Writing Prompt Sites

Sometimes you just need a little nudge to get the writing juices flowing. That is the idea behind writing prompts. It gets you writing and sometimes the results of the writing exercise leave you with an idea for a story.

Here are some sites with enough writing prompts to last you for a few years.

Hands - This is only a single writing prompt, but it yields some wonderful and unexpected results. Also, look around the site and you will find a lot of other prompts.

Writer's Digest - This site has several writing prompts that are to be completed in 500 words or fewer. There is a wide variety of topics and witing methods.

Creative Writing Prompts - There are 329 different writing prompts on this site. Just roll your mouse over a number and it shows you the writing prompt.

Daily Writing Prompts - There are prompts for each day in July. Most of the prompts are based on something about that day, like the day E.B. White was born and National Joke Day. On the main page you can select a different month.

Have fun with these, and feel free to post you results.

I Am Legend Book Review

As I previously mentioned, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is a book of short stories. The title story "I Am Legend" is the basis for the movie with Will Smith. There are eleven stories in this book.

Overall, I give the book a 7 out 10. Some stories were creepy, some imaginative, and some very dated. I prefer Stephen King or Dean Koontz for horror short stories. Comparatively, these were tame. Then again, Matheson was writing in the 50's.

Here is a rundown of each short story:

"I Am Legend" is very different from the movie. It does not take place in NYC, it was not a cure for cancer that mutated that created the zombies, and there were not zombies. Instead, the main character is a man that teaches himself how to study the mutated disease that caused all of humanity to become vampires. The entire disease story was weak, but that was not the main terror in the book. The real terror was watching a person go through the loneliness. Matheson did a superb job detailing the anger, depression, and acceptance a person would go through.

"Buried Talents" reminded me of Heroes. It described what a person might do if he could move things with his mind. After shows like X-Men and Heroes, this story seems a bit unimaginative.

"The Near Departed" was cliche. I knew the ending before it happened.

"Prey" was a good horror tale, though it has been told in movies such as Puppet Master. I think that there was a Creep Show or other short movie based on this tale. It is about a murderous doll. I already have a fear of dolls thanks to tales like this. What makes this story different from others is that the woman the doll is chasing finds a strength and perseverance that she did not have in her everyday life. The story also has a great pace. Up to the very last paragraph, you cannot tell if the woman or the doll will win .

"Witch War" is another that could be a story from X-Men or Heroes. Unlike the previous story, this one is very imaginative and very disturbing.

"Dance of the Dead" reminds me of Clockwork Orange. It is a futuristic tale complete with slang language that is defined. It is the old "mama told you not to go out with those kinds of people and do those kinds of things" tale. This tale has the highest gross out factor, but overall I did not care for the tale.

"Dress of White Silk" did not have a great plot, but the way the story was told through the voice of a little girl was very well done, especially for a man writing it.

"Mad House" was the best short story. I love the idea of inanimate objects absorbing the feelings of people and then turning it against them. Matheson also did a wonderful job describing what it is like to have anger-management issues. If you don't understand how difficult is can be to control your anger, read this.

"The Funeral" was amusing. Nothing more, nothing less.

"From Shadowed Places" could be a precursor to The Serpent and the Rainbow. Interesting premise, excellent pacing, and intriguing imagery.

"Person to Person" was a little silly, but interesting. I did not guess what was happening, but I felt the ending was a letdown.

Writing Prompt - Planting a Garden

I am still reading I Am Legend (which is available at 60% off at Amazon). Did you know that it is a short story? I had no clue until the story ended halfway through the book. The other shorts have slowed me down and I did almost no reading on my vacation. I am hoping to have the review up this week. I am looking forward to the next book,The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun by Tolkien.

In the meantime, here is a writing prompt for those who enjoy them:

In one hundred words exactly, write about a garden you have planted. This can be a garden you planted as a child with your grandfather or a garden you planted this spring with your granddaughter. Did you come across any strange bugs, or injure your back? Maybe you discovered rocks have migrated once again into your yard. It could also be about maintaining the garden. The details are wide open.

The shortness of the story does not make it easier. It makes it more difficult because you must convey everything and create interest in very few words. You must choose your words with care.

When you have finished, post your story in the Comments section to share with others. If it is adequately strange, consider submitting it as a Drabble with the podcast Dabblecast. They read "strange stories by strange listeners" and have a segment devoted to stories that are 100 words.

Faefever Review

I just finished the third book in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, Faefever. I previously said that her second book was a transitional book, but this one was the same. The entire book was to get us to one point and then ends in a cliffhanger. I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was a great light read and I like seeing the changes that come over Mac, but I think the story could have been condensed into to a trilogy instead of whatever number of books it is going to be.

As you figured, Mac is back, along with the rest of the cast, Barrons, Dani, Rowena, Christian, Inspector Jayne, O'Bannion, Fiona, miscellaneous Unseelie, and the Sinsar Dubh. If it is the dead-by-sex Fae that you are interested in, I am afraid you will have to wait quite sometime in the book to get any serious action. V'lane is way "muted" trying to stay in Mac's good graces.

