Writing Highlights from 2012

December 31, 2012 6 Comments

Deihseui: blind manIn Gwongdung province, there is a folk song called "Deihseui naahmyam." Deihseui refers to a blind (man) musician. In ancient times, almost all music masters were blind men.Music, the life of celebrations.Instead of a Christmas letter, I usually send out a New Year's mailing. This is mostly due to procrastination, but I also like reviewing the whole calendar year before I write to family and friends. Oftentimes, though, I feel like a blind man, not knowing what to put down on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blind man, blog, Cantonese, Chinese, Chinese saying, Christmas letter, contests, folk song, guest blog, Jamie Ford, Lisa See, literary conference, music, New Year, photos, UCLA, writer's block, writing

Writer’s Digest West Conference- First Impressions

October 22, 2012 4 Comments

Yatlauh: the bestIn China, from the Tang to the Ching dynasty, nine ranks of officials existed.  The highest and first level was known as yatlauh.  I attended the Writer's Digest West Conference this past Saturday.  It was yatlauh, fulfilling and exceeding all my expectations.   Let me break down my experience into three parts:1) Jamie Ford, the author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet:  As a keynote speaker, he discussed being true to yourself and pursuing a story that resonates with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cantonese, China, Chinese saying, Ching dynasty, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford, literary agent, pitch slam, Siel Ju, Tang dynasty, Writer's Digest West Conference, writing conference

To Go or Not? A Writers’ Conference Dilemma

August 6, 2012 5 Comments

Louhsyu Laaigwai --> Mouhdehng Maaihsau: don't know how to startIn Chinese language, there exists a verbal riddle known as the enigmatic parallelism.  A hungry rat (louhsyu) tries to bite a tortoise (gwai)--without success when the tortoise hides in its shell.  This image of the rat trying to pull out the tortoise demonstrates the phrase's meaning of not knowing how to begin.I'm not sure where to start in terms of writers' conferences.  According to this post called "The Writers Conference … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cantonese, introvert, Jamie Ford, literary agent, Literary Orange, pitch slam, rat, riddle, Robert Lee Brewer, tortoise, writer, Writer's Digest, writers' conference
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