Free Financial Book

Yay! It's free it's free it's free it's free it's free!  I've enjoyed Suze Orman's books and radio shows and all that over the years.  Don't miss this chance to get a free .pdf of Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan, available on Oprah's website.  It won't be available forever, though.  I believe it's only going to be available there until the 15th.  Don't wait!

Because we don't want to be starving artists.  That's just so cliche'!

See some of you at the INK meeting tonight.  I hope the Friends of INK have gotten a great start to the writing year, and wish you the best luck, focus and skill for 2009.

Budgeting for writing time

It's Tuesday again.  That means I'm going to be cranking out the words, enjoying some (mostly silent save the keyboard tappety tap) writerly companionship and drinking weird combinations of tea.  My favorite mix is mint and chamomile.  I have to grab an extra lid and not steep the mint as long or it completely overpowers the chamomile.

When I first started going to these writing meetings it was to get my writing out of my office.  Then I thought it would be good to get out of the house and socialize in general.  Now I'm having to actually budget my week to make sure I can attend.  I never, ever thought I'd be this busy.  I thought quitting my day job would vastly open up my schedule.  Ha!  That'll learn me.  More free time = more work time.  And my list is growing daily, so it makes writing time that much more precious.

I really have to get the mulch out of the back of the pickup truck soon, though.  There's huge dandelions growing out of it now.

On the good news front, I haven't heard anything yet from Writers of the Future.  Wish me luck!  And congrats yet again to C.S. for her Honorable Mention!  Woot!

Huzzah!

I'm being bad and jumping the gun to congratulate C.S. on her amazing honorable mention in the Writers of the Future contest.  Awesome work, C.S.!  

It's nice to have my opinion of how great a writer she is reinforced by some very high level judges.

Results are still coming in, so for those of us who are potentially still potential honorable mentions, semi-finalists or (gasp!) finalists, good luck!

Stretching

As of two minutes ago I've set a personal record for number of manuscripts out.  Six manuscripts is not a lot but it's a big number for me.  I think I'm going to strive for double digit submissions and see how long it takes me to get there.  For now I feel like I've just massively increased my odds of getting something into print soon.  I'm excited to get more out there but I'm keeping myself reined in so that I don't, in my haste to submit, start mailing out stories that aren't my very, very best work.

Maybe I should have used six verys in that last sentence, like a six gun salute or some such.

I hit a point like this with my artwork (which is languishing at the moment) where I had a deep enough portfolio of current (as in created within the last year) work that I actually had choices about what to put up in the art shows I attend.  It's more than a feel-good moment.  It's a sign that I'm getting my act together as far as creative production.  

Speaking of production, a long time ago I had a discussion with someone about the commercialization of one of my favorite musical groups.  Had they sold their souls to become commercial successes?  I thought not.  I think they grew and improved from their early, if passionate, days.  I still hear that passion in their music but without the raw and, I feel, unrefined quality.  As far as lyrics and political messages I still see lots of compassion, philosophy and, yes, politics in their music but they're no longer whacking their listeners up side the head with a 2x4.  When the message is clear its still artful, not screaming for attention.

Although I may worry occasionally about  'production' and whether I'm just cranking out words because I can (or because I want to get paid,) I only worry about that when I examine my overall volume or how many subs I have out.  When I'm actually writing instead of handling the business part of writing, I'm fully engaged in the story.  I care about the characters and what happens and what means what and pay attention to whether I'm connecting with the reader or not.  When I stop caring, then I'll be in trouble.  I think when a writer stops caring their stuff becomes less compelling and less publishable, and we see less and less of them in print until they fade away.  Same with artists.  

Part of caring is striving and stretching limits.  If it's comfortable, it's not my best work.  When I'm struggling with those words, or the paint, I know I'm trying to achieve something that may be beyond my skills and I really focus.  That focus shows on the page or canvas, for better or worse.  Maybe that's an element of my older work that has staying power--I tried to write something beyond my skill level and although I didn't quite make it, that struggle and passion ended up on the page and became memorable.

