My Nitzsche Moment

Isn't it Nitzsche who said, "Whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger?"

As I posted a couple weeks ago, I circulated the rough draft of my novel-in-progress among several friends and colleagues. The feedback that has been trickling back has been very enlightening, often useful, and will probably result in a much, much better book.

However--although most of the readers have overall liked my book and said they'd recommend such a book to friends--the feedback has also been extremely demoralizing and makes me want to crawl under a rock.

Everyone insists that I ditch the prologue, make a couple characters more obnoxious, and alter a particular detail. Add more action! More fun details about the planet. Make the robot even more menacing!

Okay, okay, I get it. If four people are telling me the same thing (so far), I guess I'd better take it seriously.

It's going to take me a long time to fix all that, plus address various other issues brought up by my invited editors, reviewers, beta readers, whatever you want to call them. Plus, I still haven't resolved the issue about whether to make the book accessible to a wider audience by limiting my use of Hebrew terms and explaining those used, etc.

I started working at the next draft, but had to stop when my computer died. This was probably a gift from Heaven. I think I need a little break. I was sitting in front of my computer, staring for a couple minutes at the screen, then begining to hyperventilate and twitch.

And I asked for it!

The craziest part is that I would ask for the experience again, because it'll make me a better writer, and my book will certainly be improved. (Maybe I'll even sell this one!)

A lot of writers disregard criticism of their "babies" because it's so painful. But so is childbirth. Literary babies have to develop and grow just like our real children, and after their initial births, you have to spend even more time and effort "educating" them before they can go out and live on their own. Yes, occasionally someone will share an opinion that no one else shares, and you can ignore it. And, yes, criticism should be shared in a respectful way. But if several people who have opinions you trust tell you the same thing, you'd better take notice.

Even if it's painful.

Heads Up on a Nifty Article & a Cloudy Recommendation

Yael Mermelstein, the wonderful Jewish author, is profiled in this past week's (Parshas Toldos) Inyan Magazine found inside the HaModia newspaper. Immediately following the article is the first of a new two-part story by Mrs. Mermelstein. In the profile, Mrs. Mermelstein gives excellent advice about how to start writing as a career or as a hobby. If you are at all interested in this topic, I recommend reading the article.

And here are links to a couple of posts I've written on the topic--some of the advice is the same as Mrs. Mermelstein's, but there are other hints, as well.

http://klempnerkids.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-do-you-do-it.html

http://klempnerkids.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-do-you-do-it-part-2.html

On a totally different topic, I have to tell you that the cloud has now officially saved my -ahem!- tush. My computer died on Thanksgiving day, resulting in a second replacement of its hard drive. Aside from the back up drive that supposedly saves all our updated files every two weeks, I've been relying on the cloud to preserve all my new documents daily. The result--my computer flaked, but I still have my novel, with up-to-date copies of my revision-in-progress. I HIGHLY recommend that all serious writers maintain multiple backups of all files (hard copies, stored in cloud, exterior drive, etc.).

Wiggleroom?

About six months ago, my sister sent me the link to an interview with Eric Kimmel, the acclaimed children's author. The popular blogger at Homeshuling chatted with Mr. Kimmel about his retelling of the Purim story, which came out early this past spring.

(Before I go any further, I want to make clear that I'm actually a big fan of Mr. Kimmel despite what follows. I assure you that many of his books are perfectly appropriate for Jewish families, and urge you to purchase them or borrow them from the library.)

One of the central themes of the interview is whether it's okay to alter the details of a story from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) or a folktale. Mr. Kimmel feels that "You cannot be absolutely tied to the text or you are going to tie yourself into knots." 

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/homeshuling/2011/03/an-interview-with-eric-kimmel.html#ixzz1eagiZr1n
He continues later,

I’m writing modern midrash. Because midrash continues to the present day. We are constantly reinterpreting and reinventing these stories. They are not locked in stone. I want children to learn that the stories of the Torah are great stories – they stand with the best of them – Anderson and Grimm – and it all comes down to the story.

 

Recently, my family purchased the animated movie, Young Abraham. This film incorporates many elements of midrash, dropping certain details and streamlining or fictionalizing others. I was a little uncomfortable with the tampering with tradition, but the overall message is the same as in the original midrashim and completely coincides with frumkeit so I don't mind my children viewing it.

This is not the case with Mr. Kimmel's The Story of Esther: A Purim Tale. The author plays fast and loose with the details of the original text, which is--after all--a sacred work from the Tanach. For example, he "glosses over" the deaths of Haman and his family. However, one of the central points of Book of Esther is that Esther and Mordechai are making a tikkun (correction) for the lack of follow-through King Saul demonstrated when he didn't kill King Agag of the Amalekites despite HaShem's instructions to do so. Additionally, it's very important to a true understanding of the Book of Esther that Achashveirosh is a drunken slob and that Esther doesn't really want to be married to him. Mr. Kimmel changes that detail, too.

