You’ve all heard of James Frey, right? You know, the “Million Little Pieces” author who LIED to Oprah (gasp!) about the essential truth of his memoir. I was never able to work up much indignation; I liked the quirky weird writing of the book, was carried along by the story, and didn’t believe a word of it even before he was revealed to be a liar. To me, it was not such a big shock. Writers lie. They just do.
Now he’s written a new book, and Janet Maslin’s New York Times review is so clever that I want to rush right out and buy it. Maybe I will, and maybe I won’t. But the review was brilliant.
I wish I had something fabulous to report on the writing front, but I am just slogging along, trying to fit it all into the nooks and crannies of my life. Not many items have been crossed off my “To Do” list this week, despite my having been very very busy all week! So let’s see, what can I report for ‘Fess Up Friday?
Blogging: Yup. I finished telling the saga of the snake. Blogged almost every day except yesterday when I was waylaid at Panera and coerced into having coffee with some parents from school instead of using my free hour before work to write. Which is fine, but I must remember: “Do Not Make Eye Contact.”
Reading: Almost finished “A Free Life.” I have to admit that I am finding it slow going and not as compelling as Jin’s other works. There is something emotionally detached about the narrative. While there are a lot of interesting insights into the Chinese immigrant life in America, somehow the characters feel a bit flat and there’s not enough tension to keep me interested.
Writing: Started writing the story based on last week’s voting. Working title: “Tuna.” Cleaned out office closet (yes, this is relevant!) and found a printout of the article that initially prompted my novel idea. This led to several research threads and some very promising sources! Woo! As for actual writing…not so much… but the good news is that it’s very much in the forefront on my mind and I have been planning our summer activities to free up time for writing.
Head over to fellow ‘Fess Up Friday-er Dark Orpheus’ blog to read some great writing tips from Neil Gaiman, including this one:
As for thinking time versus writing time, well, that’s up to you. But — and I wish it were otherwise — books don’t get written by thinking about them, they get written by writing them. And that’s when you make discoveries about what you’re writing. That’s when you get the happy accidents.
So think all you like, but don’t mistake the thinking for the writing.
