Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "non-fiction"

Okay, I confess. I'm stuck. I can't get it in gear. The wheels are spinning and I'm going nowhere fast. I'm...well I'm sure you get the point.
Truth be told, I've got a lot of writing to do in the next few days -- so much that it's hard to decide where or how to start. First there are the artist's statements and pitches for local photo exhibits. Then I've got to write a proposal strong enough to convince the chairman of the the Sociology and Anthropology Department at my Alma mater to let me talk to his students about my book.
On top of that, I decided to enter a prestigious short story contest sponsored by a large daily newspaper -- and the deadline is a mere six weeks away. That's six weeks to come up with an idea, create a viable plot and realistic characters, put everything on paper, wrap it up and then do the fine tuning. Oh, did I mention entries are restricted to fiction and there's a maximum word count? It's 9,000 words.
For some of you, that may not seem like much of a challenge. But for me, it's daunting. As a journalist and a memoir writer, I'm used to writing about real life and true experiences; fiction is an entirely different animal.
How do you juggle your priorities when it comes to writing? Which style do you prefer, fiction or non-fiction? Which comes easier to you and why?
For all of you fiction writers, what inspires you? How do you craft your plot and characters?
Drop me a note and let me know. I'll definitely respond.
Until next time, "That's life..."

It happened on an ordinary weekday not too long ago.
A couple of professional painters and their boss created considerable havoc, not to mention undue stress in my life by announcing I had to move some stuff so they could finish what they'd started.
Being a generally helpful and cooperative person, I spent the better part of that evening moving the "stuff," which, in all honesty turned out to be a bunch of books. Lots of books.
By the time I was finished, stacks of books littered the living room and bedroom floors. There were stacks of hardcover books, stacks of paperback books, stacks of old books and stacks of new books. Fiction, non-fiction, you name it, we've got it, and I moved it.
Looking at the maze I'd created I felt so fed up with the whole entire situation that I sent an email to my mother, who was vacationing in Australia. In that email, I said something I still regret.
We have way too many books, I said. Getting rid of a good 60 percent of them has to be a priority when you get back.
Think about it. It's the 21st century. We have modern technology. We can actually buy and read books on our tablets -- over and over again. Sure, storing them takes up some coveted memory in our precious devices. But the rest of our lives can remain blissfully uncluttered...
Then again, there's nothing like the curling up with a good book, especially on a cold winter's day or a hot summer afternoon, for that matter. Let's face it, beach blanket reading just isn't the same on a tablet or e-reader. And as Mom pointed out, books and bookshelves make a great statement when it comes to home decor. Especially in an old house.
So I guess the bottom line is that you really can't have enough books.
Until next time, "That's life..."

For this week's illustration, I created a "word cloud" based on one of my all-time favorite quotations. It is, as Virginia Woolf so eloquently said, "If you do not tell the truth about yourself, you cannot tell it about other people."
Given recent news about authors who allegedly fabricated material in well-known books chronicling personal experiences, I couldn't think of a better quotation or subject for discussion.
In order to properly frame said discussion however, I must first review the differences between memoir, autobiography and fact-based novels.
While memoir and autobiography are both non-fiction, there is a significant difference between the genres. Generally speaking, a memoir chronicles a certain period or aspect of the author's life. An autobiography is devoted to the author's entire life.
On the other hand, fact-based novels, or novels "based on true experiences" are exactly that. Consequently, authors of such novels can take certain liberties with character and plot development.
Those of us who have written memoirs and autobiographies don't have the same leeway. For memoirists, it is especially important to remain faithful to the truth no matter what. We must be brutally honest not only with our readers, but with ourselves. Trust me, I speak from experience.
In my memoir, I was incredibly honest not only about my experience with my ex, but about myself. Because I chose to be truthful about my life, some critics have said my memoir lacks conflict, a "story arc" and "character development." Others have said I included too much mundane detail.
Well, let's be honest. For most of us, life is boring and mundane. Daily drudgery is just that. Frankly there was nothing extraordinary about my life whatsoever until my former-husband's revelation turned it upside down. And although I endured a tremendous betrayal at his hands, there wasn't a lot of conflict between us even after he shared his secret.
I suppose some readers would expect me to invent these details to satisfy their expectations. But the bottom line is that an award-winning journalist, I never manipulated the facts to sensationalize an issue and as an author I refused to manipulate the facts of my own life just to make my book more "marketable" or "entertaining." After all, I wrote a memoir, not a novel based on true experiences.
Neither I nor my ex-husband, nor anyone else in my memoir are "characters" that had to be developed. I made a conscious decision not to cheapen my life experience by writing "true fiction" that could be bent and twisted to appeal to the masses.
Apparently a North Korean prison camp survivor who recently confessed to lying about some details in a best-selling book about his life wasn't inclined to hold himself to the same standards.
Neither, apparently, was a teenager who recently admitted that the events in his memoir, The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, never occurred. In published reports, the teen, who co-wrote the book with his father, said he fabricated the story in order to get attention.
In one case, the publisher announced that it will stop selling the book. In the other, the North Korean prison camp survivor said he is now considering ending his human rights campaign. In any case I hope their stories serve as stark reminders that every action has consequences.
As for me, I have no regrets and I make no apologies. As the great William Shakespeare put it, "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Until next time, "That's life..."

