Sitemap - 2015 - Woman of Letters
I am a wise mentor-type figure
Wrap-up Season 2015: Everything Else
Spent the entirety of SPECTRE wondering how Bond movies work
It is Christmas! (Also some thoughts about point of view in novels)
My television has been on for like twenty of the last thirty-six hours
Wrap-Up Season 2015: My twelfth year of writing
Line edits continue apace. They are exhausting.
Wrap-up 2015: Literary, mainstream, and classic novels that I enjoyed reading this year
Wrap-up 2015: Best genre novels that I read this year
Going to do less wrapping-up this year
Two years out, my MFA workshop doesn't seem nearly as important as it once did
Rewrote the climax of my book. Feeling pretty good about that.
Amazing how your outlook on life improves as you get healthier
My process for revising a book
The most valuable thing you have is your attention
I kind of resent it when really talented writers quit writing
The story of every revision I've ever undertaken
Actually enjoying my journal of things, places, and events
A weak counter-narrative might make a book boring, but a weak narrative makes it unsalable.
Novels can be crippled by a too-weak or too-strong counter-narrative
Wrist is hurting, so I won't have a long blog post today
Doing my best to avoid overly-frenetic book-browsing
Post-novel / pre-novel downtime
Don't understand the point of maintaining the odd capitalization of old texts
Do not understand the curious competence / incompetence of the post office
Finished a draft of a new book
Got very little sleep last night and felt awful today, but still drank no caffeine
Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that I, like, wrote a book
Not exactly sure what I'm reading next...
It wasn't nearly as difficult to switch orientations as I thought it'd be
We don't spend nearly as much time nowadays thinking about how to teach virtue
Aha, yes, finally wrote my FAQ!
Really liking this 'Stop when I've hit 3k for the day' way of writing
I think that for my 30th birthday I'm going to officially retire my feelingsjournal
Gonna write a FAQ section for my site!
Plugging away on an unwitting NaNoWriMo novel
On my inability to reach nailclipper saturation
Solzhenitsyn really knew how to write a gripping literary novel
There is nobody who doesn't feel, at their core, like they're an underdog
I've learned the absolute best way to get invited to parties!
Why do so many debut literary novels sell for big money?
The way I draft now (i.e. the reason I'm always carrying around little slips of paper)
Recommend to me some good new shows to watch.
Story Notes: "What Everyone Remembers"
Good luck with National Novel-Writing Month!
I like to think that social media wise I'm on a slow burn
I am _very_ accessible, but I am also shameless
Story Notes: "Sexual Cannibalism"
On Monday I'm going to send out another of my very super-secret emails to my fan club
I really, really, really hope that all of this struggle is actually leading me somewhere...
Watched that Nina Simone documentary, and I found it a little hard to sympathize with her struggle
It must be really hard to keep track, from my blog, of what I'm working on
Working on a new method for doing book stuff
Lauren Bacall is the most beautiful woman I've seen in my entire life
This whole writing career thing has already got me down, and my book isn't even out yet!
Is retail ever a pleasant experience?
Is anyone offended by the phrase 'witch hunt'?
ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS has some pretty stunning character development
Trying to be a more mindful driver
The final lines of novels are not important
No-cost improvements in productivity
How is it possible for an under-contract author to work on just one project at a time?
Still reading ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS
I've created a master list of all the blog entries that I want to write
Starting to think about future projects...
Writing fiction is for people who were too lazy when they were kids to learn how to code
Trying to finish all my daily activities, including blog-writing, by 5 PM
I think I'm going to end the writing-stories-by-hand experiment
Egads, feeling unbelievably lazy and not a little bit pessimistic about life
Published a story at Nature--"Corridors"--and wrote an emotional blog post about its genesis
Just say no to huge twist endings! (Esp the ones that involve hiding info from the reader)
Read a few Lovecraft stories today, and I was impressed by the originality of his vision
THE LIFE OF JOHNSON has inspired me to up my conversational game a little bit
In case, you've not seen it, I'm cross-posting my post about Burning Man
Have taken to starting my workday at 9 AM. It's pretty great.
