A few weeks ago, I posted “Distractions, failures? Yeats had them, too,” about my visit to the National Library of Ireland, and what I learned about William Butler Yeats while I was there.
Today is Yeats’ birthday, so to honor him and spread the joy I’ve had in reading his poetry, I’m sharing one of his poems. This is one of my favorites, both for its theme and for its slow, ethereal beauty.
When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face among a crowd of stars.
At times, when I’m having difficulty getting the words right or my writing isn’t flowing, poetry helps me break through. It gives me the in. I don’t know if it’s the beauty of the words or the lyrical flow, but it opens up that part of my brain that’s not so uptight and rigid, and it allows me to write.
Do you use poetry this way? Do you have any favorite poems that stir your creativity? Please share them here.
To learn more about William Butler Yeats or read more of his poetry, please visit the Yeats Society.
Nelson Algren won the first National Book Award for "The Man with the Golden Arm."
Unless you live in Chicago, you probably don’t hear much about Nelson Algren anymore, and that’s too bad.
The Chicago writer would have been 101 years old today, and it’s likely he wouldn’t be surprised by his obscurity. Even at his most popular, after winning the first National Book Award for The Man with the Golden Arm, and earning the praises of Ernest Hemingway, Simone de Beauvoir, and Richard Wright, among others, critics either ignored or condemned him.
His subjects, his voice, his own personality was not as polished and presentable as other writers of his day, but he wrote what he knew.
Algren grew up in Chicago, where most of his stories are set in the city’s seedy underside. His subjects were equally dark: Drug addiction, racism, poverty, crime. He wrote of junkies, pimps, prostitutes, and grifters. He addressed pressing social issues long before it was fashionable, and he wrote about them with an authentic, strong, unforgiving voice that brought his characters to life and still rings true.
Algren’s black humor novel A Walk on the Wild Side is the story of Dove Linkhorn, a naive Texan who travels to New Orleans to find his lost love, Hallie, who turns out to be a prostitute. This novel is often called Algren’s masterpiece. He describes it this way,
The book asks why lost people sometimes develop into greater human beings than those who have never been lost in their whole lives.
Lou Reed’s song about male prostitutes and transvestites, Walk on the Wild Side was inspired when Reed was approached to write a musical version of Algren’s novel, which never materialized.
While critics weren’t kind to Algren, the city of Chicago actively berated him, saying his characterization of the city was grotesque and exaggerated. The city held a grudge, too.
After Algren died on May 9, 1981, when Chicago’s West Algren Street was named in his honor, the residents complained so much that the name reverted back to West Evergreen Street. Even the Nelson Algren Awards, an annual writing contest for short fiction created by the Chicago Tribune was discontinued after a few years.
Algren died on May 9, 1981, and by 1989 all of his work was out of print. Thankfully, The Nelson Algren Committee founded by Studs Turkel changed that and Algren’s work has been available print ever since.
I’m inspired by Nelson Algren, by his writing, by his voice, and by his commitment. He wrote what he knew with brutal honesty. It wasn’t the fast path to celebrity or success, but through the years he has finally gained the respect he sought. He’s not remembered or read as often as Hemingway, Faulkner, or Fitzgerald, but he’s still read and that’s a testament to his dedication and his talent.
…They are tiny flashes of inspiration, illumination, humor, hope. After reading one that resonates, I feel a connection, not just to the writer, but to the world. It’s a shared experience that reminds me I’m not alone out here. So for that reason, I created this page: To share some of that “inspiration, illumination, humor, hope” with you. See that? I just quoted myself!
Originally, I planned on including only quotes about writing, but I don’t want to restrict it that much. Those quotes will be included here, and will probably be in the majority, but I decided to also include any quote that floats my boat, as it were.
I invite you to add your favorites, of if you have a link to great quote site, add that, too.
To start things off, Woody Allen:
I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.
Isaac Babel: No steel can pierce the human heart so chillingly as a period put just at the right place.
Hilaire Belloc: When I am dead, I hope it is said, “His sins were scarlet, but his books were read.”
Anton Chekhov: Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.
Jack London: You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.
I made it through November and finished the first draft of my second novel as a participant in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Those colorful badges you see over in the right margin are my badges for participating and winning (reaching 50,000 words).
Now, I’m going to start revisions on the first novel, and with a ton of hard work, it will be finished soon.
In the meantime, I’m writing flash fiction, stories of 1000 or fewer, and I have been trying to post one each week. This week’s story is called The Letter. You can find it on my fiction blog, or by clicking here. The Letter
NaNoWriMo participants, like emperor penguins, huddle together to reach their goals. Photos courtesy of The Australian Antarctic Division.
With more than an astounding 163,000 writers scribbling away during 2009’s National Novel Writing Month, one of the many joys of participating in this literary mad dash is the sense of community that develops from the very beginning. Timid introductions in the NaNoWriMo forums quickly lead to raucous high fives and rowdy cheers of encouragement as writers around the world nudge, poke, and prod one another toward their lofty goal: Write a 50,000-word novel within one month.
This is my second NaNoWriMo, and I’m having a harder time this year than I did last. To ease my way, I turned to the NaNoWriMo community and have found incredible resources to keep me on track and see me through to the end. Because it’s such a generous community, I’m inspired to share what I’ve found, and I’m including the top ten blog posts that were most helpful to me this week.
Thinking about that NaNo community now, I’m reminded of emperor penguins, those indomitable little critters made famous by the movie “March of the Penguins” and the documentary “Planet Earth.” Every year, these penguins waddle together in tight formation to share body heat and protection against battering winds and sub-zero temperatures. Their goal: Hatch a live baby chick after carrying its egg on their feet for nine weeks, without food, in the harsh Antarctic winter.
