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Dave Eggers and Me

November 8, 2007 in books, dave eggers, mcsweeney's, writing | Permalink

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I often dream of meeting Dave Eggers, as he is a writing god to me.  However, sometimes when I think about meeting Dave Eggers I become concerned that he would actually find me silly and inconsequential and then I think perhaps I am better off just dreaming of meeting Dave Eggers than actually meeting him.  That way the dream that he and I are twin souls that will have some great laughs can stay alive…if only in my deluded mind. 

I have been itching for (and honestly looking all over New York for…what’s wrong with you New York!) Eggers and McSweeneys (and Manguso and Unferth’s) new book titled 145 Short Stories In A Small Box.  I finally got my greedly little hands on it last night (thanks Adam!) and found it to be even more delightful than expected (and I haven’t even read any stories yet – we’re just talking packaging people).  Anyway, there is a little one page insert by Dave Eggers and it’s the kind of brilliant little fluffy thing that again reminds me that if and when I finally meet Dave Eggers I will simply blush and faint, and then just lay there unconscious while he feels uncomfortable and is forced to walk away from the “scene” I’ve created.  He’s just too brilliant for me to stand that close to…and remain conscious.  And if I lose consciousness then I don’t have to worry about saying anything stupid that will make him think I am silly and inconsequential… instead of being those things I can just be ‘that ridiculous girl who fainted’.  Anyway, I’ve pasted the text from the insert below in the hopes that you too will find it brilliant and you will run out immediately to get your own copy of 145 Stories In A Box (and all the other McSweeney’s you can get your hands on).  According to Eggers…pick up at least ten, although he doesn’t specifiy that you can only buy McSweeney’s books, it certainly doesn’t hurt…and at least then you know you’ll be getting “the right kind of books”. 

Thankfully for me (and less for my credit cards) I pick up WAY more than ten books a year…so maybe that will give me a better shot with Mr. Eggers when our paths eventually cross…

 “THE NEW RULES”  by Dave Eggers

“I don’t know why it came down to me to tell you about this, but anyway, here goes:  if you don’t buy at least ten books a year, you’ll be struck by lightning, or maybe a bus.  It’s the new rule.  Yeah.  You’ll probably be sent a more official notice in the mail pretty soon, but for now, you’re hearing it from me.  Ten books a year, or the bus or lightning, each of them very painful and likely deadly.  Is the rule a bit harsh?  Well, maybe.  Some people might think so, but then again, those people won’t be with us very long, because anyone who complains about the rule will be disemboweled by bears.  Again, not my idea – I’m just the messenger here! – but that’s the way it is.  I don’t know whay you’re worried, though.  Just buy the ten books a year and don’t whine about it, and you won’t be struck by anything or have your insides ripped out by a grizzly.  Doesn’t seem so complicated, really.  Also, make sure you buy the right kind of books, or else someone in a cardigan will push you off a building.  Again, nothing to worry about:  just buy the best kinds of books, not the bad ones, or else you’ll be looking over your shoulder pretty much forever.  And you can’t read that way, anyway, so it all works out.”

I say again BRILLIANT!  And oh so funny.  That Dave Eggers, what a character.  What a laugh he and I are going to have someday…assuming I’m conscious. 

sentence of the day

November 7, 2007 in NaNoWriMo, sentence of the day, writing | 2 comments

Oy.  This is starting to look like a mistake.  I know the point is to write as much as possible and to understand that it won’t necessarily be my best work, but it is really depressing to see my “best” sentences daily.  Here we go, yet again, another non-great sentence…

11/06/07:

Words Written:  1304

Best Sentence:  People call me callus, but I have always considered myself simply a realist.

yucky 🙁

sentence of the day

November 6, 2007 in NaNoWriMo, sentence of the day, writing | Permalink

I’m kind of cheating already, because I’m already writing in a non-linear way (my kryptonite) and I swore to write the story straight this month.  I’ll try to get back on track today, but here are yesterday’s stats…

11/05/07:

Words Written:  691

Best Sentence:  It was as if all my ancestors and all their Lola counterparts were standing on opposite sides of my brain preparing to wage a war.

Ho-hum…still not so great.  I’m going to really have to focus tonight I guess.

sentence of the day…

November 5, 2007 in NaNoWriMo, sentence of the day, writing | Permalink

So yesterday was my first day of trying to WriMo, as mentioned previously, I’m not necessarily aiming for 50,000 words, but I am aiming for a fully completed (horrible) draft of my book Lola LeFever, which is part two in a trilogy (yes, part one has been completed).  So I aim to write everyday, and give you my loyal readers both my word count for the day and my best sentence written that day.  I hope that having to deliver those things to a audience and real imposed deadline (this blog) that I will stay on task.  We’ll see (frankly, it’s hard already).  But here we go…

11/04/07: 

Words Written:  1461

Best Sentence: The instant I heard the impact of steel hitting dirt at hundreds of miles per hour I felt a fire inside me, a power that enveloped me and loved me like nothing had ever bothered to before.

Yuck!  This sentence sucks!  I can’t believe this is the best sentence…oy.  I’ll have to do much better tomorrow.  Here’s to tomorrow’s sentence being better than that…

National Novel Writer’s Month…am I in?

November 3, 2007 in NaNoWriMo, writing | 3 comments

So yesterday began National Novel Writer’s Month (NaNoWriMo), which is a kind of awesome idea that I was completely unaware of until this past October. It’s one of those things where you have no idea how you could have missed it because the second you know about it you see it EVERYWHERE. Anyway, you can read more about it by using the link below (since my Mac is still refusing to link for me) in case you are even more behind in the world than I am.

