Guilie Castillo-Oriard's Blog, page 9
November 9, 2015
Author vs Character @DebbieDoglady: Bring it on, Luis Villalobos!
This stop in the MIRACLE Tour in Blogs turned out a tad, uhm... emotional. It had to do with MacArthur Park, the song Debbie chose for her last Battle of The Bands—and one which has special meaning for Luis Villalobos, protagonist of THE MIRACLE OF SMALL THINGS. Emotional, teary meaning. And we'd love to see you over there, if you have a minute.
So. Inquiring minds want to know? A guy that cries with a Disco song. Is he a wuss, or a darling?
So. Inquiring minds want to know? A guy that cries with a Disco song. Is he a wuss, or a darling?
November 8, 2015
#BoTB Results: La Llorona (Chabela Vargas vs. Lila Downs)
When I thought up this battle, back at the beginning of October when everyone was talking about Halloween, I made what turned out to be some pretty inexact predictions:
Prediction No. 1 (and I almost didn't do this Battle because of it):
Everyone—okay, at least the great majority of BoTB-ers—is going to hate this Battle.
Reality: not only didn't you guys hate it, but even loved it (with a few exceptions, which make the "Love It" ones all the more believable).
Prediction No. 2
Sure, I'll be in Mexico Nov. 1, but my mom's place has internet... Nothing to worry about.
Reality: Internet sucks in Mexico. Not only is public wi-fi a rarity, but even in places where you get a password (usually one of those interminable 0ES45J2100KM5R443BE codes, impossible not to mess up), some devices just won't connect. Either the signal is not strong enough, or the router is set up with some sort of firewall that keeps out certain devices (my MacBook always has problems), or, when I did connect, YouTube videos took forever to load, and then refused to play.
Prediction No. 3
Lila's going to leave Chabela in the dirt.
Seriously. I looked for other interpreters, other singers that might give Chabela a better chance... In the end I went with Lila Downs because I thought a shut-out / blow-out was worth it if I was at least giving y'all a pleasant song/voice/arrangement. (And, also, hers was the only cool version with mariachi... And a Day of the Dead without mariachi didn't seem right at all.)
Oh, boy.
Reality:
Chabela Vargas (6)MicheleBirgitJanieElliptical ManMikeRobin(Hilary)
Lila Downs (5)DebbieLeeCherdoCathyJeffrey
Hilary's vote seemed to be for Chabela, but she mentioned something about coming back later to listen to the others... I wasn't sure if she meant the non-contestant ones, or the other contestant (i.e. Lila Downs), so in the interest of fairness I decided not to count that vote. (Hilary, absolutely no offense meant; you know I love you, and I'm beyond pleased you loved the Chabela version.)
Which still puts Chabela ahead of Lila.
Now, admittedly, this round had fewer votes than other battles — my fault — so who knows whether the missing ones would've turned this result on its head. On the other hand, though, some of you disliked Chabela and wound up voting for her anyway, because of how much emotion she puts into her interpretation (Robin's comment comes to mind). So perhaps Chabela does deserve to win this one.
I wavered with my own vote for a while. No one would ever mistake Chabela for easy listening, in spite of the "slow" nature most of her music has. She uses simple arrangements, usually only a guitar (as in the version I used for this battle), but instead of making her music uncomplicated or plain, what this achieves is underlining not just her voice but the raw emotion she injects into it.
Music so charged with intensity is hard to take in even small doses. (And this one wasn't exactly small.)
But... I'm voting for her anyway. Yes, for the emotional power. But also because she was always a rebel. She took by storm the ranchera genre of music, traditionally an exclusively male terrain, and built a career on playing with the male/female duality of roughness and tenderness. It's a powerful statement what she makes: not only men experience complex, non-rose-tinted emotion. Chabela, single-handedly, tore down the unofficial (but very serious) edict that ranchera songs spoke exclusively from a male point of view. And for that she's my hero.
A bit of trivia: there's always been a discussion about whether to spell it Chabela (B) or Chavela (V). It's a shortened form of Isabel, so the B seems logical. However, there are other words in Spanish (Mexican Spanish, specifically) — chavo or chava (meaning kid) come to mind — that create confusion. Also, the shortened form of the name Salvador is Chava — yes, like the female form of kid... So everyone's really confused. And, to be honest, both Chabela and Chavela are acceptable.
