tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49803819330425725922024-03-12T22:42:01.301-06:00Yat-Yee ChongThe writing life of a musician turned writerYat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.comBlogger524125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-31736098906960136392013-12-30T06:00:00.000-07:002013-12-30T06:00:06.991-07:00My year in books 2013<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I have visited the <a href="http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2012_f_erdrich.html#.UsB5M7RWOIA">Round
House</a> and the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/09/red-house-mark-haddon-review">Red
House</a>, <a href="http://www.kimberlymccreight.com/reconstructing-amelia.php">reconstructed
Amelia</a> and <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/220245/listening-for-lucca-by-suzanne-lafleur">listened
to Lucca</a>, gone down to <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/neil-gaimans-the-ocean-at-the-end-of-the-lane-wins-book-of-the-year-2013-9027337.html">the
ocean at the end of the lane</a> and caught a glimpse of the <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0918/M.L.-Stedman-talks-about-The-Light-Between-Oceans">light
between the oceans</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I
have seen <a href="http://www.betweenshadesofgray.com/">shades of grey through
the eyes of a young Lithuanian refugee</a> and a “red” in <a href="http://www.jasperfforde.com/grey/specialsog.html">Jasper Fforde’s
color-separated world</a> but not fifty shades of it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I
listened to the <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/08/21/207362624/things-falling-is-a-potboiler-but-one-thats-set-to-simmer">sounds
of things falling</a> and <a href="http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/and_the_mountains_echoed.html">echoes
from the mountain</a> and traveled through time in <a href="http://www.kateatkinson.co.uk/books/info/?t=Life-After-Life">life after
life</a> and in search of <a href="http://laurenbeukes.com/books/the-shining-girls/">the shining girls</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I
spent time getting to know <a href="http://laurenbeukes.com/books/the-shining-girls/">Colin Fischer</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Asher_Lev">Asher Lev</a>. <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/09/26/161284603/pratchett-leaves-discworld-for-london-in-dodger">The
Dodger</a>, <a href="http://danielsilvabooks.com/books/the-english-girl/">the
English girl</a>, <a href="http://elizabethholmesbooks.com/young/normalkid.html">the
normal kid</a>, <a href="http://www.loislowry.com/index.php?option=com_djcatalog2&view=item&id=17:the-giver&cid=4:the-trilogy&Itemid=185">the
giver</a>, <a href="http://www.loislowry.com/index.php?option=com_djcatalog2&view=item&id=19:messenger&cid=4:the-quartet&Itemid=185">the
messenger</a>, and the <a href="http://www.loislowry.com/index.php?option=com_djcatalog2&view=item&id=41:son&cid=4:the-quartet&Itemid=185">son</a>
showed how roles can determine how lives are lived. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/174896/the-burgess-boys-by-elizabeth-strout">The
Burgess Boys</a> and <a href="http://patrickdewitt.net/works.html">the Sisters
Brothers </a>may live in different times but both sets of brothers are bound
more tightly by blood than they imagine. <a href="http://www.katedicamillo.com/books/flora.html">Flora and Ulysses</a>, <a href="http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?mode=book&isbn=0763639834&browse=Title">Blink
and Caution</a>, <a href="http://rainbowrowell.com/blog/book/eleanor-park/">Eleanor
and Park </a>touched me with their friendships. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I laughed reading about the <a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Good+Omens/">omens about end times</a>
and cried reading about <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/23/256547255/book-news-its-kind-of-a-funny-story-author-mourned"> a funny story</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As always, books have opened my
eyes, touched my heart, and challenged my thinking. Here’s to another great
year in books in 2014!</span></span></div>
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Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-78748920123073946152013-10-31T16:52:00.001-06:002013-10-31T16:52:34.028-06:00Taking the plungeI am taking the plunge: I just signed up on the <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/dashboard">NaNoWriMo </a>website. <br />
<br />
Writing the NaNo way is the opposite to what I do. Usually I write a few pages, or even a few paragraphs, and then I edit. Producing an average of 1700 words a day isn't something I typically do. In the past, when I have been productive and written a lot in a day, the next day has always been devoted to editing. To come up with the word count day after day for a whole month doesn't sound doable, which is why in the past, when I had tried to participate in NaNo, I had always done so unofficially. That way I wouldn't beat myself up.<br />
<br />
And so that's why I will participate as an official NaNo writer this year. <br />
<br />
I have not been terribly productive in my writing for a while now, and doing something out of character may just be the thing to shove me forward again. And as for beating myself up. Who am I kidding? Official or not, if I don't finish, I would do that anyway. So again, I will try to opposite route: I will not beat myself whether I finish or not. Quite a concept, don't you think?<br />
<br />
So come what may, I will jump off the cliff and start swimming tomorrow.<br />
<br />
See you on the other side, or maybe when I come up for breath!Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-29072719627902484842013-10-09T09:57:00.001-06:002013-10-09T09:57:10.293-06:00When I Grow Up<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_AnSle4vxLc/Uk8F9DPpR5I/AAAAAAAABcY/cIx2Ogl9s2w/s1600/1382324_10151924055291223_1912524910_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_AnSle4vxLc/Uk8F9DPpR5I/AAAAAAAABcY/cIx2Ogl9s2w/s320/1382324_10151924055291223_1912524910_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I discovered the Narnia books when I was 24. Harry Potter and The Hunger Games were published long after I had turned 11 and 16 respectively. So I never harbored secret wishes to receive a letter from an owl or looked behind dusty coats in wardrobes for a path to a secret wonderland. <br />
<br />
But being visited by Gandalf at 50. Now that, that is still possible. <br />
<br />
For many years growing up, I had pegged the 20s and 30s to be a person's most productive time, the prime of their life.<br />
<br />
When I turned 40, I realized I didn't know enough, hadn't done enough. But society assured me 40 was the new 30. So I embraced the idea, downplaying my eyesight that seemed to have worsened overnight, and the aches that were sneaking up on me. I tried new things! Took up martial arts! Wore increasingly brighter clothing! Got cataract surgery!<br />
<br />
Now 50 is looming. And I see attempts in the media to pass 50 off as the new 30. Um. 50 is the new 30 like orange is the new black. <br />
<br />
