In Search of the American Dream
By Norma Jaeger Hopcraft
Sunday I took the train to Paris to go to church. From Viroflay to the center of Paris is only 20 minutes! I'm loving where I'm staying! I'm so grateful to Christelle for opening her home to me.
This is the church that I attended during my one-year creative writing sabbatical. It's a Protestant service, in French, for the French. But there was an international group of people there, as I expected. And I saw a friend, Suzy, an American who lives in Paris. When I was trying to decide what to do, where to go, when my sabbatical time was up last time, she was an invaluable source of support and steadiness in my decision-making process. Forever indebted to her, to Christelle, to Paris!
I'm on a busman's holiday. It's like a bus driver taking his vacation by traveling on a bus. I write for a living, plus I make time each day to write my own projects, and now I'm using all my vacation time to write in Paris.
I'm on a busman's holiday. It's like a bus driver taking his vacation by traveling on a bus. I write for a living, plus I make time each day to write my own projects, and now I'm using all my vacation time to write in Paris.
I'm having a great time on my busman's holiday! I've written a bunch of new chapters the last few days, and revised others. Yesterday, when I read what I'd produced over the past week, I was pleased. Though good storytelling and good writing always require tons of thought and revision.
It also requires the attention of a circle of serious writers who have a well-developed second skill: the ability to critique well. There are three such groups in Paris! For Anglophones who write in English! I reconnected with two of the groups on Tuesday. Guess what? They said the travel essay that I brought to the group, which I thought they were going to love, needs more work. Ouch! As always!
I'm thinking today about the story arc -- the increasing stakes, the increasing tension, the increasing sense of frustration and struggle -- for my two main characters. Things have to happen to them to the point where they must change, even if they don't want to. I'm writing down ideas for circumstances that will increase the discomfort inside the pressure cooker! I have so much to draw from in my own life : )
It also requires the attention of a circle of serious writers who have a well-developed second skill: the ability to critique well. There are three such groups in Paris! For Anglophones who write in English! I reconnected with two of the groups on Tuesday. Guess what? They said the travel essay that I brought to the group, which I thought they were going to love, needs more work. Ouch! As always!
I'm thinking today about the story arc -- the increasing stakes, the increasing tension, the increasing sense of frustration and struggle -- for my two main characters. Things have to happen to them to the point where they must change, even if they don't want to. I'm writing down ideas for circumstances that will increase the discomfort inside the pressure cooker! I have so much to draw from in my own life : )
Enjoy the
fraught history of the library here.
I sat near the one open window. Even though it's much cooler in Paris this week, I was sweating profusely at the opposite end of this room, while I waited for my passport to be processed and to be given a library card. I was so glad there was at least one window open! And that I could sit near it! It faces the courtyard. Gorgeous! See for yourself!
This is the Institute de France, a huge building. Bibliotheque Mazarine is in part of it.
Look at those attic windows! Wouldn't you love to live up there? I'm reading the Hunchback of Notre Dame (in English, thank you) while I'm here, and attics feature prominently. Stay tuned for more pics of attics!
It's all glorious.
A view, from the courtyard, of the rotunda.
A close-up. There's a mini rotunda on the left. It's fantastic! See why I love this place?
Another facade within the courtyard.
The facade of the Bibliotheque Mazarine.
Just inside the front door.
Looking down the spiral staircase.
Inside the bibliotheque.
Another view in L-shaped library. I sat near the open window on the left.
A view of the statuary along the walls.
A chandelier. Does your library have such a beautiful thing?
The circular staircase, going up.
We're talking wrought iron.
The squares on this checkerboard marble floor are shaped to the outer circumference and inner circumference of the circular balcony.
The door for people on foot to exit.
Staircase within the porter's office.
A door to the Institute de France.
There's a courtyard off of the courtyard! Bonkers!
Another gorgeous door.
The courtyard is cobbled so beautifully. How about you? What do you think? Is this place crazy beautiful?
Paris and libraries: what a magical combination!
ReplyDeleteMagical, delightful, my best dream come true. Have you been in the Mazarine? I'm revising the blog post now so that the link, at which I learned about this library, goes live.
DeleteHaven't been there...yet. My travel companion is a lovely person, but due to a fall this winter, she had to be careful about exercise. I probably would have explored more on my own. Ah, well, that leaves more to do next time. I think of travel like a stack of books to be read: the more on my bucket list, or in my book stack, the longer I have to live to complete everything ;-)
DeleteHi, Diane! Thank you for writing a review on Amazon!!! And for your positive comments. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I hope it evoked lots of Paris for you.
DeleteI love your thoughts about the more on the list, the more on the stack...!!!!! I look at life that way too. I'm reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame here in Paris for the first time. Read Les Mis for the first time the last time I was here -- the unabridged version! You could hide a blouse behind a book that thick : )
I'm in upstate New York pretty regularly -- my daughter, beloved son in law and the little one live in Rochester. Where are you located?
And thank you for the Amazon review! Might you be willing to put it on Goodreads as well? Sorry to ask, but reviews are lifeblood for an author...
What have you been writing about, BTW? : )
Re. writing, I did a non-fiction book about photography, on request from an educational publisher. Sadly, many of the links were probably obsolete before they made it into print, but it was an interesting project. I've always dreamed of writing fiction (another fan of Jo in Little Women), not sure I have the imagination or stamina to do so. My book is on Amazon: "Using Images to Teach Critical Thinking Skills: Visual Literacy and Digital Photography (Tech Tools for Learning)." I started a new blog at https://70ish.blogspot.com/ not much happening there yet. My old blog, http://dmcordell.blogspot.com/ was started in 2007, when I had much more energy! It does contain some personal pieces that of which I remain proud.
DeleteI read ALL of Alcott's books -- many times. Little Men and Jo's Boys dozens of times. Your book sounds interesting, especially since I'm writing about a set designer in NYC. I've ordered it! I checked out your 70ish blog, and it's very, very nice. Focused, which is excellent strategy. I will explore the other blog soon. I liked your diction in that last sentence : ) Incidentally, I'm in Viroflay, getting ready to travel to the Loire Valley to stay with another friend (my former landlady), and I hear "I Shot the Sheriff" being played on someone's car radio outside. So strange! That must be one of the worst songs ever produced by American rock singers. I wish the person had picked something worthier : )
DeleteI live in Queensbury, not far from Lake George...20 minutes north of Saratoga, about 40 minutes north of Albany. I have a Goodreads account that I rarely access, but will see what I can do.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a car in Brooklyn (thank God!) so I would not be able to drive to you, nor from Rochester either. But perhaps train? If you ever were in NYC, we could meet. That would be terrific! In fact, I invite you to come stay with me in Brooklyn so you can do NYC at your leisure. It is a studio apartment, but it's spacious and pretty (in a pre-war building) and I wouldn't be there much since I am still in work mode.
DeleteBTW, would you be interested in linking between our blogs? It would help both our SEO results.
DeleteDiane, your book costs $45! I want to reciprocate -- and to read it -- but even the Kindle version is well outside my budget...I'm not sure what to do.
DeleteMaybe we could meet up in September or October - easy train ride for me to Penn Station. I'll bring you a copy of my book to look at. Like I said, the links are probably sadly out of date, but I'm proud of the text and photos. Let me get a few more posts up, and then we can link blogs. Fun!
DeleteYou're welcome to contact me via email dmcordell@gmail.com
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