Although I never stated it as an official Momentum goal for June, I think I still telegraphed my plan was to simply drop off the face of the Earth. A few people and a few events have managed to interrupt that, but I’m happy to report that for the most part I can file this one under mission accomplished.
After roughly two decades of teaching, I’ve learned my summer vacations usually fall into a regular routine. In June there’s all the time in the world. No pressure to do anything immediate, nothing school-related daring to cross my mind. The only thing I have to do is be. A morning workout, an afternoon movie and stopping at a gas station for a fill-up and a car wash can become a pretty full day, and I have little problem with that. When July begins it still feels like there’s all the time in the world, but time spent alternating between reading and napping for five-hour stretches starts to feel self-indulgent, and that “Things To Accomplish This Summer” list I come up with every year scratches a little harder at my brain. In July I start making an effort to accomplish actual goals, even if they are a lower grade of goal that just about anything I would need to take on during the school year. Once August arrives, things change. The countdown to that first official day back slowly become more tangible. So if there was going to be a month when I’d give myself permission to drop off the face of the Earth or a month when it would be necessary for my mental health to do it? Yeah. We’re looking at June.
But June is almost over now. July holds some promise for being an enjoyable month -- at least the first half -- but that Summer To Do List is scratching harder. So in the words of President Bartlet: “Break’s over.” And to make sure I avoid the stress that accompanies long-term procrastination, I have a few projects I’m going to start paying more attention to in July so they don’t pile up in August. But only one of them is getting selected as my Momentum goal for July.
Before we get into that, let’s do a quick recap. We’re now halfway through 2013, so this seems like a good time to reflect on how well this experiment has worked out so far:
January: Finish writing the manuscript I began in November. Spectacular failure.
February: Take the decision-making out of any situation and always make the healthier choice I had available. Conditional success.
March: Organize all of my electronic files related to school. Failure.
April: Clean my house from top to bottom. Success.
May: Write a blog post every day. Success.
June: Drop off the face of the Earth. Conditional success.
Which brings us to July. As I mentioned awhile back, maybe in March or April, one of my older manuscripts (Following Infinity if you’ve ever been one of my readers) had a little life breathed back into it when one of my colleagues took on the job of using it as a read aloud for all three of the fifth grade classes. That was enough to get me to dig it out and give it a second look. Infinity has always been one of my favorites since it’s very personal and emotional, it was one of the easier ones to write (probably because it was so personal) and it was the first one to catch the interest of a literary agent. Of course it didn’t go any further than that, and the disappointment saw me shelve it for awhile and move on to something else. But getting it out for a second look reminded me that I still believe in it, and I decided this summer my big writing project was going to be revising it into fighting shape and giving it more of a chance in the marketplace than I had before.
I started picking away at it in June and soon discovered that as much as I still believe in it -- wow, is there a LOT of work to be done. And the thing about revision, for those of you lucky and/or smart enough to stay away from ever trying to write a book? It’s five times harder than writing the original draft, and takes ten times longer to do well.
Knowing I have a limited window of time before the coming school year begins to infect my thinking, I’m making it my Momentum goal for July to finish revising Following Infinity before August. That way I’ll have some time to start thinking about submitting it again before I’m back in my classroom, and I should have time to enjoy as much of the remaining summer as I can before I freeze up in the approaching headlights of the 2013-14 school year.
Okay, that’s all you get for now. I’ve got a book I really want to finish reading before I dive back into hardcore revision, so I think I’m going to go find a sunny spot to read before my next nap kicks in....
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
Books!
Stepping back onto the face of the Earth for a moment, although a residual geometric bell just went off in my head as I wrote that, telling me I’m incorrect in calling it the “face” of the Earth and should, in fact, refer to it as the “surface” of the Earth, since a three-dimensional spherical object would not contain any faces. But I’m not tired of summer enough yet to start thinking about more math than I need to, so I’m just going to tell that little bell to shut it’s #$%^*! mouth and move on....
It’s not a big stretch of logic to think that because of the amount of time and energy and self I invest into writing that I’d also be a pretty big reader as well. For the most part this is true, although for me reading tends to come and go in waves rather than any kind of constant “put-one-book-down-and-pick-up-another” pattern. I can go for long periods of time without really reading much of anything, but then just finding the one book that reignites the spark can get me on such a binge I’ll kept different books in progress in each room of the house, so I can always pick one up and dive back in if the moment strikes. It should go without saying that summer vacation is usually one of those times.
