Archive for December, 2007
Herewith, my list of newish books that you may want to give the creative types in your life. (Hey, there’s still time for new year’s gifts, right?)
Only as Good as Your Word: Writing Lessons from My Favorite Literary Gurus by Susan Shapiro. Serious kick-in-the-pants inspiration from a book- and article-publishing dynamo. (And I’m not talking about e-books or blog posts; I’m talking about hardcovers and New York Times clips.) Expect to grab your notebook or race to your computer several times before you’ve even hit the third chapter.
How to Become a Famous Writer Before You’re Dead: Your Words in Print and Your Name in Lights by Ariel Gore. I’ve mentioned this goldmine of ideas and inspiration before. If you’ve recently found yourself whining about how Oprah hasn’t called yet, you need this book. Ariel Gore is here to tell you that a writer or artist makes her own luck, and she’s got just the luck-making recipes little ‘ole undiscovered you needs.
Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide edited by Mark Kramer and Wendy Call. If you want to learn from the masters (and again, I don’t mean your favorite blogger), look no further. Susan Orlean, Nora Ephron, Phillip Lopate, and a pile of other literary gods and goddesses weigh in on the fine art of creative nonfiction. Storytelling, interviewing, editing, ethics, discipline — I’m telling you, this book is 300 pages of the best J school lectures you never had.
Hands-Off Cooking: Low-Supervision, High-Flavor Meals for Busy People by Ann Martin Rolke. A godsend for self-employed, artsy types who have a hard time extracting themselves from their creative cocoon and loathe elaborate meal preparation. (It’s not just me, is it?)
On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar. Because making art is no excuse to not make rent. (Watch for my interview with Manisha and Sharon on this here blog in January!)
December 20th, 2007
A freelance writer pal and I were talking the other day about all the reading we’ve been getting done now that half of Hollywood’s on strike and network TV reruns are beyond unwatchable (except for Rudolph, of course). And while I wholeheartedly support a writer’s right to not sign crappy contracts and to get paid what she’s worth, in some ways I’m kinda sorta somewhat selfishly glad the strike is on — even if it means I’m going to Freelancer Hell — because it’s left me no choice but to unplug the tube. Truth be told, my remote and I had been getting a bit too close for comfort in recent months.
Add my change in work schedule to the mix and you’ve got a gal who not only can hear herself think but can retain a creative thought for more than a fleeting nanosecond. So in addition to doing some extra writing, I decided to amuse myself with these goofy new pastimes:
- Read the bible. Not because I’m born again or anything, but because I’ve always wanted to. Besides, I’m a sucker for stories filled with family feuds, heaving bosoms, and natural disasters. And who knows? Maybe when I’m done with god’s word, I’ll tackle all of Shakespeare. Maybe. Unless I get lazy and/or the writers’ strike ends.
- Listen to my CDs in alphabetical order. The other day my beau bought me two new CDs. As in, CDs just released in 2007. At first I looked at them — then him — in horror, because everybody knows I’m stuck in my 1970s jam and prog rock rut. Which is precisely why my schmart beau bought me these two fabulous CDs, both of which rocked my world. This prompted me to then declare that instead of listening to the same CD over and over while I write, I will make my way alphabetically through the couple hundred CDs I own but haven’t listened to in ages. Of course, if I was really ambitious, I’d listen to them in autobiographical order a la John Cusack in High Fidelity. But I shot my memory doing things I probably shouldn’t have in my twenties, and anyway, I had all my CDs stolen a couple years back and don’t have a “true” lifetime collection.
So what about you? Any unexpected new hobbies or creative endeavors you’re taking up now that prime time’s all but imploded and the new year is upon us? Do tell.
December 16th, 2007
If you’re anything like me, you don’t do your holiday shopping early. Hell, Hanukkah’s already come and gone and I’m not done with my blasted shopping. Hence, this brief, halfway-through-December gift guide…
Great Gals 2008 wall calendar. Summer Pierre kicks serious ass. Just check out this stunning calendar she illustrated in her spare time (yes, she has a full-time day job). Dolly Parton, Edith Wharton, Phyllis Diller, Joan Cusack… they’re all here. Note: According to an email I received from Summer earlier this month, today is the last day to order the calendar if you want it to arrive by January. But don’t let that deter you. The client you’re planning to send this work of art to is either out of the office or drunk until January 2 anyway.
Made By Survivors crafts. I read about this cool online store on the Seal Press blog earlier this month. Apparently all after-tax proceeds on the (very affordable) pretty purses, scarves, jewelry, and handmade paper you buy go to international human rights organizations that work to end human trafficking. Nice.