Awesome battle, guys. I loved reading your comments and your feedback. I promise to try something more mainstream soon — though not on the 15th, since I paired up with fellow BoTB-er Arlee Bird of Tossing It Out to bring to you a two-fold story told in music. It all starts this Wednesday 11th, when he's generously welcoming me to his blog, as part of the MIRACLE tour in blogs, to reveal the song he'll be using for the next BoTB—song which, coincidence upon coincidence, has an interesting (and somewhat dark) relationship with the story in THE MIRACLE OF SMALL THINGS.
Staying on the fiction-music relationship, I'll be at The Doglady's Den tomorrow (Monday) talking about why MIRACLE protagonist Luis Villalobos chokes up at a certain line of MacArthur Park—epic battle, Debbie! Would love to see you over there and hear your opinion on whether a man who sheds a tear over a disco song is a wuss or a darling.
In the meantime, happy Sunday!
Prediction No. 1 (and I almost didn't do this Battle because of it):
Everyone—okay, at least the great majority of BoTB-ers—is going to hate this Battle.
Reality: not only didn't you guys hate it, but even loved it (with a few exceptions, which make the "Love It" ones all the more believable).
Prediction No. 2
Sure, I'll be in Mexico Nov. 1, but my mom's place has internet... Nothing to worry about.
Reality: Internet sucks in Mexico. Not only is public wi-fi a rarity, but even in places where you get a password (usually one of those interminable 0ES45J2100KM5R443BE codes, impossible not to mess up), some devices just won't connect. Either the signal is not strong enough, or the router is set up with some sort of firewall that keeps out certain devices (my MacBook always has problems), or, when I did connect, YouTube videos took forever to load, and then refused to play.
Prediction No. 3
Lila's going to leave Chabela in the dirt.
Seriously. I looked for other interpreters, other singers that might give Chabela a better chance... In the end I went with Lila Downs because I thought a shut-out / blow-out was worth it if I was at least giving y'all a pleasant song/voice/arrangement. (And, also, hers was the only cool version with mariachi... And a Day of the Dead without mariachi didn't seem right at all.)
Oh, boy.
Reality:
Chabela Vargas (6)MicheleBirgitJanieElliptical ManMikeRobin(Hilary)
Lila Downs (5)DebbieLeeCherdoCathyJeffrey
Hilary's vote seemed to be for Chabela, but she mentioned something about coming back later to listen to the others... I wasn't sure if she meant the non-contestant ones, or the other contestant (i.e. Lila Downs), so in the interest of fairness I decided not to count that vote. (Hilary, absolutely no offense meant; you know I love you, and I'm beyond pleased you loved the Chabela version.)
Which still puts Chabela ahead of Lila.
Now, admittedly, this round had fewer votes than other battles — my fault — so who knows whether the missing ones would've turned this result on its head. On the other hand, though, some of you disliked Chabela and wound up voting for her anyway, because of how much emotion she puts into her interpretation (Robin's comment comes to mind). So perhaps Chabela does deserve to win this one.
I wavered with my own vote for a while. No one would ever mistake Chabela for easy listening, in spite of the "slow" nature most of her music has. She uses simple arrangements, usually only a guitar (as in the version I used for this battle), but instead of making her music uncomplicated or plain, what this achieves is underlining not just her voice but the raw emotion she injects into it.
Music so charged with intensity is hard to take in even small doses. (And this one wasn't exactly small.)
But... I'm voting for her anyway. Yes, for the emotional power. But also because she was always a rebel. She took by storm the ranchera genre of music, traditionally an exclusively male terrain, and built a career on playing with the male/female duality of roughness and tenderness. It's a powerful statement what she makes: not only men experience complex, non-rose-tinted emotion. Chabela, single-handedly, tore down the unofficial (but very serious) edict that ranchera songs spoke exclusively from a male point of view. And for that she's my hero.
A bit of trivia: there's always been a discussion about whether to spell it Chabela (B) or Chavela (V). It's a shortened form of Isabel, so the B seems logical. However, there are other words in Spanish (Mexican Spanish, specifically) — chavo or chava (meaning kid) come to mind — that create confusion. Also, the shortened form of the name Salvador is Chava — yes, like the female form of kid... So everyone's really confused. And, to be honest, both Chabela and Chavela are acceptable.
