This is an exceptionally good art book - a pity it retails for $990 on Amazon Australia (yes, that is correct!). Thankfully the State Library of VictoThis is an exceptionally good art book - a pity it retails for $990 on Amazon Australia (yes, that is correct!). Thankfully the State Library of Victoria has a copy on file (which someone has rudely ripped pages out of and they've had to fix with photocopies). Anyway, there are some great essays in here on Yokai and Japanese mythology, as well as expositions on artists like Hiroshige and Japanese spirituality. Very good. ...more
I love how this book is like a philosophy of playing the piano as well as a love letter to the art form. I learned piano for quite some time, but evenI love how this book is like a philosophy of playing the piano as well as a love letter to the art form. I learned piano for quite some time, but even this blew my mind with some of the advanced techniques involved in being a classical musician. Rosen is a delightful writer and his enthusiasm shines through the prose. ...more
Batman: Death by Design is one of the more original Batman stories I've come across. Focusing on Gotham City and its relationship to the buildings in Batman: Death by Design is one of the more original Batman stories I've come across. Focusing on Gotham City and its relationship to the buildings in it, the plot revolves around the architecture of the city and the people who build it. The story and illustrations channel classic film noir; there's even a scene where two men with guns bust down a door (referencing Raymond Chandler's advice - intentionally or unintentionally I don't know).
I loved the illustrations by Dave Taylor, especially the subtle coloration of the panels - the pastel purple of Cyndia's dress, the glow of the explosions and the hints of color in the sky. I'm a sucker for pencil drawn comics like Blacksad and Enki Bilal's Nikopol Trilogy.
The weak point perhaps is Joker's involvement in this story - he's more of an aggressive antagonist sideline to the crime itself. But the illustration of Joker falling through the sky is one of the best in the book, so I can't complain too much.
Part of me wishes it became an animation, as I could really see this as a film. Sigh, time to watch Batman the Animated Series again... ...more
how is it you write of wonder recalling the funeral where fell yellow flowers making me cry as red leaves pass A review of The Crane Wife in Tanka* form
how is it you write of wonder recalling the funeral where fell yellow flowers making me cry as red leaves pass the tram
*Tanka is a type of Japanese poem similar to Haiku....more
Fables is just so marvelously inventive, I always enjoy sitting down to read it. This collection of the Animal Farm stories works well, even though itFables is just so marvelously inventive, I always enjoy sitting down to read it. This collection of the Animal Farm stories works well, even though it is notoriously difficult to pull off anthropomorphic characters. The book ties in classic tales with commentary on those tales and manages to keep a sense of humor and lightness throughout. Highly recommended....more
Written by weird fiction author Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation, Finch), Wonderbook is a prolific and thorough overview of the process of writing fictioWritten by weird fiction author Jeff VanderMeer (Annihilation, Finch), Wonderbook is a prolific and thorough overview of the process of writing fiction. Bursting with full-colour illustrations, the book also features interviews with some of the biggest genre fiction writers in the world, including an extended interview with George R.R. Martin. While it’s aimed at genre fiction writers, I imagine that any writer could benefit from this book.
Essentially, Wonderbook is *ahem* wonderful.
I was given Wonderbook as a Christmas present and have been working through it slowly for the last three months, chalking it up with highlighter and doodling in the margins. It’s not a book that you want to whizz through on a Saturday afternoon; rather it’s a book to be studied and worked through in the same way as a textbook (albeit a very fun and colourful textbook). It’s full of ideas, interviews, tips and writing exercises.
Working through Wonderbook has changed the way I write. I know that’s a big call, but I found myself often challenged by Jeff’s way of thinking, as well as the approaches of the featured authors in the book. It’s beneficial to look at other approaches to writing which can often bring up shortcomings of your own creative process. Some of the things that stood out to me were:
Structure is your friend I’ve approached my last two novel projects in a haphazard way, often jamming out the first 20,000 words in a blind fury only to find out that 1) Crap I’m stuck in a well with only a Swiss army knife and a piece of tin foil to get out and 2) the middle sucks. What I challenged me most in this book is to spend more time on structure and working out the beginning, so that the rest of the book flows more coherently. Wonderbook includes an incredibly detailed analysis of Jeff VanderMeer’s own work Finch, gaining insight into the detailed mental process of beginning and creating that book. While the book looks effortless when you read it, the process of writing it was clearly thought out. Structure also doesn’t kill spontaneity either, which is something I’d often thought while writing in a fragmentary style.
