Happy New Year!

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Last year was a "charged" year, for me. Having a book come out, jumping into the world of Net promo, going on an extensive tour as well as a trip to Europe: whew.

We are heading off for three weeks on the coast now, so I have to give some thought to what I will be needing there. Books, books, books, but mainly: my computer. There will be final manuscript to approve of the anthology I'm part of, further thoughts on my outline — especially dreamstorming — questions to answer from a film-maker proposing a documentary. No doubt, too, there will be paperback copy to approve, etc. etc. etc. A writer's work goes on, regardless.

I love the regenerative impulse of the New Year. I've made resolutions (too many, I'll need to be more realistic). One of the resolutions, of course, is to get better organized, both in life and on computer. Right now, I'm trying to sort out how to better keep track of my research notes. I use, mainly, NoteBook, which I've mentioned before (and love) — but it has some limitations. For example, if I want to insert a visual from the Net, I have to copy it to my desktop and then insert it into the appropriate place in the Notebook. That's a bit slow, and one big disadvantage is that it doesn't carry with it information about where that clipping came from.

I should note that if I used Safari instead of FireFox, I could clip from the Net to Notebook directly, and that the clip would carry the URL source information with it — but then I'd still have to move that clip to its appropriate spot in my extensive outline (time-consuming). But more importantly, Safari drives me crazy!

I've discovered that the same problem exists when clipping to DevonThink. It's a FireFox problem, but I'm unwilling to move back to Safari because of it. For now.

I've explored Zotero, a web-based database designed by historians for historians, but quickly discovered that it didn't "communicate" with all websites. This limitation was too limiting for me.

And so I was interested when son Chet told me about Evernote, a free FireFox add-on (which works with both Mac and PC I should note). With Evernote, it's easy to clip to a database that exists on my computer as well as on the web (nice). The URL source comes along with the clip (good). It's easy to search (excellent). My only complaint, so far, is that you can't nest files — but with good use of tags that may not be necessary. For now, I'm trying it out. I prefer having all my information in one place, one database, but that simply may not be possible. Nous verrons ...



A snapshop of my Evernote database — so far.

A wonderful blog on book cover design

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Through The Readerville Journal, I've learned of several wonderful blogs on design. Two of these have become a regular inspiration: BibliOdssey and On Familiar Things. A new one is ...By Henry Sene Yee Design. What I love about this blog is that Henry Sene Yee goes through the process of coming up with a good book cover design. For example, here are a few of the sketches he made ...




... to come up with this wonderful cover:



One of the things I'm learning from this blog is the importance of communicating the spirit of a novel to the designer. One assumes that a designer will read the book. I suspect that Henry Sene Yee does, but I doubt very much that that is usually the case. (It's a question of time, no doubt — not indifference.)

My Canadian and U.S. publishers have each come up with "a look" for my books. Here is the new look of the Canadian paperbacks:









These are elegant, beautiful covers, and the striking design will be good for sales, no doubt, but I find it a bit uncomfortable. Personally, I'd like my books to look more like the type of books I read myself — abstract and literary (read: "small market") — but I'm also uncomfortable mentioning this. I'm lucky to have "a market," and supremely lucky to have publishers who wish to invest in new covers. However, it's an emotional issue, an intensely personal one. Some authors go along, and others scream and shout. Many simply don't have the energy or time — energy and time better spent writing. In any case, at a certain point, going along is the only option ... and likely the wise one, too. Besides, these new covers are growing on me.

(P.S. The last, the rust gown, is my own.)

Ergonomics

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Put any two writers over 40 years of age together, and eventually the subject will turn to issues of ergonomics: neck, back, wrist pain. A friend took on literary jury duty because she needed a break from the computer. Another friend's son, a musician, had to take a course in university on how to protect his body from tendonitis and other crippling ailments. Such courses should be mandatory for writers and artists as well. It's hard to be creative if you're in pain.

Over the years I've used a variety of wrist supports for working at the computer. When I'm in full-writing mode, and putting in long hours, I set a timer to go off every hour, and place it at a distance from my station so that I have to get up to turn it off. I also have an exercise routine I try to do each time.