Awesome battle, guys. I loved reading your comments and your feedback. I promise to try something more mainstream soon — though not on the 15th, since I paired up with fellow BoTB-er Arlee Bird of Tossing It Out to bring to you a two-fold story told in music. It all starts this Wednesday 11th, when he's generously welcoming me to his blog, as part of the MIRACLE tour in blogs, to reveal the song he'll be using for the next BoTB—song which, coincidence upon coincidence, has an interesting (and somewhat dark) relationship with the story in THE MIRACLE OF SMALL THINGS.
Staying on the fiction-music relationship, I'll be at The Doglady's Den tomorrow (Monday) talking about why MIRACLE protagonist Luis Villalobos chokes up at a certain line of MacArthur Park—epic battle, Debbie! Would love to see you over there and hear your opinion on whether a man who sheds a tear over a disco song is a wuss or a darling.
In the meantime, happy Sunday!
November 6, 2015
On Quirks & Books, & Books With Quirks... #MIRACLEtour
The MIRACLE tour continues! I'm over at Corinne Rodrigues's blog talking about the quirks in THE MIRACLE OF SMALL THINGS. Take a hop over, if you get the chance... I'd love to know what you think.
Thank you so much for hosting me, Corinne!
P.S. — I'm flying back home today, so I'll be back online by Saturday morning. I'm so, so sorry for the BoTB posts I missed... I'll find a way to make it up to you guys.
November 1, 2015
#BoTB — Día de Muertos special: Llorona
The Mexican fascination — some would say 'obsession' — with death dates back to before the European encounter. Most pre-Columbine civilizations had beliefs based on the concept of duality (twins, for instance, were considered sacred, as were homosexuals and hermaphrodites in many of these cultures)... And nothing embodies the essence of duality like life and death.
Mictlantecuhtli, god of the underworld (or Mictlan). Sculpted in raw clay in life size. Found in a building dedicated to the cult of death at El Zapotal, La Mixtequilla, in the Mexican state of Veracruz.Photo: Carlos Blanco / Raíces / Arqueología MexicanaWithin this cult to the dead — not quite to ancestors, mind you, in the Asian sense, but rather to the actual extinguishing of life — there are many myths, many legends, that formed the foundations of an entire belief system that would shape the Americas. Like much of prehispanic culture, they survived through syncretism: they were adapted into a Christian context, given a "proper" veneer of European civilization, and set loose among the Spanish crown's newest subjects to do the job all those friars couldn't do.
The Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead — November 1st and 2nd — is, perhaps, the prehispanic tradition that best illustrates this. It's not a Mexican Halloween, though... It's not creepy, or scary, nor does it involves pranks of any kind. The Day of the Dead, quite simply, is the day that our dead loved ones come back to visit with us. And, rather than a motive for fright, it's a cause for celebration... I'll post more about it tomorrow (and, since I'm in Mexico at the moment, I'll try to get some good photos to share with you)... This was meant only as a brief introduction to the Battle being played out here today and, as usual, I'm rambling on and on and on...
La Llorona is one of these prehispanic-turned-modern myths. Every important culture in the territory that we now know as Mexico had some sort of legend or story about a woman that wailed along the banks of a river. In some cases it's a goddess, a sort of siren that lured men to her in order to a) drive them insane, or b) murder them. (In some cases it was actually a) and b)...) The fact that this legend survived once the Spanish Colonia set in is testament to how deep the belief is ingrained into Mexican DNA... Although the modern version doesn't involve a goddess (or virgin or saint of any kind) but rather a woman who's lost her children — that's what she wails: "¡Ay, mis hijos!" (Oh, my children!) — there are still remnants of the "holy" sense this legend sprouted from. And proof of that is in the popularity of the song, Llorona, made famous outside Mexico by the 2002 movie Frida:
But the song is far, far older than that. So old, as a matter of fact, that no one seems to agree who composed it. Or even what the official lyrics are. Like most traditional Mexican songs, each new interpreter adds, or changes, or skips... (I'd love to translate them for you, but... well, it's a bit more complicated than I thought.)
The singer who made it famous, though, was Chabela Vargas—a woman born half a century too early, whose trademark gritty voice and general lack of feminity scandalized two generations and earned the admiration and respect of the next two. She sings in the Frida soundtrack, but that version is incomplete and, quite sincerely, not one of her best. Here's the one that I like of hers (with the bonus of some Frida photos... the actual Frida, not the movie, not Salma Hayek):
CONTESTANT NUMBER ONE:Chabela Vargas
Contestant Number Two, funnily enough, also sings on the Frida soundtrack... And that version is one of the very best I've heard. I give you
CONTESTANT NUMBER TWO:LILA DOWNS
What do you think? Which version struck you as better (or less worse)? If you had to listen to one of these — absolutely had to, no other choice — which one would you prefer? Let me know in the comments! I'll count up the votes, add my own, and post the results on the 7th.
