I finished reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, and it is remarkable. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2004, and it should have. I’m working on a post about it.
I just started reading Solitary by Travis Thrasher. It is the first of four Young Adult novels in a series that he’s doing for David Cook Publishers. While it’s clearly intended for its audience, it’s a riveting read.
I spent a lot of time Tuesday and Wednesday reading the poems posted at One Stop Poetry for its weekly One Shot Wednesday. You should take a look to see the sheer diversity of the poems linked there.
And that goes ditto for the One Word Blog Carnival hosted by Bridget Chumbley. This happens twice a month, and this week the word was laughter. In two weeks, the word will be children.
It’s been almost too hot to ride my bike, but I did manage two rides this past weekend, one to the Mississippi River and one on Grant’s Trail. I’ve actually framed up the sequel to my “Community of the Early Morning Trail” and will be posting soon – “Community of the Early Evening, Weekend and Holiday Trail.” The ride to the Mississippi will likely get its own treatment – there’s no “community” you can really find on this ride but you do bike through some remarkable St. Louis neighborhoods and about 250 years of history.
I’m delving deep into my novel manuscript, essentially ripping it apart and rewriting it in chunkable bits. This is not the most exciting one-sentence grabber ever invented, but this is what the story is about: a young man, imprisoned for 10 years for a crime he didn’t commit, is freed, and his return brings upheaval for himself and the people of his town, with redemption coming through a child (yes, I know I have to work on the one-sentence summary). It tackles a couple of subjects I’ve not found in any of the fiction I’ve read yet, and I’m moving rather cautiously through them.
It feels weird to talk about the manuscript. Small bits and pieces of this story have appeared here, here, and here. The working title is Plain Sam.
9 comments:
it's nice to hear what you've been up to.
lots of interesting things.
Keep us posted on the book bro'...otherwise we won't be pleasantly disturbed!
I am excited about your novel Glynn. I am already intrigued.
May the Lord continue to establish the work of your hands.. and the words they create!
I don't think I knew you were working on a novel. I'm pushing to the head of the line for the first autographed copy.
I listened last night to a talk by a photographer who shot in alibi locations or at crime scenes men who had been convicted in error and spent years (in some cases decades) in prison. The convictions hinged on an image included among profile views shown to victims and erroneously identified. DNA exonerated several. In one key the key witness turned out to be the criminal. The photos were as haunting as the stories she told about the men, some of whom had been on death row. At the end of the talk all I could think of was, how does a person redeem the life that's been taken from him.
I'll look forward to seeing your name in lights one day soon.
I like the title. It already gives insight into the character.
Oh! I didn't know you were writing a novel. I'm gonna just tell you now that I want a signed copy.
:)
Nice pitch! I'll pre-order it, don't you know. iLike the title. ps....the word verification was 'teemilla'. That's what you have surrounding you and your work. :)
GO TEEMILLA Glynn!
It's too hot to move.
I read Gilead.
I'll wait to hear your take before I give you mine.
:)
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