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Entries in Writing (5)
Focus On The Author: Jennifer Cody Epstein
As an avid reader, I always love to know the background of a book: Who the author is; How he/she came to write the book; How he/she actually wrote the book (the writer-me is also interested in this one!); and, certainly, any interesting tid-bits of info or gossip surrounding the book, the author, the publication, world events at the time, whatever -- I like to know.
Which brings us to a fairly new feature on RebelHousewife.com, Focus on the Author, which started last month with Joshilyn Jackson, and continues now:
I published the Rebel Review for her debut novel, The Painter From Shanghai, earlier today, and I wanted to give you the inside scoop, additional information to enhance your enjoyment of Jenn's remarkable book, from email interview and correspondence with the author:
Rebel Housewife (RH): How authentic are the relationships between these characters, and even more so, how accurate are the cultural and period details (for example, the foot binding, concubines and women's rights/freedom in China during this time?
Jennifer Cody Epstein (JCE): The thing about taking on a subject like Pan Yuliang is that while she's fairly recognized in China, the actual facts of her life -- even among Chinese sources -- are pretty obscure. There's really only one biography on her, and it's fictionalized (it began as a serialized piece in an art magazine, written under a pseudonym). Even the dates on her gravestone in Paris are generally agreed to be incorrect. So, in many ways, the only way to try to get close to the emotional (and, in fact, many of the physical) realities of her life was to imagine. Given that, the relationships were almost entirely fictionalized; many of the secondary characters (Jinling, God Mother) were as well. The other relationships I simply tried to create for myself, with what I knew of the historical figures they were based upon and the way I'd come to picture Pan Yuliang for myself, both through her art and the little info there is out there.
The historical details and elements, on the other hand, I tried very hard to research and confirm to the extent that I could. I took several classes at Columbia on Chinese history, and read everything I could get my hands on (you can see some of my reading list at the back of the US edition). I probably clocked about a solid year on the Internet. I also interviewed a number of people about the Chinese art movement, foot binding, Chinese brothels, etc.
RH: I read on your website (link below) that you have a BA in Asian Studies and a Masters in International Relations; that you lived in Asia for 7 years and you did extensive research for this book during your MFA. How did you come to live in Asia?
JCE: I've been to Paris several times, and actually lived in Bologna, Italy for a year for my first (fabulous) year at Johns Hopkins. I lived in Asia because I was a journalist there; first for Knight-Ridder Financial News in Tokyo, then subsequently (during grad school) for The Nation in Bangkok; then (after grad school) for the Wall Street Journal in Tokyo again. I moved to Hong Kong and to TV for two years after working at WSJ (largely in an effort to get away from financial journalism) and had a boyfriend in Shanghai, so I did a lot of traveling back and forth.
I think my fascination with cross-cultural, East-West experiences stemmed, in part, from all the time I'd spent traveling between the Eastern and Western capitals of the world, and the observations I'd made for myself about both their differences and the interesting and unexpected ways foreign cultures mix and interact with one another.
RH: How do you think it might be different (would it?) for a woman artist like Yuliang in present-day China?
JCE: I think things are somewhat easier for Chinese women artists in that there is at least a perception that women should be equal in China, and have the same rights as men. That said, from what I gather talking to art historians and experts, women still don't occupy as central a place in the modern art world there as men do; and they certainly don't get as much attention in the "Chinese art boom" that is sweeping the West. There are several opinions as to why this might be, but my own sense is that they simply don't have the same encouragement and access to the same commercial connections that men do yet.
RH: What has the response and reaction been to your book, especially from Chinese people?
JCE: So far they've been pretty gratifying--or at least, the ones I know about are! The Sing Tao (the Chinese paper in New York) says Painter "thwarts the barriers of language, time and space" and is "vivid" to boot. And the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong's leading English Language paper) calls it " a page turner," a "vivid retelling" and notes that "non-Chinese speaking Epstein writes about historical China and the Chinese in a surprisingly authentic way."
Moreover, there seems to be real interest in China in the book, which surprised me in some ways--I wasn't at all sure that I'd want to read, say, a novel about Picasso written by a Chinese writer in Chinese! That said, I suppose there's a certain level of intrigue, even exoticism, in the improbable fact that someone like me chose to take on a subject like this. Just as--to me--there was real intrigue that someone like Pan Yuliang would choose post-Impressionistic techniques to express her burgeoning artistic sensibilities.
