Popular Posts
-
A lyxandria Hill has entered a world that is not her own, far from everything she has known. A forest, secret experiments, an illness that ... -
A lyxandria Hill was eight years old when her world turned upside down. With both parents gone, she looks to her grandmother and her cousin... -
D o you have a favourite author that you like to read? Any and all books that they've written? Or maybe just a few? Jane Austen, C.S...
A profound book based on a true story about a young teen girl who was assigned to be the librarian of Block 31, part of a family camp, by Fredy Hirsch (please Google information about him!), in the death camp of Auschwitz. Books are forbidden by the Nazis, but eight torn and tattered books have been smuggled in and it's Dita's job to hide them when necessary within the Block that has become a secret school for children (also forbidden), and pass them out between teachers when they are required. Everything from history, literature, and geography are among the scant amount of books. She has also acquired "living books" that can be loaned out. These are people who have many stories of their own to pass on to the children.
Throughout the book, Dita must cope with death, loss of loved ones, fear, and an uncertain future. She does find joy in the smallest things as well, like when a seemingly mad Professor was trying to catch snowflakes with a butterfly net. Intertwined are not only the stories of others who are at Auschwitz, fellow prisoners as well as officers, but also Dita applying books that she has read along the way in her young life. She relates them to her current situation and what she will do afterwards if she makes it out alive.
A few of the passages that stuck out to me are as follows:
"Throughout history, all dictators, tyrants, and oppressors, whatever their ideology—whether Aryan, African, Asian, Arab, Slav, or any other racial background; whether defenders of popular revolutions, or the privileges of the upper classes, or God’s mandate, or martial law—have had one thing in common: the vicious persecution of the written word. Books are extremely dangerous; they make people think." (Pages 3-4)
"Truth is the first casualty of war." (Page 265)
"War is like an overflowing river: It's hard to control and, if you put up a small barrier, it only gets swept along in it's path." (page 324)
Of course, the whole book was intense and even disturbing in parts, a necessary disturbance. I found myself at some parts even completely disgusted and gasping, covering my mouth in horror at the atrocities. You know, but you don't know, what happened at these concentration camps. Not just death, but what the prisoners had to live with and how they lived (if they did), and the disgusting things they had to deal with on a daily bases, even from the SS.
Dita knows that despite all this she has a job to do. For the children, and for herself. It is quite enlightening when you realise that books are needed for survival. It sparks the imagination and joy. It keeps hope alive when there seems to be no hope.
Dita is a survivor, a fighter, and a hero, even. Her story lives on in the hearts and minds of those who are still alive to know it and their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And in the four-hundred-twenty-three page book by Antonio Iturbe, The Librarian of Auschwitz.
A must read for those who would like to learn another side of the story. 5 stars out of 5.
*Please note, there is some harsh language in this book and many disturbing themes. Not recommended for teens or young children.
*I do not receive any commissions from the recommendations mentioned in this post. They are just resources that I have found helpful in my own writing journey.
Highly recommend this book, Save the Cat! Writes and Novel by Jessica Brody. Breaks down comprehensively how a novel works and the "beats" and "acts" to move it along. Doesn't really teach you how to write (that takes practice and skill), but rather how to engage the audience. Based on similar methods used in the book Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder.
I will admit, that I didn't actually read the book, but rather I took an online course based on the book on LinkedIn through my local library taught by the author, Not everyone is able to take the course, that is why I am recommending the book. Or take the course (not sure if it's still available) and read the book. Why not? I learned so much with the course (say course one more time!) and took tons of notes. From the steps of what makes a good story including when the "bad guys close in" to the "mid-point" and when a story should split into two. Again, I took so many notes from the course and was able to actually use the methods to complete the Adventure of Flame Gurl book series I had been struggling with. Ended up being twenty-eight books total! See the link in the sidebar to find out more about those. I use Ms. Brody's beats and acts every time I write now including the Eutopia series. It has helped me more than I can express with synopsis of any book I have wanted to write from opening scene to closing scene, with three Acts all together, just like a play.