Before the Borders store that was only half a mile from my house closed (may it rest in peace), I could easily spend an afternoon of browsing the entire store for something that looked mildly interesting, and then wouldn’t be done until I walked out of the place with two or three new titles in my shopping bag. Maybe not the most economic approach to reading, but I’ve always liked the idea of having a house full of books. My grandmother lived that way, my parents live that way, and my sister lives that way... though a good percentage of the books in her house are ones she borrowed from me that just found their way onto a shelf. Which is okay. I like the idea of keeping books I’ve read as trophies of accomplishment, and I like having my all-time favorites within reach in case I want to revisit them or just look up a particularly memorable quote. But once you finish reading a book it becomes a part of your life experience. Whether you possess a physical copy or not, you still carry it with you if the story or characters or ideas are worth keeping.
I can think of several moments in the past couple of months when people have asked me (directly or indirectly) for book recommendations or have come to me with books they have insisted that I read. If I’m going to read or recommend a book, it will usually fall into one of two, or both, categories: Books that will serve as some kind of amusing distraction or books that are so well-written they leave me shaking my head in awe. So in the interest of establishing some kind of permanent record on the subject, today I’m going to offer a list of my ten favorite books. Of course this comes with conditions: To call anything a favorite is a bold statement, and with what I’m sure would be the thousands of books I’ve read in my lifetime it would be next to impossible to definitively say which ten of them I would single out over all the others. Some are easy choices, but I wonder about which others I’m overlooking and which ones could be added to the list in coming months. Anyway, with the best explanations I can offer, here are what I would call my ten favorite books, for the moment. In no particular order, with noted exceptions:
The List of 7, by Mark Frost. Set in Victorian England, this murder mystery offers the premise that Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to write the adventures of Sherlock Holmes after experiencing this fictional adventure with a man named Jack Sparks, upon whom he would ultimately base his signature character. It’s written in a voice authentically appropriate for the time period, which makes it a challenging read in a good way. The mystery eventually expands into a wider conspiracy with some dark horror themes, but the story catapults you forward.
The Stand, by Stephen King. I was a big reader when I was a kid and fell out of the habit in my junior high years. Finding this book in high school was what brought me back. This book is so deeply embedded in my DNA I can’t imagine anyone not being at least peripherally aware of it, but just in case, here goes: A superflu virus wipes out about 95% of the human race, and the survivors are led by their dreams into a final battle of good vs. evil. The good people congregate in Boulder, CO, while the evils ones, of course, hook up in Vegas. For better or for worse, Stephen King has proven to be one of my larger influences as a writer -- more in terms of style than subject matter.
Fargo Rock City, by Chuck Klosterman. One of the rare non-fiction titles on my list is a memoir of what it meant to grow up in the 1980s as a music fan, particularly of what people now would dismissively refer to as “hair metal.” It’s definitely a book about music, but is told from the perspective of a true fan recounting not just his opinions of the subject matter but of the vividly and hilariously described memories and experiences he has related to the music he loves. More than any other book or writer I can think of, this one ultimately had the most influence on the written voice I’ve used in what I think of as some of my better moments here on “Summer Vacation.”
The Passage, by Justin Cronin. One of the newer books on this list from one of my favorite writers, and one I’ve already written about extensively in other posts here. Similar to The Stand in it’s apocalyptic themes, this tells the story of a virus that turns most of the population into a monstrously feral type of vampire, as well as how the survivors struggle to build a new life and society its wake a century later, and a mysterious girl at the center of it all. It’s the first book in a trilogy that continued this past fall with the second book, “The Twelve.” I was able to shake Cronin’s hand at a book signing last October. It was a moment.
Los Alamos, by Joseph Kanon. A murder mystery peripherally set during the Manhattan Project, with real people such as Robert Oppenheimer used as major characters. I first checked it out thinking it would be little more than an entertaining paperback, but the writing was so masterfully done my admiration would occasionally pull me out of the story to reread certain passages several times.
WLT: A Radio Romance, by Garrison Keillor. One of my favorite writers (and another of my bigger influences) telling a very unique story about the origin of a small local radio station and the people who play roles in its evolution into something more. Much of Keillor’s best written work is told through short stories, so it was a treat to be able to experience his characters developing throughout an entire novel. It’s been so long since I’ve read this that I just paused writing this paragraph long enough to add it to my Amazon shopping cart.
