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Whimsy

This is the space where some interesting (or not so interesting) information will appear.

 

My favourite summer read

 

  
 
I'm not generally a lover of the short story format, but I do make exceptions - for Alice Munro (because she's so spot-on brilliant), for the annual The Best Australian Short Stories (because it's good to know what's happening in the local literary scene and occasionally a friend of mine is published here), and in any anthology I may be lucky enough to be included in (need I say more). But Sizzle, Seduce & Simmer is such good-natured fun AND comes with recipes - and we're talking real life recipes here, not those amazing things world-class chefs tell you it is a breeze to prepare... if you've a spare fortnight and are willing to sacrifice your first born - that it is the perfect summer read. My mother adores the copy I gave her for Christmas. She's rung me on several occasions to a) outline the differences between her and Marion Lennox's Bread and Butter Puddings; b) why don't I write a short story and get included in such a lovely book; and c) isn't Blueberry Stud Muffins a great name. This week I'm planning on trying the Sinful and Saucy Salmon Seduction - sounds divine, doesn't it?
 

Currently: My favourite 5 ...

  
... Movies ...Recent non-romance reads

 

1. When Harry met Sally

2. Fever Pitch (the 1997 UK one)

3. Love Actually

4. Lord of the Rings

5. Bread and Tulips

1. Gilead – Marilynne Robinson

2. Runaway – Alice Munro

3. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree – Nick Hornby

4. The Lollipop Shoes – Joanne Harris

5. Digging to America – Anne Tyler

My favourite books about writing

GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon
I reach for this book whenever I run into a major roadblock with one of my plots. Or if I’m trying to decide if a new story idea has enough oomph. This book makes me focus my mind in a different way, which is often useful.

Building Better Plots by Robert Kernen
This how-to comes with a complete tutorial to help you build a novel from scratch. I’ve never tried completing the full tutorial, but I’ll often use the character questionnaires to really get to know my characters before diving into a new story.

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande
This is one of those inspirational books that can restore a writer’s confidence. It tells you that you CAN be a writer (that you are not crazy for wanting to be a writer), and then offers practical advice. (Plus it has a foreword by John Gardner – see below)

Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan
The subtitle says it all – a guide to writing more descriptively. There are some great exercises and ideas in this book for incorporating all the six senses in your descriptions.

The Art of Fiction by John Gardner
If forced to pick my all-time favourite, it would probably be this one. He’s bossy and authoritative and high-minded, and I don’t agree with everything he says, but whenever I read him, Mr Gardner makes me want to be a better writer.

 

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Copyright © 2008 by Michelle Douglas.
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