Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Sunday, March 29, 2009
PAUSE 2.0
Maybe I'm a flake who can never manage to start something she starts. Maybe I'm lazy. Whatever (big "W" gesture with my thumbs and index fingers). I don't feel like writing about Portland anymore. I still love Portland. I still love New York. And who knows...maybe I'll be inspired again to blog about it/them. But for now, I'm just going to enjoy spring in Portland, the most beautiful time to be here, and not spend time in front of my computer trying to record it. I still love ponies. And I'm still "blogging," maybe on a smaller scale, at Percolating (random thoughts and camera phone photos) and Subway Reading (coming soon!).
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Working for Work
I said it yesterday, and I'll say it again: Life in New York is pretty much the same as life in Portland, except for diversity, subways and trash on the street. And rats in the walls. But when you're working all day – in my case, on the couch with my laptop – it feels exactly the same. I could have gone to a coffee shop, but I was lazy. Still, I managed to get lots of research done, caught up on emails, and updated my sample Glamour blogs (four new posts). They wanted to see more, so I guess that's a good sign!
It's going to be morning soon. Even the Portlanders are sleeping right now. I'm ridiculous!
It's going to be morning soon. Even the Portlanders are sleeping right now. I'm ridiculous!
Friday, February 06, 2009
UPDATE: Found My Dream Job, Now What?
I have a new six-word memoir: Accidentally stole your books from Powell's.
This past Monday I went to the "reading" for SMITH Mag's new book, Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak. The crowd was disappointingly small (no standers) and not very forthcoming with their own stories when the mic was passed around, but the editors, Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, were lively, witty and obviously passionate about the project. I can relate!
With opportunity staring me in the face, I got the books signed (both the original, Not Quite What I Was Planning, and the new one) and tried to oh-so subtly work into the conversation that a) I'm an out-of-work editor/writer, and b) I would love to work with them. Except I just blurted out, "I'm an out-of-work editor and would love to work with you." So much for subtle. Thankfully, Rachel was incredibly nice, and despite the fact that "there's no money in it," I left with some SMITH lip balm, her email and the inscription, "If you want some unpaid editing work, you know where to find us!" So while a dream job is usually one that also pays the bills, I'm willing to overlook that technicality to be a part of such a compelling project.
Oh, and in the flurry of my excitement (seriously, meeting editors I admire is like meeting movie stars for regular people), I tucked the books into my purse, completely forgetting that I had yet to pay for them downstairs, and just walked right out. I didn't realize my shoplifting ways 'til I got home. I'm ashamed to not have financially supported our indie bookstore and my new friends (ha!), but I'm assuaging my guilt by looking at the $15 I saved as a down payment on my unpaid editing work. Yeah?
This past Monday I went to the "reading" for SMITH Mag's new book, Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak. The crowd was disappointingly small (no standers) and not very forthcoming with their own stories when the mic was passed around, but the editors, Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, were lively, witty and obviously passionate about the project. I can relate!
With opportunity staring me in the face, I got the books signed (both the original, Not Quite What I Was Planning, and the new one) and tried to oh-so subtly work into the conversation that a) I'm an out-of-work editor/writer, and b) I would love to work with them. Except I just blurted out, "I'm an out-of-work editor and would love to work with you." So much for subtle. Thankfully, Rachel was incredibly nice, and despite the fact that "there's no money in it," I left with some SMITH lip balm, her email and the inscription, "If you want some unpaid editing work, you know where to find us!" So while a dream job is usually one that also pays the bills, I'm willing to overlook that technicality to be a part of such a compelling project.
Oh, and in the flurry of my excitement (seriously, meeting editors I admire is like meeting movie stars for regular people), I tucked the books into my purse, completely forgetting that I had yet to pay for them downstairs, and just walked right out. I didn't realize my shoplifting ways 'til I got home. I'm ashamed to not have financially supported our indie bookstore and my new friends (ha!), but I'm assuaging my guilt by looking at the $15 I saved as a down payment on my unpaid editing work. Yeah?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Found My Dream Job, Now What?
That was six words.
How would you tell your life story in six words? That's what SMITH Magazine is all about. Well, they're all about storytelling, and using new social media to do it. The six words idea came from a "legend" that Hemingway was challenged to tell a story in only six words. He wrote, "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn." A couple years ago, the two guys behind SMITH put the same challenge to the people via Twitter. The overwhelming response was published in early 2008. I came across the book in a small bookstore in Astoria; why I didn't buy it, since I couldn't put it down, I don't know. But an article about their most recent book, focusing specifically on love & heartbreak, brought me back.
So, what would your six-word memoir be? My problem is that I can't settle on just one. Here are two, in case you're wondering:
People-pleaser, finally making herself happy. • Leaving life of leisure for NYC.
And a third, the title above. I find almost nothing as fascinating as people's stories (yes, I'm voyeuristic that way) – especially told through their own words. I know the MySpace/Facebook world we now live in, which has pretty much decimated privacy, can get tiresome, putting every life on display. But that's why SMITH's curated collections are so important. And the six words leave you wondering, filling in the gaps, imagining the history, the future. Obviously, I would so love to work there. Maybe a special PONY category?
How would you tell your life story in six words? That's what SMITH Magazine is all about. Well, they're all about storytelling, and using new social media to do it. The six words idea came from a "legend" that Hemingway was challenged to tell a story in only six words. He wrote, "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn." A couple years ago, the two guys behind SMITH put the same challenge to the people via Twitter. The overwhelming response was published in early 2008. I came across the book in a small bookstore in Astoria; why I didn't buy it, since I couldn't put it down, I don't know. But an article about their most recent book, focusing specifically on love & heartbreak, brought me back.
So, what would your six-word memoir be? My problem is that I can't settle on just one. Here are two, in case you're wondering:
People-pleaser, finally making herself happy. • Leaving life of leisure for NYC.
And a third, the title above. I find almost nothing as fascinating as people's stories (yes, I'm voyeuristic that way) – especially told through their own words. I know the MySpace/Facebook world we now live in, which has pretty much decimated privacy, can get tiresome, putting every life on display. But that's why SMITH's curated collections are so important. And the six words leave you wondering, filling in the gaps, imagining the history, the future. Obviously, I would so love to work there. Maybe a special PONY category?
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