galadrielwatson

May 13, 2015

Graphic Novel Immersion Day

I recently had what I’ve dubbed Graphic Novel Immersion Day (GNID).

It happened to coincide with the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. While I had nothing to do with this festival, it caused a plethora of graphic novel/comics-related media mentions, which influenced my own GNID.

FIRST, through this article I discovered Meags Fitzgerald. Her graphic novel Photobooth: A Biography sounds fascinating—who’d ever thought of photobooths as a disappearing cultural artifact?—as does her upcoming memoir Long Red Hair. Plus what a great website, with all those fabulous photos of her studio. (Illustrators’ studios always look so much more visually appealing than writers’, with all those coloured pencils and such.) Her variety of work makes her seem like an interesting person to know.

SECOND, through this interview I remembered: yes! I can draw a rabbit! Cartoonist Lynda Barry speaks about the importance of drawing; how we draw easily when we’re young but then often lose the momentum; and how simple steps can help us bring the joy back. Maybe, despite my rusty skills, I could produce my own graphic novel some day (??)—obviously based on rabbits. (My upcoming MFA program offers a graphic novel course; while I shy away due to nerves, I think one day I’ll probably give in.)

THIRD, this interview and article reminded me of illustrator Jillian Tamaki. I had been intrigued by This One Summer (co-created with cousin Mariko Tamaki) and so was compelled to take out another of their works: Skim. I read it all in one sitting and found it the first graphic novel to pull me through wondering what will happen next: although there are no thundering plot points, I cared enough about the main character that her quiet story drew me forward.

Next I’ll order in Photobooth.

(Read more of my graphic novel thoughts here.)

Have you read any great graphic novels lately?

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About the Author

Posted by Galadriel

Hi, I’m Galadriel: blogger, author, reader and resident of a quaint small town in the breathtaking West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

May 9, 2015

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All I Need Is Adventure

“We need to go somewhere,” I tell my husband. “Somewhere exotic.” My husband has worked as a flight nurse—doing airplane transfers to remove sick or injured people from remote communities—and plans to do so again. “I need to come with you.”

While I’ve always wanted to add more adventure to life, there are two reasons for this sudden impulse.

First, I’ve just read Anthony Doerr’s Four Seasons in Rome, which chronicles the American author’s year in that city. (During which time he works on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See—and it’s fascinating to learn he procrastinates and feels as unproductive as the rest of us.) My thoughts on this memoir are:

It’s not about an issue: no alcoholism or kidnapping or Alzheimer’s or abuse. None of these factor in my life—knock on wood—and their absence has always made me think a memoir of my own would be a non-starter.
It reminds me that while I’ve been focusing on fiction, I’ve got a non-fiction background too; maybe some day a memoir would be the way to go—if I’ve got an adventure to write about.

Second, I read an article about the 15^th anniversary of Deborah Ellis’s heralded novel The Breadwinner. The idea for the book came from Ellis’s experiences volunteering in refugee camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If I got out there, maybe I’d have fodder for unique fiction too.

Either way—memoir or fiction—I’d win.

“So, what about Africa?” I ask, envisioning myself in the cockpit, tagging along on an emergency evacuation. “Or South America? Or I’ve always wanted to see Iceland…”

Do adventures feed your writing?

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About the Author

Posted by Galadriel

May 6, 2015

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Purchase vs. Borrow: The Commitment Factor

Sometime in late 2014, I came across Anthony Doerr’s novel All the Light We Cannot See at the library. I had heard of the book, had heard it praised, and the premise seemed interesting. I took it out. Several days later and perhaps a quarter of the way in, I decided it wasn’t for me. I returned the book, the remainder unread.

Now—having been surprised to hear its status as the winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction—I’m wondering if I should have given it more of a chance. Obviously some people think it’s good; perhaps I just hadn’t gotten far enough.

I do admit I don’t commit to library books as much as I commit to a book I’ve purchased. I’ve invested money in a book from a bookstore, so will almost always invest an equal amount of time. Only if it’s super awful will I abandon a purchased book, but most of the time I slog it out—enjoyment be damned.

A library book, on the other hand, is so easy to both bring home and discard. It’s not tickling my fancy? Bah, let it go.

Am I missing out because of this attitude? Perhaps. But borrowing from the library also allows me to read widely, diving into books I may never have committed to buy. If they’re particularly great, sometimes I even purchase them after I’ve finished to refer to later and keep on my shelf.

Will I buy Doerr’s novel now and give it a solid chance? I’m considering it—but with all the tempting choices out there, I have a feeling my book-purchasing funds will be directed elsewhere. Maybe I’ll borrow it again from the library…

Do you prefer to borrow or buy?

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