Today we're partnering with WOW! Women on Writing to spotlight David Berner's book There's a Hamster in the Dashboard. We are proud to have David here guest posting for us about the type of stories he tells. Welcome to I'd So Rather Be Reading, David!
Tell True Stories, Not Sentimentalized
Ones
By David W. Berner
I have nothing against sweet,
sentimental stories. I cry every time I see the movie Field of Dreams, okay? Gets me all the time. What I don’t want to
do is write sweet, sentimental
stories. It does not interest me. And here’s why when you’re writing memoir it
should not interest you, either.
Life is not a melodramatic movie; it’s
not a Lifetime TV show. It’s real and it’s raw. That doesn’t mean there aren’t
sentimental moments in that life, but if you are telling an authentic story,
the sentimental has to be tempered with a range of emotions. And that goes for
the tragic, too. Touching on an array of human emotions is much more genuine.
So how do you do that and not fall into
a big vat of overly sweet prose?
When I began writing and compiling the
stories in THERE’S A HAMSTER IN THE
DASHBOARD: A LIFE IN PETS, my memoir of living with animals, I was
determined not to turn the book into another one of the many books about pets
that so strongly tug on the heart strings that that they make you choke on you
own feelings. I have nothing against those books. There are some beautifully
done ones by wonderful storytellers. But I didn’t want that. I wanted this
collection of personal essays about pets to be real, honest, and maybe even a
little irreverent. Why? Because that is how life is—with or without pets. Maybe
it’s my background as a journalist, always trying to get to the truth, whatever
that is. Or maybe I just hoped THERE’S A
HAMSTER IN THE DASHBOARD would be different than the other books.
And how did I think I could do that?
I kept digging deep. I worked very hard
to look beyond the story of each particular pet and see how it truly fit into a
life and my relationships with humans—my father, mother, my sister, my wife, my
two sons. This took time and lots of long walks and late nights considering
what these pets meant to me far beyond the owner-pet bond. I searched along the
edges, contemplated the subtleties, and pondered the unapparent.
No matter what your personal story is, if
you plan to write about it be confident to look as deep as you can. Don’t stay
on the surface. Go down a couple of layers of the skin, past the blood and the
muscle, and all the way down to the bone. This is where the story is buried.
There is where the sentimental narrative is moderated into one with a truer
range of complex emotions, emotions that are far more honest.
This takes some doing. You have to be
willing to move your story deeper. Sometimes that’s not so easy because not
only are you hoping to allow the reader to look at your story through a clearer
lens, you’re the one pointing the camera and allowing it to focus for a long
time on something that might not be so pleasant. That’s not to say you have to
turn that sweet story into something sour, certainly not. But as the old adage
suggests—not everything that glitters is gold. And isn’t that the way life
really is?
I’m not sure I completely succeeded it
keeping all the syrupy sweet out of THERE’S A HAMSTER IN THE DASHBOARD.
Frankly, some sugary stuff is part of this collection, and that’s okay. But I
tried to combine it with bigger, tougher topics—the tumultuous 1960s, the ache
of personal loss, even the scourge of prejudice. No story is always what it
seems on the surface.
Book
Summary:
A book of essays by award-winning author and journalist David W.
Berner is the next best thing to storytelling around a bonfire. In There’s a
Hamster in the Dashboard, Berner shares stories of “a life in pets”—from a
collie that herds Berner home when the author goes “streaking” through the
neighborhood as a two-year-old, to a father crying in front of his son for the
only time in his life while burying the family dog on the Fourth of July. And
from the ant farm that seems like a great learning experience (until the ants
learn how to escape), to the hamster that sets out on its own road trip (but
only gets as far as the dashboard). Along the way, Berner shows that pets not
only connect us with the animal world, but also with each other and with
ourselves. The result is a collection of essays that is insightful and
humorous, entertaining and touching.