It turns out that Halloween is the perfect time for the Unseelie to attempt to break through the barriers, so the good guys (the ones against the Unseelie, anyway) need to join forces and perform rituals and spells to keep the walls between the worlds standing. Of course, nothing and no one is as they seem. Your head will spin trying straighten out who is really on the side of good and who is one the side of bad. I've come to the conclusion that everyone is in this for themselves and screw everyone else.

You can see the transformation in Mac. In Faefever she takes action herself. She chooses her own allies, devises her own plans, and attempts to execute them. She is new to this, so it is not her fault when her plans do not turn out how she wants them too.

I give this book 6 out 10 because it created enough interest that I want to buy the fourth book just to find out what happens next! On its own the book isn't overly exciting or original.

Book Review Updates

Death's Daughter by Amber Benson is a science fiction tale about a girl who is, surprise surprise, the daughter of Death. Death has gone missing and Calliope Reaper-Jones is called to take over for daddy. She must leave the normal life she has found for herself.

There was not much about this book that I liked. An accurate comparison would be poorly written fan-fiction. It was full of clichés, slang, pop-culture references, and flat characters. Definitely not my kind of book. I give it a 3 out of 10 just because I was able to finish it quickly.

Survivor: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk was very different and unexpectedly enjoyable. It was a book of lists, but the use of the lists helped to put you inside the head of the narrator, which is a very bizarre place. Tender Branson was born and raised in a religious cult community. Being a lesser son, he had to leave the community and work in the city once he came of age. When his entire family and community commit suicide, Branson is left as the last of the cult. He finds unlooked for fame and is hailed as a messiah. You are never quite sure if Tender is sane, brainwashed, or a con man.

The book is well written and keeps your attention, except for the ending. The ending was too unbelievable and seemed forced. It was almost as if it was the ending to a different story. Up until the end I would have given the book 8, but the ending dropped it to 6 out of 10.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann was as entertaining as I had hoped. It is about the early 1900's Amazon explorer, Percy Fawcet. He was convinced that there was a lost city in the Amazon that provided proof of an advanced society. Fawcet spent years in the Amazon. He knew the dangers, the people, and the hardships. He knew how to survive in the jungle. Fawcet stepped into the Amazon with his son and his son's best-friend. It was the most followed exploration of the Amazon, but then they disappeared. Fawcet's tale has inspired uncountable others to enter the Amazon jungle in search of riches, an advanced society, and even Fawcet himself.

Grann created an entertaining and informative book. He created an even mix of the facts, fiction, and fantasy of the legendary tale. He provided just enough information about English society at the time to ensure understanding of the thoughts and beliefs of the time, especially in regards to science and religion. I highly recommend this book and have found a new respect for the Amazon (but developed a new phobia of bugs). 9 out of 10.

Review - John Ransom's Diary (audiobook)

If you have not read (or listened to) John Ransom's Diary Andersonville I recommend that you do. It is an awe-inspiring story of the survival of a POW during the Civil War in Andersonville.

The main topics of discussion throughout the book are the amount of food (or the lack thereof), the cold, escape attempts, and rumors of a prisoner trade. These topics are repeated over and over, but it does not get boring.

The audio version was well produced and the narrator was captivating. I could not stop listening. I just had to know if he was going to survive another day, was he going to try to escape even though the guards are shooting people for nothing, was the government finally going to offer a prisoner exchange?

It was not only the lack of food and warmth or the treatment by the guards that the POWs had to worry about. Ransom tells many tales of prisoners stabbing and beating to death others just for a blanket or extra bread crumbs.

Two parts of the tale sum up the experience and philosophy of John Ransom:

• "New men comin' in and bodies goin' out. There is no end but dying."
• The key to survival is staying positive. A poor outlook will counter any medicine.

Overall this book is a 9 out of 10 for inspiration and for John Ransom being the man he was.

03/22/09 - Literary News - Lots of Award Nomination Announcements

New York Times Bestseller List

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. HANDLE WITH CARE, by Jodi Picoult
2. ASSOCIATE, by John Grisham
3. PROMISES IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb
4. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
5. ONE DAY AT A TIME, by Danielle Steel

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell
2. THE YANKEE YEARS, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
3. OUT OF CAPTIVITY, by Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, Tom Howes and Gary Brozek
4. THE LOST CITY OF Z, by David Grann
5. DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter


Literary News

2009 Hugo Award Nominations

The nominees for the 2009 Hugo Awards are in. A complete list of nominees is located on the Hugo Awards site.