But, that doesn't mean I am ready to give up learning and doing new things. I do, however, admit to a certain sadness that veers towards hopelessness in my writing. I feel as if I am still swimming upstream, wondering when the steepness will level out. My arms are tired and my eyes drift often to the side of the stream that promises rest.<br />
<br />
Then a writing friend shared <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/10/20/081020fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all">this article from the New Yorker</a> last week. <br />
<br />
It's not that I believe I will attain the stature of a genius (just writing that sentence embarrasses me, as if I needed to even state it) but it is rather comforting to know that learning and creating can indeed go on for much longer that I had imagined, that just because I'm past the magical period of my 20s and 30s doesn't mean I should give up. I may not have the strength to paddle hard but my muscles have gained stamina from constant practice.<br />
<br />
So, bring it, 50s! I'm ready.<br />
<br />
Just as soon as I find my reading glasses. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-4156363075027701602013-09-30T06:00:00.000-06:002013-09-30T06:00:03.917-06:00Perspective<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">My young adult novel came to a halt in late spring. I was stuck. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">I had actually finished an earlier version of the novel. I knew, while writing that first version, that I needed to make some big changes to the story in the next round. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The revision began strongly. I felt I was accomplishing some of the changes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">But something happened at around chapter 10. The changes opened up different venues and I was paralyzed by the decision. Which of these new ways should I pursue? None of them seemed to bring a clear idea of how the story would end up. Staying with the plot I had used in the first version seemed cowardly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">S-c-r-e-e-e-e-e-e-c-h!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">That's right. A screeching halt.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the mean time, I read a ton, practiced martial arts, cooked unusual meals, and got my middle grade novel ready for a contest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">No excuses left, I decided to take a look at my YA again. Or maybe my fog-riddle brain, thanks to a cold, is making me optimistic. Or something. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Good news and bad news.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bad news: I still don't know how to proceed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Good news: There is some good writing in there. (Now I wait for the reprimand. But that's another post.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">With the perspective gained from being away from the story, I realize that despite how difficult it felt while going through the revision, I kept close to my original vision and stayed true to its emotional truth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">As I mentioned, I still have no clue where the story is going, but just knowing that what I have is a keeper is enough for now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-28864557969810259852013-09-19T10:54:00.001-06:002013-09-19T10:54:27.150-06:00Hello, old friendI have had the most frustrating few weeks of reading. None of the books that I started compelled me to continue.<br />
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It is not unusual to read a few chapters of a book and decide not to pursue it, but <i>5 </i>books in a row? Well, actually, Book #2 held promise and I read more than half of it. But the original reason that drew me--the distinctive voice--became grating. In fact, the voice and its cleverness took front and center. I had no idea who the narrator is because his inner thoughts and actions don't fit. The worst is that for a mystery, I had no idea what the actual mystery is <br />
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Exasperating.<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J-m1GPaDO0g/Ujsr7I5GTTI/AAAAAAAABb4/wyG15-8nvXo/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J-m1GPaDO0g/Ujsr7I5GTTI/AAAAAAAABb4/wyG15-8nvXo/s1600/books.jpg" /></a><br />
Then a friend mentioned a book she loved and I remember enjoying it as well. I even recall a particular description even though it had been a few years since I'd read it. Something else tugged at me at the mention of this book.<br />
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I dug out my copy of <i><a href="http://www.stephaniekallos.com/books.html">Broken For You</a>. </i><br />
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Re-reading it is like meeting an old friend. <i><br /></i><br />
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I am curious to find out if I'll lose interest or find that I'm such a different reader now than I was that I no longer like it. Or if I will discover new things to love.<br />
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Will keep you posted. <br />
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<br />Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-1076450006381317452013-05-17T14:18:00.003-06:002013-05-17T14:20:10.337-06:00Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The opening paragraph of <a href="http://www.jasperfforde.com/grey/grey1.html">Jasper Fforde's S<i>hades of Grey</i>:</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It began with my father not waning to see the Last Rabbit and ended up with my being eaten by a carnivorous plant. It wasn't really what I'd planned for myself--I'd hoped to marry into the Oxbloods and join their dynastic string empire. But that was four days ago, before I met Jande, retrieved the Varavaggio and explored High Saffron. So instead of enjoying aspirations of Chromatic advancement, I was wholly immersed within the digestive soup of a yateveo tree It was all very inconvenient. </span></i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G10UC21fO5k/UZaQKHysFqI/AAAAAAAABa0/ZNZQwdWXWvU/s1600/51rvnhm7-XL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G10UC21fO5k/UZaQKHysFqI/AAAAAAAABa0/ZNZQwdWXWvU/s320/51rvnhm7-XL.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I laughed. I was so confused--what happened to the writer's oath of "never confuse" or maybe Jasper Fforde has built up enough cache so that he can indeed confuse but make people read more--but also so tickled that I had to read on. I mean how can one be eaten by a carnivorous plant and call it merely inconvenient? <br /><br />What about you? would you be put off by the many questions--what's the Last Rabbit and how does one get eaten by a plant and for goodness sakes, what does it mean to retrieve the Caravaggio and explore High Saffron and what are these things anyway?--or would you be intrigued enough to want to read on? <br /><br />Frankly, I would have passed except I knew Jasper Fforde and I have enough information about the narrator that I am curious to see how my questions would be answered. What do I know about this guy? Well, that he had a dream dashed/postponed, that he is somewhat accommodating to his father, that Jane is an important person in his life. Probably the most pressing question right now for me is: how did he survive being digested to tell his story?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And also, because it made me laugh. