Do you ever get distracted when you start a task?  Do you, like me, end up hopping from one  blog to another when the subject tickles you fancy and you can’t stop laughing at what they say? 

I started reading about how to get more organized in 2010- good idea right!  But then, I did my usual, spent time reading blog posts.

Are you also intrigued by the way other writers work?  Then feel free to follow my journey. And have a laugh along the way.

Agent Nathan Bransford did a “Year in Publishing” post with links:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/12/this-year-in-publishing.html

One link was to Jeff Abbott talking about The Organized Writer: Planner(s) for 2010

http://blog.jeffabbott.com/2009/12/the-organized-writer-planners-for-2010/

Which leads to an article from the Wall Street Journal on how several prominent novelists write their books,

http://ow.ly/zOZt

Laura Lippman says she becomes “somewhat obsessive” about her charts.

“Every time I show people these things they seem to find them mildly disturbing.”

I love this!!

Being  ’somewhat obsessive’  is what makes great writers. We’re all just a little bit looney. And loving it!

Help this gets you decluttered, or, maybe it will create even more head spinning for your new year,

Suzi

O autor de bestsellers internacionais regressa com o seu mais ambicioso, multidimensional e bem escrito thriller, uma nova proeza que exibe a sua característica mistura de pessoas vulgares a viverem perigos extraordinários. Num calmo fim de tarde no Texas, o consultor financeiro Ben Fosberg, viúvo, abre a porta a dois agentes da Segurança Interna. A partir desse momento, a sua vida transforma-se numa espiral descontrolada de acontecimentos. Um homem de negócios tinha sido assassinado e o cartão de Ben fora encontrado no bolso do assassino contratado que também acabara morto. Os agentes têm inúmeras perguntas para as quais ele não tem resposta. As provas contra ele continuam a acumular-se quando um estranho misterioso, conhecido por Pilgrim, o arrebata aos agentes e os lança numa perigosa jornada. A chefe de Pilgrim tinha sido raptada por um homem para quem destruir a vida de Ben é apenas uma tarefa insignificante. Acossados pela traição e pelo perigo, Ben e Pilgrim têm de desvendar um plano nefasto e salvar a própria vida – antes que seja tarde de mais…

Jeff Abbott foi nomeado para três Edgar Awards e também para dois Anthony Awards. Escreveu nove romances, incluindo Pânico e Medo, recentemente publicado pela Civilização Editora. É casado e vive com a família em Austin, no Texas. Para mais informações visite o site do autor: www.jeffabbott.com

A couple of things that I did last week prompted this post. Before, I proceed a caveat. Most, or rather all of what I am going to say has already been said a few thousand times before. So, I am not going to score high on originality.

Firstly, I happened to watch “Gandhi, My Father”. A reasonable enough movie. Most importantly, it presented a side to Gandhi which is not very apparent in the public domain. Anything that refers to the Mahatma, puts him on a pedestal and given all that he has done for the country, rightfully so. At the same time, the fact of the matter is that he was as much of a human being as any of us and therefore, it was very refreshing to see that paints him as a father who is torn asunder by his eldest son’s repeated failings. The film is all about Gandhi and his son, Harilal, not fulfilling each other’s expectations and how the son gets crushed under the weight of expectations. In the case of the son, the problem is compounded by virtue of the fact that in addition to having to live upto his father’s expectations, he is also expected, by the public at large, to live upto Gandhian standards. As is only to be expected, he fails and that more or less is the storyline.

Secondly, after having been smitten with Jeff Abbott, I decided to read his “Panic”. Notwithstanding the fact that it was a page turner and held my attention till the end, it was not in the same category as his “Cut and Run”. And I believe that this has to do more with the weight of my expectation under which it was laboring rather than any significant dilution in the literary quality per se. Unlike in the case of “Panic”, I picked up “Cut and Run” at random, without any expectation whatsoever and it turned out to be a memorable read. Just goes to show the devastation wrought by the weight of expectation(s).

There are several other cases in point. Something as frivolous as sport (and to me sport equals cricket), although it can be as unforgiving an arena as any, has the remarkable and extreme example of the Don’s son, John, changing his name to Brandsen (it is a different matter though that at some later point he reverted back to being a Bradman). As a generalisation it can be safely hypothesised that , but for the film industry in India, where all you need to earn your stripes is a famous surname, the weight of expectation crushes the best and the brightest.

In one of my earliest posts, I had mentioned the profound effect that Khalid Hosseini’s “Kite Runner” had on me. Prompted by a comment on my post by Compulsive Writer (compulsivewriter.wordpress.com), I decided to read Hosseini’s ” A Thousand Splendid Suns”. If at all possible, ATSS, which in my opinion is virtually a sequel to KR, is even better than KR. Suffice to say that ATSS left a much more indelible mark. I guess the success of ATSS is more the exception than the rule.

