Category Archives: inspiration

October 09, 2012   John   inspiration, John, music, opinion, writing  
11

In a Not-So-Silent Way

Having been out far too late on a Monday night at the Jens Lekman show (if you don’t know Jens, DEFINITELY worth checking out), I’ve had music on the brain all morning today. So, I was pleased to find this article from the New York Times “Draft” blog by Aaron Gilbreath on how Miles Davis influenced his writing style. Gilbreath draws an extremely effective analogy between Davis’ concision of phrasing and his own attempts at creating a stripped-down style.

But while it’s a very insightful piece of analysis, I had to wonder—was Gilbreath actually listening to Miles Davis while he was writing? In other words, did the music influence him while he was in the act of creating, or did he recognize the correlation between Miles and his writing later on?

I’m not posing these questions as criticism, but out of interest, because for years and years—going back to high school, even—I always wrote everything with the stereo on. And by and large, I never gave much thought as to whether what I was listening to was affecting my prose. It seemed like I managed to get words on paper with just about anything on in the background. Okay, I’ll admit I shied away from the loud stuff and the free jazz when I really had to concentrate, but not because I thought it might come out in my writing—forgive me, Music Gods, but sometimes Husker Du and Ornette Coleman just give me a headache…

Anyway, all of this is to ask: Do you write with music on in the background? If so, do you find the type of music dictates your style? Or, do you look to music (or other art forms) when you’re NOT writing as an influence on your style?

 

September 27, 2012   Michael   book to film, inspiration, Michael  
12

Film-to-book

I’ve been on a movie kick recently. I’m not a huge fan of going to the movies these days, as I don’t like crowds and hate having to deal with other people talking, coughing, chewing, kicking my seat, texting, etc. But I’ve been making more of a point to go, because there are still some things I want to see on the big screen. I was very eager to see The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest epic. I’m a fan of his work (except I absolutely hated Punch Drunk Love, though I feel like I may need to see it again), and especially loved There Will Be Blood, which was, in my opinion, the best American film of the last decade (and one of the greatest movies ever made, period). I’m still sorting through my reaction to the movie, and like a really good book, I actually want to go see it all over again to view it differently and see what new conclusions I can draw. Plus, it’s one of the most beautiful movies, having been shot in 65mm, and I want to see it again at that scale. I also finally saw Weekend, a great, small indie film about a relationship that takes place over the course of a weekend. I watched that one at home, and the setting somehow felt right for the intimate, cramped feel of the film. I’m not dying to see this one again–I think I got what I needed in one viewing–but it’s the kind of simple storytelling that packs a punch.

I go through these movies phases about once a year, and I find it’s always the time when the most book ideas come to me, too. Though reading other books and listening to music can have a similar effect, there’s something in my brain that reacts very strongly to moving images, and it gets my creative juices flowing. I have an author who’s the same way and sees just about every movie imaginable. And, like me, he gets really inspired by them, and often comes up with fantastic new ideas after seeing a great movie. But in the end, he and I take those ideas and bring them back to book form–the opposite of how it usually goes, when books are adapted for the screen. 

I’m curious if any of you are as inspired by the film world as you are the book world. Or is there some other art form that inspires your writing? 

July 17, 2012   John   fun, inspiration, John, libraries  
2

A Little Free Library grows in Brooklyn

If you didn’t see this article in the Times this morning, get ready for some major cuteness: The first Little Free Library in New York City has gone up in Brooklyn. Have you heard about the Little Free Library program? Evidently it’s an international movement to set up some kind of receptacle—usually a box, but evidently canoes (?) or ovens(?!) work, too—in a neighborhood where residents can leave books for borrowing.

Well, if the kid-cuteness factor and neighborly good vibes are to be believed, I dearly hope we see some more of them around town, and soon. Right now, I’m having a bit of a lovefest with the NYPL—I took some books out last Friday for my 3 ½-year-old, and I’ve been amazed at his reaction. While Henry certainly gets excited when I bring home books to keep from work, the idea that these are on loan has made him completely obsessed—I think we read Revenge of the Dinotrux three times in a row this morning over breakfast, partly because he knows it has to go back to the library. At the same time, he keeps asking when I’ll go back to the library, and when I do, I must get him another Spider-Man book—or else!