These are changes to essential details, and I wouldn't want to read this book to my children.

Similarly, in Even Higher, a retelling of the famous I.L. Peretz story about the Rabbi of Nemerov, Mr. Kimmel wanted to give a little context to the story. However, the information he interjects to explain the battles between the misnagdim and the chassidim is incorrect. His mishandling of the chassidus vs. misnaged battles of the 18th and 19th centuries actually makes the subject more murky, not less (and is probably not age-appropriate anyway).

In the same story, Mr. Kimmel shows the Rebbe livening up an old lady by dancing with her. It is highly unlikely a Chassidishe rebbe would dance with a woman, and it sends a message that you can just ditch halachah (in this case, the rules against negiah) if your intentions are okay.

I think that perhaps there is a little "wiggleroom" when you teach children (and writing a picture book is essentially teaching)--but you have to respect the original message and not misrepresent authentic Judaism in the retelling. For this reason, my husband and I generally screen even Jewish books before they enter our home.

What's your opinion?

A trip into the Uncanny Valley

My kids love Tintin comics by Herge, so I was unable to suppress my desire to watch the trailer of the new Tintin film (despite the fact I haven't gone to the movies in nearly eight years). If you're interested it's here:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/05/17/tintin-adventures-trailer-spielberg/

What surprised me is that the animation in Tintin seemed to me to fall into what is called the Uncanny Valley.

The Uncanny Valley refers to the widespread belief that when computer graphics, robots, or other representations of people look and act almost, but not quite, like the real thing, people are creeped out. Apparently some genuine research has been done in this area, and many experts in CGI and robotics try hard to avoid stumbling into the Uncanny Valley in order to avoid turning off potential viewers. 

 

As technology advances, this becomes more and more difficult. Just when does the image flip from being disgusting and become convincing? And how are we supposed to respond to such simulacra? 

[Indeed, this is a favorite theme in science fiction. For example, both the classic book I, Robot by Asimov and the Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner (based on Phillip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) directly address this conundrum. In one fictional world, androids are prohibited from having a convincing human appearance altogether; in the other, such robots exist, but are forbidden from living on Earth.]

Now let's get back to the new Tintin adaptation. I watched the trailer (and I should repeat that I actually don't watch movies in theaters and rarely at home unless Jewish), and I immediately responded---Ugh! 

I'm not sure why the producers opted for an image capture CGI as opposed to live action (there actually are already animated adaptations of the Tintin comics, so I'm not so shocked that they opted out of another animated version), but I had a visceral reaction against what I saw. I'm wondering if other viewers will have similar reactions. With more and more exposure to video game graphics and the like, maybe the Uncanny Valley will lose it's effect on people who see a lot of CGI.

Ever wanted to write a novel?

As some readers might know, November is National Novel Writing Month. Known as NaNoWriMo to insiders, participants sign up on the website, http://www.nanowrimo.org/, then commit to write a novel of at least 50,000 words by the end of the month. While some people find this task daunting, other people find it motivating and even exhilarating. The deadline gets people who've always wanted to write a novel but failed to follow the number one rule of writing (get your tush into a chair and start writing daily).

Intriguing? Well, even though it's almost the end of the month, it's not too late to participate! Barbara Krasner, who blogs at The Whole Megillah, is starting a Jewish version of NaNoWriMo to coincide with Jewish Book Month, which starts tomorrow (Nov. 21st).

Follow this link to get more details.

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/write-your-own-megillah-guest-post-why-write-a-thon-by-rochelle-melander/

Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Jewish Writers

I just read an excellent blog post about what makes a Jewish writer. Jeremy Rosen's Blog: Jewish Writers

I've been wondering a bit about this myself. Right now, I'm looking at the comments I'm getting on the rewritten manuscript of my novel-in-progress from my "reviewers." The book is a sci-fi novel with a very religious (read "traditional Jewish) premise...but I'm not sure that I want it to be published by a Jewish press exclusively for a Jewish audience. (Is it obnoxious to say that I want to write the literary equivalent of a Matisyahu song?) How much can I change the story to be palatable to a wider audience without sacrificing its Jewishness?

When I read a book by Saul Bellow or Phillip Roth (mentioned in the blog post listed above), I'm very uncomfortable. Yes, they are ethnically Jewish, but a lot of the content of their books is anti-Jewish in their religious/philosophical underpinnings. Is a book Jewish just because its author is?

Then again, does a Jewish writer have to write books that are Jewish in substance? If yes, are we talking culture or religion? There are books I've read that are not by religious Jews, but are completely consistent with Jewish ideals. On the other hand, I've read books by Orthodox authors that aren't specifically religious in any way.

Any opinions out there?

The Right tools for the Write job

(image from Clker.com)

Each writer has a unique toolbox of implements they use while writing.

I could be speaking metaphorically, but in this case, I'm talking about actual tools. Most writers have a very special relationship with computers, word processing programs, desks, paper, journals, pens, highlighters, folders, and the like. There are favorite brands and coveted models of all these writing implements.

