6/30/2005
6/29/2005
6/28/2005
Thanks for all your suggestions on the empty space. Wes gave me some code to put in. So far it didn't work, but I was impressed anyway!
6/27/2005
6/24/2005
6/22/2005
Valerie has found the perfect owner for the four-legged, two-penised puppy!!
What has gotten into the world's water supply?
What has gotten into the world's water supply?
Things to note:
People have mentioned to me lately that frozen grapes are good. So I tried them. They ARE good. Very sweet, and they kind of slush up, so it's like eating little pellets of frozen ice pops, without the artifically added sugar. Mmm.
I've heard people make excuses time and time again not to help someone or volunteer. Here's a blogger friend of a friend who actually made the effort to get a wandering lady off the road - and it made a difference in the lives of two young ones!
Yesterday was the first day of summer. Kids are out of school, or at least, almost. What can I accomplish in these next two months? Ah, such pressure, but I love the change in seasons.
People have mentioned to me lately that frozen grapes are good. So I tried them. They ARE good. Very sweet, and they kind of slush up, so it's like eating little pellets of frozen ice pops, without the artifically added sugar. Mmm.
I've heard people make excuses time and time again not to help someone or volunteer. Here's a blogger friend of a friend who actually made the effort to get a wandering lady off the road - and it made a difference in the lives of two young ones!
Yesterday was the first day of summer. Kids are out of school, or at least, almost. What can I accomplish in these next two months? Ah, such pressure, but I love the change in seasons.
Woke up, put on clothes, etc.
Worst media pitch ever:
Hey [my name], because your company is a fellow member of the National Media Executives
Association, I've set it up for you to get an immediate try-out of two issues of the edgy
underground humor magazine if you ask for it in the next few days.
We're not controlled by advertisers or corporate publishers so we don't care who the
magazine pisses off...the handicapped, religion, molested children, "beloved" celebrities, etc. That's why we say "If it's too offensive, you're too old!" lol
Go to the website to get two issues mailed to you at the same time by Priority Mail.
Some of the pieces you'll get in Issue #1 include:
How To Explain War To Your Retard
Rules for Handling "Manhugs"
Why Judaism Should Be Retired
12 Things Billionaires Do
Bush's Colin
How To Get Her to Say "Yes" To 'Back-Door' Lovin'
And Issue #2 includes:
How To Convince Her To Have Your Abortion
Mexicans Can't Make Toast
Angry Black Man
Bush's Nigerian Letter Scam
...and the controversial, "When I Was Jesus" (What he does to the apostles is awful!!
lol)
You want to do this in the next few days to get the two-issue try-out arranged for you
before it gets removed from the website.
Hope things are going great with you and [newspaper's name] :)
Worst media pitch ever:
Hey [my name], because your company is a fellow member of the National Media Executives
Association, I've set it up for you to get an immediate try-out of two issues of the edgy
underground humor magazine if you ask for it in the next few days.
We're not controlled by advertisers or corporate publishers so we don't care who the
magazine pisses off...the handicapped, religion, molested children, "beloved" celebrities, etc. That's why we say "If it's too offensive, you're too old!" lol
Go to the website to get two issues mailed to you at the same time by Priority Mail.
Some of the pieces you'll get in Issue #1 include:
How To Explain War To Your Retard
Rules for Handling "Manhugs"
Why Judaism Should Be Retired
12 Things Billionaires Do
Bush's Colin
How To Get Her to Say "Yes" To 'Back-Door' Lovin'
And Issue #2 includes:
How To Convince Her To Have Your Abortion
Mexicans Can't Make Toast
Angry Black Man
Bush's Nigerian Letter Scam
...and the controversial, "When I Was Jesus" (What he does to the apostles is awful!!
lol)
You want to do this in the next few days to get the two-issue try-out arranged for you
before it gets removed from the website.
Hope things are going great with you and [newspaper's name] :)
6/21/2005
6/20/2005
The Writer Side
There is an interesting column on Moby Lives this week saying that writers shouldn't go to MFA fiction programs. A pretty well-written piece, but the conclusions don't necessarily apply to all MFA programs. The thing is, writers' workshops and critique groups have to be oriented to become constructive for the parties involved, rather than having writers compete and tear each other down. Sometimes critique groups need a little guidance. I've been in one for going on ten years now, and it's evolved into something (usually) helpful.
There is an interesting column on Moby Lives this week saying that writers shouldn't go to MFA fiction programs. A pretty well-written piece, but the conclusions don't necessarily apply to all MFA programs. The thing is, writers' workshops and critique groups have to be oriented to become constructive for the parties involved, rather than having writers compete and tear each other down. Sometimes critique groups need a little guidance. I've been in one for going on ten years now, and it's evolved into something (usually) helpful.
The dogs of Washington Square Park
I saw this dog on Saturday in Washington Square Park in the West Village, but could not figure out which breeds it was a mix of. I asked the owner, and it turned out to be two breeds that I wouldn't think could have had sex. Take some guesses, and I will put the answer at the end of this post.
Meanwhile, this English bulldog was looking depressed.
Give up? The first one was a dachshund and pit bull mix. What had me confused was that it looked like a dachshund, but way too big.
I saw this dog on Saturday in Washington Square Park in the West Village, but could not figure out which breeds it was a mix of. I asked the owner, and it turned out to be two breeds that I wouldn't think could have had sex. Take some guesses, and I will put the answer at the end of this post.
Meanwhile, this English bulldog was looking depressed.
Give up? The first one was a dachshund and pit bull mix. What had me confused was that it looked like a dachshund, but way too big.
