Thursday Musings

I was going to post this
and take the day off from blogging to concentrate on my story, but two things got in the way.

1) As excited as I was working on my story late last night, I am NOT a morning person, so this morning I hate the very thought of opening that document. It's going to take several more cups of coffee and maybe even something sweet to get me ready; and

2) Yesterday while I was cleaning out a bookcase, I came across a folio of tapes from the RWA 2003 conference. Dennis Palumbo was the PAN Keynote Speaker. Guess I'll have to see if I have any device around that will still play those cassette tapes. There's also a Do's and Don'ts tape. It might be fun to see how many of those Don'ts have changed since 2003.

Blueberries, Peaches and Pie...oh

(You didn't think I'd say Oh MY did you?)
I was tempted to but that would be sort of a cliche and yesterday I read an excellent guest blog post by Jody Hedlund called Creative but not Cliched over at Not Enough Words. I recommend checking it out.

So today I thought I'd take a bit of a break from the writing blogs to talk about pie. Specifically the best blueberry pie I've ever had.

A few weeks ago, the DH and I traveled to Boston for a family reunion. We rarely get to go out just the two of us so the night before the reunion we had a lovely dinner at Longfellow's Wayside Inn. The inn has an interesting and almost symbiotic history with Longfellow that makes for interesting reading, but it was the food that I want to write about.

First, I had the most amazing salad - mixed greens with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, and a cranberry vinaigrette. I'm not a huge salad fan but this was amazing. Looked pretty much like this -->



I had a lobster pie for dinner and then came dessert. I'd seen an apple crumb pie on the menu and was determined to make room for it, but then the waitress mentioned their cold blueberry pie. Since it was my first day of summer vacation, there seemed something symbolic in that so I said sure, I'd try that instead of the apple.

WOW! You'd only agree with the WOW!!!!! if you absolutely love blueberries because this was the blueberriest pie I've ever had. It was a chilled pie and I haven't really figured out how it was made *kicks self for not asking* because the blueberries weren't cooked but there was some light glaze that held the whole thing together. The blueberries were the plumpest, crispest blueberries I've ever had (and I grew up picking blueberries by the bushel).
I've been trying to duplicate the pie and although I've never gotten it exactly right, I have created some pretty yummy pies. My favorites have been mixing blueberries and peaches. I simmer a cup of blueberries in water, some sugar and a little cornstarch, and when the mix thickens, I pour it over a pile of cut up but uncooked peaches and whole blueberries. Fold the fruit into the cornstarch mix, pour into a pre-baked pie shell and chill for a few hours. Delicious and since there's very little sugar, not even that unhealthy.

Here's a picture of the one I made last night. Unfortunately I didn't think to photograph it until after my daughter had attacked it.



And since being creature of habit keeps me writing - today's writing chapter is about letting go of your darlings - those words or stories that you just hate to let go of. Hmmm, if I don't talk about the chapter, can I hold on to my favorites just a little longer?

Seriously, do you have a problem with letting go of certain jokes, characters, old stories? Or do you have a favorite summer recipe to share?

"It's Alive"

Part of an ongoing series discussing Dennis Palumbo's Writing From the Inside Out (Transforming Your Psychological Blocks to Release the Writer Within).


"It's Alive"

To be honest, I don't have much to say about this chapter. One idea stands out - that writing is a living thing. "A dialogic process in which you and your writing create together that which is being written." p. 30

He goes on to talk about the moment you know your work is truly alive - when it's time in the story for a character to do or say something and the character rebels. "The character has taken on a life real enough to conflict with your carefully determined plans for him." (p. 31)

What's interesting to me about this is that I've heard both sides of this. Authors love to talk about their characters taking over, but I've also heard craft gurus claim that it's nonsense; that if you plot our your story carefully there's no room for that.

So what do you think? Do you let your characters take over, or do you have it all planned out in advance and refuse to change?

Writing Buddies

Part of an ongoing series discussing Dennis Palumbo's Writing From the Inside Out (Transforming Your Psychological Blocks to Release the Writer Within).


Today's chapter is Writing Buddies.

"Someone who, to put it simply, gets it. And more importantly, gets you." (p. 27)

Doesn't that really say it all?

Anyone who's had a writing buddy knows exactly how valuable (dare I say necessary) that person is. Anyone who's lost a writing buddy knows how difficult it is to replace her (or him).