RH: Have there been comparisons to Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and how do you respond? [I would have to admit I never got through all of Memoirs, couldn't make it through the beginning, whereas I tore through The Painter From Shanghai, couldn't put it down, so there you go...]
JCE: Essentially, I'm really, really mixed on it. On the one hand I loved Memoirs, and am flattered that anyone would compare me to what was so obviously an industry-changing novel. But it’s a little strange to be constantly compared (as I am) to a book that I actually don’t think has much in common with mine--apart from having an Asian prostitute at its heart. I was really trying to do something very different in Painter than talk about prostitution; in fact, I was far less interested in Pan’s experiences at the brothel than how they informed her development as an artist. And, of course, Japan and China are extraordinarily different countries and cultures (having lived in both I can say that with a fair degree of confidence!).
So I guess, in the end, it cuts both ways--if the comparison makes people who liked Memoirs take a look at my book then that’s good, obviously. But I’d have to say if they still feel like they’re similar after reading through, I’d be slightly disheartened--no one wants to live under someone else’s literary shadow (and Geisha casts a very long shadow!) And my favorite reviews--the New York Times, the South China Morning Post, the Huffington Post--are the ones that don’t make the comparison at all. [NOTE: The Rebel Review does not mention this comparison! ;-)]
RH: I read on your website how difficult it was, at times, to work on this book as a new mom, in the early days. I admire and applaud you as an author, woman and mother, to finish and publish this book WITH KIDS (two daughters) -- how did you do it? Do you have a "process" for writing? What do your kids think of their Mommy as an author and your book?
JCE: Overall it was a struggle, for sure--but it was one that was oddly well-balanced and well-suited for me. I found that the intense physicality and lack of privacy in motherhood was a terrific counterpart to the intense isolation and intellectual exertion of writing and researching so much. The time factor was a bit difficult, but in the end I benefited from that too; it more or less trained me to make the most of my very limited free time. I simply didn't have the luxury, as a mom, to say "I don't feel like writing right now"--to wait for the muse. I had to be "on" when I had the time. It still doesn't always work (as I try to get started on the next novel I'm realizing this all the more!). But it's kind of nice to be stripped of that luxury of uncertainty and writerly angst; if you spend too much time "angsting" you just don't get anything done!
Jenn wrote more about this issue for Conversational Reading (link to blog below):
These days life is easier; Katie is in school until three, her sister Hannah until noon, and we have enough money for some limited sitting. I'm getting much more sleep, and my prime working hours tend to be from the far more civilized hours of eleven to five. P.M., I should note.
That's not to say maternal/writing balance isn't still wobbly at times. Katie (now seven) did lambaste me recently for missing every field trip in her short school life to date. "You're always writing," she complained. "You act as though your computer is more important than me."
But she also brought my novel in for show and tell, and announced to anyone who would listen: "My mom writes books." And as she shepherded the glossy volume from hand to small, sticky hand, the look of sheer pride on her face was just about the best review that any writer -- or mother -- could ever hope for.
See Also:
RebelHousewife.com: Rebel Review - The Painter From Shanghai
JenniferCodyEpstein.com: PAN YULIANG'S PAINTINGS
JenniferCodyEpstein.com: BECOMING PAN YULIANG - Author's Bio
Booksquare.com: Memoirs of a Non-Geisha by Jennifer Cody Epstein
Conversationalreading.com: Rewriting Motherhood by Jennifer Cody Epstein
Which brings us to a fairly new feature on RebelHousewife.com, Focus on the Author, which started last month with Joshilyn Jackson, and continues now:
Focus on the Author: Jennifer Cody Epstein
I published the Rebel Review for her debut novel, The Painter From Shanghai, earlier today, and I wanted to give you the inside scoop, additional information to enhance your enjoyment of Jenn's remarkable book, from email interview and correspondence with the author:
Rebel Housewife (RH): How authentic are the relationships between these characters, and even more so, how accurate are the cultural and period details (for example, the foot binding, concubines and women's rights/freedom in China during this time?
