News
Well, it’s been a minute. That’s primarily because I don’t really want to make up something to talk about every month, nor do I expect you fine, discerning people care if I update monthly. Although, presumably, you want to hear from me sometimes, or why are you on this list? So, here’s what’s going to happen.
First, there will be a site redesign. This will be a gradual process, probably happening in fairly small chunks. It will start Soon(TM), with a new, static homepage that lists my publications, and links to various other parts of the site (like the blog, which is not going away). I’ll also be removing the contact form, which does nothing but spam me, and go with the old-fashioned “me @ my address” notation that’s worked just fine since web pages were simple blocks of text on white screens.
The Subscribe feature will still be a thing, so you’ll still get occasional updates with news about me as well as thoughts on topics that interest me, like what I’m writing, what I’m reading, language learning, arts in general, health and exercise, and those soft sciences that fascinate me so. So, let’s get started.
Writing
Honestly, I’ve started to think “the slump” is my natural habitat. Which is a glib way of brushing off the fact that I think I’m emerging from a somewhat prolonged period of – let’s call it “existential ennui.” It’s an unholy combination of depression and boredom, and by boredom I don’t mean I have nothing to do. I never experience that kind of boredom. I mean a boredom with life that, given its way, spirals into nihilism. But, as I said, emerging. Lately I’ve found myself paring down my hours outside of the day job into a routine of writing, studying Spanish, and working out, with reading/listening and video games for small intervals of relaxation. It’s kind of working for me. Those of you who know me, know that I don’t do well with unstructured time, so using routine, habit, and goals, can help.
All that said, I actually have been writing again, though not finishing anything. I absolutely need to set some goals and deadlines for myself. In the past, I have successfully used I want to submit N stories to my writing group this year as a motivational technique, and it worked very well. I got a dozen rough, new stories out of it (and lots of valuable feedback from my beloved group!) But, it left me no time to edit those rough stories into shape for submission. It’s that happy medium I need to find. So, my plan for the next couple of months is to work on editing existing stories (I will allow myself to write a new one if I really get the urge), and then the last three months of the year will be focused on completing the first draft of the first novel.
Books
Some of my favorites, and not so favorites, from just the past couple of months.
Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson
Oh, what a fucking book. Everything I read by Hopkinson I like better than the last thing. I think she may be edging her way into my favorite authors shortlist. If you like audio books, hers are an especially delightful experience because you get to hear them in the Jamaican patois the dialogue is written in.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Just the man for depression and ennui! This one is a mixed bag. I am a big Hemingway fan, and I was enjoying the spare style of the prose and especially of the dialog. It’s fascinating the difference in the way his people talk vs. the way characters would talk today. I also like the protagonist a lot, which is not a given for a Hemingway book. Then a moment of casual racism — the characters are discussing Othello, so I’m sure I don’t have to state what word came out of the protagonist’s mouth — yanked me right out of the book. Yes, I realize I should not have been surprised, but I was. I set the book aside for a bit, then decided that I did want to finish it, and was ultimately glad I did (I cried). Apparently, Toni Morrison discusses Hemingway, as well as Poe, and several others, in Playing in the Dark, a book I have not yet read, but is now near the top of my list.
Remember by Lisa Genova
I don’t know why I have this book in my Audible library, but it’s been there for a while, and I think it’s because it’s not a great listen. I’ve restarted it several times. This time, I’m almost all the way through, and I do find the content very compelling. The topic of how our minds work in general, and memory in particular, is fascinating to me. I think this one would be better read than listened to, though.
¡Ciao!