jessiemac.com

You look at me wondering. I look away. My shoulders slump further. I know you’re looking at me and wondering what’s wrong with me. Nothing is wrong with me – outwardly, anyway.

I know I look like I’m pouting. I’m not pouting.

You don’t push me. You wait. Patiently. Too patiently.

Have you ever felt so tired that you feel like you’re 83?

You shake your head and your eyes tell me that you don’t know where this is going.

Well, that’s how I feel. Inside. I feel old. Tired.

Your eyebrows raise ever so slightly – questioning.

I rub my eyes and sigh.

Anyway, recently I finished reading all three novels by Stieg Larsson. The books are also known as the Millennium Trilogy. The first is called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo followed by The Girl who Played with Fire and ending with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

It was only while reading the last book that I was shocked to find out that the author of the books had died in 2004. Yes, I’m slow. (Slow and tired)

I guess the shock comes from thinking that any book that has been published recently – the assumption is that the novelist is still alive and will be writing more.

It’s hard to believe that Stieg Larsson will never write anything else.

Though I saw the film based on the book The Girl who Played with Fire- which was very good – I still couldn’t put the books down – every single one of them. The films are produced by a Swedish and a Danish production company but I wouldn’t be surprised that there will be an American/English version soon enough. I even gave up possible sleep to read them. For someone who find it difficult to sleep or stay awake (yes, I’ll tell you more another time) – it’s a big thing. That’s how good they were. Then I find out there will be no more.

And the thought that he did not live to see how popular his books have become.

Because of the shock of finding out about his death and the realization of finding an author I enjoy reading and that there will be no more books by this novelist – Stieg Larsson – all this made me want to write a post to find out more about him and to say a big thanks to him and how sorry I am that we’re all going to miss out on more of his stories, stories we don’t even know about because this writer is no longer here.

~

Here are a few things I learnt about the author Stieg Larsson I’d like to share with you:

• He changed his name from Stig to Stieg so he would not be confused with his friend Stig Larsson, also a well-known author (source: wikipedia).

• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest was not intended to be the last book in the series (I knew it!):

Larsson left about three quarters of a fourth novel on a notebook computer, now possessed by his partner, Eva Gabrielsson; synopses or manuscripts of the fifth and sixth in the series, which he intended to contain an eventual total of ten books, may also exist. Read more at wikipedia…

• Book four could actually be book five and there is no book four. Confused? I am.

“I got the email from Stieg 10 days before he died where he wrote book number four is nearly finished,” says his brother Joakim in his first U.S. television interview. “And to make it more complicated, this book number four, [is] book number five, because he thought that [it] was more fun to write than book number four.” Read more at cbsnews…

• After reading the trilogy, it’s not surprising to know that the author was concerned about politics and was a journalist and activist. It seems his combative reporting style mimic those of the main male character, journalist Blomkvist and according to reports, the threats to Larsson’s life led him to mask or conceal his personal details from public view to ensure he could not be tracked down easily mirroring his heroine, Lisbeth Salander’s need to cover and conceal her identity. All of which complicated Larsson’s relationship with his partner when it came to dealing with his finances after his death and fueled speculation and conspiracy theories concerning his sudden death. His life sounded like a thriller.

• His need to protect women from violence and the violence portrayed in his novels were based on personal experience.

Larsson…was disgusted by sexual violence, having witnessed the gang rape of a young girl when he was 15. According to a friend of his, the author never forgave himself for failing to help the girl, whose name was Lisbeth — just like the young heroine of the trilogy, who is also a rape survivor. Read more at the NewStatesman…

• Larsson had a destructive streak. He “smoked over 60 cigarettes a day and was a classic workaholic…” Read more at the timesonline…

The more I learn about Larsson, the more I admire the author. If I could only be half as brave and entertain half as many, I’d feel very lucky.

It just makes me wonder what other creations we miss out on because a writer out there doesn’t get to write their book because of one reason or another. Imagine there would have been ten books in the series, not just three (or possibly four). This could easily have been you – any of us – all of us. And you don’t know until you try.