Jennifer Cody Epstein (JCE): The thing about taking on a subject like Pan Yuliang is that while she's fairly recognized in China, the actual facts of her life -- even among Chinese sources -- are pretty obscure. There's really only one biography on her, and it's fictionalized (it began as a serialized piece in an art magazine, written under a pseudonym). Even the dates on her gravestone in Paris are generally agreed to be incorrect. So, in many ways, the only way to try to get close to the emotional (and, in fact, many of the physical) realities of her life was to imagine. Given that, the relationships were almost entirely fictionalized; many of the secondary characters (Jinling, God Mother) were as well. The other relationships I simply tried to create for myself, with what I knew of the historical figures they were based upon and the way I'd come to picture Pan Yuliang for myself, both through her art and the little info there is out there.
The historical details and elements, on the other hand, I tried very hard to research and confirm to the extent that I could. I took several classes at Columbia on Chinese history, and read everything I could get my hands on (you can see some of my reading list at the back of the US edition). I probably clocked about a solid year on the Internet. I also interviewed a number of people about the Chinese art movement, foot binding, Chinese brothels, etc.
RH: I read on your website (link below) that you have a BA in Asian Studies and a Masters in International Relations; that you lived in Asia for 7 years and you did extensive research for this book during your MFA. How did you come to live in Asia?
JCE: I've been to Paris several times, and actually lived in Bologna, Italy for a year for my first (fabulous) year at Johns Hopkins. I lived in Asia because I was a journalist there; first for Knight-Ridder Financial News in Tokyo, then subsequently (during grad school) for The Nation in Bangkok; then (after grad school) for the Wall Street Journal in Tokyo again. I moved to Hong Kong and to TV for two years after working at WSJ (largely in an effort to get away from financial journalism) and had a boyfriend in Shanghai, so I did a lot of traveling back and forth.
I think my fascination with cross-cultural, East-West experiences stemmed, in part, from all the time I'd spent traveling between the Eastern and Western capitals of the world, and the observations I'd made for myself about both their differences and the interesting and unexpected ways foreign cultures mix and interact with one another.
RH: How do you think it might be different (would it?) for a woman artist like Yuliang in present-day China?
JCE: I think things are somewhat easier for Chinese women artists in that there is at least a perception that women should be equal in China, and have the same rights as men. That said, from what I gather talking to art historians and experts, women still don't occupy as central a place in the modern art world there as men do; and they certainly don't get as much attention in the "Chinese art boom" that is sweeping the West. There are several opinions as to why this might be, but my own sense is that they simply don't have the same encouragement and access to the same commercial connections that men do yet.
RH: What has the response and reaction been to your book, especially from Chinese people?
JCE: So far they've been pretty gratifying--or at least, the ones I know about are! The Sing Tao (the Chinese paper in New York) says Painter "thwarts the barriers of language, time and space" and is "vivid" to boot. And the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong's leading English Language paper) calls it " a page turner," a "vivid retelling" and notes that "non-Chinese speaking Epstein writes about historical China and the Chinese in a surprisingly authentic way."
Moreover, there seems to be real interest in China in the book, which surprised me in some ways--I wasn't at all sure that I'd want to read, say, a novel about Picasso written by a Chinese writer in Chinese! That said, I suppose there's a certain level of intrigue, even exoticism, in the improbable fact that someone like me chose to take on a subject like this. Just as--to me--there was real intrigue that someone like Pan Yuliang would choose post-Impressionistic techniques to express her burgeoning artistic sensibilities.
RH: Have there been comparisons to Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden and how do you respond? [I would have to admit I never got through all of Memoirs, couldn't make it through the beginning, whereas I tore through The Painter From Shanghai, couldn't put it down, so there you go...]
JCE: Essentially, I'm really, really mixed on it. On the one hand I loved Memoirs, and am flattered that anyone would compare me to what was so obviously an industry-changing novel. But it’s a little strange to be constantly compared (as I am) to a book that I actually don’t think has much in common with mine--apart from having an Asian prostitute at its heart. I was really trying to do something very different in Painter than talk about prostitution; in fact, I was far less interested in Pan’s experiences at the brothel than how they informed her development as an artist. And, of course, Japan and China are extraordinarily different countries and cultures (having lived in both I can say that with a fair degree of confidence!).
