the blog of author, illustrator and designer Kris Waldherr

02.24

Fun writerly advice

I am here wrangling with the Novel*, which now feels especially real since I’ve confided in my literary agent about it.** So it seems especially timely that these two articles have just appeared online to offer advice to struggling novelists everywhere.

~ The UK Guardian asked a number of novelists to give their top tips for writing fiction. I especially agree with one of the points Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet) makes:

Writing fiction is not “self-expression” or “therapy”. Novels are for readers, and writing them means the crafty, patient, selfless construction of effects. I think of my novels as being something like fairground rides: my job is to strap the reader into their car at the start of chapter one, then trundle and whizz them through scenes and surprises, on a carefully planned route, and at a finely engineered pace.”

~ In response, Laura Miller at Salon.com posted a list of what readers require of a novel.

Since we’re on the subject, here’s a quick Novel update: I’m up to 67,000 words, with an intended goal of about 100,000. Of those, I’d say about half of them are close to what I intend. Meaning that when I reread them I’m not tempted to scream with embarrassment or hit the “delete” button. I’m in that state where I’m caught between intense excitement and insecurity. Meaning, business as usual.

On the plus side, I am completely enthralled with my characters and my novel’s subject matter (Victorian England’s Aesthetic movement). Which is a good thing, since I’m spending lots of time there. Even when I’m not actively writing, I’m thinking about my character’s motivations, their histories, and what their final fates will be. Which sounds more ominous than I intend, though you never know. If one of the characters start to annoy me, I can always write them out.

This is probably the first book I’ve worked on that isn’t intended to be illustrated or elaborately designed. That alone is sure to provoke insecurities within my book arts-obsessed self. But this has also given me a lot of freedom to write whenever and wherever — no thoughts about production considerations, or needing to paint, just get down the words, the sentences, the scenes. To trust myself as a writer, rather than a a book-maker.

On the software side, I’m using the Mac-only Scrivener program, which I like a lot, now that I’ve gotten used to it. It allows me to save scenes as individual documents within a master document, then move them about as I see fit. I discovered Scrivener when I participated in National Novel Writing Month, which gave me that push to get the first 50,000 words out.

But still the doubts remain: Can I really write a “real” novel?

I hope so!

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* The above photo gives you a sense of my process. Each post it note has a scene, story thread, or theme written on it. And yes, they’re color-coordinated. I move them around to get a sense of what should happen when, and why. It’s like playing with fate, but in a good way.

**She’s even asked me that age-honored question: “When can I expect a finished first draft from you?” Yikes.

Filed under The Novel, be-mused, creativity | 3 Responses

02.15

Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere: raffle winners! and Valentines! and cute kids!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated during last week’s “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere”, which was held to mark the relaunch of the Love Tarot app. I had a truly wonderful time reading all of your comments, stories, opinions, and thoughts. I loved having the opportunity to get to know you, my blog readers, better.

As a side note, your tales of dating woe made me shiver with horror as well as laugh in astonishment. I sincerely hope that things have improved considerably on your collective romantic fronts since then!

Special thanks to Sandra Gulland, Holly Tucker, Donna Henes, and Ruth Ann Amberstone for their wonderful guest posts. Much appreciation to Diane Saarinen for helping me organize this week of Valentine-themed love.

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. And today is (drumroll please!) the day in which I announce the winners of our daily giveaways from last week. Congratulations to:

Audra: You’ve won Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland.

Leslie: You’ve won The Lover’s Path by me.

Fran: You’ve won The Queen of My Self by Donna Henes.

Joy Lerner: You’ve won the Goddess Tarot deck and MP3 of The Tarot School’s teleclass for The High Priestess from Ruth Ann Amberstone.

Silverlotus: You’ve won the Amor and Beatrice print.

If you could e-mail me your mailing addresses to kris at kriswaldherr dot com, I’ll arrange to get your prizes off to you pronto.

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In closing, here are some images from the children’s Valentine making workshop we held at the gallery this weekend. For a period of about three hours, my workspace was taken over by about fifteen kids wielding glitter glue and sequins. At one point, a group of them commandoed my work table, transforming it into a private club house. There was even a “No! Grow Ups – Only Kids” sign.

It was overwhelmingly cute.

However you spent your Valentine’s Day (or “Love Day” as one child called it), I hope it was fulfilling and fun!