I can be kind of thin-skinned, and I've simply learned to accept that
Lot of people searching today through my post on what MFA programs are genre-friendly
Amazing how many weird little ancillary tasks pop up when you become a writer
There is something charming--or at least interesting--about the tech industry
Soldiering on with my plethora of things to do -- and also reading a VERY thick book
Experimenting with some newish productivity techniques nowadays
Did lots of fiddly little business things today
Want to read allllllll the books in the world
Don't let the first chapter stop you from reading The Blazing World, by Siri Hustvedt
COVER REVEAL for my debut! (or, no, I have not forgotten you, my dear blog readers)
Finally coming up to the end of THE DOLL
It takes a lot of work to make things simple
Soon I will take my longest-ever blogging holiday
Feeling very energetic about my writing but also very in transition
Over time, I have changed how I feel about horn use
Reached my 1400th short story rejection!!!
Love the feeling of being absorbed in the writing and rewriting of a single sentence
Had a really good day of writing today!
Trying to learn how to break a story
The loneliness of being in the zone
Have I never talked about how much I love the New York Review of Books Classics?
THE DOLL is the most engrossing novel that I've ever been so ambivalent about
Started reading a 1000 page 19th century Polish realist novel
Deep inside a creative frenzy right now
Been reading Jim Morrow's BLAMELESS IN ABADDON -- there's something very 90s about this book
The one-step rule for who you're allowed to be angry at over the internet
One major thing that changes after you sell a book
It's better to ask for information, rather than advice
How and why (and who) to ask for advice
Just began my first-ever foray into late Henry James
Feeling so lazy today...it's a good thing I am at the beach
A story doesn't really need more than atmosphere and detail
I am the kind of stress right now
Been feeling a little anxious lately.
Got the page proofs of my book! They are absolutely gorgeous
Doing some writing stuff. Trying to get back into the groove.
Reading an incredibly odd novel
I kind of understand why George Gissing isn't as popular as, say, Charlotte Bronte
Been finding it hard to read novels lately
Found some gold in my unfinished story archives
Watching the third season of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
THE PRICE OF SALT by Patricia Highsmith (writing as Claire Morgan)
Sometimes I still can't believe I sold a book
What comes next and how to like it, by Abigail Thomas
Am readjusting to life on the inside!
Where and how did you promote your book?
Finally got a Los Angeles library card
Connoisseurship is unavoidable
I don't necessarily believe that writing useless words is any help in later on writing good words
Turned in my copy edits, but I'm still trying to write the proposal for my second book
Not sure why some of these sociological studies don't get a wider circulation
How science fiction and fantasy writers tend to self-mythologize...
Started reading a book that has zero amazon reviews
I am reading Greg Egan's AXIOMATIC
The top seven things I've learned at the Launchpad Astronomy workshop
Not having the voice is the same as having nothing
I write novels about Indian-American people
Gonna be in Wyoming for roughly the next week
Television does a really good job with stories where nothing really happens
Reading about how the American upper classes perpetuate themselves
Trying not to stress out about book / career stuff
Been reading lots of new releases lately
Trying to avoid feeling angry and bitter after having negative interactions with people
I've now hand-written two stories
I keep a list of things that I am worried about
I'll leave you with a video of a kitten that is scared of a lizard
Been reading this book, THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME
I've still never quite made up my mind whether or not praise is a good thing
I swear to God I'll write some good blog entries soon
Started reading a romance novel
This season I'm liking the Game of Thrones TV show ALOT more than I liked the books
Here's a video of a cat that's best friends with a lizard
All my life, I've believed the same things that my friends and family have believed
Feeling relatively (though not incredibly) on top of things right now
If you're trying to lie about how much you like something, here are two things you should NEVER say.
Awkward and stilted is an effective writing style sometimes
It's hard to know what makes for a good novel until you read a few mediocre ones...
