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2008-05-01 Writing the Not-So-Great American Novel
I will finally take the plunge. I intend to write a novel by my birthday, June 30.
This is something I've always wanted to do, but for various reasons, I could never get very far. The task is simply daunting, and when I read good literature, I despair at the chasm in ability between myself and say, a Faulkner or a Nabokov.
But then I started thinking about National Novel Writing Month, and its simple tenet that you just have to sit down and write, and who cares about quality - it's all about quantity! I decided that the only way that I will accomplish my goal is to adopt a deadline and keep writing each day until the job is done.
Armed with a copy of SuperNotecard (which I highly recommend for fiction writing) and NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty's motivational book, No Plot? No Problem!, I am setting out to create the mediocre American novel. Truly, I have found out two things about myself in the last couple days:
1. I am a very bad writer. I mean, bad.
2. The above doesn't matter, because I know I can do this thing. If I force myself to turn off my "inner editor" I can churn out the dreck, and it's actually pretty fun.
My friend Todd got excited about the idea too and decided he wanted to give this novel writing thing a try. In order to keep us motivated I made a mailing list for us to share advice and encouragement. If any of you want to join us in our quest, please contact me and I'll add you to the mailing list. Let's write!
2008-03-02 Garfield, But Better
My friend Isaac sent me a link to Garfield Minus Garfield, which I thought was so funny I just had to share. I admit I grew up on Garfield, and as a child, Jim Davis's Garfield at Large, that unique horizontal-shaped collection of early fat cat cartoons, was one of my favorite books. Garfield was indeed one of the inspirations that led me to try my hand at cartooning.
Unfortunately over the years, the quality and humor level of Garfield has fallen to the point that it makes Ziggy greeting cards seem cutting edge. Who would have thought that the perfect way to revitalize Garfield is simply to remove the title character completely from each strip? Genius!
2008-02-19 What I'm Reading: American Born Chinese
In one sitting I read the remarkable graphic novel American Born Chinese by Gene Yuen Wang, and I highly recommend it. The novel contains three stories that interweave and eventually come together in a surprising, satisfying resolution, showcasing in the process the author's unbounded creativity, humor, and sensitivity.
As an Asian-American I can relate to the theme that pervades each storyline; that growing up in a predominantly white culture can make it confusing, difficult, and sometimes embarrassing for a first generation kid to find his identity. The conflicted characters have demons to confront (figuratively and literally!), their cultural identities relentlessly dogging them and demanding to be faced.
As a cartoonist, I felt awed by the author's clean, expressive artwork. It is always refreshing for me to read comics of an Asian bent that do not follow a generic anime style. I also realize I have a lot more to learn as an artist, if I am ever to reach Wang's ability to so cleanly express emotions and actions.
Also, one of the stories centers on a monkey, and monkeys are extremely cool.