Lost in a Book

[Paul Whybrow]

One of the joys of reading is getting lost in another world, in someone else's life. The same applies to writing stories, where we transport ourselves, and the reader, to unexpected places and unpredictable situations.

I have four books on the go, at the moment. I'm enjoying Helen Cadbury's second crime novel, Bones in the Nest, which is set in York, and I'm absolutely blown-away by Don Winslow's latest, The Force. The mean streets of New York have never been better portrayed.

For variety, I'm laughing at the cartoons of Posy Simmonds, whose Literary Life brilliantly skewers the neuroses of writers, bookshop owners, publishers and literary agents. 100 Prized Poems: twenty-five years of the Forward Books is an anthology of the best poems published by them. The verses have taken me all over the world, and from births to love affairs to death beds.

Writing-wise, I'm still in competition mode. I've polished a 3,000-word short story, set in Cornwall in 1968 when a branch railway is shut down, as told by a steam locomotive driver. I also revisited a short horror story, set in modern times but featuring a cursed man stricken by an immortal witch. I'm partway through writing another short story, in the first person of a demon who's reading out a charge sheet to a doomed soul before casting him into Hades.

It helps to be schizophrenic!

Where in the world are you?

And, who are you pretending to be at the moment?

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I've been enjoying exploring the Southern Alps (that's the line of mountains running the length of NZ's South Island) with the characters of my WIP. I've been to some of the places they're traveling to, but not all. I think I may have to do a real trip this summer, though some of the places are inaccessible to me, as I'm not an experienced mountaineer (nor do I have a dragon to fly me there, which is how my characters get there). I'm sending them to the North Island next, to the amazing volcanic landscape in Waimangu Valley. Looking forward to revisiting that place through the photographs from my last visit there. Best of all, my characters are currently enjoying mid-summer, so I can sit shivering in my office dreaming of long summer days.

 

[Matnov]

In my WIP, then its all about a UK that is imploding under the impact of the deadly 'Piranha Virus' with the situation deteriorating by the hour. So far its been Paris, London, Estonia and Wiltshire as locations. Not done to much research (this is a first draft. I find I am more productive if I sort out the miniature on subsequent drafts) although the London part is all home territory.

 

[Patricia D]

I'm at a little cabin in the North Georgia mountains - but only for another week - and happily losing myself in multiple books that I'm reading plus writing a novel set in Atlanta and a short story set in Omaha. There is an area just north of here where copper mining created 50 square miles of biological desert. People continued to live there and copper mining went on until twenty or so years ago. Restoring the land has been ongoing since the Great Depression and is finally taking hold, but there are old timers who miss their copper hills. I'd love to write about this place and did write a blog about one notorious resident, Dr. Hicks, but I still haven't gotten a firm enough hold on things to do the bigger story justice. What is it like to live in a place where nothing is alive except human beings? How does that affect people? In addition to the environmental devastation, there is the company town aspect, rural isolation, and fundamentalist religion. I've been thinking about this book for three years now and have made almost no progress, but someday...

 

[AliG]

Peru, but not thrilled to be there. A recommended book, so reading then ploughing now skimming. In England next, but also currently in Canada and Botswana. Multi-book reading- is it as bad a habit as I suspect?

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I practice serial monogamy, myself, when it comes to reading.

 

[James Marinero]

Back in the UK for a few weeks. Just heard that an old soldier (dad of my ex) has died - he supplied me with the material for a short story about Jewish conscripts being routinely murdered in an army camp in the early 1950's. He worked for the SIB (Army CID) and caught the culprits, actually shooting one (only wounding). It was all hushed up (several deaths explained as suicides) and he was regularly made to re-sign the Official Secrets Act thereafter: 'The Visitors' is one of my few short stories. The sad thing is that this sort of stuff still goes on.

 

[Ancora Imparo]

Someone on here gave a link to an interview with John Yorke about his book Into the Woods, How Stories Work and Why we Tell Them. I liked the interview enough to buy the book and so far have not been disappointed. It's a dense read, but great. Also reading Horrible Histories and Half a King by Joe Abercrombie (to get a flavour of what boys like to read). I'm enjoying them all, but very aware I'm reading with an eye to study as well as enjoyment so not quite disappearing into the world the way I do when I read for the sheer pleasure of it. I have piles of books I plan to immerse myself in one day. Ah. One day...

 

[AliG]

I'm in Into the Woods but popping in and out; prob not the way to read it. Excellent though. Forthcoming holiday should see its completion. I hope.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I recently enjoyed Into the Woods—while wondering at John Yorke's waspish comments about other writing gurus, especially Robert McKee—though a lot of experts have a go at him, possibly because he's never won an Oscar himself, although he's taught 63 winners (I wonder how that made him feel?).

I see that John Yorke earns a pretty penny from his own courses:

John Yorke's online courses: understand and tell stories better

 

[Paul Whybrow]

These readers are not so much lost, as enjoying the perfect means of escape:

Underground New York Public Library

 

[MaryA]

I'm in an old shabby apartment in the 5th arrondissement in Paris worrying about a stalker, fiction-wise. And I'm writing up copy for small luxury hotels in the Mediterranean. Researching on the Internet, o rabbit hole #245 how do I love thee.

I'm also sitting in a dusty spring at the foot of Africa reading Sybille Bedord's final memoir Quicksands. I'm planning a trip to Kigali in Rwanda early next year, looking at maps and outdated guidebooks.

And I'm about to edit a cookbook that is Ottolenghi meets Nobu. Also reading Naomi Duguid's book on food in Burma.

And playing moderator/teaching assistant on a forum all about wild experimental poetry. And dreaming up a little flash fiction on the side --

+ dogspartnerhouseholddishwashingleftoversgroceryshoppingdogwalkingcookingpastalifeaswe knowit

 

[AliG]

I recently enjoyed Into the Woods—while wondering at John Yorke's waspish comments about other writing gurus, especially Robert McKee—though a lot of experts have a go at him, possibly because he's never won an Oscar himself, although he's taught 63 winners (I wonder how that made him feel?).

I see that John Yorke earns a pretty penny from his own courses:

John Yorke's online courses: understand and tell stories better

Love courses; time and money become the rate-limiting features.

Thankfully out of Peru now but in airline crashes regularly reading Black Box Thinking. Makes you wonder if it's all as factual as it sounds. One tends to accept that they are rather than verifying 'facts'- which would take ages.

 

[Patricia D]

I've spent the last few days trying to get lost in a book - it really is a better place