Last Monday Book: The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life

Post by Jenny

Today’s Last Monday Book is actually a series. Those of you who write historical fiction are probably familiar with The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life, but the books are a new discovery for me. These reference books compile the relevant cultural information of an era in one handy volume, as an infomercial might say.

Handy, yes, and also very comprehensive. Take, for example, The Writers Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800s, by Marc McCutcheon, which includes chapters about slang, transportation, general household, clothing, occupations, money, health and medicine, food and drink, amusements, marriage, slavery, the Civil War, the wild west, and crime. These chapters are followed by the chronologies of: Events, Noted Books and Novels, Selected Magazines, Innovations, and Popular Songs. (Tell me, which came first: the typewriting machine or the lock-stitch sewing machine?)

I love trivia, and these books are so full of fascinating information that they’re tremendous fun to browse through. I so want to have a character use the phrase “catawamptiously chawed up,” which meant utterly defeated in the American South from the 1840s on. Maybe that character would dress in a Benjamin (a loose topcoat worn by men when traveling) and ride in a Portland Cutter (the most popular sleigh following the Civil War, known for its ample leg room and low center of gravity). If he was lucky, he’d have spondulicks (money) in his pockets and a lovely young woman for sparking (courting). But, alas, she’d heartbroken to discover that he was a swartwouter (one who swindles and flees) who made off with all her father’s double eagles (twenty dollar gold pieces).

I know I could find much of the same information contained in these books on the internet, but not without hours of surfing. And sometimes, I like to forego the computer entirely and do my research old-school at my kitchen table with a cup of tea. If you’re considering writing anything historical, or if you just want to brush up on your trivia to impress your friends and family, definitely give these books a look. My library offers the volumes about Renaissance England, Colonial America, the Middle Ages, Prohibition through WWII, Regency and Victorian England, the Wild West, and the aforementioned 1800s. Hopefully, your library has a similar selection.

Oh, the typewriting machine (1843) beat the lock-stitch sewing machine by three years.

Have you ever used a Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life for your research?

Book Review: How the West Was Drawn

Post by Guest Blogger: Helen Colella

How the West Was Drawn—Cowboy Charlie’s Art by Linda Osmundson is an interactive book for children, their parents and classroom teachers. The colorful, realistic pictures of life on the open range are painted by Charles M. Russell, one of America’s leading western artists.

Readers are in for an artistic trip back into the American Wild West where history and legends were made.

Artist, Charles Russell brings cowboys and Indians, pioneer women and visitors from the east, outlaws and lawmen to life via his artwork, shows the adventures of a cattle drive, round up and buffalo hunt and offers the experience of a cowboy camp, Indian teepee and stagecoach robbery.

Russell lived what he painted thus his pictures in How the West Was Drawn have been sought by historians who want an accurate visual story of life on the range.

Linda Osmundson has created a series of questions and games that encourage readers to look beyond on the canvas, examine the details, use senses and imagination to see the painting. Her activities encourage readers to appreciate fine art as well as use their newly learned art critiquing skills on all art whether in this book or another and at a museum.

How the West Was Drawn—Cowboy Charlie’s Art by Linda Osmundson is published by Pelican Publishing Company, Louisiana, © 2011. It can be found in bookstores and on Amazon.com. To learn more about the author visit: www.lindaosmundson.com. To see more books by Pelican visit: www.pelicanpub.com.

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This Week in the Writing World...May 27

by Brooke Favero

BEA is in the air. Dystel & Goderich give an interesting perspective on BEA and staying in the (writing/publishing) race. Janet Reid dishes on day one of BEA and The Rejecter also recaps BEA. Kirkus Reviews lists the top 26 books to snag at BEA. Which of these titles would you love to get? I can't decide between Legend and The Flint Heart.


Understanding the Industry & Market

The Real Skinny About Indie Publishing @ Nathan Bransford
What About the Readers? @ Rachelle Gardner.
Plan Your Brand @ Books & Such.
LinkedIn: The Social Media Tool Writers Should Not Ignore @ Writers Unboxed.

Querying
No Agent is Better Than a Bad Agent @ Babbles from Scott Eagan.
Ethical vs. Effective @ KT Literary.
Workshop Wednesday @ BookEnds.