Pssst....
Come here. I've got a secret. And I'm only sharing it with my closest friends. Actually, I'm only sharing it with those of you who are into books.
So here it is.
I know this place where you can get as many books as you want -- for free. And no, it's not the library. Or the Internet.
It's a small, red building called the Book Shed -- and it's at my local dump. The Book Shed is staffed by volunteers, who sort the books that people drop off on Friday and Saturday mornings.
The books are sorted by fiction and non-fiction categories, and by author. Most of them are the alphabetized and kept on floor-to-ceiling shelves lining the inside of the shed. A few are also kept in boxes outside.
I've lost track of how long I've been visiting the shed. It's been a long time though. I love it there. Where else could you get a free hardcover penned by a best-selling author that originally listed for $26 to $30 or even more?
It's not just a great place to get books. It's also a great way to donate them. Let's face it, as much as we love books, and even with the advent of technology that allows us to read them on our tablets, etc., there's no way that we can keep every single book we've ever purchased. To be honest, most of us probably don't want to keep every single book we've ever purchased, anyhow. But that's another story for another time.
I for one am just happy that there's some place I can take old books so others can appreciate and enjoy them.
There is a downside though. For one thing, rumors surfaced that the town wants to relocate the shed to make more room for the Department of Public Works and other activities at the landfill. For another thing, the shed is only open for a limited time. Then there's a matter of exclusivity.
Because the Book Shed is located at a town facility, only residents with proper permits, have access to the dump. So the Book Shed serves a limited number of people.
All I can say about that is, "only in Greenwich..."
Until next time, "That's life..."

Hi there. My name is Alex, and I'm addicted to books.
All together now... "Hi, Alex!"
Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'll get to the point. I'm serious. I'm a bookaholic. I have been since I was a little kid.
Back then my parents read to me all the time and I was only allowed to watch half-an-hour of TV per day. As a result, I developed a healthy appreciation for books and learned to read at an early age.
I read whenever I got a chance, even on the way back to school from a field trip when I was in first or second grade. I remember looking at the words above the front door and a snotty teacher asking me what on earth I was doing.
"Reading," I answered. "What do you think I'm doing?"
Yes, I was a brat. And she was another word that begins with a "B." But I digress.
In third or fourth grade, I started reading everything I could get my hands on. I read The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, the Black Stallion books, the Trixie Belden mysteries and the Bobbsey Twins series.
When it came to reading, I was always a few grade levels ahead of most of my peers. I remember tackling my first Ludlum books when I was in middle school. I also read sci-fi and fantasy and thrillers.
I read in school. I read at home. I read at camp and on vacation. I read when I was supposed to be studying. I read on my lunch break at my first part-time job. At night I sneaked a flashlight into my bed and pulled the covers over my head so I could keep reading after I was supposed to be asleep.
Now that I'm almost 50, nothing's really changed. I read whatever I can, whenever I can. Hardcovers, paperbacks, e-books, it doesn't really matter. Mysteries, suspense, thrillers, sci-fi, romance, historical novels, fact-based novels... Yes, I'll read it all. Having said that, I prefer fiction, but I'll read non-fiction, too. I love a good memoir, but in all honesty my favorite is my own.
A really good book will keep me up until the crack of dawn. A bad one... well, that's better left unsaid.
At any rate, I've got to go. I've got to finish Best Kept Secrets by Sandra Brown.
Until next time, "That's life..."