In George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, many different characters are struggling for political power, revenge, or survival. Martin has created a very complex world with many interwoven story lines, telling the story through the eyes of eighteen different characters. In my opinion it’s these characters that make the story great, but at the same time having so many different people in different places, several of whom are in separate story lines, can be distracting.

His method of writing each chapter from a different point of view really lets the reader understand the feelings and motivations of all the characters, villains and heroes alike. Martin is a genius when it comes to creating characters that you love to hate and then letting you into that character’s mind to see their side, which in most cases makes you sympathize with their motives.  For example, Theon, a ward of the Stark family in Winterfell in the beginning of the series, turns on the Starks and other residents of Winterfell, capturing the castle when war breaks out. He’s conflicted. He doesn’t want to hurt the people who raised him, but he wants even more to earn his father’s respect, and the only way to do that is through conquest. By the beginning of A Dance with Dragons, Theon has been imprisoned and horribly tortured by the unimaginably cruel Ramsay Bolton after Bolton takes Winterfell from him. Bolton has also taken a girl he believes is Arya Stark as his wife, to legitimize his claim to the castle. Theon ends up rescuing the girl, helping her escape Bolton’s cruelty, even though Theon himself is broken physically and mentally. Theon’s transformation from supporting character, to villain, to a character the average reader can sympathize with or even root for shows how by giving characters strong, realistic motivations the author can create strong, realistic characters.

There is a downfall of having so many viewpoint characters though. It can be so long between certain characters’ individual chapters, that it can be hard to remember exactly who was doing what where. A Dance with Dragons and the fourth book in the series, A Feast for Crows, were originally planned to be one book so the events take place at the same time but are separated geographically. Characters that were featured in A Feast for Crows aren’t seen again until the latter half of A Dance with Dragons and some of the characters in this book hadn’t been seen since book three, and with 11 years between the two, I found myself having to go back to refresh my memory about certain events. With some of these chapters not contributing much to the plot, Martin might have streamlined the books a little more. Then again, he has a way of working in details that will be pertinent many chapters or even a book or two later.

I was glad to see one of my favorite characters return for this book. Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf and the uncle of the current child-king, has killed his father and other nephew (the mean-spirited, short-lived, previous king) and gone on the run, seeking Queen Daenarys like so many others. Griff asks him “’There is blood between Targaryen and Lannister. Why would you support the cause of Queen Daenerys?’ ‘For gold and glory,’ the dwarf said cheerfully. ‘Oh, and hate. If you had ever met my sister, you would understand.’”  With just the word ‘cheerfully’ Martin shows the dark sense of humor and sarcasm that makes Tyrion a favorite of many readers. This book is filled with excellent dialogue that moves the plot and makes the characters come to life. The personalities of the individual characters really shine through, giving them a depth of character that makes them realistic and not just flat stereotypes.

Martin is not afraid of killing off his main characters either. From the very first novel of this series, he has proven that the good guys don’t always win. Honor and playing by the rules isn’t enough to save you. It gets such an emotional reaction from the reader and is part of what keeps at least some of us reading. As a writer, it might be worth keeping in mind that even ‘big’ characters can be vulnerable.

Bran and Rickon, the two youngest Stark children were assumed dead at one point in time. It’s unclear where Rickon currently is, but Bran (who is crippled and has to be carried by his simple-minded friend Hodor) has ventured to the icy land north of the Wall in search of the mystical children of the forest who can teach him how to skin-change and see through the ‘eyes’ of the weirwood trees. Describing a scene that occurs just before Bran and his group find the children of the forest Martin writes: “But the air was sharp and cold and full of fear. Even Summer was afraid. The fur on his neck was bristling. Shadows stretched against the hillside, black and hungry,” it’s easy to imagine how menacing the lands north of the Wall are. Using just a description of the setting he effectively foreshadows the imminent attack by the undead creatures known as wights. Martin has given us a world so richly described that it’s easy to get lost in. From the icy dangers of the lands north of the wall to the deserts of Dorne in the south, the way he depicts these places sets the atmosphere and tone of the situations the characters find themselves in.