American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. It seems like yesterday that Southern California was burning and hundreds of working class folks were losing their homes. Last week who knows how many hard-working people of modest means in my Pacific Northwest stomping ground lost their homes to floods and landslides. This week the midwest has turned into an icicle and the power could be out for days and days to come. And it’s only halfway through December. If you have a greenie on your shopping list who you know would appreciate foregoing a gift in exchange for your making a donation to the Red Cross (or your fave charity, food bank, or shelter of choice), go for it!
For more indie gifts, check out Lauren and Emira’s crafty recommendations on Boss Lady. And for my top book picks, come back next week, OK? Happy end of Hanukkah and beginning of the serious Christmas crunch. Woo.
December 14th, 2007
Sometimes (OK, often) I feel like trolling the web is a lot like trying to make your way through a neon, spinning, ringing, blinging Vegas casino on four hits of acid. Impossible to focus, easy to achieve sensory overload in ten seconds flat.
It’s probably because I didn’t grow up with a silver cursor button in hand, or because I’m not particularly adept at keeping my faux ADD at bay. Regardless, when I’m knee-deep in a bigass writing project, making my way through the links on a page like HRWorld’s Toolbox Toolbox: 100-Plus In-Depth Resource Collections for Web Workers has the same effect as turning up one of my boyfriend’s Coheed and Cambria albums to 11. All I want to do is smash my speakers (er, monitor), hide under the covers, and swear off everything with a password or plug.
However, if I were to step outside my Luddite self and channel my inner plastic fantastic widget-loving geekosaur I’d probably dig the following selections from HRWorld’s monster toolbox page:
Actually I think I’ll just take a peek at that last one now…
LATER: Curiously, I lost my initial stab at this post on Thursday due to this technical glitch. (If you, too, were blocked from commenting on this site, try again; it should work now.) Then I read this article on how many small businesses say they don’t have time to deal with social networks and the other trimmings of Web 2.0. Then I read this article about the Facebookization of journalism. So now I feel compelled to tell you that I actually got sucked into Facebook by a couple of unrelenting friends last month, though I have yet to complete my profile.
December 9th, 2007
In the book Drop Dead Brilliant, Lesley Everett, described by her publisher as “the United Kingdom’s leading professional branding expert,” writes:
It is a fact that women who wear make-up in business generally get better jobs, get promoted more quickly and get paid more… in a survey, 64 per cent of directors said that women who wore make-up look more professional and 18 per cent of directors said that women who do not wear make-up “look like they can’t be bothered to make an effort.”
Well, colo(u)r me not making an effort. I wear makeup so infrequently that when I do I feel like a mime. But before you cry foul! blasphemy! sexism! know that men are not immune in Everett’s perfectly quaffed pod-person workworld:
Men also need to consider make-up, which is something they should be aware of for diminishing minor skin imperfections that could be distracting. Foundation or base make-up should be considered if your skin tone is uneven or blotchy, and certainly if you are presenting under bright lights or making a TV appearance. Always apply your base after a moisturiser. Choose a colour close to your natural skin tone and you will give your skin a healthy and natural appearance.
Everett certainly isn’t the first career consultant (or whatever you call someone who’s making a living by telling people they need to go shopping) to say that image is everything, and I’ll be the first to admit that in some circles it is, however stupid or unfair. I quoted an HR expert saying as much in this article. And I’ve certainly been known to wash my hair and wax my eyebrows and use deoderant before a public reading or TV interview.
But in the interest of not making an effort, I’ll stay the hell away from cookie-cutter corporate cultures that won’t let me wear my worn-out jeans and hand-screened T’s to meetings. And if I have to meet a client face to face (which rarely every happens, thanks to the interweb), I will take a few extra seconds to throw a beloved vintage blazer over the whole ensemble. More often than not, I’ll be the one who’s overdressed for the meeting.
(Thanks to my pal Diane for sending me the Times Online piece. The photos are priceless.)
December 5th, 2007
WHAT: I’ll be joining Hedgebrook alum Randy Sue Coburn, Roberta Gregory, Kelly Malone, and Lynne Varner in a Seattle reading this week, which Hedgebrook is calling “Writing and the City: Making a Living/Making a Life.” I’ll have some copies of The Anti 9-to-5 Guide on hand, in case anyone needs to pick one up as a holiday gift for Cousin Emily or Aunt Marge. But I’m going to read something else, maybe the essay/story thingie I have in this anthology. Or perhaps some naughty bits from here, if there are no kids around. I also hear that Hedgebrook plans to have a short discussion about regional and national resources for women writers (grants, residencies) after the reading.
WHEN: Thursday, December 6, 2007, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Seattle Public Library, Lake City Branch, 12501 28th Avenue NE, Seattle
ADMISSION: Free!
December 2nd, 2007
