Writing Through Pain, Discomfort and Disruption

Though I hope you all are having a fantastic Valentine's day today, that is not what I want to write about, first because I have nothing to say about it, second, there is something I would rather talk about. Everybody has pain, discomfort and disruption in their life; surgery, broken bones, sickness, insomnia, getting stuck at airports, a bunch of other things. So the question is, when that is happening, how do you write through it?

First off, why should we even care about writing through it? I mean, we all deserve breaks sometimes, don't we? With all the changes in the publishing industry going on, the answer is that the most commercially successful writers are most likely going to be the quick and prolific ones. From the research I've done, the publishing path that makes sense to me is to do what I can with Big Publishing, give them my best work, and then use Print-on-Demand and eBooks for the rest, and that means I'm going to need to have a good literary output. We'll see how that works, but basically, in todays world its important to write lots and write fast. (This is coming from a commercial perspective. Every writer is different, and each has to balance this commercial side with the artistic side. But the days of the writer being taken care of are gone.)

The only answer I can really think of for this dilemma is to just write. Just push through, just do it. You can always come back with a fat red pen if/when you need to. Just do what you can. Perhaps writing in spurts can help. Music, movies and other books can help calm you down. Have you had these experiences before? What helps you write through pain, discomfort and disruption?

Ok, so here's the real reason I wanted to write about this today: tomorrow I'm getting reconstructive jaw surgery. I'll be in the hospital for a few days and be on a liquid diet for six weeks. Honestly, there are others (my mother) much more worried then I am, but its still going to be painful and uncomfortable. I would love your ideas about how to get writing done during situations like this. And if you don't hear from me in the next couple days or hear something kind of disjointed and drugged up, you'll know why. I'm not planning on going out of commission, but thats exactly why I'm writing about it--I need your help to keep things going.

There are a few other things you could do for me, if its not too presumptuous to ask.

First, your prayers, if you are so inclined, would be appreciated. Any and all prayers.

Second, tell a friend about this blog. I've been having much more success with it then I've ever had, and for that I thank you. I'd like to keep that up and keep the readership growing. If you know anyone who may find it helpful or at least entertaining, maybe let them know about it.

Third, I'm going to be unable to do much but lay around for the next little while, so I would love some movie recommendations. If you would put a list of your favorites in the comments, that would be awesome. For a few weeks my life is going to not be much besides reading, writing and movies. Ok, so its mostly like that anyway, but still...

Anyway, thank you so much for all your help and support. I'm pretty excited to get this over with and move on to the next adventure, but I hope to use the next few weeks to really crack down on my book. We'll see how everything goes.

Sarah Allen

The Last Five Books

I think its time to get some book recommendations. I want to know the last five books you've read and what you thought of them. Here's my list:

Tiger Eyes, Judy Blume: Short, wonderful book you can read in one sitting. To be honest, many times YA protagonists seem angsty and dumb to me, but Davey Wexler was a sweetheart, and I didn't mind her teenager-ness. Very good YA read. There's a reason for Judy Blume's wonderful reputation.

Villette, Charlotte Bronte: Oh wow. What to say about this book? It is such an intense emotional journey--you spend the majority of the book being dragged through the mud, being let off just enough to catch your breath so you don't suffocate. You crawl and struggle up a hill, still dragging in the mud. You get to the top and finally have a chance to stand up and dust yourself off. Then you get a knock-out punch in the face. I absolutely loved it. Charlotte Bronte is a genius. Not as mysterious or positive as Jane Eyre, but just as wonderful.

Gilead, Marilynne Robinson: Beautiful, beautiful book. Almost musical in tone. Not the typical structure for a novel. It's written as a letter from a dying father to his young son. Stunningly beautiful. One of those books that really does take your breath away.

A Virtuous Woman, Kaye Gibbons: Another short, sweet book. I will admit that it took me a bit to get into the tone of it, but I ended up very much enjoying it in the end. Most of the book is written in first person, and then there's a switch to third in the very end, and this end part was my favorite. Kaye Gibbons really can get to the emotional gut in a wonderful way.

The Bonesetters Daughter, Amy Tan: I enjoy Amy Tan's stories. She is not the most elegant writer, but her stories are extremely well-crafted and fun to follow. She understands relationships very well, I think. Good read, I would definitely recommend it.

Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens: Ok, so I know this is six. But I just could not leave without recommending this book. Absolutely phenomenal. If you like Dickens, or even if you don't, this is such a sweet book with so much Dickensian awesomeness and humor, and so much heart. Little Dorrit herself is one of the great characters in literature. Seriously, read this book.

So those are the last five (ok, six) books I've read. Right now I'm reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I'm enjoying it a lot so far, though I'm not too far into it yet and its different from my usual. But I like McMurtry's style.

Anyway, the point of this is to get some recommendations from all you guys. What are the last five books (or so) that you've read? Which ones would you recommend, which ones not so much? Every clump of writing advice I've ever seen includes the thought that to be a writer you MUST be a reader. So this can help me read voraciously for the next little while. So, books?

Sarah Allen

The difficulty with my genre is...

This is something I've been thinking about while I have been working on the first draft of my first novel. There is still no title yet, but it is an adult mainstream book. That is the typical genre that I write in. The thing is, I'm becoming a bit nervous that it isn't exciting enough. I am extremely excited by the story and the characters, but there are no car chases or gun fights or lawyers or kidnapping or murderers, and there are no vampires or teenagers in love with paranormal creatures. I guess I'm feeling intimidated by the fact that I am not writing thriller or paranormal romance. Those seem to be the popular genres of the day, and I'm worried that my story is not going to catch peoples attention because it is not within those genres. I know thats a ridiculous worry, though, because I don't really read thrillers or paranormal romance either, so I know that there are amazing books out there outside of those genres, but my question is: how do I know, in this era of thriller and paranormal romance, that my book is exciting enough? That it won't bore the modern reader to absolute death?

I have another question about genres. I want to write in many different types of genres. I'm doing adult mainstream right now, and that is probably going to stay my main genre, but I know I want to try YA and I may want to try my hand at fantasy or western or adventure or romance, other genres like that. Is that possible, in todays publishing world? Will agents, editors and publishers allow writers to do that? Have any of you done this, and how has it turned out for you?

Here's the thing. I'm going to write no matter what, and write what I want to write no matter what. But I still have questions and doubts about whether and how I can be successful doing that. So advice and info would be fantastic. Thanks to all of you for your amazing help and support.

What are the difficulties for you in your genre? Do you find it useful to write in a variety of genres or not, and why?

Sarah Allen

Writing Lessons from Larry Shue and 'The Foreigner'

This weekend I went to a fantastic production of Larry Shue's The Foreigner. Those of you who have seen this play know how phenomenally well-written it is. Those of you who have not seen it, leap at the absolute next chance you have to see it. There is such heart, humor and honesty in this play. As far is this play goes, Larry Shue is a genius.

In the playbill, there is an About the Author section that has a quote from Larry Shue that I find interesting and helpful. Here is the paragraph:

"To author Larry Shue, buying a hamburger was a near overwhelmingly big deal. This is perhaps why there is such honesty in Shue's protagonists, including Charlie Baker, a man who describes himself as 'shatteringly, profoundly--boring.' Shue, himself, admitted that he was his own best inspiration for plays, remarking, 'I write plays out of embarrassment...I generally write them either about my personal experiences, or I find an interesting character and try to fill in the world around him.'"

I don't know about you, but I find this relatable and interesting. I think writing out of an honest, even embarrassing exploration of yourself is an incredible place to start from. It can lead to human and honest work that is successful at touching the reader/audience. It is, I think, what makes a piece unforgetable.

Happy writing!
Sarah Allen

How do you assess a literary magazine?

I've been wondering. I counted up yesterday, and with all my poetry, non-fiction and short stories, my work is submitted to a total of 29 different magazines. So this is something I really need to understand better. How do you assess a literary magazine?

How do you judge the quality of a magazine? The only real litmus test that I know is whether or not a magazine has been anthologized in Best American. Those are some obvious ones, like The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Ploughshares, Black Warrior Review, Granta, etc. What are some other tests? How do you tell if a magazine is considered a "high quality" magazine or not? I believe there are certain awards out there that one could use, but I'm not too aware of what those are.

How do you tell if your work would be a good fit in a magazine? The best answer is to read it, but even then, it is nearly impossible to be objective about ones own work, so even if you read a magazine cover to cover it might still be difficult to judge whether your work is what they are looking for. So how do you tell? Is there a poor persons answer for people who can't afford to buy the magazine, and so can't read it?

I would really appreciate some of your ideas. What are the criteria you use? What seems to work best for you?

Sarah Allen