Though at times the number of major characters seems unwieldy, overall Martin does a good job at managing the plot. After all, it’s those characters that I keep coming back for. I must find out what happens to them. Even if it does mean I end up outraged by the injustice of their deaths.

Andrea Huse is a stay-at-home mom with two teenage sons. She’s a student at Shasta College, though she still doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. She’s an avid reader of just about anything in print, including the backs of cereal boxes and has just started dabbling in writing stories of her own.

When I read White Oleander by Janet Fitch, it was out of a request I had put up on my Facebook wall about wanting some suggested reading, I decided I would read whatever title was suggested to me – well as long as I consider the person credible, I would. I’m usually the kind to read science fiction and fantasy, but when Fitch’s book was recommended by a friend and backed by a few bookstore friends, I went ahead with buying it. It stayed on my Kindle for a long time and as I had begun to finish my reading list, I decided to start into White Oleander. What happened between the book and I was an unexpected love story.

Being an employee of places like Borders and Barnes and Noble for an odd number of years, I was use to making off-handed comments about things like Oprah’s book club with fellow coworkers; with Janet Fitch however, I found my workplace jokes unwarranted. White Oleander is a coming of age story following a girl named Astrid, who finds herself tossed into a series of unfortunate living conditions due to being separated from her crazed mother, Ingrid. I thought the coming of age stories were a thing overdone, but Fitch illustrates a harsh, remarkable story, refusing to hold anything back to make it appropriate for a general audience. Within the first few paragraphs, I was entranced by her writing style, unsure of where the story was going with its vague beginning, but I was more than in love with where it took me. From Astrid’s experiences in trying to find a place where she feels like she even remotely belongs to Ingrid’s existence as a distant antagonist, a poet whose madness went too far, I was obsessed to see where the story lead. There were so many lines that I felt accurately described my feelings on of loneliness, describing the pain with words that I had never been able to find. The way Fitch allows the reader to explore each character as an individual through the story is refreshing.

I feel like there are many stories that hold back or hint at the gritty experiences of childhood that some live through and here we are faced with an unexpected and flawless prose portraying these traumatic events. This is one of those stories that you are rooting for a character to survive; in the same way you may for a hero in a story of zombies or of the apocalypse, but in the realistic setting of our own backyard. Our heroine is fighting a battle against the environment she had no control over with her fate in the hands of the system, through no fault of her own. There are things as unforgiving as creatures that go bump in the night and Janet Fitch reminds us that it can be anything: a romance gone wrong, a dysfunctional family, or a foster system that rolls the dice for wherever your fate may lie.

Between the writing style, the well-developed characters, and the quotes that I find myself repeating in my head, I can’t thank the friend who recommended this book enough for the pleasant surprise. In a time when I needed to be able to relate with something about my own pains, this piece had stumbled across my path, elaborating on what it means to survive and be a survivor, that as harsh as the truth was, the ability to recognize the truth could save you. Ingrid, who as an antagonist is easily hated, makes arguments that hit hard and are honest. There is something to be said about a person you can hate even when you relate to the message they voice. It is a beautiful woven works that I felt related to me like a friend who shared similar experiences would. If you’re searching for depth, a story that stands out on its own, something that can be appreciated for its writing along with its content, give it a look. From being a random title I would’ve never sought on my own to being one of my favorites, this was an amazing step outside of my usual readings. I leave you with line of White Oleander to sample, and a request for some of you to share a similar experience you had with a book, your review of this book if you’ve read it, or a book you think I should read, it just might make it to my next installment of Pleasantly Surprised.

“I know what you are learning to endure. There is nothing to be done. Make sure nothing is wasted. Take notes. Remember it all, every insult, every tear. Tattoo it on the inside of your mind. In life, knowledge of poisons is essential. I’ve told you, nobody becomes an artist unless they have to.”

