Organizing your writing life

DON'T COME KNOCKING: That was pretty much my mood all weekend, even before I finally sat down to watch the latest Wim Wenders' film of the same name. I was feeling all hermity and insular and just wanted to write and watch movies. I slipped out last night to get food and go by Lowe's to get some of those stick-up black out blinds because my bedroom is way too bright on weekend mornings when I like to sleep in until at least 11 a.m. Of course, I got the wrong kind...that's the cheap paper kind...and they crumpled all to hell while I was putting them up and just before I went to bed, they fell into the floor and refused to stick back on the window frame. Sigh. So now I either buy a sleeping mask or curtains, which I hate. I guess that means a mask is in my future. Maybe I'll start putting my hair up in curlers and putting cold cream on my face to complete the picture...and a bathrobe with bunnies on it.

Anyway, Wenders' Don't Come Knocking is a brilliant film. It's not as good as Paris, Texas or Wings of Desire, but it's beautifully written, acted and directed. The movie hinges on the performances of three great women -- Jessica Lange, Sarah Polley and Eva Marie Saint. The film was written by and stars Sam Shepard, and he's great as the washed up movie actor who ditches the western he's working on to return to Butte, Montanna to find an old love and a child he never knew he had. The cinematography is so beautiful I wanted to freeze frame every scene and put it on my wall. Who knew Butte was so gorgeous? The whole town is like a giant Edward Hopper painting, and Wenders uses that as a reference to frame so many of the scenes. If you missed this at the cinema, definitely rent or buy it on DVD. I've been a Wenders fan since I was a teenager and got the chance to interview him for MovieMaker magazine a few years ago. Here's the link to that interview if you're interested.

I finally...FINALLY...got my novel Conquering Venus back out to a publisher this weekend. I had been hemming and hawing, rewriting the opening chapter for the millionth time and putting it all off until after the move, but yesterday the submissions began. I've got three more places to send it. Hope is still alive.