost for the soil that (someday) produces our best work.

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Occupational Hazards: The 2018 Experiment

AS ELEANOR ROOSEVELT ONCE SAID…
“Write One Email Every Month that Scares You.”

Okay, okay. She actually said, “do one thing every day that scares you.” But if Ellie were around today, I think she’d approve of the writing challenge I’ve set myself for 2018. (I also think she might smack me upside the head with a teacup for calling her “Ellie,” but that’s beside the point.)

I’ve been challenged by a colleague to write the next novella in the “Occupational Hazards” series in installments, and to send those pieces to my Distracted Reader email list as I write them. Now, I’m not precious about my writing, and I’m very open about the fact that nothing is perfect — even after several painful rounds of editing. But the idea that people (even trusted friends like you) might read a story before I even know how it’s going to end??

*Shudder.*

…AND YOU GET TO PARTICIPATE!
Read WAY before everyone else, AND influence the story.

For those of you my Distracted Reader list, you’ll not only get to read the installments of the story as they’re written, but I’ll be looking for your input from the very beginning. Maybe you’ll name a character, or help the heroine make a tough decision. I’ll send each chapter out via email, and we’ll also discuss them in the private, subscribers-only Facebook Group just for you! (Follow the link and request to join – just input the email address you have subscribed, or I’ll subscribe you with the email you put in).

I’ll also be doing giveaways all year on my main author page AND in the private group, for those who participate.

Join anytime!

If you’ve found this post later in the year, do not fret. You’ll receive a link with the story so far in your signup confirmation email.

May 2018 bring you health, adventure, prosperity and… Happy Reading!

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What We Repeatedly Do – Making Plans for 2018

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. – Will Durant

I have mixed feelings about New Year’s resolutions. On the one hand, I’m the kind of girl who needs all the structure she can get. For those of us with disorganized brains, goals that are tied to concrete dates and numbers are easier to keep top of mind. They create that rush of external stimulation to fuel our interest and keep us motivated. In fact, maybe it’s not just those of us with ADHD. Maybe that’s part of why New Year’s Resolutions are so appealing. A clean slate for a new year, a launching place for us to become better, healthier, more like the best versions of ourselves.

On the other hand, we all probably know that the promises we make to ourselves in January are often broken by March (or, you know… January 5th). I’ll say I’m going to cut out sugar, and I do really well for a few days, getting all smug and self-important. And then, one morning I wake up face-down in an empty tub of ice cream I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER BUYING. I mean, that ice cream could have had a disease. It could have been a serial killer. What was I thinking?? That sense of failure that accompanies not living up to our ideal selves is discouraging, and can lead us toward even less healthy, productive behavior.

So this year, I do have a few concrete goals: fitness goals (at least 180 Jazzercise classes), publication goals (at least one full-length novel out this year, possibly two – more on that later!), writing goals (too extensive and complicated for a parenthetical). They’ve been in place for a while, and I’ve been working toward each of them for weeks or months already. January 1st is just another marker on the timeline for these things, a reminder of where I am and what I want to accomplish.

But I do also have some challenges to myself for this year. If you’re on my email list you know that starting January 1st, you will get to read my next Occupational Hazards novella as I’m writing it. And you’ll even get to have input — like deciding from the very beginning who our heroine will be. This is basically a writer’s version of doing live improv, and I will tell you the truth that it scares me a little. Which is also what’s so exciting. (Want to get in on the action? Sign up for my Distracted Reader emails and the Distracted Reader Facebook group. I’m giving away lots of mugs this year, too!)

On the personal front, I’m trying to get to the bottom of some health challenges, and very aware that eating less sugar and more anti-inflammatory foods would be helpful there. Soooo easy, right? If you were with me a few years ago during the previous sugar challenge, you know I handled it with all the grace and charm of a pissed-off grizzly bear tangled in Christmas lights. So now I’m trying to push myself to make healthy changes without making it an all-or-nothing proposition, and without terrorizing any neighboring parks. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes. (Or just watch the news for attempted break-ins at the Toblerone factory.)

Psychologically, I’m trying to keep my filter a little stronger this year. Most creative people I’ve talked to in 2017 have been sharing the same struggle: trying to stay involved and informed about the world without letting frustration and despair keep us from creating. I am committed to reminding myself, forcefully if need be, that what I do (tiny as it is) is part of keeping hope alive through love and laughter and squirmy butterflies. Some days it’s hard to get to a “squirmy butterfly” kind of place, but I’m going to do better this year.

Beyond that…

I hope that my children (and Hubs) feel loved and valued every day. I hope I am quick to recognize injustice in the system, and slow to feel slighted or offended by individuals. I hope to spend more time living in the present and less time worrying about the future. And, yeah, the whole sunscreen thing.

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, which means months of planning, consideration and personal/religious reflection will culminate with my children saying, together, their sweet little voices unified in song: “Is this all you got me?”

May this be a season of love and light (and reading) for us all!

book menorah is complete!

we hope it brings light to our neighborhood all season long! pic.twitter.com/LtaYBnlPnS

— The Ripped Bodice (@TheRippedBodice) November 26, 2017

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My 2018 Reading List in Progress

I’m putting together my 2018 Reading List on Goodreads! This year I am working on expanding my horizons and getting around to some books that have been on my TBR (to be read) pile for a while, waiting for me to get to them. These selections are in-process, of course, and reflect my desire to (a) read more by writers I’ve met and interacted with personally and (b) to read books by more authors from underrepresented groups (authors of color and LGBT authors). I’m also trying a few titles in genres I don’t normally read much in, like sci-fi and fantasy.