Up for Best Novel are:

• Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK)
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK)
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen; HarperVoyager UK)
• Saturn’s Children by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)
• Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi (Tor)

2009 Arthur C. Clarke Award finalists announced

The annual award is presented for the best science fiction novel of the year, and selected from a list of novels whose U.K. first edition was published in the previous calendar year. The award was established with a grant from Arthur C. Clarke, best known for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The finalists are:

• Song of Time, Ian R. MacLeod (PS Publishing)
• The Quiet War, Paul McAuley (Gollancz)
• House of Suns, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz)
• Anathem, Neal Stephenson (Atlantic)
• The Margarets, Sheri S. Tepper (Gollancz)
• Martin Martin's on the Other Side, Mark Wernham (Jonathan Cape)

The winner will be announced on April 29.

Finalists for the 2009 John W. Campbell Award

The John W. Campbell Award is for best new writer. The finalists are:

• Aliette de Bodard*
• David Anthony Durham*
• Felix Gilman
• Tony Pi*
• Gord Sellar*

* indicates second year of eligibility.

Former President George W. Bush to write book
Wed Mar 18, 8:27 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former U.S. President George W. Bush will write a book about some of the decisions he made during his eight years in office, which will be published by the Crown Publishing Group in 2010.

Washington lawyer Robert Barnett told Reuters the book was tentatively called "Decision Points." He declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal.

Irish poet Seamus Heaney wins literature prize
Wed Mar 18, 4:15 pm ET
LONDON (Reuters) – Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney won the David Cohen Prize for Literatur e on Wednesday for what the chair of judges called "the self-renewing force of his writing."

The biennial prize, funded by the John S. Cohen Foundation, honors a living writer from the British Isles for a lifetime's achievement in literature.

Doctorow among international book prize nominees
Wed Mar 18, 3:19 pm ET
NEW YORK – "Ragtime" novelist E.L. Doctorow and Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul were among the 14 finalists announced Wednesday for the Man Booker International Prize, given every two years for lifetime achievement by a fiction writer who writes in English or whose work is widely available in English translation.

Screenwriter Millard Kaufman dies at 92
Tue Mar 17, 4:15 am ET

LOS ANGELES – Screenwriter Millard Kaufman, who co-created the cartoon character Mr. Magoo, was nominated for Academy Awards for his screenplays for "Take the High Ground!" and "Bad Day at Black Rock" and won a cult following as a first-time novelist at the age of 90, has died, a spokeswoman said. He was 92.

Kaufman died Saturday of heart failure, said Laura Howard, spokeswoman for McSweeney's Publishing, which published his novel "Bowl of Cherries" in 2007.

Kaufman's writing credits also include "Never So Few," "The Warlord," "The Klansman" and "Convicts 4," as well an episode of the TV series "Police Story" and the TV movie "Enola Gay."

Writing Prompt - Dialogue Prompt

911 Writer's Block from WEbook is a fun tool to use as a writing prompt. Click the different buttons for different prompts, such as:

• Characters
• Settings
• Endings
• Kill a character

For this week's writing prompt, I am using option number 4, dialogue, on 911 Writer's Block.

Write a story that uses the following piece of dialogue. It may be an important part of the plot, or it may be a passing comment.

"Trust me. You'll be picking 'em up off the floor before this is over"

Share what you come up with.

Scott Sigler's Contagious Book Review

Contagious is the sequel to Scott Sigler's book Infected: A Novel. You will want to read the first book before reading Contagious. Scott Sigler does not waste anytime rehashing what already happened; he just gets right into the action. "Scary" Perry Dawsey is back, but this time he is working with the good guys. Well, maybe not exactly working with them, but they at least have the same goal.

If you have a weak stomach or are easily offended by language then this book is not for you. It is fast-paced and action packed. I know that is cliche, but it perfectly describes Sigler's book. Sigler is not afraid to kill off good guys and let the bad guys seize control. You cannot predict what will have next.

There is a lot of medical and military action in the book, which requires careful explanation so the reader understands what is happening. Siglar is a master at providing the reader with enough explanation to make the story plausible, but not so much detail that the momentum is lost.

Contagious was just a fun and exciting read.

The one problem with the book was the errors missed during editing. There were enough errors that it started to annoy me. Some of the formatting errors may have been the Kindle edition. I'd be interested in hearing from those who read the paper copy if there were the same formatting errors.

Overall I give the book 8 out 10.

03/14/09 Last Week in Literary News

New York Times Bestseller List

The following books are listed in the carousel above for your convenience.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. HANDLE WITH CARE, by Jodi Picoult
2. THE ASSOCIATE, by John Grisham
3. PROMISES IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb
4. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
5. ONE DAY AT A TIME, by Danielle Steel

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell
2. THE YANKEE YEARS, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
3. OUT OF CAPTIVITY, by Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, Tom Howes and Gary Brozek
4. THE LOST CITY OF Z, by David Grann
5. DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

Literary News

Previously Unpublished Mark Twain Story Hits Newsstands
By Ginny Wiehardt, About.com Guide to Fiction Writing, Wednesday March 11, 2009

Mark Twain fans will be interested to hear that a never-before-seen Twain story, “The Undertaker’s Tale," long buried within an enormous body of unpublished stories, letters, and essays, appeared this week in the pages of mystery magazine The Strand.