Considering their situation, I feel a tad guilty for whining when I run low on coffee, but I guess we all have a breaking point. What helps me survive my breaking point, though, is my huddle, my group of penguins, my writing friends from NaNoWriMo. When inspiration ebbs, I turn to them, and without fail, they pull me into the middle of the huddle, and get me moving again.
Hard work and community pays off, for penguins and NaNoWriMo writers.
The beautiful thing about it, is that this experience is not unique to me. It’s the NaNoWriMo way. Participating writers huddle together for the month to share their enthusiasm, their encouragement, their motivation, and that’s not all. I’ve seen recipes swapped, songs suggested, mantras shared, magic conjured. The list goes on, all in the name of hatching that 50,000-word egg. It works, too. Last year, 21,720 writers reached their goal and won. This year, there will be even more.
As we dig into Week #3, my contribution to the warm huddle is a top ten round-up of some of my favorite blog posts from this past week. Every post included here helped me keep up my word count in some way. The topics are varied, most were written by my fellow penguins, and all of them are included here in hopes that they inspire other NaNo writers as much as they inspired me.
Week #3 can be tough; it’s the final exhausting slog before “The End” is in sight, and we could all use a little push. Thank you to the writers included here, who have done their part to push by sharing their struggles, laughs and inspiration, and thanks to all the NaNo participants who are still huddling in tight, hunkering down, and moving forward.
It’s true that writing is a solitary pursuit, but like those stoic little power penguins, NaNoWriMo participants have learned that there is strength in numbers, and that strength will carry us to our goals.
Now, on to the posts:
Lessons from a NaNoWriMo Virgin. Jeff Posey may be a NaNo virgin, but just 10 days in, he already had 50,000 words. The last time I checked, he was up to 70,428. My suggestion is that if he has lessons to share, you might want to listen. His novel, tentatively titled “Anasazi Runner” is the story of a Native American boy, abandoned at birth, who is inspired to become an Anasazi runner and complete the world’s first sub-two-hour marathon. Check out the rest of Jeff’s blog at Anasazi Stories.
Writing Tips to Keep You Focused, by Nicole Humphrey. Nichole’s blog, It’s All About Writing, focuses on her life as a writer, a busy, busy writer, who is also the mother of five. Her novel this year is “Dancing With Fireflies.” She’s been reaching her NaNo goals this year, and she says, “I will win!” Nicole has done NaNoWriMo since 2004 and has won every year since 2006. Not only that, she juggles a freelance career and is a prolific blogger. When she talks about focus, she speaks from experience… lots and lots of experience.
NaNoWriMo!!! This one changes things up a bit with a vlog from John of the Nerdfighters. If nothing else, John’s manic energy will motivate you to write, write, and write faster. Don’t know the Nerdfighters? I insist you visit, and more importantly, DFTBA.
Sabotaging NaNoWriMo — It’s For Your Own Good, by Tony Noland is a funny round-up of tips for sabotaging the NaNoWriMo efforts of your better half. Tony writes literary fiction, flash fiction, and action/adventure with forays into sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. His blog, Landless, features thoughts from a writer sailing across a sea of prose. This is his fourth NaNo. He won in 2006 and says that he “will succeed in 2009, come hell or high water.”
A Report Card and Procrastination Assistance. JK Evanczuk shares her optimism and tells us why she believes in NaNoWriMo. Her post is on the Lit Drift website, which, if you haven’t visited yet, I recommend it for so many reasons. Check it out for yourself.
Famous Authors’ NaNoWriMo Tips is a hilariously tongue-in-cheek and highly irreverent post with “Twittered” advice for writers. Don’t miss the tweet from @Steph_Meyer on the best use of OMG! In addition to this post, the Inkwell Bookstore Blog has some great posts for writers, readers, and book lovers. They also JUST posted a Famous Authors’ Advice Pt. II.
Show Some Character. In this post, editor Jason Black shows us “Three Ways Relationships can Reveal Your Characters.” Not only is the information useful, but it’s inspiring, coming from a four-time NaNo participant and winner. This year he is writing “Lapochka,” a YA novel about a young woman searching for her father through clues he left in Soviet-era Russian comic books. Jason had a techno-glitch that set him back last week, but he’s since caught up, and he says, “Unless I break my wrist in the next twelve days, this will be my fifth win.” His blog Plot to Punctuation is loaded with information for writers, NaNo or otherwise.
NaNoWriMo Playlist. Mercedes M. Yardley lists 105 songs, types of music, singers, bands, etc., all used to inspire and motivate writers. She started the list on her A Broken Laptop blog, and readers are adding to it. The list continues to grow and includes works as diverse as 14. Bach’s cello suites and 15. Pantera “10s.” Mercedes asks readers to leave suggestions and says, “We can look them up and add them to our playlists if we find ourselves in need of inspiration.” Sounds like a great idea to me.
Twitter. Finally, if you are doing NaNoWriMo this year, and you’re not on Twitter, you are missing out on a lot. Some say Twitter is a huge time-sucking machine, and there certainly is some truth to that, but after the initial excitement wears off, there is an endless stream of useful tips and ideas being tossed out there for all to use. Search #nanowrimo to get in on it. Or, if things aren’t going your way, search #nanopanic. Either way, you’ll find something useful.
A few weeks ago, I posted “Distractions, failures? Yeats had them, too,” about my visit to the National Library of Ireland, and what I learned about William Butler Yeats while I was there.
Away with Words 