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-78653230652674492162013-03-20T14:10:00.001-06:002013-03-20T14:10:40.283-06:00My Spring Break Writing Retreat Day <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">My family took a 2-day ski-vacation to start off the children's Spring Break. I have skied a few times in my life but it's not my preferred mode of strengthening my heart and lungs. I still have bruises and embarrassing stories--don't ask me about the time I fell backwards off <span style="font-size: small;">a poma down the slope, or the number of boulders and trees I "found" while skiing, or about the pair<span style="font-size: small;"> of glasses I broke,</span> or the skiers <span style="font-size: small;">I took down while waiting in line because I fell<span style="font-size: small;">, </span></span>and especially about </span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the time I was "rescued" from the top of a green slope --</span> that made me convince the husband to take both kids by himself to the slopes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">What was I left with? An empty condo, hours by myself, and this view. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hello, Writing Retreat Day!</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3U7nhOAhhSU/UUoI5NhbnRI/AAAAAAAABZA/bFD_mzUVG4o/s1600/019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3U7nhOAhhSU/UUoI5NhbnRI/AAAAAAAABZA/bFD_mzUVG4o/s400/019.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Without distraction from housework and </span>the lure of the internets and the pantry, I </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">scribbled a good number of pages by lunch time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">There
is something about writing in long hand that helps my thinking flow. So I continued to write, pass the hand cramps, till the chapter
ended.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jiwvr19MXHI/UUoIVLQ0fII/AAAAAAAABYc/UZgQPuC0E_c/s1600/022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jiwvr19MXHI/UUoIVLQ0fII/AAAAAAAABYc/UZgQPuC0E_c/s320/022.jpg" width="177" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">I decided to go for a walk. I thought I would look at some shops, hopefully unique ones that can feed my creative brain. No, I didn't make that up; I believe it's called an artist's walk. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6mo3ex9Hhw4/UUoLhq7sXMI/AAAAAAAABZI/nGM331yySjc/s1600/029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6mo3ex9Hhw4/UUoLhq7sXMI/AAAAAAAABZI/nGM331yySjc/s400/029.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The backdrop was beautiful, but I really didn't want shop at chains. I made it my mi<span style="font-size: small;">ssion </span>to seek out cute boutiques and qua<span style="font-size: small;">int toy shops or used-book stores<span style="font-size: small;">. Alas, I found more national chains and 5 banks within walkin<span style="font-size: small;">g distance.</span></span></span> And thankfully, two furniture consignment shops. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RkiuvKX_yLs/UUoOzwgmUOI/AAAAAAAABZQ/2YKaBCLOEoM/s1600/028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RkiuvKX_yLs/UUoOzwgmUOI/AAAAAAAABZQ/2YKaBCLOEoM/s320/028.jpg" width="179" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here are some of my finds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Vintage skis</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Book shaped accessory</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L-W9Tdvun5Q/UUoIVDSnSYI/AAAAAAAABYg/-18FyqoyKt0/s1600/024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L-W9Tdvun5Q/UUoIVDSnSYI/AAAAAAAABYg/-18FyqoyKt0/s320/024.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Gorgeous antique cabinets</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPIIJgJ_CvM/UUoOz2WQrqI/AAAAAAAABZY/I9lGRcaCtAM/s1600/031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPIIJgJ_CvM/UUoOz2WQrqI/AAAAAAAABZY/I9lGRcaCtAM/s320/031.jpg" width="177" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u3ZIKgkPurw/UUoOz8-uAMI/AAAAAAAABZU/dW6QBrUebNw/s1600/030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u3ZIKgkPurw/UUoOz8-uAMI/AAAAAAAABZU/dW6QBrUebNw/s320/030.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MfDn1D5KcUw/UUoIVmyQdLI/AAAAAAAABYs/Rs095N7qUSQ/s1600/025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MfDn1D5KcUw/UUoIVmyQdLI/AAAAAAAABYs/Rs095N7qUSQ/s320/025.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I could do with this in my house:</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWPzzC8oer0/UUoIVx-tq2I/AAAAAAAABY0/Bqpd9_7sfqE/s1600/027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWPzzC8oer0/UUoIVx-tq2I/AAAAAAAABY0/Bqpd9_7sfqE/s320/027.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But not this: </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Then it's a stop at a local bakery <span style="font-size: small;">for more writing. Believe it or not, the little <span style="font-size: small;">jaunt in<span style="font-size: small;">to the furnitu<span style="font-size: small;">re consignment shops <span style="font-size: small;">fu<span style="font-size: small;">eled another good hour<span style="font-size: small;"> of <span style="font-size: small;">writing. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UNEgEb_A3Ow/UUoQul_1suI/AAAAAAAABZs/j7hQYsZMO9g/s1600/037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UNEgEb_A3Ow/UUoQul_1suI/AAAAAAAABZs/j7hQYsZMO9g/s400/037.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vRsQFvOLUPk/UUoQulz2xgI/AAAAAAAABZo/O4xn6ODln_U/s1600/035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vRsQFvOLUPk/UUoQulz2xgI/AAAAAAAABZo/O4xn6ODln_U/s320/035.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Or maybe it was the sugar.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oh, <span style="font-size: small;">all right, I did ste<span style="font-size: small;">p into Pier1<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I</span>mports, <span style="font-size: small;">where feathered fri<span style="font-size: small;">ends ruled<span style="font-size: small;">: </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whXhmS_Opc0/UUoSHzhdzsI/AAAAAAAABZ4/dJKSbpKBFeY/s1600/038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whXhmS_Opc0/UUoSHzhdzsI/AAAAAAAABZ4/dJKSbpKBFeY/s200/038.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UA2NqWIzMAo/UUoSIOzTbkI/AAAAAAAABaA/R-bl9t-rKeA/s1600/039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UA2NqWIzMAo/UUoSIOzTbkI/AAAAAAAABaA/R-bl9t-rKeA/s320/039.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So, what <span style="font-size: small;">do I <span style="font-size: small;">take a<span style="font-size: small;">way from this day?</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY_LG8f67xk/UUoUa2EUVtI/AAAAAAAABaQ/b3RAOWZCLvk/s1600/042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lY_LG8f67xk/UUoUa2EUVtI/AAAAAAAABaQ/b3RAOWZCLvk/s320/042.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I should write in long h<span style="font-size: small;">and more often</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is something about <span style="font-size: small;">being in a different <span style="font-size: small;">location that helps me write</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wish I had bought the hazlen<span style="font-size: small;">ut to<span style="font-size: small;">rte who<span style="font-size: small;">le when they said they didn't serve it in single slices.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There will be more <span style="font-size: small;">Daddy<span style="font-size: small;"> + kids d<span style="font-size: small;">ays.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Staying off the computer is <span style="font-size: small;">possible, and very good.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pier <span style="font-size: small;">1 I<span style="font-size: small;">mports can carry some old-<span style="font-size: small;">looking trunks and cabinets but they are not the real<span style="font-size: small;"> deal. </span></span></span></span> </span> </span></span></span> </span></span></span></span> </span></span> </span></span> </span></span></span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></li>