Part of a forthcoming collection of previously unpublished stories and essays, Who Is Mark Twain? (HarperStudio), the story features Twain's characteristic razor sharp wit in a tongue-in-cheek tale about the funeral industry. Read More

Release date scheduled for Ted Kennedy's memoir
By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer Hillel Italie, Ap National Writer – Wed Mar 11, 6:56 pm ET

 NEW YORK – The editor of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's memoir says the book will come out this fall.

Jonathan Karp of the Twelve imprint at the Hachette Book Group USA, announced the release Wednesday during the annual meeting of the Association of American Publishers. Twelve spokesman Cary Goldstein said the book, titled "True Compass," would be listed in the publisher's fall catalog, out next month.

Harvard president wins $50,000 book prize
AP, Tue Mar 10, 2:57 pm ET

NEW YORK – Historian and Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust has won a $50,000 prize from the New York Historical Society for "This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War."

Faust, 61, received the fourth annual American History Book Prize, the society announced Tuesday. She has written several other books about the Civil War and the South, including "Mothers of Invention" and "A Sacred Circle."

Previous winners include Doris Kearns Goodwin and David Nasaw.

Novelist Clive Cussler hit with hefty legal bill
By Eriq Gardner Eriq Gardner – Tue Mar 10, 11:27 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Here's a shot across the bow of anyone who licenses the rights to a film and considers suing when things don't go as planned:

A Los Angeles Superior Court has ordered best-selling novelist Clive Cussler to pay $14 million in legal fees to Crusader Entertainment after litigating an unsuccessful lawsuit.

The case earned extraordinary attention a few years ago thanks to the mammoth box office flop of "Sahara," a 2005 film version of Cussler's novel that starred Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz and is estimated to have lost about $80 million.

Newspaper publisher McClatchy cutting 1,600 jobs
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Business Writer Michael Liedtke, Ap Business Writer – Mon Mar 9, 5:16 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – McClatchy Co. is shearing another 1,600 jobs in a cost-cutting spree that has clipped nearly one-third of the newspaper publisher's work force in less than a year.

 

Technorati Tags: NY times bestseller list,best selling books,literary news

Writing Prompt - Natural Disaster

Every place has a type of natural disaster that is common for the area. For your area, it may be wild fires, volcanoes, earthquakes, or hurricanes. Here in Ohio, it is tornados, and tornado season is arriving.

 
by rachel_r's photostream

This week's writing prompt was inspired by a friend who spent Saturday listening to the tornado alarm sound all day when there was not a threat of a tornado.

Think about a type of natural disaster common in  your area and the early warning systems that are in place.

You are having a family get together - maybe a dinner or a birthday celebration - when the alarm sounds. What are the different reactions of your family members. How do the children react? Are they scared or do they calming start doing what they are supposed to do? How do the older people react? Are they jaded from too many false alarms or have they seen enough to know to take them serious? Is anyone likely to step outside to look? How do you react? I know in my family, there is someone for each of these reactions.

Include if there is or is not a real threat, what happens? Do people's demeanor change? Is the person in charge suddenly a quivering mess? Does the whole family pull together?

Technorati Tags: writing prompt,writing

03/07/09 Last Week in Literary News

New York Times Bestseller List

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. Promises in Death, J.D. Robb
2. The Associate, John Grisham
3. Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows, Book 3), Kim Harrison
4. One Day at a Time, Danielle Steel
5. Run for Your Life, James Patterson

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. The Yankee Years, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
2. Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell
3. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
4. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann
5. Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle, Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, Tom Howes and Gary Brozek

Literary News

The Macarena Challenge
from Amber Benson's Official Blog Mar 6

Amber Benson from Buffy the Vampire Slayer has issued a challenge. If she gets 85 reviews of her book, Death's Daughter, she will post a video on You Tube of her doing the Macarena. Now, this is news!

Tobias Wolff wins Story Prize for short fiction
By Chris Michaud – Wed Mar 4, 11:42 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Author Tobias Wolff won the annual Story Prize for short fiction on Wednesday for "Our Story Begins," a compendium of some two dozen short stories including 10 never-before published in book form.

PRESS RELEASE: Random House, Inc. Unveils Suvudu’s FREE First Book Promotion!
from Fantasy Book Critic Mar 03

NEW YORK, NY— Random House, Inc. today unveiled the first five titles in its new Suvudu Free First Book Library. Designed to introduce new readers to popular and acclaimed science fiction and fantasy series, the Suvudu Free First Book Library allows readers to access free digital copies of the first book in each series. The program launches with access to the following novels:

• “His Majesty’s Dragon” by Naomi Novik
• “Assassin’s Apprentice” by Robin Hobb
• “Settling Accounts: Return Engagement” by Harry Turtledove
• “Red Mars” by Kim Stanley Robinson
• “Blood Engines” by T.A. Pratt
  

A GAME OF THRONES to start filming in Ireland in October 2009
Reported on Pat's Fantasy Hotlist Mar 03

Stephen King's agent pleased at e-book debut
Associated Press Writer Jerry Harkavy, Tue Mar 3, 9:51 pm ET

PORTLAND, Maine – It's not the sensation of his first effort, but Stephen King's latest e-adventure is another best-seller.