In the meantime, here's another Llorona interpreter... Not one of my favorites, but the animation with it, if you're not familiar with the Day of the Dead traditions, you might enjoy watching.
Felíz Día de Muertos! Remember to hop over to these other blogs and check out their own Battles... Some pretty epic ones will be fought, and your vote can make a world of difference. Oh, and awesome Debbie D. Doglady has a teaser for you at her Battle post... She's going to host me on Monday 9th Nov, as part of the MIRACLE tour in blogs, and the song she chose for today's Battle is the key.
STMcC Presents 'Battle of The Bands'Far Away SeriesDebbie D. ("Doglady")Holli's Hoots and HollersYour Daily DoseAlex CavanaughTossing It OutMike's RamblingsJingle Jangle JungleCurious as a CathyCherdo on the FlipsideThe Sound of One Hand TypingWomen: We Shall OvercomeJ. A. ScottBook LoverAngels Barkdcrelief ~ Battle of The BandsNovelBrews
Thanks for the visit!
Mictlantecuhtli, god of the underworld (or Mictlan). Sculpted in raw clay in life size. Found in a building dedicated to the cult of death at El Zapotal, La Mixtequilla, in the Mexican state of Veracruz.Photo: Carlos Blanco / Raíces / Arqueología MexicanaWithin this cult to the dead — not quite to ancestors, mind you, in the Asian sense, but rather to the actual extinguishing of life — there are many myths, many legends, that formed the foundations of an entire belief system that would shape the Americas. Like much of prehispanic culture, they survived through syncretism: they were adapted into a Christian context, given a "proper" veneer of European civilization, and set loose among the Spanish crown's newest subjects to do the job all those friars couldn't do.The Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead — November 1st and 2nd — is, perhaps, the prehispanic tradition that best illustrates this. It's not a Mexican Halloween, though... It's not creepy, or scary, nor does it involves pranks of any kind. The Day of the Dead, quite simply, is the day that our dead loved ones come back to visit with us. And, rather than a motive for fright, it's a cause for celebration... I'll post more about it tomorrow (and, since I'm in Mexico at the moment, I'll try to get some good photos to share with you)... This was meant only as a brief introduction to the Battle being played out here today and, as usual, I'm rambling on and on and on...
La Llorona is one of these prehispanic-turned-modern myths. Every important culture in the territory that we now know as Mexico had some sort of legend or story about a woman that wailed along the banks of a river. In some cases it's a goddess, a sort of siren that lured men to her in order to a) drive them insane, or b) murder them. (In some cases it was actually a) and b)...) The fact that this legend survived once the Spanish Colonia set in is testament to how deep the belief is ingrained into Mexican DNA... Although the modern version doesn't involve a goddess (or virgin or saint of any kind) but rather a woman who's lost her children — that's what she wails: "¡Ay, mis hijos!" (Oh, my children!) — there are still remnants of the "holy" sense this legend sprouted from. And proof of that is in the popularity of the song, Llorona, made famous outside Mexico by the 2002 movie Frida:
But the song is far, far older than that. So old, as a matter of fact, that no one seems to agree who composed it. Or even what the official lyrics are. Like most traditional Mexican songs, each new interpreter adds, or changes, or skips... (I'd love to translate them for you, but... well, it's a bit more complicated than I thought.)
The singer who made it famous, though, was Chabela Vargas—a woman born half a century too early, whose trademark gritty voice and general lack of feminity scandalized two generations and earned the admiration and respect of the next two. She sings in the Frida soundtrack, but that version is incomplete and, quite sincerely, not one of her best. Here's the one that I like of hers (with the bonus of some Frida photos... the actual Frida, not the movie, not Salma Hayek):
CONTESTANT NUMBER ONE:Chabela Vargas
Contestant Number Two, funnily enough, also sings on the Frida soundtrack... And that version is one of the very best I've heard. I give you
CONTESTANT NUMBER TWO:LILA DOWNS
What do you think? Which version struck you as better (or less worse)? If you had to listen to one of these — absolutely had to, no other choice — which one would you prefer? Let me know in the comments! I'll count up the votes, add my own, and post the results on the 7th.
