Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Updates and Snippets

Before I start, just a quick scheduling thing: I'm going to be on vacation next week, soaking up the last dying rays of summer (depressing, isn't it?), far away from my computer. I'll be back to posting and visiting the last week of August.

As I mentioned last week, I'm taking a non-fiction class on writing personal essays, so I'm a little bit swamped with making mistakes muddling through working on my assignments right now. I'm also still trying to get things done on my WIP (the fiction sort), so I decided that for today's post, I'd tag myself in a cool blog hop and talking about what I'm working on!

Hmm, what's that? I can't tag myself in a blog hop? Oh well. Too late now!

1. Fiction: Despite some people's doubts, I really am still working on my novel. I have proof, too. Very heavy, large, and intimidating proof:


It's the big textbook-looking one, set next to a normal book for comparison purposes (which yes, is on my To Be Read list). And just so you can get the full effect, here's a cropped side view (and no, I don't have abnormally giant hands. It really is that big):


I felt the need to show you these pictures, you see, to validate the rather extreme feelings of intimidation and dread that strike me whenever I open this damn tome and start reading. It's a tad bit overwhelming. Unfortunately, it's also necessary, because I have no freaking idea what I'm doing with my South American lifetime yet, and I need as much information as I can get.

I, erm, haven't gotten very far yet. Ahem. I might still be skimming through the Introduction. In my defense, it's 26 pages long.


2. Non-Fiction: This is actually going surprisingly well. I'm afraid to post about it, because I am ludicrously (and yet, for a writer, typically) superstitious about talking about potential success. It's all very Jewish Shtetl Evil Eye-ish of me, but I worry that if I say things are good, they will suddenly take a turn for the very much worse.

I'm going to get over that, though, and say that my hope that writing personal essays would come naturally to me is so far turning out to be true. This is really early to be saying it (cough Evil Eye cough), since I have yet to move past the rough draft stage of anything, but thus far the stories are pouring out of me quickly and easily. I've twice written an entire rough draft of a 2,000-ish word essay (yup, still having brevity problems) in a couple of hours. A couple of hours. Which is NOT NORMAL for me.

This is in stark contrast to my pace when I'm writing fiction. I'm sure that's at least partially because I plot and research and character-develop everything to death in my novels, which I don't have to do for non-fiction. That is a pleasure.

(And no, pantsers, that doesn't mean I'm suddenly joining your team.)

I can't post any snippets from those rough drafts yet, because of many, many reasons, but I can post a little snippety thing I wrote for my homework this week. The assignment was to write an "Apology Epistle", based on this gorgeous little piece, beginning with the words "I'm sorry." It was supposed to be about 250 words, and guess what???  Mine clocks in at 257. Score one point for brevity!!!

Here it is. Feedback is welcome, but be very gentle, please - this is definitely a rough draft.

I’m sorry I didn't go out with you that night. I can imagine so clearly how it would have been: the snow sparkling in starlight, the brilliant white hiding the gray, the yellow, the black: the true character of the city, which we all saw bared for the first time that night, still cloaked in darkness and flecks of light. Walking home through the naked streets, laughing past the shadows in the corners, their menace unnoticed and ignored. The air like knives on our wine-protected skin, their blades unfelt until. Until. Then the figures like more shadows coalescing into a gang of teenagers, staining the white sparkling night, demanding with clumsy gestures our wallets, our money, our phones. Refusal, laughter; their faces so young and so foolish; our minds still shielded in warmth and soaked in booze; then the dark sinking chasm of the gun. 
I imagine that I would have stopped you. I would have taken your arm, looked in your eyes, and the question hovering on your lips would have fallen, unvoiced, to the filthy snow. Then we would have lost wallets, money, phones; gained bruises and cuts and yes, the gash under Ethan’s eye; but we would have walked away uncaring because we would also have your life.
Instead, I stayed home, and worked on the play I was writing for you and with you and because of you, and slept with innocence through the terrible night and awoke to a gray dawn, still unaware, still thinking I had nothing to be sorry for. 

43 comments:

  1. You are getting stuff done. That is a huge book. I like big books but that one might be intimidating.

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    1. Yeah. Lil bit. I like big books, too, but not when they're textbooks!

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  2. I think what you wrote is great! It feels like a poem-so lyrical and yet the fear of being robbed hits home. You are very descriptive and I love that. I know big books like the one you have as I have some like that about ancient times, art, film etc... I wonder, have you ever just perused the book? Go through the big fat book and look at the pictures and see what hits your eye? Instead of trying to read all of South American people of past, hit on one tribe or group?? You may not feel so overwhelmed and you can then go from there:) regardless, you are doing well even if you think you are not and I hope you leave all this behind when you are gone on your vacation. Relax and enjoy next week!

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    1. Birgit, that is a GREAT idea. That's the best idea ever, actually. I will totally flip through the book first to see what catches my eye. Thank you - and thank you for the feedback!! :)

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  3. Wow. I teared up. That was both beautiful and sad. You are definitely fit for non-fiction. Very diverse and talented.

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  4. I also find nonfiction easier to write (well, nonfiction about my own life . . . nonfiction that is about something else, something that requires research and such, would be different). Your snippet here is lovely.

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    1. Yes, definitely. Non-fiction of the self variety. There's good reason I'm not a journalist!