It’s a pretty great idea. In a nutshell you commit to writing a 50,000 word novel in one month, the month of November. The idea being that while you will likely not write the great American novel, you will be a whirling dervish of words and will produce more than ever before, and maybe some of it is salvageable and maybe just maybe gets you over that creative block that so many of us languish under. In addition, if you actually commit through the site there looks to be all sorts of interactive things and motivators and help and advice and everything. I suppose it’s also a good way to make connections with other writers both near and far and there appears to be a sharing of information and novels and critiques. It all sounds pretty good.

I’m not doing it. I thought about it, but was still on the fence when commitment time came. I’m going to think about seriously committing for next year, and in the meantime I am going to try to do it on my own (and in my own way) anyway.

I don’t know that it will be 50,000 words, and it WILL probably be crap, but I’ve been languishing in how to write part II of a trilogy I have in mind, a book called Lola LeFever, which is part two in my trilogy. Part one is written (ironically it is almost exactly 50,000 words) and has been submitted and handily rejected by one agent (just this past September). I have just (last Tuesday) sent out a query on part one to a second agent, which will likely amount to another solid no. But one of these days someone is going to say yes, and then they’re going to look at the epilogue, which sets up a cliffhanger for the second book and say to me, “So Kelly, have you written the second book yet?” I’d like to be able to say yes.

Unfortunately I really set myself up to be screwed here, because Lola LeFever is all told from a villain’s point of view (Lola) and while I think it is a great and kind of radical idea to ask a reader to identify so with the villain, after spending the first book identifying entirely with the hero, it is really difficult for me to write a villain (because I’m so good you see ;). Anyway, I figure what better way than to just force myself to do it in 30 days…maybe something salvageable will come of it.

What’s the worst that could happen? Seriously…love your thoughts on that… 🙂

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Welcome to Whedon’s Dollhouse

November 1, 2007 in buffy, hollywood, writing, x-men | 3 comments

Yea!

You can read about Joss Whedon’s new project Dollhouse with Eliza Dushku here and here. Let me say again, YEA!

Perhaps I am just overly hopeful since this season’s television, including favorites of mine from last year have been so terrible, but I’m excited about the idea of having some creative Joss Whedon ideas and dialogue on the small screen. I have minor concerns that I may have outgrown Joss’ style, in that though I still love my Buffy I’m forced to admit that I can’t be sure I would be as obsessed with it today as I was then. However, his work on the Buffy comic is current and great and totally enjoyed by me, and as mentioned earlier here, his Astonishing X-Men (also current) is totally brilliant. So okay, I’ve decided I’m excited no matter what. Yea next year! Boo to this year!

On a related sidenote, NBC is scrapping the Heroes Orgins show that was set to air in the spring, during the Heroes regular season hiatus. The official word is that it’s because of the writer’s strike issues, but I suspect it’s more because Heroes currently stinks to high heaven and who wants a spin-off of stinkage.

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McSweeney’s…not to be outdone by a Tandem Bicycle, posts another brilliant short piece today…

October 24, 2007 in mcsweeney's, writing | Permalink

A piece titled “What Happened After I Lost My Guardian Angel: A Timeline” by Jon Methven posted over on McSweeney’s today, and it is so funny, mostly because it’s too too true.  It will only take you a few moments and will be the funniest thing you read all day, so run, don’t walk, to McSweeney’s to check it out, here.

Tandem Bicycle Seat Open over at McSweeney’s…

October 23, 2007 in mcsweeney's, writing | Permalink

If you’re not reading McSweeney’s Internet Tendency everyday for their incredible new short pieces, you are missing out.  But I’m here to let you know when you are really really missing out. 

Go now to McSweeney’s and check out their new piece posted yesterday by Collin Nissan titled “Good News:  A Seat On My Tandem Bicycle Just Opened Up”  it’s a hilarious bit of fun, and if it’s not enough to cheer you up a bit today than you’re probably not cheer-up-able…

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And just for fun…a picture of a tandem bicycle.  For some reason i find tandem bicycles hilarious. 

I cannot believe I didn’t know about this…Jeffrey Brown and Wolverine AND ZOMBIES!

October 22, 2007 in comics, jeffrey brown, writing, x-men | 4 comments

How have I missed this!?  I can’t believe it.  I’m now dying to get my hands on a copy of Jeffrey Brown’s Wolverine v. Zombies comic, Dying Time, the first 11 pages are printed in the interview below, but I’d love to have a copy in my hands of the real (complete) thing, so if anybody has one they wouldn’t mind giving up…let me know. 

Please check out this interview with Jeffrey Brown and Silver Bullet Comic Books to read more about Dying Time, and about the god Jeffrey Brown in general.  And if you love Jeffrey Brown as much as I do and would love to see more of his work with Wolverine, email/write Marvel and let them know, I know I will.

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a great journal comic

October 19, 2007 in art, artists, comics, writing | 4 comments

I’ve been trying to read a lot of daily (or frequently updated) journal web comics produced by some of the great comic artists out there working on the web and I’ve seen a lot of really great stuff over the last couple months – and most importantly really inspiring stuff (Everyday Comics, My Life Comics, to name two of my favorites).  However, one has really impressed me, especially lately and it’s a journal comic by Matthew Reidsma called Drawerings.  It is a little inconsistent in timing, e.g. it won’t go up daily and then three will go up in one day, but the content (and drawing) is so good that it’s worth checking in daily. 

I highly recommend putting it on your daily comic reads.

Here’s a little taste, one of my recent favorites…mostly because it’s so true:

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