Buy
links:
Print or Ebook: Amazon
Print copy only: Dream of Things
Paperback: 138 Pages
Genre: Memoir, Pets,
Essays
Publisher: Dream of Things (April 23, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0990840719
Publisher: Dream of Things (April 23, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0990840719
Twitter hashtag: #
HamsterDash
About the Author:
David W. Berner is a journalist, broadcaster, teacher, and author
of two award-winning books: Accidental Lessons, which earned the Royal Dragonfly
Grand Prize for Literature, and Any Road Will Take You There, which was a Grand
Prize Finalist for the 2015 Hoffer Award for Books. Berner’s stories have been
published in a number of literary magazines and journals, and his broadcast
reporting and audio documentaries have aired on the CBS Radio Network and
dozens of public radio stations across America. He teaches at Columbia College
Chicago.
----------Blog Tour Dates
Monday, July 13 @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
Monday, July 13 @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
Wednesday, July 15 @ Choices with Madeline Sharples
"The Best Way to Submit Your Creative Nonfiction to small
publications and literary journals" is today's hot topic at Choices. Stop
by today to hear from guest post author David W Berner as he shares his
thoughts with Madeline Sharples and her readers. You won't want to miss this
insightful article and opportunity to learn more about Berner's latest book
"There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets"
Thursday, July 16 @ Mari McCarthy’s Create Write Now
Today you're in for a special treat with a giveaway and guest
post at Create Write Now. Win a copy of David W Berner's latest book
"There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets" and read his
guest post titled "So, Your Life is Not That Interesting...Oh, yes it is!
Now Write About it!"
Friday, July 17 @ Building Bookshelves
Jodi Webb reviews David W Berner's latest book "There's a
Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets" at Building Bookshelves today!
Don't miss this great blog stop!
Monday, July 20 @ Hott Books
Today is a special treat with a review and giveaway at Hott
Books! Head on over to find out more about (and possibly win a copy of) David
W. Berner's latest book "There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in
Pets"
Tuesday, July 21 @ All Things Audry
David W Berner writes today's guest post at All Things Audry.
Today's topic is" Mini-Memoirs: How to tell your story in fewer than 1000
words". Don't miss this fabulous blog stop and opportunity to learn more
about Berner's latest book "There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in
Pets"
Tuesday, July 21 @ I’d So Rather be Reading
"Tell True Stories, Not Sentimentalized Ones" is the
hot topic today as David W Berner guest authors at I'd So Rather be Reading.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about Berner and his latest book
"There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets"
Thursday, July 23 @ Cathy Hall
David W Berner is today's guest author at Cathy C Hall's blog
and the topic is " Staying Disciplined.,.. Write, Write, Write!".
Read this great post and find out more about Berner's latest book "There's
a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets"
Friday, July 24 @ Words by Webb
Jodi Webb interviews David W. Berner about his latest book
"There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets"
Monday, July 27 @ Bring On Lemons
Educator and avid reader, Cathy Hansen reviews "There's a
Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets" by David W Berner. Don't miss
this insightful review as well as a giveaway for your chance to read this great
book for yourself!
Monday, August 3 @ Sioux’s Page
Sioux reviews David W Berner's latest book "There's a
Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets"
Tuesday, August 3 @ Lisa Haselton
Join David W Berner as he writes today's guest blog post at the
blog of Lisa Haselton. Today's topic is: "How the Story of Your Pet Can
Tell Your Story". Learn more about this and Berner's latest book
"There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets"
Thursday, August 6 @ Selling Books
"Is Your Writing Space the Right Space" is today's
topic as David W Berner writes the guest post at Cathy Stucker's Selling Books
blog. Don't miss this great post and wonderful opportunity to learn more about
Berner's latest book "There's a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in
Pets"
Thursday, August 13 @ MC Simon Writes
MC Simon reviews the latest book by David W Berner "There's
a Hamster in the Dashboard: A Life in Pets" and offers readers a giveaway
of this fabulous collection of essays
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