Not Enough Bookshelves: The Week

Friday, 26 February 2010

The Week

Yeah, I really need to get a better title for this weekly, round up thing. Unfortunately titles are my downfall. Which is bad, because one of Roddy Doyle’s Rules of Writing, in the Guardian’s TEN RULES FOR WRITING FICTION was,

“Do give the work a name as quickly as possible. Own it, and see it.”

Maybe if I don’t start the new novel, until it has a name, it will be a smoother experience. Of course, EU has had a name for over three months now, and it’s still not right. Ah well, maybe I’ll just take Neil Gaiman’s advice to heart:

“The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.”

I’ve also been following the Common Sense debate. If you haven’t, Publishers Weekly have an article explaining about it, Common Sense Raises Issue at B&N. Meg Cabot also wrote about it, Are you there God? Margret’s not okay for Tweens and because she is Meg Cabot she points out exactly why it’s not a great guide, in a nice but firm and funny way.

Luckily, the baby is way too young, for me to need to worry about what he reads. Although, I must admit having not grown up with the American classic Goodnight Moon, I find some bits slightly freaky. Goodnight nobody? Goodnight noises everywhere? and what’s up with that bowl full of mush? Not to mention the old lady rocking away in the corner.

Finally, if you are in need of a laugh, and doesn’t a laugh always start the weekend well? Go check out Forever Young Adult and in particular their review of Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld – genius!