Series 6, Post 2: Nonfiction about Strong Women and the Qualities they Share

My first experience with nonfiction, and perhaps most peoples first experience, was with the Diary of Anne Frank. 

I remember reading it and thinking it was hard to believe; that was someone's real life. Anne Frank went through such a dramatic and traumatic experience during her short life that it was hard to grasp the story being true. It's more than just a memoir, it's a personal journal. The entire book was moving, made more so by the fact that it was real. 

From there I went through a non-fiction stage. Nothing nearly as powerful as The Diary of Anne Frank, but mainly stories of women.

I went through a phase best known as my "Marilyn Monroe" years, where I became obsessed with knowing more about her. I know a bit too much about this iconic movie star. I can tell you her real name, the movies she starred in, the tragedy of her trying to become a mother, and all about her husbands and why the split. Want to talk about her death and the conspiracy theories which surround it? I know them all and I also have my favorite theories. 

Recently I started reading Orange is the New Black, a memoir about Piper Kerman, a lady in her mid-thirties who went to prison for a crime she committed 10 years prior. At times Kerman comes off a tad pretentious for my taste but overall this is another strong non-fiction work, lead by a strong female voice. She raises questions about our current prison system that I had heard about before, but never truly took the time to think on, until I read this book. 

Shiny Happy People Publishing may be full steam ahead with stationery products currently, but it's always been our goal to reach a point where we can start publishing our own books as well. 

One of the divisions we hope to achieve is a nonfiction division, mainly nonfiction works surrounding strong female figures. There are many women with powerful stories to share. 

As I mentioned above, whether a brave courageous person such as Anne Frank, a glamourous movie star like Marilyn Monroe, or a small taste of female prison life through Piper Kerman... many of the titles I've experienced in non-fiction are very heavily female dominant. 

These stories are moving, powerful and eye opening.  They are on a subject I cannot wait to someday publish under Shiny Happy People Publishing, LLC.

Book Review: Dorothy Must Die

By Kristin Bivens

When I was a kid, I wasn't so sure about the movie, The Wizard of Oz. Something about it always gave me the creeps. I'm guessing it was the Wicked Witch.

But, as I've grown, the classical Wizard of Oz has become more of an interest. A magical land with sparkly red shoes, how could I not like it?

This led me to buying Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige at Barnes and Noble several months back.

Dorothy Must Die is about what happens after Dorothy goes back to Kansas. You think Dorothy is this sweet, innocent, gingham print dressed little girl. But in this book, Dorothy is a power hungry, shall I say, witch?

The book provides an interestingly dark spin on a wholesome story, years and years afterward.

It took a few chapters to get into the book, but as I got used to being in a completely different Oz and learning all these new witches' names, I wanted to find out what it was Dorothy was up to in the Emerald City.

It was almost a tragic story of a good girl gone wrong.

And then it got worse.

Dorothy's three friends? Total jerks. The scarecrow is experimenting on brains and injecting his brain with other people's brains. The Tin Man is a soldier of doom. The Lion sucks fear out of humans and eats them for dessert. It was awful. The cute little cowardly Lion became the exact opposite. And Dorothy. Dorothy, Dorothy, Dorothy. She is just the worst. She's a princess with a sick and twisted mind.

I don't want to give it all away, but reading the last bit of this book just before bed was not a good idea. One of the creepiest/grossest/uncomfortable things I've ever read is contained within this book. Maybe I spook easy but…

I warned you.

Good luck.

Series 6, Post 1: A Look At (Funny) Nonfiction

By Kristin Bivens

how my stories sound when i try to write an interesting story about myself.

Being able to write quality nonfiction, probably more than creative writing, seems like such a feat to me. With creative writing, you can create a character and a world that is interesting, tweaking it to your demands. In nonfiction, you have to make the existing world interesting.

Of course, when nonfiction tells the story of some historical event, culture or some renowned person, I suppose it is a little "easier." Those events are big enough to already have a story. But what about us? What about the people who just write about themselves? Tell their funny stories? That, right there, is my favorite type of nonfiction.

In my own writing, I've tried to make myself interesting to other people. But you know those moments in life, those "just had to be there" moments, where no one else gets it but you? That's how I feel about my entire life.

Some awkward, funny, weird things have happened to me. Or at least, I think so. My family is entertaining. But how does that translate to good writing, to an interesting story? I just don't know sometimes. I try. I write it. And then I think, no one but those involved are really going to think this is remotely interesting. What's the point? You have failed!

There are talented people, though, that can make their lives interesting. Or really weird things happen to them. One of the other.

If you've never heard of Sloane Crosley, I highly recommend you read her. Now! Her first book of essays, I Was Told There'd Be Cake, was a book I strictly picked up because of its title. And the very first essay has to do with her collection of ponies. How much better can you get? But she spins an already great story in such a way as to ask the question, "What will people think of me if I die and they find my collection of ponies?" She's not just talking about her ponies, but making her pony collection have a purpose, making it that much more interesting. It makes you wonder yourself, what would people think? The entire story takes place around something as mundane as a weird collection and becomes this entire life experience. How she got all of the ponies, how she dealt with wanting to get rid of the ponies, while at the same time wanting to keep them.

It often amazes me the subjects a good nonfiction writer can make interesting. A plastic pony stash is one of them.

Then, of course, there is the great David Sedaris. Who can take finding a giant turd in the toilet the funniest thing in his book of essays. David is a bit long winded compared to some essay writers, but when he writes, you think man, "this guy has an awesome life." He's lived a lot of places. He's done a lot of things he shouldn't have. His perspective on life is priceless. I think this is something really good comedic essay writers all have in common--their perspectives in life are so different from the norm. I'd like to think I have a somewhat similar perspective like a lot of the greats do; I'm just not as good at putting it on paper.

To write funny nonfiction about yourself, I really think you just need to be funny. Your life can be sitting at a computer all day, but if you are funny, you can turn an entire book of sitting at your computer into a humorous adventure.

So, it isn't necessarily that those of us who want to write interesting stories about our lives aren't interesting enough. It's all about spinning it.

Someday I will write a memoir. But first, I think I need to learn to be a comedian.