tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46032346941335453632012-02-02T19:55:40.411-05:00Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.comBlogger791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-2441317770523276072011-09-26T12:36:00.004-04:002011-09-26T13:03:33.466-04:00

How do you travel when you can't travel? Well, for the touch of the sea, for smells and the feel of the whole huge sky, I guess you have to use your imagination, but for everything else, there's flickr. When I began my current book, I had only an idea about main characters. This idea, incidentally, was provided for me during short story brainstorming on twitter, by Dan Krokos. It was a funny

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-67868603499917321182011-09-23T09:09:00.002-04:002011-09-23T09:13:14.613-04:00

“It is good for thee to dwell deep, that thou mayest feel and understand the spirits of people.” -John WoolmanIt's time to hush. Breathe deep and look around. Release habits and see the forms and patterns of rooms and hills, of roadsides and paintings; take pleasure in their givenness.Everything is going to be alright. I know this is true.Rest.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-86171591396225466632011-09-21T11:03:00.003-04:002011-09-21T11:10:05.041-04:00

I'm working through the St. John's reading list – right now Aristotle's Politics is on my nightstand – and also great fiction books I want to know – currently Anna Karenina. But one should have some whimsy in reading too, yes? My “fun” read this week is Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard. Dillard is one of my literary heroes, now for her nonfiction work as well as her fiction. Let me show

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-62976326312291361352011-09-19T12:21:00.002-04:002011-09-19T12:34:37.970-04:00

Slow and steady wins the race.-AesopThese days, I write once a week. Maybe I wouldn't have had the courage to even try to do it, if I hadn't read that Maggie Stiefvater's first novel, LAMENT, had been written in just such a way. I read her post about it last spring, and mentally shelved it as a curiosity. Well. Life gets crazy, and you have to dust off even your curiosities and put them to use. I

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-11165794318542793892011-09-15T10:40:00.003-04:002011-09-15T11:27:40.923-04:00

My purpose is a language that can make us whole,though mortal, ignorant, and small....Nor do I believe"artistic genius" is the possessionof any artist. No one has madethe art by which one makes the worksof art. Each one who speaks speaksas a convocation. We live as councilsof ghosts. It is not "human genius"that makes us human, but an old love,an old intelligence of the heartwe gather to us from

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-75941931926693943092011-05-16T09:29:00.007-04:002011-05-16T10:44:12.250-04:00

Five stars to Steve Ulfelder's Purgatory Chasm, which debuts this month from Minotaur Books. Conway Sax does “little jobs” for his unique AA group, the Barnburners. When a longtime member of the group asks Sax for one of his favors, Sax gets involved in a mystery about a car, which turns into a mystery about a murder.Conway Sax is an out-of-work mechanic, a sober alcoholic, more or less on the

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-81630334761498565692011-03-28T09:43:00.010-04:002011-03-28T10:16:43.243-04:00

The initial spark... a thought or way of seeing... the twinge of knowing that excites you – the true first step on the way to story is more like a miracle than a technique. I've written about how to stay healthy so the miracle will come. Today I'll write about the work that comes after the initial idea, but before the first draft or even research.How do you discover a character, a world, the true

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-25526693740334445432011-03-21T05:03:00.003-04:002011-03-21T05:10:12.664-04:00

I write in the morning, before anyone is awake. I write in a dark basement, with cold feet. I write with the internet off because staring at others' words is easy; writing my own is hard. I write according to my schedule, according to my list whether it inspires me or not. I write in the quiet, fresh from dreams. I write with a pillow behind my back and a quilt over my lap. I write whatever I

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-71573049199934498772011-03-14T06:25:00.004-04:002011-03-14T06:33:01.986-04:00

“Why did Rosy's father leave a tiny piece of cake for Thistle?”Her question was about a book, a children's book* about a girl who works on her dollhouse early every Saturday morning with her father – Just me and my Rosy-posy, as he says. Then one Saturday morning Rosy's father is not there. He is seriously ill and has to stay in the hospital for a long time.That very day, Rosy discovers a fairy

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-14653863998449394062011-03-07T09:34:00.005-05:002011-03-07T09:48:55.917-05:00