In the meantime, here's another Llorona interpreter... Not one of my favorites, but the animation with it, if you're not familiar with the Day of the Dead traditions, you might enjoy watching.
Felíz Día de Muertos! Remember to hop over to these other blogs and check out their own Battles... Some pretty epic ones will be fought, and your vote can make a world of difference. Oh, and awesome Debbie D. Doglady has a teaser for you at her Battle post... She's going to host me on Monday 9th Nov, as part of the MIRACLE tour in blogs, and the song she chose for today's Battle is the key.
STMcC Presents 'Battle of The Bands'Far Away SeriesDebbie D. ("Doglady")Holli's Hoots and HollersYour Daily DoseAlex CavanaughTossing It OutMike's RamblingsJingle Jangle JungleCurious as a CathyCherdo on the FlipsideThe Sound of One Hand TypingWomen: We Shall OvercomeJ. A. ScottBook LoverAngels Barkdcrelief ~ Battle of The BandsNovelBrews
Thanks for the visit!
October 31, 2015
Live Interview All Weekend! #MIRACLEtour via @Desertwriter
This is a tour stop like no other... Author Bob Sanchez is interviewing me, live, all weekend. Take a hop over if you get a chance, drop us a question, and help me get the conversation roaring to thank Bob for his generous hospitality (and his creativity! LOVE this idea!).
Happy weekend!
October 30, 2015
The First Dozen (A Love Story)
3 houses lived in.1 house bought.8 dogs adopted.10+ dogs rescued.13 puppies raised.3 puppies adopted. (By accident, sort of.)100+ books read.1 book published.6 companies worked for, combined.3 serious fights.3 beautiful reconciliations.7 amazing trips.Laughter, far too prevalent to measure.Love, in bucketfuls. And loving every moment of it.#thefirstdozenOct. 30, 2003 - Oct. 30, 2015
The story of how it all began is up at Vidya Sury's wonderful blog today,as part of the MIRACLE tour in blogs.Would love to see you there.
October 27, 2015
We're celebrating! (With a Tour in Blogs)
THE MIRACLE OF SMALL THINGS is, finally, available as an e-book—and, to celebrate, we're going on tour. And the inaugural stop is TODAY! Yep, right now, actually. At Sam Redstreake's blog, where we will:
share the e-book links (!);talk about the potential music unlocks in fiction (yes, we'd love to hear your thoughts!);announce Sam's newest brainchild, a flash-fiction contest inspired by MIRACLE!
So. See you there?
October 26, 2015
The Listing Hop!
Happy Monday, and bon siman!
(That's 'happy week' in Papiamentu, the language of Curaçao—and if you ever do come to Curaçao, make a note: all your greetings on Monday need to be accompanied by that... Under penalty of being classified as another rude foreigner ;) )
Today's the day for Bish Denham'sListing Hop!Rules:Make a list. Any list. Sign up at Bish's page and join the fun. Here's mine:
Top ten twenty-two fifteen pieces of writing advice(in no particular order)
Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.
No. 6 in Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules of Writing
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
No. 7 on Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips to Write a Great Story
Avoid your weaknesses. But do this without telling yourself that the things you can’t do aren’t worth doing. Don’t mask self-doubt with contempt.
No. 4 in Zadie Smith's 10 Rules of Writing
Tell the truth through whichever veil comes to hand — but tell it. Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.
No. 10 in Zadie Smith's 10 Rules of Writing
Writing is a little door. Some fantasies, like big pieces of furniture, won’t come through.
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
A writer, like an athlete, must ‘train’ every day. What did I do today to keep in ‘form’?
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
Have moral intelligence — which creates true authority in a writer.
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
You cannot write the pages you love without writing the pages you hate.
Robin Black, 21 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Writing
Exaggeration is not a way of altering reality but of seeing it.
Mario Vargas Llosa, History of a Deicide, speaking about Gabriel García Márquez (my translation from the Spanish)
Ordinary language is an accretion of lies. The language of literature must be, therefore, the language of transgression, a rupture of individual systems, a shattering of psychic oppression. The only function of literature lies in the uncovering of the self in history.
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
If you are using dialogue—say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.
No. 6 of John Steinbeck's 6 Tips on Writing
Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
No. 2 of John Steinbeck's 6 Tips on Writing
You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there’s no free lunch. Writing is work. It’s also gambling. You don’t get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but essentially you’re on your own. Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don’t whine.
