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Thursday’s Work-in-Progress: A Significant Purchase

by Erika Dreifus on
4

It has been a busy and productive week, writing-wise. I’ve had a poem accepted for 2012 publication. I had a wonderful time chatting on the phone about the stories in Quiet Americans with a group from a Chicagoland congregation. Meanwhile, Quiet Americans received a lovely review on the Books, Personally blog (and I was interviewed, too). A book that I’ve been looking forward to reviewing for JewishJournal.com arrived in the mail. And I’ve been cooking up a project with some of the Fiction Writers Review editors. Best of all, I’ve been managing to get some writing done early every morning.

I’m grateful for all of these developments. But today, I don’t want to dwell on them. Instead, in this post, I want to tell you about a significant purchase I made a few days ago. (more…)

Thursday’s Work-in-Progress: Four Fun Facts About My Year in Jewish Books

by Erika Dreifus on
2

Earlier this week, I wrote about “My Year in Jewish Books” on my “other” blog (which is called “My Machberet” and features news and notes on matters of specifically Jewish literary and cultural interest). But as a practicing writer who knows how significant reading is to the vigor of her writing practice–not to mention as a practicing writer who frequently writes reviews of Jewish-themed books as part of that practice–I’m going to devote this “Work-in-Progress” post on Practicing Writing to some observations based on my analysis of that list of 18 titles.

1) I’m doing OK–could be better, but could also be much worse–when it comes to reading books in translation. We all know about that unpleasant “three percent” figure, right? Well, four of the 18 titles on my list–that makes about 22 percent–were books in translation. I don’t think that the relatively healthy connection between Jewish literature and literature in translation is incidental. I do think that when you belong to a diaspora culture, and you’re drawn to certain books accordingly, you’re going to be reading books that were written originally in different languages.

2) I purchased way more books than I thought I had. I live in a New York City apartment, and I receive a lot of free books as review copies. I’m also a regular visitor to the public library. I had begun to believe that I was not, in fact, as conscientious a book-buyer as I should be. I am frankly a bit surprised by the fact that I purchased so many of the titles on this list (basically half of them). Maybe the fact that several were Kindle purchases–and therefore not visible in my office or on my nightstand–has something to do with my surprise here. Keep in mind, again, that these are by no means all the books I bought this year. They’re only all the books on Jewish themes that I bought for myself. That leaves out all the books that I purchased as gifts, and all the books that I didn’t necessary consider to be “Jewish.”

3) Unsurprisingly, I am still reading quite a lot about the Holocaust. More than half of the books on this list deal with the Holocaust and/or its after-effects in some way. I should have more to say about this–especially given that I’m still thinking about Daphne Merkin’s recent reflections on Holocaust-related films. But for the moment, I’ll just let the fact sit there.

4) Without additional analysis, I can’t really know the extent to which all of my “Jewish” reading reflects my habits more generally. But here is how the genre distribution works out here: Novels on this list: 10 (56 percent); Memoirs/memoiristic essays: 2 (11 percent). Other nonfiction: 2 (11 percent). Poetry collections: 2 (11 percent). Graphic novels/books for young readers: 1 (5.5 percent). Short-story collections on this list: 1 (5.5 percent–appalling, but I suspect that here, at least, the stats would be better for the “non-Jewish” reading list. I read at least six other collections this year.)

Have I inspired any of you to review your own reading for the year? If you’re inclined to write up any similar post(s) for yourself, please be sure to share the link(s) in comments. I’d love to come by and read what you have to say.

Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

I’ll admit it: I’m tired. Today we will be meeting a big deadline at the “day job,” and honestly, that’s my main focus right now.

Which brings up a subject that I saw treated on the Fiction Writers Review blog earlier this week. What the question came down to was this: “Do you consider your day-job writing to be Real Writing? How does it affect your drive to tell your own stories in your fiction?”

Well, now that I’ve had a little more time to think about this, I have a few more (and hopefully clearer) thoughts.

First, for me, these are two discrete questions. At this point, I can divide my “day-job” writing and my “Real Writing” into two categories. But the “Real Writing” would include a lot of writing that isn’t fiction. I’ve written only two new short stories this year. But I have written poems, essays, book reviews, and magazine articles, too. None of that is for my “day job.” All of it is “real” writing.

