BOOK REVIEW: Sword and Verse / Kathy MacMillan

TITLE: Sword and Verse
AUTHOR: Kathy MacMillan
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
AVAILABILITY: Preorder on Amazon

GENRE

Young Adult - Fantasy

REVIEW

Kathy MacMillan's debut fantasy novel, Sword and Verse, takes place in a far-off fantasy realm called Qilara, which is reminiscent of ancient Egypt. The book was partly inspired by the Library of Alexandria, and there is indeed a grand library full of scrolls and statues of gods that I just wanted to wander around wide-eyed in. Before I even dive into the plot summary part of this review, let me start by saying that the world-building in this book is AWESOME. The book has richly imagined cultures and a detailed society that just comes to life and feels real. In fact, it reads a bit more like historical fiction than your usual fantasy, in that there's no magic. Well, there may be some supernatural elements in that people believe in gods and all, but much like in our world, people only see the effects of the gods' actions and don't witness the gods themselves. And yet the gods' presence is felt in the tale. Each chapter opens with a paragraph or so from the world's mythology, telling the tale of how the gods and the world came to be.

In this world, only four people are allowed to learn the highest form of language. These are the King, the Prince, the Tutor (who teaches the Prince), and the Tutor-in-Training (who will someday teach the Prince's son, after he becomes King). Accessing this restricted knowledge (that is, learning to read) is punishable by death. Raisa's parents belonged to a society that didn't believe in restricting knowledge, and they were killed for their knowledge with the Qilarites invaded. Raisa learned some reading, but survived by pretending to be illiterate (and someone else's child) and was forced into slavery. A chance encounter with Prince Mati leads to her promotion from ordinary slave to Tutor-in-Training, and in this new role, she ends up spending a lot of time with him. Unlike the King, Mati is sensitive and thoughtful--and derided by his own father for being "soft" and unfit to rule. But these are the very qualities Raisa admires about him... and ends up falling in love with him for.

Further complicating her life is the fact that her predecessor was executed for illegally teaching Resistance members, who seek to end slavery, to read. Because of this, Raisa is treated with suspicion. And then the Resistance comes knocking on her door, expecting her to take her predecessor's place.

I liked that Raisa didn't immediately heed the call to arms, and that the dynamics between the System and the Resistance are more complicated than what's usually seen in rebellion stories. Usually, the System is unquestionably bad, and the plucky Resistance is undeniably good (like the Galactic Empire versus the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars). Here, things get more complex. The Resistance is fighting for a good cause, but their methods are questionable (they resort to lying, kidnapping, and even murder, and try to manipulate Raisa into following them). They'd probably kill Mati if given the chance. Meanwhile, Mati, who's heir to the System, has vowed to end slavery and raids like the one that killed Raisa's parents when he becomes King. So Raisa finds herself well and truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. There are no easy answers and certainly no way out. As a reader, I didn't know who to root for... the Resistance, for fighting the good fight? Or Mati, for seeking a bloodless answer? There's also an element of political intrigue... the King's council seeks to maneuver themselves into power and use Mati as a puppet while maintaining the status quo. Which means he and the Resistance have more in common than they think.

Raisa's an easily sympathetic character. She's a scholarly girl and has no desire to be a fighter, and yet she will stand up for what she believes in. At one point in the book, she likens herself to a candle over her predecessor's wildfire. While I do love me some physically kickass girls (the Katniss Everdeens and Princess Leias of the world), it's nice to see the quiet girl as the hero for a change. She doesn't have to slice people to bits or beat them to a pulp to fight for her cause. She uses the power of her quill.

In this book, there's a reversal of the usual dynamic of light-skinned oppressors and dark-skinned oppressed people. Raisa and the other slaves mostly light-skinned (Raisa herself is pale with red hair), while the ruling class is olive-skinned with black hair (basically Egyptian), and she faces the racism of that culture because of it. It was nice seeing a fantasy world in which POC characters aren't tokens, but a vital part of the culture and the story (case in point: Mati, who has the second biggest role after Raisa--not just as a love interest, but as a critical player in the plot).