I don't often work at a desk — preferring to be reclined on a daybed or couch with my laptop on my lap and my wireless mouse set on a book by my side — but when I do, I make sure that my monitor is at a comfortable eye-level, and that a keyboard and mouse is close to my lap. I also use a document support (shown at right) so that the book or papers I am working from are directly in front of me and I don't have to crane my neck. A good chair is important too: the one I have in Mexico is fully adjustable, but it's not as good as the chair I use in Canada, and I feel the difference. I've a box in my storage closet full of shoulder, neck and wrist supports I've resorted to over the years.

Ultimately, I think the key will be to cut down on typing. A friend is sending out scans of hand-written text to be typed. Although I've begun to explore dictation, I've yet to become comfortable with it. I need to push myself in this direction — a New Year's Resolution.

Apology for the Woman Writing

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I'm reading quite a bit of biographical fiction right now, I notice — that is, fiction based on a real person's life.

I've just finished reading Apology for the Woman Writing by Jenny Diski. It's a historical novel based on the life of Marie de Gournay, a 16th century writer and the editor (and protector of) Michel de Montaigne's Essays. She's a strange woman and this is something of a strange novel. Diski is a fine writer, and there were many passages I loved, in particular Marie's intoxication with books, and with the work of Montaigne in particular.

Because Marie is a writer, there is much about writing in this novel. I particularly liked:

"What writer is not emotionally unbalanced by the publication of a new book?" (page 94)

True!

As always, what interests me is that fuzzy line between fact and fiction. The author, in her Author's Note, states:

"What shall we call this one? I suppose 'historical novel'. It doesn't much matter to me, except that I understand that the designation brings questions to the mind of the reader. About what is true and what is made up. Well, it's all made up, of course, but some of it is true — at any rate verifiable by means of other texts." [page 278]

Diski includes a full bibliography for further study, as well as a fascinating account of the protective measures the French took in order for a historian to photograph Montaigne's much-written-over pages. (The pages could not be exposed to any light whatsoever, for example.) Sometimes, in the novel, the narrative voice felt like a historical telling, veering toward the fact end of the fiction/fact scale.

As with any biographical novel, what's of interest — to me — is what is left out as well as what is included. There were parts of Marie's life I would have wanted the author to go — her contact with the Court is overlooked, for example.

Diski is a polished, literary writer, and this novel is always beautifully controlled — but I was not always enthralled by it.

Putting the Prod in Productivity

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Class act

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I subscribe to a wonderful blog by author Catherine Delors. Today she interviewed Kris Waldherr, the author of Doomed Queens. Catherine's blog is always beautifully illustrated, and she included a number of illustrations from what immediately struck me as an absolutely irresistible book. Click! I ordered the book, and then checked out Kris's website, which is also irresistible. I subscribed to her newsletter, was immediately signed up, receiving a nice letter from Marina Rossetti — "virtual assistant." (Ah, a VA: Believe me, this caught my eye.) This author/illustrator is doing all the right things: great book, great website, newsletter, blog tour. Hats off.

Plot deadline met!

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Meeting a deadline is a wonderful feeling. Yesterday I sent the second draft of the plot of The Next Novel to Dan Smetanka, a wonderful editor who works free lance in L.A., and who worked with me on Mistress of the Sun.

So now? Now I face the clutter of my desk, my unorganized To Do lists, mail to answer, my unwrapped and even un-purchased Christmas presents, a house to decorate, etc.

But even all this feels like a holiday, now that I've put the puzzle of crafting a novel out of the chaos of the 17th century behind me for a bit. Not that it won't continue to be on my mind: one of the things I'll do today is select the next research book to dive into.

I've never worked with an outline so systematically before. It's over 20 pages long, and basically it's a list of major characters, themes, and the story itself, unfolding in scenes. It was creating the scene-units that made a big difference, from generalizing a story, to actually seeing the workings of it, scene by scene. The scene descriptions are bare bones. For example:

SCENE: The Court continues on north, toward Paris. Claude's father, ill, insists his acting troupe follow. "But how will you eat?" Claude: We will manage.