</ul>
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Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-60319026355322492822013-03-12T09:39:00.000-06:002013-03-12T09:39:14.299-06:00Re-reading Favorites<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.elizabethstrout.com/?page_id=410">Elizabeth Strout</a> has a new book out, <i><a href="http://www.elizabethstrout.com/?book=the-burgess-boys">The Burgess Boys</a></i>. Amazon and Barnes and Noble and other bookish places are sending me emails and offering special pre-order prices. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTGHgy4q6H0/UT9Lxd6mIKI/AAAAAAAABYA/9qSLtY_5KzQ/s1600/burgessboys1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTGHgy4q6H0/UT9Lxd6mIKI/AAAAAAAABYA/9qSLtY_5KzQ/s200/burgessboys1.png" width="130" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"> This just makes me want to revisit <a href="http://www.elizabethstrout.com/?book=olive-kitteridge"><i>Olive Kitteridge</i></a>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BVvV1sbpV8w/UT9Lz74UZsI/AAAAAAAABYI/uHdlXxVWFAU/s1600/olive3d1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BVvV1sbpV8w/UT9Lz74UZsI/AAAAAAAABYI/uHdlXxVWFAU/s200/olive3d1.png" width="130" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I loved it the first time I read it and now as I think about re-reading it, I am filled with...trepidation. Will I love it as much? What is I get disappointed? Why don't I just leave it the way it is?</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Strange that I don't feel any excitement about discovering something else to love. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Can anyone relate to this? </span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-67464894502948987202013-03-11T06:00:00.000-06:002013-03-11T06:00:00.064-06:00My name is Asher Lev<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4QOaTZwvTg4/UTo1Yb2P1-I/AAAAAAAABXw/AwE1Uf82MvE/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4QOaTZwvTg4/UTo1Yb2P1-I/AAAAAAAABXw/AwE1Uf82MvE/s200/books.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have only just begun to read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11507.My_Name_Is_Asher_Lev?auto_login_attempted=true"><i>My name is Asher Lev</i></a>, and by page 20, I already know that this is one I will read slowly so as not to miss anything, in the writing and in the story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Asher Lev was the juncture point of two significant family lines, the apex, as it were, of a triangle seminal with Jewish potentiality and freighted with Jewish responsibility. But he was also born with a gift.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">But he was also born with a gift? <i>But</i>? Not and?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">What an introduction to the narrator and his story. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Asher's gift was drawing. His mother praised his early efforts but constantly pushed him to draw pretty things. His father, a serious Hassidic Jew who worked for the Rabbi, wanted him to outgrow his childish hobby.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">When Asher was six, his mother turned very sick. Asher tried to cheer her up by showing her a picture, not one filled with black swirls and angry eyes that he had been drawing, but one with pretty birds and flowers he created for her. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">It backfired. That night, he had this conversation with his father:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"No one likes my drawings," I said through a fog of half sleep. "My drawings don't help."</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My father said nothing. </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"I don't like to feel this way, Papa."</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Gently, my father put his hand on my cheek.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"It's not a pretty world, Papa."<br />"I've noticed," my father said softly.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">His mother finally made it out of bed to the living room, where she sat motionless and slept. Asher drew her. Then he noticed his father watching him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had no idea how long he had been standing in the doorway....There was fascination and perplexity on his face. He seemed awed and angry and confused and dejected, all at the same time.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">That night, when his father once again said he wished Asher wouldn't spend all his time drawing, this is how Asher replied:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"I wanted to draw and light and the dark."</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Somehow, this experience made him hopeful. Instead of lamenting that his drawings couldn't help, this is how he felt:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I would put all the world into light and shade, bring life to all the wide and tired world. It did not seem an impossible thing to do.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">My heart starts to break. </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-83899145841272540012013-03-01T09:26:00.001-07:002013-03-01T21:07:25.782-07:00The Next Big Thing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"></span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have been neglecting this blog, especially since I created a Facebook page. *Sheepish face* My friend, <a href="http://nandinibajpai.blogspot.com/p/about.html">Nandini Ba</a><a href="http://nandinibajpai.blogspot.com/p/about.html">jpai</a>, <a href="http://nandinibajpai.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-next-big-thing.html">whose books are being published soon</a> (yay, Nandini!), tagged me for this bloghop and provided me with a good reason to do some dusting off. How does this work? I answer ten questions about the book I am currently writing, my personal Next Big Thing, and tag other writers to keep the topic hopping along. </span> </span></span><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">What is the title of your book?</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Circle
of Jade</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Where did the idea come from for the book?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The story came primarily from my own
