Naked, Drunk, and Writing – Adair Lara

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Tiffani Hill-Patterson

I’ll admit it. The title caught my eye. In the right context, all three are fun. But what author Adair Lara is talking about in Naked, Drunk, and Writing is letting go of your inhibitions and getting your story on paper.

I picked it up and read the back cover of questions she promises to help readers answer and was hooked:

How do I know where to start my piece and where to end it? (Exactly!)
How do I make myself write when I’m too scared or lazy or busy? (Definitely need help here.)
What makes a good pitch letter, and how do I get mine noticed?
I’m ready to publish – now where do I find an agent?
If I show my manuscript to my mother, will I ever be invited to a family gathering again? (Sorry, Mom!)

Lara, a former columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, MFA teacher, and an Associated Press Best Columnist in California, divides the book into five sections: writing down your story, personal essays, techniques, memoirs, and getting published. Each section is broken into easily digestible pieces, such as outlining the essay, using images to provide details, being careful with tone, and how to handle rejection and acceptance.

The author gets to the heart of the matter by asking you to dig deep and be honest. Give the reader specific details, put them in the scene, add emotion but leave out the sentimentality. Make them hear the waves lapping at the jagged rocks, make them feel the heat of your skin reddened by the sweltering afternoon sun.

Additionally, Lara offers writing exercises and prompts within each section. For example, when discussing emotion and details, she suggests we “write about the thing beside the thing.” It’s the tiniest of details that can bring the story to life.

Another bit of advice: “Part of finding your voice is knowing whom you’re talking to,” she says. Lara tells the story of author Jane Jacobs, who would share her ideas with a Celtic novelist, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin. The imagined conversations often led to new ways of looking at ordinary objects, Jacobs said.

The most helpful part of the book for me has been how to find an angle. Many stories live in my head, but I have trouble figuring out why and how I should tell them. What’s the point in talking about burning old love letters? Lara’s techniques have enabled me to get to the meat of piece and end up with something that, although personal to me, still touches someone else.

Naked, Drunk, and Writing has won a place on my writing shelf … next to Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones, and Brenda Ueland’s If You Want to Write.

Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog – Lisa Scottoline

Posted on July 18, 2011 by StacyJ

Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman has been sitting on my bookshelf for a while now. I received it as a gift from my friend Allie some time ago. I decided now was a good time as any to pick it up and read it.

I’m not a short story reader, nor do I really read collections of essays. As I started reading this I found the familiarity of James Patterson-style chapters, but with each mini-chapter telling a new story. I really didn’t think I was going to be the target reader for this book either. Scottoline writes a lot about her age, empty nesting and her divorces from Thing I and Thing II. I have to say I chuckled every time I read that.

While I couldn’t be sympathetic or understand some of the issues she writes about in the book, I found myself identifying parallels in my own life as she talked about her relationship with her daughter Francesca in her own words and in Francesca’s, as well as with Mother Mary. But where I felt I could bond with her most were the sections where she wrote about her struggle to be a writer and her love of animals.

The particular story that stayed with me was about the death of her and Francesca’s beloved Golden Retriever Lucy. While Lucy was a dog, her bond with the Scottoline women reminded me much of my mom and I’s bond with our dear cat Skippy who passed years ago now. The mannerisms, the loyalty to Francesca and the grief over her death brought me back to a moment in time from years ago. It also opened my eyes to the life lessons Scottoline has introduced throughout the book.

In each and every story I read I found myself learning something about life. I know now to always to wear a bra because you never know when a Corgi is going to bite the tip of your finger off. I know I’m not the only one who is a constant interrupter and that it’s a good thing I am or a conversation would be extremely boring. I learned that wanting to have something done ASAP will cost you a lot of money, but if you have the money to spend to have it done ASAP why not? I also learned a lot about not giving up on your dream and even if you struggle in the beginning, it can happen for you. Reaching your goals takes time. Life isn’t always easy, but you fight the fight for what you want.