Of all forms of expectations, beware those that we place on ourselves. These are in reality the most damaging and debilitating. The premium on “success” in today’s world being so high, it would require tremendous strength of will and character to take things as they come. As long as we have the maturity to give it our all and not be worried about the result, expectations should not weigh us down. As long as we realise that each new day means a fresh start in every sense of the term, we will not be bogged down by the tyranny of expectations. And as long as we apply the same rule to the rest around us, the world will be a simpler place to live in.

I just finished reading a little gem titled “Cut and Run” authored by Jeff Abbott. It is a crime thriller and a potboiler with a lot of human emotions woven in. I have not heard of Jeff Abbott earlier (not that it means anything much) and started reading ot because I had time to kill and I had option of no other book. But it turned out to be a virtual unputdownable. Apparently he has written seven books and has been a nominee a couple of times for the Edgar Allan nominee. All this from the book’s blurb. As is to be expected I promptly googled Jeff Abbott and spent a few minutes clicking through the official Jeff Abbott website www.jeffabbott.com. As always, was left wondering about my lack of knowledge of things writing. Realised that he is one of the US’ best selling authors and his latest book “Trust Me” has been released, very coincidentally, on February 5th, the same day I picked up his Cut and Run.

The core plot is played out over a few days and each one of these days is thrill a minute. However the context in which the plot is set is a few decades old and is unique as far as my reading of pulp fiction goes. The book also ends very poignantly. It has a very touching found and lost theme as opposed to the usual lost and found themes. A welcome change, there are no romantic sub plots to distract the main character(s). As much as I would like to, I do not have the skills to write more without giving out the whole story, which would be a tragedy. All of us deserve an enjoyable read of the book. Pick it up if you can and if anyone has read any of his other books, I would love to hear what you may have to say.

The author Jeff Abbott helps fellow writers become organized. Go here to check out his site and blog.

But I wanted to add two quotes he put up, along with his take on these quotes. He writes:

Here are two very worthy quotes to think about as you gear up for a new year (or surviving the holiday tumult) and maybe some changes in how you manage your time, along with my modern translation:

What lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.–Aristotle

(Don’t do stupid things with your time. Choose wisely, as the old guy in that third Indiana Jones movie said. If you’re wasting a lot of time, make a NOT DO list to go along with your TO DO list. Be aware of your time wasters and make a conscious decision not to do those things any more.)

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.–Emerson

(Don’t dwell on where you screwed up, move past it, let it go, do better the next day. Forgive yourself your stupidities. Writers–at least the good ones–tend to be their own worst critics. This is not a bad tendency, but don’t let it suffocate you or keep you from doing your work.)

Evan Casher, who makes films, has a telephone call from his mum, she needs him to visit her straight away, it’s over 2 hours away, but there is an urgency there that he cannot refuse. So begins his great adventure: Who works for the CIA? Who are the baddies and who are the good guys? Where does Carrie (his girlfriend) fit into all this?

This is an absolutely fantastic read, you never quite know where it’s going to head next. I was wondering if I was going to enjoy the book initially as I had seen some low ratings, but I’m glad that didn’t deter me. It was totally wonderful escapism. I enjoyed Evan as a character and enjoyed seeing him grow in his travels deeper into the world of espionage.

This is well worth a read, especially anyone who enjoys a light espionage thriller.

loopyloo100

find me at Librarything

Jab We Met [Movie]
Brilliant movie – it is a must watch. The characters are realistic and very likeable. This movie directly goes into the list of “Buy DVD asap”. And check out the song “Aao Milo Chalo”, great lyrics and a brilliant rendition by Shaan.
Rating: * * * * *

Johnny Gaddaar [Movie]
This movie reminded me of the James Hadley Chase thrillers, and the director too pays his tribute to the writer. This fast paced thriller is very well crafted and made intelligently.
Rating: * * * *

Fear – Jeff Abbott [Book]
It is an ok-ok psychological thriller. I bought this because the blurb seemed interesting and the first line (I killed my best friend…) was captivating. The book turned out to be one of the longest reads I have had, not in terms of page-count, but in terms of the days the book was lying unfinished on my bookshelf. I took 20+ days to finish this one.
Rating: * *

The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid [Book]
Finished this in one sitting; picked it up at around 10 in night, and by 12 I was blown away. It packs a powerful punch, puts your life in perspective. I think people who have stayed in an alien country could empathize with the protagonist, although I would brand him as a rebel. Sreejith, thanks for referring the book.
Rating: * * * 1/2

The Bourne Ultimatum [Movie]
This is a pure popcorn-muncher. Leave the brains at home, do not try to over-rationalize and this movie is great fun. An apt conclusion to the Bourne Trilogy.
Rating: * * * *

Technorati: Review, Jab We Met, Johnny Gaddar, Fear, Jeff Abbott, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid, The Bourne Ultimatum