experiences losing loved ones as a teen. Questions that started then are still
the ones I ponder now. One of these is about redemption: how fundamental it is
as a motivation, what sorts of things people do, and how well they work. And if
these attempts are futile, what then? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I realize this sounds very heavy. But life
for many teenagers can be full of big questions without easy answers, and I
hope some of them may find my exploration of these questions relatable. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Another source for this story, and
perhaps for all of my stories, is the people around us: people who love us and
whom we love, people who matter. In this story, it’s the love of her two
friends, little brother, and mother whom she has pushed away who help<span style="font-size: small;"> her find her way again</span>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">What genre does your book fall under?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">YA contemporary</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Which actors would you choose to play your characters in
a movie rendition?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">I haven’t kept up with current young
actors. Maybe readers can help me find an actor for Ash, whose mother is
Chinese and father is Brazilian. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Besides, the majority of the young
actors are so glamorous and Hollywoodified (yes, this will be a word soon
enough) that I can’t imagine any of them playing the regular kids in my book. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Having said that, an actor just
popped into my head for one of my secondary characters, Finn, whose unique
blend of goofiness and compassion help Ash emerge from her grief. I love the
way Jay Bruchel played the main character in <i>The</i> <i>Sorcerer’s Apprentice:</i>
someone who is not attractive immediately, but whose personality and kindness
and sincerity draw you to him. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">After a beloved grandmother’s
death plunges 16-year old Ash into deep grief, she seeks redemption in serving
others selflessly but finds true healing in unexpected ways. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Will your book be self-published or represented by an
agency?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">From everything I know about
self-publishing, I know I’m not a good candidate, so I hope to find someone who
will champion my story. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">How long did it take you to write the first draft of your
manuscript?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">I don’t write in a linear
fashion, so it’s hard to say when the first draft finished and the
second, or third began. If you pushed me to a corner and told me my life
depended on the answer, I’d say around 8 months. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">What other books would you compare this story to within
your genre?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In YA, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9264113-blink-caution?auto_login_attempted=true"><i>Blink and Caution</i> by Tim Wynne Jones</a> felt the closest to this story.
<a href="http://amykathleenryan.com/zen-and-xander.php">Amy Kathleen Ryan’s Zen and Xander Undone</a>and <a href="http://www.jandynelson.com/book/">Jandy Nelson’s <i>The Sky is Everywhere</i></a> both show teens dealing with grief. In general fiction,<i> </i><a href="http://www.carolrifkabrunt.com/2.html"><i>Tell the Wolves I’m Home</i> by Carol RifkaBrunt</a> has a lot of the same types of issues I am exploring in this book. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Who or what inspired you to write this book?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Yet another question that
doesn’t have a straightforward answer. My reason for doing things doesn’t
always follow a direct cause-and-effect path. What I do tends to be the result
of many different influences.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"> If I must answer this question, I’d have to
say it’s my teenaged self, my two friends who died young, and my grandmother. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">What else about your book might pique the reader’s
interest?</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Rube Goldberg contraptions? Hot dog dumplings? That Chinese calligraphy ink is smelly? Random Portuguese and Mandarin words? </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">As I write, I’m
thinking primarily of my character and telling her story. I am aware, of course,
of my audience, but I don’t know which of the elements in the book will pique readers' interest. My belief is that if
my story rings true, it will engage. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">This is a story about a teen
trying to navigate through a difficult patch in her life. I suspect that many
of my readers, teenagers, seek to relate. Readers who have experienced similar
situations may find my book interesting. Readers who are trying to understand
friends who have experienced loss in their lives may be interested. Readers who
are curious about life’s many knotty questions may be interested.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Writers you’ve tagged for the NEXT BIG THING Blog Hop.</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: small;">The talented duo<span style="font-size: small;"> who run the <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://writingya.blogspot.com/">Finding Wonderland</a> blog both have wonderful books ready to burst onto the scene. I hope they'll play. Author and part time <span style="font-size: small;">physician, <a href="http://lydiakang.blogspot.com/">Lydia Kang</a>, has t<span style="font-size: small;">wo books coming out. Exciting stuff. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">UPDATE</span></span></span></span></span></span></b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Turns out I should have been more conscientious about ta<span style="font-size: small;">gging<span style="font-size: small;">, you know, asking people first. Tanita has already done this, and <a href="http://tanitasdavis.com/wp/?p=4129">here it is</a>. </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"> </span></b></div>
Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-43355554524037176122013-01-10T09:20:00.002-07:002013-01-10T09:20:59.876-07:00New Books in the New Year<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are some books I'll be reading in the new year. What's on your immediate-read list?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_ErAnJWg3Cg/UO7qNhPz-3I/AAAAAAAABXY/piAlTDwkbEQ/s1600/016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_ErAnJWg3Cg/UO7qNhPz-3I/AAAAAAAABXY/piAlTDwkbEQ/s400/016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-38653098246535368082012-12-18T11:07:00.000-07:002012-12-18T11:07:18.732-07:00When is a bookstore not a bookstore?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kpWVKja-H2A/UNCnif4Y7HI/AAAAAAAABWQ/oUC0jT1921Q/s1600/penumbra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kpWVKja-H2A/UNCnif4Y7HI/AAAAAAAABWQ/oUC0jT1921Q/s320/penumbra.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.robinsloan.com/penumbra/"><i>Mr. Penumbra's 24-</i></a><a href="http://www.robinsloan.com/penumbra/"><i>Hour Bookstore</i></a> has something for nerds of all stripes: books nerds, Tolkien nerds, typography nerds, technology nerds, just to name a few. With a few more elements of universal appeal thrown in: friendship, romance, quest for immortality, and a mystery, and voila: a fun and engaging read. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I do have to confess that at times, while following the narrator's line of thinking as he solved the mystery, I got slightly lost. There were quite a few Aha! moments that, for me at least, turned out to be not quite as momentous as the book portrayed them. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This book has been compared on many end-of-year lists to <i>Where'</i><i>d You Go, Bernadette?</i> as books that are written for an intelligent audience who may need a short reprieve from deep, thought-provoking book but still want to be transported by excellent writing. It seems like a bit of a back-handed compliment, especially for an author who touched on some Big Themes, albeit delivered in easy-going, almost slacker language. I think I understand what there readers are trying to say though, and I agree. This is a very well-written book without pretensions and affectations. I enjoyed it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here is a quote from the book: </span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"I always thought the key to immortality would be, like, tiny robots fixing things in your brain," she said. "Not books."</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My only question is, why is the font on the cover not in Gerritzoon? </span> </span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-52274137497840745622012-10-15T07:00:00.000-06:002012-10-15T07:39:03.263-06:00Life is Good<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ahhhhh!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">That's the sound of a contented sigh. What brought it about? The last few books that I have read, all of which have been good. My faith in humanity is reaffirmed. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://www.npr.org/books/titles/153444111/whered-you-go-bernadette">Where'd You Go, Bernadette?</a> </i>and <a href="http://www.tanafrench.com/books_broken_harbor_us.html"><i>Broken Harbor</i></a> are both hugely popular books, which usually means I approach them with fear and trepidation because however much I try, I always go in with heightened expectations. At the back of my mind is always that niggling naysayer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">But both of these more than lived up to the expectations. Isn't that always such a relief?</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_zeWMl8gN00/UHtiB2JhzCI/AAAAAAAABV0/vItq0aVbcPY/s1600/bernadette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_zeWMl8gN00/UHtiB2JhzCI/AAAAAAAABV0/vItq0aVbcPY/s200/bernadette.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">First, Bernadette.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What is the book about? It's about the redemption of a self-absorbed woman. No, not exactly. It's a quest of a fifteen-year old to find her mom. Not totally. It's about mistakes. It's a family story. It is a mystery. It is a story told in multiple points of view via email and letters and regular prose interwoven together. It's about Microsoft and robotics and penguins and Antarctica and architecture and Seattle and artists becoming the menace of society. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">(I really would love to know the elevator pitch of this one. Or even the synopsis.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">The novel contains all of the above yet (cliche alert!) the result is not only so much more than the sum of its parts, it is a totally different species.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">It is a story well told that is in part hilarious, without overt cleverness, and in part sad. The traits of the characters are scarily recognizable and unlike my prose here, not cliched-ridden. If I were told earlier on that the story would be told partially through email and letters from different povs, I'd conclude that it was a lazy choice, a gimmick. But it's not. Or maybe it is, but I didn't care. I was drawn into the story and its characters, without really identifying with Bernadette nor her daughter, Bee (just who is the main protagonist, anyway?) and was willingly being taken along for the ride. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">A great ride. A wonderful read. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">(Next up, my thoughts on Broken Harbor.) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-56519618113264908832012-10-11T12:29:00.004-06:002012-10-11T12:31:37.266-06:00So that's what she looks like?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">You know how when you read about a character and start forming ideas about what she looks like and how she sounds? I do anyway. And as I continue, the image is either confirmed or modified by new information. Most of the time, I feel all smug like a good student when I get it right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">But every once in a while, the surprise that the character is nothing like what I've formed in my mind is priceless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Audrey Griffin, a parent at a private school who is going to host a brunch in her home for prospective parents. I thought: nice hair, good skin, tasteful clothing, posh accent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Then I see her--running, puffing, her grey hair coming loose from her ponytail, wearing a down vest and pleated pants--and I just feel pure delight!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">(Name the book and tell me if you aren't enjoying it.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">(hint: I just mentioned it recently on my face book author page.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-17876249048680443262012-09-26T07:00:00.000-06:002012-09-26T07:00:13.066-06:00Post conference bookapalooza<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Lines and Letters Conference organized by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI this past weekend provided a time of recharging for me. My mind has been provoked and opened and challenged. I'll do a quick recap soon but for now, here is the list of books I am going to read as a result of recommendations:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8yO1V7zQekU/UGKE00O9hhI/AAAAAAAABU0/ydcjH3ApO3c/s1600/waystoliveforever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8yO1V7zQekU/UGKE00O9hhI/AAAAAAAABU0/ydcjH3ApO3c/s1600/waystoliveforever.jpg" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uINLtX0reDc/UGKExoIrukI/AAAAAAAABUs/dQ3af-V40Jk/s1600/insignia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uINLtX0reDc/UGKExoIrukI/AAAAAAAABUs/dQ3af-V40Jk/s1600/insignia.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vd_71f9ET50/UGKE8bU7X5I/AAAAAAAABU8/ywPSQ0TlxfY/s1600/plainkate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vd_71f9ET50/UGKE8bU7X5I/AAAAAAAABU8/ywPSQ0TlxfY/s1600/plainkate.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KG2LsKg5u9Y/UGKE_uRoGLI/AAAAAAAABVE/-bxouVlAhzw/s1600/deadline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KG2LsKg5u9Y/UGKE_uRoGLI/AAAAAAAABVE/-bxouVlAhzw/s1600/deadline.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Have you read all/any of these? Any thoughts? Favorite passages? Most unforgettable characters? </span></span><br />