CARRIE PILBY makes a great high school graduation or college graduation gift! Buy it at Amazon today! - Advt.
Will soon wake up and do it all again.
I just wrote some stuff here about the novel I'm finishing it up, and then I erased it. I'd rather wait until it's completely done to talk more about it.
The revisions are pretty much over. I'm going to just nip and tuck over the next few weeks and my agent will send it out in August, I think. I tried to rush it earlier this year, but it needed a bit more sculpting. Now, it passes the Cringe Test - meaning, I can open it to any page, and I like what's there and believe it all needs to be there and moves the plot along.
The process of waiting to hear back on this one could take a little while, and I'll still be slightly futzing with it because revisions never really end. In November, the Carrie Pilby sequel novella is coming out, and publicity for that should take some time, too.
I do have a few other ideas for novels in the back of my head that I will get to eventually. I get so emotionally tied up in what I'm writing that I'm not ready to start a new book until I can make it a priority in my life. And right now, it's not my main job.
People keep getting to this blog by putting in Justin Tussing, et. al. Yes, I know the New Yorker's debut novelists are fascinating. Really, I do!
Will soon wake up and do it all again.
I just wrote some stuff here about the novel I'm finishing it up, and then I erased it. I'd rather wait until it's completely done to talk more about it.
The revisions are pretty much over. I'm going to just nip and tuck over the next few weeks and my agent will send it out in August, I think. I tried to rush it earlier this year, but it needed a bit more sculpting. Now, it passes the Cringe Test - meaning, I can open it to any page, and I like what's there and believe it all needs to be there and moves the plot along.
The process of waiting to hear back on this one could take a little while, and I'll still be slightly futzing with it because revisions never really end. In November, the Carrie Pilby sequel novella is coming out, and publicity for that should take some time, too.
I do have a few other ideas for novels in the back of my head that I will get to eventually. I get so emotionally tied up in what I'm writing that I'm not ready to start a new book until I can make it a priority in my life. And right now, it's not my main job.
People keep getting to this blog by putting in Justin Tussing, et. al. Yes, I know the New Yorker's debut novelists are fascinating. Really, I do!
6/19/2005
We went to the racetrack and I lost $4 betting on horses. There was one race with only six horses in it, and my halfsis and I bet on two horses to show, and they both lost. Oh well.
At one point, I was bored so I wandered out of the race track, followed some train tracks north, walked down a residential street, found a lake, and stared down at the tiny fish swimming around at the water's edge. Then I returned. I take my attention deficit to extremes.
At one point, I was bored so I wandered out of the race track, followed some train tracks north, walked down a residential street, found a lake, and stared down at the tiny fish swimming around at the water's edge. Then I returned. I take my attention deficit to extremes.
6/17/2005
Someone (link now fixed) took this too much to heart.
"From Dictionary.com:
bear (bâr) n.1. a. Any of various usually omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidaethat have a shaggy coat and a short tail and walk with the entirelower surface of the foot touching the ground.
b. Any of various other animals, such as the koala, that resemblea true bear.
So the koala's resemblance to a "true" bear indeed makes it a bear! NYAH! :P"
"From Dictionary.com:
bear (bâr) n.1. a. Any of various usually omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidaethat have a shaggy coat and a short tail and walk with the entirelower surface of the foot touching the ground.
b. Any of various other animals, such as the koala, that resemblea true bear.
So the koala's resemblance to a "true" bear indeed makes it a bear! NYAH! :P"
6/16/2005
6/15/2005
Blame it on the (lack of?) rain
Sometimes, people ask me why I'm so fascinated with the weather. Boy howdy, listen to those people now. All I hear on the way to work each mornin' are comments about how hot it is, how really really hot it is, how mighty hot it is, and when it will break and rain already...and that's largely because it affects so many things - when kids get out of school, the clothes you wear to work, activities you can and can't do, general health. Clearly it is, of some sense, of interest. Am I more fascinated than the average person? Sure - but weather affects many aspects of life, and I find that interesting. Besides, many things intrigue me, and if they didn't, I probably couldn't write novels...part of writing is bringing out the richness of an everyday experience.
For instance, it makes a difference whether I start my book with "There were clouds in the sky" or "He saw clouds in the sky that were as lumpy and ridged as the back of Old Mrs. Poke's legs."
What bothers me is the occasional person who questions my fascination as if they could never ever understand such a thing. You don't have to share it, but there are plenty of fascinations people have that I respect without sharing them. I haven't gotten into watching basketball on TV, and I find that a lot of people's sports allegiances are based on purely arbitrary reasons, but it's still fun to have a team, to root for that team, to admire the strategy and to get excited about the slow building of any athletic season. And maybe someday I'll get into basketball if I have the inclination. Instead, I admire a slow building of thunderheads. So?
-Language usage note: I don't know exactly why "Boy howdy" has gotten more popular lately, but I wanted to use it once. Thank you for your time.
Sometimes, people ask me why I'm so fascinated with the weather. Boy howdy, listen to those people now. All I hear on the way to work each mornin' are comments about how hot it is, how really really hot it is, how mighty hot it is, and when it will break and rain already...and that's largely because it affects so many things - when kids get out of school, the clothes you wear to work, activities you can and can't do, general health. Clearly it is, of some sense, of interest. Am I more fascinated than the average person? Sure - but weather affects many aspects of life, and I find that interesting. Besides, many things intrigue me, and if they didn't, I probably couldn't write novels...part of writing is bringing out the richness of an everyday experience.
For instance, it makes a difference whether I start my book with "There were clouds in the sky" or "He saw clouds in the sky that were as lumpy and ridged as the back of Old Mrs. Poke's legs."