Me [unloading dishwasher]: I don't know how I didn't know till now [my thirties] that I was an artist. I've always been happiest around people who were doing art, being creative. Like, any kind of art: music, drawing. I guess not writing, cause writing's pretty solitary. But I always loved to write.D. [in the other room, on the computer]: Hm.Me: But I think everybody's like that. Cause art

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-54173007092400714822011-01-22T08:03:00.000-05:002011-01-22T08:04:04.045-05:00

One of my goals for 2011 is to finish a short story a month. I started this practice last year and it was wonderfully helpful and fulfilling, but things came up, as they do...Like all of us, I have time limitations, I have to decide what to prioritize, so for now I'm choosing to write short stories on a regular basis instead of updating my blog on a schedule. I'll still post to this space as the

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-4440264175501106552010-12-01T12:47:00.008-05:002010-12-07T22:41:33.728-05:00

HI, I'm Elisabeth Black, and the word "genre" makes me want to pull out my hair - just a little. Nevertheless I am learning to pay attention to the rules of genre because I want to sell my book. Respecting industry norms can only improve my chances of doing so. Today I went searching on the internet for more information, trying to understand what literary genre my book fits into. The best

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-62786394397369298672010-11-21T10:05:00.007-05:002010-11-21T10:59:30.794-05:00

"Behind all things seen lies something vaster;everything is but a path, a portal or a window..."-Antoine de Saint-ExupéryOn the bay windowsill stand a salmon-blossomed begonia, fennel, geraniums and other plants I've brought in for winter. I keep looking up to watch brown leaves float in ones and twos past bare branches and a hard sky, contrasting with the warmth and greenery inside my

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-43991003863077133432010-11-15T08:49:00.002-05:002010-11-15T08:58:28.153-05:00

Plot & Structure goes to Linda Grimes. Linda, you made me laugh with your entry. "There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein."She stared at the Red Smith quote for hours. Since nothing else had worked, she followed his advice. As the ambulance took her away, she vowed next time she would stick with Lamott.Special mention to Trisha Leigh for the most

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-45183385106233067482010-11-08T09:07:00.005-05:002010-11-08T09:36:08.846-05:00

By the time I read Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell, I knew a lot of basics about getting myself to write, writing techniques, etc. Also, I had rewritten my book more than once already, so the last few chapters of Bell's book, those intensive structure/revision chapters, were the ones most helpful to me. Using the information in those chapters, I broke my novel into three acts, with the

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-55560050062034598352010-11-01T08:20:00.008-04:002010-11-01T08:50:04.470-04:00

A new-to-fiction writing friend asked my advice on first drafting. I kind of said, "Uhhh." Then I deleted that (I'm pretty sure I deleted it?) and typed something resembling helpful. I hope.The truth is, when I wrote my first draft of my first book, I didn't mean to seek publication. I didn't know what I wanted outside of myself, but I knew inside of myself, I had to write. Because I didn't have

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-18061256931930370932010-10-28T09:41:00.006-04:002010-10-28T10:07:30.924-04:00

You know the old saying: "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." Maybe it's true, but inspiration has to be renewed, or perspiration lies cold as a dead fish. Luckily, throwing yourself into your work can cause you to catch that purpose over and over. So today, friend, if you're having trouble being interested in your project, if you're tempted to get inspired by

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-80299039817045183092010-10-21T08:30:00.011-04:002010-10-25T08:55:11.127-04:00

This is a stand-alone character study of one of my secondary characters.*****I've decided to take this down for now, as I'm afraid it might be too spoilery. Thanks for your comments!

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-84041013699138646632010-10-14T08:00:00.004-04:002010-10-14T09:13:44.553-04:00

"The beginning of our happiness lies in the understandingthat life without wonder is not worth living.What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder."Madeleine L'EngleI believe L'Engle is using “wonder” here in a deeper sense than usual. Wonder isn't always reserved for pretty things, and the best kind of wonder hurts, too, the way real awe hurts. Maybe when people say dreams, hope,

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-81364713847737377052010-10-07T09:45:00.001-04:002010-10-07T09:46:16.754-04:00

A lot of us writers struggle to find time to write. Here's what works for me in my own situation. It all started when I decided writing was my career. Now, I have three young daughters and I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mother. I hear some other women in my position call homemaking their career, but to me, my family isn't my career, it's my family. As such, it comes first, but I always have a