Well, it's back to the creation part of my day.  Time to produce, and strive, and struggle, and reach for something that may be beyond me.

Dancing the Dance of Draft Completion

After several days of hard work I finally finished the rough draft of a new story.  I don't know if I'll polish it in time to submit it to the market I have in mind, but there's another market I think it could fit well.  It came in at 6700 words and I'm hoping to edit out about 2000-3000 of them.  Although I'm eager to work on it, I'll make myself go outside and water my poor, parched garden before everything withers to a pile of dry leaves and let it stew.  I might even leave it alone for the next few days if I discipline myself.  There are definitely other things to work on--Signet, Mayhem, Sin--not to mention I've got some pleasure reading to do (market research, I'm calling it market research so hush) and I've got a novel to finish and critique.

But the new story is so shiny and attractive!

Back away from the sparkly, Kami.  See the Do Not Touch sign?  Besides, it'll be even more shiny and attractive tomorrow.  Trust me.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Do you hear that? That silence? That would be the sound of me finally caught up with my writing tasks.

Not to say I don't have several more to work on, but the big ones, the main ones I've been fretting over for the last few weeks, are done.

Short story edit: check
Submit to INK: (late but) check
OryCon Writer's Workshop website info put together: check
Website info sent to webmaster: check

Whew.

And now on to the new goals.

Two short story edits
Two short story submissions
Some novel work

It's all good.

When Opportunity Knocks, Answer the Door

For those of you with novel or short story openings that you're pretty settled on, there's a fine opportunity on Flogging the Quill right now.  He's whittled his openings down to a spare few and is requesting more submissions.  In a writing world where there are long queues and daunting slush piles, this is a great time to hop in before everyone else notices there's a call.

Even if you don't submit an opening remember to check in and please comment on those openings.  Writers need all the reader feedback they can get.  Besides, as always, by dissecting and commenting on someone else's opening, the flaws in your own become more clear.  Yay learning, yay comments, yay to everyone growing and improving!

Moving Forward

Today, after feeling a little guilty for working on Signet, I decided boo to all that.  I need to move forward in the series.  In fact, if I want to give Signet stewing time I'd better get hopping.  In the unlikely event that I sell Masks this year, Signet better be ready close behind and, well, if I haven't finished writing the rough draft I may be looking at a rush job.  The idea fills me with horror.  Over the years I've shortened up my editing time considerably on novels, but it still took me a good 2-3 years to get Masks into decent shape.  So, forget the reward system.  I'm going to write me a novel!  Yay!

Laugh at me, mock me, tell me my writing's bad!

Ooo, new game to play—Word to Blog.  I’ll have to learn that one.

Just so all y’all know, I’ve decided to subject myself to a flogging.  I don’t know when the Masks opening will end up on Flogging the Quill, but it will eventually, I hope, unless there’s a chance of getting rejected.  How sucky would that be. 

I’m sorry, your opening is so bad I’m unwilling to comment on it.  At all.  Thanks for sending me your ms portion, but please don’t send anymore.

I’m addicted to reading and commenting on the 3x a week (MWF) posts, I have to admit.  How fun that I might end up being one of the victi—er—lucky writers that get showcased for torture and public humiliation!  Yay!

Trying to Contain Rays of Obnoxious Brightness

Lock me in a lead box before I irradiate my children.  I'm so excited by the reply from Nelson Literary Agency.  When I first started looking for a literary agency they really stood out.  I like their style a lot.  They're young and enthusiastic and they have some best sellers already on their sales list.  I hope they enjoy my submission and ask for more.  If not, I still feel I did well to catch their attention.  It lets me know that I'm on track with my query letters.  