What bothers me is the occasional person who questions my fascination as if they could never ever understand such a thing. You don't have to share it, but there are plenty of fascinations people have that I respect without sharing them. I haven't gotten into watching basketball on TV, and I find that a lot of people's sports allegiances are based on purely arbitrary reasons, but it's still fun to have a team, to root for that team, to admire the strategy and to get excited about the slow building of any athletic season. And maybe someday I'll get into basketball if I have the inclination. Instead, I admire a slow building of thunderheads. So?
-Language usage note: I don't know exactly why "Boy howdy" has gotten more popular lately, but I wanted to use it once. Thank you for your time.
6/14/2005
We interrupt this news bulletin for a news bulletin: This heat wave is supposed to last until Thursday.
On Saturday I was at a housewarming for someone who had an XM Satellite radio. It was really interesting. Over 200 stations, including stations for various decades, trucker music, old time radio, Broadway, weather and traffic in cities all over the country, and comedy. I listened to a Dallas traffic report.
On Saturday I was at a housewarming for someone who had an XM Satellite radio. It was really interesting. Over 200 stations, including stations for various decades, trucker music, old time radio, Broadway, weather and traffic in cities all over the country, and comedy. I listened to a Dallas traffic report.
6/13/2005
6/12/2005
Just watched the pilot episode of "Moonlighting." Definitely stands the test of time.
"The plot thinnens!" - David Addison
Jon, a writer, suggests that there should be a genre called "shrink lit" involving all books where the characters see shrinks.
Also, it's hot out. More photographic evidence to come.
"The plot thinnens!" - David Addison
Jon, a writer, suggests that there should be a genre called "shrink lit" involving all books where the characters see shrinks.
Also, it's hot out. More photographic evidence to come.
6/10/2005
Happy Friday to you all. Woke up, got dressed.
I am bear-ly breaaaathing...
If you want a laugh today, read Dawn's "hooker bear" post and the comments that resulted. It's oso funny.
I am bear-ly breaaaathing...
If you want a laugh today, read Dawn's "hooker bear" post and the comments that resulted. It's oso funny.
6/09/2005
The National Hurricane Center has given us some new features this summer! Here's the tracking for Tropical Storm Arlene, which may be heading in the U.S.'s general direciton.
Let's get one thing straight. It's
HOT IN THE CITY. Hot in the city today. I bet it will reach 100 degrees.
I'm done with discussing literary snark for now...put it back where it belongs, in the rap world.
Will Smith:
Once and for all lets get this straight
How you measure a rapper, what make an MC great?
Is it the sales? 20 mill Is it the cars? Bentleys
Is it the women? Jada Is it the money? Please
Mr. Clean, yet the fact remain
Got girls that don't speak English screamin' my name
All you rappers yellin' bout who you put in a Hearse
Do me a favor, write one verse without a curse.
Eminem responds:
Will Smith don't gotta cuss on his raps to sell records
Well I do
So fuck him
and fuck you too.
HOT IN THE CITY. Hot in the city today. I bet it will reach 100 degrees.
I'm done with discussing literary snark for now...put it back where it belongs, in the rap world.
Will Smith:
Once and for all lets get this straight
How you measure a rapper, what make an MC great?
Is it the sales? 20 mill Is it the cars? Bentleys
Is it the women? Jada Is it the money? Please
Mr. Clean, yet the fact remain
Got girls that don't speak English screamin' my name
All you rappers yellin' bout who you put in a Hearse
Do me a favor, write one verse without a curse.
Eminem responds:
Will Smith don't gotta cuss on his raps to sell records
Well I do
So fuck him
and fuck you too.
6/08/2005
Tuesday Night Trivia
Valerie posted some photos of last night's 3rd annual Tuesday Night Trivia celebration!
Valerie posted some photos of last night's 3rd annual Tuesday Night Trivia celebration!
Woke up, put on clothes, will go to work after I finish writing this.
I don't want to bore you with literary stuff anymore, but it looks like 16 of the last 18 people who have come to my blog through search engines were looking for one of the triumverate of New Yorker writers. See what I mean?
One of the reasons that Justin Tussing's story interested me is that it has some things in common with the novel I'm finishing up - but that's all you're getting.
Fellow RDI author Lauren Baratz-Logsted has mailed a response to the Times regarding the Melissa Bank review, which I will repost here. She apparently also disagrees with me that it was a positive review...
Lauren's letter:
For a long time, I denied being a writer of chick-lit. But no more! I have
now decided to embrace my inner chick, which seems preferable to embracing my
inner bitch, as Curtis S--ttenfeld has done in her unfair review of Melissa
B-nk's "The W-nder Spot" (June 5, 2005). "The W-nder Spot,"...is a wonderfully accomplished collection of interconnected stories. Many of us have waited six years for a new book from Ms. Banks. Shame on Curtis Si--enfeld for having such a poor understanding of what chick-lit is and what it is not and shame on you for revealing your misogyny once again by assigning a worthy book for review to a neo-writer who has yet to prove she has any critical chops.
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
I told her that if they print that, I'll eat five copies of my book and five of hers.
[NOTE: I removed letters from her name so people don't end up here purely looking for snark on Google. ;)]
I don't want to bore you with literary stuff anymore, but it looks like 16 of the last 18 people who have come to my blog through search engines were looking for one of the triumverate of New Yorker writers. See what I mean?
One of the reasons that Justin Tussing's story interested me is that it has some things in common with the novel I'm finishing up - but that's all you're getting.