Sword and Verse is a fast-paced book that covers about three years of Raisa's life in the span of 380 or so pages. I tore through the whole thing in 3 days, and probably would have read it even faster if I hadn't had my day job to go to. I loved everything about it -- the characters (particularly Raisa, who constantly faces her fears and does things she's terrified of despite the danger to herself, and Mati, who needs to step out of that book and run for President because he'd totally make a great leader), the world-building, the pacing, the mythology... Sometimes, all you need in your life is a good fantasy like this one to curl up with.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathy MacMillan is a writer, American Sign Language interpreter, consultant, librarian and signing storyteller. She holds National Interpreter Certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Her diverse career includes working as a children’s librarian at public libraries, working a school librarian at the Maryland School for the Deaf, leading the Eldersburg Library Bookcart Drill Team, and performing as Scooby-Doo, Velma, and a host of other characters at a theme park. Kathy presents American Sign Language storytelling programs through her business, Stories By Hand, and also runs the storytime resource website Storytime Stuff. She is a volunteer director and board president of Deaf Camps, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides camps for deaf children. Kathy holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland, a Bachelor of English from the Catholic University of America, and a Certificate of American Sign Language Interpreting from the Community College of Baltimore County. She lives in Owings Mills, MD with her husband, son, and a cat named Pancake.

Website: https://www.kathymacmillan.com/

10 bizarre ways reading/writing while underrepresented messes with your head

A funny thing happens when you're from an underrepresented group. Several funny things, actually. Things that dig their way into your skull whether you like it or not. Of course, I can only speak for myself (as an Asian American... specifically, a Chinese American), but I have a feeling I'm not the only person who experiences these weird brain-twisty things...

10. None of your favorite characters look like you (and you don't even notice)

I love Lord of the Rings! But... But...

I've always loved reading books, watching TV, and going to the movies. I was a fan of lots of characters and actors, and for most of my life, it never even occurred to me that none of them looked like me. Because white (or straight or cis or able-bodied, etc) characters are just regular characters, right? They're blank slates for personalities. And for the longest time, all I noticed were the personalities and that was all I cared about. I didn't see color. Until I realized it was because there wasn't any.

9. Your cosplay options are extraordinarily limited (if they even exist)

Well, at least there's one...

I'm a huge Disney fan, but Mulan didn't come out until I was almost 10 years old. Which meant in my prime princess-ing years, Snow White was the closest I could come to playing dress up as a character and being just that character (instead of being Asian Cinderella or Asian Ariel. And I was still Asian Snow White, I just thought having black hair made me closer to the "real thing"). Then, when Mulan came out, I was a little like *slink*. Because while my parents are Chinese, I've always considered myself first and foremost American (especially since, whenever my parents got mad at me, they'd blame it on "you Americans". Meaning I was the Other at school for being too Chinese and the Other at home for being too American). So suddenly I was associated with a character who, don't get me wrong, is totally awesome and kickass and one of my favorite characters ever, but whose culture I wasn't part of. Also, from there on, every time we played the "which Disney princess are you" game, I was ALWAYS FREAKING MULAN. Others would get associated with princesses because of their personalities (oh, you're bookish, so you're Belle. Oh, you're dreamy, so you're Ariel. Etc). 

Okay, so Disney princesses aren't that big a deal (unless you're a sparkles-loving little girl, as I was, but let's set that aside for a moment). Look around at other fandoms... the options are super-limited too. Star Wars is probably my favorite thing in the world, but who would I dress up as? Asian Leia, maybe. I love the X-Men, but all I have as cosplay options are Jubilee (cute, but so not me), Lady Deathstrike (who gives me serious orientalism vibes), and... well, there are enough X-Men that I'm sure there are more (though let's rule out Wolverine's Japan adventures, which also give me orientalism vibes), but those are the two I can think of. And then there's Firefly, which gives me so much cognitive dissonance because I love the storytelling and the characters, but WHERE ARE THE CHINESE PEOPLE, JOSS??? You have Chinese swearing and Chinese clothes and Chinese food... but NO CHINESE PEOPLE. And no, Fan Dancer #2 doesn't count. Which means I could only ever dress up as Asian River or something. Also, this is cultural appropriation at its finest -- when you nab the decorative aspects of a culture but leave behind the people who created it. (But I still love you, Firefly! And I'd still marathon you any day!)

All this brings me to...

8. You can never tell if you're being too sensitive

9 regulars. In a world that's 50% Chinese stuff. 0 Chinese people.