Crafting
The Characters Must Come First (in Any Genre) @ Guide to Literary Agents.
Giving Characters a Chance to Grow @ Mystery Writing is Murder.
Reversals in Novels and Movies @ Nathan Bransford.
Writing in 140: Organic Description @ The Blood Red Pencil.
Stepping Out: A Look at POV Shifts @ The Other Side of the Story.

New Agent
New Agent Alert: Rachel Stout of Dystel and Goderich @ Guide to Literary Agents.
More Great News for the Agency! @ The Steve Laube Agency.

What Oprah Knows for Sure

As a follow up to yesterday's post, I wanted to share this clip from Oprah's final show. She talks about living the life we were meant to live. Take a few minutes to watch it and hopefully it will inspire you to continue pursuing your writing dream.

What Oprah Knows For Sure

Enjoy!
Kerrie

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Bye Oprah...

Today, the very last Oprah show will air. Not everyone is an Oprah fan, but I bet everyone would agree she has had a positive impact on this world for the past 25 years her show has been on the air.

Mixed in with the makeover shows and the favorite things extravaganza, Oprah brought to the forefront issues that had been swept under the rug, like abuse, incest, eating disorders, and depression. She showed the tragic consequences of drunk driving, drug abuse and distracted driving. But I think what I will remember most is how she inspired me and many others around the world to be the best we could be.

Her tagline is "Live Your Best Life," and over the past two decades she has modeled what that looks like. She didn't start out her career as a billionaire and one of the most powerful women in the world. She worked her way up. But along the way she stayed strong in her faith, remained authentic to who she is and approached her work from a place of service.

As writers we can learn a lot from her. She found a way to do what she loves to do, gets paid well for it and has maintained her integrity along the way. This is something we all have the power to do. The last Oprah show my air today, but I know it is not the last we will see of her. I am sure she still has big dreams to accomplish and I have no doubt she will reach those... because she believes she can.

Do you believe you can achieve your writing dreams?

I will leave  you with these inspirational quotes from Oprah:

"What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come."

"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude."

"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work."

"The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams."

"I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself."


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We're Still Here

Post by Jenny

Clearly, I’m not paying close enough attention, because I didn’t know until Friday that the world was possibly going to end the very next day. How would I have possibly explained being caught so unawares? Dentist appointment? Email glitch? But the world did not end on Saturday, and here are ten reasons I’m glad it didn’t:

1. My library books aren’t due for two more weeks.

2. The World Wildlife Fund still owes me the endangered species tote bags I ordered.

3. The Cubs and Red Sox were in the middle of their first series in 93 years. (I know the Sox were allegedly cursed—and the Cubs apparently still are—but I’m guessing that not even the ghosts of Babe Ruth and a vengeful goat can cause the end of days.)

4. I’m going to need at least another month to continue visiting A to Z blogs.

5. I couldn’t figure out what to wear. Clean underwear, yes, but should a person dress for comfort or style? Are slippers permissible?

6. I haven’t finished stealth-nibbling the remains of my boys’ chocolate Easter bunnies.

7. I don’t yet know which five foods are guaranteed to burn belly fat. (But the list no doubt excludes the aforementioned chocolate bunnies.)

8. I was pretty much caught up on my laundry, and, oh, how I would have wanted the satisfaction of leaving a pile of dirty clothes behind.

9. The upcoming 30Rock season finale.

10. Last but certainly not least, I have big plans to someday be a real, honest-to-goodness published writer. Yes, I freely admit to being occasionally inefficient, easily distracted, and procrastinatory. In addition, I'm prone to struggles with self-pity, self-aggrandizement, and self-serve frozen yogurt. But it’s going to take more than those things to stop me, because I fully believe in the power of persistence. And whenever I hear that the world is going to end, and it doesn’t, I feel as though I’ve been given a fresh start. So, bring it on, goat.

What are you glad to be working on today?

This Week in the Writing World...May 20

by Brooke Favero

I did it. I sent my query last week to two agents. Am I nervous? Oh yeah. I haven't heard back from either of them. I don't know if that means their busy and haven't got to it OR maybe, just maybe, I have a shot. So I feel a lot like the guy in the kayak. What's been your querying experience?

How do you cope while waiting to hear from agents/publishers?