So I guess, in the end, it cuts both ways--if the comparison makes people who liked Memoirs take a look at my book then that’s good, obviously. But I’d have to say if they still feel like they’re similar after reading through, I’d be slightly disheartened--no one wants to live under someone else’s literary shadow (and Geisha casts a very long shadow!) And my favorite reviews--the New York Times, the South China Morning Post, the Huffington Post--are the ones that don’t make the comparison at all. [NOTE: The Rebel Review does not mention this comparison! ;-)]
RH: I read on your website how difficult it was, at times, to work on this book as a new mom, in the early days. I admire and applaud you as an author, woman and mother, to finish and publish this book WITH KIDS (two daughters) -- how did you do it? Do you have a "process" for writing? What do your kids think of their Mommy as an author and your book?
JCE: Overall it was a struggle, for sure--but it was one that was oddly well-balanced and well-suited for me. I found that the intense physicality and lack of privacy in motherhood was a terrific counterpart to the intense isolation and intellectual exertion of writing and researching so much. The time factor was a bit difficult, but in the end I benefited from that too; it more or less trained me to make the most of my very limited free time. I simply didn't have the luxury, as a mom, to say "I don't feel like writing right now"--to wait for the muse. I had to be "on" when I had the time. It still doesn't always work (as I try to get started on the next novel I'm realizing this all the more!). But it's kind of nice to be stripped of that luxury of uncertainty and writerly angst; if you spend too much time "angsting" you just don't get anything done!
Jenn wrote more about this issue for Conversational Reading (link to blog below):
These days life is easier; Katie is in school until three, her sister Hannah until noon, and we have enough money for some limited sitting. I'm getting much more sleep, and my prime working hours tend to be from the far more civilized hours of eleven to five. P.M., I should note.
That's not to say maternal/writing balance isn't still wobbly at times. Katie (now seven) did lambaste me recently for missing every field trip in her short school life to date. "You're always writing," she complained. "You act as though your computer is more important than me."
But she also brought my novel in for show and tell, and announced to anyone who would listen: "My mom writes books." And as she shepherded the glossy volume from hand to small, sticky hand, the look of sheer pride on her face was just about the best review that any writer -- or mother -- could ever hope for.
See Also:
RebelHousewife.com: Rebel Review - The Painter From Shanghai
JenniferCodyEpstein.com: PAN YULIANG'S PAINTINGS
JenniferCodyEpstein.com: BECOMING PAN YULIANG - Author's Bio
Booksquare.com: Memoirs of a Non-Geisha by Jennifer Cody Epstein
Conversationalreading.com: Rewriting Motherhood by Jennifer Cody Epstein
Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 11:47AM
by
Sherri Caldwell
in Book Reviews, Books, Writing
|
Post a Comment
Sherri Caldwell
in Book Reviews, Books, Writing
|
Post a Comment
Focus On The Author: Joshilyn Jackson
It was a Joshilyn Jackson month for me, I'm telling you! From the day I received the review copy of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming; to her book launch event at the Margaret Mitchell House(MMH)/Center for Southern Literature in Atlanta (March 4th); to me gently persuading the Midtown (Atlanta) Book Group to read Between, Georgia for our May book selection (rigging the election); to seeing her again in Atlanta last week at our Barnes & Noble @ Georgia Tech and coordinating a Dinner With The Author with the Atlanta Writer's Club immediately following her B&N event...whew! All this during a move, and I still look forward to reading Between, Georgia (again) for my book group meeting on May 12th. Oh, and then there's the CONTEST, which I'll get to in the next post.
Whether she knows it or not, Joshilyn Jackson is my new best friend and favorite author-crush of the month, lucky girl. I published the Rebel Review for her latest novel, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, earlier today, and I wanted to give you the inside scoop, additional information to enhance your enjoyment of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming and Joshilyn's other books, which you will have the opportunity to WIN in The Rebel Housewife Mother's Day Book Give-Away!
First of all, I have to say, I've had some Love Her/Hate Her contradictions in all of this. I overwhelmingly Love Her and I think she is a supremely talented and truly original author. After meeting her in person several times, drinking with her and having dinner with her, I think she is fabulous: funny, animated, engaging and a really, really nice person. We have a lot in common, despite the fact she was born and raised in the South, and I wasn't: She just turned 40 in April; she has two kids and three published books. I turned 40 in October; I have three kids and one published book (but I have a Special Needs dog, does that count?) So she's younger and she is a best-selling author, still Love Her.