And I have to say, considering his ever-growing list of demands and wants, this is one request I’m happy to oblige. Besides, I have totally selfish reasons here—after all, libraries build readers, and readers eventually buy books. So, to keep me in business, I’ll be heading back to the library for Henry this Friday afternoon. And who knows, if the red tape doesn’t choke us here in Manhattan, maybe there will be a Little Free Library on the Upper West Side soon—I certainly hope so!

May 01, 2012   Brenna   Brenna, buzz, censorship, classics, controversy, culture, inspiration  
0

Revolution

It’s hard to think about anything else today besides the noise and excitement going on nine stories below. If you’re not in NY (particularly Union Square) or another major city today, Occupy Wall Street is having its May Day protest. Without delving into the politics of all that, let’s talk books.

Books have historically been vehicles for major revolutions, just think about Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Common Sense, and The Communist Manifesto.

So, what do you think the “Bibles” of OWS should be? What books have served to inspire you to make a drastic change?

April 04, 2012   Stacey   advice, debut fiction, inspiration, Stacey, writing  
6

A story with sea legs

For those of you who regularly read our blog, you probably know I’m a sucker for a good, inspirational publishing success story. With so much uncertainty in the industry that sometimes swirls into negativity, for me at least it’s like a breath of fresh air to read something wholly positive.

I loved this piece from today’s New York Times about Charlotte Rogan’s The Lifeboat, which has a fantastic premise and a great back story of finding its way to print. I’m very much looking forward to reading the book, which is generating good buzz and positive reviews.

I’m drawn to Ms. Rogan’s story personally because she has college-age triplets. As a mom of twins, parenting multiples is an area of great interest. I hear the word triplets and my ears perk up.

From a publishing perspective, I’m intrigued by her story because of how long it took her to seek a publisher, and how she came at writing from a hobbyist’s perspective – taking classes here and there, finding time when she could, working when the kids were in school. I love at the end when she says that there were times when just the writing of it was enough (with the day-to-day of parenting triplets, I’m guessing it was a pretty good escape at times). It’s wonderful to see an example of a passion that satisfies without the promise of a book deal or lucrative career as a published author. That’s refreshing.

I am also impressed with the ways in which she found and researched her topic. As idea generators it’s interesting to me to see how people come up with their ideas.  I am always looking at a story with an eye to whether it might translate to a book. For Ms. Rogan, when she saw an old case in one of her husband’s criminal law texts, it served as inspiration for the book that followed. Then she drew on research and personal experience to flesh it out.

I wonder if some of our readers might share their stories of how they came to their book idea. Every story has a story behind the story, right? Sometimes those are as interesting and enlightening as the book itself. Do tell. We’d love to hear

March 13, 2012   John   advice, inspiration, John, opinion, recommendations, suggestions  
10

Getting a grip on fear

While it’s said that Publishing is an industry built on optimism, it’s often ruled by fear. Writers fear rejection; editors fear acquiring an unsuccessful project; booksellers fear Amazon; everyone fears ebooks; and so on. And ever since I became an agent, I feel like I’ve been more aware of the fearful side of the business than ever before.

If one of the key attractions of agenting is that you work across the publishing spectrum, it seems to come with a similarly broad range of fears. In any given day, agents handle acquisition worries (i.e. whether or not to take on a client), fear of rejection from editors, stress about the future of the industry, and a good dose of personal financial uncertainty, much like our independent bookselling colleagues.

In other words, oy!

But as I logged on to Facebook this morning, I was fortunate that the first post on my wall was this blog from writer Candice Ransom about dealing with fears both in writing and in life. It’s a beautiful piece, perhaps made more so by her stunning photographs. I was particularly struck by her honesty about her new fear concerning time and productivity—it’s a sobering thought, and yet a brave one to acknowledge like this.

Best of all, I appreciate that she offers at least one concrete suggestion for dealing with fear. Has anyone read Writing Past Dark? If so, I’d love to know what you think. One thing that certainly helps me deal with my fears and to get better as an agent is to see how writers manage their own work. So I’d love any suggestions/inspiration you’ve got for how, as Candice puts it, to “face down fear and walk through doors into uncertainty.”

 

February 28, 2012   John   fun, inspiration, John, optimism  
3

Huffpost pick-me-up

Usually, when I sit down to write my Tuesday blog, I have at least some topic in mind—some event or link that I carefully filed away that will let the blog write itself. But every now and again, Tuesday afternoon arrives and I got nuthin’. Maybe it’s that this past week’s news was pretty glum—several notable authors and publishing people passed away—but there just wasn’t anything out there that’s got the creative juices going.