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Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-84593278351066429192012-09-25T13:17:00.000-06:002012-09-25T13:19:18.711-06:00Escaped the claws<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is just a short post to report that<a href="http://yatyeechong.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-gauntlet.html"> I did finish my manuscript for my critique group</a> and now I am working hard on the revision. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The most eye-opening result of this little exercise is this: the reason I had so much trouble finishing up the manuscript is that I had been trying to write two stories into one. Too many relationships were left shallow, several characters left single-dimensional, and most important of all, each of the main character had to nip/tuck their stories to fit the other's.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have to say that the realization not only made a lot of sense but brought a degree of calmness. I have restarted the novel focused on only one of the two original protagonists--assuring the other that I will come back to her another day for her very own story--and find that my mind feels less cluttered and distracted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm on Chapter 5 and I have a good feeling about this. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75E3RYX25nE/UGIDBDdxGmI/AAAAAAAABUY/ogjaSwyZtjA/s1600/Got_A_Bad_feeling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-75E3RYX25nE/UGIDBDdxGmI/AAAAAAAABUY/ogjaSwyZtjA/s320/Got_A_Bad_feeling.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-63329486184148606102012-09-09T18:50:00.002-06:002012-09-09T18:50:37.339-06:00Read it, Maybe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://2.gvt0.com/vi/_ENO6wwdLGI/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_ENO6wwdLGI&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_ENO6wwdLGI&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yes, it's a cheesy parody, but it's fun. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Also, did you notice I inserted a comma in the title? </span></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-66502289457538628532012-08-17T08:00:00.000-06:002012-08-17T11:44:08.162-06:00The Gauntlet...<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">...has been thrown down.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IPx1cnwXdt8/UC1aDfFwu4I/AAAAAAAABTw/7-eX1Wmz1eQ/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IPx1cnwXdt8/UC1aDfFwu4I/AAAAAAAABTw/7-eX1Wmz1eQ/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The next time I submit to my critique group, my first draft will be finished. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Part of the reason I can't finish the book is that I have lost the focus of my original vision; I have been distracted by other shiny possibilities and strayed off the path. Or maybe subconsciously I think that if I don't finish it I don't have to face this product that is so far from what I imagined in my head. If I hold on to the fact that "I am still writing the story" I can still salvage what has become an unwieldy mess in my mind. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But my critique group, patient saints though they all are, has had enough of my 40 years of wandering, and has given me the command: finish the thing, and do so by September. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's time. Enough. The end is near.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I accept the challenge. (Or suffer the consequences at this gauntlet.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p2K3QLZG7xM/UC1a1_DYmgI/AAAAAAAABUA/Ns8Fs_4JgJY/s1600/saurons+gauntlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p2K3QLZG7xM/UC1a1_DYmgI/AAAAAAAABUA/Ns8Fs_4JgJY/s1600/saurons+gauntlet.jpg" /></a></span></div>
Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-56940992422346560582012-08-15T10:00:00.000-06:002012-08-14T17:06:39.556-06:00WFMD Challenge Day 15<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Scribble....scribble.....scribble</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JcEWzERyhLs/UCrZMfkSk5I/AAAAAAAABTU/Ta19khEq6Ao/s1600/scribbling-choice-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JcEWzERyhLs/UCrZMfkSk5I/AAAAAAAABTU/Ta19khEq6Ao/s200/scribbling-choice-5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Drivel...drivel....drivel</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hoping it will take fewer than seven days for me to reach a productive writing day </span></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-20691426830713683732012-08-14T11:30:00.001-06:002012-08-14T11:30:51.778-06:00Refresh<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8U0Lqdes9KY/UCqKy7UaRpI/AAAAAAAABTA/kT1lPY94cLg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8U0Lqdes9KY/UCqKy7UaRpI/AAAAAAAABTA/kT1lPY94cLg/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"> It's to be expected. Falling off the wagon. Household emergencies, health issues: those were the reasons I didn't write for a few days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">Those particular situations are over now and it's time to start over. Not guilt trips, no lament over but-it-was-just-starting-to-get-good. </span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-83943710399199842012-08-10T10:26:00.003-06:002012-08-10T10:26:45.621-06:00Then, on the Seventh Day<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most of what I had written in the first seven days of WFMD Challenge were not words that would see the light of day. I was writing for the sake of writing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But something happened on the evening of the seventh day. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had already written that day, but in the late afternoon, I decided to open a file that I had been avoiding. It was the current chapter in my YA novel, a chapter that had been giving me fits. Like any good procrastinator, I just chose not to look at it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am not sure what the initial spark was for wanting to return to this chapter, but I know it was not guilt, it was not a sense of duty. It was something closer to curiosity: I wanted to see what I had done and what I could do. (Ignoring it deliberately does have its merits. It allowed me to read what I'd written with a more objective perspective.) As I read the rough words, I started writing and editing. While I wouldn't describe the process as having the heavens open up, I was able to work and push forward instead of fighting with the stop-and-start-and-stutter phenomenon that had passed itself as the process of writing in recent times. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Hb68D6W1v8/UCU1chfQsAI/AAAAAAAABSQ/WszR5bH4_mY/s1600/talks_drivel_hat-p148565023141481141z74s0_210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Hb68D6W1v8/UCU1chfQsAI/AAAAAAAABSQ/WszR5bH4_mY/s200/talks_drivel_hat-p148565023141481141z74s0_210.