Writer's Notebook - James Rafferty Blog

The Barnes and Noble Blues

Ordinarily when your largest competitor goes out of business, it's a great opportunity. But Barnes and Noble is struggling to find its way, even though they bought rights to the customer list of Borders. In recent news, Barnes and Noble has announced weak earnings and is comtemplating selling off one of it's crown jewels, the Nook e-reader. From a business standpoint, B & N is caught in a classic dilemma. They've got a well known brand, but their mainline business -- bricks and mortar book and music superstores -- is experiencing revenue declines. On the other hand, they've got a growing online presence with barnesandnoble.com, they've had a modicum of success with the Nook e-reader and their erstwhile major competitor is gone.

So, what does B & N need to do now? It's re-invention time, baby, and the company needs to act while it still can to leverage it's brand and figure out a new business model that will make sense as the content markets continue their acceleration toward digital media. Their mainline business can still be an asset, but they really need to look at all of their resources and try to establish business plans that get them a bigger stake in the digital economy, while retaining their ability to distribute books and other content directly to customers. They've just signed a deal to distribute content from the New York Times onto a subsidized version of the Nook, so they may have a few tricks left in their toolkit.

I work for a company that develops hardware and it is a very different business than publishing. I think Barnes and Noble would likely be better off spinning the Nook business off to people that really know the hardware business and can define a more pro-active market strategy. However, Barnes and Noble should still license the Nook for their own use, so that they still have a stake in it's success. Nobody else has duplicated Apple's recipe for success in well-designed premium media products, but I would expect there's still room for products that have decent margins and aren't just being used as a way to drive content sales. It's a changing world out there. Barnes and Noble need to take a fresh look at the businesses they are in and decide what business models make sense over the next several years. The past is gone and they need to be looking forward.

As a reader, I'd like Barnes and Noble to stay in business, because I've enjoyed shopping at their stores and where I live, there aren't many independent bookstores. As a writer, I'd like to have readers be able to continue to see real books on bookshelves. However, the Print on Demand business model probably makes a lot more sense than the current system of shipping books and then throwing most of them away when they get remaindered. What do you think? Will Barnes and Noble survive? Do you want them to?

Cloudy Day on the Ridge

Last week I was in Asheville, North Carolina. One of the great things about this city is that you're never very far away from the fabulous Blue Ridge Parkway. In this region of two large rivers, the French Broad and the Swannanoa, the parkway forms another ribbon that connects different parts of the city. Last Tuesday, the rains broke into scattered clouds and we had some time on our hands, so we took a ride. We began just off of Rt 191. The road quickly elevated upwards and we could feel our ears popping as we roamed from 2000 feet on up to higher points. Very soon, we were far above the valleys below and could look across to other mountains across from us.

We continued our drive, which included a series of short twisty tunnels. The leaves had all been shed from the trees, but this late fall season offered a wide variety of shadows and chiaroscuro images. We'd been at a remarkable church called Jubilee on Sunday and had purchased a CD which featured music from their jazzy house band and a variety of guests. The parkway brings you into close contact with nature, so the ethereal music from the CD offered a tasty aural backdrop to the scenes which spun out before us. Just imagine what it's like as the air grows thin and your car is climbing the switchbacks, going up and up and up.

We approached Mount Pisgah, and as we did, the clouds which we'd seen above from lower points were now at the same level we'd climbed to. It's a weird feeling to walk inside a cloud. My youngest son took his new Ipod Touch out and began to take videos of the pluming fog. So, that was the peak of our journey.

Later in the day, we picked up a friend from the airport and couldn't resist heading back up into the mountains, but once again we encountered fog right near Mt. Pisgah. We re-traced our steps and soon arrived back where we'd started. Before leaving the area, we made one more stop along the French Broad River. The area here was very quiet and you'd have to work hard not to relax while watching the river flow by.

That's a glimpse of the life outdoors near Asheville.  The city offers a myriad of culture, cuisine and the arts, but the wonders of nature are never far away and stand ready to spark your imagination.  

Visiting Red Square - Winds of Change

Last Saturday, I woke up in a Moscow hotel and ate a tasty breakfast. After a busy work week, I'd finally have a chance to tour the downtown. I checked out, then was joined by a Russian friend. We walked across the street the metro and took the red line downtown.

When we emerged, we were near the Bolshoi Theater, where we'd spent an enjoyable evening on the prior Thursday. I blogged about that experience here.