Hopefully in two months or so I'll have more good news.  Now my question is, am I supposed to wait for them to respond or keep sending out queries?  I think I'll wait, simply because I have a good handful out there and some of those may come back with some interest too.  As much fun as having multiple offers might be on paper (or in this case, in phosphors) I'd find that really stressful.  Besides, this will give me a break from marketing so that I can focus on the whole reason I got myself into this in the first place:  Writing.

At the risk of repeating myself, I wanted to write about critiques in general and specifically what a wonderful group INK is and how privileged I feel to be a part of them.  

Steve is a picky reader, especially when it comes to internal consistency.  When he has trouble with the logic of a particular scene, I listen very carefully.  I don't want to become that author who writes about characters that do stupid things because it serves the plot.  I especially don't want to become that author with implausible happenings, ridiculous solutions and character motivations that make absolutely no sense.  He is also our only man.  I hope he doesn't start to suffer from estrogen poisoning at our meetings, because I really need that testosterone perspective, particularly since lately I've been writing male pov characters.

Carole is my eye-roller reader.  She doesn't technically 'do' fantasy, or to look at it another way, she prefers dark fantasy and magic realism.  She's my oh puke reader, and if I'm not making her puke there's a very good chance my writing could reach mainstream readers.  She's also a detail reader.  She's done so many jobs and been enough different places that she has tons of facts packed into her head, while having the valuable skill of being able to discriminate between what I mean versus what a reader who is unfamiliar with said item will hear.  For example, it never occurred to me that a reader would think that even the leaves on a bougainvillea vine would be red when I'm talking about papery carmine bougainvillea vines.  Not only did I assume everyone had seen them but I also looked like an idiot if someone had seen them (like CS) and thought I hadn't and had mis-described them from ignorance.  BTW, Carole, I have a baker character in the next book.  I'm looking forward to your impression of him and his workspace.

Carissa is my form and function reader.  If it has no function, she suggests eliminating it.  If the form is flawed, she catches it.  She also helps with things like details and character motivations, but where she really shines as a reader is as a surrogate editor.  She has read so much fantasy (and continues to read fantasy regularly) that she'll catch it if I'm falling into cliche'.  She also gets impatient with my writing in many of the same ways that editors get impatient with writing.  Their time is valuable.  As a rule they don't like excess wordage, extraneous scenes, scenes that go on too long, characters that have no purpose, expository lumps, etc.  No matter how carefully I disguise them (even from myself) Carissa catches them.  If a description passes muster with her, I'm confident that it'll pass muster with darned near anyone.

I had a really good critique, as always, on Masks with INK this last meeting.  I learned that I'd butchered what probably had been a perfectly fine fight scene before I 'streamlined' (read, took out too much for anyone to follow the action) it, that I'd turned my intelligent character into an unsympathetic hormonal mess, that I'd removed too much calculation in a character's reasoning and turned a dark scene into a mini-buddy movie that lacked chemistry, and many other things.  I also got some great brain-storming ideas that will have repercussions across two, maybe all three of the trilogy that Masks begins.

I sometimes worry that you think you're playing second hat to the Lucky Labs (who I'm also very, very grateful to,) so here's my note of appreciation and reassurance.  You're great readers, and you are all so definitely going to be in the acknowledgements.  Without my readers, I'd be a much less effective writer, no doubt about it.  You also have the horrible job of checking every blessed little tiny scrap of crap I write.  From my bios and cover letters to synopses and outlines, nothing goes out without an INK okay.  You also listen to my endless yammering on WIPs and bleeding characters and plotlines.  We've become more than a critique group.  We're a team, a business venture, and I'm very glad to be a part of you.  Thanks, INK!  You're the best.

Yet Another Query

I'm sending Masks off to Ethan Ellenberg tomorrow. There's an email option, but I really wanted to have those first 50 pages in hard copy, proper format and all that. I have to say, after sending off three email queries, there's something more satisfying about sending a manila envelope with some heft to it to New York. I guess I'm old-fashioned. I'd rather have that weight and substance in my hands, the trip to the post office, a more traditional wait and the perk of added interest when I check the mailbox. This is the kind of submission I'm used to. I've missed it. It's been way too long. I think with my WotF sub I got it edited and shipped off so fast I hardly felt it. With Masks it's been a more involved process, with more time to agonize.

