Published Articles

“Resources for Writers of Literary Fiction”

The Literary Fiction website at BellaOnline is solely for readers who enjoy literary fiction but writers may also gleam information (what is a writer who doesn’t read) from the site especially from the interview section. I don’t normally feature websites for writers because there is a “writing” section in BellaOnline’s career section (see related links below). And it is so rare to find a website with a focus of encouraging writers to write only literary fiction. Bill Cole emailed me recently to let me know about his website, Story in Literary Fiction.

The main categories of this website are essays, interviews, stories to read for pleasure, workshop advice and a study guide. Of all the categories I believe essays category is the most helpful to beginning writers and writers requiring a refresher. There are essays on story, character, momentum, narration, drama, motivation, credibility, point of view, and dialogue. The essays are short and sweet without a lot of fluff in between. The workshop category is also quite useful with articles on how to choose a workshop, working with literary agents and how to critique a manuscript.

An interesting feature of Story in Literary Fiction is the “study guide” which is designed to give literary fiction writers a better understanding of the website, how to use it to their advantage, the content it features and hopefully, in the end, improve the visitor’s writing.

Story in Literary Fiction feels like it is still growing. There are a limited number of interviews, stories for reading pleasure (can be read or listened to), and a few books for purchase. For those interested in writing Literary Fiction it is a good stepping stone along the way to improving writing skills.

Visit Story in Literary Fiction as a writing resource.

This piece was initially published in 4/21/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Literary fiction has always been laced with moral philosophy. The intent of the authors is to leave readers thinking long after the final page has been turned or in some cases teach the reader the author’s philosophical ideal. In a nut shell philosophy in literary fiction examines our societal morality. Some common themes of philosophical fiction are: right, wrong, truth, courage, vanity, and justice.

Using philosophy to blanket the characters or plot is not a common type of literary fiction. When done well the reader doesn’t even know it is happening. When done poorly the reader finds themselves longing for the author to get back to the story. How the characters and plot are blanketed with the author’s chosen morals can often decide whether the reader likes the book at all. This is often decided by the reader’s own view of right and wrong.

Personally, I like a bit of philosophical play when I’m reading but I don’t like to be drowned with it. Too much and, like most people who try to read literary fiction, I’ll lose touch with the story.

Is philosophy a necessary part of literary fiction, no of course not. I wouldn’t exactly call Pride and Prejudice incredibly philosophical but it does have its own societal morals. The question that should be asked is: does philosophy improve literary fiction? I have to say yes. We deal with philosophical questions personally every day whether we realize it or not. If the characters we read about didn’t confront similar issues then they wouldn’t be fully developed. Including philosophy, no matter to what degree, allows the reader to experience different aspects they might never have considered, witnessed, or experience. In effect, we are learning while they read fiction.

Some writers are naturally philosophical while others are classically trained. Iris Murdoch was classically trained in philosophy. It was a huge part of who she was as a feminine writer. She wrote non-fiction papers about philosophy but also including philosophy questions and insights in her fiction writing.

Philosophy Ridden Literary Novels to Add to your Book Shelf:

• Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoevsky)
• In Search of Lost Time (Marcel Proust)
• The Golden Bowl (Henry James)
• The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
• The Sea, The Sea (Iris Murdoch)
• Ulysses (James Joyce)
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)

This piece was originally posted on 4/7/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

When you spend time reading Jane Austen’s novels it’s not uncommon for the character lines to blur between novels over the years. Here is a listing of the main (or pivotal) characters from each novel that you can use for reference. Or just to refresh your memory.

BellaOnline has a “printer friendly” tab at the bottom that will take out all the other text around this article. Print it out, fold it up and stick it in one of Jane Austen novels for a handy future reference.

I’ve made the list in order of publication with the main love interests separated from the rest.