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-89372378150505878822010-10-01T10:00:00.003-04:002010-10-01T13:14:50.171-04:00

As I slave to get my novel out the door, I'm thinking a lot about the nature of art. And this is Ars Poetica, named in a venerable tradition of works on the art of poetry. It is the most spellbinding and elegant poem I know. *****Ars Poetica by Archibald MacLeish A poem should be palpable and muteAs a globed fruit,DumbAs old medallions to the thumb,Silent as the sleeve-worn stoneOf casement

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-675224176172034032010-09-28T08:30:00.006-04:002010-09-28T08:39:08.972-04:00

I love Beethoven.Ten or so years ago, I got a ticket and went to see Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, the Eroica, because I thought Eroica translated roughly to Erotic, i.e. romance. No. It means Heroic. So I was disappointed. More than that – it turned out the 3rd Symphony was not one of my favorites of Beethoven's compositions. It failed to touch me almost at all.My four-year-old is at this moment

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-63358818311221258552010-09-21T08:30:00.020-04:002010-09-21T08:48:38.403-04:00

Within art, any kind of art, truth should stand first and foremost.What does it mean to write the truth in a story? When we write a good story, a story that follows our guts and not just our brains, we're telling the truth. A true story unveils who we really are, what we really think. A true story dives into the Mariana Trench of our souls and says: “Here's what scares the writer! Here's what she

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-70691136913714781282010-09-14T09:00:00.013-04:002010-09-14T09:01:42.554-04:00

I wanted this to be Ten Things because Ten Things on Tuesday sounds well, doesn't it? But I think Five Things is nicer in reality.1. Shift - September tricks you, cool mornings and hot days. September is a month-long moment of thinking and releasing.2. Delirium - I'm reading interesting books for research, it's proving helpful, but I'm not comfortable. I need to get back to writing. Soon...3.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-70612954973100518992010-09-07T08:56:00.026-04:002010-09-07T09:27:52.191-04:00

Last night, I fell into someone else's dream. There was no one and nowhere I knew from real life. I met a dark-haired man in strange places: seated on the concrete wall of a parking garage, or in an unfinished inground pool with no stairs, earthen sides. I loved him. He honored me but pined for a different woman, one he would not get over. I wandered in the terrain of sadness, sometimes talking

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-86330018968863354012010-09-01T08:30:00.000-04:002010-09-01T08:31:54.289-04:00

Here's a good thing - I finished the third or fourth (I've lost track) draft of my first novel ahead of schedule. Now I'm typing/rewriting another novel I'd written longhand. My head's deep in Unfinished Book World. It made me think of this poem:***I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us - don't tell! They'd banish us, you know. How dreary to be somebody! How

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-26754939845734945902010-07-29T13:02:00.003-04:002010-07-29T13:15:35.781-04:00

I'll be out of here again till September, trying to finish my novel. In the meantime, if you haven't already done so, check out my review of Numb by Sean Ferrell. I've preordered mine. Have you?See you in September!

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-64537125307608591972010-07-21T11:55:00.005-04:002010-07-21T12:02:47.105-04:00

Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things.""I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."-Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis CarrollI'm with the White Queen on this one. Have you believed any impossible

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-48119968535907042852010-07-13T08:00:00.003-04:002010-07-13T08:01:33.218-04:00

I'm tidying my daughters' room and I look up to find a fat green caterpillar standing in the window-frame. She's almost as big as my pinky, and from the way she's so still I think she might be ready to make a cocoon. On a whim, I put her in a jar with some hickory sticks and leaves. I read about it and find out she's a luna caterpillar, so I get a bigger jar. She builds and turns and closes

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-52330056693800117622010-07-06T08:00:00.004-04:002010-07-06T20:13:49.906-04:00

I love writing prompts. I went looking for a prompt last week, rejected one after another, till I saw the single word: "haunted.""Dreams are funny things. I didn't understand about them till I died, but now I know that dreams carve into reality, tangents from the sine curves of tiresome days. Dreams enfold the dreamer and they make a new life for him, if only for awhile. I can see dreams. My man

