How bits of other work can enhance new writing

This is one example of how a seemingly unrelated work adds color to text. 


Years ago I wrote a poem about myself as a flower. Since I was in Orleans, France taking a poetry class, it was written in French. The poem makes a lovely tribute to my younger sister who died of a heroin overdose several years ago. She was known for her long, beautiful, blond hair.


le fleur


Je suis devenue une fleur jaune comme le soleil.  Mes peids se sont changes en racines sous la terre.  Mes cheveux ont disparu et des petales jaunes ont pris leur place.  Une grande tige, solide et verte, a remplacer mes jambes.  Du pollen sucre recouvre mon visage.  De jolis oiseaux ont chante pour moi et les papillons me couvrent avec du bouche-a-bouche.


The Flower


I turned into a flower, yellow like the sun. My feet became roots under the earth. My hair disappeared and yellow petals took its place. A tall stem, solid and green, replaced my legs. Sweet pollen covered my face. Pretty birds sang to me and butterflies covered me with kisses.


I plan to include it in a memorial for my sister to be published in an upcoming newsletter for Child Healthcare is a Legal Duty. It will also be featured at the beginning of a chapter of No Place Like Home. 

Top Writers Remind us of the Importance of Reading to Improved Writing

Jennifer Egan and Allison Winn Scotch tell us that reading is crucial to improved writing.
Scotch says “This doesn’t mean that you have to devour a book a week, but I do think it means that you have a higher appreciation and love of the written word (and 300 pages of those words) than the average person. I think being a successful writer means reading your peers and learning from them too – I can’t tell you how much reading authors whom I admire has helped me up my game.”

Pulitzer Prize winner, Egan tell us "that reading is an essential part of the profession." 

                Just in time for summer reading!

Deception in Memoir and Blogs Harmful

Speculation over the existence of the gay girl thought to have been abducted/arrested in Damascus raises the issue of fraud in storytelling. Although the person posting about politics in the Middle East did much to raise awareness about a number of issues, another blow has been dealt to the public's faith in the veracity of personal accounts.  

Here is an article posted on Galley Cat today, one day after an interview on NPR detailed evidence of the fraud.

Here is the horrifying story: “while her companion was still close by, Amina was seized by three men in their early 20’s. According to the witness (who does not want her identity known), the men were armed. Amina hit one of them and told the friend to go find her father. One of the men then put his hand over Amina’s mouth and they hustled her into a red Dacia Logan with a window sticker of Basel Assad … The men are assumed to be members of one of the security services or the Baath Party militia. Amina’s present location is unknown and it is unclear if she is in a jail or being held elsewhere in Damascus.”

This from NPR's Two Way blog on June 10th;

Her blog was so autobiographical, so genuine that it never occurred to her that Amina could be anyone but Amina. But the last few days have left her shellshocked.

First, because on Monday, a person claiming to be Amina's cousin posted a piece on Amina's blog that said she had been detained by the security forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

But just as Amina's story got out, her authenticity began to crumble. Along with a profile of Amina, The Guardian posted a picture they say was given to them by Amina, only to find it was really a picture of Jelena Lecic, a Londoner who appeared on the BBC today and said she had "never met Amina. I am not friends with her."

As we reported earlier, we sifted through biographical details Amina posted throughout her "Gay Girl In Damascus" blog and could not corroborate them using public records. We could not find public records that corresponded with whom she said her parents were or records that correspond to the person who claimed to be her cousin.

Portland Ranks 19th on Amazon's "Well-read" Cities

Today Amazon counted the Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities in America. The list analyzed “data of all book, magazine and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since Jan. 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents.”
The complete list follows below–much to this GalleyCat editor’s dismay, does not include New York City. Maybe this means New Yorkers spend more time shopping at bookstores?

Check it out: “Cambridge, Mass.–home to the prestigious Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology–also topped the list of cities that ordered the most nonfiction books … Florida was the state with the most cities in the Top 20, with Miami, Gainesville and Orlando making the list.” (Via Publishers Lunch)

1. Cambridge, Mass.

2. Alexandria, Va.
3. Berkeley, Calif.
4. Ann Arbor, Mich.
5. Boulder, Colo.
6. Miami
7. Salt Lake City
8. Gainesville, Fla.
9. Seattle
10. Arlington, Va.
11. Knoxville, Tenn.
12. Orlando, Fla.
13. Pittsburgh
14. Washington, D.C.
15. Bellevue, Wash.
16. Columbia, S.C.
17. St. Louis, Mo.
18. Cincinnati
19. Portland, Ore.
20. Atlanta

Andrew Wylie on Quality Editing

From Galley Cat;

In the new issue of WSJ Magazine, agent Andrew Wylie shared his thoughts about the contemporary publishing industry in an opinionated essay. We got a sneak peek at the essay where the famous agent pondered our digital future.
His essay stressed that despite self-publishing options, the writing profession needs “a chain of people who have authority and can help convey what is essential.” What do you think?
Here’s an excerpt: “The devaluation of quality editing and writing is sad and it’s inevitable. Each house has a large number of titles to publish, and with a difficult economy, fewer people to handle the publications. But publishers need to become smaller, leaner, and they will have to learn new disciplines. The whole one-year publication process must be reduced.”
UPDATE: Readers respond on Facebook:

Hookline Books: “Authors still need the endorsement of an outside party, be it a publisher, a prominent reviewer, advocate”

Leah Cummins Guinn “I’ve read quite a few self-pubbed books, and even though some were very good and most were average, all of them could have been greatly improved by a good editor.”

Olga Gardner Galvin “Some authors need outside validation; others less so. All authors need an editor and a proofreader.”

Jaycee Dugard is Writing a Memoir about Life in Captivity

From Galley Cat;

On July 12, Simon & Schuster will publish a book by kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard.

Entitled A Stolen Life, the book will provide a “stark, compelling narrative” about her tragic story. Last year, Dugard and her mother appeared in an ABC News feature. Her mother concluded with this statement: “As a mother I am pleading for our privacy in this very public story.”

Here’s more from the release: “Dugard, who was kidnapped at the age of 11 by Phillip and Nancy Garrido and held captive for 18 years, during which time she bore him two children, tells the full story of her ordeal in the book … [It] been written by the 31-year-old Dugard herself and will cover the period from the time of her abduction in 1991 up until the present.”

Teen Who Faked Pregnancy Hires Literary Agent

From Galley Cat;

Washington teenager Gaby Rodriguez rocked the news cycle last month when she revealed that she faked pregnancy for a school project. The 17-year-old has hired literary agent Sharlene Martin of Martin Literary Management. She will share representation with Seattle attorney Anne Bremner.
Rodriquez mounted the project to expose stereotypes and “shed light on the social aspects of teen pregnancy.” She has reportedly received over 100 requests from media outlets to tell her story. Above, we’ve embedded an ABC News video about the project.
The high school student had this statement in the release: “ The point I was trying to get across is that you have to take control of your life and not live your life in the shadows of stereotypes and rumors … I had no idea my project would get this much attention.”