Next, we looked up the street and my friend pointed out the location of the former KGB. It's the building in the middle of this shot (tan and brown).

This picture also shows the contrast between different architectures in the downtown -- older, classic styles co-exist with Soviet era buildings and in some parts of town, notably the business district, it's all new, dominated by tall glassy towers.

We skipped getting a closer view of the KGB and walked a few blocks toward Red Square. The weather was cool, just above freezing, but there was moisture in the air which helped the cold penetrate. On a day like this, staying in motion was a good strategy for staying warm.
Very soon, we reached one of the entrances to Red Square.

My friend remarked that this entrance had formerly been totally open to the square beyond, but it had deliberately been closed off to prevent the old style military parades which had shown off elaborate and large weapons. Next, we walked inside. Looking up, a flag was waving atop a building in the Kremlin; it meant the President was working on this day.

Red Square offers a juxtaposition of many different images, of different historical eras all sharing this one space. The red brick wall we see in so many shots is the Kremlin wall, which surrounds the seat of today's Russian government, but formerly was the place where the Soviet era leaders presided. Here I am standing in Red Square and you can see the Kremlin behind me.

Looking further in another direction, the towers of St. Basil's Cathedral offer a richness of color and intricate design which was even more elaborate than I'd anticipated. This is perhaps the most prominent image one associates with Red Square, but the prior pictures I'd seen did not do justice to the beauty of this building.

All of the pictures you've seen here were taken in the course of about one hour. By now, the November weather had chilled us, so we walked across the square into a modern looking building which is actually a very high end shopping center. So this is what we see in today's Red Square - a place where multiple eras of architecture co-exist and we can also see the layers of political ideology, religion and capitalism mixing in a strange brew which is all part of today's Russia.

In the weeks before this trip, a band I play with has been exploring a beautiful song called Wind of Change, which was originally written and performed by the German band Scorpions. It's set in Moscow and is a song about the many changes that took place twenty years ago. As I walked through Red Square and then on to see other parts of downtown Moscow, this song ran through my head and added another layer of meaning to what I saw.

These are scenes I will never forget. If you ever have a chance to tour Red Square, please go. You'll see so much in a short period of time, but the images will linger and work their way into your soul.

Bopping at the Bolshoi

This past Thursday I had a spectacular experience: a visit to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow to attend the premiere of the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila. We had a tough time getting to the theatre, but it was worth the trouble. Our adventure began when a colleague told us he'd been able to purchase tickets for a performance at the Bolshoi. This was particularly special, since the theatre has undergone a $16 billion renovation during the past several years and is only now re-opening.

After our business meetings had concluded for the day, we drove on city streets in the direction of our hotel. We never made it. The traffic was so bad, we eventually had to ditch the car on a side street, walk to the nearest metro and then travel several stops on the subway. When we emerged from the station, it was just a short walk to the theater. Here is what it looks like from the outside during the daylight:

We found our seats and the anticipation was high among the audience. The theatre itself was mesmerizing. Here is a view from the fourth balcony where we were sitting:

Yes, it was simply a sight to ravish our eyes. And all that trim on the sides that looks like it's lined with gold? Yes, that's right, more gold than I'd ever seen in one place, even outdoing the royal palace of Versailles in France. Let's take a closer look at the seating arrangements.

Now you know where at least some of the $16 Billion was spent. And after walking up several flights of stairs, we had more than one reason to have our breath taken away.

Looking up, there was more to see, a brilliant chandelier, which had also restored to magnificence.

A few minutes later, a few announcements were made, which included a request not to take photos. And I did try to comply -- with some help from weak camera batteries -- for most of the remainder of the program. With all of this visual eye candy, you might have thought that the progam itself would be an anticlimax. But when the lights dimmed, the audience quieted and the overture began. Music from the fifty piece stage orchestra easily filled the hall and the sounds blended like a well woven fabric.

This was the first time I'd attended an opera, so I really wasn't quite sure what to expect. But when the curtain rose, a large cast of singers was dressed in period costume, attending a wedding feast. So began the story. The theatre featured several high tech elements which helped those of us who didn't speak Russian. Far up above the stage, the words of the songs were displayed in both Russian and English. So as the soloists began to hit their high notes, we could follow along with the story line.