The one, teeny-tiny, little, very brief Hate Her moment came early in March, before the book launch event, when I opened the Sunday Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) to not one, not two, but THREE separate articles about her, WITH pictures, on one day:
Sunday, March 2, 2008 - AJC/Arts & Books
K1 - Her 'small' books grip in a big way
K4 - Southern novelist's latest story turns on sisters' relationship
K7 - Mix of realism, fantastic keeps 'Swimming' afloat (Book Review)
Can I just say one little 'damn'?!
The three articles were all glowing with effusive praise for her and all three of her novels, of course. Actually, that's not an "of course," because the AJC can be fairly brutal in reviews, so it is, admittedly, well-deserved praise.
There are a few things I wanted to share with you, from my month of Joshilyn Jackson:
She claims to be a "plot girl" -- she likes stuff to happen.
From the AJC: "I tell myself stories or I make up people in my head, and after a long time, some of them will become internally loud...Then, usually, some triggering event will occur to me: What is going to blow them out of their comfort zone and make them change and make things happen? Then I do that thing. [She calls this process setting a character on fire in her book discussions.] And then I wait and see what happens."
In person, when I met her at a book group appearance in September 2007 (not my own -- I crashed just to see her) and at the Swimming launch in March, I found her down-to-earth, sparkly, entertaining, engaging and funny. She is, as they say here in the South, a hoot and fun to listen to, fun to be around.
She is candid, upbeat. Her first two novels did not get published. She quit for a while. She was lured back by her agent while she was working on Gods in Alabama, finished only after taking time off to have her daughter, who is now five years old.
From the AJC:
"The whole thing with the first two books not selling, it's the best thing that ever happened to me, because I wouldn't have my daughter. I think I could've been published earlier, but I wouldn't have the career I have now. This is better. I like having readers. I like making a living. I like that I get to tour. This is better."
Another reason to Love Her was her answer to a question from an audience member at MMH about her writing practice or rituals: "I have children. I write when I can."
She elaborated: "I HATE writing, but I love to revise."
For a busy mom/writer, that is very helpful, and hopeful, too. I keep thinking about her explanation, how for her writing is like digging clay; it's hard and it's messy and so, so ugly, but then you have something to work with, to sculpt and shape and make something beautiful -- and that is the fun part.
Joshilyn Jackson Trivia:
1) How many books did Joshilyn Jackson write before she was published? TWO
2) What was the title of her unpublished novel #2? "Forty Dead Horses"
3) What was the original title of Gods in Alabama?
"Gone to Bones" -- the idea of kudzu, with secrets being revealed by the passage of time. The title was ultimately changed to Gods in Alabama just prior to publication when Alice Sebold's Lovely Bones hit the best-seller's lists and it was too close for distinction.
SEE ALSO: Joshilyn Jackson in Atlanta - Favorite Author Sighting!
Whether she knows it or not, Joshilyn Jackson is my new best friend and favorite author-crush of the month, lucky girl. I published the Rebel Review for her latest novel, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, earlier today, and I wanted to give you the inside scoop, additional information to enhance your enjoyment of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming and Joshilyn's other books, which you will have the opportunity to WIN in The Rebel Housewife Mother's Day Book Give-Away!
First of all, I have to say, I've had some Love Her/Hate Her contradictions in all of this. I overwhelmingly Love Her and I think she is a supremely talented and truly original author. After meeting her in person several times, drinking with her and having dinner with her, I think she is fabulous: funny, animated, engaging and a really, really nice person. We have a lot in common, despite the fact she was born and raised in the South, and I wasn't: She just turned 40 in April; she has two kids and three published books. I turned 40 in October; I have three kids and one published book (but I have a Special Needs dog, does that count?) So she's younger and she is a best-selling author, still Love Her.
