Month: December 2014

WIP WEDNESDAY: Acrobatics of Being An Author

According to Wikipedia, acrobatics  is “the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts as well as in many sports (sporting) events, and martial arts. Acrobatics is most often associated with activities that make extensive use of gymnastic elements, such as acro dance, circus, and gymnastics, but many other athletic activities — such as ballet and diving — may also employ acrobatics. Although acrobatics is most commonly associated with human body performance, it may also apply to other types of performance, such as aerobatics.”

Really? Clearly the creator of this so-called “definition” was never a mom who works a full-time day job and is trying to pursue a career as a published author. More than ever before, being an author also includes being one’s own agent and publicity/PR guru. Oh, and sometimes there are freelance editing jobs. Let’s not forget active involvement in  a local RWA chapter. Having so much on the plate goes far beyond mere juggling. And none of this includes life: cooking; cleaning; grocery shopping; spirituality/religious obligations; exercise. I don’t know what I would do if my children were still living at home and needing all the extra-curricular stuff that consumed my time for so many years.  No wonder I’m tired. No wonder I have trouble finding time to actually write.

A writer’s life is truly an example of extraordinary feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Maybe  it should be an Olympic event.

Slice of Life Sunday: Movie Review-Authors Anonymous

I reserved the movie Authors Anonymous from my library after someone recommended it. The plot sounded amusing. I’m in a writing group. I’m always looking for a good flick.

The story started out cute, a mock-umentary of sorts, and I thought I would enjoy the movie. But almost immediately, the alleged heroine wasn’t likable. She never went to college. I don’t see that as a problem. But she couldn’t name a favorite author. She couldn’t name any author. Throughout the entire movie. She’d never read a book, yet she was a writer and became extremely successful during the course of the story. She’d never even heard of Fitzgerald or Hemingway. Because she’d never been to college.

EXCEPT: I read Fitzgerald and Hemingway in high school. I went to a small, rural public school, not a posh, private school for exceptional students. We read The Great Gatsby, The Old Man and the Sea, and several other books/authors mentioned in the movie.

I really didn’t like the portrayal of successful authors as ignorant. Authors read other authors. Even the prolific Nora Roberts says, “I don’t think you can write — at least not well — if you don’t love stories, love the written word. One of my greatest pleasures is falling into a story someone else has written.”

The other female in the writing group couldn’t pronounce anyone’s name.  She was trying to come off as smarter than she was, and it didn’t work for her.

The only redeeming quality in the movie was the realistic portrayal of vanity publishing.

This movie may have been directed by a woman, but the underlying misogyny of the writer and his jealousy of the romance genre were first and forefront.

One star.

WIP Wednesday-The Re-Launch

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I’m going to be restructuring WIP Wednesday after the first of the year, with a guest author only once per month.

I’ve had so much fun meeting a variety of writers, most of whom I would love to hang out with, sipping wine, listening to great music, and talking about our favorite TV shows from the past.

I’d like to thank everyone who participated by taking the time to answer my questions as I tried to find a unique twist to the author interview. Hope you all had as much fun as I did.

WIP Wednesday will continue every Wednesday, but I’ll be talking about my own Work In Progress on the dates I don’t have a guest scheduled. I do have some wonderful authors lined up–and a list of others I plan to reach out to. I do hope you’ll continue to join me here every Wednesday.