In the first act, we were introduced to Ruslan and Lyudmilla, but also found that their dreams of wedded bliss would be interrupted. By the end of the first act, they'd been banished to different parts of their country. For the rest of the performance, the two young lovers would have to overcome all kinds of obstacles in order to find each other again. But first, the curtain rose and we had our first intermission.

By now, the three of us had not eaten since lunchtime, so we headed upstairs to the grande cafe, along with many other members of the audience. This was fun, since both the men and women were decked out, often in beautiful clothing. Many of the women wore formal black, often with matching high black boots or 3 inch heels, but others wore colorful scarves, furs and many other variations. All of the finery and lively conversation helped sustain the sense that we were truly taking part in a special event.

We joined the queue for refreshments and two of us opted for champagne when we reached the front of the line. The pour was Russian and a mite sweet, but the bubbles tingled as they should and the liquid went down easy.

We returned to our seats and relaxed, waiting for the second act. The nine time zone time change was starting to catch up with me, but I enjoyed the singing and the visuals of the stage sets were impressive. The tale itself was quite predictable, but there were many outstanding musical moments. In particular, Albina Shagimuratova, who sang the part of Lyudmila, had a wonderfully expressive soprano range and kept my attention whenever she sang with her melodic sense and graceful ascension up the scales.

The third act brought us to the anticipated denouement, where the Ruslan and Lyudmila were reunited and the cast gathered again to complete the wedding celebration. And here is where I was able to snap one more picture of the scene:

When the curtain fell, the audience responded with loud applause. The cast came out to take their bows and were eventually joined by the charismatic orchestra leader Vladimir Yourovsky. Finally, the last shout died down and the final curtain dropped. It was late, so we collected our coats and walked back to the subway. Red Square beckoned just a few blocks away, but that visit would need to wait for another day.

Celebrating the Book - Boston Bookfest 2011

This past Saturday I attended the third Boston Book Festival, which took over Copley Square and environs for the day. We had cooperative weather -- mostly sunny and with temperatures in the sixties -- though the occasional gusts of wind were a reminder that we'd recently slipped into October. This was the place to be for anybody in the Boston area who loves books and thousands joined in.

I began the day by attending a workshop on Navigating the Publishing World. This session was conducted by Alan Rinzler, who has edited numerous well known writers including Tom Robbins and Hunter Thompson.  He's old school, but knows the publishing industry very well and recognizes the massive changes underway. He reviewed statistics from the first half of 2011, noting that ebooks make up about ten percent of the business, but are growing at a phenomenal rate of 163 percent. This compares to a decline in hard copy sales of 22.9 percent during the same period. He summarized the current situation by saying that the publishing industry is in a state of crisis, but couldn't resist saying that in his experience, "this has always been the case".

He confirmed that traditional publishing firms work exclusively via agents and wasn't very encouraging about the prospects for writers to find an effective agent. But he also said that doing well in self publishing is a good way to convince publishers and agents that a writer has both a platform and an audience. It was a good example of how the conventional wisdom on self publishing has changed radically in the past year due to success stories like Amanda Hocking.

After a brief diversion for lunch at the Atantic Fish Company on Boyleston Street -- which offered a delectable crab cake melt -- I returned to the Trinity Church and stepped into the magnificent chapel just in time to attend a session on Frontiers in Science. The three speakers covered very different subjects -- the ancient philosopher poet Lucretius, the current state of cosmological physics and cancer -- but offered a stimulating discussion that took me way out of my normal areas of knowledge, but reminded me of why I'd fallen in love with books in the first place.

The next session I attended took me to more familiar territory. Bob Blumenthal talked about his experiences getting to know jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins and following his work over the past fifty years. He recently collaborated on a book devoted to Rollins with photographer John Abbott. The next speaker was Tim Riley, who's recently been getting quite a bit of attention for his biography of John Lennon. Some of his more interesting comments were about the way that Lennon is viewed very differently by Americans as compared to the British. It seems when John re-located to New York and never came back to the UK, many of his countrymen were upset.

Next, I attended another workshop called Jumpstart Your Writing conducted by author and instructor Lynne Griffin. She had lots of energy and walked us through several warmup strategies.  She likes journals or free writing to warm up the writing muscles and tap the unconscious to write more deeply. After listening to other writers speak during the past several hours, I relished the chance to do a bit of writing myself.

My final session of the day was on learning. I had to leave early to catch my train, but first got to hear Nicolas Negroponte and Sugata Mita of the MIT Media Lab talk about their labor of love in trying to put laptops and tablet PCs into the hands of children within third world countries. Both of them shared numerous success stories on how young childen could quickly learn to use computers and how, with guidance, they could work together to solve complex problems. This was easily the most fascinating session of the day.

