Sunday, August 10, 2008 Capturing the Hunger on the page POST A COMMENT How's that saying go? -- "Those who can, do. Those who can't..." End up a critic! In today's writing world you need both things -- Firstly, that need to self-critique your own writing with a sharp "editors eye,"... and of course a decent amount of "doing"... I guess, talent can't hurt ya much either.' Enter the talked about "How Fiction Works," a book-length critique by that famous literary critic -- James Wood -- answering the big-critics-question: "Does it work, and why?" More interesting, at least to me, since I haven't yet read the book is how other critic's critique-the-critic-turned-author: * * * 'K, 'Considered by some, our best American book critic -- Wood's the guy "classing up the back end of most high brow magazines..." -- says one book critic, so far, so good...'but, critics love tossing in a few digs... * * * "Wood remains provocatively analog. His pronouncements arrive walnut-paneled, camphor-sprinkled...it’s like he -- (Wood) -- seems “to want to be his own grandfather.” -- HMM, doesn't that suggest Wood's an incestuous mess...'or am I reading too much into it? * * * How about this one: "Wood makes me want to be a better man. Or, at any rate, a better reader, which, in Wood's metaphysics, is practically the same thing. The sense of holy purpose that rises from all his sentences gathers into mission in How Fiction Works..." -- HMM, doesn't using the words like "holy," and that bit about "makes me want to be a better man..." make Wood's sound a little too-uppity-for-his-own-good? The book however is being called "most useful and illuminating for the serious reader who enjoys the fictive ride and wants to take a look under the hood" (Washington Post). Wood sums up by offering the "question of how language can be successfully employed to manage this hunger, to achieve certain effects, some of them quite magical and most of them revolving around articulating, eliciting or manifesting the interior dramas of life." -- HMM, I now understand why 'Ol Grand-Daddy's in all them high-brow magazines... Does any of this make you hungry to put stuff on the page?? Feed on this video, a fiction-101 primer: Source: Washington Post Labels: Books, Critics, How Fiction Works, James Wood, writing posted by Henry Cruz at 6:27 PM Thursday, April 17, 2008 Getting your hands dirty...online POST A COMMENT Talking Books Today, so here's a 'little known' interesting Fact: Did you know...Best Selling Sci-Fi Author Kurt Vonnegut once managed a SAAB dealership, go figure. I don't manage a dealership - (not yet at least - sounds like a "Dirty Job"), but, I have been writing a few hours each day, and apparently with all the bloggers who have gotten book deals....it's become sorta a trend to write your books online. Let me back up, I'm also reading this week, a really funny book, Christopher Moore's "A Dirty Job" - (because, we all know you need fuel for that creative fire, and the number one rule for writing: read, read read...hoping something sticks and good stuff comes back up). If you're out there writing novels a 'sudo' trend is doing a online collab, check this out: Calling all writers! The LA Times presents "Birds of Pardise." One of their writers, Steve Lopez wrote the first chapter, and he'll write the last. But the stuff in between is being written by the "readers" (and hopefully writers who can put two sentences together...all happening online) -- So, check it out here. It could be your big break on getting your work seen, and being the next Kurt Vonnegut (or the even funnier Christopher Moore)...speaking of writing, here's a short vid with George Lucas who talks about his own daily writing habits, sounds a lot like my own: Labels: novels, Trends, what I'm reading, writing posted by Henry Cruz at 2:03 PM Wednesday, April 09, 2008 Finding that meet up... POST A COMMENT It's that Oprah-(ish) need for feeling 'connected' with other folks; and a few words of advice from a pal. Let's rewind a bit. Over the past few years, I took a few screenwriting and fiction courses at Gotham's Writing Workshop -- mainly to keep the story alive. From a wee baby, I've always dreamed of 'telling stories.' I think I still have my cartoon strips that I wrote when I was twelve years ago...yonder days of writing and drawing my cartoon strip. It was not for fame and fortune, rather out of need of a creative outlet...so, over the years, I stayed in touch with that dream. In the word of blogs. It's sometimes hard not to keep out there. It's become, in a weird way back to daily story. Where the mundane can lift off the page and share our space. Or something like that. Any-hoo, I really enjoyed my two swings at this meet up and wanted to step up on my tiny soap box and tell people about it. Meetup.com is a free spot, where you can join meet up groups of people of like minds. Check them out, and find your own meetup...did I mention their free. I've settled on a cool NYC screenwriting group, great devoted folks! It's a bit big for my taste. I'm more small group type of person, but they are hardcore about writing and that's a really really really good thing. Labels: meetup.com, screenwriting group, writing posted by Henry Cruz at 1:49 PM     ARCHIVES October 2005 . November 2005 . December 2005 . August 2007 . September 2007 . October 2007 . November 2007 . December 2007 . March 2008 . April 2008 . May 2008 . June 2008 . July 2008 . August 2008 . 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