Sense and Sensibility

• Elinor Dashwood (Miss Dashwood)
• Edward Ferrars
• Marianne Dashwood
• James Willoughby

• Colonel Brandon
• Lucy Steele
• Mr. and Mrs. Dashwood

Pride and Prejudice

• Elizabeth Bennet (Miss Bennet)
• Fitzwilliam Darcy
• Jane Bennet
• Charles Bingley

• Mr. and Mrs. Bennet
• Mr Collins
• George Wickham
• Lady Catherine de Bourgh
• Mary Bennet
• Catherine Bennet (Kitty)
• Lydia Bennet

Mansfield Park

• Fanny Price
• Edmund Bertram

• Sir Thomas Bertram and Lady Bertram
• Mrs. Norris
• Henry Crawford
• Mary Crawford
• Tom Bertram
• William Price

Emma

• Emma Woodhouse (Miss Woodhouse)
• George Knightley

• Frank Churchill
• Jane Fairfax
• Harriet Smith
• Mr. and Mrs. Weston
• Mr. and Mrs. Elton
• Miss Bates
• Mr. Woodhouse

Northanger Abbey

• Catherine Morland
• Henry Tilney

• General Tilney
• James Morland
• Isabella Thorpe
• John Thorpe

Persuasion

• Anne Elliot
• Captain Frederick Wentworth

• Sir Walter Elliot
• Elizabeth Elliot
• Lady Russell
• Louisa Musgrove

If I left someone out whom you think falls into the “main character” category please let me know. Or if you adamantly think there is someone who I have included that shouldn’t be here let me know that too.

• Test your knowledge of Jane Austen.

This piece was posted on 3/31/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Many people spend more time on their Blackberry and iPhone than they do reading a book made from paper. These days the form you read isn’t as important as making the time to read. With the website Daily Lit there is the possibility of increasing the quality of your reading material with only five minutes at a time. Those who have succumbed to the convenience of handheld devices or those who can’t enjoy the comforts of a warm chair, hot tea and a good book can now have top choice novels emailed to them in five minute increments to be enjoyed on the spot.

This past week I’ve been enjoying the words of Theodore Dreiser from Sister Carrie as well as Many Thoughts from Many Minds quotations. The short increments don’t interfere with my day but have allowed me to schedule in some extra reading. Unless I decide to speed things up it will take me 199 instalments to finish Sister Carrie which is about six months unless.

You don’t need to register to read but registering helps to keep track of what you have read and it allows participation in the forums for book discussions with other readers. It was really easy to register at Daily Lit. All I needed was a functional email. There was some optional data like name, location etc but relatively painless. With each book I sign up for on the website I am able to control the settings as to number of days (I chose weekdays) I receive instalments, size of print and even time of day I receive it. Should I decide I have more time for reading the instalment I can have longer ones sent to me. If for whatever reason I need to take a break I can suspend the emails until it is appropriate to receive them again.

Many of the books are public domain with over 800 choices that are free for reading. They do have a buying selection of contemporary reads like James Patterson, Tracy Cox. And over 300 Harlequin romances if you are into that. All appear to be under $10. Or a little levity I purchased Sand in My Bra by Jennifer Leo.

If you spend any length of time on the computer I highly recommend you check out the Daily Lit as a source for increasing your quality reading quotient.

Visit the Daily Lit to get your daily literary dose.

This piece was originally posted on 3/24/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

“Personal. Political. Provocative. Ad-free.”

This ad-free literary magazine was founded in 1974 by Sy Safransky and focuses on essays, interviews, fiction, and poetry as well as intriguing photos. The Sun produces twelve issues per year and offers yearly subscriptions ($36 in U.S. or $51 in Canada) or readers can find individual issues in the literary section of their favorite magazine haunt.

You can get a taste of their magazine from complete excerpts of current issues found on their official website. Read an essay, a few poems, or see the list of contributors which range from renowned to unknown writers.

One of the things I like about The Sun is the nostalgic feel I instantly get from picking it up; brought on, in part, by the black and white photograph on the cover depicting real people in their daily lives. Viewers can expect anything from the sun worn face of the working man to the blonde curls of a playing toddler.

