An Embarrassment of Riches

A quick post to celebrate all the lovely, lovely books that have recently arrived in my glad embrace, including:

• The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
• Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik
• Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• White Teeth by Zadie Smith (whom I saw speak at the New Yorker Festival Friday night)
• The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
• Eunoia by Christian Bok
• McSorley's Wonderful Saloon by Joseph Mitchell
• Tyrell by Coe Booth
• Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (my book club's next pick)
• Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate

AND Katy just read a Patrick O'Brian novel called The Unknown Shore and said it's a marvelous precursor to the Aubrey-Maturins, so I have to get that too. I have no idea where to begin -- or rather, since I've begun many of them, which to continue -- and I love it. Hurrah for book joy!

A Technical Question

I'm working on my SCBWI talk for next month, and I don't have PowerPoint on my laptop here at home. Is there any free Web-based presentation software out there you'd recommend? What I want is something pretty much equivalent to PowerPoint -- e.g., I can make slides and, using a projector, show them on a screen. I just need the program that would let me make the slides, with bonus points if I can save my slides to an account on the Web within the program. (I was hoping Google would have something like this, the same way they have Google Documents as an equivalent to Microsoft Word, but I wasn't seeing it.)

Thanks for any and all recommendations!

Breaking Through Bloggers' Block

I've been experiencing the blog equivalent of writer's block lately: I come to blogger.com, look at this blank box, think "Has anything in my life been interesting enough to write about lately?", then answer myself "Nah," and drift away. This despite the fact that I have been seeing, reading, and doing interesting things: I went home last week to Missouri, for instance -- six good days with my family, not to mention barbecue, cable TV, and a lot of sleep. I saw, in the space of a week, "Across the Universe," "The Bourne Ultimatum," Martha Graham's "Appalachian Spring," and most of the first season of "Arrested Development," all of which I loved.

("Across the Universe" especially is worth checking out -- though not for a complex plot or deep characterization, because it deals entirely in '60s archetypes. Rather you should see it for the visual richness of Julie Taymor's direction and the wonderful, wonderful Beatles music, including a gospel "Let It Be" and a slow, sweet "I Want to Hold Your Hand." This has been a great year for movie musicals, from the traditionalism of "Dreamgirls" and "High School Musical 2" to the realism of "Once" and now the magic realism of "Across the Universe" . . . Fingers crossed for an elegantly creepy "Sweeney Todd" in December.)

Oh, and also I read perhaps the best book on writing fiction I've ever read: Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card (lent to me by the excellent James). Card breaks down the different types of stories and their characterization needs; different degrees of characters and how to create them in balance with your plot; the strengths and weaknesses of first- and third-person voices; and gives lots of good advice on figuring out which kinds of characters and voices are most suited to your story. I was reading this in preparation for writing my character talk for next month's SCBWI-MO conference, and now the current plan for the talk is to open the book at random and read for half an hour, then take questions.* Highly, HIGHLY recommended.

And then -- I won back the Frog! Yes, the famous Killer Klein Croquet Frog has come home to my apartment in Brooklyn, just in time for the fall theatre season and the baseball playoffs. He is glad to be back, he says, and looking forward to "Cyrano de Bergerac" on Broadway and rooting for the Red Sox. Also, you can't get such good cockroaches in Missouri.**

So there are good things happening here, even if I'm not writing about them. Here's wishing amazing artistic experiences and small victories to all of you as well.

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* Kidding. I think.
** Kidding. Thankfully.

The Zombie Game -- GAAAAAAME!!!

Longtime readers may remember the Pirate Game a few years back, and all the hil-ARRR-ity that followed. Now my friend Ted has alerted me to the Zombie Game, created by A. White:

What is a zombie's favorite state?

MAAAAIIIINNE!!!!

And favorite kind of dog?

Great DAAAAANNEEE!

What do zombies use to grow hair?

RoGAAAAIIIINNE!!!!

Who's their favorite Presidential candidate?

John McCAAAAIIIINN!!!!

And B-list actor?

Billy ZAAAAAANNNNEEE!!!!

And Jackson 5 brother?

JerMAAAAIIIINNNNNEE!!!!

Today is my birthday, so wish me a good day by leaving your own contribution in the comments. And guard your brains -- BRAAAAIIINNNS!!! Hee.

Read This Now: "The Feast of Love" by Charles Baxter

I've just learned they've made a movie from one of the books that moved me most in the last few years: The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter. The novel is a daisy chain of first-person voices and love stories: Bradley for Kathryn, Kathryn for Jenny, Chloe for Oscar, Oscar for Chloe, Bradley for Diana, Harry Ginsberg for his son . . . To name too many more names would give the novel's surprises and pleasures away; and like its stated subject, the novel is a full feast of surprise and pleasure, loss and peace, heat and pain. From its trailers, the film does not look like a travesty of the novel, but I very much doubt it will get all its richness and depth, most especially the amazing range and honesty of those first-person voices. So read the book now to have it pure for yourself, and see the movie later if you like.

Abridged Classics: Becoming Jane

I still haven't seen "Becoming Jane" (and at this point, probably won't), but I laughed hard at this "abridged" edition and the snarky pop-up comments. Down with La Hathaway! Video first seen on Austenblog.

Brooklyn Arden Review: "High School Musical 2"

I loved it, even more than the first one. The plot wasn't that suspenseful -- the outcome of the Temptation of Troy Bolton is never in doubt -- and it probably says everything about the real depth of the emotions here that after the big breakup scene, complete with a tearful jewelry handover, Gabriella runs to a minivan and gets picked up by her mom. But like the first movie, "High School Musical 2" tackles its protagonists' problems with absolute respect for the characters and no distance or irony, so it's truly and sincerely sympathetic to the children and preteens who are its primary audience; and from a production standpoint, the performances got better, the musical numbers got bigger (while I must say most of the songs seem to have been written by out-of-work composers for boy bands, particularly Troy's soliloquy-ish "Bet on It," I adore "You Are the Music in Me"), and the characters got deeper (Ryan and Sharpay, at least -- Gabriella continues to be about as interesting as her refined-sugar voice). And there is just something about people singing and dancing together in harmony that makes me incredibly happy. Hurrah for "2"; bring on "3"!

My Friend Jonathan on "The Giving Tree"

"I bet this is Ike Turner's favorite book."

A Pet Peeve in Passing

Apropos of nothing except a book I read recently: If you have a child or teen character in your manuscript, please, please, do not describe the child as a "youngster," as in "The youngster grinned as wide as the Mississippi while he licked his ice-cream cone." Nothing says "I am watching/describing this kid from the outside rather than getting into his head, feelings, and concerns" -- or more simply, "I am out of touch with real children"-- than the word "youngster." ("Youth" is also dangerous, but not quite as egregious.) In fact, I would go so far as to say that if the word appears anywhere in your manuscript other than perhaps the dialogue of an elderly character who is not sympathetic to children (but then who really says "youngster" in conversation? Really?): Delete it. Eggh.

This has been a public service announcement from Editors Against Thesaurus Abuse.*

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* We were going to add "for the Sake of Word Variation, Especially When It Conflicts with a Believable or Even Readable Voice" -- but it wouldn't fit on our business cards. If you have a better acronym, let us know.

End of Summer Video: Ron's Slip 'n Slide Extravaganza

This has been making the rounds for a while (I first saw it on Five Bucks), but I love it for the sheer ingenuity and utter stupidity of the thing -- it's such a perfectly in-character thing for teenage boys to do. (Note also that Ron names himself "Ron da Con" in the final frame.) And, of course, the slide itself looks like awesome fun. Cowabunga, dudes.