Influences of Other Writers
(UPDATE: It is these two authors who made me think…
Maybe I should write about my experiences. I then quickly put together a blog post about my relationship with B. B. King. This post snowballed into some cool stuff including this short podcast interview and television coverage that I have also added to the original blog post. Thank you, David and Bill. I’m getting to the age where I do need to write some of these stories down, and your work inspires me. I’m going to compile some essays as soon as I complete these next book projects of going down the rabbit hole with Alice. You guys inspire me. )
If you know me, you know that I am pretty much addicted to books. How many do I read? Well, I read whenever I can. I must read before I can sleep and, I listen to audio books like most people listen to music. So, depending on what I am doing, I can read one book every other week or read/listen to 3 a week. Don’t get too enthused over my accomplishments. I have a love of young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG) novels because I also like to write for that age group. These books can be extremely short, however, remember Harry Potter is not a short book and is in the YA category.
Anyway, I download quite a few free audio books through my library and a program called Over Drive. Recently I downloaded the book “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” by David Sedaris. I have been listening to this book, and it is influencing me. Not since the reading of “Five Quarts” by Bill Hayes have I been influenced by a writer in this way. The influences of these two men are not because of the content of the book but the style of writing. With Five Quarts, I love how the author documented history, but did so by telling his personal story. Five Quarts gives the reader vignettes of different things in history about blood. It also tells the author’s personal story of the influence of blood as it pertains to such things as his sister’s monthly cycles or being a gay man. I loved this type of writing. That style of writing combined two important things. One is history and research, which I love. The other is the profound things that happen in one’s life; simple things that when told in a story can make your soul sing.
With the work of Sedaris, I was simply impressed with the idea of essays. Profound life adventures that did not have to be woven together in a book, but in the idea that they are a collection of essays. I also liked the humor of Sedaris. I long to pull in humor into my most recent work and especially would like to reflect on that in a book that is germinating about aging.
My writing is quite diverse. In fact, I have been praying,
“God, I wish I had a diversified literary agent.
Please help me find one.”
I hate looking for publishers; it is one of the activities I detest the most. I wish I had one agent that could work with all of the parts of me. Yes, I know I have to share my earnings with an agent. But if having one meant I could just keep writing and sculpting and not spending time crossing the hurdles of finding publishers in so many different areas, I would happily hand over that cash.
For example, here is only a sample of the books in various stages of completion. Talk about a range of audiences and topics.
1. A New nonfiction book I’m writing about the Alice in Wonderland sculpture project (Working on this one. )
2. A book of poems, riddles, and rhymes to go with the 150 hidden objects of the Alice in Wonderland project (Working on this one. )
3. A young adult novel that entails the subject of sculpting the deceased (I completed this one. I need to revise. )
4. A nonfiction book on sculpting the deceased.- Documenting five commissions (I completed this one. I need to revise. )
5. A book of children’s poems. (Working on this one. )
6. Another book of children’s poems. (Working on this one. )
7. A children’s book on the learning styles and their differences. (Complete)
8. A book about finding God in my garden. (I completed this one. I need to revise. )
9. A book about a Christian being married to an atheist (I completed this one. I need to revise. )
10. A book about marketing in the arts (I completed this one. I need to revise. )
11. A children’s book similar to Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, The Places You’ll go.” Christian in nature ( Complete.)
12. A middle-grade novel about the adventures of sleep. (Germinating)
13. A children’s book about going to sleep. ( In works)
14. A humorous book on aging. (Germinating)
15. A coming of age novel about a girl who struggles with the desire to create art, her faith, and a dysfunctional family. (Germinating)
Well… enough of talking about writing, back to the actual writing. Someone I feel more free knowing I can simply compile essays of my experiences, written with humor, and a bit of history and education. You guys rock for passing this freedom on.
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
Follow the artists on Twitter twitter.com/Sculptorwriter