The entire day pulled me out of my normal patterns and help me reconnect with my love of books and lifetime learning. This is what weekends are all about.

If you love books, be on the lookout for book related events in your area. There is so much amazing work being published. This is an industry going through turmoil, but the book -- be it electronic or hard copy -- can still evoke the sense of wonder which originally drew me to books in my childhood.

Winding Up the Summer

My last post was written when I was comfortably engrossed in vacation doings for a week. We had a respite by a small lake in New Hampshire and got to spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors. On the last couple of days, I'd gotten away from work long enough so that I'd unwound and was able to have a couple of productive writing sessions on my current work in process, in between kayak rides and visits to the local restaurants. Here's a scene from that trip.

 

 A couple of weeks later, a business trip took me to one of my favorite North American cities, Quebec City. From where I live near Boston, there's no concept of a direct flight to QC, so I rented a car and drove the 425 miles. It's a long, but scenic ride. Near the halfway point, the highway narrowed and I stopped by one of the most beautiful areas in New England, Franconia Notch. This is an area with a lot of history and precious little development. Just up the road, we once were able to view the famous Old Man in the Mountain, until the jutting stones that made up the face came down to earth about ten years ago. But the mountains themselves still remain, along with a campground, paved bike path and several trails that lead up to the peaks of several mountains. My odometer said I still had a long way to go, but taking the time to get out of the car and walk around gave me the extra boost I needed to complete the trip. This kind of view gave me lots of energy to keep going:  

 

The ride to Quebec City was a long one.  I got off the road in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, checked my map and realized I was only halfway there after driving through all of New Hampshire.  But once I reached Canada, the miles got consumed at a steady pace and I arrived in Quebec City before dusk. When I finally settled in my hotel room, the view was amazing, as I faced a panorama along the St. Lawrence River and had clear sight lines looking across to the historic Hotel Frontenac.  

Quebec City in the summertime is a remarkable place.  The city is hilly, but a walkabout reveals intriguing vistas, streets filled with roving pedestrians and many choices for food, drink and shopping. From my hotel, the walled city -- Vieux Quebec -- was just steps away.  An outdoor stage was set up just downhill from there, and a variety of world music was pumped out by various live bands during that week.  

I stayed very busy during the day attending a standards meeting, but evening offered the chance to sample what the city had to offer.  I ate well, enjoying diverse seafood dishes and other hearty fare throughout the week.  The city has a festive atmosphere during its short summer and this included live shows by Cirque du Soleil, who set up underneath one of the local highways and began their performances once darkness fell.  

The route to the stage entailed walking several blocks, dropping down several stories via wooden staircases and then following a circuituitous path to the impromptu stage area.  Here's a sample of what it looked like just before the troupe began their performance:  

Once the show began, we were treated to an extravaganza of pulsing lights, crazy ensemble acrobatics and an energetic mix of live and recorded music. My favorite bit was when several of the men got on trampolines and were jumping so high that they were able to literally walk up the walls of towers.  

I had a great week in Quebec City and this added a totally different dimension to a summer which was otherwise dominated by lots of outdoor activities.  As I write this, the days of Indian summer have just passed and autumn's nip is in the air.  The change of seasons is underway and we'll be seeing lots of color in the weeks ahead here in New England.   

How was your summer?  Did it inspire you?  Or are you only too ready for the fall season to begin?   

Vacations and the Written Word

Ah.  Finally, it's summertime and families like mine are packing their bags and heading out to their favorite summertime destinations.   Years ago, we'd strive for variety and our family still likes that, but there's a lot to be said for finding a place where you can unwind in comfort and indulge in a few tried and true pastimes. 

 

This is also a great time of year for the written word.  I'm always finding my reading time squeezed when I'm at home, but it's so much easier to find the time to sample those unread magazines and dip into that long promised novel when the bills and lawn mowing aren't there to demand your attention.   For example, I just finished the last couple of chapters of Herzog, by Saul Bellow.  It's a an entertaining but demanding novel that segues into imaginary letters written by the protaganist to girl friends, philosophers, family members and the like, but it's propelled by literary energy and a cast of memorable characters that held my attention.  