Nick Flynn has an impressive resume. Some Ether (2000) and Blind Huber (2002) are the first two books of poetry he put out; the former won the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award and he received  fellowships from The Guggenheim Foundation and The Library of Congress for the latter. His first memoir, which I am reviewing, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City (2004) won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award, has been translated into 14 languages, and has been made into a film, Being Flynn, starring Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore, and Paul Dano which came out last spring. He has recently published a second memoir titled The Ticking is the Bomb (2010) and a third book of poetry that is related to this latest memoir titled The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands (2011). Did I mention he is also a playwright, Alice Invents a Little Game and Alice Always Wins (2008), a professor in the creative writing program at the University of Houston (in the spring only), AND his essays and poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Paris Review, and NPR’s This American Life. Oh, and how could I forget, he was also the artistic collaborator for a 2006 film Darwin’s Nightmare which was nominated for an Academy Award for best feature documentary. In short, the man is amazing.

After reading his first memoir, Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, I am not surprised at his success. As Devin Friedman from GQ magazine said in his review of the book, “In a perverse action of divine intervention, a life worth writing about was bestowed on a man actually able to write.” I couldn’t agree more, not only is Flynn’s story absolutely amazing, his writing is so beautiful you cannot help yourself from wanting to read more. The book is not broken up into chapters, just memories. Some are a few pages long, others only a few paragraphs. He does not recite all events in his life in chronological order, but instead introduces himself grown up, back pedals to his childhood, then even further to when his father and mother were young, before his life began. By doing this, he lets us peek into the lives of the people who shaped his life. He does this without judgments, just putting the story out there and letting you, the reader, form your own opinions. Reading his book is like getting to know the backstory of a friend over coffee, Flynn gives you little pieces and stories  that slowly come together to give explanations for the man in front of you.

This book also hits a personal note for me. To share without getting too personal I, like Flynn, had an alcoholic father. It has shaped me into who I am today and, as a child, was a huge identifier of the person that I was. His actions and addictions cast a shadow, a veil, over my life that for a long time I couldn’t get out from under. I have always wanted to write about my stories but I never wanted to do it in a way that demanded sympathy from the reader. I do not wallow in my experiences and I do not feel sorry for myself. My life has been my life, some had it better and many have had it far worse. Over the years though, I’ve noticed that it is difficult to share my story without an “I’m sorry” or “You poor thing” accompanied with a soft pat on the back or hug. Now it’s not to say that I don’t appreciate that, it touches me that people can be that caring, but it bothers me because that reaction is not what I am seeking when I share my tale. It’s just my perspective, my experience.

Flynn has managed to share his story, which is full of “I’m sorry” and “You poor thing” moments, without making the reader feel like they need to be empathetic or treat him as if he is fragile. His writing is poetic, it is funny, it is real. The following excerpt is from a short two-page section titled two hundred years ago:

If you had been raised in a village two hundred years ago, somewhere in Eastern Europe, say, or even on the coast of Massachusetts, and your father was a drunk, or a little off, or both, then everyone in the village, those you grew up with and those who knew you only from a distance, they would all know that the town drunk or the village idiot was your father. It couldn’t be hidden or denied. Everything he did, as long as you stayed in the village, whether shouting obscenities at passing children or sleeping in the cemetery, all would be remembered when they looked at you, they would say to themselves or to whomever they were with, It’s his father, you know, the crazy one, the drunk, and they couldn’t help but wonder what part of his madness has passed on to you, which part you had escaped. They would look into your eyes to see if they were his eyes, they would notice if you were to stumble slightly as you stepped into a shop, they would remember that your father too had started with promise, like you. They would know he was a burden, they could read the struggle in your face, they would watch as you passed and nod, knowing that around the next corner your father had fallen and pissed himself. And they would watch you watch him, note the days you simply kept walking, as if you didn’t see, note the days you knelt beside him, tried to get him to rise, to prop him up. If they were friends and came by your house they couldn’t help but notice whether you had an extra room, or whether you own situation seemed precarious, marginal. And they might not say anything but they would take it in and wonder, either way it meant something. If this was two hundred years ago you left the village maybe once a month, to bring whatever it was you grew or fabricated- onions or oil, wine or cloth- to a distant market to sell, only to return in a day or two to the village, and you might get the sense, perhaps rightly, that there was nowhere else on earth for you to be, that to leave the village would be akin to banishment, to enter into a lifetime of wandering, to become open to speculation that you’d abandoned your father to his fate, turned your back, left him to die. Taken and not given back.  For if you are not responsible for your own father, who is? Who is going to pick him up off the ground if not you?