Speaking of sparkly mailbox syndrome, did anyone else get a WotF heads-up email? I got one today. Yay! Normally I'd be all gee, up to ten weeks before final results, but today everything writerly seems to be happening very fast.

Dear Contestant,

Your story has arrived and been logged in the 1st quarter of the 2008 contest. We will have final results in 8 to 10 weeks. If you have any questions feel free to let me know. Otherwise, you can also check out the blog as I do post the winners there. (Content deleted by Kami to defy evil spam bots from assaulting the nice director.) Best, Joni Labaqui - Director

Good luck to us all!

First Agent Rejection

I got my first rejection from agent Bob Mecoy.  Looks like he's not taking on any SF/Fantasy writers at this time.  Part of me is glad just to get a response so I have closure.  Some agents don't have time to email or write you back.  Moving on!  I still have to send out my query of the week.  This next one is going by snail mail, so I've been beating around the bush.  Hopefully I'll get an envelope put together today.  There's not a lot of week left.

I printed the rejection out.  I've decided to see how many of these I can collect before I either give up (never!) or get an agent.

I had a Captain Obvious thought today.  If you don't have a good enough submission package to get an agent, how can you hope to sell a book directly to a publisher, especially with a year or more turnaround?  I'm so glad I'm looking for an agent rather than shopping publishers.

Masks Edit

Well, I've gone through the bastard again.

122,000 words

615 pages in standard format (I write in Times but convert to Courier)

31 Chapters

I'm down a few thousand words even with a few additional scene and setting details.  This puppy is ready to roll.  Which means this is my last excuse.  I now have to do more research on Preditors and Editors and find the next agent I want to query.

Once again I'm very excited about working on the second novel in this universe, Signet.  But I'll be good and do that research first.

Full House

We've added a dog into the household mix Monday. He's a sweet, clever, friendly, loves to be cuddled boy. Part lab mix, two years old (as opposed to the original estimate of 9 months), very gentle with Kate and a little scared of the cats (a fact they use to their advantage).

The household has been a little turned on its ear this week. Not much else getting done around here, though I finally managed to do most of the dishes yesterday. Today feels like we're getting back to normal, well, a new normal since there is now lots to do with Beau that didn't exist before. Luckily, several of the things we do with him happened before he came, like going outside and taking walks and feeding the animals. But tossing a ball around for him is completely new (and very fun, he's so polite about dropping it). And the cats need lots of extra attention (demanding it, actually).

Today, though, I'm getting myself back into the daily routines. I will get my writing done. I'll finish laundry and dishes. I'll work on drafting up my script outline for Script Frenzy. I'll do finances and send in our payments. And I think I'll still manage to spend lots of time with Kate and Beau and TC. And write. Did I already mention writing?

57,501

I reached the end of the first, large section of Masks. The way I remember it, the second section is shorter. It also needs the most revising. Still, here we are in May and it looks like I'll finish Masks well before the end of the year. Then, finally, I can send out queries (and upgrade to another Mac instead of the dreaded PC. Boy, talk about a motivator.)

I should mention that INKers have cattle prods after the style of a writer who, if he didn't meet his writing goal, forced himself to write a check to a nasty conservative religious group he particularly despised above all others. He told his friends of this goal, and the one time he didn't make his goal, he wrote a check. He never missed a goal after that.

My cattle prod is that if I don't reach my goal, which is to finish revising Masks by the end of the year, I'm not allowed to upgrade my computer to a Mac. I must upgrade to a PC. I told my fellow INKers and anyone who I thought would care about this. Not following through is not an option, and I want to throw up when I think about upgrading to a PC instead of a Mac, hence, not reaching my goal is not an option.