Once upon a time I had two writing buddies. One moved and the other quit writing. To be honest, I'd taken a break from fiction writing to finish a double masters degree so I didn't feel the loss as critically at the time. But when I got back to writing - wow, I felt almost rudderless. Just last night I was wishing I had one of them to tell me if I was heading in the right direction with a new chapter.

Keli Gwyn did a terrific series on Writing Buddies/Critique Partners in June on her blog Romance Writers on the Journey. There's an earlier post about The Value of Critique Partners from 2009 but the new series begins in June 2010. There's really everything you would need to know about Critique Partnerships in this series. Thanks, Keli!

Palumbo calls writing buddies the "treasured constants" in our writing worlds.

Do you have writing friends you treasure? I'd love to hear about the writing buddies in your life.

Inspiration on Sunday or Love the craft

Where do you get your ideas?

That's the theme for the next chapter (FYI, the chapters in Writing From the Inside Out aren't numbered. This one begins on page 23.)

I'm going into this chapter thinking it's an easy one for me because finding ideas is the one part of writing that comes easily to me. Staying focused on one while others pile up around me, tempting, luring with their bright promise - now that's the challenge.

What is interesting t o me in this chapter is Palumbo's thesis that all the emphasis on where writer's get their ideas devalues the notion of craft and reinforces the idea writers have of "not being enough. That some special gift, something outside of the writer - is necessary." (p. 24)

The rest of the short chapter then goes on to focus on the importance of craft.

"Love the craft, the practice of your art, and the peaks will come." (p. 24)

I love that line. Apparently I loved it last time I started this book too because it's the only line in the entire book that I underlined. From the text, it's not clear to me if this advice comes from Palumbo or from George Leonard because it's in a reference to Leonard's Mastery. I think it's Palumbo's words based on Leonard's advice, but whoever gets credit, the advice is worthy of considering.


Which brings me to another thought on craft. Of course now that I want to quote it, I can't find the source, but I know I've read a lot recently about how mastering a subject requires about 5000 hours of practice. (Okay, a bit of googling and I find credit given to Malcolm Gladwell but claimed by someone else. Since I like the someone else's description, I'm going to quote and link that).

There are four levels of proficiency in any valuable skill – incompetence, competence, mastery, and virtuosity.

• To get past incompetence, you must spend about 1,000 hours practicing the skill you eventually want to master.

• After putting in about 1,000 hours, you will be competent. To achieve mastery, you will have to continue to practice that skill for a total of 5,000 hours.

• Virtuosity is extremely rare. You can’t get it simply by practicing. You must also have a natural gift. Even then, you must practice at least 10,000 hours to achieve it.

Michael Jordan was a virtuoso basketball player. Mozart was a virtuoso composer. Warren Buffett has been a virtuoso investor. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you must become a virtuoso. You can achieve greatness and make a fortune by becoming a master of your chosen skill.

The rest of this article has a really interesting discussion about whether hard work is enough or if it's all a matter of luck. Thought-provoking so check it out if you have time. Early to Rise

To connect this all, it seems to me that you either have to love the process, or want something SO badly that you're willing to sacrifice the hours needed to practice. I think the greatest joy and success in writing probably comes from some melding of both.

Palumbo closes the chapter with this thought (as true now as it was in 2000) -

"Given the shifting winds of fortune that accompany any writer's life, the smart money is on craft, practice, the doing of the thing." (p. 25)

I'm going to work on loving the process and the practice of craft this week.

Anyone have thoughts to share?

Your baby or #booksarenotbabies

Synchronicity.

Today's chapter in Dennis Palumbo's Writing From the Inside Out is "Your Baby" which is pretty coincidental in light of yesterday's hilarious discussion on Twitter under the hashtag #booksarenotbabies

Funny comparisons aside, the chapter is about how hypercritical authors can be about their own work at the same time they are calling it "their baby." The goal, according to Palumbo, is to "develop a benign relationship" with your talent. Or - learn to trust yourself.

Words of advice from pages 21-22:
"Ultimately - like a caring, supportive parent who's pleased merely because the child drew a picture a all - for the writer a good scene becomes one you write, a good story one you finish.

And a good day at the word processor is one where you just show up and do it."

So here's to all those who show up and do it today. And if you need a laugh, check out #booksarenotbabies.


And because I love this song and it fits today:

Martina McBride Do it Anyway