Fellow RDI author Lauren Baratz-Logsted has mailed a response to the Times regarding the Melissa Bank review, which I will repost here. She apparently also disagrees with me that it was a positive review...
Lauren's letter:
For a long time, I denied being a writer of chick-lit. But no more! I have
now decided to embrace my inner chick, which seems preferable to embracing my
inner bitch, as Curtis S--ttenfeld has done in her unfair review of Melissa
B-nk's "The W-nder Spot" (June 5, 2005). "The W-nder Spot,"...is a wonderfully accomplished collection of interconnected stories. Many of us have waited six years for a new book from Ms. Banks. Shame on Curtis Si--enfeld for having such a poor understanding of what chick-lit is and what it is not and shame on you for revealing your misogyny once again by assigning a worthy book for review to a neo-writer who has yet to prove she has any critical chops.
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
I told her that if they print that, I'll eat five copies of my book and five of hers.
[NOTE: I removed letters from her name so people don't end up here purely looking for snark on Google. ;)]
6/07/2005
Okay, Jennifer Weiner just posted her response to the Sittenfeld review. No wonder it took a while - it's a point by point analysis that made me laugh several times.
My friend Sarah was not thrilled with Sittenfeld's review. I still think it was, for the most part, positive - she said Melissa Bank's book is readable and engaging. And she said it in the Times. Let's click on Bank's Amazon ranking and see if it hurt...nope, it's the 98th best selling book.
AT40 Update:
Apparently there was, indeed, a backlash to Curtis Sittenfeld's review of Melissa Bank. The critics ask: Why does a book about woman have to be pigeonholed as chick lit? It's a fair complaint, but I still think it's a positive review. Anyway, Ron Hogan at Beatrice.com links to the blogs (including mine) that have commented on this. Particularly interesting is this one, saying that Sittenfeld might be irked about her own book having been pigeonholed. She also quotes someone as noting that writing is the only industry where people are constantly penning takedowns of their peers.
Apparently there was, indeed, a backlash to Curtis Sittenfeld's review of Melissa Bank. The critics ask: Why does a book about woman have to be pigeonholed as chick lit? It's a fair complaint, but I still think it's a positive review. Anyway, Ron Hogan at Beatrice.com links to the blogs (including mine) that have commented on this. Particularly interesting is this one, saying that Sittenfeld might be irked about her own book having been pigeonholed. She also quotes someone as noting that writing is the only industry where people are constantly penning takedowns of their peers.
I got mentioned in Dawn's Daily News column. Yay!
Is it fair that I got mentioned because I was quoting Sarah? Well, thanks, D!
Is it fair that I got mentioned because I was quoting Sarah? Well, thanks, D!
Will soon wake up, put on clothes, go to work.
Yesterday was a big day for writers. It was the day the Debut Fiction issue of the New Yorker comes out.
Each summer (with a few skipped) the NYer releases a summer issue with a few new writers (Debs), giving them the most coveted medium to show their stuff in American literary quarters. This year's blessed scribes were Karen Russell, Uwem Akpan, and Justin Tussing. Since they are debut fiction writers, their names do not appear all over Google just yet. Therefore, people looking for them might wind up right here. Therefore, I should tell those people to read Carrie Pilby.
That said, Karen Russell, Uwem Akpan and Justin Tussing might become subject to...
Schadenfreudenberger.
Schadenfreudenberger was a term coined by Curtis Sittenfeld (she's in my blog two days in a row! Wow) in Salon after Nell Freudenberger, a twentysomething New Yorker intern, got one of her short stories into the New Yorker's debut fiction issue (it may have even been her first published fiction) and was supposedly offered a $500,000 contract for a book of short stories by a major publisher.
That's what happens when you're a "Deb."
When Freduenberger's collection came out, it got good reviews, much to the chagrin of the knife-sharpeners. It apparently was a well-written book. But there's long been suspicion about people who are published either young or suddenly, seemingly without struggle (whether that's how it happened or not). Of course, it's jealousy. But heck, if you snark about someone who got a $500,000 book deal, how much are you really hurting them?
It looks like this year's Debs have worked their way up the ranks, though. Tussing got an MFA in writing in the University of Iowa's vaunted program, and his first novel is coming out in February, so he didn't all of a sudden get a contract. He's also 34, not 17. So, congrats to Justin Tussing, Karen Russel, and Uwen Akpan. May the Schadenfreudenberger be gentle on you this year.
(I'm not quite sure Mr. Wenclas's blog will hold back.)
Oh, disclaimer: Yes, I know that I shouldn't be namechecking all these writers, but most of my readers aren't writers and thus might find some of this stuff interesting. And I know these people are better writers than I am. But no matter what, I can still hold my head high and know that I am a much more eloquent person than the guy who CUSSED OUT A PUG!
Yesterday was a big day for writers. It was the day the Debut Fiction issue of the New Yorker comes out.
Each summer (with a few skipped) the NYer releases a summer issue with a few new writers (Debs), giving them the most coveted medium to show their stuff in American literary quarters. This year's blessed scribes were Karen Russell, Uwem Akpan, and Justin Tussing. Since they are debut fiction writers, their names do not appear all over Google just yet. Therefore, people looking for them might wind up right here. Therefore, I should tell those people to read Carrie Pilby.
That said, Karen Russell, Uwem Akpan and Justin Tussing might become subject to...
Schadenfreudenberger.
Schadenfreudenberger was a term coined by Curtis Sittenfeld (she's in my blog two days in a row! Wow) in Salon after Nell Freudenberger, a twentysomething New Yorker intern, got one of her short stories into the New Yorker's debut fiction issue (it may have even been her first published fiction) and was supposedly offered a $500,000 contract for a book of short stories by a major publisher.