And sure, the memos, e-mails, and minutes that I work on at the day job may not reflect as much “creativity” as the rest. But I’m a writer who researches whether I’m writing fiction, a freelance article, or a memo. I’m a proofreader all the time. And frankly, I’m often far more deadline-driven at the day job than I am anywhere else. And there’s one big plus to my day job writing: I’m told, repeatedly and frequently, that the work that I’m doing is good. I’m told that it matters. I’m told that my skills are appreciated. Yes, I get some of that feedback as a fiction writer, too. But not nearly so much, and not nearly so often.

The second question–about how my day job may affect my drive “to tell [my] own stories in [m]y fiction”–is more complicated, and it forces me to consider something I don’t especially enjoy thinking about very much. And that’s the fact that since I returned to a full-time, 9-5 office job, my fiction production has declined precipitously. I’m not sure I’ll ever be back where I was in my MFA program, when I was writing literally a dozen stories a year. I’m not sure why that is. I don’t think that it is due entirely to the changes in my schedule and the intense daily demands on my brainpower. But it’s true that most of the time I feel as though I’m thinking in poem or essay form. I’m thinking about something intense, something that can be encapsulated in a few lines, or a few pages. I’m thinking in ideas or emotions, not in images or characters. That’s been excellent for a lot of my outside-the-day-job writing. But it isn’t great for fiction.

So much for clarity, I fear! What do you all think? Please chime in here or on the FWR blog, as you prefer.

Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

by Erika Dreifus on
4

It has been a busy week! And a very good one. Herewith, a few highlights. (There was actually one anti-highlight–it has to do with a negative review of my book. But especially in light of all the things that are going so well in my writing life these days, I’m trying not to focus on it. Which is not to say that you won’t hear more about it later!)

  • You know that commissioned story I keep mentioning here? Well, I finished some (small) requested revisions for it last weekend. So if everything goes smoothly, it shouldn’t be too long before I can share it with you. I really can’t wait!
  • A few days ago, I sold a rant-like essay that I’ve been working on for awhile, too. I’ll let you know when the piece is online.
  • I’ve been working hard on polishing and practicing the speech I’ll be giving at my home congregation tomorrow evening. The title is “Why Is This Jewish-American Writer Different from (Some) Other Jewish American Writers?” (For those who may not be familiar with the tradition, the title plays on an essential line in the Passover Haggadah.) I hope to be able to turn the text into an essay, too. We’ll see.
  • Last, but not least, last Sunday I had the privilege of meeting with the Jewish Historical Society of New York City. Since it was a local event, some members of my fan club were able to attend (including my parents and my niece, pictured below). Much of my presentation focused on the work of other “third-generation” writers who are grandchildren of refugees from and survivors of Nazi persecution. If that subject sounds familiar, that may be because you’re thinking of a piece I wrote earlier this year for Fiction Writers Review. In Sunday’s talk, I updated that material to include mentions of Natasha Solomons’s new novel and Julie Orringer’s work-in-progress, as well as incorporating some remarks about and poems by Jehanne Dubrow and Erika Meitner. I wrapped up the presentation with a brief reading from my own book of short stories, Quiet Americans.

    • All of this and a “day job,” too? I know. Especially since things have been extra-intense at that job lately, I am really looking forward to the Thanksgiving mini-break!

    Thursday’s Work-in-Progress

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    Right now, most of my writing time is going toward the drafting and revising of a talk I’ll be delivering next week at my home congregation in New Jersey. The presentation’s title is “Why Is This Jewish-American Writer Different from (Some) Other Jewish-american Writers?” I’m trying to articulate some things that I’ve been thinking about for a very long time. And it isn’t easy.

    I spent a lot of time last weekend toiling on this talk, and I’ve spent many hours outside my 9-5 workdays this week working on it, as well. I am beginning to see some light at the end of this particular tunnel.

    The light began to shine when I realized that if and when I turn this talk into an essay, I’ll be able to revise, cut, and expand, as appropriate. It may sound silly, but this realization somehow lifted a heavy burden.