I know, I'm meandering, but that's the beauty of vacation time, you can suspend the notion that everything is on a timeline and let the world stretch out into more natural rhythms.  It works the same way for those of us who are writers.  I've been writing chapters during vacations for many years.  I can head over to a picnic table with notebook in hand, catch glimpses of the sun when I want and still hang out with the family.   Or, at night, as other family members descend into slumberland, I can write a few more lines or do editing on my PC.  In theory, I could bring my laptop to the beach, but that feels a bit too geeky and the notebook is much less intrusive.  Plus, I can set the notebook down, take a swim and then return, without worrying that the PC will wander off.  

For those years when we've taken a driving vacation, featuring stops at a few destinations, I've enjoyed bringing along a journal and making notes about whatever catches my attention.  I can remember one summer when the family drove into Quebec; my oldest son and I both wrote journal notes on the people we met and the places we travelled.  It added an extra dimension to our trips -- not just photos to remember these places, but also our own words, written when the memories were still very fresh.  

So, what are your thoughts on vacations and writing?  As a reader, is this one of your favorite times to open up a novel by a favorite author and hang out by the beach?   Do you like to write journals or blogs about your travel experiences?  If you write fiction, how does vacation time work for you?  Is the muse stimulated by having all of that extra free time?   Are you able to balance family and writing time?   Or do you just want to hang out on the beach and give the written word a rest?  

 
 

Fun Times by the Greenway

My wife and I recently made plans to attend a concert in Faneuil Hall, right smack in the middle of Boston's Quincy Market. This was our first trip to the area in several years and much has changed. Friends gave us directions and our route into town took us up Atlantic Avenue. On our left, we got a good look at the newest addition to Boston's city center, the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

The Greenway replaces the old elevated highway known as the expressway, which got torn down about 8 years ago once the "Big Dig" finished up and highway traffic got re-routed underground. The Greenway begins just after South Station and includes lots of green lawn, flower gardens and pedestrian walkways. We kept going and eventually got close enough to the Quincy Market area to start looking for a parking garage. After parking, we got up to ground level and started walking, reaching the market area after a couple of blocks. We asked one of the other visitors where Faneuil Hall was and they didn't know. Turns out it was the brick building directly in front of us, but it was disguised due to some exterior construction work. We walked to the front of the building and found the entrance to the hall. Inside, we walked up a stairway and voila -- the real Faneuil Hall. It looks like this. Just imagine people like Sam Adams, John Adams and John Hancock having debates about the best way to move the revolution forward. And they did it right here.

 
 

On this day, the only revolutions afoot were of the musical variety. Every hour, a different local musical group played as the cream of the crop of Boston area wind ensembles and community bands strutted their stuff. My favorites were the Metropolitan Wind Symphony and The Concord Band. We saw the MWS when we first arrived and were very impressed by their high calibre of musicianship. We knew several of the musicians from their other affiliations, which include leading several other local concert bands and leading local secondary school music programs.

 After the first couple of groups, I stepped outside into the courtyard and went hunting for lunch. Quincy Market was just footsteps away. It's an enclosed marketplace with a vast array of possibilities. I eventually found a Greek takeout place and placed my order for a lamb kebab rollup. I found a stone slab to sit on outside. My sandwich was messy, but tasted just fine. I nibbled away while watching an incredibly diverse group of people walking by. Just imagine any skin hue or age group; it seemed like they all were represented among the people roving through the plaza on this cool late spring day. After lunch, I returned to the concert hall and sat down in time to hear the performance of the Sharon Concert Band, for which my wife plays clarinet. This band is well schooled and played at a variety of different tempos, with dynamics that ranged from very quiet to loud rousing passages, often featuring a strong brass section.

Next up was The Concord Band, one of the senior groups in the area. The musicians were all dressed formally - tuxes for men and concert black for the women -- and they just had the look of a band that would play excellent music. In this case, perception matched the reality. The band director, James O'Dell is very tall and has an elegant look reminiscent of an actor like the late Peter Graves.

 
 

The band itself immediately took command and played some of the most exciting music we'd heard all day. Unlike most of the other bands, much of the music had been composed recently and the quality of the compositions was outstanding. The music included lyrical melodies, attractive harmonic counterpoints and a dash of percussion. Even better, two of the composers were in attendance and stood to accept our applause after the songs had been played.