It took me years to admit that Firefly's cultural appropriation bothered me. I still feel weird saying it. Because seriously, I love that show. And for a while, I wondered... Is it me? Am I just being a soft, coddled, spoiled Millennial who sees Causes everywhere?

Then there are the moments where I'm not sure if I have the right to be offended. For instance, when I first read about Cho Chang (when I was in middle school), my gut reaction was "Holy crap, that name's racist! It's basically Ching Chong!" But no one else seemed to notice, so I quickly went to *slink* "Oh, I'm just being hypersensitive. All the Harry Potter names are funky. It's fine, I guess."

Last year, I fell into the Sherlock hole (what is it about Benedict Cumberbatch!), and I loved every single moment of Ep 1. So I wanted to love every single moment of Ep 2, but kept shuddering when the super oriental Asian characters appeared. And I wondered... Is it me? I mean, Chinese gangs are a thing. Chinese pottery experts do exist. So is there actually anything wrong here, or am I just being hypersensitive again?

This year, I fell into the Lunar Chronicles hole. Love the series. Love Cinder and Scarlet as tough-girl characters, love that Cinder and Cress are techy girls, love the world-building, love the adventure, love the clever plot. But.... But... But... I very nearly didn't pick it up because I saw the words "New Beijing" in the description and immediately thought *groan* here comes another Firefly. It took me months, MONTHS, of hearing praise for the books to get over that. And the whole time I kept wondering, "Is me avoiding this another symptom of my hypersensitivity?" On the other hand, I thought, "Blah, I already suffered through the icky love-the-content-feel-weird-about-the-appropriation thing once... Can't do it again." Finally, I decided to give it a chance. Aaaaaand... Yeah. Though it does a bit better by giving Cinder an Asian love interest (oh hai Prince Kai, you're adorable) and an Asian step-family. So at least there are Asian people this time. Kudos? Cinder isn't described much in the book, and she's said to be "from Europe", so it was implied that she was white until the author came out and said that she's mixed race. Hooray? But it always bugged me how wrong the culture felt. Like... my family is Chinese. I've lived in China. And while reading Cinder, I kept thinking "this feels so Firefly... nominally Asian because of the food and language, but so, so off on the actual culture dynamics." Of course, this is a far-future fantastical world and a retelling of a fairytale, so maybe I'm just being too sensitive because hey, there are mutant wolf-people and cyborgs, so why am I bothering with all this real world worry because

It's freaky when you see both at once. *brain hurts*

clearly it's just a story, and... HERE I GO AGAIN GODDAMMIT.

And on and on and on... It's a weird spot to be in, this cognitive dissonance. Where your gut says "hey, that's kind of offensive!" but your brain says "calm down, Angry Asian Lady, you're overreacting...". You know those optical illusions that are both a rabbit and a duck or something? And you start to see both at the same time and your brain starts flipping back and forth, making you dizzy? Yeah, it's kind of like that. Except about your own opinions.

7. You feel the need to cheer for and defend characters that look like you (even if they suck)

Do I *have* to root for her?!

Cho Chang sucks. Ugh, I still feel a little guilty typing that, but hey, it's my opinion. She's a token pretty girl in two books, a weeping mess and snitching weakling in another, and a shamed mess in the rest. She. Sucks. And she's the only East Asian character of note in the entire Harry Potter series (if there's another that I'm forgetting, that means they weren't noteworthy enough for me to remember and therefore are solidly a token, not a real character). Which is why the moment the Goblet of Fire movie came out, Katie Leung fansites sprang up all up and down the Internet (never mind she was in the movie for 3 seconds and wasn't particularly good in those 3 seconds). Asians around the world were like "Hooray! Asian Harry Potter character!" Except she sucks. Yet for ages, I felt obligated to root for her because not doing so felt like being a race traitor or something. Like, hey, someone threw me a treat in the form of a character who looks like me, so who am I to be ungrateful?

Then there are the "issue" books (and TV shows and movies) that are all about your people, and you feel like you have no choice but to like them because, hey look! They're actually talking about you for once! So when, say, I picked up Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, I thought I had no choice but to like it. It's been so long since I read that book that I don't recall my exact reaction, but I do remember it was not entirely positive. And yet I kept those thoughts to myself and said only positive things, because how could I *not* root for an Asian author who writes about Asian things? Speaking of issues...