So, as I sometimes do when I get really, really stuck, I turned to the Books section of the Huffington Post. And I have to tell you, just a little digging totally turned my frown upside-down!

We’ve got bad book blurbs by good writers—nothing more encouraging than seeing how your literary models can really stink it up! Along those lines, we’ve got the crappy jobs famous authors worked before they made it big, a little bit of field-leveling we all could use. They even managed to find happy thoughts in some of the more depressing books around. Who knew The Old Man and the Sea was such an upper? Taking them all together, I feel positively reinvigorated!

Well, here’s the question: what sites/media/books do you visit to get unblocked or raise your spirits? I could always use some new sources for inspiration (and blogging!).

January 25, 2012   Miriam   advice, culture, inspiration, Miriam, trends  
19

Helping ourselves

So, as we do around here, we’ve been talking lately about what book categories are thriving and which are tanking.  As Jane mentioned in her post earlier this week, categories wax and wane (and so do we).  The other day, during a staff meeting, Jane and I were fondly remembering the self-help boom of the late ‘80s to late ‘90s.  All those Women Who Love Too Much and the Men Who Find Them Annoying bestsellers, along with the mystical/empowerment titles like Women Who Run with Iron John, made for fat royalty statements back in the day.

Not so much any more.  Aside from the inspirational/health/nutrition/lifestyle books by any of the Real Housewives and the occasional Let Me Tell You How You Can Fix You book on the New York Times list, the self-help category seems sadly quiet at the moment.  We are clearly in need of help as a culture—individually and collectively, and this piece in The Hairpin points out the kinds of situations some of us could use  guidance with.

All kidding aside, though, what happened to the self-help category?  Why are those books not making the kind of splash they did 15 or 20 years ago?  Certainly, we’re not any more well-adjusted.

So,  really, what happened?   Serious question here, why do you all think that the self-help bubble went bust?

January 19, 2012   Michael   fiction, inspiration, Michael, Twitter, what we're looking for  
8

“That’s a book”

I spend an awful lot of my waking hours reading the news, following the discussion on Twitter, and having conversations with my publishing colleagues. Part of this is just a natural curiosity about the world, but part of it is a deliberate attempt to find new book ideas. During a biweekly staff meeting, we all come to the table with ideas that we have and discuss their merits, trying to figure out if some person, topic or new item is, indeed, a book. Mostly we’re thinking about nonfiction. Some of the ideas are clear and ready for a writer, while others may be interesting, but aren’t quite a book. Some need a new twist or spin that we figure out during our discussion, or a small idea may lead to something bigger.

But more interestingly, I think, is when a story prompts an idea for a novel. An author of mine has a book coming out next month that was inspired by an article I read–several times–and became obsessed with. And just today an author of mine tweeted about a story she found that is the perfect inspiration for a novel. I couldn’t agree with her more; the story is mysterious and rich and calls for exploration. I can’t wait to see what she does with it. I have to admit: I have a fondness for “ripped from the headlines” stories, so if you’ve got those, send them my way!

Are there any stories you’d dying to see fictionalized? And as writers, do you draw from the news when dreaming up new ideas?

January 11, 2012   Miriam   fun, inspiration, Miriam  
14

Whimsicality

In my fervid hunt for a blog topic this morning, I stumbled upon this wonderful video, which was  shot at Type Books in Canada by Sean Ohlenkamp (a marketing director who must be a passionate book lover).  It made me happy.

Ever since I can remember, my need to be surrounded by books has amounted to something like a personality disorder.  When I hear people say they can’t buy any more books because they don’t have room for them or, worse, that too many books somehow clash with their décor, I get a bit twitchy.  For me, books bring a room to life; in fact, all the lives contained in books fill a room as surely as a gaggle of guests at a cocktail party.

So, despite the fact that my e-reader has hundreds of titles in it, I can’t imagine how bereft I’d be if there weren’t thousands of lively physical editions in my house and office, making general nuisances of themselves, lining the walls, peeking around corners, leaning precariously on stools, and threatening to jump out from tables and shelves in their eagerness to be read.

Do you anthropomorphize your book collection or is it just me?  And do books have a life force too?  I think they do.

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