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PeJlDSt1x1w/UCU13kVvjlI/AAAAAAAABSY/uMRu04bmes4/s1600/cliche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PeJlDSt1x1w/UCU13kVvjlI/AAAAAAAABSY/uMRu04bmes4/s200/cliche.jpg" width="200" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> So it is true. Write consistently: drivel, rubbish, cliches, doesn't matter. The habit will make it easier for the real writing to take place. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-71049652956632233342012-08-07T10:32:00.001-06:002012-08-07T10:32:11.857-06:00Inviting monsters<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://madwomanintheforest.com/">Laurie Anderson</a> provides writing prompts every day on her blog during the August <a href="http://madwomanintheforest.com/wfmad-day-1-welcome-to-the-write-fifteen-minutes-a-day-challenge/">Write Fifteen Minutes A Day Challenge</a>. <a href="http://madwomanintheforest.com/invite-your-monsters-wfmad-day-7/">Today's prompt, </a>especially, hits me with that strange combination of fear and excitement. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Inviting my inner monsters? Isn't that just a crazy idea? I spend my time avoiding them, why focus on them now? Why give them the attention?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And yet. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There seems to be some wisdom in choosing to face down a foe instead of running away or closing my eyes and ears and singing "lalalalala" whenever there is a chance of being confronted with it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So today I'm going to do it. If you don't hear back from me tomorrow, I hope it's not because I am rocking back and forth in a fetal position in the darkest corner of my house. </span></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-73840597908766161812012-08-06T11:29:00.000-06:002012-08-06T11:29:25.575-06:00Gold bars and badminton and priorities<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Badminton is a favorite sport in my family. Growing up, we watched as many of the Thomas Cup and All England matches as were broadcasted on TV. We watched amazing feats by the international greats such as Rudy Hartono, Han Jian, Svend Pri, and Lim Swie King as well as Malaysia's own Punch Gunalan, Sidek Brothers, Ong Beng Teong, Cheach Soon Kit. Just typing these names bring back so many fond memories. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The current Malaysian top player, Lee Chong Wei, was in the finals of the 2012 London Olympic games. He lost, but not before winning the first of three matches and going all the way to tie at 19-19 in the third. Lin Dan from China took the gold.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HC11BFaEw9M/UB_-wb7HR4I/AAAAAAAABR8/8DF1QOUyE6s/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HC11BFaEw9M/UB_-wb7HR4I/AAAAAAAABR8/8DF1QOUyE6s/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not having caught the game on TV (somebody please tell me the best place to watch the match?) I read some articles on it. I found out that a rich businessman in Malaysia offered to gift any Malaysian badminton players with a gold bar if they won the gold. Malaysia is a small country and while she has seen some sports glory on other international stages, the Olympic gold medal is one that has eluded her.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The offer got me thinking. I can't believe that Lee Chong Wei, a person at the top of his game, who has known what it takes to remain a champion, and <a href="http://busuk.org/ping/view/271174">who has lost to Lin Dan more than he has won in recent years</a>, needed an extra motivation to do better in <i>an Olympics finals!!!!!</i> That he would say to himself, "well now that there is an additional $600,000 involved, I'd better train harder,' is inconceivable. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have to say though, if someone offers me a gold bar for winning the TKD Top Ten or to get a book contract, I may shift my priorities. The thing about wanting a balanced life and learning different crafts is that there is always tension. Should I be playing Clue with my children? Should I work on my TKD form/core strength/balance/flexibility? Should I write? Pursuing excellence in one area often means putting aside another area, at least for the time being. There is always a cost. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But I have to say, if someone were to offer me a gold bar for winning the world championship and getting a book published, I don't think I'd be doing anything much differently. That's a good sign, isn't it?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-13360663116396324112012-08-04T11:27:00.004-06:002012-08-04T11:27:57.356-06:00The Challenge of Saturdays<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Saturdays: lazy mornings, breakfast stretched into lunch, impromptu bike rides, movies. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hlTKnwVGVW0/UB1bZ4niYwI/AAAAAAAABRo/MtlgPW9u3I0/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hlTKnwVGVW0/UB1bZ4niYwI/AAAAAAAABRo/MtlgPW9u3I0/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Setting aside time to write? Not so easy. So I'm going to do it now before the rest of the family emerges from their brunch and books to ask expectantly: "what are we doing today?'</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4980381933042572592.post-35097780000348270162012-08-03T12:20:00.003-06:002012-08-03T12:21:37.204-06:00Exhausting or energizing?<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It's Day 3 of <a href="http://madwomanintheforest.com/write-fifteen-minutes-a-day-challenge-welcome/">WFMD Challenge.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What's on my plate today: an overall examination of my young adult novel that is (finally) nearing the end of the first draft. I have become aware of a number of things that are not working but wanted to finish the draft before revising. Now it's time to retrieve the new knowledge and insights I'd filed away to figure out how I can make it work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It's another one of those difficult processes to begin, because there is so much that is new and untested, and it is difficult to seperate the essentials from the peripherals. Plus, I know that the next revision, my second draft, will depend on this new road map, and I really would like to avoid as many false paths as possible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;">In other words, too many decisions have to be made based on too few indisputable "knowns." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I used to love this very situation as a young piano teacher. Every year at the end of summer, I would take out folders of my students for that year (I taught at a community music school, and while most of the time we kept our students for years, we did get students new to us every year because of scheduling issues or teachers leaving.) Sitting at my desk with their folders before me, trying to piece together what each student need was a most enjoyable and energizing process. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now the prospect of that just exhausts me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Let's see if this free writing with no (wink! wink!) real expectations of an end product will lead. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What are you writing today?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Yat-Yeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04028075516122778317noreply@blogger.com1