It's the strongest motivator I've found since I've started writing. It's taken me through Chapter Eight in Masks, to 57,501 words that I wouldn't blush in total shame to show an editor or agent. Masks will still need a final polish before I can send it out, but after the revision I shouldn't need anything in perfect (or as close as I can get it) form for queries. Queries will require ten pages at most of the manuscript if any at all, and while the queries are out I can polish to my wee heart's content. And should a query come back with a request for the whole manuscript before I'm done polishing, I won't mind the last part being rough. If they read that far, I'm doing good, and they'll know I'm capable of doing better (or they may find the rough part reads faster and is more entertaining--polishing does tend to suck the freshness and soul from a manuscript.) At that point any rewriting will be to spec--oh joy! No decisions to make, no worries about if this reads too fast or too slow or is too cliche'--an 'expert' (more importantly, the person responsible for getting me paid) will make most of the decisions for me. Unless they're way off base and derail the plot with a suggestion (which is wholly possible,) I see no reason to argue a fine point in a rewrite when they're offering me money to do it.

But I'm getting way, way ahead of myself. This is a display of excitement and enthusiasm after reaching a landmark in the editing process. Boy, I hate editing. But sometimes, it can be fun. Today was a good day.

Leaps, Not Strides

I'm trying to figure out how this can happen with this particular story and not on any other stories I've ever written.

I started a new story today. I debated about it, since I already have five going, but my enthusiasm for the story idea, plus my lack of enthusiasm for my other stuff at the moment, won out, so after making some notes yesterday and doing a bit of research, I was set. This morning, around 7:30, I started.

I haven't stopped writing yet. That is to say, I've taken breaks for things like shower and food and keeping up with Kate, but I'm never gone from the computer longer than a half hour till I'm back, working on a chapter. It's been nine hours now and I've gotten three chapters written. Over 6000 words. It's my best writing day EVER! And I'm not ready to slow down.

So what is it about this story and not one of the other five? I mean, I like my other stories, really. I've hit some plot snags here and there, but none of them are close to being cast aside as failures. They are all good, solid ideas with interesting characters and plots and lively settings. So why has this one particular story just grabbed the bit and ran off with me? And how, oh how can I keep from losing this momentum? Because if I keep this up, I might end up with a completed novel before the month is out.

I don't want to analyze it too much, for fear of scaring off the whatever it is that's working, but it is definitely something to explore. I'm even more baffled since this is a genre I've never actually written in before. But more on that later.

Because I really want to get writing on the next chapter.

Amadeus

In the movie "Amadeus," Mozart lay on his deathbed, dictating music to the bitter, bitter end. As much as I love writing, I'm afraid that won't be me. No, I'll probably be propped up by pillows, spending my time reading to distract myself from discomfort, or chit chatting with my family if I have a voice, playing board games or watching movies. I don't subscribe to a muse per se, but under the assumption that I *do* have a muse and that muse is always ready to lend a helping hand when I sit down to write, apparently s/he goes on vacation when I'm sick, and I'm sure s/he will be nowhere to be found around my deathbed. If I were a muse, I wouldn't stick around either. I don't want to see the green sputum, or hear it coming up. I don't want to even glance at a face torn ragged by tissues, or smell the unwashed body of my instrument. Nope, I'd definitely head off to Fiji or something. And rightly so! If I were a muse who made myself available for so many hours at a time, at the drop of a hat, often into the come-morning hours of the night, I wouldn't hesitate to take a few days off while my instrument snurked and gagged and coughed her way through a viral infection.

I must be getting better, though, because s/he keeps poking his/her head into my office while I catch up on blogs. Yay to getting better! Yay return of the muse! Yay world!

And Yay Blogeois! For whatever reason I can't always comment on posts with my current interface, getting some sort of security message when I try, but I can write here--good for you and glad you made it!