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-54378045567539560872010-06-06T10:44:00.004-04:002010-06-06T10:47:44.997-04:00

I'm taking a blogging sabbatical during the month of June. I'll be back in July.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-12857330861710489162010-05-28T08:40:00.000-04:002010-05-28T08:42:23.761-04:00

Let's be honest: we all have lives outside of writing – lives that require dedication and our full attention. At the end of the day, wouldn't it be nice to rest like normal people do? In the dawn, before the sun rises, wouldn't it be nice to stay asleep in our beds? But we don't, or not as much. We sit down at our desks, and we do the hard work. If we're faithful, if we put in the uncountable

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-35612335554352889872010-05-25T08:30:00.000-04:002010-05-25T08:37:18.303-04:00

Here is a list of my current inspiration music.1.Heartless Bastards, "Be So Happy" and all of "The Mountain" (Harley May - thank you)2.Dido, "Here with Me" (this acoustic version is beautiful)3.Twilight soundtrack, all of it, including "Spotlight" by MUTEMATH4.The Smashing Pumpkins, all of "Siamese Dream", including "Soma"What's your writing music right now?

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-22533491959574597422010-05-20T21:01:00.010-04:002010-05-21T22:02:56.815-04:00

I like it when the villain turns cool in the hero's eyes – only for a moment, then he's back to scum. Better still if it's a mutual moment.I like it when the heroine's in love with a man who can do no wrong and she suddenly realizes he treats her like a child. He doesn't understand why her adoration hits a wall. He gets insecure. I like it when the sidekick annoys the main character - not because

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-46245455180850857942010-05-17T22:13:00.009-04:002010-05-18T09:42:20.652-04:00

Here I am, typing, typing, typing. I'm revising the first draft of my first novel. It's not great raw material. I cower before the task of vivifying this beast. The typing slows... slows... stops. I check twitter. I check my email. I stare at the plot layout on a big sketchpad. I check twitter. I check my email. I make coffee. I look out the window. I consider switching to haiku.Ira Glass made a

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-2501362275966506072010-05-14T16:32:00.002-04:002010-05-14T16:39:19.670-04:00

Sometimes I think it would be better if I used my writing time to, you know, write. Often when I journal it's pages of goo, nonsense, stuff I'm embarrassed to re-read, and would dissolve into a puddle of agony if anyone else read. I think, "Is this even healthy?" But when I don't journal for awhile, I start to see a disconnect, something wrong. Looking back on days without it I can see a creeping

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-10989462697253475592010-05-07T08:00:00.010-04:002010-05-07T11:49:06.400-04:00

Let me not the marriage of true mindsAdmit impediments...-William ShakespeareIn school they teach you that a sonnet must have fourteen lines. Each line contains ten syllables, and the rhyme follows a specific pattern. I tried to write a sonnet. It was to be a humorous piece, and in order to have an example of the form before me, at the top of the page I typed Shakespeare's “Let me not to the

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-18408414832027306002010-05-03T07:00:00.001-04:002010-05-03T07:26:09.903-04:00

It's Sunday. I fill the kiddie pool, sit on the steps and look at the mown grass, at a flat of herbs I need to plant. A neighbor plays Peter Gabriel on the radio. I'm blue. I wish I could find more time to write. I wallow.After the pool warms in the sun, the baby agrees to get in. She stands at the edge in her too-small bathing suit and chews on a toy. I roll up my pants and wade. The water

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-65014386056514762592010-04-30T09:08:00.007-04:002010-04-30T09:31:13.355-04:00

I'm playing catchup with my WIP. I hoped to be done my first round of revisions by, hem, April 30. Not gonna happen.But look at these nice people who have written posts in a fabulous series:Sean Ferrell, Tawna Fenske, Linda Grimes, Cynthia Reese, Nelsa Roberto, and Kiersten White. They're all talking about their writing process today. So inspiring.Back to work. Wish me luck.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-52200862953513030572010-04-26T08:20:00.004-04:002010-04-26T08:39:09.822-04:00

This morning, I had a nice blog post all ready and my husband vetted it and said it was fine. He said ,“It's okay,” when pressed for further input. Two minutes later he worked up the charity to tell me, “It's kind of trite. It's saccharine.” I wasn't mad he said that. I was freaking glad! What if I had posted the dang thing? I put it away, having no idea what else I would write about, and when I