Filed under be-mused, creativity, events, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, studio and gallery | One Response

02.10

Ruth Ann Amberstone guest post: A Date with the Devil

I’m thrilled to have the acclaimed tarot authority Ruth Ann Amberstone as my next guest for the “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere”, featuring the Love Tarot app. Ruth Ann Amberstone and her husband, Wald Amberstone, are founders of The Tarot School as well as the authors of The Secret Language of Tarot and Tarot Tips: 78 Practical Techniques to Enhance Your Reading Skills. They are also the creators of The Readers Studio, an annual international conference for tarot enthusiasts.

In this post, Ruth Ann writes about The Devil, the sexiest and hottest card in the tarot. Yup, The Devil often gets a bad rap. But, as Ruth Ann points out here, he (or she, as the case may be) can be a lot of fun. On top of that, we’re giving away a MP3 of the Tarot School’s famed teleclass on The High Priestess and an autographed copy of The Goddess Tarot to one blog commenter. Details at the end of this post.

Tomorrow’s post: Mama Donna Henes offers sage advice on how to romance the most important person in your life — you!

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Ruth Ann Amberstone

If you were to name the tarot cards that are most associated with relationships, chances are The Devil would not be at the top of your list. But a closer look reveals that this “bad boy” can have a lot to say in a relationship reading.

The most common interpretation of The Devil, as it might relate to partnerships, is that of a dysfunctional or co-dependent relationship — often where one person has an addiction of some sort. The bondage that’s depicted in the image can refer to the addictive behavior, or perhaps to a taste for kinky sex.

But there are things about this card that are less obvious. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, take a good look at the two people and The Devil himself, and you’ll notice that none of them are looking at one another (unlike in The Lovers). This might indicate that there is a lack of communication in the relationship and/or that at least one partner is totally self-involved.

devil

It’s a common observation that the chains around the necks of the two people are loose. The standard approach to interpreting this symbol might suggest that one or both of them could easily leave the “relationship” with The Devil and/or each other by simply slipping out of the chains. A less familiar understanding of these chains, however, is that they are not bonds, but links — these links connect the three figures and hold them together. In this context, The Devil makes it possible for people to stay together and function together, even when they are each essentially in their own world.

The Devil is the perfect date! With his power over appearances, he can look whichever way you personally find most attractive and sexy. He knows how to dance, how to choose a fine wine, and he can dazzle you with his sparkling wit and intelligent conversation. The Devil is a real smooth operator! He’ll promise to fulfill your every wish, but it’s all a scam to get you into bed. And if you fall in love, he’ll drag you through hell as he charms the pants off partner after partner, caring nothing for your jealousy or suffering.

On a lighter note, one of the most useful things to know about The Devil is that the esoteric function of this card is laughter. The Devil laughs at just about everything. And while that may not seem funny on a cosmic level, using this esoteric function in a reading may indicate that what’s really needed is to lighten up! Watch a funny movie, go to a comedy club, or hang out with friends and simply have a good time.

When this card appears in a relationship reading, don’t let it be-devil you. One way or another, it has something valuable to say about the situation.

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TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: We have a MP3 of the Tarot School’s wonderfully in-depth High Priestess teleclass and an autographed copy of The Goddess Tarot! (Find out more here.) To enter, simply leave a comment for this post. For a double entry, tell us about your worst — or funniest — date ever. I’ll start: Mine involves a guy spending the whole night telling me about his ex-girlfriend and how great she was, that no one could measure up to her. At the end of the night he asked, “So, will I see you again?”

The small print: You have until midnight EST on February 14 to leave your comment. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog Monday, February 15, 2010. Sorry, but the giveaway is limited to U.S. and Canada only.

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Top art: Paolo and Francesca from the Love Tarot app by Kris Waldherr.

More about the Love Tarot app: Considered to be the most romantic app in the App Store, the Love Tarot app offers gorgeous tarot readings inspired by famous love stories, such as Tristan and Isolde and Cupid and Psyche. This five star-rated app was recently relaunched to include a tarot journal for users to save their readings and other inspirations.

Available in Lite and Full versions, learn more here. Or download the Full version on iTunes now.

