Read: The Scene Book: A Primer for the Fiction Writer, Sandra Scofield; Hooked: Grab Readers at Page One, Les Edgerton; The Princess and the Hound, Mette Ivie Harrison
Listening to: Sayonara Mo Ienakatta Natsu, Mikuni Shimokawa
Watching: Cool Japan, Eigo De Shabera Naito, Salaryman Neo, Jamie At Home, Glutton For Punishment, Chef At Large
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Eigo De Shabera Naito works under the premise of helping viewers to learn English, so I suppose it is ironic that I'm watching it to brush up my Japanese! Hosted by a number of Japanese personalities and one American transplant (who, interestingly enough, forms one half of the Japanese comedy team Pakkun and Makkun), the mixed language format of the show helps immensely for Japanese-challenged viewers like myself to understand the exchanges.Yes, I realize that despite my previous vow to post as often as possible, it has been two months since my last post. Moreover, I notice that I set the lofty goal of having my first set of substantive revisions to Book One by July 1st--to which I say, as I am embroiled in the process of rewriting chapter 1 for the fourth time, "Hah!" My recent writerly readings have opened my eyes to the weaknesses in my previous writing, and so the task falls to me now, with roughly five weeks of my summer remaining, to get as much revision as possible done before the Fall semester. Those who I asked to be first readers: your patience is greatly appreciated! I hope you'll still be willing to read the polished product when it finally leaves the assembly line.
A lot has happened since the last post, so perhaps some can be forgiven. I'm still waiting to learn whether or not I made law review or the Asian law journal; and at the eleventh hour, I managed to swap out my plan to take two courses at the law school for a summer externship with a judge at the First Circuit courthouse. Working in a criminal court has opened my eyes to both the litigation process and the role of the judiciary in dispensing with criminal offenders. And the fact that I'll be getting four juicy credits to shave off of my dreaded 2L Spring semester only sweetens the deal.
A lot has happened since the last post, so perhaps some can be forgiven. I'm still waiting to learn whether or not I made law review or the Asian law journal; and at the eleventh hour, I managed to swap out my plan to take two courses at the law school for a summer externship with a judge at the First Circuit courthouse. Working in a criminal court has opened my eyes to both the litigation process and the role of the judiciary in dispensing with criminal offenders. And the fact that I'll be getting four juicy credits to shave off of my dreaded 2L Spring semester only sweetens the deal.
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As was the case with Something Rotten, I enlisted the help of Amazon.co.uk to get the British printing of First Among Sequels roughly half a month earlier than its US release--and with the vastly superior UK cover art to boot! My only regret is that I had to purchase the book at a time where the British Pound was at an all-time high against the US dollar--7 quid and 78 p plus shipping ended up costing me nearly $29! But dear old Jasper appears to be at his usual game in Sequels (or so the first few pages would have me believe), so all's well that ends well, I suppose. I'll give a spoiler-free review when it's finished.
Jasper has managed to waylay my progress on the monstrous tomb entitled The Name of the Wind, a book highly recommended by OSC, and, given the quality of the opening pages, rightfully so. As long as the book is, I'm seriously concerned that the moment I start investing concerted amounts of time into reading it, it will take hold and not let go until I've finished it--a dangerous prospect, when I have court-related duties, ELP projects, and my own rewrites to perform. I'll use Thursday Next to test the waters; if I can manage to go through Sequels without compromising my other responsibilities, then I'll feel more confident about taking on this behemoth.
Mette Ivie Harrison--the author behind the delightful Mira, Mirror--showcases her strong grasp of the storytelling art in The Princess and the Hound, a splendid first book for what appears to be, at least at the moment, a duology. I was deeply interested in reading the book as OSC described it as having an unexpected ending that was nonetheless completely true to the characters and events in the story, a feat that I hope to achieve in my own writing. And the best method of learning a skill--be it cooking, litigating, or fiction writing--is by observation and rote practice. In this regard, The Princess and the Hound is not only a fine example of well-crafted fantasy, but a signpost for the growing writer, reading "This way: the proper way to conduct an ending." Utterly accessible and extremely addictive--this was a book with the fore-mentioned can't-put-down quality--it is highly recommended.
Jasper has managed to waylay my progress on the monstrous tomb entitled The Name of the Wind, a book highly recommended by OSC, and, given the quality of the opening pages, rightfully so. As long as the book is, I'm seriously concerned that the moment I start investing concerted amounts of time into reading it, it will take hold and not let go until I've finished it--a dangerous prospect, when I have court-related duties, ELP projects, and my own rewrites to perform. I'll use Thursday Next to test the waters; if I can manage to go through Sequels without compromising my other responsibilities, then I'll feel more confident about taking on this behemoth.
Mette Ivie Harrison--the author behind the delightful Mira, Mirror--showcases her strong grasp of the storytelling art in The Princess and the Hound, a splendid first book for what appears to be, at least at the moment, a duology. I was deeply interested in reading the book as OSC described it as having an unexpected ending that was nonetheless completely true to the characters and events in the story, a feat that I hope to achieve in my own writing. And the best method of learning a skill--be it cooking, litigating, or fiction writing--is by observation and rote practice. In this regard, The Princess and the Hound is not only a fine example of well-crafted fantasy, but a signpost for the growing writer, reading "This way: the proper way to conduct an ending." Utterly accessible and extremely addictive--this was a book with the fore-mentioned can't-put-down quality--it is highly recommended.
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My online sources have directed me toward three pieces of Japanese television (all from NHK) that have become weekly indulgences of mine: Cool Japan, Eigo De Shabera Naito, and Salaryman Neo.
Cool Japan has something of a conceited premise to it: it seeks out to discover "cool" aspects of Japanese culture as viewed by foreigners. Each week a multinational panel is assembled to discuss their findings on the weekly theme ("communication," "lunch time," and "Owarai" have been three recent themes). The common language between the foreigners is English, while the hosts and others speak in Japanese, so it's a bit easier to follow than a purely Japanese-speaking talk show, and occasionally it has something truly cool to show for itself. Other times, I can see quite clearly that the conscripted foreigners apply the "cool" label to a particular finding only under a certain level of friendly Japanese duress.
Cool Japan has something of a conceited premise to it: it seeks out to discover "cool" aspects of Japanese culture as viewed by foreigners. Each week a multinational panel is assembled to discuss their findings on the weekly theme ("communication," "lunch time," and "Owarai" have been three recent themes). The common language between the foreigners is English, while the hosts and others speak in Japanese, so it's a bit easier to follow than a purely Japanese-speaking talk show, and occasionally it has something truly cool to show for itself. Other times, I can see quite clearly that the conscripted foreigners apply the "cool" label to a particular finding only under a certain level of friendly Japanese duress.
Finally, Salaryman Neo is the most ambitious of my NHK lineup, since it is completely in Japanese. Neo is a kind of Saturday Night Live, Japanese salaryman style, transfixingly watchable (and, surprisingly, understandable) even if half of what is said flies right over my head.
(In case anyone was curious, Jamie at Home, Glutton for Punishment, and Chef at Large are not Japanese TV shows; they're from Food Network Canada. Jamie at Home is Jamie Oliver's take on the Chef at Home concept; Glutton for Punishment is a new series by the "Surreal Gourmet," Bob Blumer; and Chef at Large is Canadian chef Michael Smith's flagship TV show, where he goes about North America and present a particular place or event in each episode. I'm just as addicted to cooking shows as I am Anime and Japanese culture!)
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Well, that's it for this post. I might take the time to adapt some of my externship journal entries for future posts. As always--stay tuned!
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