King's agent, Ralph Vicinanza, said Tuesday that downloads of King's novella "UR," available only as an e-book and released to coincide with the launch of Amazon's upgraded Kindle reader, have reached "five figures" after barely three weeks on the market.

Publicist: Ousted Illinois governor to write book
AP Mon Mar 2, 4:47 pm ET

CHICAGO – A publicist for Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich) says the former Illinois governor plans to write a book "exposing the dark side of politics."

Glenn Selig says Blagojevich signed a six-figure deal Monday.

Random House buys `Moosewood Cookbook' publisher
AP Mon Mar 2, 12:23 am ET

NEW YORK – Random House Inc., which recently underwent a major consolidation, is expanding again.

The publisher announced Monday that it acquired Ten Speed Press, which specializes in cookbooks, business and spiritual works, including such favorites as "The Moosewood Cookbook" and "What Color is Your Parachute?" the million-selling job-hunting guide series.

"This is a real opportunity for us to further grow our business ..." Random House CEO Markus Dohle said in a statement

Unfinished novel by Wallace coming next year
AP Mon Mar 2, 7:00 am ET

NEW YORK – A long, unfinished novel by David Foster Wallace is scheduled for a posthumous release next year.

 

Technorati Tags: literary news,new york times best seller list,ny times bestseller list,book news

Writing Prompt - Pictures from the Web

This is not a new idea, but I have streamlined it to maximize my writing time. Using pictures from the web is my favorite writing prompt exercise, and I use it daily. It helps get me in the right frame of mind and provides great story ideas.

I originally saw the suggestion at About.com's Fiction Writing site.

1. Visit a web site that features photographs. I use Webshots because it has a new feature picture everyday on its Home page. The feature photograph various in style and subject matter, so I have great variety. It also keeps me from wasting time searching sites or magazines for pictures and becoming distracted from the task at hand.
2. Study the picture for no more than one minute. Do not think about what you should write. Instead, study the picture; look at the subject matter; notice the details. What do you feel when you look at it?
3. Set your timer for ten to fifteen minutes. I downloaded a free timer called Cool Timer. It stays on my desktop. It is easy to access and it remains hidden behind my word processing program. I found that I look at a traditional clock and egg-timer too often. It stopped the flow of my writing and distracted me.
4. Start free-writing about the picture. (See Ginny Wiehardt's instructions for freewriting.) Do not pause to think of a story, just write. Let the story happen and if it doesn't happen, do not get discouraged. One day I wrote for nine minutes about how yummy a picture of cinnamon buns looked (I was writing before breakfast). It was not until the last minute that I started writing about the person who got up early to make the cinnamon buns for people to buy. That last minute turned into one of my better story ideas.
5. After the timer goes off, look over what you did. Save the writing even it it does not give you a story idea immediately. I
6. return to my freewriting each month to see if they spark any new ideas. I also include the link to the feature photo that I used, incase I want to look back at it for further inspiration.

Good luck, and remember to enjoy it. If this does not work for you, try something else. Everyone finds their muse in their own way!

Technorati Tags: writing,writing promp,writing exercise,freewriting,free-writing

02/28/09 Last Week in Literary News

New York Times Best Seller List

All of the following books are available from Amazon,and I have listed them in the above carousel for your convenience.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. THE ASSOCIATE, by John Grisham
2. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
3. HEART AND SOUL, by Maeve Binchy
4. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer
5. FOOL, by Christopher Moore

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. THE YANKEE YEARS, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
2. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell
3. OBAMA, with an introduction by Bill Keller and biographical text by Jill Abramson
4. DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
5. THE GAMBLE, by Thomas E. Ricks

Literary News

Post 9-11 novel wins PEN/Faulkner prize
Thu Feb 26, 12:09 am ET

NEW YORK – Joseph O'Neill's "Netherland" has received the PEN?Faulkner Award for fiction. The story is a post-Sept. 11 novel.

Philip José Farmer — In Memoriam by Fábio Fernandes
Thursday, February 26, 2009, reported on Fantasy Book Critic blog

Philip José Farmer passed away in his sleep at 91 years old. His first published science fiction story, “The Lovers”, won him the Hugo Award for “most promising new writer” in 1953, and is widely recognized as the story that broke the taboo on sex in SF, featuring sexual relations between a human and an alien.

