Holy Cannoli, I'm beat. I've just put the final chapter of the book in place. Now I'm off to Europe to visit with family and friends for a couple of weeks-- a much-needed break after six months of writing. Time off is so crucial to the writing process; I'm hoping to return with a fresh perspective on the story so that I can spend one final month polishing it till it shines before turning it in to my editor.
I've been reading short stories, mainly: Raymond Carver, Amy Hempel, Lorrie Moore. My brain is so wrapped up in Yoga Bitch that I can't seem to focus on long, sustained works of fiction or memoir. Short stories have been just the right size, and these three writers are so wonderful, each one such a unique voice.
Writing has been all Bitch, all the time. Some interesting developments have occurred since I started writing, most exciting of all being the Hebrew and German translations of YB, both coming out in Summer of 2011 in their respective regions. I'm already brushing up my German in anticipation. (I don't have any Hebrew to brush up, other than the bits of the Torah I remember from attending eight million bar mitzvahs in seventh grade.)
The fall has been good in so many other ways. Even with a nutso writing schedule, we've managed to spend some good time with family and friends, celebrating engagements and new babies, new homes, new pets. And everyone, it seems, is reading something they want to talk about. Sitting around over coffee or wine, talking books-- well, who needs an afterlife if that's what we get to do in this one?
On that note, I would love to have a glass of wine. But I have to pack. And do laundry. And about eight million other things before we fly out at the crack of dawn.
I hope to be a more faithful blogger in the new year, after the book has been turned in. I've missed you all. Happy Holidays, friends!
Oh! And if you happen to be in Seattle, buy your holiday books at Elliott Bay Book Company, PLEASE, for the love of God! I will be devastated if they go under. It's my Christmas wish that they stay afloat, and since they have to move, I'm praying that they come to my neighborhood so that I can make weekly pilgrimages.
See you in 2010.
