Apr 30 2008
Random Thought: Totally Kicking Butt
I’m on a roll. I got so much writing done today that it’s scary (in a good way).
Tomorrow I think I will work on a proposal that is thisclose to completion. This is a book I want to write with my big sis. The two of us sharing the spotlight on a book cover is an exciting proposition.
Aside from that, I want to brainstorm other book ideas tomorrow. I want to work on a biography. I’ll conduct research on a few people I’m interested in (don’t know who yet). Does anyone pique your interest? When you read biographies who are you most attracted to (i.e. actors, musicians, politicians, famous for doing nothing people)? Once I have an idea, talk to my agent about it.
As you may have noticed, I’m working more on my nonfiction stuff. After I finished the first draft of Mija, I needed to change gears. Though I have been working on a fiction outline here and there.
Oh, I love bios…who haven’t I…hey, I don’t think one has been done on Bill Gates. The Google guys! Rosa Parks? Where did she draw her courage from and how did it all change her life?
Jim Belushi, how did he turn out ok? zzzzzz
Diane,
I also loves bios. I always have a vision in my head about a person and then I read about them only to find out they are human. And even though I know they are human, I don’t want to KNOW they are human.
Take Michael Landon for example. LOVE HIM. Then I found out about his cheating ways. I was heartbroken. Never looked at him the same after that.
“Jim Belushi, how did he turn out ok? zzzzzz”
LOL
I know what you mean. John Lennon was ruined as a person (not as a musician) for me after reading about what a terrible father he was to Julian, his first son.
I have read a lot of books about people, but they tend to be autobiographies, not bios. I’m going to read Celebrity Detox about Rosie next. I really liked Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. I did read bios of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix; those were both very interesting. I do like reading about musicians. I saw the craziest documentary the other day about the artist/songwriter Daniel Johnston, who spent a lot of time in mental hospitals for his bipolar disorder. They consider him a living legend and compare his life to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys- I want to read his (BW)book too.
So some of the most interesting books seem to be about super-accomplished and/or genius people with mental illness. A great autobiography fitting this description is : A Fractured Mind: My Life with Multiple Personality Disorder by Robert B Oxnam . This guy lives in New York and rollerblades every weekend in Central Park with bottles balanced on his head; they call him “Bottleman.” Have you seen him? He’s also an expert on China and worked with heads of state and CEOs all while functioning under different personalities; oh and his different personalities wrote the book too!
I did read A Million Little Pieces when it was still considered autobiographical and really liked it. I read Dry by Augusten Burroughs at the same time which is on the same topic and just as unbelievable, but still considered true.
So that’s a long-winded explanation about people I enjoy reading about. (dangling preposition, I know-ha) …..about whom I enjoy reading.
Let me know if you enjoy Celeb Detox. I read a few pages at the bookstore but didn’t buy it. The situation with EH and Rosie was still raw and even though I don’t know either of them, I wanted to stay away from the drama. LOL I can’t stand drama. To be in it. Or to witness it.
I want to read BW’s book as well. But I’ll skip over the Rosie parts.
The next book I’m going to read is a bio on Jane Austen. I’ll blog about that in a bit.
I hear ya, Auria. Barbara never “got” Rosie. It’s a shame.
I finished Celeb Detox. I don’t know if you would like it- she talks a lot about BW and the evolution of their relationship. She hardly talks about EH, and the little she does is pretty positive; surprisingly, she doesn’t even cover their “fight.” In some ways, the book made me like Rosie less. But, I think it might be because of the ghost writer, not Rosie. I really like Rosie when I watch her or read her askRo blog. The book was rife with metaphors, similes, and analogies to the point of overkill for me. I enjoyed the featured poetry though.
She covers the Kelly Ripa feud, and of course Trump. So if you want to skip over the drama, you might have to skip a lot!
Erika, I like Rosie on TV and on her blog. I don’t think I’d connect with her on a person-to-person level. She seems good-hearted, but it doesn’t seem that we could be friends. Not that she’s asking. LOL