After a busy afternoon, we were hungry.  We walked away from the Quincy Market area, crossed Atlantic Avenue and wound our way into the North End.  This little stretch has not been transformed like the rest of the greenway, but the real destination treat was ahead.  My wife and I had promised each other a dinner in the North End many years back and we finally got there. 

 

We poked our heads into the alcoves and read menus.  As we looked at about the fourth place, we were teetering, so when the hostess invited us in, we went for it.  This restaurant is called L'Osteria Ristorante.  It was already filled up, but we got one of the few vacant tables and got a chance to get off our our feet after a seven block walk.   We started with glasses of Barbera D'Alba, a dry red wine with a hint of fruit.  Our waitress was friendly, but kept very busy servicing many tables near us.  We started with salads, plus a basket of warm bread, which nicely complemented the wine.   Later our entrees arrived.  We each had variants on seafood plus pasta -- the portions were sufficient, but left us enough room so we thought about where we'd stop on our way back.   Just a couple of blocks away, we found a dessert to take home with us at the Modern Pastry Shop. There was a line, which we joined, but it moved along at a reasonable pace and gave us a chance to browse. 

 

We decided to get cannolis, a light cookie flavored with anise and a couple of other treats.  After that, we made one more notable stop, at the Salumeria Italiano, an Italian grocery store.  The goods looked wonderful, but pricey, so we settled for half a Tuscan loaf of bread. 

By now, the weather had cooled, but we were sated and had goodies to share back home.  We'll look forward to our next chance to hang out on the Greenway and sneak off to the North End.  

Brussels in the Spring

 
I recently came back from a trip to Brussels in Belgium. While there, a friend who lived in the city asked if I knew what the universal symbol of Brussels was. I would have guessed Grand Place, but no. I was about to find out.

This was my third visit to Brussels, all for business. Even so, I try to find time when visiting cities to check them out. I love to walk around, sample the local cuisine and discover things that I'd never see back in my home town areas.

Usually I do this walking as part of a survival strategy. The typical flight to Europe is overnight and I rarely get very much sleep. By the time I arrive at the destination after night flights and a connection, I've usually been up for at least 18 hours. I know from experience that I'm in no real shape to do business on these days, so the objective is to get acclimated to the new time zone. For me, the time-tested approach is simple: do whatever it takes to stay awake. Hence, walking becomes a survival strategy. It keeps me away from the lure of the hotel bed and gets my body functioning again after 7-10 hours on a plane.

Often hotels don't allow checkin before late afternoon, but I lucked out. By just after 1:00 Brussels time, I'd checked in and gotten tidied up, so I decided to find a place to eat lunch. Here's where I ended up, a brasserie called Plattesteen:

I perused a menu from one of the tables out front. A few minutes later, my Salade Flair arrived. Copious portions of shrimp were laid out on top of fresh greens; the dish more than lived up to its name. I finished with a cup of strong cafe and then resumed my walk. I poked my head in a few shops, but the prices were way more than I wanted to spend.

A few minutes later, I entered Grand Place. Even if not the symbol of Brussels, it's a famous place and is lined with an ornate set of buildings. Here's how one side of it looked:

I had a few more adventures on my walk that day, but I'll jump ahead to the next evening. I'd been busy all day long in a series of meetings. Afterward, my friend suggested I needed to see the symbol of Brussels. She drove us about twenty minutes north of the center city. Suddenly, we caught a glimpse of a shape that looked like the first stage in an alien invasion -- a massive metal structure that looked like steel balls strung together by tinkertoys. The roads were cryptic, so we had to drive another ten minutes before we got closer to the Atomium. My friend explained that the original version had been built for the Brussels World Fair in 1958. I vaguely remembered that Brussels had hosted a world's fair, but knew very little about it -- before now. Finally, we reached the Atomium, which was even more impressive close up.

We got out of the car and got a closer look. Yep, massive stainless steel balls interconnected by matching rods and extending upwards about 15 stories high. My friend had mentioned a restaurant. We walked around the site and asked an attendant if the restaurant was open. Seating was theoretically available only by reservation, but on a quiet Thursday evening, there were openings. We entered the building, then stepped into an industrial style elevator, which whooshed us upwards.

The restaurant lived up to its billing, at least for its views. We had a spectacular 360 degree view not only of the original World's Fair grounds, but also of downtown Brussels to the south of us. Just next to us, we had the bird's eye view of mini-Europe, which was a petite version of the continent, complete with its own Eiffel Tower, an Arch de Triomphe and so on. Cute.