Question everything Each chapter features extensive lists of questions to ask about your characters and world, which have challenged me to really dig deeply into creating meaningful fiction. I especially loved Catherynne M. Valente’s essay on “What everyone knows�, which forced me to question my inherent bias when approaching a work of fiction. What is the worldview I come from? How does that affect the characters I create? Are there things I could do better? And how do I create characters who are different to my own perspective as an author?
Leading on from that is Lauren Beukes� recommendation to research and interview people before representing a culture on paper. It’s not enough to say “I want to write a story about x�. Authenticity comes from experience, and if you’re not experienced in a certain area or culture, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask about it.
These chapters also flag some of the pitfalls of imaginative fiction, such as bad beginnings, reliance on typical plot structures and one-dimensional characters, which are fun to read and go “Oh I don’t do that� no, not at all…�
Revision is not scary One of my most hated parts of the writing process is revision. I love the energy and fluency of writing, not the nitpicking stuff. Wonderbook challenged me to enjoy the revision process. As Jeff writes:
“Perhaps the most important part of that process [writing fiction] is the idea of the act of revision becoming exciting to you. The more positive you can be about the revision process, the more likely you are to actually dig into the guts of your fiction in a meaningful way.� p 247
That was a hell of a challenge to someone who is always moaning and groaning about revision. One of my books is currently up to draft 11, and there’s a page in Wonderbook dedicated to writers discussing their revision process (The Name of the Wind had 200+ revisions, so that’s encouraging). So I’ve vowed to embrace revision rather than revile it.
Define your style One of my favourite pages of the book is looking at the chart on Approaches to Style (p 62-63). Somehow the book kept falling open to that page. The chart helped me define where my style is � and that I don’t need to write like other people. Often the writers I enjoy are in the same style to mine, but I’d always struggled to articulate what this particular style was. It also helps me assess the writing style of authors in my writing groups and analysing them according to their own style, not mine. (It’s muscular, in case you’re wondering, unless I’m writing hardboiled).
It’s encouraging Wonderbook-coverIt’s encouraging to know that amazing writers struggle as much as you do with writing. They aren’t glamourous writing machines, deftly pumping out thousands of words while quaffing quality wine in their French villa going “Oh ho ho, another bestseller done.� They struggle with different things to you, but hell, they struggle. They write fifty drafts, they throw out pages, they scratch things out with the red pen of doom. They think about giving up. And then they write the damn thing.
Being a good author is about struggling with concepts and finding ways to present them to the world. And the struggle is important because good books change minds.
It’s not often you find a book which alters your worldview on writing, but Wonderbook is definitely one of them. Jeff VanderMeer must want to fill the world with good writers....more
Hidden is a story that stuns through its simplicity. I read through the contained short comics in an hour or so. It is the story of an art worker who Hidden is a story that stuns through its simplicity. I read through the contained short comics in an hour or so. It is the story of an art worker who deals with people with disabilities, the lack of funding for her programs and the marginalisation of disabled people in society. It is incredibly subtle and as a result, beautiful. I highly recommend it, and Mirranda Burton is definitely a talent to watch. ...more
I enjoyed reading this biography of Diane Arbus and discovering some very interesting anecdotes about her life. This bio isn't a critical biography, rI enjoyed reading this biography of Diane Arbus and discovering some very interesting anecdotes about her life. This bio isn't a critical biography, rather a presentation of opinions of people who knew her well written by someone who knew her in real life. I would have been interested to have more of the biographer present in the narrative. There seems to be too much of a New York clique in the story - Diane met this person, then this person who you should know but don't. Sometimes it was difficult to see how these disparate people affected her progression as an artist (clearly not in the case of Lisette Model and Avedon). I also felt that the bio lacked any opposition to Arbus' work; there are only a couple of points where people are critical of her behaviour right towards the end. It's either a case of "don't speak ill of the dead" or that these critics were left out of the book. It seems impossible for one woman with such an aggressive style of portraiture to go through life without offending anyone. ...more
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