First off, I'm short on reviews right now. I haven't made it to a lot of new places or tried a lot of wines or cocktails in the past couple of weeks. I've got a couple in mind for this week, but it'll be a few days before I go, review, and write things up anyhow. Apologies for the shift in content, but I'd rather keep posting than not!

Secondly, I don't read about writing a lot. There are lots of writers out there who've read every book on the subject.  It's also extremely popular blogging material. From what I can tell, writing about writing seems to generate a huge amount of interest. I think it's bizarre, and just something I can't get into.  I can't watch musicals or movies that are about a musical or movie (yes, nearly all of the musicals-movies of the 30s through 50s, you fit this bill), either. Call it one of my quirks, if you will. But today, I'm blogging about writing.

Don't get worried that I'm going to start doing this regularly (unless you'd rather I did; then you should probably just scurry along to another blog, one of the gazillion out there on the subject).  This post is an exception. It's not even about writing, really; it's about a style of writing that I hate but is increasingly showing up everywhere I look. I call it Thesis Fiction. Thesis Fiction is when a writer decides to pepper their work with obvious references to other literary, pop cultural, or historical figures and ideas to show the world that they are good at synthesizing information, that they understand how everything is interconnected, and gosh darn it, they are so smart to be able to put it all together and make a narrative of it. Here is how I would write a sentence of Thesis Fiction:

With a resignation more fierce than Kilgore Trout's, he opens his arms to the rain and yells, "Posterity!"  thus completing the ritual he's been trying to avoid ever since he first set foot in that Dionysian pit of a liquor store and released the hounds of Hades with the opening of a Fanta can; must all men come to this once their Arwens start losing the sheen of their immortality?

Or in other words, like any episode of Lost. Okay, that's not fair; Lost, at least, treats these references as Easter eggs and doesn't force people to understand them to grasp the plotline. I'm not talking about merely throwing in the occasional reference to real people, brands, or places, either. That can help establish time and place effectively in modern or historical fiction. What I'm talking about is writing in a way that your narrative, plot, or characters' actions are obviously drawing on past books, theories, or people, so obviously that you directly reference what you are drawing on to create your own work.

Now, I'm not saying that everything we write needs to be an utterly pure, new work that does not draw on past thoughts and masterpieces---that would be impossible. I'm a firm believer that there is no new thing under the sun. What I'm saying is that it's possible to draw on other works without explicitly saying so in your own. Without treating your fictional narrative as if it were the culmination of twenty years of education, and you won't get your degree unless you show your superior grasp of the theoretical material in ways that will get you brownie points from the dissertation committee. Your readers are not a panel of professors looking to make sure you hit all the right notes. I guess what I'm calling for is more subtlety.

My rant, however, doesn't hold much merit as I know this style of writing is very popular with a lot of readers and viewers. Heck, people get insanely excited when a movie like 500 Days of Summer references the Smiths or someone's actions are likened to Boom Boom from Welcome Back, Kotter. So you'd really only be putting me off by continuing to write your Thesis Fiction, and you can afford to lose my $10.50. What I'm really saying is that I need to put down the book I'm reading and step away, but gosh darn it, I always have to finish the ones I start. It's a curse. You know, like in Harry Potter, with those horcruxes?

Last week, as part of winning 3rd place in Women on Writing's Summer '09 Flash Fiction contest, I was interviewed on The Muffin Blog. We covered my inspiration for Last Complaint, how and why the character came to be the selfish yet somehow human character that she is, my food/wine/cocktail reviews, my lifelong obsession with General Hospital, for which I write a weekly column at Eye on Soaps, and my fantasy novel. So if you'd like to read more about any of the above, wander on over! I'd love to hear your comments on it, either over there or over here.

Interview with me.

Switching gears, I'm mulling over any blog-related resolutions I might want to make this year. In the past year, I've gone from the occasional post to nearly daily ones, increased my traffic around 100%, and added in other blogger's thoughts on wines, in addition to some smaller changes. I think that what I'm missing is more communication with other blogs! But how to fit that in with a schedule where I really don't just plain write as much as I should? Hmm. Must think it over. If you have a blog that you don't think I visit, though, please leave the link in the comments and I will add it to my roster!

On my fiction/creative nonfiction goals, I plan to submit at least one piece a week to either a contest or magazine/journal, as long as I have finished ones ready to go. That shouldn't be too hard to do, right?

