You are currently browsing the monthly archive for November, 2007.
Yesterday reading this was quite a pick-me-up, particularly this:
Don’t let anyone stop you—always adjust. Try new things and keep up with what’s changing. Re-invent yourself over and over.
Yes, yes, yes.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my novel and what I hope for it to become. After reading The Abstinence Teacher carefully, noticing the way Perrotta crafts his characters and weaves their interactions, I’m wondering where that approach to writing fits into Christian fiction, or even if it does at all. All of the Christian fiction books I’ve read have usually been plot-driven rather than character-driven. The more I work on this novel, the more I want it to be a character novel about Christians, real people struggling with real life.
Anyways, I have a little less than 7,000 words to go, I have 9 more research papers to grade, and–lucky me!–I get to work on it all at work.
I can’t wait till Friday!
I’m barely an hour into the work week and I’m already feeling overwhelmed. I was sick all weekend but had procrastinated on my novel and grading papers, so I had to forge ahead. And somehow I still feel behind. This week, I’m trying to fit all of my hours at The Shoulder into Mon-Weds, I still have 16 papers to grade by Thursday, Adam’s graduation is on Thursday and his parents are coming in from New York, and I have 8,000 words to go to get to 50,000 before Thursday at midnight. Eep!
Good news: exercise is good for creativity. And, dang, it’s true. Maybe I should do a lap around the building before I begin today.
I just finished reading The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta’s newest book. It’s an interesting look at the divide between and evangelical Christian perspective and the non-believer’s perspective on sex and life. I found it to be a fascinating, psychological novel. That’s not to say that I agree with everything Perrotta wrote, but I think he did a good job demonstrating that people struggle with being human, believing, and living. It was reminiscent of his previous book, Little Children, which I read when it first came out in 2003. I remember liking that one too.
The New York Times has an interesting piece today about how movie deals are impacting the way novelists approach their work:
Some worry that the increasingly cozy relationship between Hollywood and publishing companies is changing expectations of literary success — and may even be changing the way novelists approach their work. These days, “most writers feel a book isn’t worthy unless it’s made into a film,” Annie Proulx said in June at a literary festival in Capri, discussing the experience of having her short story “Brokeback Mountain” adapted for the big screen. “I think people are writing their books with an eye toward wanting them to be made into a film,” she said, a development she found “dispiriting.” But interviews with a number of novelists who have worked with Hollywood suggest that the situation may be more complicated, and that the process might have given them not just a big payday but some helpful insights into storytelling.
It’s hard to believe that there’s only 6 more days of November and novel-writing. I’m hoping to crank out 3,000 words today and 3,000 again tomorrow, though I have papers to grade that I’ve been putting off and I have to read “A Glass Menagerie” sometime this weekend. I’d also like to go running today. At any rate, I’m going to finish my 50,000 words by Friday! It may not be a fully formed novel, but it’s on its way.
If you love The Karate Kid, you’ll like this video by No More Kings called “Sweep the Leg.”
Yesterday, I was feeling not-so-hot and very exhausted. Lucky for me, I slept about 11 hours last night and feel much better. I am a little less than 5,000 words behind in my novel-writing and the days of November are quickly slipping away.
I am glad for some time off, especially from teaching, though I have papers to grade (of course) so it’s not really time off. One of my students called me last night to say that he lost his textbook and notebook, so he has no information for finishing his research paper or reading the play for next week. He was very sweet and I told him to hit the library and OWL, Perdue’s online writing lab, hands down the best academic writing website. I’m sure it’s weird, but moments like that make me enjoy teaching, seeing how much the students can care and showing them that I care about them.
I really wish my dad was here for Thanksgiving, but I’m thankful that Vicki’s having us over again. It’s strange to think that our real families may not be constructed of the people we’re biologically related to. I often feel that way with my own family.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Eat turkey and be blessed.
Brainiac has a great post about poems that have been made into movies. This includes Beowolf (which I very much want to see soon!).
A traditional interfaith Thanksgiving was canceled by a church leader in Texas after he realized what the word “interfaith” really meant. What would Jesus do? Read about it here.
Vicki called me today and invited Adam and me to Thanksgiving. I’m so glad. I was terribly disappointed when my father canceled his trip down here to see us for Thanksgiving. Apparently, in honor of me and my list, Vicki is planning on having mimosas. Also, we will eat super-fatty artichoke dip. Yum.
Very lazily, I had a few sub-par days of noveling followed by one day of non-noveling. That was yesterday and all this left me about 6,000 words behind. Instead of writing yesterday, I went to Barnes & Noble, drank coffee and read the NaNoWriMo book, No Plot? No Problem in one sitting. Then I bought the new Iron & Wine CD, which is delicious. Adam and I had dinner at Wing’s and played NTN, winning two games before coming home to make a fire and watch Scrubs. So do I feel bad for not writing? Not really. I’ve already cranked out over 2,000 today and plan to do more since Adam will be at work until 7 a.m. tomorrow.
In the meantime, today there was a lizard in the house. I was trying to figure out how to get it out when Penny noticed it, chased it around for three seconds and then snapped its neck. Now she has officially been dubbed lizard-killer. She’s so vicious.
I’m very glad to have a week off of teaching, to catch up on reading and writing and general relaxing. And Adam graduates from fire school next Thursday. They he’ll be an officially ordained firefighter, or something like that. Yay!