That's what happens when you're a "Deb."
When Freduenberger's collection came out, it got good reviews, much to the chagrin of the knife-sharpeners. It apparently was a well-written book. But there's long been suspicion about people who are published either young or suddenly, seemingly without struggle (whether that's how it happened or not). Of course, it's jealousy. But heck, if you snark about someone who got a $500,000 book deal, how much are you really hurting them?
It looks like this year's Debs have worked their way up the ranks, though. Tussing got an MFA in writing in the University of Iowa's vaunted program, and his first novel is coming out in February, so he didn't all of a sudden get a contract. He's also 34, not 17. So, congrats to Justin Tussing, Karen Russel, and Uwen Akpan. May the Schadenfreudenberger be gentle on you this year.
(I'm not quite sure Mr. Wenclas's blog will hold back.)
Oh, disclaimer: Yes, I know that I shouldn't be namechecking all these writers, but most of my readers aren't writers and thus might find some of this stuff interesting. And I know these people are better writers than I am. But no matter what, I can still hold my head high and know that I am a much more eloquent person than the guy who CUSSED OUT A PUG!
6/06/2005
When I was out in the rain taking pictures, a guy ran past, heading for his wealthy condo building, and a woman's gray pug started barking at him. So he said, "Shut up, you f*cking sh*t!" I'm serious. What kind of wimp do you have to be to CUSS OUT A PUG?!?
(Oh, if it makes y'all feel better, I yelled something unprintable at him.)
(Oh, if it makes y'all feel better, I yelled something unprintable at him.)
Summer in the city
Last night, the sun set around 8 p.m. and bathed West 70th Street in Manhattan in orange light:
This weekend's hot weather caused the return of a familiar sight:
I got to meet Chuck Barris at the Book Expo of America, which made the weekend bright:
And here's a late photo of Jess and Marissa totalling the scores at trivia last Tuesday night.
The game continues tomorrow. Be there!
Last night, the sun set around 8 p.m. and bathed West 70th Street in Manhattan in orange light:
This weekend's hot weather caused the return of a familiar sight:
I got to meet Chuck Barris at the Book Expo of America, which made the weekend bright:
And here's a late photo of Jess and Marissa totalling the scores at trivia last Tuesday night.
The game continues tomorrow. Be there!
Summer in the city
Scroll below this entry for new photos!
* * * *
Chick or not chick
Melissa Bank is one of the two authors credited with inadvertently launching the “chick lit” craze in the late 1990s. The other author is, of course, Helen Fielding of “Bridget Jones” fame. (There were Ally McBeal episodes before that, as well as “Cathy” cartoons, but those characters failed to unionize.) Since then, the genre has helped a lot of us gals get into print, given thousands of women novels they can relate to, and provided reliable beach reading. It’s also caused a bit of a debate, since some folks believe the term is demeaning. I don’t, really; it’s marketing. If it gets a book into readers’ hands, they can decide what they want to call it.
Melissa Bank’s new novel, “The Wonder Spot,” was reviewed prominently in the Times Book Review this weekend. The reviewer, Curtis Sittenfeld (“Prep”) spent most of the review explaining why Bank’s novel is “chick lit” and not literary fiction. I bet a few people will complain about this, but it was a pretty well-written review. Her point was that (oh yeah, Curtis Sittenfeld is a she, for those who don’t know) Bank’s book was great fun to read, but doesn’t transcend the genre.
Since there are always questions about what “chick lit” is, here are a few excerpts of the review:
“To suggest that another woman’s ostensibly literary novel is chick lit feels catty, not unlike calling another woman a slut – doesn’t the term basically bring down all of us? And yet, with ‘The Wonder Spot,’ it’s hard to resist. A chronicle of the search for personal equilibrium and Mr. Right, Melissa Bank’s novel is highly readable, sometimes funny and entirely unchallenging; you’re not one iota smarter after finishing it.”
So is that bad? If a novel is easy to read and uses simple language, does that place it squarely in genre fiction?
Not always. Sittenfeld elucidates:
“I understood exactly what [the main character] meant, and that’s when I liked the book best. But this, ultimately, is the reason I know ‘The Wonder Spot’ is chick lit: because its appeal relies so much on how closely readers relate to its protagonist. Good novels allow us to feel what the characters feel, no matter how dissimilar their circumstances and ours. ‘The Wonder Spot’ contains real meaning only if we identify with Sophie enough to infuse it with meaning of our own.”
I consider this a pretty positive review, and I learned something from it: “Wonder Spot” is entertaining and interesting, and has a character women can relate to; don’t read it if you only want to read novels where you’ll learn something new.
Fair enough. I even got a free copy at the Book Expo of America on Saturday – signed – so I’m looking forward to reading it.
I wonder if Jennifer Weiner will comment on this review in her blog. She has long complained that most books about women in relationships don’t get reviewed in the Times because they are considered chick lit.
On another note, Sittenfeld’s use of the phrase “not unlike” reminded me that when I was little, they used to use that phrase in “Peanuts” cartoons a lot, and I hated it because it was confusing to me. It seemed that they should just say “like.” (Peanuts cartoons as a whole could be so dry and sarcastic that they used to annoy me on a regular basis as a young reader. Where were the punchlines, dammit?) I guess there is a nuance with “not unlike”; it’s a little less harsh than just saying “like.” Is that bad, or good? Wimpy, or more precise? I probably would have gone with “not unlike” where Curtis did…but why? Isn’t is the same thing to say it’s LIKE calling a woman a slut? Sittenfeld later says, “…the fact that the heroine was once engaged to a man who died in a car accident seems like a not insignificant detail.” I guess that’s faster than saying, “not like a detail one would leave out” which is what she was getting at more than “a significant detail.”