The one, teeny-tiny, little, very brief Hate Her moment came early in March, before the book launch event, when I opened the Sunday Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) to not one, not two, but THREE separate articles about her, WITH pictures, on one day:
Sunday, March 2, 2008 - AJC/Arts & Books
K1 - Her 'small' books grip in a big way
K4 - Southern novelist's latest story turns on sisters' relationship
K7 - Mix of realism, fantastic keeps 'Swimming' afloat (Book Review)
Can I just say one little 'damn'?!
The three articles were all glowing with effusive praise for her and all three of her novels, of course. Actually, that's not an "of course," because the AJC can be fairly brutal in reviews, so it is, admittedly, well-deserved praise.
There are a few things I wanted to share with you, from my month of Joshilyn Jackson:
She claims to be a "plot girl" -- she likes stuff to happen.
From the AJC: "I tell myself stories or I make up people in my head, and after a long time, some of them will become internally loud...Then, usually, some triggering event will occur to me: What is going to blow them out of their comfort zone and make them change and make things happen? Then I do that thing. [She calls this process setting a character on fire in her book discussions.] And then I wait and see what happens."
In person, when I met her at a book group appearance in September 2007 (not my own -- I crashed just to see her) and at the Swimming launch in March, I found her down-to-earth, sparkly, entertaining, engaging and funny. She is, as they say here in the South, a hoot and fun to listen to, fun to be around.
She is candid, upbeat. Her first two novels did not get published. She quit for a while. She was lured back by her agent while she was working on Gods in Alabama, finished only after taking time off to have her daughter, who is now five years old.
From the AJC:
"The whole thing with the first two books not selling, it's the best thing that ever happened to me, because I wouldn't have my daughter. I think I could've been published earlier, but I wouldn't have the career I have now. This is better. I like having readers. I like making a living. I like that I get to tour. This is better."
Another reason to Love Her was her answer to a question from an audience member at MMH about her writing practice or rituals: "I have children. I write when I can."
She elaborated: "I HATE writing, but I love to revise."
For a busy mom/writer, that is very helpful, and hopeful, too. I keep thinking about her explanation, how for her writing is like digging clay; it's hard and it's messy and so, so ugly, but then you have something to work with, to sculpt and shape and make something beautiful -- and that is the fun part.
Joshilyn Jackson Trivia:
1) How many books did Joshilyn Jackson write before she was published? TWO
2) What was the title of her unpublished novel #2? "Forty Dead Horses"
3) What was the original title of Gods in Alabama?
"Gone to Bones" -- the idea of kudzu, with secrets being revealed by the passage of time. The title was ultimately changed to Gods in Alabama just prior to publication when Alice Sebold's Lovely Bones hit the best-seller's lists and it was too close for distinction.
SEE ALSO: Joshilyn Jackson in Atlanta - Favorite Author Sighting!
69! The Foolproof Manual for...WHAT?!
Interesting experience of the week that will probably come back to haunt me...
I was interviewed this morning by an author who is working on contract with Penguin. She interviewed me for a chapter of her book. The title? Get this: 69! The Foolproof Manual for Seducing a Man. So there you go.
Not to disappoint, but the premise is "...a book of interviews and essays written by 69 different women in 69 different professions. Each professional woman is giving the readers [her] secret to seduction, according to the expertise that she has in her field..."
If you want to know my "profession" or my "expertise"... you'll have to read the book!
The other author, who I really enjoyed talking to (it gets lonely, sometimes, working from home), told me she read excerpts from The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!, assigned reading, for a college course she took in her Masters Degree program, something about comparing roles and representations of the modern housewife. How cool is that?!
I was interviewed this morning by an author who is working on contract with Penguin. She interviewed me for a chapter of her book. The title? Get this: 69! The Foolproof Manual for Seducing a Man. So there you go.
Not to disappoint, but the premise is "...a book of interviews and essays written by 69 different women in 69 different professions. Each professional woman is giving the readers [her] secret to seduction, according to the expertise that she has in her field..."
If you want to know my "profession" or my "expertise"... you'll have to read the book!
The other author, who I really enjoyed talking to (it gets lonely, sometimes, working from home), told me she read excerpts from The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!, assigned reading, for a college course she took in her Masters Degree program, something about comparing roles and representations of the modern housewife. How cool is that?!
