The Shadow of the Wind

Carlos Ruiz Zafron's The Shadow of the Wind is a hypnotizing tale of the impact of literature on both readers and writers.  Zafron's work is written with the air of a suspenseful mystery, adventure, and romance tale. 

Zafron tells the story of Daniel, a young boy who locates The Shadow of the Wind, a fictional novel in Zafron's story which is purportedly written by Julian Carax and had been long-forgotten in a labyrinth library titled the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books' during the 1940s.  The mystery begins when people in his city, Barcelona, discover that Daniel has this book and seek to remove it from his possession.  Zafron chronicles the life of Daniel, as he slowly grows into adolescence and adulthood, and begins to learn the secrets of Julian Carax.  Daniel soon finds that the author is similar to himself in more than one way.  Eventually the plot thickens to a race of time and wit and will culminate in a very climatic conclusion.

Written Impact

I recently finished a Jojo Moyes novel.  I cannot get enough of her writing!  I began a Google search of her work after I finished the final page of Me Before You (Moyes, 2012).  I had already read The Last Letter From Your Lover (which is high up on my favourite book list - check out my review here).  Moyes has a couple other books out which I know I will soon be reading.

My Google search was fruitful apart from finding Moyes' other novels.  It turns out Moyes, a journalist, has also written some interesting articles for The Telegraph.  In one from 2010, she explores how difficult it is to write a sex scene in a novel.  She also discusses literature's ability to help calm individuals (both readers and writers) under stress, anxiety, and depression.

One of my favourite Moyes' lines is: 

...writing really well about sex can be problematic in itself. If I write about war brides, Sixties society, or haute école dressage, everyone assumes I’ve read around my subject matter. Equally, on the few occasions I’ve written something even vaguely explicit I’ve had knowing looks – even the odd wink – at the school gates.

~ from: Writing a sex scene is an impossible task.

I love how Moyes, apart from producing amazingly powerful novels, is also able to explore the intricacies of writing in an engaging and entertaining way.  Thank you, Moyes!

Blog-Writer's Block

Life has been hectic lately, meaning I have shamefully misplaced my blogging time with sunshine, friends, a photograph shoot, and cookies. Well, not completely.


I've had blog-writer's block. I've read (and read and read), but not reviewed. Sorry! While I've been silent I have popped around to some of your blogs and I love what I've seen - so many interesting books are out and about right now. Apparently I read a lot more blogs while I have writer's block :P

I think it's high time I begin writing again. No more silence, please!

Vows

I’ve been feeling down and I can’t exactly put my finger on why. I feel like I have been trapped in a whirlwind. My intuition has been going haywire. Maybe this is how life greets a graduate? Maybe I miss university life… or something else? I don’t know.

So why am I throwing all this out onto the web? Well, I've recently heard of a new writing exercise. It sounded like an interesting and creative way to spend a weekday night… and spew pent-up emotion.

The deal? Write a piece of fiction/non-fiction or poem/list (basically anything) with each sentence of your work starting with a letter of the alphabet, in sequential order. In the end you’ll be left with 26 sentences.

Confused yet? Hopefully you won't be after you read my entry. And maybe, just maybe, you'll want to make one of your own. If you do, feel free to add a link to your post in the comments - I'd love to read what you come up with!

Plot for 'Smut'

K and I have been discussing the intricacies of plot... and, quite frankly, I couldn't let this gem of a question fade into nothingness.

K asked:
"Have you ever read smut books and the page before smut happens your thinking "so your going to..." And then BAM. And yet you're still thinking wtf?""

All I could do is laugh and shake my head.... oh smut books.

Matters of the Heart

One of my friends recently recommended reading Danielle Steel's Matters of the Heart. She claimed that it was the best Steel book she had ever read. According to her it was a page turner, suspenseful, and a novel she couldn't stop reading even on her honeymoon this past June. With that kind of acclaim I had to give the book a shot.

Taking my friend's word, I began to read the book on an early flight out of Vancouver. I did manage to finish the book yesterday though I read the majority during my flights.

I must admit that at first I was a bit skeptical of this novel. I am an avid reader of Steel but I find her work repetitive. How many times does she have to reword the same sentence, allude to certain plot twists, or repeatedly mention a character's wealth? To me a Steel book has always been a source of cheap entertainment. Her work can be engaging, fun, and romantic... but it is not a ground shattering, award-winning piece of fiction by any means.

Matters of the Heart did live up to my friends praises. Steel expertly creates a love story between an isolated, but intelligent and well-balanced, woman and a sociopathic man. She illustrates the traumas of being in a physically and psychologically abusive relationship. Her descriptions are vivid, intense, and original. And, most importantly, she creates a fast paced and non-repetitive tale. This book manages to escape the downfall of many Steel novels, that being repetitive descriptions and dialogue.

Interestingly, the sociopathic man in Steel's work is portrayed as an acclaimed writer. Steel links the man's unbalanced behaviour to his writing by stating "it was why he wrote the books he did, all those dark characters lived in his head, and were different sides of him, the ones that didn't show" (Steel, p 275).

This reminded me of our previous discussion on how a library relates to one's personality.
Just how personal is a work of fiction?

Having written a little bit of fiction myself, I do believe that writing style and theme are more intricately connected to someone's personality than the books they store on a shelf. Writing comes from within a person and is a direct expression of their thoughts, censored or uncensored.

But even the notion that what someone writes reflects their own character is troublesome. Does that mean Steel is prone to affairs or Stephen King has murderous tendencies? The psychology behind writing is an interesting topic that I would like to explore.

Overall, Steel's novel is enthralling. Though a significantly darker tale, Steel maintains her tradition of captivating the audience and producing a quick read despite its many pages. I would recommend Matters of the Heart to those who are already familiar with Steel's work... and those, who like me, had become tired of her repetitive writing style.