The Eyes of the Dragon, by Stephen King. Essentially a fairy tale for adults, complete with kings, knights, princes, castles, evil magicians, true love and redemption. As perfectly as constructed of a story as anyone could hope to read. If you’ve written off Stephen King as nothing but a horror writer, you are missing out on a story that would change your mind. One of a very small number of books of which I own multiple copies.
North of Hope, by John Hassler. A Minnesota author of many great books, but this one always stood head and shoulders above the others for me as a bleak masterpiece. Set in the rural emptiness of Northern Minnesota, it's full of characters you find yourself rooting for even though you know there’s no possible way things are going to end well for them.
Watership Down, by Richard Adams. To describe this book as epic really doesn’t go far enough to do it justice. It would best be called fantasy since most of the characters are rabbits, but it goes far beyond just that. These are rabbits on a quest for survival, with varying degrees of morality, creating a society with a social hierarchy, a history, and a deep mythology. Most of these rabbits are some of the most fully-realized characters I’ve ever read. I’ve read this one more times than I can remember, sometimes for my own enjoyment and sometimes as a read-aloud to my students (even if it takes half the school year to finish). It always takes them time to warm to the story and the characters, but once they’ve engaged the book it always owns them. Here’s my noted exception: This one is at the top of my list. This is probably my actual favorite book.
The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby. He’s one of my favorite writers and has many books that I’ve enjoyed, but none of them really jump out as indispensable for me. However, this one is unique: I’ve always had an ever-growing pile of books to read in my house, and I’m fully aware that many of them will probably never be read. This book is about having an ever-growing pile of books in your house that probably will never be read. For that reason alone, and to respect the premise in the most meta-ironically way I can, I will never be able to bring myself to even begin reading it.
If any of these sound interesting, go ahead and put either your library or your credit card into action. Or you could always give me a call -- I’ve got most of these stashed away somewhere in my house, waiting for someone to bring them back to life.
It’s not a big stretch of logic to think that because of the amount of time and energy and self I invest into writing that I’d also be a pretty big reader as well. For the most part this is true, although for me reading tends to come and go in waves rather than any kind of constant “put-one-book-down-and-pick-up-another” pattern. I can go for long periods of time without really reading much of anything, but then just finding the one book that reignites the spark can get me on such a binge I’ll kept different books in progress in each room of the house, so I can always pick one up and dive back in if the moment strikes. It should go without saying that summer vacation is usually one of those times.
Before the Borders store that was only half a mile from my house closed (may it rest in peace), I could easily spend an afternoon of browsing the entire store for something that looked mildly interesting, and then wouldn’t be done until I walked out of the place with two or three new titles in my shopping bag. Maybe not the most economic approach to reading, but I’ve always liked the idea of having a house full of books. My grandmother lived that way, my parents live that way, and my sister lives that way... though a good percentage of the books in her house are ones she borrowed from me that just found their way onto a shelf. Which is okay. I like the idea of keeping books I’ve read as trophies of accomplishment, and I like having my all-time favorites within reach in case I want to revisit them or just look up a particularly memorable quote. But once you finish reading a book it becomes a part of your life experience. Whether you possess a physical copy or not, you still carry it with you if the story or characters or ideas are worth keeping.
I can think of several moments in the past couple of months when people have asked me (directly or indirectly) for book recommendations or have come to me with books they have insisted that I read. If I’m going to read or recommend a book, it will usually fall into one of two, or both, categories: Books that will serve as some kind of amusing distraction or books that are so well-written they leave me shaking my head in awe. So in the interest of establishing some kind of permanent record on the subject, today I’m going to offer a list of my ten favorite books. Of course this comes with conditions: To call anything a favorite is a bold statement, and with what I’m sure would be the thousands of books I’ve read in my lifetime it would be next to impossible to definitively say which ten of them I would single out over all the others. Some are easy choices, but I wonder about which others I’m overlooking and which ones could be added to the list in coming months. Anyway, with the best explanations I can offer, here are what I would call my ten favorite books, for the moment. In no particular order, with noted exceptions:
The List of 7, by Mark Frost. Set in Victorian England, this murder mystery offers the premise that Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to write the adventures of Sherlock Holmes after experiencing this fictional adventure with a man named Jack Sparks, upon whom he would ultimately base his signature character. It’s written in a voice authentically appropriate for the time period, which makes it a challenging read in a good way. The mystery eventually expands into a wider conspiracy with some dark horror themes, but the story catapults you forward.