If you would like to learn the steps in what makes a good novel or even a novella or just a fun adventure book like my Flame Gurl series, get your hands on a copy of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need by Jessica Brody. I have included below a link to the author's website where you can print off your own copy of the "Beats". Personally, I would recommend copying them into Word and then having the steps blank to fill in yourself. That is what I do and then print off my outline. It's just a guide, so it can be veered away from if you wish, of course. I have done it many, many times.
Have a lovely day and write on!
*I do not receive any commissions from the recommendations mentioned in this post. They are just resources that I have found helpful in my own writing journey.
Do you ever have just one of those days where you can't seem to focus on your writing, or anything for that matter? Where your mind is all over the place? Today was one of those days for me. I wanted to go back and re-read my Escape From Eutopia book that I wrote a couple of years ago to see what could be improved on and how I am going to transition into the next book in the series. There is a total of three books in the series, by the way. But, my head has been all over the place. Get off of Facebook, get off of the internet, etc. etc. But my brain wants to stay on there and not do anything else. Stop clicking, stop scrolling! Anxiety and panic setting in. Just stop and breathe, but what if I don't want to? But I need too! Just write. But I can't. Yes I can. No I can't. Yes I can. No I can't, no I can't, no I can't! Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme considering I'm writing this. And it's helping. Sort of. Now I'm distracted writing a new blog post on a brand new blog.
I saw the question asked once if writers need to write. As a writer, I personally need to write. Do I always write? No. But I really do need to! I seriously do! Even when I'm not writing and am blocked, I need to. Even when I'm doing other things and get distracted and go off on a weird crafting tangent, I need to write. Let's just say I have a pile of origami bookmarks that I don't know what I'm going to do with... yet! Writing is in my blood and in my bones. It's even in my DNA. I'll get into the DNA stuff at a later date. I completed the Adventures of Flame Gurl series that began around 20 years ago and only wanted to do 12 books in the spin off series. But, I already have 26 running titles and their basic descriptions written out. See what I mean? I need to write! So many ideas floating around in my weird brain.
So, with all the distractions around with stalling, or maybe even self-sabotaging in not writing, I came across something to help when I find myself panicking and having anxiety attacks about writing to keep me focused. And this is not just when I'm having issues with writing. It's called the rule of 3-3-3.
So, what is the rule of 3-3-3? Name 3 things you see. ie Computer mouse, cell phone, trees. Name 3 things you hear. ie clock, computer humming, cat meowing. Name 3 things you can feel. ie Keyboard, paper, pen. The last one can also be to name 3 body parts such as your fingers, nose, and ears for example. This 3-3-3 rule has really, really helped me. The point of it is to ground you and focus you. It helps to slow your breathing and distract your brain from going all over the place. It's just something that has helped me and hopefully others can use this trick, too! So write a silly poem or paragraph or two about those three things and then write that epic novel you have been working on!
Now to get off of this blog and get back to trying to figure out what to do next in the Eutopia series! I'll keep you updated. Book three is going to be a blast!
God Bless and write on,
Cori-Beth
There are many books that I would love to see screen adaptations for. There are also many television programmes that I would love to see made into books. Ruby and the Well is one of those programmes. Yes, it's a children's show, but, the commercials made it look so interesting that I had to watch. It is a great concept for a programme and I enjoy watching it. I believe they are going onto their fourth season, now. I looked up to see if it had been based on a book or book series and was surprised to find out it wasn't. The Way Home is another series that I wish they would make into a book series. They way it's so beautifully written and produced and acted. Hello all my fellow Ponderers.