So, how are you?

Have you read the novels?

What did you think?

Leave a comment. It’s good to know.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon – Novel and Thoughts

Chuck Sambuchino – An Interview: Published Book, Writing and a Writer’s Life (Part 1)

Chuck Sambuchino – An Interview: Published Book, Writing and a Writer’s Life (Part 2)

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Numb the Character

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About the Book Trailer Numb

“To grow, you must be willing to let your present and future be totally unlike your past. Your history is not your destiny.”

Alan Cohen

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• Querying Agents at the Same Agency. Should you?
• Agent Tina Wexler On: 6 and 1/2 Ways to Impress an Agent.
• Copyright Infringement and from there to the Facebook page to read comments from very annoyed people. I could read the comments all day but I won’t. A hunt is on for the head of the editor on a stick but I’m too tired.

What I am doing or have done/decided:

• Read Dexter is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay.
• Read Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.
• Read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson.
• Reading Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig.
• Reading The Associate by John Grisham.

WORD COUNT:

Night Walker 159,000 words. Finished. Leaving to marinate.

Insomniac Foetus Ready to edit. Having a break before I start.

The page has amazon affiliate links and the photographs are film posters or book covers from the respective production companies.

A Point on Punctuation – A Few Thoughts by Matt Buchman ~

“The most important book for any writer: ‘Elements of Style’ by Strunk and White.”
“Never, never, never read a grammar book, it will ruin you as a writer.”

How many times have we heard both to these definitive words of wisdom? I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard them a lot. A whole lot. Bunches even.

Now, first off, I am neither grammarian nor punctuated artiste, I’m merely a fumbly writer studying his craft. But, ten or eleven books in, I have a few thoughts. Hopefully, you feel inclined to ask, “What’s your conclusion so far?” I will answer.
They’re both right.
Hunh?

Let’s backtrack for a moment. What is the purpose of punctuation to a novelist?

If you answered, “to write in proper English.” BRRAAAPP! The buzzer hits and You! Are! History!

Punctuation is a far more interesting tool than mere propriety. It is a rhythmic device. Read aloud, anything.
A comma is a short breath in the beat of the sentence, a semi-colon is a longer one.
A period is a longer breath in the beat of the paragraph.
A paragraph is a pause in the flow of the moment, or a change of who speaks, acts, etc.
An em-dash is an interruption. In mid-word, a sudden one. An ellipsis a trailing thought.
A scene break… you get my point.

I’m not trying to be mystical or sound New Age here. My point is that punctuation is how the author takes control of the reader and leads them through their words at the pace and with the hesitations, breaths, and meaning the author wishes to instill.

Here’s the cool exercise someone used to teach me this.

Step 1. Have a friend type in two pages of one of their favorite author’s work but not an author you know well (or a couple of different authors if they’re willing). But have them do it with no punctuation, no capitals, no paragraph breaks, nothing. Just a string of words. And, if you can help it, try not to learn the author’s name. Have your friend choose for you, that way you won’t hear the author’s voice as you do this.

Step 2. Now, take that passage and punctuate it. Think about what it would mean to have a comma there, a period here, and a paragraph break there. Quotes. Spoken aloud or internal. Semi-colon. Parentheses? Brackets?!?

Step 3. Now compare your results to the author’s. The key here is, what did the author do that you didn’t and not the other way around. Remember, they’ve sold a lot more books than you have and your goal here is to learn from them. They broke an entire chapter mid-sentence to leave you hanging and picked it up in the next chapter (Stephen King), or wrote in long, winding, descriptive sentences rife with detail and dripping with atmosphere that give you the lush feel of the bayou (James Lee Burke) or they batter you with short pulses to heighten tension (James Patterson). They are the masters of their craft, and punctuation is one of their most powerful tools.

Each punctuation mark exists only to control the readers experience. Read
Strunk and White (affiliate link), or others. Know the rules!, but do not be bound by them. That way, when you toss them out, you know it isn’t that you are being sloppy. It is so that you are certain that you:
Punctuate Solely To Enhance Your Storytelling!

