Why the Magpie's Quill and other Tidbits?
Something about my Process or Current Plans
Hello, I’m a debut author with my book Again and Again Back to You coming out in September 2024 with She Writes Press.
And I have no business writing a novel. I’m a business major who worked in Corporate America for the last thirty plus years. While I love to read and relish a solid plot with no weak points or holes, that doesn’t qualify me to write a novel. But that’s exactly what I’ve done. Fifteen years ago, an idea for an ending to a story came to me and I was compelled to put it down on paper. I enjoy reading books with unexpected or unique plot twists and I thought I had a good one. Once I had the ending written down, I began to think about what the beginning and middle of the story could be that would do justice to my ending. That process ended up taking a gazillion years as I discovered that despite finding joy and even passion in writing, I was by no means a natural writer. In fact, writing is more akin to a painful slog to get the stories in my head down on paper. Fortunately, as I was struggling with this realization, my husband gave me Bird by Bird by Anne Lamont for Christmas. I read Anne’s book cover to cover, and it continues to guide me. One of the most helpful takeaways from Bird by Bird is the idea of a shitty first draft. The idea is that your first draft can be complete crap, but you need to get it down and then work from there to improve it. That was absolutely liberating for me and helped with my imposter syndrome issues. If you’d like more information on me and my journey, check out my brand-new author’s website. Andreaezerins.com
Why The Magpie’s Quill?
A magpie is a highly intelligent bird of the corvidae family which includes crows, ravens and jays among others. Magpie is also a word used to describe someone that talks a lot, essentially a chatterbox. For my newsletter, my banner with the magpie with the quill just seemed to be the perfect combination of what I’m going to be shooting for. Maybe some chatter (the bird) but also some history (the quill) so that is my thought process. The icing on the cake is that in East Asian cultures, magpies are considered a symbol of good luck and fortune. I will need a lot of that in the coming year so bring it on.
Fun fact: Magpies are one of only two birds in the US whose tail is longer than their bodies. The Roadrunner is the other.
Only when I was trying to link Anne Lamont’s book on writing and life did I make another connection. Looks like my idea of a magpie with a quill is not all that original. Is that crazy or what? I’m taking it as another good omen. Of course, the other option is I will be told by Anne and her crew that I can’t use it. We will have to wait and see on that front.
PS I like birds and butterflies and flowers so there will be more to come on that front in future posts.
PSS My book includes a boy from Sri Lanka, and I doubled checked, there is a magpie species found only in Sri Lanka called the Sri Lankan blue magpie. So, I felt further comforted by that fact.
Something about Music, Books, TV. Let’s call it Pop Culture
I gravitate toward books that include books within the story (this may be a recent interest as I have begun my own journey, but I don’t think so). Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Unfinished Story by Boo Walker, The Oceanography of the Moon by Glendy Vanderah or my current favorite, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. I was wildly impressed with how many descriptions of darkness VE Schwab came up with in the book. Truly amazing. I have Yellowface on my TBR list.
Or books with music in them. I recently read Play for Me by Celine Keating and loved it. The way Celine describes what music does to a person when they hear something that speaks to them is fantastic. I’m trying to decide if I should read the book Daisy Jones and the Six by Tara Jenkins Reid even though I’ve already watched the wonderful Prime Video miniseries. Anyone else in my boat? Who read the book and watched the show? Share in the comments your thoughts on whether I should read the book after watching the show.
I wanted to share my favorite song from the show.
No Words by Daisy Jones and the Six
This is the perfect song to have on repeat for a struggling author, right?
Love ur magpie and quill 🪶 idea Andrea! Interesting read!
Andrea, thanks for the mention of my novel ! And kudos to you for embarcking on this writerly journey. Also think The Magpie's Quill is a brilliant title for your newsletter. Love it!