::Urraca:: A blog on writing and books

I am back from vacation. Things are really busy, so I wont’ be making a full post until tomorrow or later in the week. So much to do now. However, I am rested and renewed. I was livin’.

I was here just days ago:

All right, now back to work. Even the robots won’t be able to help me with the amount of tasks I have to finish!

No Comments »

This isn’t a piece of advice, and it’s not a writer’s how-to. It’s simply a short list of points that I follow in order to keep myself from plunging into the pool of despair that I feel when I assess how well I’m doing with my “writer life.”

Yeah, I am a writer. Do I always feel like a writer? Yeah, I’d say I do. Do I always write well enough to call myself one? That’s another story altogether. It’s not really my place to decide that. That’s up to a reader. Yet, doubt plagues me, and a little voice tells me sometimes, Put your pen down, fool. You’re not going to cut it. Ever.

In order to fight that stupid inner voice, I have the following 3 “Don’ts”:

• Don’t stop. This means don’t stop writing and completing projects. Though a story or novel manuscript may, in the end, after drafting and re-drafting, not be a masterpiece, it’s important to keep the words flowing, to finish what you started. I stick to that one every time I visit current projects or tuck away story ideas. One thing at a time.
• Don’t be too in love with your own words. Yes, it’s art. Yes, it’s personal. I’ve laid your soul bare on the page and you care about your characters. However, after you, or a colleague, or an editor review my work, you may find it needs changes, cuts, edits, or in some cases, expansions. I gotta keep myself in check. Sometimes, that passage I am in love with because of its beauty and sublime artistry may be the the one passage holding back my story. I tell myself to not be afraid to view ny past work with a critical eye. This is when it helps me to put finished drafts in a drawer and come back to them days or weeks later.
• Don’t write for other people. Write the stories that matter to you, as if this would be exactly the book you would want to read. The perfect book, made just for your tastes. Write that. My story ideas always keep me excited, even if the day to day writing can be painful. But I think if I write without that audience in mind, there may be more truth to my writing. That is my hope. You may say I’m writing in a vacuum, but it’s the best way I’ve figured out how to do it. I don’t write for writers’ workshops or specific audiences. I write for me.

We press on.

By the way, I am still out on vacation. The robots helped me post this remotely. I should be able to post again by Friday.

1 Comment »

My work on Carapace continues, and as you know by now, I describe my longer manuscript projects other than in vague terms. You probably have written me off for this reason as a friend (that charlatan Cesar, I hate him and his minimal descriptions!), or you are content to wait until the day when you see the damn thing in print. If you are one of my readers, then you will know what the hell the thing’s about when the draft is done.But there’s only one or two of you out there. The rest of the world just has to wait until my writing becomes amazing, or I get a lucky break. Ha.

The vague terms about project Carapace is that it’s a novel manuscript, 80,000 words long (after I finish re-writes in the fall), and that it has little or much to do with insects.

So in that spirit of entomological intrigue, I bring you some random links today on the link between insects and world cuisine. Enjoy.

Bug recipes!

(Still out on vacation, yo. Props to the robots.)

No Comments »

It’s a little trite to write about Ira Glass. I my twenties I was in love with the radio producer’s quirky voice and of course, the amazing story-telling skills of his show “This American Life.”  Since then, he’s hit the big time, and he’s moved to New York, while the video version of his show has gone on to Showtime. I feel less connected to Mr. Glass nowadays, but he’s still a hero. And I always continue to harbor a small mental file of stories I would pitch to TAL. If you’re a writer and you’re curious about how to make a story move forward while staying concise, listening to this show will do wonders for you. There’s a lot of skill involved in what they do over there at TAL…

Here’s a nice interview of Glass from Chicago Magazine from a few years back.

On a housekeeping note, you should know I’ll be posting a little less frequently over the next week and a half, as I have many vacationing duties to tend to. Do not worry, you’ll still get your occasional bug item, and maybe some literary trinkets. I will be living .

Also, don’t forget to visit Poe War Writers’ Resource Center on June 25, when my guest blog post will run. You will love it.

And today, as inspiration, I leave you with a link to “Tragic Fireworks,” a Barrel of Monkeys classic. At TWG it’s performed as an epic musical number, but if you want to know what it sounds like, you’ll have to go see the show!

No Comments »

Hmm let’s see. I am still working through my list of things to do before my vacation. Time is in short supply. However, “Hybridae” will go out to my readers no later than Thursday.

In the meantime, I am thrilled about tonight’s Ladytron show. No writing today.