6. You're terrified of being seen as an "issues" person (but don't really have a choice in the matter)

I feel like this at times.

I go back and forth on "outspoken" thing. Honestly, I'm not really an outspoken person, and I don't want to be. I like seeing multiple perspectives and accepting that there are no simple answers (which may be why I'm going through a lot of these brain-twisty things). It's why some of my friends have dubbed me True Neutral.

And yet, despite all the times I've bitten my tongue and contented myself with sipping tea, people remember the few times I do speak up. And suddenly I'm the Angry Asian Lady, which I never wanted to be.

So I'm speaking out more, since that mantle will be thrust on me anyway. Might as well be heard. Though it still annoys me that writing about these things (including in this blog post) will transform me into an "issues" person, which will distort the lens through which people see both me and my work.


5. You zero in on characters that look like you (even if they're on 3 pages)

Why do I remember her so clearly?!

All my focus on Cho Chang might have some Harry Potter readers scratching their heads because honestly, who cares about her? It's Harry and Ron and Hermione and Snape and Dumbledore and a dozen other characters who are actually important. Thing is, though, when you're so used to being invisible, spotting someone who looks like you in fiction makes your eyes pop. You can't not notice. Heck, I noticed every Asian fan dancer and random refugee in the background of Firefly. That Asian Jedi lady who's in Star Wars Episode II for all of 3 seconds during the final battle? I have a very clear mental image of her igniting a green lightsaber and Force-slamming an offscreen battle bot right now (while the rest of the battle that doesn't involve the heroes remains a blur). 

I don't do this on purpose. I don't scour screens searching for people who look like me. It just HAPPENS. And sometimes, I wish it'd STAHP, because it makes me realize how few of them there are, and that just annoys me. Can I go back to not seeing color? Ignorance is bliss and all...

4. You feel extra pressure to get things right

So I've talked about those who got representation wrong, despite what were probably their best intentions (I'm so sorry Joss, Marissa, Ms. Rowling, and Sherlock people! I still love your work! I really do!). Yet I'm sure there are people who, if they read this then read my work, would be like "pot calling the kettle black!" Because maybe the representation in my books is no better in some people's eyes. And because I've written all this (and spoken about things like this), I feel an extra weight in everything I do in my attempts to diversify my own work.

Is... Is this okay by my own standards?

Let's see... I have Aurelia "the Firedragon" Sun, an Asian American teen who fights monsters with double swords. Am I perpetuating orientalism in my own way by having her be another kung-fu-type girl and calling her Firedragon? (I actually got her nickname from my sister, who was the physical model I based the character on. Some of her friends called her Firedragon, and I thought it was cute and fit the character).

Then I have the Jane Colt books, in which the two leads are Eurasian, two love main interests are white, the Asian love interest gets all but written out by Book 2, the Asian mom is dead, the dad who actually has a POV chapter is white, the main villains are white... holy crap, did I whitewash my own book?! No... no... of course not... I have the black starship commander, the two Asian hackers (oh crap, is that a stereotype?!), the black interstellar intelligence agent, the black supergenius... Wait, is this all tokenism?! Also, why is everyone black or white or Asian?! Why didn't I write any characters from other backgrounds?! Sure, some of the characters aren't race-specified, but people are going to assume they're white, and that's just tokenism anyway... Also, is this futuristic society too Western? But it's derived from the world I know and I never claimed it was based on any particular culture, and I'm a born-and-bred American, so am I suddenly not allowed to write a Western-ish culture because I criticized someone else's? Am I being lazy for not try? Am I... Well, crap. I'll bet Joss Whedon doesn't go through this mess.

3. You're expected to represent tons of people (that have little to do with you)

I can't tell you how many times I've been called upon to answer questions about being Asian. These days, I don't mind talking about my Asian American experience, but there was a period of time when it made me feel uber weird because I felt like I was speaking for a ton of people I didn't know (which is also partly why I tend to heavily disclose everything with "this is just me! this is just my experience! I don't claim to speak for everyone!"). 

Now, I'm happy to speak about diversity. Eager to, in fact. But always in the context of my own views only. It's when people ask me more general questions about Asia that I start to go *slink*. I mean, I only spent a total of two years on the continent (ten years apart... one when I was 12, one when I was 22). Then again, I have had certain very Chinese experiences, and it is fun to talk about them from time to time. But each time, there's that little bit of terror that I'm going to do someone wrong by getting something wrong or by perpetuating some stereotype.

