Reading, Writing, Ranting, Recommending: Hello Again

September 11, 2024

Hello! Last week was one of those weeks when I lost control of my time early in the week and never quite got it back. There was nothing major, but a lot of time-consuming nonsense overtook me, and suddenly, it was Friday, and I hadn’t posted. Anyway, I’m back and hope to be on top of things for the foreseeable future!

Reading

I read God Of The Woods this week after it felt like everyone I knew was reading it and raving about it. It was, indeed, a compelling read. I stayed up far too late reading it but it was well worth it. The book had so many layers and levels, and the characters were compelling. The ending surprised me, which I always love! It was a great read.

Writing

Last weekend, I went to Chelsea Bieker’s launch of Madwoman in San Francisco! I’ve been a fan of Chelsea’s work for a long time, and her workshops are some of the best I’ve taken. It’s always fun to meet writers you admire in person, especially when they’re as lovely as Chelsea. Madwoman is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and hearing her read from it was so delightful.

I was surreptitiously taking notes on my phone during her Q&A, and one of the things she said is something I’ve been exploring a lot recently. Chelsea was speaking about how her books tend to deal with similar subject matter and how, with each book, she’s addressing it from a different angle, but it’s still the same “stuff.” She said that she frequently asks herself, “What are the formative questions of my art?” and that’s something I’m considering a lot lately, too. I feel like I’m going through some internal shifts about my work and the truths I’m circling back to again and again. It was such a fantastic event — I’m so glad I got to be there.

In terms of my own writing, I’m full steam ahead on my novel (it’s both a fun project and the work I’m doing for my MFA this semester). I’m noticing that one thing I’m struggling with is using flashbacks too frequently. In creative nonfiction, flashbacks are kind of the whole thing: you use your experiences to make meaning, so of course you move backwards in time. But in fiction, it can bring a story to a halt. I’m trying to figure out how to move the plot forward while providing backstory WITHOUT just flashing back! HELP! Writer pals, if you have any craft articles, send them my way, I beg you.

Ranting

Last time, I talked about how annoying it is in true crime shows when people say, “It was a small town where we didn’t even lock our doors!” and WOW, I am not alone. I got so many voice memos and texts, plus comments here, agreeing with me.

While I’m ranting about stupid things in true crime, let me add another one: I listen to a lot of Dateline as I fall asleep (I’m in therapy, it’s fine) and there is one anchor who asks what I consider to be the worst questions on earth. The transcripts are something like this:

FAMILY MEMBER: This killer clown up and shot my mom.

DATELINE ANCHOR: How did it feel when that happened?

FAMILY MEMBER: Well, it was horrible. I was only 10 and —

DATELINE ANCHOR INTERRUPTING: Would you say that you were traumatized?

FAMILY MEMBER: Yes, I was traumatized.

DATELINE ANCHOR: Tell me about your mom. Was she kind and funny? Did she light up a room?

FAMILY MEMBER: Yes, my mom was kind and funny and she lit up the room.

LOOK. HOW DO YOU THINK PEOPLE FEEL WHEN THEY ENDURE A BRUTAL LOSS OF A FAMILY MEMBER?! WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR?! Also, when you start the questioning with “Did she light up a room?” do you expect the person to say, “No, she didn’t.”

NO LEADING QUESTIONS, NO DUMB QUESTIONS, MY GOD BE BETTER. GIVE ME KEITH MORRISON OR NO ONE.

Recommending

For some reason, whenever I get really into skincare TikTok, it also serves me up a lot of hygiene videos. I’m not sure why my FYP thinks that I’m somehow a stinky monster, but one thing about me is that I already have an extensive shower routine. Not like a fun “Everything Shower” routine, but my daily routine involves multiple soaps, exfoliants, and scrubs because I’ll be damned if I’m going to be That Stinky Teacher. You know the one.

Anyway, TikTok recently insisted that I purchase African Net Sponge to use (in addition to my silicone loofah and washcloth) and it has been ages since I’ve liked a new shower product this much. My skin is so soft! I can use it to scrub my back really well! I just pour some body wash into it (I use Dove Antibacterial first and then one from Native) and it lathers up beautifully. I am obsessed.