The range is wide and so is its appeal. Otherwise it wouldn’t have lasted over a quarter of a century. While I mentioned that there is a nostalgic feel to the magazine the content is contemporary and relates to our current trials and tribulations.

Their website allows readers, new and old, to connect with other readers with similar interests by providing like minded links. There is an online method to subscribe to their magazine or email newsletter. And it is ad-free like their magazine; making it easy to surf and find material of interest. The Sun is currently offering a free trial issue with no obligation to subscribe. I highly recommend surfing through the archives to get a feel for their content and writers then giving them a try.

Visit The Sun Magazine

This piece originally appeared on 3/17/2009 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Where does the money go?

According to Wikipedia “the default length of copyright is the life of the author plus either 50 or 70 years” depending where in the world you live. But what exactly happens to the proceeds made from literary works after the author has died? In most cases it is attributed to family members or spouses but that can become a murky area with extended family, divorce, remarriages etc; unless there is a will left by the writer that says otherwise. And even then I’m sure there would be some one to challenge it.

I was reading a recent issue of the Smithsonian where Keenan Mayo briefly discussed the family feud over Emily Dickinson’s writings and it struck me as odd how long this in-fighting has gone on. The woman has been dead since 1886! And what happens when the fighting is going on? The income from dead authors doesn’t just wait around until the lawful heir is decided.

Personally, I think that after the first generation that money made from the works of an author should go into a fund of some kind to help up and coming fresh writers, as in a grant; or to start a literary program in the author’s name. And what about after the copyright has expired? Technically, anyone can republish the work and make money from it. If copyright must end for the author and family, why shouldn’t the literary community as a whole benefit from these works. Especially in a time when art programs, literary festivals, and the like are being cancelled for lack of funding (NOT lack of interest) because it lacks priority in the big picture. Recently it was announced in Ottawa the city was cutting all it’s funding by 100% for author’s grants and literary festivals leaving these programs that have previously thrived because of the aid to fend for themselves.

I realize it would be incredibly difficult to institute a plan like this but I can dream can’t I. What about you, what would you like to see happen with the works from deceased authors and the money earned from their projects?

In 2007 Doris Lessing won the well deserved Nobel Prize for Literature. The Nobel Prize doesn’t look at one piece of fiction but a life’s work and its affect on society. The eighty-nine year old (October 22, 1919) woman has dedicated her life to writing literature. It’s obvious from her interviews that her love of the spoken word is genuine and is not all about the pocket book.

Doris Lessing, who lives in Britain, is a multi-faceted writer who has incorporated feminism, politics, science fiction, non-fiction, and poetry into her writing. Having such an array of interests is probably what has helped keep it fresh over the last eighty years. She has definitely been a prolific writer having produced seventeen novels, two poetry collections, two cat books, seventeen short story collections, two series and a few operas. She’s been described as having “no-nonsense language and observations” which can have an appeal to almost any reader. She wrote a few novels under the pseudonym Jane Somers. Doris Lessing is probably best known for her novel The Golden Notebook which was published in 1962.

Here is a listing of her literary books in chronological order:

• 1950 – The Grass is Singing
• 1962 – The Golden Notebook
• 1971 – Briefing for a Descent into Hell
• 1973 – The Summer Before the Dark
• 1974 – Memoirs of a Survivor
• 1983 – The Diary of a Good Neighbour
• 1984 – If the Old Could…
• 1985 – The Good Terrorist
• 1988 – The Fifth Child
• 1995 – Playing the Game
• 1996 – Love, Again
• 1999 – Mara and Dann
• 2000 – Ben, in the World
• 2001 – The Sweetest Dream
• 2005 – The Story of General Dann and Mara’s Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog
• 2007 – The Cleft
• 2008 – Alfred and Emily

Lessing, at eighty-nine, is an inspiration to readers and writers worldwide. And of course she continues to write when she finds the time.

Many of Doris Lessing’s books are available from Amazon.com including her most recent, Alfred and Emily.

This piece was originally posted on 11/5/2008 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.