2. You can never tell if you're doing enough to advance your own cause

Nice Canva, Mary. Now, walk the walk.

I've made an effort to include diverse characters in the things I write, and yet I always wonder if it's enough. Like, Aurelia "the Firedragon" Sun is the star of her titular novellas, but in the main series those novellas lead up to, she's the secondary character (not a sidekick, but not the main character either). I glance at my character list for the Jane Colt novels and wonder if I've done enough to mix things up. Also, I notice the glaring shortage of LGBTQ+ characters (I'm sorry! I'll do better! Also, let it be known that, though it isn't really explored, Riley is gay, for those of you who were wondering!).

On the one hand, I want to be inclusive in my writing. I want to help make the book world a place where no one will have to feel invisible, like I did. On the other hand, I don't want to turn my books into "issues" books (especially since I write spec fic, and I dare to dream that in the futures/alternate worlds I write in, diversity isn't an issue). Not that there's anything wrong with "issues" books. And not that I won't write one in the future (in fact, my next project might turn into one). But when I go for subtle subversion, quietly diversifying my character casts, I wonder if I'm doing enough.

I wish I had the privilege to not care.

1. You erase yourself

Book with an MC who is half me-looking

The first time I plotted Artificial Absolutes, the first of the Jane Colt books, every major character was white. Why? Because this was what the sci-fi I was accustomed to looked like, and this was, in my head, simply normal. The default. The universal. Which is weird, because I'm Chinese American. You'd think I'd default to characters who looked like me, and that my whole initial cast would be Asian, right? 

Nope. I erased myself.

When I realized what I was doing, I immediately went about changing things. Hey, why can't the starship commander and interstellar intelligence agent be black? Why can't the galactic pop star be Asian? And then I got to the main characters... and for some reason, I was uncomfortable making Jane and her brother Asian, partly because I was new at this whole writing thing and hadn't gotten to the "give zero fucks--just write what you want" attitude yet, so I was worried no one would read a sci-fi book with an Asian lead. So I made them Eurasian (heh, compromise, right?). 

And then I very nearly gave myself a pen name. Not because I didn't like my name, but because "Mary Fan" is obviously female and pretty obviously Asian. Who's gonna read a sci-fi book by an Asian female? I was planning on going with my initials (the only reason I was going to keep my last name was because I couldn't settle on a pen name I liked), but I failed to communicate that to Red Adept. So the cover art came back with my full name printed. I could have asked them to change it, but then I realized that I'd be changing it for all the wrong reasons. There are plenty of good reasons to have a pen name, but hiding and erasing myself wasn't one of them. Maybe that was an unwise decision. Maybe my sales would be better if I were writing as Jack Kent or something. 

Or maybe this is me overthinking everything. As usual.

Like I said. Being underrepresented messes with your head. And it sucks.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Dan Buri

An interview with Dan Buri, author of Pieces Like Pottery.

   

Hi! Welcome to Zigzag Timeline. Can you tell us about your background as an author?

First off, thank you for hosting me on your site, Mary. You have a wonderful blog! This is a great place for us all to indulge in our shared love of reading and writing, isn’t it? Thank you for your excellent content. I am grateful to be here and hopefully I have the opportunity to get to know your audience better. I would love your feedback and your reader’s feedback on my new book. I would be grateful if you got it and provided your insight.

I grew up in the Midwest in the States with four brothers and one sister. I moved out to the beautiful Pacific Northwest a little over ten years ago. I am a patent attorney with an engineering background, which is what I spend my days doing when I am not writing. I have a beautiful wife and amazing two-year-old daughter who cracks me up daily.

What got you into writing?

I can remember writing as far back as middle school. It’s something I have always enjoyed doing. I can recall writing stories and poems when I was just 5 or 6 years old. Outside of my fiction works, I have contributed to a wide variety of blogs and publications over the years—sports, law, marriage, business. Writing has been something I have always enjoyed doing myself and admired in other people. Story telling is a beautiful gift. I love learning to hone the craft.

What was the first idea you had for your book, and how did the story grow from there?