SCENE: Claude and her brothers beg for coins. She coaches her brothers on how to act injured.

How much of this will make it into The Next Novel? My guess is that a great deal will change. But the purpose of this draft-in-outline-form is to explore what might be possible, given the historical record. (During this process, I spent a lot of time research, as noted on my research blog.)

I read an interesting blog, yesterday, an interview with Davina, a NaNoWriMo participant. She expressed very well the challenge of telling a story that is based on historical fact:

One of my major difficulties I found was incorporating the research while sticking to the story I wanted to write. As I did more reading and research I realized that I would have to tweak events and timelines to get an effective story. There was also an expanding cast of people who needed to be incorporated. The story quickly became more complex than I originally thought it would, to be honest.

I did feel bad about stretching the truth in some respects to suit my story. For instance, Minette didn’t actually die of poison as in the novel. There is strictly no proof that Athenais was involved in Satanic rituals. Angelique de Fontages wasn’t poisoned, she died of a miscarriage. And the events of the story happened over a long period of times : nearly twenty years! But I had to make the decision to alter events as I saw fit to make a compelling story that I would want to tell.

Some of the events that happened according to the research were a bit OTT and I seriously wondered about toning it down as I thought no one is going to believe that in a story.

I'm in the same state. Right now, I'm trying to hold tightly to the historical record, but there is at least one development that I'm tempted to change for the sake of the story. We shall see.

Scary discoveries!

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Research always gets the blood running. I've just discovered that the "love powders" Athénaïs was getting from the witch Voisin contained Spanish Fly.

Well! "Love" powders indeed.

I have always assumed that "love powders" were some innocuous superstitious ritual. The use of Spanish Fly, however, is a much more serious business. It is known to be deadly and seriously damaging to health.

I just posted about this to my research blog. Now, back to the plot.

Winnie-the-Pooh

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Two friends from up north have emailed me to say that they heard me interviewed on the CBC last Saturday. This wasn't a real interview, but "Proustian" questions posed to a number of writers. What I'm curious to know is if they used the question: "Who is your favourite literary character?" Because my answer was — ta da! — Winnie the Pooh.

And really, who doesn't love Winnie?

I'm heavy into research again. Before I construct a plot around a Black Mass, I have to decide if it likely happened — and if so, when ... and where. This first entailed re-visiting the best book on the subject, and then, of course (because I have to see for myself), wading into the archives of the Bastille to view to trial accounts first-hand. These archives are now downloadable and on my computer: the Net is so amazing. What it means is that I can read the word-for-word transcripts of trials that took place in 1680.

But it's ugly stuff — certainly not a Winnie-the-Pooh world — and all the accounts differ. What a cast of characters, though, charlatans in every shape and size. I'm with Winnie on this: puzzled as all get-out.

German edition

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I was pleased to learn this morning (through a Yahoo group!) the title of the German edition of Mistress of the Sun: Die Sonne des Königs, which I'm told translates as Sun of the King, a title I like. When I googled that title I got 46 hits — all showing the novel available for pre-order. At last I found what I was seeking: an image of the cover, which I rather like. (Although with one concern: the image of the King, from what I can tell — it doesn't enlarge well — might be from a portrait of him as an old man. I hope not.)

In the process, I discovered a simply hideous cover of Joséphine. (I wonder which of the Trilogy that title would be.) In general, the translated editions have been gorgeous, but this one? Not!

And so: to work. Today I've a "guest blog" post to pull together, as well as on-going work on the plot of The Next Novel. It's the usual push-pull between fact and fiction. I develop a storyline, and then discover a fact that unravels it completely, sending me back to the drawing board. It's always a puzzle to work out a story within a framework of fact — but it's a puzzle I enjoy.

Award book covers

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The editor of The Book Design Review has chosen the best book covers (in his view) of 2008. Many have a similar, muscular look: not necessarily attractive, but eye- and, most significantly, mind-catching. I voted for Milk, although there were others I was tempted by.