Well, aren’t you glad to see me write about someone else’s novels and not just my own?
Wait…that should read, “Aren’t you glad to see me write about someone else’s novels and not just my own?”
Scroll below this entry for new photos!
* * * *
Chick or not chick
Melissa Bank is one of the two authors credited with inadvertently launching the “chick lit” craze in the late 1990s. The other author is, of course, Helen Fielding of “Bridget Jones” fame. (There were Ally McBeal episodes before that, as well as “Cathy” cartoons, but those characters failed to unionize.) Since then, the genre has helped a lot of us gals get into print, given thousands of women novels they can relate to, and provided reliable beach reading. It’s also caused a bit of a debate, since some folks believe the term is demeaning. I don’t, really; it’s marketing. If it gets a book into readers’ hands, they can decide what they want to call it.
Melissa Bank’s new novel, “The Wonder Spot,” was reviewed prominently in the Times Book Review this weekend. The reviewer, Curtis Sittenfeld (“Prep”) spent most of the review explaining why Bank’s novel is “chick lit” and not literary fiction. I bet a few people will complain about this, but it was a pretty well-written review. Her point was that (oh yeah, Curtis Sittenfeld is a she, for those who don’t know) Bank’s book was great fun to read, but doesn’t transcend the genre.
Since there are always questions about what “chick lit” is, here are a few excerpts of the review:
“To suggest that another woman’s ostensibly literary novel is chick lit feels catty, not unlike calling another woman a slut – doesn’t the term basically bring down all of us? And yet, with ‘The Wonder Spot,’ it’s hard to resist. A chronicle of the search for personal equilibrium and Mr. Right, Melissa Bank’s novel is highly readable, sometimes funny and entirely unchallenging; you’re not one iota smarter after finishing it.”
So is that bad? If a novel is easy to read and uses simple language, does that place it squarely in genre fiction?
Not always. Sittenfeld elucidates:
“I understood exactly what [the main character] meant, and that’s when I liked the book best. But this, ultimately, is the reason I know ‘The Wonder Spot’ is chick lit: because its appeal relies so much on how closely readers relate to its protagonist. Good novels allow us to feel what the characters feel, no matter how dissimilar their circumstances and ours. ‘The Wonder Spot’ contains real meaning only if we identify with Sophie enough to infuse it with meaning of our own.”
I consider this a pretty positive review, and I learned something from it: “Wonder Spot” is entertaining and interesting, and has a character women can relate to; don’t read it if you only want to read novels where you’ll learn something new.
Fair enough. I even got a free copy at the Book Expo of America on Saturday – signed – so I’m looking forward to reading it.
I wonder if Jennifer Weiner will comment on this review in her blog. She has long complained that most books about women in relationships don’t get reviewed in the Times because they are considered chick lit.
On another note, Sittenfeld’s use of the phrase “not unlike” reminded me that when I was little, they used to use that phrase in “Peanuts” cartoons a lot, and I hated it because it was confusing to me. It seemed that they should just say “like.” (Peanuts cartoons as a whole could be so dry and sarcastic that they used to annoy me on a regular basis as a young reader. Where were the punchlines, dammit?) I guess there is a nuance with “not unlike”; it’s a little less harsh than just saying “like.” Is that bad, or good? Wimpy, or more precise? I probably would have gone with “not unlike” where Curtis did…but why? Isn’t is the same thing to say it’s LIKE calling a woman a slut? Sittenfeld later says, “…the fact that the heroine was once engaged to a man who died in a car accident seems like a not insignificant detail.” I guess that’s faster than saying, “not like a detail one would leave out” which is what she was getting at more than “a significant detail.”
Well, aren’t you glad to see me write about someone else’s novels and not just my own?
Wait…that should read, “Aren’t you glad to see me write about someone else’s novels and not just my own?”
6/05/2005
Special Event
Tuesday is the 3rd anniversary of Tuesday Team trivia, the weekly NY trivia game that Dawn and I started at the Baggott Inn three years ago. I knew that team trivia was very popular in Philly, and there was a great game going on each Wednesday at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn. I told Dawn how much fun team trivia was, and she said she knew of a great bar in the Village that'd be suitable for it.
We met with the owner, set up a start date, and Dawn did some publicity (she's good at that). We lured friends and friends of friends. The word got out. New friendships have been made. Now, 30-60 bright, young New Yorkers come to play each week.
There will be cake and extra prizes on Tuesday, so if you're interested, come on out. http://www.baggotinn.com/trivia.html
I want to thank the people who come each week, and to the staff at the Baggott Inn for being so hospitable. And to Dawn for putting the time and effort into the venture even though her job precludes her from making it these days. All of you people are swell!!
Oh, "Jack FM" just played "Let's Dance" by David Bowie and has just gone into "Stayin' Alive." I admit, it IS kind of interesting to see what they'll play next.
Tuesday is the 3rd anniversary of Tuesday Team trivia, the weekly NY trivia game that Dawn and I started at the Baggott Inn three years ago. I knew that team trivia was very popular in Philly, and there was a great game going on each Wednesday at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn. I told Dawn how much fun team trivia was, and she said she knew of a great bar in the Village that'd be suitable for it.
We met with the owner, set up a start date, and Dawn did some publicity (she's good at that). We lured friends and friends of friends. The word got out. New friendships have been made. Now, 30-60 bright, young New Yorkers come to play each week.