“Destroy Everything You Touch” from Witching Hour:

And the live version:

No Comments »

On Saturday I went out for that much-hyped long run. The goal was a heart-engorging 10 miles. I was well rested, packing gels and ready to roll. Halfway into the run (and about 4 miles from my house), I patted my shorts pocket to check on my keys. Empty. Immediately sick panic chilled me to the bone in the midst of 85-degree weather. I ran all the way back home, searching for the keys along the ground I had just covered. When I got to my front door, I still hadn’t found them. Trying not to let fear overtake me, I ran a whole other loop back, finding nothing. Eventually I had to call relatives for my spare set. Embarrassing. And then, just as I began to sink in my own shame, I found out I had the keys in my shorts all along. You know the mesh liner in running shorts, what I call the virtual underpants? Yup, found them there. Blush.

Before and after I ran, I was able to write more in the short story, which now has a title: “Hybridae.” On Sunday, I found its ending. The draft clocked in at roughly 6,000 words, way over my intended count. Next, I will re-write and polish what’s there, share it with a couple of readers and get feedback, then cut and re-write again. I think I know how to make the cuts, but it’s going to be hard. Nevertheless, I think I have something solid to work with. Exhilaration washes over me.

Carapace did not receive my full attention over the weekend, so its word count did not rise. This is all right. I will keep at it. The August 17 deadline looms, but no panic. When we panic, disasters happen. I am about halfway through the manuscript, but it’s not flowing easily, like the short story did. Different beasts, I suppose.

I went to a reading for the upcoming Neo-Futurist play “Fake Lake,” penned by Sharon Greene, which will be performed in a swimming pool. It’s a script that challenges the audience to find the parallels between several metaphors happening in its non-fictional structure. I like the writing in it a lot. When it’s up and running in July, you should go see it.

Also, interesting insect happenings:

• A most amusing juvenile bug landed on my arm yesterday. It looked either like a fly or a dragonfly, I’m not sure which. It couldn’t have been bigger than a sesame seed. If you could have seen its dazzling colors, you would have squinted together in joy with me. It had a metallic lime-green torso, butter-yellow legs and wings, and giant red eyes. It was like a candy bug. I did not eat it, however. If any entophiles know what kind of species this might be, let me know.
• A fat house fly invaded my home yesterday. How do these suckers get in even when the windows are shut? Though I couldn’t manage to swat it, I got it this morning with a rolled up magazine. However, when I smacked it, I got a nasty surprise. A sack filled with its long, filament shaped eggs. It looked like it was carrying miniature spaghetti inside. Disgusting. Though I loved it, too. But you knew that was coming, no?

Also, I dreamt extensively last night about needing to find and hoard the best and blackest eyeliner. At one point in the dream, I had to keep my tube from my own sister. Aren’t I awful? The cruelty of it all. Must have something to do with Ladytron’s show in Chicago this week. Yes, their music is on a frenetic repeat on my headphones. Will I see you there?

No Comments »

From Barrel of Monkeys’ “Celebration of Authors, 2008.”

YOU MISSED IT!

No Comments »

I’m taking a well-needed vacation soon, and I’m doing my best to complete several to-do lists as the next few days expire. Things to pack, rooms to clean, people to hang out with, movies to see — I gotta get ‘em all done. I also have to write without fail. Yesterday I wrote 480 in Carapace, but none in the short story. I’ll be devoting lots of time tomorrow after a 10-miler, so no staying out late on Friday night. I’ll be up early with the birds to run, write, and later, nap. Sunday will also be productive. I won’t be taking my laptop on vacation, though you can rest assured I’ll have a little notebook in case inspiration strikes. However, it will be nice to take a mental rest from writing for a bit.

Also, I want to see “The Incredible Hulk.”

Here’s some links to close out the week with:

• Richard Price talks about being able to sustain the “sense of awe” throughout his writing in his novels. His most recent novel is “Lush Life.” Interview over at KCRW’s Bookworm.
• Speaking of bookworms, here’s a handy site to learn about insects and other critters that attack books.
• An Australian spider traps its prey by manipulating light.

No Comments »

There’s too much to do today, so I will write a short entry. I am setting a smaller goal today of 500 in Carapace and another 500 in the short story (which I should begin rewriting as soon as I find its ending this weekend). Why so little? Dental work will be happening in my mouth. Fun. I’ll take the laptop and work in the waiting room, but I know it’s going to be tough to meet my goals today. I’ll make all this up on Saturday and Sunday, promise.

And to leave you with little nuggets of fun, I bring you a few items on the topics of the day: bugs and teeth.

• The Times posted a terrific profile on naturalist (and Darwin contemporary) Alexander Macleay, who had a love affair with – you guessed it — bugs. “Yet he never published a word on entomology or any other branch of science.”
• Do bugs have teeth?
• Epicurean forays into insect cuisine in New Orleans.

No Comments »

Taken today during my lunch break. I was able to get about two inches away from the dragonfly. The colors in this photo do not do its iridescent blue any justice. Nice inspiration for more Carapace writing later on this week. Can you spot the dragonfly?

3 Comments »