Great question. I am moved and inspired by people’s real life stories of overcoming tragedy. Every person has trials in life. Life always presents obstacles and disappointments. I wanted to examine how individuals overcome these obstacles in a variety of characters. I toyed with the idea of each of these stories being its own novel, and I still may expand a couple of them into full length novels, but I settled in on a collection of linked short stories because it presented the opportunity to have a range of characters and to display that, despite how different our life experiences are, we are all connected as human beings. We all suffer and laugh just the same. My hope is that readers recognize that and are inspired or moved to compassion through the book. Utilizing the thematic framework of each of the five sorrowful mysteries was simply a way to communicate that suffering and redemption.

Among your characters, who's your favorite? Could you please describe him/her?

I really enjoy Mr. Smith, the teacher from Expect Dragons, (one of the stories in Pieces Like Pottery). He also pops up in a few other stories throughout the book, but those are little hidden clues for the reader to find. I think many of us have had inspirational teachers and mentors in our lives. It is so important to have these people during key moments in our development as young people. I have had some amazing teachers and mentors in my lifetime. Both of my parents are teachers, as well as my sister and my sister-in-law. Teachers give us so much of themselves and as a society, at least here in the States, we tend to give them so little back. It’s really sad. Mr. Smith is an inspirational character and I enjoy hearing his thoughts on life.

What's your favorite scene from your novel? Could you please describe it?

I really enjoy the scene in Expect Dragons when James has learned that his old teacher who had a profound impact on his life is dying. James looks through notes he had from his teacher’s class and finds an old handout. I really enjoy this scene. Here’s the excerpt:

Between the two notebooks was a sheet of paper. At the top it read: “40 Tips for College and Life.” On the last week of high school, Mr. Smith handed out his college advice, the same college advice I was now holding. I sat and read through each of them.

            40 Tips for College and Life

1.     Life's too short to not seize the opportunities with which we are presented. Always take the chance to do what you love when it comes along.

2.     Question authority. 

3.     Question those who question authority.

4.     Don’t be afraid to see dinosaurs even when everyone else around you doesn’t.

5.     Be kind. Kindness can change things far beyond your wildest dreams. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it's kindness that makes the heart grow softer.

6.     Walk barefoot through grass.

7.     Be quick to show compassion and empathy.

8.     Don’t dress like a bum all day long.

9.     Have a routine, but avoid being routine.

10.  Smile.

11.  We are all intelligent, thoughtful individuals. Don't let others tell you something has to be that way. It doesn't. The world is far too complex for it to have to be that way.

12.  Be conscious of the present. Time is your most valuable asset.

13.  It’s easy to doubt. Don’t be easy. Hold on to faith and hope.

14.  Love a little more. You can always love more.

15.  Don’t jump at the first chance to go out. There will always be another party. It’s college.

16.  Live with purpose.

17.  Not everything you do has to have a purpose. Folly can be quite satisfying.

18.  Don’t act like you know more than you actually do. There’s no shame in admitting you don’t know the answer.

19.  Remember that the things you do know are of value. Don’t act like you know less than you do. Share your knowledge.

20.  Don’t spend each day only staring at a screen. Put down your phone. Close your laptop. Turn off your TV. 

21.  Share laughter. There's far too much that's funny out there to take yourself too seriously. 

22.  Share tears. There's far too much pain and hurt out there not to take others’ struggles seriously.

23.  Enjoy music.

24.  Remember to get lost in your mind from time to time. 

25.  Breathe slowly.

26.  Don’t be afraid to be alone. Everyone knows: “Not all who wander are lost.” Few realize: Not all who are alone are lonely.

27.  Take in the beauty of nature. Look around you. Don’t take it for granted.

28.  Take in the beauty of mankind. Look around you and see how wonderful your neighbor can be.

29.  Dance in the rain.

30.  There will come a time in college, and in life, when you are presented with decisions that compromise your values. Know how you will respond to those times before they ever happen.

31.  Have resolve.

32.  Share excitement when you’re excited. People that hold that against you are most likely projecting their own feelings of inadequacy.