No. 7 of Margaret Atwood's 10 Rules of Writing
The more abstract a truth which one wishes to teach, the more one must first entice the senses.
No. 8 of Nietzsche's 10 Rules for Writers
The richness of life reveals itself through a richness of gestures. One must learn to feel everything — the length and retarding of sentences, interpunctuations, the choice of words, the pausing, the sequence of arguments — like gestures.
No. 5 of Nietzsche's 10 Rules for Writers
***
Hooked? Here's a fabulous compilation of writerly advice, via Brainpickings.
Speaking of writer wisdom, tomorrow I'll be over at Sam Redstreake's awesome blog sharing a pearl of my own on how music helps with writing...
(With some outrageously wonderful music, of course.)
AAANNNDD — drum roll, please — also to celebrate the e-book release of
THE MIRACLE OF SMALL THINGS!
Come on over tomorrow and help me thank Sam for hosting me.
Want more lists? You'll find the complete list of Listing Hop List-makers at Bish's page... Hop on over and pay them a visit.
What's your favorite piece of writing advice? Inquiring (list-making) minds would love to know. And I looooove comments :)
(That's 'happy week' in Papiamentu, the language of Curaçao—and if you ever do come to Curaçao, make a note: all your greetings on Monday need to be accompanied by that... Under penalty of being classified as another rude foreigner ;) )
Today's the day for Bish Denham'sListing Hop!Rules:Make a list. Any list. Sign up at Bish's page and join the fun. Here's mine:
Top ten twenty-two fifteen pieces of writing advice(in no particular order)
Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.
No. 6 in Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules of Writing
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
No. 7 on Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips to Write a Great Story
Avoid your weaknesses. But do this without telling yourself that the things you can’t do aren’t worth doing. Don’t mask self-doubt with contempt.
No. 4 in Zadie Smith's 10 Rules of Writing
Tell the truth through whichever veil comes to hand — but tell it. Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.
No. 10 in Zadie Smith's 10 Rules of Writing
Writing is a little door. Some fantasies, like big pieces of furniture, won’t come through.
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
A writer, like an athlete, must ‘train’ every day. What did I do today to keep in ‘form’?
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
Have moral intelligence — which creates true authority in a writer.
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
You cannot write the pages you love without writing the pages you hate.
Robin Black, 21 Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Writing
Exaggeration is not a way of altering reality but of seeing it.
Mario Vargas Llosa, History of a Deicide, speaking about Gabriel García Márquez (my translation from the Spanish)
Ordinary language is an accretion of lies. The language of literature must be, therefore, the language of transgression, a rupture of individual systems, a shattering of psychic oppression. The only function of literature lies in the uncovering of the self in history.
From Susan Sontag's thoughts on writing
If you are using dialogue—say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.
No. 6 of John Steinbeck's 6 Tips on Writing
Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material.
No. 2 of John Steinbeck's 6 Tips on Writing
You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there’s no free lunch. Writing is work. It’s also gambling. You don’t get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but essentially you’re on your own. Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don’t whine.
No. 7 of Margaret Atwood's 10 Rules of Writing
The more abstract a truth which one wishes to teach, the more one must first entice the senses.
No. 8 of Nietzsche's 10 Rules for Writers
The richness of life reveals itself through a richness of gestures. One must learn to feel everything — the length and retarding of sentences, interpunctuations, the choice of words, the pausing, the sequence of arguments — like gestures.
No. 5 of Nietzsche's 10 Rules for Writers
***
Hooked? Here's a fabulous compilation of writerly advice, via Brainpickings.
Speaking of writer wisdom, tomorrow I'll be over at Sam Redstreake's awesome blog sharing a pearl of my own on how music helps with writing...
(With some outrageously wonderful music, of course.)
AAANNNDD — drum roll, please — also to celebrate the e-book release of
THE MIRACLE OF SMALL THINGS!
Come on over tomorrow and help me thank Sam for hosting me.
Want more lists? You'll find the complete list of Listing Hop List-makers at Bish's page... Hop on over and pay them a visit.
What's your favorite piece of writing advice? Inquiring (list-making) minds would love to know. And I looooove comments :)
October 23, 2015
Patricia... And the disaster it promises
This is Patricia. As seen from the space station. Somewhere under there is Mexico.
She made landfall this evening at around 6:00 pm, as a category 5 hurricane (190+ mph winds), on the southwest coast of Mexico (Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta). Its eye was 10 km (6 miles) across... Very small, very dangerous.