Most writers have very strong opinions on at least some of these items. There are Moleskin fans, Mac devotees, people who swear by fat .9 mechanical pencil points, and others who want only a black Bic Stick with a fine tip.

Sometimes, I "test drive" pens. I'm not the only one--have you ever gone to store and found the display covered in squiggles and John Hancocks? Pentel, Biro, Bic, PaperMate, and Pilot all have their advocates. Check out this great blog with comparisons of different types of pens, markers, and paper for use by wordsmiths. http://apenchantforpaper.blogspot.com/

And here's an example of how some writers creatively re-purpose items not normally associated with writing for their exploits. http://theemptypen.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/your-best-non-writing-writing-tool/

Recently, I caved into my cheapskate habits and purchased a $0.99 composition book to use as a journal. I think I'll have to discard it soon...I'm not using my journal like I usually do.

This seems silly, but having the right instruments makes writing more pleasurable--and therefore, you're less likely to avoid sitting down and getting to work. (It also helps to have a comfortable chair at your computer desk.)

Currently, I prefer a blue gel pen (Pilot is my fav), medium point only. My preferred notebook is hardcover with a spiral binding so that the pages lie flat. And a pretty picture on the cover helps. That's for journaling, outlining, diagramming--all that pre-writing work. I sometimes do my very first draft in the notebook, too, but then I switch to the computer. I'm pretty flexible on the Mac vs. PC issue, but I HATE, HATE, HATE laptops.

Did I mention that authors have strong opinions on these subjects?

Care to share yours?

Inspiration?

So, I finally finished revising my novel on paper (complete with red ink) at some point early last week. However, I was having trouble actually typing the changes into the document. I'm not sure if I was nervous, bored with the project, or what. I kept finding excuses and wasting time, even with friends and relatives asking if I was finished.

And then the incredible happened...

On Friday morning (while my challah dough was rising), I figured that I should price the cost of making copies through both chain print shops and locally-owned ones. I was about to go to a locally-owned one that I'd heard was reliable and competitively priced when I found an online coupon for Staples Print & Copy services. The coupon was good for 30% off of a job that cost at least $30 AND IT WAS GOING TO EXPIRE ON SATURDAY!

Very motivating.

I had the project done by 1:30 and sent it off to the printer electronically before 2 o'clock.

Wow.

I'm very excited, but more than a little freaked out. I already have my new baby in the capable hands of one reader, with a cover sheet for feedback attached (and a stack of post-its). My writing group will, G-d willing, meet later this week. I'll fork out a couple more copies at that point.

It's funny how my mind works.

Almost ready to print and distribute to a selected few

I'm almost done (at last) my rewrite of the novel-in-progress. It's still too short (over 30,000 words, but not by very much), it still has a few scenes that I think are a little lame, but the characterizations are more convincing, there's better world creation, and I think the whole thing is more coherent. I've lined up a few writing friends (and a couple teens, too) to read the book and tear it to shreds.

That puts me at the point of printing the copies I need to distribute. As big as an investment of time that I've already put into this project, the copies that I need produce to hand out will require actual moolah. Moolah is not something we have a lot of around in the Klempner residence.

Here's a link to an interesting post on the "MY WRITING LIFE" blog on this topic: http://learnedaboutwriting.blogspot.com/2009/04/printing-manuscript-terror-and-anguish.html

The author writes that even before making copies at a print shop, astonishing length of time and price of ink invested in that first manuscript at home is frustrating. Plus, a long document inevitably requires troubleshooting due to jams, misprints, and the like. Ugh. In this case, do-it-yourself may not be either the cheapest or best option.

I'm thinking of electronically sending my document to the local Office Depot or the like and having them do the entire thing. Time to do a little comparison shopping.

And then I have to reveal to my darling husband just how much I'm spending on a book that I may never even sell.

Just when you think the world is going to heck in a handbasket...

Here are links to two articles with wonderful examples of how people can support one another despite sectarian differences.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/faith/52827990-81/modest-loch-fashion-says.html.csp?page=1

A modest-clothing blogger who is a member of the LDS church bonds with the evangelist Christian, Orthodox Jewish, and Muslim women who visit her website.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45165318/ns/us_news-life/?google_editors_picks=true#.TrYm8UOIlyk

Two Muslim cabbies from Pakistan buy out a struggling Jewish owned business and vow to keep it kosher.

And yes, I found the articles when wasting time I was supposed to be working on my novel.

Missing a deadline

Confession time: I didn't finish my revision of the novel-in-progress by Nov. 1st. In fact, I'm only 2/3 done and it seems just to go slower and slower. It's so stressful, I find myself wasting time in lots of creative ways.

I'm usually great about making deadlines, so I'm trying not to view my -ahem- delay as either a failure or evidence that I'm really just a slacker.

I'm heading back to work, now.

Really.