My friend and I ordered and ate while the sun set. We both began with white asparagus, a local specialty which was delicious. Our entrees were of varied styles. My friend had Osso Bucco and I had chicken over a risotto. I also sipped from a white table wine whose terroir offered a balance between fruit and minerals. By the time we finished it was dark.

After we took one more ride down the retro elevator, we stepped out of the structure and sidled back to the car. When we looked back, here's what the Atomium looked like at night.

Yes, Close Encounters of the Brussels kind, offering a final glimpse of a vision of Fifties futurism before we returned to center city of Brussels.

 

Investing in Your Writing

Recently I attended two conferences, one for my work in telecommunications and the second for my work in writing. The conferences were in very different fields, but I observed several common themes which applied to both events. At the conferences, I invested time in learning new things, networked with other professionals in the field and promoted my current projects.

I'm not a newcomer to conferences. I've probably attended 4-5 telecom events for the past 15 years. My participation in writing conferences is mostly much more recent. I attended a few SF conferences as a reader and fan many years back, but my participation at Boston area conferences the past two years has been as a writer. Why should writers attend conferences?

I view conferences as an investment. It's a chance to step out of the normal day to day routines and find out what's going on in the rest of the world. Publishing is undergoing a sea change which has much in common with the changes the high tech industry experienced during the past ten years. Business models are changing, there are new ways of getting products to the market and the roles of industry participants are shifting before our eyes. In this kind of environment, it makes sense for individuals to study up on the new trends, perfect one's own areas of craft and expertise and make contacts with the shakers and movers of your industry.

Muse and the Marketplace, sponsored by Grub Street of Boston, offers a breadth of possibilities for aspiring writers. The conference took place over a weekend and I chose to attend the Saturday portion of the event. From among a plethora of sessions, I decided to focus on a mix of craft, marketing and promotion.

 
Boston-based author Gary Braver conducted a session on ten essential elements for writing thrillers. A key point was that the mission of the thriller writer is to establish an atmosphere of dread and then build up tension throughout the novel. I'd previously read Braver's book Flashback and really enjoyed it, so he was a credible source for this kind of information.

Next up, I attended a session on promotion which was useful, but tending toward being repetitious. The key point was an emphasis on the need for author to be ready to promote their work at all times and along the way, build up a platform. Most of this information was familiar for me and the leader offered a useful reminder that we needed to be ready with an elevator pitch on our projects.

One of the unique parts of Muse was the chance to participate in their Power Lunch. For a reasonable fee, we could choose a lunch table and chat with four members of the publishing industry. I chose a table with two agents, a publisher and an editor. Three other conference attendees joined me at the table and we all had chances to talk with everybody at the table by changing seats a couple of times. I found this to be the best part of the day. My fellow authors and I each pitched our current projects and I even had enough time to chat a bit about a work in progress with a couple of my lunchmates. I put the prior session's emphasis on the elevator pitch to immediate use and got enough interest so that I've got a couple of action items to pursue in the wake of the conference.

In the afternoon, I shifted gears and went to a session called Agents on the Hot Seat. Agents are the gatekeepers for the traditional publishing industry and tend to be very knowledgeable about the market, so getting a chance to listen to four pros talk about how they chose authors to represent and how the agent's role is evolving was enlightening.

I concluded my day by participating in a Manuscript Mart session. This is another unique feature of Muse, since an author can prepare a submssion in the form of a query letter, synopsis and a 20-page excerpt of one's work, and then get detailed feedback from an agent or editor. In my case, I submitted an excerpt from my first novel, Growing Up Single. The agent I chose had done her homework and offered a detailed review of both the query and the excerpt.

I had several takeaways from this session. One key point was to sweat the details on the query. The agent really wanted to get a clear idea about the book in just a few lines and offered her thoughts about whether I'd accompished that. She'd also done a line by line review of the excerpt and gave me her take on what worked and what didn't. When I had a chance to take a fresh look at her feedback a couple of days later, I found myself agreeing on some points and not on others, but felt the overall critique was useful in giving me some direction on where I'll go with this project.

By the end of the day, I felt like this day had been an excellent use of my time and that I'd learned a few things that will help me progress as a writer. I also had some great positive reinforcement that will help me to stay motivated on these projects. And I had those action items that will keep me busy for a while.

If you're a writer, what steps are you taking to advance in meeting your goals?

Do you feel conferences are the right investment of your time and money, or would you recommend a different approach?