My good friend and writing buddy Sydne, the one who inspired me to try to do this Nanowrimo thing, told me the other day, that she had heard of an editor from a large publishing house who randomly stumbled across a writer's blog describing the novel she was writing and offered her a book contract! So here I go:
The working title is "The Other Side of the Fence." I hate it, so I know that will change when I'm done with the rough draft. It is a story about four college roommates at an Ivy League University who choose decidedly different career/life paths after they graduate. The novel examines the ramifications of the choices made by these post-feminist women, the careers they embark upon, the relationships with the men in their lives, their families, and how their lives play out as a result of the choices they made. The characters are our own archetypes, a little of them lives within each of us. Their lives are not complete until they come together later in life, and embark on a venture that integrates the various strengths, personalities, and experiences they each bring to the table.
So if you are a publisher and you are reading this and are looking for the next great American Novel, leave me a comment and I'll be in touch asap.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Nanowrimo
I haven't blogged much lately, not only because I'm still basking in the afterglow of the Obama victory, but also because I am participating in National Novel Writing Month. My goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Clearly Chris Baty who invented Nanowrimo is not a woman who annually hosts a big Thanksgiving dinner at her house and is also responsible for holiday shopping, decorating, gift wrapping, gift mailing, party planning, party hosting and holding another big family gathering on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day or perhaps both! I'll blog more on that as the holidays get closer. Christmas usually turns me into an angry, militant feminist who feels very persecuted during the lovely holiday season as everyone in my family except me is the beneficiary of my largess.
I'll bet Chris Baty does go to a lot of holiday parties however. Even though he chose the unfortunate month of November for National Novel Writing Month, I like him anyway. His book, No Plot, No Problem, is hilarious and very helpful to crazy people like me who have decided to try to write a novel in a month. If you're curious about National Novel Writing Month, I encourage you to go to http://nanowrimo.org for more information. Maybe you'll consider signing up next year.
I'll post more on my novel over the next month or so. Wish me luck!
I'll bet Chris Baty does go to a lot of holiday parties however. Even though he chose the unfortunate month of November for National Novel Writing Month, I like him anyway. His book, No Plot, No Problem, is hilarious and very helpful to crazy people like me who have decided to try to write a novel in a month. If you're curious about National Novel Writing Month, I encourage you to go to http://nanowrimo.org for more information. Maybe you'll consider signing up next year.
I'll post more on my novel over the next month or so. Wish me luck!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Red State Blue State
Red state? Blue state? What will be Montana's fate?
All day on Tuesday I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve. I canvassed hard in the morning on the lower north side of town, propelled by adrenalin, I hit all 50 houses on my list in less than 2 hours. Most of the residents weren't home, but I did talk to a few who had already voted for Obama. Later, at the grocery store, where I was picking up food and drinks for the party planned for that night at Obama headquarters, I noticed that most of the grocery workers and checkers had "I voted" stickers on their shirts. During the past few months I had noticed more than a few Obama bumper stickers in unlikely places, like my daughter's elementary school parking lot. Could it really be that Montana was going to turn blue this year?
My family and I watched the election returns on TV all evening and into the night. We rejoiced each time a state was called for Obama and bit our finger nails when others were won by McCain. When the news anchors finally declared Obama the winner we popped an expensive bottle of champagne we had been saving for a special occasion. Woozy with joy (and the bubbly) I went to bed about midnight believing that Montana too was going for Obama. Imagine my disappointment when I woke up the next morning to find out that no, McCain had won our state by 3%.
For a little while I felt angry. Was all my hard work and that of countless volunteers knocking on doors and making phone calls a complete waste of time? Despite trying our hardest we just couldn't quite turn Montana from a red state to a blue state. Then I found out that we did win the county I live in and that made me feel a little better. And after all, losing by only 3% was a huge shift in a state where Bush beat Kerry by 20% in 2004.
And then I began to think about how much I personally had learned from the campaigning process. I tend to be pretty introverted and I had to move way out of my comfort zone to knock on the doors of complete strangers and to venture into neighborhoods into which I had never felt comfortable venturing after dark. The process opened my eyes and that of my family to the plight of many of our neighbors. And I learned a lot about the difficulty of getting the poor, under-educated and disenfranchised to engage in the political process and to realize that their voices need to be heard.
No doubt, it will still be uncomfortable being a liberal living in a majority red state. I had a few doors slammed in my face and talked to more than a few nasty and prejudiced people on the phone during the campaign. When I put my Obama yard sign away, I noticed it was riddled with tiny holes from a shot gun, but it's not all that unusual for people to use signs for target practice in rural Montana. But I won't let those negative things bother me today. When the sun rose this morning the big beautiful Montana sky was streaked with purple.
All day on Tuesday I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve. I canvassed hard in the morning on the lower north side of town, propelled by adrenalin, I hit all 50 houses on my list in less than 2 hours. Most of the residents weren't home, but I did talk to a few who had already voted for Obama. Later, at the grocery store, where I was picking up food and drinks for the party planned for that night at Obama headquarters, I noticed that most of the grocery workers and checkers had "I voted" stickers on their shirts. During the past few months I had noticed more than a few Obama bumper stickers in unlikely places, like my daughter's elementary school parking lot. Could it really be that Montana was going to turn blue this year?