Flynn beautifully captured the feeling of wanting to run away because of the embarrassment and shame, yet the guilt and responsibility a child feels to not abandon their parent, to not leave them for dead. His way with words and imagery is one that I can only hope to someday produce in my writing. His observations and the connections he makes are entertaining, exposing, and evoke a cornucopia of emotions from laughter to tears. If you too have had a life or experience that was rocky, unstable, or unfortunate, and you don’t want to write about it from the “poor me” angle, I suggest reading Another Bullshit Night in Suck City. Flynn, indirectly, taught me how I can share my story without the need for sympathy- how to share my story without bringing people down.

The Butte College Reading Series will be hosting a reading by Nick Flynn on October 1, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Ayers Hall room 106 on CSU Chico campus. It is a free event, open to the public, but donations are welcome and appreciated. If you would like more information, please visit Nick Flynn’s website here.

Photo credit: AK

by Tempra Board

Laughing is good for your health, which is why you should read humor writer and self-experimenter A.J. Jacobs’ newest book, Drop Dead Healthy.

I’m a fan of Jacobs. I first discovered him while standing in the humor aisle at Barnes and Noble one Christmas, looking for a book for my stepdad. The title, The Know-It-All, jumped out at me. I was already smiling at the title’s appropriateness (which did not go unnoticed by my stepdad). In this book, Jacobs relays his many months of reading the Encyclopedia Britannica in its entirety in an attempt to “become the smartest person in the world.” My ulterior motive of course was that Dad would give me the book after he was done so I could read it too (trying not to think about the fact that the book will have spent the majority of its life in my folks’ master bathroom).

Then I read Jacobs’ My Year of Living Biblically, another hilarious journey, this time through Jacobs’ obsession with living by as many Biblical rules as possible. He engages in stoning adulterers (in Central Park…with pebbles…amazingly while not getting beat up), sacrificing a chicken, letting his beard grow to socially unacceptable grizzliness, and a host of other bizarre practices. Then there was My Life As An Experiment, in which Jacobs conducts a range of self-experiments, including a period of telling no lies (otherwise known as “radical honesty,”), living as a woman (online), and outsourcing key elements of his work and home life to India.

Jacobs’ books may not be for everyone. They are indeed irreverent, and require the reader to have, as you might guess, a sense of humor. A friend of mine recently complained after reading My Year of Living Biblically, “it’s just a shtick to get a book deal,” (well, yes), and “if he really wanted to seriously learn about the Bible there are better ways to do it,” (certainly), and finally “I feel sorry for his wife.” (OK, but you aren’t his wife, so who cares? Besides, I imagine his wife appreciates the income from a national bestselling author, and he makes her laugh…at least sometimes.)

Unlike Jacobs’ other books, I read Drop Dead Healthy on my new iPad, which I discover in the book, may be less healthy than reading the regular printed paper variety, at least as far as night time reading goes (the “blue” light from electronic devises and some readers may make it harder to fall asleep, and lack of good sleep is bad for your health.).

These are the kinds of tidbits Jacobs provides, along with the rationale and scientific support (or lack thereof) for every conceivable lifestyle choice or health impact: acupuncture, raw food diets, moderate versus intensive exercise, laughing therapy, posture, worrying, background noise, sexual health, environmental toxics, aromatherapy, using sunscreen, meditation, accident proofing your home, the importance of chewing…and on it goes. He wrote the book nearly entirely on a treadmill, lost a total of 16 pounds, and cut his body fat percentage in half. Pretty good. It makes me feel instantly guilty for sitting here at my desk, typing away in a boring old sedentary fashion. Great. Now I am getting a double whammy of lack of exercise and worrying about lack of exercise. Pretty bad.

Now this website is about writing, not health, and maybe humor writing isn’t what inspires you. But while this book may not make it into the canon of American literature, the way I see it, funny writing is good, descriptive writing. Some examples:

Jacobs is alarmed to find on the Internet that “just about every quarter-baked idea ever conceived still gets traction.” For example, the 8,000 year-old practice of trepanning, in which a hole is drilled in the skull to cure a variety of mental and physical illnesses, is alive (if not well). Jacobs finds the International Trepanation Advocacy Group. “Its website features images of green-tinted brain scans next to doctors in white lab coats writing complicated math equations on a board. Apparently, this is not your caveman’s trepanation. No, this is totally scientifical drilling of holes in your skull.”