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-62442967044532932252010-04-23T08:17:00.000-04:002010-04-24T07:31:49.626-04:00

"In large measure becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice,which makes your work distinctive."-David Bayles & Ted Orland in Art & FearMy writerly confidence has taken some hits in the last few weeks. You know what the most special part of that is? Art twines its roots through your whole self and when your art

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-53576665562320180172010-04-20T07:38:00.005-04:002010-04-20T08:25:48.539-04:00

Here are some songs I'm listening to while writing, these days."The Scientist" - Coldplay"We Cry" - The Script"Moonlight Sonata, 1st movement" - Beethoven"Sleep, Sleep" - Claire Holley (click track 4)"My Lover's Gone" - Dido"Blood Makes Noise" - Suzanne Vega"Dark Blue" - Jack's Mannequin"Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" - MobyWhat's your writing music right now?

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-82243055658506701172010-04-16T08:00:00.017-04:002010-04-16T08:09:56.036-04:00

If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it, blame yourself, for you are not poet enough to call forth its riches. -Rainer Maria RilkeToday I want to take someone I love by the hand. These are the things we will do.1. We'll play truth or dare. I'm a dare girl myself.2. We'll lie on our backs in a field and decipher the shapes of clouds. 3. We'll lose ourselves in a dancing crowd. We'll dance

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-17346927904560612982010-04-13T08:00:00.005-04:002010-04-13T09:18:17.129-04:00

My husband had the idea for this blog post. He said I should ask people about what they like, or what they notice, as an exercise in characterization. He mentioned Amélie, who liked to put her hand in bins of grain.He said, "For instance, you like it when I walk around the house carrying my glass of gin and tonic and the ice cubes are clanking like a cowbell, and you are so happy to hear it

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-83622231265908057312010-04-09T08:17:00.000-04:002010-04-13T07:40:11.688-04:00

He who works with his hands is a laborer.He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.He who works with his hands, his head, and his heart, is an artist.-St. Francis of AssisiThis quote has starred on my blog before, but a couple nights ago I got to thinking about how it applies to artistic development over time.Lesson 1: The first thing I learned was that I must write no matter what.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-17209927121642822142010-04-06T09:12:00.009-04:002010-04-06T11:36:38.270-04:00

I whispered, "I am too young," And then, "I am old enough"; Wherefore I threw a penny To find out if I might love. "Go and love, go and love, young man,If the lady be young and fair," Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, I am looped in the loops of her hair. Oh, love is the crooked thing, There is nobody wise enoughTo find out all that is in it, For he would be thinking of

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-77799373276658954022010-04-02T08:09:00.009-04:002010-04-02T13:52:18.962-04:00

I'm an energetic person. But I don't always channel my energy effectively. I claim sixteen gazillion hobbies as my own, but I am no more than competent in most. I'm rushing off to smell the next hydrant too soon. My curiosity wars with my productivity, and for the most part, I don't mind. I don't have to be the best at everything.Writing is different. It shoves at my throat until I do it. It

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-86765666418573465022010-03-29T07:00:00.010-04:002010-03-29T08:14:37.224-04:00

Good on you all for entering. I only posted a scene myself after being heckled and pressured, so here's to each of you. Dan Krokos, you win. Your paragraph is elegant, understated, emotional. I love it. It's too bad you own The Breach, and I get to pick another favorite.Sean Ferrell, you win. I feel it all with your protagonist. Clearly that's not because of the literal subject matter, it's

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-45485727672699510752010-03-23T15:48:00.008-04:002010-03-23T16:11:09.976-04:00

Trisha was nice enough to send The Breach to me, and I thought I'd pass it along to the winner of a contest. An embarrassing contest. Cause that's the mood I'm in.Nestled within the pages of The Breach is a love scene. It's evocative, it's unafraid, it's romantic. It's one paragraph. So I want to see your one-paragraph love scenes. The one I like the most will get the book. I'll close the contest

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-83847508095652018522010-03-19T09:06:00.012-04:002010-03-20T15:28:26.852-04:00