I recommend this book, written by a 50-something, to anyone who is a mother, who has a child, who is an animal lover, who has a best friend, who is a writer and who wants to be a writer at any age. Take it from a late 20-something.

‘I Remember Nothing’ by Nora Ephron

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Kim Bontrager

Nora Ephron is one of my favorite writers.

I knew this a long time ago, before I knew her name and before I read anything she had written.

I knew this because of the movies.

For a very long time I never really paid attention to who wrote movies, or how movies were created at all. But then DVD’s happened, with their special features and commentaries, and I started paying attention. I learned, for example, who was dreaming up that snappy dialogue I loved so much. I learned the names of the writers and directors who created those great moments for, say, Meg Ryan on screen. Yes… I learned who Nora Ephron is through the special features reel of You’ve Got Mail. Read a book by the writer of When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle, and Julie & Julia? Why, yes, thank you, I believe I will.

‘I Remember Nothing… and Other Reflections’ is a collection of essays through which Ephron voices her opinions and convictions about politics, religion, the internet, and food with equal irony. Every topic … pie… New York… her early career in the 1960’s journalism world… each, Ephron treats with trademark humor and shades of poignancy. Think Tom Hanks’ monologue on complicated coffee orders in You’ve Got Mail, but applied to dinner parties and writers and online Scrabble. But the thread running through the entire collection is a slightly wistful commentary on the reality of growing older. Ephron skillfully weaves stories of landmark life experiences (like meeting Eleanor Roosevelt) alongside the admission of having forgotten the details of those experiences, all of which elicits chuckles and grins, never tears.

Throughout each piece, the combination of Ephron’s style and the content she chooses is simply compelling. This is a quick read, perfect for summer. And if you happen to be an audiobook fan, Ephron herself reads ‘I Remember Nothing’, which is altogether wry and delightful. I highly recommend.

And Never Stop Dancing

Posted on November 19, 2008 by malenalott

And Never Stop Dancing: Thirty More True Things You Need to Know Now by Gordon Livingtson

As far as I’m concerned Dr. Gordon Livington is what you get if Santa was a psychiatrist. Check out his photo on his bio page at gordonlivingston.com for visual proof, but it’s the spirit of the jolly ol’ Saint Nicholas I’m talking about, too. Livington’s Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart is one of my favorite essay books. His follow-up, “And Never Stop Dancing,” picks up where it left off with more wise words that ring true in every chapter. I can feel Livington’s generous spirit in his writing, and yet he doesn’t pander or preach. Really, if you’re on the naughty list, don’t look to this therapist to put you on the nice list without a little self-examination and actual work on your part! The well-titled chapters give you the best indication and truisms within each essay: Paradox governs our lives; Much of what we think we know is untrue; Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves; Marriage ruins a lot of good relationships: and so on. Sometimes his words are tough to read only because they may hit close to home – our own and others’. Why do we let fear rule? Why do we prefer to be angry than sad? All great questions to ask ourselves to find more peace and less drama.

For: Reading before you start your new year’s resolutions. Can you change? Yes you can. – Malena Lott

Buy it at Amazon.

To Hell with All That

Posted on June 24, 2008 by malenalott

To Hell with All That, Loving & Loathing Our Inner Housewife, by Caitlin Flanagan

First line: ”I do not plan to have another wedding; I’m standing pat at two.”

Flanagan’s book of essays on all things motherly and housewifery is the epitome of a “smart chick” read – whether you are married or mothering at the moment. Her keen look at the past, our fore-mothers and feminists alike, puts a nice perspective on the current role women play in American society. Her essays explore everything from the insane wedding industry and child-obsessed parenting to our shift from house keeping to house management. The insight into Flanagan’s own life (wealthy husband, nannies, breast cancer) gives the book further depth and perspective. She may not be mopping her own floors, but her heart’s in the right place. Besides, her writing is gorgeous, and the topic of women, children and relationships is always one worth intelligent exploration.

For: A nostalgic look at motherhood’s yesteryear and a magnetized view of the home and hearth today. – Malena Lott

Buy it on Amazon.