Jacobs reveals, unfortunately, that the current immobile lifestyle many of us lead is horrible for our health, or more illustratively: “Sitting and staring at screens all day is bad for you. Really bad, like smoking-unfiltered-menthals-while-eating-cheese-coated-lard-and-screaming-at-your-spouse bad.” (It increases our risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and some types of cancer.) I am getting depressed again just re-reading this.

But on the up side, there are plenty of quirky anecdotes and historical trivia to lift your spirits. For example, did you know that graham crackers were invented by the “chastity-obsessed nineteenth century health guru” Sylvester Graham? They were “intended to quell the passions in hormonal adolescent boys.” (Graham felt that bland foods would help lower the boys’ sex drive and its inevitable consequence, masturbation, which would lead to, obviously, insanity.)

Or for a more current example, an experiment conducted by the Monell Chemical Senses Center, which studies smell and taste, “showed that men’s body odor has a calming effect on women.” Use that how you will.

In the end though, I am inspired to take better care of myself. And the good news is that it’s not really that hard (still comes down to move more, eat less, and stress less). Think of this book as a health digest. In the appendix are tips for eating, exercise, and stress reduction gleaned from two years of research, consultations with Harvard professors, Johns Hopkins researchers, and other important medical types, and self-experimentation. Use it. Some if it is as simple as getting rid of bad habits (like eating in front of the t.v., which studies show can increase the amount we eat by up to 71%).

I love reading stuff that is at once inspiring, important, and hysterical. I am reminded of Dave Barry’s famous story on getting his first colonoscopy after his brother was diagnosed with colon cancer. It’s a missive that encourages everyone over 50 to get this preventive, life-saving procedure, is of course filled with poop jokes, and still makes me laugh every time I read it. That reminds me, there IS a chapter on proper pooping methods in Drop Dead Healthy, and it involves a training devise you can install on your toilet that safely allows you to squat. I’ll leave it there for now.

Tempra is a full time grant writer and part time blog writer at: http://temprasays.wordpress.com

As a writer I crave knowledge to understand ways to become not ‘just’ a writer, but an excellent writer who has confidence in my work. Having struggled with learning challenges due to a head injury, I have come to know my weaknesses and take joy in my strengths. My desire is to strengthen my weaknesses by learning and developing these skills. Needless to say, my bookshelves are inundated with numerous ‘how-to’ books on writing. While the desire has been there, my busy life has been a distraction from being able to focus on developing these talents. Oddly as it may seem, in time, life also has a way of helping put things back into perspective; and this happened for me when reading the book, The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman.

All the great ‘how-to’ books about writing say that in order to gain the attention of a publisher it is imperative to have a great ‘hook’ in the first lines of your query letter. They look for this before they read any further or show any interest in seeing your manuscript. Well, this book had a great hook in the first lines of the Introduction. Lukeman states, “Most people are against books on writing on principle. So am I. It’s ridiculous to set down rules when it comes to art. Most of the truly great artists have broken all the rules, and this is what has made them great…”  When I first picked this book up off the shelf at Barnes and Noble this is what drew me in. Being an artist myself, I understand the need for certain rules; but there is also a great need to allow the creative flow to take on a life of its own and simply just let it happen.  This may be why the grammatical aspects of writing may seem simple to some, but often baffles others, like me. So I pick up books like this to help me learn how to balance the rules and still allow the creative flow to take flight.

One of the first lessons I learned while reading this book is that it is not a one-time read. There are so many helpful concepts to take into consideration and retain (one of my weaknesses). I will have to refer to this book often to gain that retention- which could be the best thing about it. It is a learning tool that I’ll be able to use again and again.

As a learning tool The First Five Pages sets up a plan to assist in preparation for publication. This book is divided up into three parts: 1-Prelimanary Problems, 2-Dialogue, and 3-The Bigger Picture. While it is named The First Five Pages, each section covers numerous sub-topics from Presentation to the Epilogue.  A process that takes you thru a step-by-step endeavor that can carry you into the completion of a masterpiece ready for publication.

