Monthly Archives: July 2012

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Writing and the Craft of Sushi Making

Posted on Categories Inspiration, JapanLeave a comment

It really comes down to making an effort and repeating the same thing every day.

Last night Mick and I watched a great documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It’s gotten fantastic reviews, we both love sushi, and since visiting Japan in 2007 I’m kind of enamored of the place in general, so we figured it would be interesting. It turned out to be more than that–it was inspiring.

Considered by many to be the best sushi chef in the world, Jiro Ono is a national treasure in Japan. So, what does it take to become the best sushi chef in the world? Well, for one thing, Jiro has been practicing and perfecting the craft of creating sushi for seventy-five years.

He tastes every piece of fish, trains his employees meticulously (even after ten years, his senior apprentice is still sometimes regarded as a novice), and thinks about sushi and how to improve his craft in nearly every waking moment. As the title says, he dreams of sushi.

Says Jiro:

Once you decide on your occupation, you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That’s the secret of success and is it’s the key to being regarded honorably.

 

While I’d say that Jiro is not a man who has achieved balance in his life (he doesn’t seem to need it as he’s content to put all of his  energy into his occupation), I couldn’t help but be inspired by his work ethic. After only four years of studying and practicing the craft of writing, I am still a mere beginner. I must practice my chosen occupation every day.

Will I some day become a true master? If it takes 75 years, then perhaps not, but it’s certainly something to strive for. With every word comes improvement, albeit in small increments, but still there is progress. With every sentence comes increased mastery.

It’s not the first time I’ve compared a Japanese craft to the craft of writing. In 2009 I wrote a post called Secrets of the Samarai Sword:

The level of expertise required to make a sword can be applied to any field, whether it be sword making, jewelry making, or in my case now, writing. Young people apprentice in this work at an early age and through the years become experts themselves, thus preserving a tradition that is hundreds of years old. It is a reminder that to be good at anything, even if one possesses natural talent, takes years of practice. It is affirming and daunting at the same time–I am a novice at writing, at least as it pertains to novels, and I have a lot of work in front of me to become an “expert.”

There is still much work to be done, but in the end, it is worth it.

A Little Validation Goes a Long Way

Posted on Categories Writing, Diary of Bedlam6 Comments on A Little Validation Goes a Long Way

Diary of Bedlam update: Still querying agents and waiting for agents to get back to me.

The waiting game can be hard and frustrating. Although I must say the more time that goes by, the more I forget I’m waiting because I’m working on new projects. I’ve got actual deadlines, people! That feels good, makes me feel more legitimate for some reason.

In the midst of all this waiting I also sent the DOB manuscript to a professional editor. It was something I’d been contemplating for awhile, especially because I’ve been thinking seriously about self-publishing. On Sunday, I got my edit letter back and it was very encouraging.

There’s some work to be done, sure. But the editor (whose previous experience includes a few big 6 publishers) says DOB might be the book that could get me a NY contract. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear that until I actually heard that. She agreed I wouldn’t be compromising by self-publishing since it might be more lucrative to do it, but if I still had my sights set on a traditional deal, DOB was a contender (okay, my words, not hers).

So I’ve got a little revising to do and then I’ll be querying agents throughout the fall. If I don’t get any bites, maybe I’ll go the self-publishing route.

As a reminder, I’m contributing a story to the FEEDING KATE anthology which will be released in October. It promises to be a fantastic book, so please consider making a contribution so you can get your copy.

And in other news I’ve started (or rather expanded) a home/lifestyle blog called Crafty Devilish. I figure I spend so much time looking at home decor blogs, food blogs, etc. that I should put all that interest to good use. But I did it for another reason as well: after putting most of my creative energy into writing for the last four years I realized I wasn’t as happy as I wanted to be. I needed another creative outlet and Crafty Devilish is it. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, pay the blog a visit and get regular updates on Facebook by “liking” it.

 

 

 

Feeding Kate – A Charity Anthology

Posted on Categories Writing, Inspiration, Books, Current Affairs2 Comments on Feeding Kate – A Charity Anthology

I am honored to announce I will be contributing a story to a charity anthology called FEEDING KATE. It benefits someone whose very dear to me and many others in the crime fiction community, Sabrina Ogden. She suffers from lupus and needs a jaw surgery that her insurance company won’t pay for (those bastards). Laura Benedict, Laura Curtis, Clare Toohey, and Neliza Drew organized an Indiegogo campaign to fund it, and for just $5 you can get an e-copy of the anthology. An $18 contribution will get you the print version, and higher donations will get you a signed copy. All the details are here.

Even though I call this a “charity anthology,” it really doesn’t feel like charity. You know why? Because your contribution will get you a kick ass crime fiction anthology featuring stories from some of the best crime fiction authors writing today:

I know, huh? It’s great to be included in such an awesome list of writers–I am humbled.

If you’re unable to contribute, you can still help by posting about this anthology on your blog, interviewing one of the authors, tweeting about it, posting it on Facebook, etc. We all appreciate any promotional help you can give for this cause.

Where are my Bootstraps?

Posted on Categories Writing2 Comments on Where are my Bootstraps?


I try to stay pretty upbeat online, really, I do. I try not to give in to my dark thoughts, I mostly avoid passive aggressive status reports, and in general, I don’t want to be a complainer, or come off as negative. Which doesn’t mean I don’t state my opinion when I have one, it only means I try to be nice about it, or at least have a semi-well-informed argument.

The thing is, I am a complainer. I can be bitter and resentful and petty. In fact, bitter and resentful and petty might just be my default state. But I’m working on it, I swear I am.

The last few days have been a bit hard for me though. It all started with a rejection on Friday morning, the first email of the day. It wasn’t a particularly surprising one, nor was it from someone I’d placed a lot of hope on, but I hadn’t seen one for awhile and it shook me. I spent all of Friday in a terrible mood and after a weekend of pretending none of my WIPs existed, today I find myself feeling a little like giving up. You know, giving up this writing thing. I won’t do it of course but there’s just that urge to say fuck it and get a job at Starbucks, or, as I’m so fond of joking, be a greeter at Walmart.

I realize I’m just feeling sorry for myself (and really, for no good reason–nothing’s changed in my writing world, which admittedly might be part of the problem). This type of self pity is similar to work avoidance in that it feels a bit legitimate. I’ve been doing this for this many years and what have I accomplished? Of course I should quit! It’s kind of the same as saying I’ll get to work as soon as I sharpen all these pencils because otherwise, what will I write with?

There’s this thing that I know exists, but I don’t often hear it spoken of. It’s writer’s jealousy. If left unchecked, it can be a potent poison, and I think I’ve been letting it get to me. This is where I need to put on the blinders and say the good fortune that other writers have has nothing to do with me–and to call it good fortune is a bit disrespectful because it doesn’t take into account all of the hard work, the time spent, and the patience that other writers have put into their own craft. Regardless, I’m happy for all of their good fortune and writer’s jealousy isn’t based on resentment about what they’ve accomplished it’s about my own perceived failure.

This post isn’t a prelude to me giving up, not at all. It’s simply me putting it out there, I’m feeling bummed, impatient, bitter. It happens to us all, no matter what we do, no matter what our goals. The best way to combat it is to simply take the next step or another step in whatever it is that’s going to get you closer to where you want to be. In my case, it’s getting a few hundred words written. So I think I’ll end this here and get to work.