Annie Cardi's Blog, page 62
December 7, 2012
Friday Fifteen
It’s Friday, right? It’s felt like such a long week that I’m a little scared we aren’t officially at Friday. Maybe the Friday Fifteen will make it feel more real. Onto the reviews!
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Collins works in touching moments and touching moments in the Hunger Games sequel.
2. Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
Moore balances the literary short story well with a good dose of humor.
3. Felicity’s Surprise (American Girls: Felicity #3) by Valerie Tripp
Middle school dances are cooler in Colonial Williamsburg.
4. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
So. Freaking. Cute. The fuzzy owls, the anxiety over mom coming back–can’t even deal.
5. Feed by M.T. Anderson
It’s not all GIFs and kitten videos when your brain’s connected to the internet.
Our Town and Realizing Life
Last night, Walt and I saw the Huntington Theatre’s production of David Cromer’s Our Town by Thornton Wilder. This might be my favorite play ever and this production was stunning. In general, the show emphasizes the fleetingness of life and the importance and beauty of the everyday. Cromer’s production takes this to a new level and I’m still pretty much an emotional wreck about the whole thing. (But in a good way.)
But it also made me think about an article I read recently about the art of being still and how that can help you as an artist. It’s easy to rush through the day and never really notice or appreciate the things and people around you. In Our Town, Emily and the Stage Manager have an exchange:
EMILY: Does anyone ever realize life while they live it…every, every minute?
STAGE MANAGER: No. Saints and poets maybe…they do some.
But even poets can get caught up in the rush of day jobs, laundry, making breakfast, paying electric bills, etc. In his article, Silas House suggests that we slow down and focus on the situation around us and ultimately utilize it in our writing:
“We must use every moment we can to think about the piece of writing at hand, to see the world through the point of view of our characters, to learn everything we can that serves the writing. We must notice details around us, while also blocking diversions and keeping our thought processes focused on our current poem, essay or book.”
I like the idea of a focused, hypersensitivity. Even if you don’t focus on a particular project, as a writer it really helps to live in the moment. You’re more likely to notice surprising details or odd characteristics when you’re not thinking about how you need milk or that you should email your friend about dinner. Not only is this important for general quality of life (it all goes so fast and is so beautiful), but it can bring a whole new depth to your writing life.
If you’re in the Boston area, you need to check out Our Town. And if you’re not, you still should check out a copy of the play. So good, guys.
December 6, 2012
A Room of One’s Own
Artist Julia Callon’s Houses of Fiction project is freaking awesome. She’s designed dioramas inspired by famous female characters in classic literature. Each diorama has two images–one representing the “passive, subservient woman” and the other representing the “madness”–in order to reflect the conflicting ideas of womanhood in these novels. I especially like her take on The Yellow Wallpaper:
Make sure to check out the full set of photographs on Callon’s website.
(image: Julia Callon)(via The Atlantic)
Inventing Characters
From this interview with Barbara Kingslover:
“Like all authors, I’m asked if characters are biographical, if I put people I know into my fiction. You can see from my process that that would be impossible for me. I begin by seeing a narrative, so I can’t put people I know in it—they simply wouldn’t behave properly, they wouldn’t be cooperative and do what I asked of them. So I invent the people I need, and that’s a lot more fun anyway. I can continually refine the characters, their histories, and their damage, until they are exactly the right people I need.”
I think this is one of the best responses to the “Who’s this character based on?” question ever. I hate when people assume that fiction comes entirely out of your life experiences. I tend to find the particular characters who are experiencing this particular story. Sometimes that matches up with things I’ve experienced or heard about in real life, but a lot of the time it comes from learning more about that character and that story.
Do you tend to invent your characters, use people you’ve met in real life, or a combination?
December 5, 2012
A Dress for Adventures
This Middle Earth dress is probably one of the loveliest Lord of the Rings-inspired outfits
You can even pair it with these Lord of the Rings earrings.
(image: Matt & Kristy)(via The Mary Sue)
December 4, 2012
Links Galore
A few more links for today:
Even typographers have to write by hand sometimes
An excellent response to an article questioning YA and manhood
Daily routines of famous writers.
Inspiring women writers including children’s authors like Judy Blume and Madeleine L’Engle.
They need to add “You keep using that word. I don’t think it means what you think it means,” to this list of Princess Bride quotes that can be used in workshop.
Outside of a Dog, a Book Is a Man’s Best Friend. Inside of a Dog It’s Too Dark to Read.
What’s better than photos of famous writers? Photos of famous writers with their pets, that’s what! My favorite:
I need to keep that kitten-on-the-shoulder shot in mind for future author photos. Of course, I’ll need to one-up Twain and have a kitten on each shoulder. Bring on the kittens!
Make sure to check out all the pictures; they’re so cute! And if you still need some more bookish animals, check out these pictures of cats and their books.
(image: The Atlantic)
December 3, 2012
You Will Honor District 12
Love this mashup of Mulan and The Hunger Games:
Mulan and Katniss would probably get along pretty well, come to think of it. Although thank goodness the Emperor of China is way cooler than President Snow.
Polished Pages
Nail art inspired by book covers? So much yes! I especially like the Blind Assassin nails:
Also, Hannah, can we can book themed nails for the next coterie book club?