At the beginning of each chapter the stage is set with vignettes of moments from the life and times…or at least part of the life of various writers such as Steven King and John Grisham, quirks and rejections survived by famous writers, famous quotes, etc.; all inspirational pointers that even the best of the best have had their moments of rejections that eventually lead to their success…which eventually led to their opportunity to share of these humble beginnings- and lessons learned- with the rest of us hopefuls.  It is from these real-life experiences from others that I draw in a refreshing breath of inspiration. Rejections aren’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as I’m getting them I know I’m being productive in getting my works out there. And since my focus is on children’s books, I’m quite inspired in knowing it took around twenty-eight rejections before Dr. Seuss was ever published. I’m one seventh of the way there!

While I jest about the sub-titles and what each chapter reveals in this book, I have to say my favorite part of The First Five Pages is that each chapter goes beyond telling you what you should be recognizing as problems in your writing to giving you solutions to overcoming these problem areas, like actually putting things into practice thru hands-on exercises. Of course, due to time and homework priorities; when reading through this book for the first time, I didn’t take the time to do all of these exercises. This is what makes The First Five Pages a great experience for me; it continues to teach and instruct while allowing me growing room. I look forward to taking on these exercises in the near future.

While this book is indeed ‘a writer’s guide to help keep us out of the rejection piles; I feel it is also the type of book that lifts us off the proverbial sofa of writer’s block and motivates the fingers to touch the keyboard, open ourselves up to possibilities, and allow creativity to do its thing -with a bit of constructive instructional direction, of course.

Robyn Stafford has just happily celebrated her half-century mark! She is an empty nester (mother of nine) and Honors student at Butte College where she is preparing to acquire an Art degree. She is also a correspondent for The Gridley Herald and has other publications including anthologies. Currently, she is illustrating children’s books. She loves spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren, and books.

Stephen King’s On Writing begins with a message from Mr. King assuring the reader that what they have in their hands is not a biography, but a trade book designed to help them learn from his experiences and develop into a stronger writer. He also makes recommendations towards some other books that he believes will assist the aspiring writer in developing their own style.

While reading this work I tried so hard to read it critically, to be as judgmental as possible. I searched for errors, and found what I thought were some, like fragmented sentences. I was planning on ripping the book to shreds on that one point so I could have some sort of a review here (opposed to the praise to Stephen King that this somehow became), but those plans were immediately squashed when I read the portion of the book where he justifies these sentences, stating that one has the ability to bend and sometimes even break the grammatical rules that bind our writing to add emphasis and character to our prose. I soon realized that King makes the task of critically dissecting his work extremely difficult. He has a writing style that sucks you in as soon as you begin to read one of his stories. It is so deeply personal you begin to feel as if you aren’t really reading at all, but instead sitting there enjoying a conversation with Mr. King himself. Later in the book he describes this literary phenomenon as something supernatural, claiming that writing is simply telepathy.

This part of the book still remains very vivid in my mind because I was so amazed at the simplicity of the concept. He proves his point by describing a rabbit in a cage with the number 8 written on its back in blue ink. He describes the table the cage is sitting on, and the table cloth between the cage and the table. He describes every minor detail of this caged rabbit, but leaves the descriptions vague enough so that the reader has to interpret what he is saying in their own imagination. He says because of this there will be some necessary variations, such as the various shades of red that the readers mind could place on the table cloth. After he puts this clear image in your mind he takes it a step farther and points out what he has just accomplished; telepathy. Stephen King wrote On Writing in 1999, but here I was receiving mental images of a bunny in a cage form his mind thirteen years later and his mouth never even moved. By god, it was telepathy!