Understanding Industry & Marketing

Who's Buying Your Book and What Are You Going to Do About It? @ Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

Is There Gold in Your Backlist? Self-publish to Find Out @ Alan Rinzler.

This is My Shocked Face @ Pimp My Novel.

A Defense of Traditional Publishing: Part 5 @ The Steve Laube Agency.

Asking a Published Author to Read Your Work @ Rachelle Gardner.

Do You Really Need an Author Blog If You're on Facebook or Twitter? @ Writer Unboxed.

21 Quick Actions You Can Do Today to Set Your Blog Up for Massive Success @ ThinkTraffic.

Querying

Difficult Conversations: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 @ Rachelle Gardner.

Getting Published Is All That Matters--Not Always...@ Babbles from Scott Eagan.

Pitching Novels Face to Face, or Learning Literary Agents Don't Have Horns @ Stet!

Getting Back to Speed (Query do's and don'ts) @ KT Literary.

How to Format a Query Sent by Email @ Janet Reid.

Multi-Book Contracts @ Rachelle Gardner.

Word Count @ BookEnds.

Online Presence and Editors and Agents @ Babbles from Scott Eagan.

Crafting

Interiority vs Telling @ Kidlit.

Resist the Urge to Explain @ The Blood-Red Pencil.

Introducing...the Character Traits Thesaurus @ The Bookshelf Muse.

Building a World from the Ground Up @ Mystery Writing is Murder.

The Scope of the Conflict @ TalkToYoUniverse.

Straight Dope on Semicolons @ My Daytime Drama.

The Case for Putting a Manuscript in the Drawer @ Nathan Bransford.

The Beginning and the End @ The Blood-Red Pencil.

Real Life Diagnostics: POV and Openings @ The Other Side of the Story.

Re-envisioning a Scene Without Rewriting It @ TalkToYoUniverse.

Pace Yourself @ Seekerville.

Advice for Writers Who Want to Be Published @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.

New Agent

New Agent Alert: Susan Finesman of Fine Literary @ Guide to Literary Agents.

New Agent Alert: Jeff Ourvan of the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency @ Guide to Literary Agents.

Laughs

The Hunger Games: Barbie Edition @ youtube.

Friday Funnies @ Pub Rants. (Once upon a time I was in love with Erik Estrada. He's still hot and funny.)

All That Jazz

Post by Jenny

I have a favorite jazz station I like to listen to when I’m in the car, and not long ago one of the DJs mentioned how jazz is uniquely American music which moved up from its birthplace in New Orleans to the clubs of Chicago and New York. It didn’t take long before the classic New Orleans sound, such as King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band, inspired other musicians, from Duke Ellington to George Gershwin to violinist Paul Whiteman, and widened the scope of the music’s popularity.

But the Jazz Age was about much more than music. It was the era of flappers, Prohibition, Al Capone, and Charles Lindbergh. And, musicians aside, perhaps no one embraced the spirit of the times more than the writers. Sinclair Lewis, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Eugene O’Neill, Langston Hughes, Dorothy Parker…and of course F. Scott Fitzgerald, who is credited with coining the term “Jazz Age.”

Fitzgerald was only 24 in 1920 when his first novel, This Side of Paradise, made him famous overnight. Feeling that he could then support a wife, he married the beautiful Zelda Sayre, and the two lived and chronicled the excesses and cynicism of the era. From Scott’s Commentary on New York (1926): “The restlessness approached hysteria....Young people wore out early—they were hard and languid at twenty-one…The city was bloated, glutted, stupid with cake and circuses…”

We all know that soundtracks are an integral part of a moviegoing experience, but books can have soundtracks, too. Take this quote from The Great Gatsby: “All night the saxophones wailed the hopeless comment of the Beale Street Blues while a hundred pairs of golden and silver slippers shuffled the shining dust.” Just as with movies, the soundtrack of a book is best if it conveys mood without overpowering plot or characters. Above all, it has to “sound” right.

The roaring twenties, of course, was not the only era to be shaped by its music. Rock and Roll in the fifties, Disco in the seventies, grunge in the nineties…each of those musical styles, and many more, can be a powerful tool for anchoring a character in a particular time, setting, or mood.

Do you use music in your writing?

