It has been my practice for the last 15 years to write every day—even if I only had a few minutes to spare. I was of the opinion that things get rusty if you don’t. I teach this to my students and I practiced what I preached. But in the lead-up to giving birth to my daughter late last year, I decided I would take a break. It was a conversation with a fellow creative type about some frustration on the business end of my career that steered me toward the trial and I thought, well, it’s a great time to see how I go without writing. Maybe I won’t want to do it anymore. Maybe I’ll be cured and I can move on.
books
Hybrid Author Success: COVERS
Hybrid Author Success: COVERS
As a traditionally published author, one of the days I most dreaded was the one on which my agent would call and say something to the effect of, “Okay, don’t freak out. Your cover arrived and you might not like it,” or “Your cover arrived and you should think about it before you hate it,” or “This is the worst cover I ever saw but we can’t change it.”
On…Ummm…Articulation
Many of us have a word that often escapes our memories. Funny enough, the word I used to forget the most was “articulate.” People would laugh when I told them that, but it was so difficult to yank that word out of my brain that I wrote it down on the inside flap of a little notebook I used to carry around all the time. When I think back to that now, it seems symbolic of a larger issue.
The Year in Reading
Is it me, or has this been a year of fantastic novels? Right off the top of my head I can think of Night Circus, Before I Go to Sleep, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Sarah Thornhill, Room, and The Tiger’s Wife. There were so many wonderful stories, I’m sure I’ve had my best reading year in a long while. I deplore the arbitrary nature of lists, so I won’t get into that here (though if anyone wants to stick my book on one, I’m not going to pull a Jonathan Franzen), but I’ll also say I was pointed to a ton of vintage reads, either by recommendation, happy accident, by way of research (one book leads to another leads to another and so on), or simply scouring used bookstores or op shops.
Books Aren’t Good Enough
To me, this is perfection
I have a prediction: the public will soon be divided into two camps. On the one hand we’ll have these new technology enthusiasts, who not only love their ebooks, but can’t wait to see how the old skool words-on-a-page notion of books can be heightened, made more graphic, more interactive, more like a whole new category of technology—a mook or a boovie. And on the other hand will be people like me, who love books because they are in fact merely words-on-a-page that when done properly, can create a world all their own. People like me might be a minority, but we’ll catch momentum when the nostalgia trend peaks again, and it’s suddenly cool to be old skool.
Should a Pulitzer Prize Winner be Boring?
Is there some esoteric symbolism here you're just not getting?
As a novelist, the reader’s experience is foremost in my mind. I certainly admit it took a few goes to truly understand what that meant and how to go about muscling up my offerings, but now I’ve got a firm grasp, I do my best to make sure I never let go. How do I keep Joe Reader involved? In suspense? Emotionally heightened? Turning the page? Empathizing with the characters? And so, when the other day, my father-in-law picked up a gold-medallioned novel I’d purchased for our holiday, and said, “I’m always wary of Pulitzer Prize winners,” his disappointment stuck with me. Why should he be let down by a book granted such high honors? If a book’s at the top of the list, shouldn’t it above all else be a good read?
A Time to Grow
Take time to look at things from a different point of view.
Consistent, scheduled writing is the best way to improve your fiction craft. This is my view and I’m sticking to it. And anyone who’s ever attended one of my classes knows what a stickler I am for hammering this regimen into a writer’s head. Still, in accordance with that other directive I so often share, all the fiction craft rules should—at some point—be put aside so you can hunker down on the unique project you’re engaged in . . . and this one is no exception. So, work every day until you can’t? Precisely.
Sydney Writer’s Festival
I dropped my puppy off with her “grandma” and drove three hours to Sydney to see what the whole world is talking about when they say Sydney Writers’ Festival. I’m a reticent joiner, but I’ve had such a positive experience with RWA that I now have a more open mind to the group dynamic. In fact, I seek out groups wherever I can. Now I steel myself against my tendency to shyness and say, “Hi, I’m Daniella Brodsky, I’m also a novelist,” as much as I can at readings and launches. It’s painful but I’m always glad I mustered up the courage to do it. When it comes to an industry as crazy as the book biz, you certainly can’t have enough friends to bounce things off of and keep you sane. Plus, maybe I’m biased, but I always think writers are great fun. So I was excited to get a foothold in the Australian literary community. I could not have come away more deeply satisfied.