My family and I watched the election returns on TV all evening and into the night. We rejoiced each time a state was called for Obama and bit our finger nails when others were won by McCain. When the news anchors finally declared Obama the winner we popped an expensive bottle of champagne we had been saving for a special occasion. Woozy with joy (and the bubbly) I went to bed about midnight believing that Montana too was going for Obama. Imagine my disappointment when I woke up the next morning to find out that no, McCain had won our state by 3%.
For a little while I felt angry. Was all my hard work and that of countless volunteers knocking on doors and making phone calls a complete waste of time? Despite trying our hardest we just couldn't quite turn Montana from a red state to a blue state. Then I found out that we did win the county I live in and that made me feel a little better. And after all, losing by only 3% was a huge shift in a state where Bush beat Kerry by 20% in 2004.
And then I began to think about how much I personally had learned from the campaigning process. I tend to be pretty introverted and I had to move way out of my comfort zone to knock on the doors of complete strangers and to venture into neighborhoods into which I had never felt comfortable venturing after dark. The process opened my eyes and that of my family to the plight of many of our neighbors. And I learned a lot about the difficulty of getting the poor, under-educated and disenfranchised to engage in the political process and to realize that their voices need to be heard.
No doubt, it will still be uncomfortable being a liberal living in a majority red state. I had a few doors slammed in my face and talked to more than a few nasty and prejudiced people on the phone during the campaign. When I put my Obama yard sign away, I noticed it was riddled with tiny holes from a shot gun, but it's not all that unusual for people to use signs for target practice in rural Montana. But I won't let those negative things bother me today. When the sun rose this morning the big beautiful Montana sky was streaked with purple.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
My Campaign Stops
I've been out canvassing for Obama for the past few days and am signed up for Get Out The Vote shifts up through election day. (This is no time to be complacent and think we don't have to work our hardest to make sure everyone votes!) Yesterday my family joined me and we were assigned to a small Montana town about 30 miles from where we live. It was a real eye opener in many ways and I was glad we all had the opportunity to see how truly fortunate and blessed our family has been in comparison to some of the doors we knocked on yesterday. Days like that put ones problems in perspective almost instantaneously. The list we had seemed to be outdated. Many of the addresses on our list simply didn't exist or were difficult to find because many of the homes were not numbered. After awhile my husband realized that some of these addresses were vacant lots and most likely had had homes or trailers that had been torn down or moved away.
Most of these homes and trailers were tiny: less than 500 square feet. Most were in disrepair with cracked concrete stoops, peeling paint and had yards overgrown with weeds. I couldn't help but think of the contrast to other places we've lived, particular the Midwestern McMansion suburb we lived in for a few years in the roaring 1990s. Most of the homes there were 10 times the size of these rural homes, with huge, meticulously manicured (and chemically treated) lawns.
As we continued to knock on doors, most people weren't home on this Saturday afternoon. Where was everyone? I wondered how many might be out working at a second or third job, or were napping to make up for lost sleep from last night's shift. One of the first thing you notice about poor people is how bad their teeth are. They have no dental coverage for sure even if they do have health insurance. Going to the dentist is an unaffordable luxury for these people. I've heard some very sad stories during the past few days about people lacking health care or maxing out on their policies. One couple was considering filing for divorce so the wife who had health problems could qualify for medicare.
Stories like that make you shake your head. How can the wealthiest country in the world allow people to be bankrupted by medical bills? Why are wealthy people so unwilling to pay 3% higher taxes to fund schools, pave and maintain roads, and provide a safety net for people who are down and out?
The saddest thing of all is that we found in this rural town that the people we talked to were planning to vote for McCain 2 to 1 over Obama. It makes no sense that people in poverty vote against there own economic self interest. How can democrats reach out to and connect with these people? I just heard George Will say on the Sunday morning talk show, This Week With George Stephanopoulos ,that the only demographic group that McCain is leading in is rural, down-scale, white voters. You got that one right George!
I think I'll sign up for an extra Get Out The Vote shift tomorrow.
Most of these homes and trailers were tiny: less than 500 square feet. Most were in disrepair with cracked concrete stoops, peeling paint and had yards overgrown with weeds. I couldn't help but think of the contrast to other places we've lived, particular the Midwestern McMansion suburb we lived in for a few years in the roaring 1990s. Most of the homes there were 10 times the size of these rural homes, with huge, meticulously manicured (and chemically treated) lawns.
As we continued to knock on doors, most people weren't home on this Saturday afternoon. Where was everyone? I wondered how many might be out working at a second or third job, or were napping to make up for lost sleep from last night's shift. One of the first thing you notice about poor people is how bad their teeth are. They have no dental coverage for sure even if they do have health insurance. Going to the dentist is an unaffordable luxury for these people. I've heard some very sad stories during the past few days about people lacking health care or maxing out on their policies. One couple was considering filing for divorce so the wife who had health problems could qualify for medicare.
Stories like that make you shake your head. How can the wealthiest country in the world allow people to be bankrupted by medical bills? Why are wealthy people so unwilling to pay 3% higher taxes to fund schools, pave and maintain roads, and provide a safety net for people who are down and out?
The saddest thing of all is that we found in this rural town that the people we talked to were planning to vote for McCain 2 to 1 over Obama. It makes no sense that people in poverty vote against there own economic self interest. How can democrats reach out to and connect with these people? I just heard George Will say on the Sunday morning talk show, This Week With George Stephanopoulos ,that the only demographic group that McCain is leading in is rural, down-scale, white voters. You got that one right George!
I think I'll sign up for an extra Get Out The Vote shift tomorrow.
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