~ Thanks Matthew ~

Matthew Buchman has published two SF novels and recently sold a 4-book romantic suspense series releasing in August 2011. Somewhere in between those two events, he’s written around two million words of fiction and thought about many foolish things.

www.matthewlieberbuchman.com

What do you think about punctuation?

A curse or a blessing?

Leave a comment. It’s good to know.

Happy Labor Day.

Do You Want to Write. Then Lie (to Yourself)

How Writing is Like Film-making

Why Writing is a Career

I’m a Writer. Should I Get a Book-Deal, Self-Publish or Self-Distribute?

Therapy for Writers in 140 Characters or Less

Is Writing Like Football?

“Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.”

Henry Ford – Industrialist

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• An agent who advices to go the e-publishing way. Advice for a New Writer.
• Tricks of the Trade: Self-Editing Checklist. (via The Blood-Red Pencil). Keeping this handy for later.
• The Secret to Writing a Novel by Eileen Cook. It’s good to know that your way is also right.
• Emotional Investment in Our Story – When to Have it, When to Lose it. (via Mystery Writing is Murder).
• Avoid Blogger Burnout: 5 Tips to Save your Sanity. (via ProBlogger).

What I have done:

• Read 5 books on my reading retreat. Would definitely recommend a reading rampage.
  

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 151,000 words in total. Friday 3 September wrote 1,000 words and Saturday 4 September wrote 1,000 words.

Thanks for coming back again for the third and final post on writer Sean Ferrell.

The first two posts are below if you have not seen them:

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Numb the Character

Today Sean talks about his Amazon Kindle book trailer Numb giving us an idea of how it was created.

If you have not seen it, please take a moment and view it below (you can also view it at Sean’s website and YouTube but if you want a day of ease – clicking one less click – just click play below):

Sean Ferrell’s Numb Book Trailer

Let the interview begin.

Imagine – we’re good at that, writers that we are – Sean Ferrell sitting on a comfy leather chair and I’m sitting on an identical one opposite. The cafe is full of people sheltering from the wind outside. We’ve finished our coffee. There is only silence in our corner. Our faces serious and intense. Then the samurai swords come out. Flick. Flick. No, not really. But the questions and answers are serious and he did answer them with his own email program. Oh Yeah. Ready?

Let the interview begin (again):

~

Q: Was the trailer ad libbed, improvised or scripted?

A: Ad libbed. I spoke into a recorder and did several takes on some lines (like the synopsis of the book). My brilliant brother edited it into one track using the best takes. He then filmed the video and used editing tricks so that the visuals matched my commentary.

~

Q: Who came up with the idea?

A: I did. I wanted to do something simple (one shot, no actors) and quick.

~

Q: Did you have a team to set it up or was it mostly just you and a cameraman?

A: Video was shot in Boston, audio recorded in Brooklyn. The magic of the internet. I recorded the audio and then used a file sharing site to transfer it to my brother. He filmed his own lovely hands (back off ladies, he’s married) with his wife’s Kindle. He created the graphics and sent me the final video via the file sharing site. There were a few minor edits, and then it was done. If it hadn’t been for my brother it wouldn’t have happened, so anyone who hated it: blame Matthew.

~

Thanks Sean ~

Are we going to blame Matthew? No. His hands are too lovely.

The 3 questions just raised more questions. Now I want to know more. Don’t you? This is what I want to know from Sean:

• Your brother Matthew – is he an editor?

• Do you think Matthew will buy his wife an iPad or something that looks like it’s not from 1986 (quoting you mate)?

Perhaps you could ask for me. That samurai sword scene did happen and frankly Sean is scared of me. See that Numb book cover? See that man with the ripped trousers? That’s what I did to Sean’s trousers with my samurai sword people. Oh, it’s okay. Don’t worry, he’s still alive.

Find Sean on Twitter @byseanferrell and ask him anything you want. Tell him I sent you.