One book series that I wish that would be made into a live action screen adaptation is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I know the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has been done many times, including into a cartoon, but the other books in the series haven't really been touched all that much. The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. Now some of those books have been done for the small screen by BBC back in the last 80s and early 90s that I really enjoyed. Very close to the original text of the books. Disney has even done three of those books, as well. I wasn't particularly fond of the Disney adaptations because they strayed from the text and made them very Hollywoodized. Mind you, special effects have changed from the BBC series days and CGI now exists. All this being said, I wish that they would do all of the books right from the beginning, and as close to the original text as possible. It would be interesting in the Magician's Nephew how Digory and Polly are connected to the children in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. How those children are connected to the Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the Silver Chair, and in the Last Battle. I would love to see how the Last Battle is done in particular. It is my favourite of the whole series. I've read the series at least twice and am still longing for it all to be done in live action screen adaptations. And not on a streaming network that not everyone has access to.
There are other books I would love to see as screen adaptations, but this series in particular sticks out for me. Maybe I'll discuss other books in the future that stick out for me that would make great movies. Some for the Hallmark channel (W Network in Canada) and Lifetime. What is it they say? On the Hallmark channel you fall in love with a guy and marry him and on Lifetime you learn how to kill him? Okay, a bit extreme, but you know what I mean. Anyway, there is one particular Canadian author I am thinking of that I would love to see some of her books made into movies. Someone you probable haven't heard of. You'll have to wait and see who I mean later as I want to discuss her, soon.
So, are there books or a book series that you would like to see made into a screen adaptation? Or how about a television series that you would like made into a book? Let me know in the comments. Oh, here's an idea as well... What movie or tv programme was better as a book or vice versa?
Have a lovely day, everyone. And read on.
Amazon Canada
I first purchased Writing Down the Bones way back when I worked in a collage bookstore in my hometown. I had picked it up at first and flipped through it when business was slow, it was a small campus, and found it fascinating. I had wanted to be a writer since I was young. Dabbling in it for many years and even self-publishing a few books, I never really got serious about writing until 2020, right before the pandemic.
Now, I will admit that I when I purchased the book, I never really looked at it until years later... after I purchased a more recent copy and forgot that I had purchased the original one. The second one was purchased due to me remembering about the original copy that I had picked up to read when I worked in said campus bookstore. Again, I forgot about purchasing the first copy. I'm sure many have done that, too with other things, and many still will. Regardless, I took it upon myself to study and write notes about Writing Down the Bones and am forever grateful.
The one thing that really stuck out for me from the book is that you shouldn't edit as you write, even if it's bad. I will admit, that I have edited along the way. There are instances where I have had to due to consistency and accuracy, especially with the Eutopia series (see previous posts.) The importance, however, of not editing along the way is to keep your hand moving and keep the creative juices going. Something the Goldberg mentions time and time again through out the book. Be it writing by hand with a pen, pencil, paint brush, marker, crayon, whatever, or typing, the important thing is to keep your hand moving. This has been extremely helpful in all my writing, whatever it has been. My only thing to add would be, it's a rule that you can break if need be, if it's the case of consistency and accuracy. Which, again, is what I had to do.
Another thing that stood out in the book for me is that the author is telling us that we are not the poem or the story. I would have to disagree with that as we are putting part of our thoughts, our being, our soul even, down on paper. It's always going to be part of us. We are in fact part of the poem or story or whatever. But, that's my opinion on that.
Short chapters with titles such as "Man Eats Car", "Fighting Tofu", "Artistic Stability", "A Story Circle", "Living Twice", "Make Statements and Answer Questions", etc. make the book an easy read and study. I highly recommend taking notes! Ms. Goldberg has a great chapter on topics for writing practice, something she encourages the reader to do. And something else that I have found of great help. Again, it doesn't even have to be good. Write good, bad, and ugly. Write garbage, as the author states. I found that very helpful as I feel I write a lot of garbage. We are our own worst critic, after all.
You won't be sorry getting your hands on a copy of Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg if you want to improve your writing skills. There are also cards that you can acquire. I haven't personally gotten my hands on them, so I can't attest as to what there usefulness is. However, I will post a link to them on Amazon where you can read reviews.
*I do not receive any commissions from the recommendations mentioned in this post. They are just resources that I have found helpful in my own writing journey.