My weekend was what some would call a writer's paradise.  I spent it attending various authors' sessions at the North Carolina Literary Festival held at UNC Chapel Hill, which happened to be free!  Yay!  I would say, however, that a writer's paradise would be to sit on the other side of the table from where I sat, as an author with published works.  Someday, someday.

Anyhow, I had a great time at the sessions I attended, which featured a mix of well-known and newly published authors, almost all with some sort of connection to the state.  The first I went to was "The World of Sci-Fi and Fantasy," which featured John Kessel, Warren Rochelle, and Mur Lafferty.  I enjoyed the readings, Lafferty's especially, and will likely buy Playing for Keeps soon, which is her superhero novel about a woman who has something both the jock-like superheroes and nice guy villains want. Lafferty is a friend of a friend and also runs a writing resource website called I Should Be Writing.

Next up, I planned to go to Rick Bragg's reading and discussion on writing about real people in real life situations, as it would likely have been beneficial for me as a writer.  But in my heart of hearts, I really wanted to screw that sentiment and go see RL Stine instead.  Luckily for me, Rick Bragg's reading was cancelled so I was able to see Stine guilt-free, whom I have fond memories of from my speed-reading days in elementary school.  Fear Street rocks, yo.  He's mainly famous for the younger-skewing Goosebumps series these days, and did a great job of keeping the youngins interested by telling a story with audience participation.  I'm glad I got to see him as those page-turners probably deserve some credit for both my desire to write and my genre preferences.

Carrie Ryan, author of the young adult novel The Forest of Hands and Teeth, gave a great session after that.  She's but a few years older than me, which always gives me hope that I could also get published, and is writing a post-zombie-apocalypse series.  Her readings definitely had me intrigued-another book to add to the "to read" list.  As a fellow lover of horror, discussions of how it and other genre fiction can be so well used for social commentary always keeps me engaged.

Then Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge, read from that book and answered questions at Memorial Hall.  It was great to see her in person.  If you have not read Olive Kitteridge and you like literary, modern American fiction, then you need to.

I ended my NC Lit Fest adventure by checking out the "Chefs of the Triangle" session on Sunday afternoon.  Chefs Bill Smith (Crook's Corner) and Bret Jennings (Elaine's on Franklin) were on hand as they are featured in Ann Prospero's book of the same name as the session that took shape first on her blog, Prospero's Kitchen.  Obviously, for an aspiring foodie and reviewer like myself, the book will be required reading.  Add another one to the list!  She read a few snippets about a bunch of different Triangle-based chefs and also gave us some background on the whos and whats of our fantastic dining scene.  Ann gives much credit to three chefs; Bill Neal, Scott Howell, and Ben Barker, for drawing talent to our area and helping create the chef-farmer relationships we benefit from.  When asked about how his own personal scene as a chef has changed over the years, Smith replied that he's "older and more tired" and because of that, he's learned that "simplicity can be as good as complexity" in making a dish, with which I completely agree.  He also attested that part of the benefits of having so many talented chefs here is that he is "influenced to keep up the good work."

On the farmer and chef relationship, Jennings feels that the "farmers here are as imaginative and creative as the chefs," and loves that they experiment with new ingredients that he then will experiment with in the restaurant.  He also commented in response to a question, that the dining clientele has become smarter about food and that children are influencing their parents in making good choices on where to eat, both of which can be at least partially credited to the locavore movement.  There were samples from the chefs available after the session but I did not stick around to try them.  Shameful, I know.

To sum up, I was very impressed with the NC Literary Festival and glad I managed to get myself on out to several sessions.  Now, does anyone know if any local bookshops carry Playing for Keeps, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, or Chefs of the Triangle?

Last night, I dragged my husband with me to the 30 Threads Blogger Bash at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC).  For those of you unfamiliar with 30 Threads, it's a website run by Ginny Skalski, a journalist based in Raleigh, and exists to help us get the goods on which Triangle area websites and blogs are worth a click.  As a subscriber to the site, I was already planning to attend this bash and take advantage of the chance to meet bloggers whose sites I've enjoyed reading and drum up some more readers for my own.  You know, that whole networking thing people talk about.  But then, I actually got a nod on 30 Threads this past week, so I was even more excited to go.  Being profiled is fun!