33.  Remember to read, and something more than a blog. Pick up a book from time to time.

34.  There is only one you.

35.  Laugh hard, kiss softly, disparage slowly, and forgive quickly.  

36.  Eat fully, drink deeply, and always remember to give often.

37.  Decide what you believe, know who you are and live accordingly. Don't apologize to anyone for that.

38.  But if you realize later on that you were wrong, admit it. Ask forgiveness.

39.  Maya Angelou has a great quote: "If I'd known better, I'd have done better." We can only do the best we know how, but there's no excuse for not striving to attain the know-how. And there's certainly no excuse for not doing better once we have it.

40.  Expect Dragons.

         

I stared at the list thinking about how influential Mr. Smith was in my life. At a time late in my high school career when I felt lost and alone, he inspired me to believe life was full of wonder and hope. Now, just two hours before, I found out he was dying. I placed the list back into its box and slid into the front seat of my borrowed car. It was 4:25 in the afternoon and I eased the car onto the I-84 heading east, on my way to say goodbye to my beloved teacher one last time.

What's your favorite part of writing? Plotting? Describing scenes? Dialogue?

Tough question. I think we, as humans, are communicative beings. We’re all longing to be understood. As a writer, I love trying to capture very real aspects of human emotion and the human condition and inviting readers to experience that with me in my writing. Oddly enough, I was actually asked to write a blog on “Why We Write” recently. To steal from the article I wrote: “We want to see and be seen; we want to understand and be understood. We write to preserve a memory, to sustain a thought. Without it, we fear we will become forgotten.”

That’s what I love about being a writer.

Do you have a writing process, or do you wing it?

I typically have an idea or framework for a story before I begin. I also keep a journal of notes and ideas that strike me throughout the day. We all have what an old teacher of mine liked to call pristine moments of coherence—those moments when an idea strikes us so profoundly and clearly. I don’t want to lose those thoughts when I have them, so I try to write them down. Once I have the framework and I am writing the story, then I will let it develop where it wants to go. As I am writing, I will pull concepts from my journals or other notebooks. In one of the stories in Pieces Like Pottery, the ending I had planned just didn’t work. It felt dishonest to take the reader on the journey and then finish with the original ending. I just knew the reader would feel betrayed, so I had to rework it completely. So sometimes the original plan just doesn’t work and the story unfolds on it’s own.

Are there any books or writers that have had particular influence on you?

Sure. I could name about a hundred. Some others I love, in no particular order: Gertrude Warner, Dr. Seuss, C.S. Lewis, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Charles Dickens, John Grisham, Shell Silverstein, Malcolm Gladwell, John Buri, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cormac McCarthy, Bill Bryson and Mark Twain…to name a few.

If I was forced to choose just one book, I would have to say The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I have read it a half dozen times or so, but the first time I read it was with my mother. I think I fell in love with storytelling hearing my mother read this book to me. It’s a beautiful fable. I can recall lying up at night before bed as she made the world of C.S. Lewis a reality for me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you, Mary! I have appreciated this opportunity to spend some time with you and your readers. I loved it! You have a wonderful site. I really do hope you and some of your readers will check out my book. I need the support of thoughtful and intelligent readers like yours. The life of an indie author is not easy and I appreciate all the support I can get. And if your readers have questions or comments, please contact me. I would love to hear from you. You can reach me via email at danburi777 [at] gmail [dot] com or on twitter @DanBuri777. Thanks!

Author Bio

Dan Buri's first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. His writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the human search for meaning in life. 

Mr. Buri's non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print, including publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch, was a He-Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.

Mr. Buri is an active attorney in the Pacific Northwest and has been recognized by Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World's Top 300 Intellectual Property Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old daughter.

Pieces Like Pottery Links

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The Cycle of Writing

I've been writing for about 4.5 years now, which, in the grand scheme of things, is nothing. But over the course of producing 7.5 full-length manuscripts (damn, had to stop and double check that... has it really been that many? Also, the .5 is for the book I'm co-writing) plus a handful of shorts (novellas and short stories), I've discovered that I write on a cycle (insert period joke here). And here it is...

STAGE 1: Inspiration

"Oh my God, this is the best idea ever! My book is going to be brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, and all I want to do is brainstorm about all its awesomeness!" *spews ideas from fingertips into brainstorming doc*

STAGE 2: Paralyzing terror

"What am I doing?! I'm not worthy of writing this book! I can't do it! I'm not even a real writer? Why did I think I could pull this off?" *researches stuff like a crazy person* *scribbles elaborate backstories that will never end up in the actual book* *spends hours doing background reading on topics only marginally related to book* *analyzes character motivations and plot points* *refuses to actually write book*

STAGE 3: Get 'er done!