D.B. Grady lives in Baton Rouge. I don't know why that's important, but I think it's one of the best things about him. There's something charmingly cocky, friendly and opinionated about the author that I suspect is partly due to his Louisiana origin. I follow D.B. Grady on twitter, where, in addition to hilarious tweets about politics and pop culture and iPods, D.B. suggests to his followers on a

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-29105344072672538152010-03-16T08:00:00.004-04:002010-03-16T08:36:08.296-04:00

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction. -Albert EinsteinIf there's one thing I've learned while revising, it is this: all the fillips I used to admire in my writing only get in the way. Elegance. Time to walk the edge of the knife.Where are you in the writing process, and

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-66126144907066976912010-03-09T13:56:00.015-05:002010-03-09T15:22:20.532-05:00

Unless one is a genius, it is best to aim at being intelligible.-Anthony Hope HawkinsLike a lot of writers, every morning I read my words from yesterday and I do a revision. These first revisions are all about burning off the fog, in my opinion. The most important part of any writing is that communication happen. Whatever obscures my meaning needs to be trimmed. Besides the obvious repetitions,

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-34680308811499067332010-03-06T20:04:00.007-05:002010-03-06T20:43:10.399-05:00

Here are some of the songs I'm listening to while writing, these days."Come On, Come Out" - A Fine Frenzy "Let Go" - Frou Frou"Colorblind" - Natalie Walker"Running One" - Franka Potente"Eyes on Fire" - Blue Foundation"Green Hills Race for California" - Emerson Hart"Everloving" - MobyI don't vouch for any of the videos.What is your writing music?

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-61317352132480993782010-03-02T07:53:00.002-05:002010-03-02T08:07:13.867-05:00

I glanced at her and took my glassesoff—they were still singing. They buzzedlike a locust on the coffee table and thenceased. Her voice belled forth, and thesunlight bent. I felt the ceiling arch, andknew that nails up there took a new gripon whatever they touched. "I am your ownway of looking at things," she said. "Whenyou allow me to live with you, everyglance at the world around you will bea

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-84228899845773904772010-02-26T23:13:00.015-05:002010-02-28T03:36:33.982-05:00

I was lucky enough to read Numb by Sean Ferrell before its publication date this August. Numb, Ferrell's debut novel, is the story of a man who can't feel physical pain. He wakes up in the middle of Texas with no memory, and gets adopted by a circus where his “gift” of numbness becomes part of the show. From there, the bulk of the story deals with Numb's fame and freakdom in New York

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-87500548319530721032010-02-23T13:53:00.019-05:002010-02-23T16:54:56.786-05:00

Winter is dragging. By late January and February, when I've had about enough coldness, the worst snows come, and this year boy did they ever.But then one night it starts to rain. I stand under the skylight and listen to the drops. The next morning, I take a solitary drive. What is it about rain on the snow? Everything is beautiful: a long pond under pines with dark water fringed by white stone;

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-27086992327867571242010-02-19T18:29:00.004-05:002010-02-19T18:36:16.159-05:00

YA author Susan Adrian is giving away The Breach by Patrick Lee. Everyone I know who's read this book has raved. Plus it recently made the NYT mass-market paperback extended list. Get thee over there and leave a comment, or don't, because then I'll be more likely to win the book.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-24173293673883956572010-02-15T05:42:00.012-05:002010-02-15T21:31:28.172-05:00

James Scott Bell is an author who needs no introduction from me. He's well-known in writing circles both for his novels and for his writing instruction books. Bell tweets many inspirational quotes for writers, both classic and original. He is gracious and accessible. His website, JAMESSCOTTBELL.COM, devotes pages to advice for writers. My favorite is the blurb on dialogue attribution. The first

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-16095339148032840282010-02-12T08:33:00.011-05:002010-02-12T08:53:11.851-05:00

Sam watches Frodo sail away to the West at the end of their adventures.Bad version: Sam was sad. He and Frodo had been through so much together. Sam was bereft as he watched the ship sail away. He loved Frodo, and Frodo was leaving forever. Even though Merry and Pippin were with him, Sam felt lonely. He didn't even leave the harbor till the middle of the night.What Tolkien actually wrote, in The

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-46447815854130830962010-02-09T08:53:00.006-05:002010-02-09T09:21:14.399-05:00