Simon & Schuster put on a fantastic party for its authors (that’s me!), right on the wharf, where the champagne was flowing and there was no shortage of wonderful people to meet. On the top of my list of Australian authors is now the fantastic Charlotte Smith, whose non-fiction tome, DREAMING OF DIOR, is a wonderful, emotional history of the jaw-dropping designer vintage wardrobe she’s inherited from her Godmother—3,000 pieces! The wardrobe, she told me, has been both a blessing and a curse. There are so many garments, shoes, and accessories in her care, that she keeps them in a hangar if I remember correctly, and I cannot stop my mind thinking like a novelist about what it must be like to have such a wonderful, cumbersome rock to drag around. Perhaps she’ll do an interview with me one day so we’ll all have some inspirational fodder from her extraordinary circumstances…In the meanwhile, check out her own blog, and buy the book…it’s gorgeous, and wonderfully satisfying. She’s got another coming out shortly.
DAY 2 started with a wicked hangover, despite the preventative Panadol, water, and early bedtime. I just can’t do more than two glasses anymore. I should remember that when charming waiters offer to pour free champagne in my glass, but somehow I always hold my glass up and nod yes.
I went to my favorite Sydney breakfast spot, a little French café called Café Crème (I think), by The Cross. Some baguette and a bowl of latté later and I was good as new. My first stop was a reading by four Australian authors: Anna Goldsworthy, Alison Booth, Melina Marchetta, and Charlotte Wood. It was wonderful. As my friend Dori said in Connecticut when she came to my reading at the wonderful Russell Library in Middletown, CT, her first, “It reminds me of being a child and getting read to! I almost fell asleep!” She meant it as a compliment. I felt the same at this, my first Australian reading, and picked up the book THE PIPER’S SON, by Melina Marchetta, since the portion she read was fantastic. I can’t wait to read it. During this panel’s Q&A session, the topic of reading out of order came up, and I was fascinated by how many people read the endings first. I couldn’t bear it! I love suspending reality; I try not to guess what’s going to happen, but coast along the pages soaking up the beauty of the sentences, the exceptional uses of language or plotting, relishing in the wonderfully imagined bits, but blindly, so as not to ruin the full impact of satisfaction at the ending. Do any of you skip to the end? Why or why not?
After that I attended an informative session about the future of ebooks, at which, an embarrassing show of hands made it blatantly obvious I’m one of the only people left in the world who can’t imagine reading a novel electronically. I am so thrilled about the opportunities ebooks bring to people who can’t easily get their hands on books, and about the cool innovations yet to come, and of course, the new audiences around the world for novelists in all corners of the globe—after all, if you knew how few books make it into the international licensing realm because of the way things are done in this industry, you’d make it your business to research what’s available overseas: you’re missing some great stuff! Still, I’m afraid in my personal reading world there’s nothing better than a gold old fashioned, words-on-paper book. In fact, one of my main inspiration sources is the collection of vintage non-fiction books I pick up at the Salvos, not to mention the billions of volumes at my fingertips at the Australian National Library. However, I do assume that soon enough, some slick feature of ebooks will blow my mind and I, too, will be an addict—though I’ll never replace my old fashioned books for good, merely complement them with this new format.
The panel included publishers Sara Lloyd, Michael Moynahan (a genuinely funny guy), Margie Seale, and Louise Adler speaking with journo Rosemary Sorensen. I was interested to hear that the publishers all agreed that their projections for ebook sales for the near future don’t exceed one percent of total book sales. They spoke of digital books as part of a wholistic approach to publishing, and I find that an exciting prospect, including added value offerings like authors’ correspondence, notes, and even selling individual poems. Who knows what the future will bring? I’d love to hear about your own ebook adventures, opinions, predictions, likes, and dislikes.