Non-Fiction to Fiction
Since the mid-summer breakdown, with my friend's death and then the death of my computer, I've been working on a novel. I don't know if I can make the leap from non-fiction to fiction. I'm taking a class, Fiction Workshop, with award-winning author David Fulmer at The Margaret Mitchell House/Center for Southern Literature. That was one of my late-summer sanity-savers, every Monday evening, from 6 to 8 p.m., for eight weeks (four more to go). The class has been fantastic; David Fulmer is terrific. The writing assignments (and reading them aloud in class) have been a lot harder than I expected.
WP Affair: GOTTA GET GOALS
From my time away on Wordpress.com:
I was TAGGED recently, by my Blog-friend, Wendy P. at emomsathome.com in Get Your Goals On - Only Big Dreamers Need Apply.
Wendy's Blog-friend, Alex Shalman at Practical Personal Development began this interactive blog discussion, or MEME, by throwing out the challenge of sharing your Gotta Get Goals, meaning goals that you already have, that you gotta get (achieve); not that you gotta get you some goals. This is the way we generate discussion and networking in the Blog Universe, which is fabulous -- for the "rules" of this game, see Alex's post: click here.
Feel free to join in, in Comments below, or link-back on your own Blog!
Gotta Get Goals
I have been thinking about all of this, and my past, present, and future goals, for several days. I will be 40 this year (in October, mark your calendars, thank you very much! ;-). I have been married almost 19 years, and I have 3 children: son, Z, age 12; daughter, HK, age 9; and son, T, age 6.
I have always been extremely goal-oriented and self-motivated to try new things, achieve and succeed, and although I have suffered great challenges and setbacks (play big, win big/lose big sometimes), I have accomplished a lot in my almost-40 years, especially the last 20, with my hubby and family. Sometimes it's hard to remember that, because we're always looking forward, always reaching, always adding to the To Do List.
It's also interesting, at almost-40 (old to some, young to others, I know), with the hubby and the 3 kids...I'm tired and so busy! I'm not where I thought I would be, but I'm really, really happy where I am, with the things (people and relationships) that are most important to me. I've been bumped off the course I had set many, many times. I'm not even sure I'm the eternal optimist anymore, or that "everything happens for a reason." Does it? I don't know. Sometimes I think, stuff happens and it is what it is...
Old people like me are supposed to have this all figured out, yet in some ways, I feel like I'm constantly starting over, off on some new adventure, or a refinement of the journey due to obstacles, current conditions, or certain circumstances. I also keep coming upon the realization that I'm halfway there, almost in the 2nd Half of the Big Game, and I have a lot of responsibilities and commitments. I no longer have the luxury of messing around or catering to my own narrow focus. (Maybe in another 12 years when the youngest goes off to college?!)
And this is turning into a way-longer post than I like, but here goes (again):
Gotta Get Goals
by Sherri, age 39, 3/30/2007
#1 - Family
My goal is to raise and release to the world, 3 happy, healthy, self-confident, compassionate, responsible, independent adults to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be, and make the world a better place.
#2 - Marriage
So far, so good -- great, even, 19 years in. (I think he would say the same!) My goal is to continue the strength of this marriage and partnership into the future, celebrating our almost-20 years together (unbelievable!) each day; to continue to be mindful of each other; and always work on the most important aspects: Love, Passion, Communication, Adventure, Partnership.
#3 - Best-Selling Author
Ah, now we're into it! My first book, The Rebel Housewife Rules (women's humor), which I co-authored with my best friend/former Atlanta neighbor, was published in 2004 (Conari Press), and I am so proud of The Rebel (huge goal accomplished!). The book did well, earning out our advance and launching my career as The Rebel Housewife(TM) - Author, Writer, Reviewer, Online BlogMom Extraordinaire. But it was not a best-seller, and no, I never got on Oprah. I am, alas, not yet the financially self-sufficient, independent writer I aspire to be, but I'm working on it:
a) I am working on my second book, a novel, making the non-fiction/fiction leap;
b) I freelance and write book reviews (see Rebel Reviews), which I am working to develop as a career offline in print media;
c) www.RebelHousewife.com & The Random Rebel Coffee Blog
#4 - Basically, I want to make money -- a lot of money! -- doing what I love the most: Reading & Writing. That's The Big Goal.