Filed under be-mused, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path, tarot and oracles | 13 Responses

02.09

Holly Tucker guest post: The Facts of Life, 17th Century Style

Next up for my “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere” featuring the Love Tarot app, is a guest post by historian and novelist Holly Tucker, Ph.D. History geeks probably know Holly from her delightful website Wonders and Marvels. Holly is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University. Her upcoming book Blood Work (under contract with W.W. Norton) is about the politics of early medical experimentation in seventeenth century France and England.

Here, Holly offers us the other side of seventeenth century love to Sandra Gulland’s uber-romantic entry about love letters yesterday. Instead, she writes about the baroque era’s favorite sex manual (complete with a randy illustration from it). On top of that, today we’re giving away a copy of my illustrated novel The Lover’s Path to one blog commenter. Details at the end of this post.

Tomorrow’s post: Ruth Ann Amberstone writes about the sexiest card in the tarot.

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holly tucker

Forget Cosmo. Forget Maxim. Anyone looking for sex advice in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-centuries would head straight to Nicolas Venette’s The Mysteries of Conjugal Love Reveal’d.

Take a look at the two cupids uniting their hot torches to one another. That gives you a sense of the titillating tips that Venette’s books contained–all for the purpose of making babies, of course!

So where did babies come back then?

Until the late seventeenth century, humoralism was the primary way of understanding conception. Humoralism is associated with Galen, a second-century ACE Greek physician who lived in Rome. His work was substantially influenced by his predecessor Hippocrates.

Galen held that the body was governed by a system of fluids, of “humors”: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile. Each body had a “complexion” that was specific to the individual–and reflected a greater tendency toward one of the four humors. This complexion helped determine the overall health of the person, as well as their character. “Sanguine” folks were upbeat and energetic. “Phlegmatic” folks were lethargic and sad. Yellow bile led to “choleric” folks who flew easily off the handle. And depressed “melancolics” suffered from an over-abundance of black bile.

Men and women were very different from one another. Men were hot and dry; women cold and wet. (This helps to explain why men have private parts outside their bodies, more on that another time.)

For Galen, both men and women contributed “seed” in the sex act. The seeds mixed–and their overall quality of the mixture would determine whether a girl or a boy would be born. The birth of a boy was proof of the father’s virility (his seed won the battle). The birth of a girl called the father’s macho-ness into question.

In fact, the birth of a girl was frequently associated with marital sterility in the early-modern era.

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TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: We have a copy of my illustrated novel The Lover’s Path, which inspired the Love Tarot! Set in sixteenth century Venice, The Lover’s Path is based on a true story of two sisters — one of which just happened to be the most famous courtesan of her time. (Learn more about it here or watch the YouTube video.) To enter, simply leave a comment for this post. For a double entry, tell us about your favorite love story from history.

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Top art: Tristan and Isolde art from the Love Tarot app by Kris Waldherr.

Available in Lite and Full versions, learn more here. Or download the Full version on iTunes now.

Filed under be-mused, blogs we read, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path, tarot and oracles | 20 Responses

02.07

The Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere begins….

As I mentioned last week, this upcoming week is going to be special for this blog. From February 8th through 12th, I’ll be having some very lofty guests here:

sandragulland
Best-selling author Sandra Gulland (Mistress of the Sun).

donnahenes
Urban shaman Donna Henes (Queen of My Self).

ruthannamberstone
Renowned tarot authority Ruth Ann Amberstone (The Secret Language of Tarot).

And, finally, acclaimed historian Holly Tucker (Wonders and Marvels, Blood Work).

These amazingly talented and inspiring women will be joining me for a week of love-themed posts and special giveaways. It’s all to celebrate Valentine’s Day — and the relaunch of the five star-rated Love Tarot iPhone app, which was recently updated with a tarot journal for saving readings and other inspirations.

The week will be kicked off tomorrow morning with a wonderfully romantic piece by Sandra about the writing of love letters. (Side note: I’m extremely flattered that she writes that her post was inspired by my illustrated novel The Lover’s Path.) On top of that, we’ll be giving away a copy of Sandra’s bestselling book, Mistress of the Sun. To enter the raffle, all you need to do is comment.

A huge bouquet of thanks to these illustrious ladies for participating in what I hope will be the most romantic week on the blogosphere. And I hope you’ll to “see” you here beginning tomorrow!

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PS: To learn more about the Love Tarot and my other iPhone and iPod Touch apps, please visit my new-and-official app website here.

lovetarot