Heard an interesting (albeit somewhat bananas) theory at Harbin this past weekend
Had a funny moment while editing my book, where I realized that I AM old and uncool...
I have one simple method for solving all of my problems, and you'll never guess what it is!
Was so much less productive today than I wanted to be
I'm starting to understand how it can take five years to write a novel...
Working. Revising. Doing what I do.
Interesting reading phenomenon today.
Spent a significant period of time today messing around with my spreadsheet
Gonna try to kick it into a higher gear
Working on a book, and...I don't think I hate it. But I'm still not sure...
Gilbert King's THE DEVIL IN THE GROVE
I've read a book or two lately
I can't be the only one who found college to be a pretty dark time
I don't think it's possible to write well without a bit of divine inspiration...
Oh my god, my ears are still paining me
Apparently I am working through the recommendations in WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK SO GREAT
Reading RANDOM ACTS OF SENSELESS VIOLENCE. This book is madness
Ermagerd, my ears are still hurting, so I'll leave you with one of our nation's finest anthems
Feeling ill, so short post today
There was a quote from me in a New York Times article!
Did my taxes today! And itemized my deductions for the first time! I have zero advice for you!
I can't be the only person who gets excited when bad things happen in the world, can I?
If you don't have one, you should maintain a standard author bio
The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells
I have mixed opinions on whether it's a good idea to make friends with other writers
Reading a shockingly good nonfiction book about a subject that I don't really care about
Been leaving my phone and my computer in the living room when I go to bed
For someone who doesn't believe in revision, I sure have benefited a lot from it
You'll never guess where I found this life-altering piece of productivity advice!
How I didn't cure my insomnia, but it was sort of okay anyway
Doing my second-round edits; not having the best of times with them
Finished reading THE WHIRLPOOL
Still playing so much of this computer game
What people really mean when they ask, "Did your MFA help you to sell your book?"
Guess I'm reading books again. Just finished George Gissing's NEW GRUB STREET
The pace of change in today's society is nothing compared to what it was in the late 19th century
Phileas Fogg is the most interesting thing about AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS
I've found the only thing in the world that is better than drinking
Finally finished reading ANNA KARENINA
Giving people rides is just an extension of hanging out
Straight men don't talk to each other about the details of sex
Watched the final episode of Parks and Recreation
Don't believe in tarot, but do find it really valuable to have my cards read
Amount of rejectomancy in my life has gone down considerably
MFAs and other workshop type situations
If you're gonna make a speech in your novel, you should just make a speech!
Huh, maybe vacations are a real thing
Is it actually a good idea to have recovering alcoholics in positions of power?
With regards to scheduling my social life, I have ten rules (that I admittedly sometimes break)
I am rereading an old favorite, and it's just as much of a page-turner as I remember it being
Am feeling like no book in the world could possibly interest me
I constantly offend my roommate by implying that the Bay Area is just like all the other places...
Have every social engagement in the universe today...
Following the Golden Rule is the ticket to an unhappy life...
Ugh, what am I supposed to be doing right now again?
Recently read two books by Julie Schumacher
The less you need a favor, the more likely I am to do one for you
The two systems of morality that modern Westerners espouse
Taking a bye on writing a blog post today
Enjoying USE OF WEAPONS; been thinking a bit more about the role of character development in SF
Aren't mystery novels kind of weird? Like, what does their prevalence say about our culture?
Finally reading one of these Iain M. Banks sci-fi novels
You just put one letter in front of another and eventually it's done
On this day, I give thanks to my past self for deciding, five years ago, to quit drinking
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Murel Barbery
Bit shocking how different my novel is becoming
Created a novel proposal and sent it off into the world...
Trying to spend less time analyzing my current mood
More than halfway through these revisions
Cixin Liu's THE THREE BODY PROBLEM
Still reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Is it okay not to have opinions on things?
About halfway through Saturn's Children
Paragraphs like this are the reason I find it hard to read science fiction novels