Mystery ends: Agatha Christie's country home opens
By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer Jill Lawless, Associated Press Writer – Tue Feb 24, 2:16 pm ET

LONDON – Agatha Christie's vacation house is open to the public. Visitors can see the bedroom where Christie slept, the dining room where she entertained, and the drawing room where she thrilled friends with readings from her latest whodunit.

Condoleezza Rice signs book deal with Crown
Mon Feb 23, 3:17 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Condoleezza Rice has agreed to a book deal with Crown Publishers starting with a memoir of her eight years under former U.S. President George W. Bush, first as national security adviser and then as secretary of state.

The first book is tentatively scheduled to appear in the autumn of 2011, Crown said in a statement on Sunday.

It would be followed a year later by a second book about her upbringing in Birmingham, Alabama, where she was born in 1954. Rice grew up amid segregation and during the civil rights movement in the United States.

Random House Children's Books will also publish a young-adult edition of the family memoir at the same time.

Christopher Nolan, Irish novelist, dies at 43
AP - Sat Feb 21, 5:04 PM ET

LONDON - Christopher Nolan, an Irish poet and novelist died at age 43.

Technorati Tags: literary news,book news,new york times best seller list

Animal Snap: Device and Style

Modern British fiction is known for its experimental style of writing to portray scenes of everyday life. Two examples of modern British fiction are “At the Bay” by Katherine Mansfield and A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. “At the Bay” is about a family summering at Crescent Bay, and Handful of Dust is about a couple struggling through infidelity and divorce. The writing styles of the authors are different and on the surface the two tales appear to have nothing in common. The common link between the two stories is the game animal snap. Both authors use the game of animal snap as an element of escape for the characters and a device of comedy for the readers. The difference is that Mansfield’s scene exemplifies, while Waugh’s scene resists, the modern British fiction writers’ drive to experiment with fiction’s style.

The card game animal snap requires the participants to turn over cards and then make animal sounds if two of the same card appears. In “At the Bay” the Burnell children and their cousins gather to play the game. Mansfield shows this is an escape for the children first by the location: “The washhouse was the perfect place for such a meeting because they could make as much noise as they liked, and nobody ever interrupted” (269). The washhouse allows the children to escape from the adults’ supervision and rules. The game also offers the children a method of escape from reality into an imaginary world, because the game requires the players to make animals sounds. Kezia “felt she was a bee” (Mansfield 269) and Pip “charged over the table and seemed to eat the cards up” as a bull (Mansfield 271).

In Handful of Dust animal snap is also used as a method of escape, but it is escape from thinking about the troubles of an adult. Tony is at his house in the country, and he

is waiting for a friend to notify his wife, Brenda, who is in London, about the death of their son. Tony worries that Brenda “may see [a notice of the death] on a placard, or just pick up a paper casually and there it will be” (Waugh 152). Mrs. Rattery, a friend staying with Tony, attempts to distract him with several games, but the only game Tony knows how to play is animal snap. The game offers some escape for Tony because “they were still playing when Albert came in to draw the curtains” (Waugh 154) at five and Tony remarked that it was “only quarter past” (Waugh 151) four when they started playing. Additional evidence is that during the game Tony does not mention his worries as he incessantly had done prior to playing.

The comic elements for “At the Bay” include the amusing animal sounds the players make during the game and Mansfield’s descriptions of the children during the game. Lottie was “a donkey that kept forgetting it was a donkey” (Mansfield 269), so she switches to a dog. After the other children “made signs to Lottie and pointed” so she gets cards, she yells “Hee-Haw! Ke-zia” (Mansfield 271). The Burnells and cousins “tried with all their might to see” (Mansfield 271) the cards as they were dealt for an advantage over the other players. At the end of the game the children realize that it is dark outside and become frightened. They see “pressed against the window was a pale face, black eyes, a black beard” (Mansfield 272), but the face is only the Burnells’ uncle. Mansfield’s descriptions of the issues with the game and the children’s fear create a very amusing scene.

Waugh also creates an amusing scene in Handful of Dust during the animal snap game, but his comedy contains a tragic element. The scene is amusing because animal snap is a children’s game which two adults are playing and making sounds of “bow-wow” and “coop-coop-coop” (Waugh 153). Lottie in “At the Bay” is not the only character to make a mistake during animal snap. Mrs. Rattery reprimands Tony saying, “Don’t be dumb … that isn’t a pair” (Waugh 154). Tony and Mrs. Rattery stop playing animal snap when a servant enters and sees them “clucking like a ‘en” (Waugh 154). Though this is funny, it is also tragic because the servant continues to say “and the little fellow lying dead upstairs” (Waugh 154). The reader is reminded of the reason for the game. It is funny having adults acting like animals, but there is darkness to the comedy because of the death and the worries of Tony are in the background.

Mansfield experiments with writing style in the animal snap scene by using an internal method of writing to introduce the scene: “Round the table there sat a bull, a rooster, a donkey … a sheep and a bee” (Mansfield 269). This internal use of style places the reader in the children’s minds as they imagine they are these animals. Another experiment with style that pulls the reader into the story is switching from third person to second person when describing the darkness in the washhouse: “While they were playing, the day had faded … You were frightened to look in the corners of the washhouse” (Mansfield 271).