Since landfall, it has already weakened to a category 4... But the danger is a long way from being over. It's not about the record-breaking ocean surge, or those 200+ kilometer-per-hour winds. The main concern is rain.
In 48 hours, the area could receive 40% of its yearly rainfall.
And then there's that cold front coming from the north. Which will barrel right onto Patricia as she moves inland.
By all calculations, this is going to be a major, horrible disaster. Because once this monster gets past the coastline, it's going to slam into a huge mountain range (the Sierra Madre Occidental). There will be landslides. There will be floods. There will be whole towns swallowed by mud.
So here's the thing. Mexico appreciates your prayers, and your light- and love-sending. Really, they do. But if you're of the more—uhm, practical kind of mind, please do prepare to help in more realistic ways: contact relief organizations and animal shelters (why is it no one thinks of the animals when cataclysm hits?); contact your local Red Cross and donate blood and whatever supplies you can; organize your community to collect water and non-perishables that can be forwarded to the affected communities; contact authorities to inquire about (and maybe organize) relief actions...
The world is a village. We need each other. Over the coming weeks (hopefully not months), Mexico will need you.
Easy ways to help:
Humane Society International (help for animal victims)
Donations to Red Cross Mexico
AZ Central tells you how to help Patricia victims
CNN's list of sites for Patricia relief
And, on behalf of all Mexico, muchísimas gracias.
October 21, 2015
#BoTB Results: The Saints Are Coming (U2 & Green Day vs. Skids)
And yet another super-close battle, guys. Got to say, I was not expecting this result:
U2 & Green Day: 10DebbieMicheleJanieLeeCherdoRobinJeffreyElliptical ManSusanDolorah
Skids: 9MikeJohnBirgitHilaryStephenCathyDixieFAEStephanie
I wasn't only not expecting it, I was—more and more fervently, as the days passed and the votes kept coming in—really hoping against it.
Because, you see, at some point during the Battle, I made up my mind to vote for Skids.
Don't get me wrong; I love the U2/Green Day version. I love each band alone, and I love them together; I love that they got together for this song, and for this purpose (Katrina hurricane relief)... and I will listen to their version over the Skids' any day, any time.
So why Skids?
Because it's the original. Aaaand because that original isn't, as several of you pointed out, all that different from the 2006 U2/GD cover. I really do feel that the original didn't get all the love it deserved back in 1978—why doesn't really matter. The song is fantastic, the lyrics are rich and well-crafted, and the music is a great composition.
The question for me boiled down to this: if Skids hadn't composed this song, would U2/GD have produced something similar for their Katrina benefit? I'm forced to answer No... I'm a believer in the magic of artistry and originality.
But what clinched it for me was the fact that two extraordinary bands got together to record something special for a worthy cause and not only chose an existing song but decided to use, basically, the original arrangement as well. I believe that means that both bands respect the Skids version.
Which is why I vote Skids.
And which brings this Battle to a tie.
Well played, Skids. Well played.
U2 & Green Day: 10DebbieMicheleJanieLeeCherdoRobinJeffreyElliptical ManSusanDolorah
Skids: 9MikeJohnBirgitHilaryStephenCathyDixieFAEStephanie
I wasn't only not expecting it, I was—more and more fervently, as the days passed and the votes kept coming in—really hoping against it.
Because, you see, at some point during the Battle, I made up my mind to vote for Skids.
Don't get me wrong; I love the U2/Green Day version. I love each band alone, and I love them together; I love that they got together for this song, and for this purpose (Katrina hurricane relief)... and I will listen to their version over the Skids' any day, any time.
So why Skids?
Because it's the original. Aaaand because that original isn't, as several of you pointed out, all that different from the 2006 U2/GD cover. I really do feel that the original didn't get all the love it deserved back in 1978—why doesn't really matter. The song is fantastic, the lyrics are rich and well-crafted, and the music is a great composition.
The question for me boiled down to this: if Skids hadn't composed this song, would U2/GD have produced something similar for their Katrina benefit? I'm forced to answer No... I'm a believer in the magic of artistry and originality.
But what clinched it for me was the fact that two extraordinary bands got together to record something special for a worthy cause and not only chose an existing song but decided to use, basically, the original arrangement as well. I believe that means that both bands respect the Skids version.
Which is why I vote Skids.
And which brings this Battle to a tie.
Well played, Skids. Well played.