"OKAY, that's enough spewing random ideas! Let's hammer this thing into shape and write a BOOK!" *drinks beer* *types like a fury* *drinks more beer* *word-vomits all over the page, following outline developed while too terrified to actually write* *switches to wine* *cancels social life and scribbles an insane number of words*

STAGE 4: Procrastination

"Ugh, don't make me write this damn book. I can never live up to the idea I have in my head, and it's probably a terrible idea anyway. Ugh, but I already wrote so much, so I can't just give up. Ugh, but I don't wanna write... Don't make me write..." *spends hours doing nothing on Facebook* *watches terrible TV shows and movies that aren't even entertaining* *pets cat* *cleans the apartment* *stares blankly at wall*

STAGE 5: Flip-flopping

"DAMMIT I just wasted hours on Facebook! Let's write!" *scribbles lots and lots of words* "Ugh, I don't wanna write this damn book!" *wastes time on Facebook* "OH, THE GUILT! Gotta get some words written!" *word-vomits all over the manuscript* "Blaaaaah I hate everything! Don't make me write!" *binge-watches sitcoms* "Crap, crappity, crap, it's been days since I wrote and ages since I started... I just want this book to get written already!" *types like a madwoman* "Ugh, writing is hard... don't make me do it!" *goes online shopping*... and so on and so forth...

STAGE 6: Pit of despair

"WHAT AM I DOING?" *wails* "This book is CRAP! I've been working so hard, and all I've produced is CRAP!" *bangs head against wall* "Why am I even writing? There's a new e-book published every five minutes... the world doesn't need my effing book! It's terrible anyway!" *curls up into fetal position* "Why am I even doing this?! I'm working so hard to produce crap that no one wants to read!" *covers self in blanket and cries* "It's not fair! Why are all those other authors successful while no one cares what I write? What's the point of even finishing this book when no one is going to want it?!" *cries, cries, cries*

STAGE 7:  Power through!

"OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? *I* WANT THIS BOOK! And I can't just leave it unfinished, so let's DO THIS THING!" *rage-types until the manuscript is finished*

STAGE 8: Obsession

"Wellp, I have a draft. But it's a Shitty First Draft, which means, by definition, that it is complete and utter shit. But I won't fall back into the Pit of Despair! I can fix it!" *reads through manuscript again and slashes entire scenes* *reads through again and smooths out clunky sentences* *reads through yet again and obsesses over every little word* *tries to step away but keeps thinking about that ONE SENTENCE* *reads through again and cuts the scene with that sentence* *tries to step away again but keeps thinking about THAT OTHER ONE SENTENCE*

STAGE 9: So over this book!

"Ugh, I'm so over this effing book! I don't think any of my futzing is even helping! I'm too close to it anyway and can't get any form of perspective, so I should really get someone else's opinion. At least if it's with a beta, I'll have an excuse to just NOT LOOK AT IT!" *opens email and types in beta reader's email address* *stares in terror* *closes email* *opens manuscript* *considers another read through* *wants to vomit at the thought* *opens email and types in beta reader's email address* *attaches document* *stares in terror for several minutes* *hits send because the cat just knocked something over and startled me*

STAGE 10: Empty nest

*drums fingers* "Okay, so the book is off with beta readers, so I can't really do anything until I get their feedback... My brain is too burned out to write anything else in the meanwhile... Um... Now what?" *fidgets* "Can I have it back?! I wanna work on it again!"

I have a feeling that none of these stages are unique to me... In fact, I'd wager that many other writers go through a similar cycle. My latest manuscript is currently off with beta readers (and I'm still thinking about that ONE SENTENCE and wondering how I could word it differently), so I'm book empty-nesting like nobody's business. On the bright side, maybe I'll actually update this blog now?

Oh, actually one more stage... the one that kicks off this whole process...

STAGE 0: The big joke

"Haha, I just had this nutsy idea! What a joke, right? Hahaha, wouldn't that be a crazy book to write? Haha, this idea is terrible but kind of fun! Haha, I'm not taking any of this seriously! Hahahaha, wouldn't it be even crazier if I added this other crazy element? Hahaha! Haha! Ha..." *spends hours brainstorming*