Oh take a samurai sword.

You don’t have one?

Take a hammer.

No, he knows about hammers. Don’t take a hammer.

You only have a hammer? (Okay, read previous post and be prepared if you really insist on taking a hammer)

What? You have a ceramic mask?

Where did you hear about that? Nevermind. Take it.

Ready?

Wait.

Be prepared. This is what Harley May had to say about the book Numb. Yep, you heard right, she got to read it – THE BOOK NUMB. See previous post and comment from Harley. She knows something about that ceramic mask and she’s not telling me. She might tell you. (If you really insist on taking that ceramic mask of yours.)

Ready?

Wait.

Be extra prepared. Rumors abound – but I am sure that Patty Blount met Sean Ferrell recently. She might be able to give you clues.

Ready?

Okay.

Go. Go. Go.

Move. Move. Move.

*shouting into the internet ethers*

Sean Ferrell can also be found at his byseanferrell.com website if you don’t find him on…you still there?…Nevermind…Well if you can hear me – have a good weekend…and go safely into the night as someone said sometime somewhere…if not, they should…you still there?

(Please note: I don’t work for Apple though conveniently my last name is Mac. And it is my real name. I have no association with Apple whatsoever. And they didn’t disown me either for deciding to go against the path of technology to chase after my dream path – writing novels. I just love their products.)

Similar Posts ~

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Numb the Character

“High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly, make big decisions quickly, and move into action immediately. Follow these principles and you can make your dreams come true.”

Robert H. Schuller – Author

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• Introducing Guestblogging by Jon Morrow. There are free videos. I’ve signed up.
• Mike Larsen’s 6 Keys to Being a Contentrepreneur has good advice. I read his quote in Christina Katz’s book ‘Get Known Before the Book Deal’: ‘You are in three businesses: the book business, the marketing business, and the people business.’ Get used it people, you are. Hide away that eccentric recluse wannabe side of you. I have to. And you have to too. I know. *Group hug sob sob*
• I’m in it for the long haul. I’m tired but I’m in it for the long haul. Read Publishing Insiders Wrap-Up: From Blog to Book by Pamela Redmond Satran to see what I mean.
• Found Fictionaut.com and I signed up to be notified if I can sign up on this invite-only website. It focuses on short stories but there’s no word limit they say.
• Outsourcing. It makes perfect sense if you have the money to do so. Read BookEnds Spending Money to Make Money.
• The BookDepository.co.uk tells you who bought what book where. (via Guardian.co.uk) Are you a book voyeur?

What I have done:

• Participating. That’s work. It is. It is. *getting annoyed* It is work.
• Cleaned the other bathroom. Okay this isn’t work but there would be angry folk knocking down my door if this isn’t done.
• Christina Katz left a comment on my blog. Hurrah! Thanks Christina. *grins*

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 136,000 in total. Thursday 29 July wrote 1,000 words. Oh Yeah.

It’s great to have you back after the first part of the interview with novelist Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing.

Today, we continue with Sean talking about Numb the main character of his book (the book is also called Numb). I had 3 questions for Sean about his main character and I must admit, and he can verify, that these questions popped into my head while writing my email to Sean. It’s cool that Sean doesn’t mind me being silly. Well, read on and you’ll understand what I mean:

1) If your character could take 3 items on a desert island, what would he take?

I don’t think he would want to take anything. Numb is a pretty unattached guy: at one point he becomes very aware of the uselessness of the materialistic items around him. So, the metaphysical answer to the question would be: nothing.

However, that’s not a fun answer, so: he would take a hammer, his suit, and a ceramic mask.

2) Is the character based on yourself or someone you know or was he conjured up totally from your imagination?

Yes.

I’m not trying to be difficult, but I think that he is all three, an amalgam of me and others and imagination, and I think that if I tried too hard to break him apart and “know” where he came from I wouldn’t have been able to write the novel. Sometimes its just best to listen to our characters instead of picking them apart.

3) If your main character could be an animal, what would he want to be and why?