Waugh resists experimenting with writing style and uses an external method of writing through dialogue in the animal snap scene. Further evidence of Waugh’s external method is Tony expressing his internal tension through his constant external awareness of the clock. Tony states, “Is that only quarter past?” (Waugh 151) and “Five o’clock. Now that the shutters are up we shan’t hear the chimes” (Waugh 154).

Though Mansfield and Waugh both use the card game animal snap as an element of escape and comedy, Mansfield portrays childhood innocence and demonstrates modern fiction writing style by and experimenting with an internal method, and Waugh reveals adult tragedy through an external method of writing which defies the modern fiction writer’s style.

Works Cited

Mansfield, Katherine. “At the Bay.” Katherine Mansfield’s Selected Stories. Ed. Vincent O’Sullivan. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2005. 269-272.

Waugh, Evelyn. A Handful of Dust. New York: Back Bay Books, 1999. 151-154.

Technorati Tags: Modern British Writing,Literary Paper,At the Bay,Katherine Mansfield,Handful of Dust,Evelyn Waugh,modern british fiction,experimental style

Writing Prompt for 02/25/09

 
Photo taken by Ikke la deg dupere (Norwegian)
Norway

I thought I would add a bit every week for the writers out there. It may be a cliche, but the adage that "writer's write" is true. To continue to developing your craft you should write as much as possible. Using writing prompts helps make this an interesting exercise and helps generate story idea.

Your Prompt
Select someone famous, a celebrity, writer, political figure, musician, etc. Image that person doing your job (even if you are a full time writer) for one day. Some things to consider:

• How does the person interact with your co-works, boss, and customers?
• How does he complete your daily task?
• In what areas does she excel, and where is it a disaster?
• Does he participate in a car pool or in the office football pool?

For example, image Paris Hilton as a short-order cook. Or Gene Simmons as a customer service representative. What would this person's day be like?

Let me know what you come up with.

Technorati Tags: writing promp,writing practice,writing exercise

Review of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) is about . . . well . . . traffic. This book has information and facts about what traffic is, what causes it, how different factors contribute to it, and what has been tried to reduce it. Unfortunately, the book reads like a mass grouping of magazine articles. It is choppy and repetitive. I found myself skimming large portions of statistics and facts (though you may find this useful if you plan to be on Jeopardy). I also had difficulty reading the book for extended periods of time. It was a good read in small doses.

The book was not all bad. I enjoyed reading Vanderbilt's human interest stories and anecdotes. For example, there is a portion about how LA gets all the limousines to the Oscars on time. There really are a bunch of men watching and controlling the traffic signals. It is also interesting that there is a direct correlation on the type of government a country has and how its people drive.

This could have been an excellent book if it had a good edit. It could say the same thing in half the pages and rearranging some parts would make it flow better. The book has not changed how I drive nor how I react to traffic. I now understand the reason for a mile back-up on the highway for one stalled car, but I am not more patient about it.

Overall rating - 6 out of 10

Technorati Tags: traffic,vanderbilt,book review

02/22/09 Last Week in Literary News

The New York Times Best Seller List

All of the following books are available from Amazon,and I have listed them in the above carousel for your convenience.

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. THE ASSOCIATE, by John Grisham
2. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
3. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer
4. FOOL, by Christopher Moore
5. BONE CROSSED, by Patricia Briggs

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. THE YANKEE YEARS, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
2. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell
3. DEWEY, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
4. A SLOBBERING LOVE AFFAIR, by Bernard Goldberg
5. MULTIPLE BLESSINGS, by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson

Literary News Stories

2009 Hugo Nominations Open

2009 nominations for the Hugo Awards is now open. View the Hugo Award page for detail and guideline on nominations. The deadline for nomination is the end of February.

Author Terry Pratchett receives knighthood
AP - Wed Feb 18, 10:14 AM ET

LONDON - Fantasy author Terry Pratchett has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to literature.

Pratchett is known for his "Discworld" series of novels, and has sold more than 55 million books worldwide.

Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih dies in London
Reuters - Wed Feb 18, 10:41 AM ET

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih, who won fame with his 1966 novel Season of Migration to the North, died in London Wednesday at the age of about 80, a friend and associate said.

British students don't know classics: poet laureate
Reuters - Tue Feb 17, 1:22 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Teaching major works of English literature is becoming more difficult because students lack enough knowledge of the Bible or classical mythology to appreciate them, Britain's poet laureate said on Tuesday.

Obscure Tolkien book to come out this spring
AP - Tue Feb 17, 4:29 pm ET

NEW YORK – An early, long-unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien is coming out.

"The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun," a thorough reworking in verse of old Norse epics that predates Tolkien's writing of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will be published in May by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Visit Yahoo's Book and Publishing news site for more literary news stories throughout the week.