There will be cake and extra prizes on Tuesday, so if you're interested, come on out. http://www.baggotinn.com/trivia.html
I want to thank the people who come each week, and to the staff at the Baggott Inn for being so hospitable. And to Dawn for putting the time and effort into the venture even though her job precludes her from making it these days. All of you people are swell!!
Oh, "Jack FM" just played "Let's Dance" by David Bowie and has just gone into "Stayin' Alive." I admit, it IS kind of interesting to see what they'll play next.
Woke up, etc. and so forth.
Two different people mentioned to me today that WCBS-FM New York is no longer an oldies station, and then I read all about it on Daryl's blog. It's now some sort of random pop/rock format that's popular in Canada, called "Jack FM."
When I was a kid, I hated WCBS-FM because it was my parents' oldies station and played only '50s and '60s songs. Later, I hated it because it played '80s songs, which meant that I was officially old. But I always appreciated having it as an option.
Still, I also like the idea of doing away with a strict format and just playing regular rock songs. Who is it that said that Classic Rock, Modern Rock, and Top 40 should never mix? Why have we been lulled into believing this for so many years?
Two different people mentioned to me today that WCBS-FM New York is no longer an oldies station, and then I read all about it on Daryl's blog. It's now some sort of random pop/rock format that's popular in Canada, called "Jack FM."
When I was a kid, I hated WCBS-FM because it was my parents' oldies station and played only '50s and '60s songs. Later, I hated it because it played '80s songs, which meant that I was officially old. But I always appreciated having it as an option.
Still, I also like the idea of doing away with a strict format and just playing regular rock songs. Who is it that said that Classic Rock, Modern Rock, and Top 40 should never mix? Why have we been lulled into believing this for so many years?
6/03/2005
Woke up, put on clothes, went to work...
FUN WITH PR PEOPLE
Subject: Grilling tips for both genders
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 3:02 PM
From: Shannan [redacted]
Phone: 732 [redacted]
Email: [redacted]@comcast.net
To: Caren Lissner, Editor
What’s His Grilling Style?
Plus Grilling Tips For Both Genders
PLYMOUTH, WISC. – June 2, 2005 – [etc.]
From: Caren Lissner
To: 'Shannan [redacted]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 3:02 PM
Subject: RE: Grilling tips for both genders
----- I think both men and women taste the same if you grill them properly.
From: Shannan
To: Caren Lissner, Editor
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 4:52 PM
:) Very funny.
Does that mean you are interested in covering our grilling survey or grilling ideas?
Happy to send along whatever you may need.
Best,
Shannan
FUN WITH PR PEOPLE
Subject: Grilling tips for both genders
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 3:02 PM
From: Shannan [redacted]
Phone: 732 [redacted]
Email: [redacted]@comcast.net
To: Caren Lissner, Editor
What’s His Grilling Style?
Plus Grilling Tips For Both Genders
PLYMOUTH, WISC. – June 2, 2005 – [etc.]
From: Caren Lissner
To: 'Shannan [redacted]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2005 3:02 PM
Subject: RE: Grilling tips for both genders
----- I think both men and women taste the same if you grill them properly.
From: Shannan
To: Caren Lissner, Editor
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 4:52 PM
:) Very funny.
Does that mean you are interested in covering our grilling survey or grilling ideas?
Happy to send along whatever you may need.
Best,
Shannan
6/02/2005
This is how all e-mails to me should read:
i LOVED!!!! your book!
hey caren,
one of my best friends gave me this book to read while i went on a recent trip to the beach. i literally could not put carrie pilby down and i absolutely loved it. it was so real and incredibly clever and funny. i often would read out loud my favorite parts to my friends and they too, would laugh. can't wait for the sequel!
love,
[redacted], 19, new orleans, la.
I thanked her and told her to be careful.
i LOVED!!!! your book!
hey caren,
one of my best friends gave me this book to read while i went on a recent trip to the beach. i literally could not put carrie pilby down and i absolutely loved it. it was so real and incredibly clever and funny. i often would read out loud my favorite parts to my friends and they too, would laugh. can't wait for the sequel!
love,
[redacted], 19, new orleans, la.
I thanked her and told her to be careful.
Woke up, put on clothes, went to work.
My Amazon ranking is high today. No, I don't check it every day, but I just happened to notice. ;)
Reminder: I don't get very personal on this blog, so if you're someone who knows me, you have nothing to fear. I won't reveal your secrets.
My Amazon ranking is high today. No, I don't check it every day, but I just happened to notice. ;)
Reminder: I don't get very personal on this blog, so if you're someone who knows me, you have nothing to fear. I won't reveal your secrets.
6/01/2005
I'm looking at another month of revisions on my book. Honestly, this book couldn't have taken any less than four years to finish - I personally had to go through things, learn things, evolve as the book evolves, get new ideas every day.
It IS frustrating; I'd have liked to get it out last fall, but books just don't work that way. They grow at a predestined rate that you can't really change by putting more hours in, I believe. At least, in my case, I am still growing up and learning things, both about life and about writing.
I sometimes remind myself of my experience with my first published novel. I started writing Carrie Pilby when I was 27. I was going through a lot of changes in perspective and outlook at the time, and that's probably what fueled it. I couldn't write that book today - at least, not in the same way. Maybe it'd be better now, or maybe it wouldn't have gotten written at all.
I started writing it in May of 1999. I finished a draft in December of 1999. I sent the first 50 pages out over several months and got some feedback and an offer or two to pass it on to a different agent. As I got more feedback, I changed and revised it. I took periods of months off when I wasn't hearing anything back. Then I would look at it anew.
