Shaken & Stirred: Word Count

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May 06, 2008

Word Count

Word Count
Originally uploaded by gwenda

Before you judge, I wrote 1900 words--and they weren't half-bad.

Blurriness should be attributed to the ~~photographer~~my cameraphone. A couple more snaps at the old Flickr, including one of Puck licking the keyboard.

The Neo is my favorite thing since EVER. Proper post soon, but it works sweetly with Scrivener. A winning combination.

Also, please admire the edge of our new table!

Oh, and I have a question, for you smartypants types: Is there a special name for the center of a labyrinth?

Posted at 08:10 PM in Cat and Dog Theater, Write Porn | Permalink

Comments

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Aww! Puck is an adorable writing buddy. He looks like he's ready to take a turn at the keyboard at any moment! (Either that, or be a really sweet distraction...)

Posted by: Steph Burgis | May 07, 2008 at 03:11 AM

I've seen "omphalos" used for the center of a labyrinth (it's Greek for "navel"), but I think that was just one writer's usage. (I had to look it up then; today I didn't remember the word but I remembered "Greek for navel" so I looked that up.)

Actually, "navel" itself might be a good word choice, depending on your needs.

Posted by: Jeffrey Smith | May 07, 2008 at 10:47 AM

Interesting, Jeffrey. Maybe I'll invent something; I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing an already-existent resonant term.

If only Puck could type, Steph, he'd be a true circus dog.

Posted by: Gwenda | May 07, 2008 at 12:46 PM

I just looked over some kid versions of the Minotaur myth and saw references to Theseus walking deeper into the labrynth and "out from the cavern came the beast..." You might want to chack a more complete version of that myth to see if the Greeks used omphalos or any other word for the center other "cavern". It seems that's the most common use of labrynth in story that western language has - if it's going to be anywhere, it would be there.

Posted by: Colleen | May 07, 2008 at 01:15 PM

Your dog is ADORABLE!!! A glass of wine and a dog - what could be better than that?

Posted by: Barbara O'Connor | May 07, 2008 at 04:25 PM

I think I have six typos in that earlier comment. I'm going to blame my keyboard...:)

There is an essay on labyrinths in the Winter issue of Cabinet (the "Bones" issue). I haven't picked it up yet - I'm hoping it is still lingering at the bookstores on Saturday - but you might want to check out a copy for any insight on the center.

I must say your subject sounds like way more fun than my current chapter on flying sled dogs.

Posted by: Colleen | May 08, 2008 at 03:57 AM

I judge not by typos. And oddly enough I JUST bought that issue of Cabinet last weekend -- hadn't had a chance to read it yet. Danke!

Posted by: Gwenda | May 08, 2008 at 05:51 AM

The NEO is the berries..a writer's best friend. They'll have to put mine into the coffin with me, just in case I get a late inspiration.

Your work desk looks a lot like mine, although the stuff in my wine glass is usually red.

Posted by: Marko | May 08, 2008 at 08:32 PM

Your dog looks kinda like a monkey. In a good way.

Posted by: Brad Listi | May 10, 2008 at 08:55 PM

He kinda is a monkey.

Posted by: Gwenda | May 12, 2008 at 08:31 AM

About

Appendices

Read Read

Kathi Appelt: The Underneath
Appelt's first novel is a beautiful, magical fantasy for younger readers that will instantly become a classic. Seriously. I can imagine this book being in classrooms right alongside Charlotte's Web in a hundred years. The writing is poetic in the good way, and there's a lamia. Children are going to absolutely fall in love with Appelt's equally kind and brutal universe, where love conquers most, and it can take millenia to come to your senses.
Jincy Willett: The Writing Class
With her second novel, Willett matches the perfect pitch and execution of her brilliant short stories. Every writer will want to read this novel--very little wincing is involved, but expect a great deal of laughter. C and I found ourselves reading pieces aloud, after howling provoked the "what's so funny?" question. As with any good writing workshop or class, the characters become more appealing as you get to know them, and ultimately what she has pulled off is a satisfying mystery, and a satisfying exploration of humanity. Amy Gallup is a character to remember.
Karen Joy Fowler: Wit's End
A new novel by Karen Fowler really is something to be excited about, unlike many of the writers for whom such praise gets bandied about. (If you're smirking because you think you know something about her work from the title--not the book--The Jane Austen Book Club, please go sit in the corner and read any of her novels. You're welcome.) This is an unmystery-like mystery, concerned not so much with dead bodies--though there are plenty--as with the mysteries of healing and the heart, politics and people. How is it that a writer gets a lens on the present that's as revealing as the one she employs in historical fiction? Now that's a mystery. Highly recommended.
Steve Erickson: Zeroville
Steve Erickson novels are often like dreams, or revelations, or discovered artifacts, or written just for you. Zeroville's no different, although it is perhaps the most readily graspable example of his work to date. The Rosetta Stone is there; the secret decoder ring is a film projector. The dizzying Hollywood confidential stylings will make your inner film geek happy, but the uncovering of a truly mythic cinematic story--since cinema has existed forever--of sacrifice and redemption is even more memorable. See also: this review.
Ursula Dubosarsky: The Red Shoe (Neal Porter Books)
Set in Sydney during WWII, this wonderful novel travels between the view from inside each of three sisters. Dubosarsky perfectly captures the differences that come from being the younger, older, or middle child. Perfectly conjuring the period, and yet creating a completely accessible story, the narrative contrasts chapters focusing on the family with interstitials from the Sydney newspapers of the time, stories of polio, the H-bomb, and a defecting Russian spy (who happens to be in hiding next door). Nothing here is heavy-handed. Everything is perfectly balanced. It's a beautiful, beautiful novel. See my full take here.
Kara Jesella: How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time
So, I'll tell you up front that this book delivers the goods. You will wallow in your Sassy forever-love, and feel as if you've just binged on a lot of especially great issues when you finish it. As the ladies say, this was a magazine about hope. Hope that there was something out there, some Great Beyond better than your teenagedom. And, lo and behold, that promise was kept, even though Sassy got murdered. Added bonus? An excellent portrait of the beginning of Third Wave feminism. See my full take here.