#5 - Financial Freedom & Independence
To live where we want;
To live life as we want;
To travel, experience great adventure, and take our children around the world.
That's all.
Live, Love & Laugh,
Sherri
I was TAGGED recently, by my Blog-friend, Wendy P. at emomsathome.com in Get Your Goals On - Only Big Dreamers Need Apply.
Wendy's Blog-friend, Alex Shalman at Practical Personal Development began this interactive blog discussion, or MEME, by throwing out the challenge of sharing your Gotta Get Goals, meaning goals that you already have, that you gotta get (achieve); not that you gotta get you some goals. This is the way we generate discussion and networking in the Blog Universe, which is fabulous -- for the "rules" of this game, see Alex's post: click here.
Feel free to join in, in Comments below, or link-back on your own Blog!
Gotta Get Goals
I have been thinking about all of this, and my past, present, and future goals, for several days. I will be 40 this year (in October, mark your calendars, thank you very much! ;-). I have been married almost 19 years, and I have 3 children: son, Z, age 12; daughter, HK, age 9; and son, T, age 6.
I have always been extremely goal-oriented and self-motivated to try new things, achieve and succeed, and although I have suffered great challenges and setbacks (play big, win big/lose big sometimes), I have accomplished a lot in my almost-40 years, especially the last 20, with my hubby and family. Sometimes it's hard to remember that, because we're always looking forward, always reaching, always adding to the To Do List.
It's also interesting, at almost-40 (old to some, young to others, I know), with the hubby and the 3 kids...I'm tired and so busy! I'm not where I thought I would be, but I'm really, really happy where I am, with the things (people and relationships) that are most important to me. I've been bumped off the course I had set many, many times. I'm not even sure I'm the eternal optimist anymore, or that "everything happens for a reason." Does it? I don't know. Sometimes I think, stuff happens and it is what it is...
Old people like me are supposed to have this all figured out, yet in some ways, I feel like I'm constantly starting over, off on some new adventure, or a refinement of the journey due to obstacles, current conditions, or certain circumstances. I also keep coming upon the realization that I'm halfway there, almost in the 2nd Half of the Big Game, and I have a lot of responsibilities and commitments. I no longer have the luxury of messing around or catering to my own narrow focus. (Maybe in another 12 years when the youngest goes off to college?!)
And this is turning into a way-longer post than I like, but here goes (again):
Gotta Get Goals
by Sherri, age 39, 3/30/2007
#1 - Family
My goal is to raise and release to the world, 3 happy, healthy, self-confident, compassionate, responsible, independent adults to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be, and make the world a better place.
#2 - Marriage
So far, so good -- great, even, 19 years in. (I think he would say the same!) My goal is to continue the strength of this marriage and partnership into the future, celebrating our almost-20 years together (unbelievable!) each day; to continue to be mindful of each other; and always work on the most important aspects: Love, Passion, Communication, Adventure, Partnership.
#3 - Best-Selling Author
Ah, now we're into it! My first book, The Rebel Housewife Rules (women's humor), which I co-authored with my best friend/former Atlanta neighbor, was published in 2004 (Conari Press), and I am so proud of The Rebel (huge goal accomplished!). The book did well, earning out our advance and launching my career as The Rebel Housewife(TM) - Author, Writer, Reviewer, Online BlogMom Extraordinaire. But it was not a best-seller, and no, I never got on Oprah. I am, alas, not yet the financially self-sufficient, independent writer I aspire to be, but I'm working on it:
a) I am working on my second book, a novel, making the non-fiction/fiction leap;
b) I freelance and write book reviews (see Rebel Reviews), which I am working to develop as a career offline in print media;
c) www.RebelHousewife.com & The Random Rebel Coffee Blog
#4 - Basically, I want to make money -- a lot of money! -- doing what I love the most: Reading & Writing. That's The Big Goal.
#5 - Financial Freedom & Independence
To live where we want;
To live life as we want;
To travel, experience great adventure, and take our children around the world.
That's all.
Live, Love & Laugh,
Sherri
Posted on Friday, March 30, 2007 at 01:51PM
by
Sherri Caldwell
in Blogging, Kids, Life at 40, Writing
|
4 Comments
Sherri Caldwell
in Blogging, Kids, Life at 40, Writing
|
4 Comments