In the meantime, I’m still a few books behind on my 30-book challenge for this year… partly because (without the day job commute) I’ve spent less time in the car this year, and listening to audiobooks is one of my favorite, most consistent ways to read. Looks like I’m going to have to up my game for next year. I have 32 books on this list already and I get the feeling I’m not done yet!

What are you reading this year? Leave your suggestions in the comments and maybe I’ll add some of your choices to my list. If you need ideas, the NPR Book Concierge is a great place to start.

And, if you’re not already, connect with me on Goodreads. Happy Reading!

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Distracted Writer: 6 Ways to Conquer a Holiday Break

Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting you?

I’m writing this on a chilly Georgia morning, the Monday before Thanksgiving, with my peppermint mocha coffee in hand. Like many of my American counterparts, my kids are off school this week and we are gearing up for family and turkey and major indigestion.

I have a deadline next week, which is why my kids are enjoying day camp with their friends today and this post will be pretty short! But it got me thinking about how a holiday week can impact those of us who write — either for a living, or for a hobby we hope will one day be a living. Sometimes it’s a boon: extra time away from the day job or perhaps a chance to hammer out a few words on an airplane or in the passenger seat next to a very understanding spouse. Other times, all the family time and change in schedule can really snap us out of our routine.

In either case, here are some suggestions about how to make the most of your holiday to keep your writing on track:

Write. Okay, I know this seems obvious, but if you can manage it, a holiday break can be a great time to squeeze in some extra words. Maybe it means getting up super early before the rest of your family to write, an/or taking full advantage of the post-turkey nap time. Maybe you’re just balancing your laptop on the counter while the turkey is roasting and everyone else is watching football. Maybe you offer to drive for the Black Friday shopping, and then sit in your car writing while your spouse wades into the shopping madness.

If you have a daily writing habit (especially if you’re still plugging away at #NaNoWriMo), try to stick to it as much as you can over the holidays, even if the distractions make it challenging. Go with quantity over quality when your schedule is a challenge – staying in touch with the words is the most important thing. If you don’t have a daily writing habit, the break can be a good time to try one on for size, and a great excuse to sneak away from some of the family drama. Go ahead, you have my permission!
Read, read, read. It’s true what they say that reading constantly is an important part of [image error] writing, and a book can sometimes fit into a holiday situation where a laptop isn’t convenient (e.g., under the table while your uncles are fighting about who knows better how to carve a turkey).

A holiday break is a great time to try something totally new — read in a different genre, pick up a classic you’ve only been pretending that you’ve read on online quizzes, or choose a craft book to improve your writing.

For craft, I recommend Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life [image error] , Ursula K. LaGuin’s Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the [image error]Sea of Story[image error] or the perennial favorite On Writing[image error] by Stephen King.*


[image error] Listen to a podcast. If you have a long drive or flight on the docket for this holiday, consider downloading a few episodes of a writing or publishing podcast to keep you aurally entertained (I almost wrote “aurally satisfied,” but that’s a bit much, even for me). Here’s a great list to choose from.

Writing Excuses has long been one of my favorites. It’s fast paced and funny and comes in short episodes (15-20 minutes each) so you can disconnect easily whenever you need and not have to wo [image error] rry about losing your place.  Start at the beginning of Season 10 and download several episodes at a time.
Talk to your family. What? Why? I’m becoming a writer so I can interact less with other humans! Well, of course, silly. I mean, talk to them about your writing.

Seriously, if you have a book on the market, or you’re submitting to agents/editors, be ready to answer questions about it at holiday gatherings with cheerful modesty. Distant family or friends who haven’t been in the trenches with you during the process of writing are also a great opportunity to practice and refine your elevator pitch. I don’t mean you should walk around handing out business cards at the holiday cocktail hour (please, please don’t). But when Aunt Selma says, “I heard you wrote a book! What is it about?” you should be ready to answer her, succinctly. If she asks for more information, great. If not, be a dear and pass the sweet potatoes.
Talk to your family, pre-published version. Maybe you don’t have a book coming out or in its final stages. Maybe you don’t have a book yet at all, but you’re just trying to figure out if this writing thing is something you want to pursue. Take the opportunity of having everyone together in one place to let your family know that writing is something you want to seriously explore. This is a tough gig — no matter how you slice it, and/or whether you stuff or dress it. If you want to get serious about being a writer, you’ll need full support from close friends and family: to give you time and space to write, to cheer you on when things are tough, to take you down a notch when things are going well and you’re becoming insufferable. The holidays are as good a time as any to express your love and gratitude to your people, and to let them know what they can do to support your writing career.
RELAX. Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves (and our writing) is to acknowledge that we need a break. So, yeah. You can follow my advice about squeezing in writing and keeping your eye on the ball. OR, if you’re happy with how your writing has been going, you don’t have deadlines, and/or you just know that need a break, take it. You’ve earned it. We only get one wild, wacky ride on this whole Life thing. Enjoy yours. Spend time with the people you love. Go for a walk amongst the fall leaves/December snow/sandy beach. Let your brain turn off, and know that all the ideas and rules and words will be there when you get back.

Happy Holidays!



[image error]* PS – This may be a separate post for another day, but please note that while I strongly recommend all three of these books for their philosophies of writing and craft, I also suggest that any writer getting her start in today’s market take with a ginormous grain of salt any business- or publishing- related advice from long-established authors. They are geniuses, all three of them. But learning the business end of writing from someone whose success was fully established before 2010, is like taking city driving lessons from an 18th Century stagecoach driver. Many of the rules and realities that applied to their publishing journey are simply no longer in effect. They are still worth the read, though!

PPS – Want to get an update every time I post a writing-related blog? Simply visit mjpullen.com/newsletter/ and click “I’m a… Writer” and/or “Send me… Writing Tips.”

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