Some stuff, some Gay friendly stuff, by coincidence in this Monday Morning post ; almost every Monday
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I am just coming back from a nice weekend not far away from Boston: Cap Cod. Snob alert: I usually don’t go to the Cape during summertime because of traffic and it gets really busy. Beaches are nicer when they are empty. Now that’s it’s low season: it’s perfect! We are lucky, the weather has been very warm lately, and we changed time on Sunday night: one more hour to sleep in (well, I never really sleep late anyway…). We decided in the middle of the week to leave, and instead of going to see some last fall foliage – we were in New Hampshire at the beginning of October and it was peaking already, the ocean seemed like another good idea. You have some pics on my Instagram @mathildepit, I’ll post a few more this week. The light on the Cape Cod is still very peculiar, I love checking out the art galleries in Provincetown, most of them were opened on Saturday and they were still a few good options for restaurants as well!
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Nanowrimo, first recap after week 1
Monday will be Day#6 of the writing challenge called Nanowrimo, and I should get to 10 002 words at that point. So far, I’m doing okay: I’ve been able to write every day, early in the morning since that’s what works the best for me, either at my desk at home, in a coffee shop nearby or at the small cabin we rented on the Cape this weekend (it wasn’t a good help for inspiration since I’d rather go out or read, even if the house was lovely). I haven’t met big writer blocks yet: I’m trying to stay focused on quantity instead of the quality. I’m working on the characters, and less on a plot. But when I don’t write, I think a lot about the challenge, almost all the time, asking myself, what can I use in my story? What do I want to tell? I met up with a few friends last week, and they were all very curious “Are you writing in French or in English”, “what are you writing about”, “what’s the title”. For now I’d rather speak about method, and not about the story. On my phone, Google Now recommends me mostly stuff about Nanowrimo, like this article about the best tools to write. I don’t have a magic tool to write, even if I used for a while Scrivener, I like the basics: I simply write on a Word Document, I have a physical notebook where I scribble, and a ruled index card to have all the names and main characteristics of the characters. I also use the book No Plot No Problem* in case I need a tiny bit of inspirational pep talk. I’m taking a lot of notes, whether they are on paper, on just in my head, trying to remember as best as I can for later. Once in front of the screen, sometimes the brillant idea gets flat. But I persist! And I like it.
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Read and loved : Call me by your name
Wow. I loved this book. It tool me only 3 days to read the 248 pages of this incredible love story between Elio, a young 17 y.o man and Oliver, an American student who spent the summer in Elio’s family house in Italy to help his father in his research. I’ve read on Vulture a post suggesting to read the book before watching the movie, the release date is set for the end of November. I didn’t know what to read, liked the trailer of the movie and bought the book at the bookstore next door to my place. I was caught in the story very quickly. This book is a ode to lust and sensuality. It’s beautifully written. As soon as I started reading it, it reminded me of some chapters from Proust masterpiece In search of Lost Time, when Swan wanders Paris, burning from jealousy. It’s the same feeling in Call me by your name but not about jealousy, simply lust. It’s obsessive like a first love, it’s short, intense, the weather is hot, the story is steamy. The people are young and beautiful, it’s summertime in Italy: it’s a bubble of happiness outside of time. I loved the book Call my by your name… and I can’t wait for the movie!
But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything – what a waste
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Podcasts & other links
- Podcast 1: How not to be divisive in divided times. Ted Radio Hour : Dialogue and Exchange
- Podcast 2: Jonathan Groff is on Fresh Air. What a talented man! He sings in Broadway Hamilton, voice-over as Kristoff in Frozen, he played in the TV Show Glee and more recently in the Netflix series Mindhunter, about the first FBI profiler agents.
- Travel: this week I’ve posted the last article about a trip in North Carolina, this time I’m taking you to the Great Smoky Mountains
- Instagram: I am not a huge fan of Wes Anderson, but his aesthetics suits very well to the world of Instagram, check out Accidentally Wes Anderson (seen on sFlavorwire)
- Playlist: I love this very chill playlist made by one of my favorite yoga teacher. I don’t use it for yoga though, but to write!
+ Twitter @mathildepit
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Bonus: Katya & Trixie
I’ve binge watched tons of crazy videos by Trixie et Katya, 2 wonderful drag queens who were contestants a few years ago in Ru Paul Drag Race. I used to practice yoga next to Katy/Brian in Boston! Their duo is grotesque and without boundaries. It may not be for everyone, and their craziness may sometimes be hard to follow, but I love them.
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