X is for X-ray

Today's post is from NCW member Lisa Péré; writer and editor extraordinaire (plus she can also speak French-which I think is pretty cool). 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay. Ready?

Think about your Most Embarrassing Moment.

If you’re at all well-adjusted, this might be difficult. Sure, you know right off which experience counts as the most epic of your squirm-worthy screw-ups, but at the instant of recognition, your brain probably does one of those acrobatic avoidance maneuvers that our brains do so well:

          My most embarrassing moment?
          Oh, god, it’s got to be that time with the toilet and that hot fireman and the—
          SCREEEE
          Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr
          Clunk
          Hey. Is that Oprah on that magazine? Eating pastrami? Do people actually eat pastrami? I mean,              
          in real life? I think Seinfeld had an episode about pastrami. I miss Seinfeld.
          Wait. What was the question?

All the crappy parts of life—the embarrassing, ugly, nasty parts, the death and the wounds and the pettiness—they’re unavoidable. But dredging them up and holding them in your hands and turning them over and over, examining them, probing them...dude. That’s just not natural.

Unless.

Unless you’re crazy enough to want to be a writer. Because writing, it’s like being an x-ray technician of the soul or something. Especially if you’re writing for teens, I think. It goes against every instinct to muck around in all the icky parts of my teenage years, yet here I sit, doing just that. Because that’s where the good stories are.

Are you willing to get your hands dirty? Are you willing to expose yourself to all that scrutiny?

Awesome.

Also: Does anybody else have a sudden craving for pastrami?


Lisa Péré is a writer and editor and the owner of Full Stop Editorial . You can find her sporadically blogging at http://wordymuch.blogspot.com.

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Mommie Dearest

Post by Jenny

Many of us celebrated Mother's Day yesterday, and this awwww mother quote comes from Washington Irving: "A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavour by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

Very sweet, but we all know that books—and life—are filled with crazy, unfit mothers. Here are several which appear on many “bad mother” lists:

Gertrude (Hamlet, by William Shakespeare)
Charlotte Haze (Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov)
Beth Jarrett (Ordinary People, by Judith Guest)
Margaret White (Carrie, by Stephen King)
Ingrid Magnussen (White Oleander, by Janet Fitch)
Mother (Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson)
Deirdre Burroughs (Running With Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs)
Mary Lee Johnston (Push, by Sapphire)

But have heart! There are many portrayals of good mothers, too, even though they get less mention than the bad ones. For example:

Molly Weasley and Lily Potter (The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling)
Caroline Ingalls (The Little House on the Prairie series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder)
Margaret March (Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Reta Winters (Unless, by Carol Shields)
Katie Nolan (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith)
Helen O’Mara (February, by Lisa Moore)
Ma (Room, by Emma Donoghue)

Then there are the mothers in Jodi Picoult’s books, which are in a whole complicated class by themselves. And I have to mention two of my favorite animated mothers: Marge Simpson, and Helen Parr (aka Elastigirl from the Pixar movie The Incredibles).

If you miss April’s A to Z blog hopping, here is a list of bloggers participating in this month’s May Mom Blog Hop.

Who are your favorite/least favorite moms to read about or watch?

This Week in the Writing World...May 6

by Brooke Favero

Dystel & Goderich Literary did an interesting post on what books the agents wished they represented. It's an interesting list. Then they asked if you could claim a published book as your own, what book would it be? I wish I could claim Harry Potter (it's a no brainer). The Weasley Twins and I are bosom friends. I also wish I could put my name on Loser by Jerry Spinelli.

How about you, what book do you wish you could claim as your own?

Understanding Industry and Market

In the Spring an Agent's Fancy Turns To... @ Pub Rants.

If an Agent or Publisher Came Calling @ Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

Some Validation for My Thoughts on E-Readers @ Babbles from Scott Eagan.

The Value of Creating Your Own Book Tour @ Guide to Literary Agents.

The Flip Side of Self-promotion @ Writer Unboxed.

Social Networking: Twitter v. Facebook @ BookEnds.

Jeff Kleinman's Guidelines to Good Conference Attendeeness @ STET!

Querying

The One Right Way to Write a Query @ Kidlit.

An Old Familiar Theme @ Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

My Query Letter for Jacob Wonderbar @ Nathan Bransford.

We Don't Assess Your Story Based on Your Effort @ Babbles from Scott Eagan.