The Stand, by Stephen King. I was a big reader when I was a kid and fell out of the habit in my junior high years. Finding this book in high school was what brought me back. This book is so deeply embedded in my DNA I can’t imagine anyone not being at least peripherally aware of it, but just in case, here goes: A superflu virus wipes out about 95% of the human race, and the survivors are led by their dreams into a final battle of good vs. evil. The good people congregate in Boulder, CO, while the evils ones, of course, hook up in Vegas. For better or for worse, Stephen King has proven to be one of my larger influences as a writer -- more in terms of style than subject matter.
Fargo Rock City, by Chuck Klosterman. One of the rare non-fiction titles on my list is a memoir of what it meant to grow up in the 1980s as a music fan, particularly of what people now would dismissively refer to as “hair metal.” It’s definitely a book about music, but is told from the perspective of a true fan recounting not just his opinions of the subject matter but of the vividly and hilariously described memories and experiences he has related to the music he loves. More than any other book or writer I can think of, this one ultimately had the most influence on the written voice I’ve used in what I think of as some of my better moments here on “Summer Vacation.”
The Passage, by Justin Cronin. One of the newer books on this list from one of my favorite writers, and one I’ve already written about extensively in other posts here. Similar to The Stand in it’s apocalyptic themes, this tells the story of a virus that turns most of the population into a monstrously feral type of vampire, as well as how the survivors struggle to build a new life and society its wake a century later, and a mysterious girl at the center of it all. It’s the first book in a trilogy that continued this past fall with the second book, “The Twelve.” I was able to shake Cronin’s hand at a book signing last October. It was a moment.
Los Alamos, by Joseph Kanon. A murder mystery peripherally set during the Manhattan Project, with real people such as Robert Oppenheimer used as major characters. I first checked it out thinking it would be little more than an entertaining paperback, but the writing was so masterfully done my admiration would occasionally pull me out of the story to reread certain passages several times.
WLT: A Radio Romance, by Garrison Keillor. One of my favorite writers (and another of my bigger influences) telling a very unique story about the origin of a small local radio station and the people who play roles in its evolution into something more. Much of Keillor’s best written work is told through short stories, so it was a treat to be able to experience his characters developing throughout an entire novel. It’s been so long since I’ve read this that I just paused writing this paragraph long enough to add it to my Amazon shopping cart.
The Eyes of the Dragon, by Stephen King. Essentially a fairy tale for adults, complete with kings, knights, princes, castles, evil magicians, true love and redemption. As perfectly as constructed of a story as anyone could hope to read. If you’ve written off Stephen King as nothing but a horror writer, you are missing out on a story that would change your mind. One of a very small number of books of which I own multiple copies.
North of Hope, by John Hassler. A Minnesota author of many great books, but this one always stood head and shoulders above the others for me as a bleak masterpiece. Set in the rural emptiness of Northern Minnesota, it's full of characters you find yourself rooting for even though you know there’s no possible way things are going to end well for them.
Watership Down, by Richard Adams. To describe this book as epic really doesn’t go far enough to do it justice. It would best be called fantasy since most of the characters are rabbits, but it goes far beyond just that. These are rabbits on a quest for survival, with varying degrees of morality, creating a society with a social hierarchy, a history, and a deep mythology. Most of these rabbits are some of the most fully-realized characters I’ve ever read. I’ve read this one more times than I can remember, sometimes for my own enjoyment and sometimes as a read-aloud to my students (even if it takes half the school year to finish). It always takes them time to warm to the story and the characters, but once they’ve engaged the book it always owns them. Here’s my noted exception: This one is at the top of my list. This is probably my actual favorite book.
The Polysyllabic Spree, by Nick Hornby. He’s one of my favorite writers and has many books that I’ve enjoyed, but none of them really jump out as indispensable for me. However, this one is unique: I’ve always had an ever-growing pile of books to read in my house, and I’m fully aware that many of them will probably never be read. This book is about having an ever-growing pile of books in your house that probably will never be read. For that reason alone, and to respect the premise in the most meta-ironically way I can, I will never be able to bring myself to even begin reading it.
If any of these sound interesting, go ahead and put either your library or your credit card into action. Or you could always give me a call -- I’ve got most of these stashed away somewhere in my house, waiting for someone to bring them back to life.
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