Reading & writing

I will keep this short because i’m writing on my ipod touch.
I’ve been thinking about writong and reading. Everybody says thta a good writer should be a great reader, but there is a matter of time envolved. If i read all the books i think i should read before start to write something, i would never write at all. I guess that’s why every writer does notlike their own writings: from the writer/ reader point pf view, we are always a bit unprepared; but there is no option but to write, ’cause we have to, it’s what our guts tell us to do.
So i noticed that this post is not smallafter all. Anyways, i have been reading The Odyssey by Homer and How to read like a writer by Francine Prose. I just finished the latest nick Hornby.
Ok, that’s it. Keep having fun, folks. Life’s short. Let’s make some noise.

The Language of the Empire

I was reading Lady Linguist’s blog and she talked about writing in english, not being a native speaker (or writer). I have absolutely no problem with that. I’m a writer, I write stuff, and I would like people to read  it. If I could, I would translate my fiction to all languages, but I can’t , and there’s also the publishing aspect of it all.  Did you know Joseph Conrad was polish, and he didn’t learn english until he was in his twenties?

 

Keep writing, keep reading, keep having fun!

About being a writer in a country far far away

Well, I’m in Brazil. I’m not going to curse of get mad or anything, saying everything sucks just because I’m not living in a rich rich rich country. But some things are true. 

For instance, I was the first brazilian writer to get a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in Brazil (or the equivalent to that here), and that was in 2008. writer are not professionals; 90% or more of the brazilian writers have another job. the market is still so small!

But things are beginning to change: creative writing courses are spreading around, literary agents, that, up until now were only a few for the whole country, are now getting degrees in that area.

Not having an agent means you have to do all the work – send materials through mail, negotiate with publishing companies, etc. To publish outside the country is a long shot. 

Well, you know. I said I wasn’t gonna bitch about it, but here I am. That’s the truth; let’s see if we can change it.