It used to be that I read mainly classics and old books. Finding a new author was rare: I had no predictable method for discovering good modern writers.Since I've been on twitter, though, that's changed. Not only have I found high-quality reading material through a network of readers and writers, but I also get to talk to the authors, which is like Valhalla for the book geek in me. All my life

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-28689236137701395252010-02-05T09:03:00.006-05:002010-02-05T09:14:36.857-05:00

Someone once wrote that he revised his novel in several read-throughs. I have forgotten who this was, but it is a good idea. Here is my plan, in five layers, for revision.1. First of all, the plot must be logical and clear. Make sure the conflict is compelling and constant.2. Consistent pacing - check for metered unfolding.3. Strong characterization - I'm a "character" girl. Polish characters'

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-10056354836877080412010-02-03T05:20:00.006-05:002010-02-03T05:41:28.467-05:00

"Of all that is written, I love only what a person has written with his own blood." -Friedrich NietzscheI'm in a Bad Place. I'm a writer who is not writing. I've seen other writers here. They act a little crazy, a little desperate. That's me now.Writing is a passion. Unless you give it up completely, it wants more: it wants all you can give. It won't be satisfied until you've done your very best.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-4333819851442491102010-01-12T13:15:00.013-05:002010-01-14T08:48:17.380-05:00

...And your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency, not only in its words, but in the silent lines of its lips and face, and between the lashes of your eyes, and in every motion and joint of your body.-from Leaves of Grass, Walt WhitmanRay Bradbury said prose writers should read poetry to develop a good feel for words. (hat tip James Scott Bell, commenting on The Kill Zone

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-82184746527470621522009-12-31T08:21:00.001-05:002009-12-31T09:10:37.940-05:00

On the last day of the old year, I'd like to share this amazing picture with you. It conjures up nostalgia, longing, and also, to me, a certain kind of hope. It makes me feel the way I want people to feel one-third of the way into my current novel.Happy New Year. May 2010 bring you peace and good things.Photo credit: e³°°° If you like the photo here, please go to flickr to view full-size.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-51853727130381342682009-12-26T14:49:00.012-05:002009-12-26T15:10:09.039-05:00

As a Diary-Keeper, every so often I like to read what I was doing 365 days ago. Looking into my journal, I see that at this time last year:1. I was knitting washcloths;2. My husband's truck was breaking down for the last time;3. Our cat, Turtle, was not yet spayed. And needed to be. We lost a lot of sleep; and4. I was on bedrest for preterm labor. My children were three years old and 21 months

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-71608685643369874842009-12-18T14:37:00.009-05:002009-12-18T15:02:19.802-05:00

1. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken FollettIt's fun to see how the author treats the twelfth century, since I'm writing a fantasy novel that's set in a middle-agesque time period.2. Odyssey by HomerSecond on The List. If I persevered through The Iliad, I can finish The Odyssey, no problem.3. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna ClarkeA friend recommended this one. So far, it is fantastic, in

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-69918049441874626922009-12-10T10:24:00.020-05:002009-12-23T21:44:13.675-05:00

"Fireflies" by Adam Young (of Owl City) is an example of song lyrics that show don't tell. Young creates an icon of childhood sehnsucht, but instead of describing the feeling, he paints a picture of fireflies and trouble sleeping.Do you have any favorite songs with evocative lyrics?I'd like to make myself believeThat planet Earth turns slowlyIt's hard to say that I'd rather stayAwake when I'm

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-38740080120299972502009-11-27T16:57:00.003-05:002009-11-27T17:04:36.671-05:00

i thank You God for most this amazingday:for the leaping greenly spirits of treesand a blue true dream of sky; and for everythingwhich is natural which is infinite which is yes(i who have died am alive again today,and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birthday of life and of love and wings: and of the gaygreat happening illimitably earth)how should tasting touching hearing seeingbreathing

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-52501932153416651482009-11-19T10:33:00.011-05:002009-11-19T11:05:03.901-05:00

Yesterday, I picked up this book by Madeleine L'Engle. By the time I'd gotten two pages in I was wondering, Why did Walking on Water sit in my "to be read" basket so long? I underlined and turned down pages all over the place. Here are some highlights of the first 1-1/2 chapters."Christian art? Art is art; painting is painting; music is music; a story is a story. If it's bad art, it's bad

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-86256582930483810502009-11-09T12:11:00.005-05:002009-11-18T13:46:36.715-05:00

National. Novel. Writing. Month. That is all I have to say. See you in December, unless you're on twitter, in which case you can geek out with me there.In the meantime, here's what's on my nightstand: Undertow by Elizabeth Bear;Odyssey by Homer;The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway; andThe Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson.