In this book King not only teaches the reader how to communicate through telepathy over the course of time, but also howto become a better writer by sharing his insider’s view on the trade. King gives so much insight on how to connect with your reader on a deeper level that it’s hard not to feel like you are becoming a better writer. It’s not just lists of what to do’s though, he also provides you with a fantastic list of not-to-do’s that I think would make any writer feel a tad bit self-conscious, but extremely motivated to improve upon their writing. One of these ‘not-to-do’s’ that particularly stuck out to me were the ones in regards to finding ideas. King says that you should never find ideas; instead you must recognize them when they show up. This was an approach I never really took when attempting to write, but once I read it I began trying to implement it  as much as possible and I found myself having ideas just sort of pop-up throughout the course of my day. I also enjoyed the much more practical tips he includes, such as, “never staple your manuscripts”.

Another tip that stuck with me was that “Writing is best when it’s intimate, as sexy as skin on skin”. This made me realize that it is okay to branch out and away from the black and white research paper style I have been taught to use for my entire schooling life; I don’t need to be afraid of embracing taboos and letting my personality shine through my writing. If you put yourself into your writing than your audience is connecting with you while they read, and if they don’t connect with you then chances are your writing style just doesn’t match up with their interests, which is okay too.

After reading On Writing I now have a notebook filled with notes that are underlined and circled, and there are far too many for me to put into this review. However, there is one last piece of advice that I found so simple and yet so insanely profound that I have to include it. King gave one summarizing piece of advice for writing: “Approach it in any way you want, for whatever reason you want, but take it seriously”. When I read this, I knew that was the reason Stephen King is a best-selling author; the man takes his work seriously. Suddenly I found myself going through all of my notes again and again, making sure I understood every piece of advice. I wanted nothing more than to start writing his recommended a thousand words a day, all the while avoiding those pesky adverbs he cautions his readers about; “The road to hell is paved with adverbs”.

Jesse Davis is a student at Shasta College who is currently undecided on a major but is leaning towards English. When he isn’t nose deep in a book or working on a story, Jesse maintains a full time job that he hates and a string of hobbies that he loves. He is an aspiring novelist, musician, and martial artist; the only trouble is finding enough time in the day to get to all of them.

So, it is a common fact amongst those that know me that I have never been a fan of poetry. I don’t have a real reason, I just never enjoyed reading or writing it. Possibly because I always thought it was so stuffy, emotional, and almost impossible to relate to. I know it’s ridiculous, but it’s just how I felt. Well, until I got my hands on All-American Poem anyway. This was Matthew Dickman’s first book, and it made me a poetry fan, I know love to read and write the stuff. Partly because of this awaking it sparked in me and partly because it’s poetry month, I decided to post a review of this gem in hopes that you will be inspired to read it and become a hardcore poetry fan as well.

                                                                          All-American Poem

by Mathew Dickman

Published by American Poetry Review (APR), 2008

Matthew Dickmans’ first book All-American Poem was the recipient of the American Poem Review/ Honickman First Book Prize, and for good reason. The cover photo- a mob of people, held behind barriers, with police facing them, ready to react- is a perfect representation for what you will find in Dickmans’ poems. The longing, the raw emotions, the boredom and anger of youth all being restrained inside ourselves, not being able to fully express it and let it out for society faces us, ready to control and put an immediate stop to such behavior.

Every poem is almost cryptic, each individual line representing its own world, while the poem as a whole represents another. Love, hate, death, and life all dance together in each piece, representing the human experience in the modern world. A perfect example of this is Slow Dance, where Dickman speaks of how we need to slow dance more than anything else. It starts with this sense of hopefulness almost, that we still are able to grab the beauty and savor the truly amazing moments. This takes a turn a few lines down, talking now about having that dance with a stranger while you’re lover pulls the car around “because it began to rain and would break their heart if any part of us got wet”, yet this dance with a stranger is sexual, feeling their body, their hands upon your body, yours upon theirs; the light breath on each other’s neck. This selfishness that we all are guilty of- the lust. We are taken through the guilt as he moves on to the mistakes he’s made, yet how the slow dance doesn’t care. We have glimpses of the beauty Dickman longs for dotted with the pain he feels and tries to drown with whiskey. Dickman gives us the gift of realizing the amazing experience that is being human- making up experience life through his words, realize our own experiences, and make us think. If you are a fan of poetry and haven’t yet read this, you’re missing out and if you aren’t a poetry fan, go pick up this book and I promise you will be by the end.