J. H. Authors

One Woman. Three Names. Many Books.

Musings

The Girl…

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Who read all of Stieg Larsson‘s novels on her vacation.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Girl Who Played with Fire. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. I had heard so much about these books. My book club selected the first one for our next book. I’ve been reading DorothyL posts about them. And I’ve archived an in depth reading/picking apart of Dragon Tattoo.

One problem with being a writer is that it is hard to turn the critic off. And I’ll admit, I was wary when I waded in. There are a ton of characters. Lots of info dumps. But I decided to just go along for the ride.

And what a ride it was. Two good stories (I count Dragon Tattoo as one, and Fire and Hornet’s Nest as two parts of the same story) well told. And two great characters. Mikael Blomkvist. And especially Lisbeth Salander.

I normally don’t like noir, or graphic violence. And there is plenty of both. That said, I got through them, because I wanted to find out what happened.

I think I may try and see the movies. Or should I let them live in my imagination for a while longer? What do you think?

Off the Grid

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Jungle Red Writers blogger Jan Brogan issued a challenge to writers–write a page (just one) in the morning before you get on the internet. A six week challenge, which could net 42 pages.

I signed up.

And failed.

Between the blogging, writing, training I am moving too fast. And am addicted to email. And the internet.

So going off the grid for a week. Will get some blog posts written, without the internet to get in my way. Will also get some editing done, and get the new novel restarted.

And maybe start a new habit.

The Role of Critic

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Social media. Criticism. The blogosphere. Critical Thinking. Change.

There was an article in the NY Times this week about plagarism in the digital age. The amount of information readily available just by surfing the web is incredible. When I was a kid, having research books at home were a luxury. Now these books are viewed as doorstops, though the information in them was vetted. Written through a single dimensional lens, but vetted. Now Wikipedia is the first stop for research. And sometimes it is just plain wrong.

But a lot of time it is just a puke of information, with no critical thought. There is so much information available that without filters, without someone to help parse it, it cannot be managed. By filters I do not mean to suggest someone who tells you what to think. What I mean is developing the skills to think for yourself. And to risk being wrong.

Civil discourse is a rare art these days. This includes politics, art, religion. Is it because of the many outlets social media provides? Or is it because we are so afraid of being “wrong” that we won’t risk being provocative, or thoughtful?

On the other side of this conversation, we are able to question qualifications and authority. Is s/he qualified to have an opinion?

All of us need to figure out how to deal with the deluge of information at our disposal. How to sort through it. Filter it for ourselves. Come up with an opinion. And share that opinion with civility.

The Summer of Kicking it Up

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This AM I went for a 70 minute bike ride and 10 minute run with my Boston Fit peeps. Add a 1/2 mile swim in front, and quadruple the run, add three weeks and ta dah. Cranberry Sprint on the 28th. The swim still freaks me out a bit (though a swim clinic put on by Max Performance helped A LOT). I may be last. It may not be pretty. But I’m going to get this done.

That isn’t the only stretch of the summer. I am joining a blog on Monday–the New Hampshire Writers’ Network blog. Their motto is “Live to Write–Write to Live”. I admire the work of the blog, and am really thrilled to be a part of it.

And theatrically, all of my subscriptions are in. And last week I had some inspiring moments–meeting Doug Elkins (whose piece, FRAULEIN MARIA, will be at the Paramount in September), seeing a dress rehearsal of THE SUN ALSO RISES and then OTHELLO. All in the same day. I haven’t seen as much theatre as I would like to this summer, but I am starting to flex my muscles a bit. This looks to be a very exciting season in Boston theatre. You will be hearing much more about it.

And talk about stretching…despite injuries galore, the Red Sox beat the Yankees last night.

Life is good. Life is great.

Comfort Zone Stretch

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I am trying to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve blogged about the triathlon training. and will continue to do so until the end of the month (D Day is August 28). But the tri training in about doing something I’m not good at, getting better but being comfortable with being mediocre.

My other comfort zone is about being more present in various writing communities. Responding on listservs. Commenting on blogs. Letting people know when I think their work is good.  And letting people know about this blog.

I am also going to  start guest  blogging with a group–the New Hampshire Writer’s Network blog. I am an admirer of their work, and thrilled to be a part.  Those blog posts are taking some crafting.

These tend to be written on the fly. But I need to keep up with them, and use them as a daily exercise. Especially if I start letting people know it is here.

Stretching is exhausting.  But it feels great.

My Tribe

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I have a friend who is a poet. For a long time she was working on her poems, taking workshops and working closely with a mentor. But it wasn’t until she started an MFA program and met other poets in varying stage of development and all about support that she finally said to me “I get it now. I’ve found my tribe.”

As a writer, you do lonely work writing, editing, thinking. No one can help you with most of this. Sure, you get feedback. But incorporating it is another solitary activity. So you have to find your tribe. Fellow writers who “get” your work, your genre, your passion.

Years ago I was at a Malice Domestic conference with a friend. She was in a long line, shipping back a box of books (one of the challenges of conferences is how to get the haul back home). She met Dana Cameron, who suggested (invited) Regina and I to join the New England Chapter of Sisters in Crime. As very new, unpublished writers we were nervous, but we went to a meeting. And found our tribe.

Sisters in Crime‘s mission is “to promote the professional development and advancement of women crime writers to achieve equality in the industry.” Which they do. And they do so much more.

There is nothing like sitting in a room full of mystery writers learning about craft, or poison, or forensics, or investigation. There is nothing like sharing a passion with other people, and not having to explain it. There is nothing like belonging to an online group (like the magnificent Guppies) who cheer success, congratulate failure (it means you got out there and tried) and offer advice.

If you are a writer, find your tribe. If you are a mystery writer, join Sisters in Crime. (And Mystery Writers of America, though I haven’t made that leap yet). The tribe is waiting to meet you.