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-37460432987101754662009-10-21T14:36:00.003-04:002009-10-21T15:09:10.196-04:00

I've been wrestling with a short story for this blog. Think of Tigger fighting with Pooh's tablecloth. Worraworraworraworraworra. Okay, it's nothing like that. It's more like me writing, tapping my pen, writing, tapping my pen, then getting up to find something, anything different to do, up to and including laundry.I went on a wee search, and I found this thread, chock full of short story advice,

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-14438930092321999822009-10-19T10:35:00.000-04:002009-10-21T15:01:34.630-04:00

You who never arrivedin my arms, Beloved, who were lostfrom the start,I don't even know what songswould please you. I have given up tryingto recognize you in the surging wave of the nextmoment. All the immenseimages in me-- the far-off, deeply-felt landscape,cities, towers, and bridges, and unsuspectedturns in the path,and those powerful lands that were oncepulsing with the life of the gods-all

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-83249416971603574302009-10-05T14:44:00.010-04:002009-10-05T14:57:42.470-04:00

"Since all the world is but a story, it were well for thee to buy the more enduring storyrather than the story that is less enduring."The Judgment of St. Colum Cille(as quoted by Stephen Lawhead in The Paradise War)It's easy to get into the groove of not saying exactly what you mean, in everyday life. When I write, I try to scrape all polite restraint away. I remind myself to get naked, and get

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-42611629188834184122009-10-01T10:29:00.010-04:002009-10-01T10:47:47.341-04:00

He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, his head, and his heart, is an artist.~St. Francis of AssisiSince I've been writing, I have learned to come at experiences differently. It used to be that when I'd anticipate a painful or awkward situation, I'd shy away. Now, I try to widen my heart to accept all

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-36710551108021300642009-09-28T20:26:00.003-04:002009-10-04T16:57:19.558-04:00

We are the music-makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams, Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams; World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams: Yet we are the movers and shakers Of the world for ever, it seems.~"Ode", 1-8, by Arthur O'Shaughnessy

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-46424376100397637722009-09-24T09:43:00.016-04:002009-09-25T15:21:23.668-04:00

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass." ~Anton Chekhov (thanks @RachelleGardner for sharing this quote)Some words I keep having to stop myself from using: shiver, slip, gaze, clench and others I can't think of now. Does anyone else have gong words? The problem with strong descriptive words is that they're often used in place of "showing". On the other hand

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-76995375396861426042009-04-03T12:02:00.001-04:002009-10-02T12:08:03.768-04:00

1. Get comfortable in a quiet place. Or walking. Pacing is a very good way to read.2. Say the piece out loud, without stopping to bother about comprehension. But do try to get the rhythm. If you can't, well, this would probably be the time to stop, since it's not worth continuing if the poem doesn't sound good lyrically. 3. Repeat.4. Read aloud for comprehension. If there are footnotes, check

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-807148245301971082008-12-02T12:03:00.002-05:002009-10-02T12:07:56.178-04:00

Are you familiar with the notion of sehnsucht? It's one of my favorite concepts. The following is a C.S. Lewis quote from a wikipedia article that elucidates the term: "That unnameable something, desire for which pierces us like a rapier at the smell of bonfire, the sound of wild ducks flying overhead, the title of The Well at the World's End, the opening lines of "Kubla Khan", the morning

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4603234694133545363.post-61397525181205369532008-08-28T12:05:00.001-04:002009-10-02T12:07:00.835-04:00

Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow.Don’t take yourself too seriously.Don’t let criticism worry you. You can’t please everybody.Don’t let your neighbors set your standards; be yourself.Do things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.Don’t borrow trouble. Imaginary things

Elisabeth Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08962421339750272755noreply@blogger.com0