The event was held on the stage of DPAC and it was a thrill to stop and take a look at the 2,800 seats in front of and above us.  DPAC also graciously provided some yummy quesadillas, deviled eggs, and cheese and fruit to feed the hungry bloggers.  A cash bar beckoned but I was able to resist going back for more than one glass of wine.  Tours of the new facilities were available but I bailed on mine two minutes in, more interested in getting to know the people hobnobbing at the tables.  There was also a free drawing with tickets for Legally Blonde the Musical, Kathy Griffith, and the new Cirque show premiering here in the fall.  Alas, Ben and I did not have a winning number, which was a real shame for the two drawings that included money for Revolution and Pilgrim (I think), two downtown restaurants with quite a reputation.

It was lovely meeting Lenore, who blogs at Eclectic Glob of Tangential Verbosity.  Her posts are full of great descriptions of meals out, especially desserts, and equally mouth-watering photos.  I also met Ken, the man behind the Duke Performances Twitter account who also maintains a blog that documents how Durham has the worst roads in the world.  I, of course, maintained that he must never have been to Boston then, but a review of his blog reveals that it's more about the vast number of potholes and declining pavement than just the difficulty of getting around.  So Ken, you're safe.  I also enjoyed talking with a duo whose names I didn't catch, that had just completed the first stop of a countrywide tour in Greensboro with the goal of making a complete film in every location using only the power of social media to get people and resources together.  Awesome, no?  Tampa, they are coming to you next!

Of course, there were a great deal more people I met and I have yet to make it through the pile of cards with websites and usernames, so I look forward to checking out more of the writing talents of our community.  Count me in for the next bash!  Oh, and if you are reading this and met me, please do jot me an email or leave a comment so I can check out your sites, too.  My memory for names is horrible.

One thing you should know about me, if you don't yet, is that I take my television seriously.  Not so seriously that I've actually rewatched DVD sets over and over, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode excepted, but enough that I spend lots of time reading other people's opinions on what it all means.  Too much time?  Absolutely.  But being able to watch shows that delve into our inner selves and explore the spiritual questions we all ask is a simple pleasure for me.

As a religious person, I am grateful for the bounty of shows of late that have been unafraid to explore a realm beyond our here and now.  I just said goodbye to Battlestar Galactica, a show that mixed Greek, Christian, mono and polytheism all within one program with a heapful of prophecy, doubt, faith, messianic figures, and angels thrown in for good measure.  It could have taken itself to a place where all that belief comes to naught, where people have just been deluding themselves for years, centuries, or millennia in the case of the Final Five, to a place where no one had a plan.  I was afraid that it would after a half season full of dark, depressing humanity.  But in the end, Battlestar didn't take that road.  Instead, it embraced its spiritual themes and allowed the divine, whatever form it took in their world, to intervene and guide its people to their home.

Lost is another show that caught me with its religious undertones.  Sure, polar bears on tropical islands and monsters made of smoke are intriguing enough, but those details weren't what hooked me on the show.  No, that was John Locke, the man of faith, who we've discovered over time has indeed been in the right to believe.  Not necessarily everything he has believed has been right but the fact that he has been willing to keep his faith despite knowing that he hasn't always followed the correct path, continues to make him a compelling figure.  His nearly unwavering belief in the miraculous nature of the island has provided a witness so compelling that the man of science has begun to believe him after all.  Like my own, John's faith comes with both respect for that which is beyond my understanding and a healthy fear of what it may be and can do.  Jacob and Christian don't exactly strike me as types you want to spend a leisurely evening with, if you know what I mean.

There is a new series that is ready and waiting to take on my religious musings. Out with Battlestar Galactica and in with Kings.  This one is directly derived from the Old Testament, with plenty of liberties taken to reimagine the rise of King David in a modern society.  It is beautifully shot, well acted and chockfull of juicy portents.  The character of Reverend (Prophet) Samuels has made me sit up and take notice in his every scene thus far, from smearing motor oil on David's head to encouraging him to read and interpret the signs around him.  I'm looking forward to all the drama that is inherent in this story as well as the inspiration and questions it will stir.  When you live in a time and place when the existence of god is not questioned but simply IS, then what happens when you fall out of its favor?  Is there room for doubt in that reality?  And is the miraculous recognized as such more easily?

Thank you television, for bringing me shows that allow me to explore religion and all its mysteries.  I may protest when you crank out crime procedural after crime procedural, but for these, I am grateful.