When Agents Have Bad News @ Rachelle Gardner.

Ask Daphne! About Synopsis Lengths @ KT Literary.

Crafting

Whoa, That's Tense. Raising the Tension in Your Scenes @ The Other Side of the Story.

Check Your Adjectives at the Door @ The Blood-Red Pencil.

Free FtQ Chapter: False Starts @ Flogging the Quill.

NCW

Paraprosdokian? What is that? @ Exploring the use, misuse, and humor of words.

Publishing Blues @ Fiction Lessons from My Reading.

Wednesday Scramble @ Patricia Stoltey.

A-Z Recap @ Hearth Cricket.

New Agent

New Agent Alert: Kathryn Beaumont of Kneerim & Williams @ Guide to Literary Agents.

It's Not Always in the Details

Post by Kerrie Flanagan

A few weeks back, during a NCW workshop called, Art Inspired Writing, the other participants and I had a chance to talk with artist Jim Fronapfel about his artwork that was hanging up in the NCW Studio. I was fascinated by the correlations between creating a painting and writing a story.

One component that struck a chord with me was when he talked about adding details to his paintings. He said sometimes too much detail takes away from a painting, causing it to lose its impact. He showed us this piece that he had recently finished.

As you can see, there is no detailed background, not many colors, some of the lines and edges are blurred, yet it is a stunning piece of artwork. Our eyes are drawn to this mother and daughter. We are intrigued by their posture and we wonder what they are looking at. More detail would have been distracting.

The same thing can happen in our writing. Too often we think that the more detail we add, the more clear our writing will be to the reader. Not true. Sometimes too much detail can cloud what we are trying to convey and it can slow down the pace of our story.

For example:

Josh extended his arm in front of him and reached for the door handle. He grabbed the cold, brass-colored knob and quickly turned it to the right. He pulled the door open and crossed the threshold. Anger raged inside him and he was going to let them know just how much. He grabbed the knob again and pulled hard on it, causing the door to slam as he walked away. 

Instead, how about:  Josh stormed out, slamming the door behind him. 

I know this is an exaggerated example, but the point is, as writers we do this all the time. We go overboard providing too much back story or or too much description of the setting or spend too much time telling the reader what our character looks like. We basically bog the reader down with extraneous details that do nothing to move our story along.

I know it isn't always easy, but we need to tighten our writing and take Jim's lead who shows us that less can be so much more.

My A-to-Z A-to-Z

Post by Jenny

Is it May already? April flew by, but I have to say, the A to Z Blogging Challenge was a lot of fun. I visited many, many new-to-me blogs and hope to continue to do so. For anyone who participated by posting, reading, or commenting, here is my A-to-Z A-to-Z:

Accomplishment: Three cheers for everyone who made it through!
Books: I have a long list of new books to read.
Comments: Leaving them and reading them is integral to the experience.
Deadlines: Six posts a week = a lot of deadlines.
Enough: Not enough time in a day.
Followers: Also a big part of the experience.
Gamers: I had no idea there were so many game blogs.
Honesty: So many tales truthfully told.
International: The blogging community is truly a global one.
Jewelry: I wish I had your talents, beaders.
Kind: Every single comment I read was positive.
Laughs: I always appreciate a daily dose of humor.
Men vs. women: I think women accounted for more blogs, but I might be wrong.
Next year? You bet!
Opportunities: Networking, connecting, making new friends…
Planning ahead: An excellent strategy.
Query letters: Good luck to everyone trying to master them. Including me.
Recognition: There are a whole bunch of nice blog awards circulating.
Surprise Me!: I love that blog-surfing button.
Thank you to everyone who visited The Writing Bug!
Unique: Every blog is different. Isn’t that great?
Voice: Wise, poignant, funny, irreverent…again, each one is unique.
Writers: Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, blogging means you are one.
X posts: Tricky letter X resulted in some of the most creative posts of the month.
YA, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery…genres were well-represented.
Zzzzz: Now, a well-earned rest for all the hard-working bloggers.

A big thanks to Arlee Bird and the other hosts of the challenge! Visit Arlee’s blog, Tossing it Out, to find the blogs participating in the A to Z Challenge Reflections Mega Post.

What are your thoughts on A to Z?