A monkey, for two reasons. First: monkey is an awesome word and can’t be said enough. Try. Monkey monkey monkey. By the third monkey it’s like heaven.

Second, when I think of a monkey I think of an animal that seems observant and soulful. Numb is both, or at least he is to me.

Somebody ask Sean what he means by saying his character would bring a suit and a ceramic mask. Is it for fun? See, the hammer I understand. I’m dying to ask and should have asked but did not ask. So I’m asking now. Why the suit and ceramic mask? You may think I’m taking this questioning and answering a bit too seriously. You’re probably right. I’m just curious. Sean? Why? You’re going to say they were just random items that came to mind and now under such intense scrutiny you feel you’ve got to make up a reason?

Okay, I’ll quit provoking you.

While we wait for an answer…you could chant monkey monkey monkey to see if it’s like heaven… or you could watch this funny Numb book trailer – no, this book trailer is not the one I responded to – see previous post – this is another one (exact title and video taken from Janet Reid’s website):

Hell with 2010…the world might end Wednesday

Monkey, monkey, monkey…Monkey, monkey, monkey….Monkey, monkey, monkey…

And no, I did not make this up.

Sean, tell them I did not make up the answers.

People please.

Oh, don’t go yet.

Just a reminder, the third part of the interview: Sean Ferrell Talks About the Book Trailer Numb will be posted on Friday.

Yes, I am dragging it out. I’m just too long-winded and frankly I fear for your health, and Sean’s of course.

Don’t worry, I’ll remind you.

I have Twitter and Hootsuite. Oh yeah. I’ve been playing…and probably annoying. All in the name of work.

Monkey, monkey, monkey…I think I feel it’s like heaven.

Try it.

Then find Sean on Twitter @byseanferrell and let him know if you feel it’s like heaven.

Oh, and according to Janet Reid, the world is ending today. So get out there and do something.

Published by HarperPerennial, Numb is out in August 2010.

Numb ~ Review from Publisher’s Weekly
Sean Ferrell, Harper Perennial, $13.99 paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-06-194650-9
In Ferrell’s offbeat debut, an amnesiac joins a Texas circus where his inability to feel pain makes him a big-top hit and earns him the name Numb. After a haunting experience wrestling a lion, Numb and his best friend, Mal, give up the circus for life in New York, where they live in a crappy hotel and make a living as a lowrent one-man freak show. When Numb lands a talent agent and begins to move up through the layers of celebrity, he leaves Mal behind for a cast of characters including a blind artist girlfriend and bad news model Emilia. But in Numb’s world, nothing hurts much at all, so Mal comes back and predictably turns things upside down, despite the men’s bond being difficult to comprehend. There are captivating moments and passages, but details like Numb’s rise to recognized-on-the-street fame aren’t sufficiently explained and require a hefty suspension of disbelief. Though some of the storytelling nuts and bolts are missing, the book has a lot of heart. (Aug.)

(via Sean Ferrell’s website)

[All photos used belong to Sean Ferrell]

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About the Book Trailer Numb

Chuck Sambuchino – An Interview: Published Book, Writing and a Writer’s Life (Part 1)

“You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone, which can become a watered-down, occasional hope that you’ll get to tomorrow. Intention without action is useless.”

Caroline Myss – Author

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• Ebooks. More angst. Read When Assholes Collide by Matt Stewart (via Huffington Post).
• “Electronic rights are not e-book rights”. Read E-book Traps by Ron Knight (via UpAuthors.com). Something to think about.
• Could ‘The Jackal’ be the Death of Publishing? (via The Independent). I don’t know.
• There’s a 3 day novel writing contest in September. It sounds crazy to write a novel in 3 days and I’m tempted to try it.
• Mythbusting by Rachelle Gardner. It’s good to know.

What I have done:

• Learning about Squidoo.
• I cleaned my room and the bathroom. Ah, the smell of fresh linen. A gleaming bathroom is a wonderful bathroom.

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 135,000 in total. Tuesday 27 July 2,000 words.