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  5. I knew you'd be great at writing nonfiction! Don't worry about being too long winded. Just write! I enjoyed reading this and felt a definite sense of "wait a minute this story isn't going how I thought it was going to go" when you mentioned the gun. And I loved that! Anyhoo, have fun on your vacation. Hope you come back feeling inspired.

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    1. Thanks so much!!! I DO worry about being long-winded, but I've mostly resigned myself to just doing a lot of editing :) Thank you!!

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  6. That is a heart-breaking excerpt. Goodness. Gorgeous, Liz.

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  7. Oh my, I really want to read more of that!! Pretty please? And you know the panster side is calling to you...we have, well, plot holes and infinite amounts of revisions, but also lots and lots of words ;)

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    1. Haha, nope, I'm a plotter!!! I have enough editing to do as is :) I would love to give you more of that to read, but that's all there is right now!! I'm going to work on it, though. Stay tuned :)

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  8. You've tapped into a very human experience and beautifully. So well done.

    Enjoy your break. And, yes, I'm not happy that summer is once again ghosting its way into fall.

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  9. That's really sad.
    Twenty-six pages of introduction? That's a lot.

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  10. Oh. My. Goodness. Woohoo on you going on vacation for a little bit. I've got a couple days I'm taking off as well (mostly from my day job because I'm going to be traveling like a fiend come Sept--also for work). I'm so excited! And the of course you're still working on your novel, I didn't doubt it for a second. ;)

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    1. Enjoy your vacation!!!I'm SO looking forward to mine :)

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  11. That snippet is heartbreaking. It is like poetry which is really nice. I did get a little confused when you mentioned Ethan.

    And yes, you can tag yourself. That's the best way to do it.

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    1. Thanks so much - and thank you for the feedback!! I'm going to work on expanding the 'who's' in this :)

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  12. Holy shit, Liz, if that is your real life then you definitely need to write a memoir. Damn. And sorry. Wow. That feeling of woulda/coulda/shoulda can be so painful, but our lives unfold the way they need to so we can learn the particular lessons we need to learn. Loved this: "The air like knives on our wine-protected skin" really nice!

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    1. Thanks, Shell. Regret is one of the worst emotions, I think - but you're right, wisdom follows.

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  13. That's a pretty chilling little tale. O_o Very evocative, though, and it works well. Cheers for brevity, eh? When it works right, as you've shown, it can be something really special.

    On a lighter note, few books look large to me since I started reading Brandon Sanderson's "The Stormlight Archive" series. Those books are 1000+ pages in hardcover. They're also really damn good.

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    1. EEEK! That's alarming. Somewhat less alarming in fiction than in non-fiction, but still.

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    2. Alarming, maybe. Excellent reading, definitely. ^_^ And after your comment in my blog, I recommend "The Stepsister Scheme" by Jim C. Hines - fairy tale world, but starring three of the princesses as awesome lead characters, not people who need to be rescued.

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    3. Awesome. Sounds right up my alley. Thanks!!!

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  14. So heart-felt and honest. To wake and to discover such horrors after the fact is well-represented in this piece of work, Liz. Nice!

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  15. Wow! The change from what I thought was a romance to tragedy took me completely by surprise. Nicely done.

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  16. Oh Liz, that is a powerful 257 words. I'm with Ken--nicely done. Very happy to hear the non-fic class is going so well, and I'm not at all surprised.

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  17. Wow. That is so powerfully written. Great job! I wanted to read more.

    Have fun on your vacation. Mine is exactly one month away. It's great to have your vacation at the end of summer...then you have something to look forward to as you're reading/hearing about everyone else's vacation all summer!

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  18. I tried six times to respond back to you on the comment I left about the qualms I was feeling about your non fiction interest. Blogger was hating on me, though. I'm glad you're just exploring new avenues.

    Your I'm Sorry piece was beautiful. As is your standard. :)

    Have a great vacation!

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  19. "The air like knives on our wine-protected skin" -- very nice. Keep up the great work, Liz.

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  20. Good for you tagging yourself! Oohh, Bill Bryson- always a good read, no matter which book!

    As for the excerpt:
    I've been told that people no longer like adjectives, especially colors. Various shades are now to be expressed as verbs. (Good luck at the DMV getting them to put your eye color as sorrow instead of blue...)
    "would have walked away uncaring"
    - I'm not sure I entirely agree. Uncaring? Lacking all care about being mugged? Most people aren't that blasé about such a situation. I can be glad that I survived something, but still be pretty pissed off that it happened.

    Overall a very moving piece.

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  21. That's an emotional piece. Good luck with your writing. That book is huge.

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  22. Hi Liz! This was quite touching. I wish you well on your writing. By the way, I'm back at my blog again after quite some time - www.anne-writersspace.blogspot.com. Hope you can come by again :)

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  23. Sounds chilling but well done. Powerful and evocative. Wishing you well!

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  24. Wow, Liz. Sharp, descriptive, powerful and most importantly, touching. "Walking home through the naked streets, laughing past the shadows in the corners, their menace unnoticed and ignored" - loved this.
    We took our first August vacation two weeks ago and are thinking about going every year around this time... to the same place! Cozumel has definitely made a remarkable mark on our hearts. I hope you, too, had a splendid holiday!

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  25. You thought you needed to ask us to be gentle? Oh my!

    This piece is outstanding. It sucked me in, and even when I saw where it was going, I couldn't get out of it. I was in it to the end. What an incredible bit of work. Your prose is utterly beautiful!

    Nicely done!

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