Over the summer of 2000, I read more, learned more about how to present the character, and did some revisions. It was passed on to a wonderful new agent in December of 2000. She finished reading it in late January of 2001, I think. We met for lunch and she gave me some suggestions. I handed in a new draft and she had one or two more suggestions - like, add in a Thanksgiving scene, since I kept mentioning Thanksgiving but never showed what happened.
I finished the new draft and mailed it to her. She sent it out to a few editors. An editorial assistant who got it loved it and had lunch with me. She had more suggestions. Like, add another scene with Carrie and Kara. Which I did.
That summer, she made the case for it to her superiors. She talked it up. At the end of the summer, August 2001, they rejected it.
I read in Newsweek about a new imprint that was focusing on books about women in their twenties trying to figure life out, kind of like Bridget Jones or the Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing. I didn't know if my agent wanted to go that route, but it was an idea. She mentioned it in an e-mail to me, too.
9/11 happened and I didn't care much about books for a while. We might not even be there tomorrow.
After life started returning to normal, my agent talked to me. She wanted to send the book to Red Dress Ink, but she'd wait a month or two because it was still too close to 9/11 to worry about such things.
We gave it to them in the winter. An editor really, really liked it. But in the end, it was too odd for what they were specifically doing.
I started writing another book, Starting from Square Two, which seemed more chick-littish and also focused on a notion I really wanted to explore - what if a woman who had always had things come easy, and had never really had to date much, suddenly lost her husband? I started writing it in late December of 2001 and flew through it - I was so interested to see what would happen to my character.
We submitted a few chapters to the editor at RDI around February of 2002, I think. She had lunch with my agent and said that she was also interested in Carrie Pilby again, since they were getting books with similar plots to what they were already doing, and mine was slightly different.
And so that spring (about four years after I'd started writing it), I got a book deal, something I'd wanted for many many years but had no guarantee would ever happen.
I have to remind myself that CP wasn't instantly accepted, and ended up going through many revisions based on the advice of different people before it got to the point of being accepted.
A book certainly doesn't have to be perfect when it goes out to publishers or editors - they might like the idea and buy it and then give suggestions. But it's still good to remember that it doesn't always come out perfect the first time.
It IS frustrating; I'd have liked to get it out last fall, but books just don't work that way. They grow at a predestined rate that you can't really change by putting more hours in, I believe. At least, in my case, I am still growing up and learning things, both about life and about writing.
I sometimes remind myself of my experience with my first published novel. I started writing Carrie Pilby when I was 27. I was going through a lot of changes in perspective and outlook at the time, and that's probably what fueled it. I couldn't write that book today - at least, not in the same way. Maybe it'd be better now, or maybe it wouldn't have gotten written at all.
I started writing it in May of 1999. I finished a draft in December of 1999. I sent the first 50 pages out over several months and got some feedback and an offer or two to pass it on to a different agent. As I got more feedback, I changed and revised it. I took periods of months off when I wasn't hearing anything back. Then I would look at it anew.
Over the summer of 2000, I read more, learned more about how to present the character, and did some revisions. It was passed on to a wonderful new agent in December of 2000. She finished reading it in late January of 2001, I think. We met for lunch and she gave me some suggestions. I handed in a new draft and she had one or two more suggestions - like, add in a Thanksgiving scene, since I kept mentioning Thanksgiving but never showed what happened.
I finished the new draft and mailed it to her. She sent it out to a few editors. An editorial assistant who got it loved it and had lunch with me. She had more suggestions. Like, add another scene with Carrie and Kara. Which I did.
That summer, she made the case for it to her superiors. She talked it up. At the end of the summer, August 2001, they rejected it.
I read in Newsweek about a new imprint that was focusing on books about women in their twenties trying to figure life out, kind of like Bridget Jones or the Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing. I didn't know if my agent wanted to go that route, but it was an idea. She mentioned it in an e-mail to me, too.
9/11 happened and I didn't care much about books for a while. We might not even be there tomorrow.
After life started returning to normal, my agent talked to me. She wanted to send the book to Red Dress Ink, but she'd wait a month or two because it was still too close to 9/11 to worry about such things.
We gave it to them in the winter. An editor really, really liked it. But in the end, it was too odd for what they were specifically doing.
I started writing another book, Starting from Square Two, which seemed more chick-littish and also focused on a notion I really wanted to explore - what if a woman who had always had things come easy, and had never really had to date much, suddenly lost her husband? I started writing it in late December of 2001 and flew through it - I was so interested to see what would happen to my character.
We submitted a few chapters to the editor at RDI around February of 2002, I think. She had lunch with my agent and said that she was also interested in Carrie Pilby again, since they were getting books with similar plots to what they were already doing, and mine was slightly different.
And so that spring (about four years after I'd started writing it), I got a book deal, something I'd wanted for many many years but had no guarantee would ever happen.
I have to remind myself that CP wasn't instantly accepted, and ended up going through many revisions based on the advice of different people before it got to the point of being accepted.
A book certainly doesn't have to be perfect when it goes out to publishers or editors - they might like the idea and buy it and then give suggestions. But it's still good to remember that it doesn't always come out perfect the first time.
Will later wake up, put on clothes, go to work.
Something to think about...
Ray Gricar has now been missing for six weeks. How can a Pennsylvania DA disappear with barely a trace? Read on.
Something to think about...
Ray Gricar has now been missing for six weeks. How can a Pennsylvania DA disappear with barely a trace? Read on.