Technorati Tags: literary news,best selling books,new York Times Book Review,news,hugo nominations,book news,terry pratchett,tayeb salih,Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun

This Week in the News

From New York Times Best Seller List:

Hardcover Fiction 

1. The Associate, by John Grisham
2. Run for Your Life, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
3. Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4), by Patricia Briggs
4. The Host: A Novel, by Stephenie Meyer
5. True Colors, by Kristin Hannah

Hardcover Non-Fiction

1. The Yankee Years, by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci
2. Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell
3. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
4. A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media, by Bernard Goldberg
5. Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets, by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson

Literary News Stories

Publisher Alfred Knopf Jr. dies at age 90
AP - Mon Feb 16, 2:48 PM ET
NEW YORK - Alfred A. Knopf Jr., son of publishing legends and an influential publisher in his own right, died Saturday. He was 90.

British author says she is banned from Dubai event
AP - Mon Feb 16, 1:56 PM ET
LONDON - A British author said Monday she has been banned from a Dubai literary festival because her forthcoming novel contains references to homosexuality.

Geraldine Bedell, a journalist for the Observer newspaper and the author of several previous novels, said organizers had been discussing launching her book, "The Gulf Between Us," which is set in the Gulf, at the festival.

But she claims festival director Isobel Abulhoul later wrote to her publishers, saying: "I don't want our festival remembered for the launch of a controversial book."

"The Gulf Between Us" is scheduled to be published by Penguin in April.

Speed it up! A-Rod book out sooner than planned
AP - Fri Feb 13, 12:34 PM ET
NEW YORK - An unauthorized and highly anticipated book about Alex Rodriguez is coming out a month sooner than planned.

Publication of Selena Roberts' "A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez" has been moved up from May 19 to April 14 as scrutiny builds on the New York Yankees slugger after he acknowledged using banned substances from 2001-2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers.

"Da Vinci Code" author sees secret revealed
Reuters - Fri Feb 13, 3:02 AM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown has made a living unraveling secrets, but on Thursday one of his own secrets was revealed by a close collaborator, who said the writer's next book is finished.

But late in the day, a spokeswoman for Brown's publisher Doubleday, would say only that Brown "is making great progress," stopping short of a full confirmation or denial.

"We do not yet have a title or publication date to share," added spokeswoman Suzanne Herz. Doubleday is a unit of Bertelsmann AG.

Hemingway letters shed new light
AFP - Wed Feb 11, 3:04 PM ET
HAVANA (AFP) - Thousands of letters by American author Ernest Hemingway containing intimate details of his life are shedding new light on the writer, Cuban researchers said in a media report Wednesday.

"There are lots of intimacies in these letters," researcher Rosalba Diaz told the daily Juventud Rebelde, saying she had been impressed by how many letters had been found which "break with his image of being a wild man."

Technorati Tags: New York Times Book Review,top books,best selling books,book stories,literary stories,book news,literary news,publisher news,author news,book release

Review of Darkfever and Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever and Bloodfever are the first and second books, respectively, in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. The books are about a young woman's search for the man, or thing, which killed her sister. MacKayla "Mac" Lane travels to Ireland where her sister was murdered and discovers that the world is not what she thought it was. Fantasies and nightmares exist and it is not always possible to tell which is which. Mac also discovers that she is not who she once thought she was; not physically, emotionally, mentally, nor genetically.

MacKayla is a southern peach through and through. She is beautiful and blond. She likes shopping and anything pink. Her biggest concern before her sister's death is matching her nail polish to her outfit. Mac is not who you would picture as the savior of the world, but that is who Moning has created. This unlikely hero is the reason I am so drawn to this series. The stories are fast paced and action packed, but Mac is so unconventional that I never know what to expect from her. She uses "petunia" instead of "ass" because her mother taught her that ugly things don't come out of a beautiful mouth. How many monster-fighting, good guys do you know that say, "I am going to kick your petunia"? You might laugh at her language (and so do the bad guys) but she proves to be tougher that they believe.

Mac's reluctant partner, Jericho Barrons, is another reason that I am drawn to the books. He is an enigma. I have not figured out if he is good guy trying to save mankind or if he is just protecting his own interests. He is pompous, tough, and sexy. Speaking of sexy, did I mention the Death-by-Sex Fae? All I can say is "Yummy!"

Darkfever is definitely worth reading, but if you are crunched for time, you can listen to the free audio book. It is very well produced and unabridged.

I was not as impressed with Bloodfever, but the second book in a series is often a let down. They serve as a transition move the people and plot between books. A lot of my favorite series have bad second novels, so I am willing to suspend judgment and read the third book Faefever. Do not misunderstand. Bloodfever is not bad, it is just that nothing much happens. I will let you know how Faefever holds up.

Technorati Tags: Bloodfever,Darkfever,book review,Karen Marie Moning,Fever series