Since motion pictures began, we’ve been seeing books made into movies. Over the last twenty years it seems to be even more popular. Some times a book can be made into more than one movie. Can we say Pride and Prejudice? I’ve always been intrigued by movies that have been based on a book, either watching the movie after reading the book or sometimes before. One of the biggest discussions once a movie comes out is usually, “Which was better, the movie or the book.”

If you have a similar fascination then you are not alone. Lorie a WAHM, post-advertising career, also shares the same love. So much so she created the website, Based on the Book. Based on the Book contains a listing of movies based on books, lists of popular movie authors, information on movies (based on books) that are in theatres, coming to theatres or have been released on DVD. Each film has a very brief description of the plot, who starred in, directed it, and on occasion Lorie’s opinion on its success, readability and entertainment value. She has a simple graphic code system that lets you know at a glance whether she thinks the book or the movie was better. If you are like me you probably have the opinion that the book is almost always better (but it doesn’t mean a good movie can’t come out of it).

Based on the Book is a listing more than a review site but there are a number of helpful links to find reviews and in some cases movie trailers. You can browse for books/movies titles via the A – Z listing or scroll through the author titles or via year (2006 – 2008). The listing is not extensive, she is a mother of three after all but if you are looking for further entertainment it’s an easy read with good recommendations for book/movie watching.

Visit Based on the Book.

Do you like classic and English literature or would you like to delve into the world of classic literature but just can’t afford it? Or perhaps your local library is too far away? This summer I had the opportunity to delve into the world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula via LibriVox.org a website that provides “free audio books from public domain”. Public domain refers to written works that no longer fall under the protection of copyright. At the moment, anything before 1923.

How do public domain books become audio books? LibriVox has volunteers who commit to reading a chapter (or sometimes a whole book). Each book may be made up of audio files from different readers from different countries. It makes for an interesting listen! The LibriVox site just celebrated their third year in production. The site is completely run by volunteers as a non-commercial project. You won’t find any annoying advertising although some readers may mention their blogs or websites at the beginning or end of their readings. They work in conjunction with Project Gutenberg who is the original non-profit site for public domain ebooks.

There are two ways you can listen to LibriVox’s audio books. You can sign up for iTunes and register for their three times weekly podcast (it’s very easy) which highlights a new book every week. Or you can search through their catalog of interesting titles and download them to your computer or MP3 device. They have over 1600 audio books and growing. In minutes you can be listening to such well known writers as Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Gustave Flaubert, John Keats, Edgar Allen Poe, Beatrix Potter, William Butler Yeats and many more.

If you have some spare time you should considering donating your time and your voice to an inspirational recording. No experience is necessary and they have an online guide to talk you through the process.

I highly recommend supporting this online audio book resource.

Visit LibriVox.

David Bergen was first brought to my attention during the 2005 Scotia Bank Giller Prize award for best fiction which he ultimately won (and now he is nominated again this year).

The Giller was not the first writing award he won. All of his novels have been widely praised. He has five novels published. The Giller winning novel is The Time In Between (2005), a story about a family struggling with the effects of war decades later. A brother and sister travel from B.C.’s Fraser Valley to Vietnam in search of their father who’s travelled his own journey to answer to his past. It’s a wonderful story of family, culture and the conflict of past and present.

This year’s nominated novel The Retreat is in the running. It tells the love story between a young white girl and a native boy “during the summer of the Ojibway occupation of Anicinabe Park in Kenora,” Ontario. It has been described as both astonishing and heartbreaking.

The Case of Lena S. (2002) was a Governor General Award finalist. A Year of Lesser (1996) was a New York Times Notable Book. He’s written a collection of shorts under the title of Sitting Opposite My Brother (1993).

Bergen grew up in a small Mennonite community in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Prior to working as writer he was a teacher. He still teaches creative writing as such prestigious institutions as Humber College in Toronto.

• The Retreat is available from Amazon.com.
• The Time in Between is available from Amazon.com.

This piece was originally posted on 9/18/2008 at Literary Fiction, BellaOnline.