Nancy Berman's Blog

Wow, it's been a year since my last blog post here. It's baseball time again, and I'm excited despite the deplorable outing the Red Sox had yesterday.

I had thought, when I joined Goodreads back in 2010, that I would be doing a lot more writing but for a number of those pesky life happening reasons, that activity has given way to doing editing instead. (And that's fine--this isn't a woe-is-me whinge, just an observation.)

I believe that editors do a fair amount of reading, not only to see what's out there but also to see what works and what doesn't (which is sort of a polite way of saying check out who writes well and who might benefit from an extended weekend with Strunk 'n White.) It also helps point the writers one is editing either towards something or away from it by means of example.

I might return to writing at some point but for now, there's a lot to do--not the least of which is reading.

Baseball season has begun (a major source of joy in our household, as both my husband and I are big fans. And for those who might not know, the answer is: Boston Red Sox.)

These days, I'm doing some editing and very much enjoying working with two talented authors.

Also doing some writing (over and above the "oh gosh I really should be working on my own stuff" writing - details as they are available.

And reading to catch up to the start of GoT's Season 4. Arya Stark is my hero.

As a writer and editor, one of the things I most admire about George R.R. Martin is his careful attention to POV. This isn't an easy thing to manage, even when the story involves one or two people, let alone a veritable cast of thousands. What you as author know may not be what the character knows, so it's good to avoid mixing your voice in with your characters' voices.

Sure, it's easier to tell the story from the proverbial top of the mountain view than it is to show the story as it unfolds, piece by piece, through the eyes of the characters IN the world, but I think you limit the reader's experience of discovery when you do that. Just my several ducats; others may feel differently.

So in the 15 (!) months since my first blog post, I have managed to acquire an even longer "to read" list, read about oh gosh 50+ books that I haven't commented on, and done a lot of freelance writing (although, as other freelancers will attest, never enough -- and in my case, lots of it done For Other People on Other Projects.)

I have managed to cut way back on my Reality TV watching (even on the culinary shows), and seeing as the Red Sox tanked big time this year, it's now football season which means college games and pro Fantasy Football.

Let's see. . . I wrote a Regency story (proto-novel, actually) and entered it in a contest. It didn't win (waaah!) but I continue working on it. I've got a short story in the works (which several kind people are reading and commenting upon, and I'm revising accordingly). I've got three (yes, three!) Larger Projects in varying stages of Initial Work (writer-speak for "um, um, mostly notes).

I'm also working with Deborah Teramis Christian on her new World Building Academy project which looks like it's going to be a lot of fun.

World Building Academy

And of course I'm (always) looking for work but then who isn't these days?

In a desperate attempt to drivert the blame for the current inert state of my writing career (other than work, weather, sunspots, and a delayed completion of the current Mercury Retrograde), I think I may actually have found a true culprit: REALITY TV.

Not because I watch a fair amount of it but because it's taking over TV scheduling. I include the good stuff like Biggest Loser, America's Next Great Restaurant, American Idol, The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice, Food Network, No Reservations (sorry, Tony), HGTV, The History Channel, Top Chef, Project Runway, Top Shot along with the voyeuristic Real Housewives brand--excluding Orange Country and Miami--and TLC's various cooking and wedding shows, oh and "Ruby" which I actually find both annoying and inspirational. (There are others but these are the ones *I* watch.)

My point is: I have become so entranced by Other People's Stories that I'm not writing any of my own. I have become a very passive observer of life because it's entertaining and it's easy. I tape the weekly shows like "House" and "Bones" because I'm so far behind. I don't want to miss my hit of whatever reality drama is being served up.

And now that baseball season is in full swing, as it were, and I need to manage my Fantasy Baseball team (for those of you who don't know - that's a DAILY project), the previous diversion of my current MMO ("Rift), has fallen by the wayside.

Sure, I'm blogging but it's pretty much about reality TV. What I'm NOT doing is Writing the Real Stuff. I suspect it may be time for a course correction from everyone else's reality to mine!