Is there Such a Thing as Fiction?

I was thinking today about writing fiction. My article, Why Write, published on many writing websites, gives some good tips for aspiring novelists. But one thought occurred to me today. Maybe there is no such thing as fiction because anything that a writer's mind conceives has happened in real life. Even in the genres of Fantasy and Science Fiction, it has happened somewhere to someone or else the writer would not be able to formulate the words and ideas to express the narrative. So there is no such thing as fiction. Everything is non-fiction, even fiction.

President Sarkozy

"Is our new President, Nicolas Sarkozy -- or Nicolas, as he prefers to be known -- France’s answer to John F. Kennedy in the States?...His enthusiasm seems to be creating the dynamism that France could really do with -- perhaps the ‘feel good factor’ is now arriving in France!" This is a quote from an "homme on the street" and seems to be the sentiment of a majority of French citizens about their new president. There's a feeling of optimism in the air and a hope that the tradition-bound French bureaucracy can be prodded into the 21st century while STILL RETAINING THE UNIQENESS THAT MAKES FRANCE, FRANCE AND NOT THE USA!
We don't want the French to give up one single quality that makes them French. But reforms that do away with the stranglehold of the labor unions (who call for strikes and paralyze the country at the drop of a beret) would be a step toward more prosperity for the French.
I love the French because they revere their history while looking forward to the future. They aren't a "disposable society" as we are in the US. Everything is so "five minutes ago" here. Pop culture is a Dixie cup to be crumpled and tossed away when the Kool-aid's been drained.
So, France, good luck on your new quest following your new hero atop his white charger.

Bonjour Mes Amis

It is such a pleasure to get emails from people who are starting to enjoy reading Mademoiselle Victorine. I love how different readers are taking away different things from the book. That's how Manet wanted his art to be interpreted. "The viewer may interpret as he wishes." I feel exactly the same way. A sequel? Really, T.J. give me a breather. And Samantha, why did you feel Victorine wasn't likable in the beginning? She had to change and evolve as the story unfolded. Keep your comments coming in emails to debra@debrafinerman.com. I love them!

PARTY TIME! VICTORINE'S DEBUT

Break out the Veuve Clicquot: The launch party for Mademoiselle Victorine was a blast! 80 people crammed onto a patio to toast the debut of the saucy mademoiselle from Paris. There were Hermes bags galore in the crowd. Friends and fans from all over the globe came to celebrate. From L.A., San Francisco, Washington D.C., and London (!) they came to nibble French hors d'oeuvres whipped up by French chef Jean-Louis Gerin, guzzle Veuve Clicquot champagne and party into the night. Wish you'd been there.
Pix to be posted tout de suite on the mademoisellevictorine.com website.

MADEMOISELLE VICTORINE!

Mademoiselle Victorine has made her debut. The historical fiction book based on the lives of Victorine Meurent and Virginia, the Countess of Castiglione, is now available in book stores and from online booksellers who began introducing the saucy French mademoiselle to the American and Canadian public on July 24, 2007. The foreign online booksellers and selected bookstores in Paris have also released the book to the public. Thank you so much to the book reviewers who have said such kind things about the book. Thank you to the dear readers who have begun to read and enjoy the novel. I, an author, cannot find the words to express how grateful I am.

Blogs About Blogging

There are so many good blogs out there. Technorati is helpful for finding any blog subject. I love the French Impressionists so I look that up. There are bloggers who have 7 blogs going all at once. What would Zola have blogged about? Manet? Mademoiselle Victorine?

Happy Bastille Day!

Bonjour French lovers and lovers of French. Today is the day that marks the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille Prison. All throughout France there is a national day of celebration involving drinking toasts, singing of the Marselleaise national anthem and dancing in the streets.

Bastille Day, the French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.

Although the Bastille only held seven prisoners at the time of its capture, the storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against oppression for all French citizens; like the Tricolore flag, it symbolized the Republic's three ideals: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all French citizens. It marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of the sovereign Nation, and, eventually, the creation of the (First) Republic, in 1792.

Here are the words in French and in English translation which you can sing or just hum. Sends chills up my spine every time I hear it. Remember the scene in Casablanca when everyone in Rick's Cafe stands and sing the Marseillaise in defiance of the Nazis? Here are the words so next time you can sing along.


Allons enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de la tyrannie
L'étendard sanglant est levé ! (bis)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes,
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
Égorger nos fils, nos compagnes !

Refrain

Aux armes, citoyens !
Formez vos bataillons !
Marchons ! Marchons !
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !

The translation isn't very accuarate, but it gets the message across.
La Marseillaise
French National Anthem

La Marseillaise was composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792 and was declared the French national anthem in 1795.

Let's go children of the fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us tyranny's
Bloody flag is raised! (repeat)
In the countryside, do you hear
The roaring of these fierce soldiers?
They come right to our arms
To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!

Refrain

Grab your weapons, citizens!
Form your batallions!
Let us march! Let us march!
May impure blood
Water our fields!

Bonne fete, mes amis.