Well, it's all really hit the fan now, hasn't it? I could go into a detailed rant of what happens when the general public is poorly educated combined with the inherent failings of democracy, but I'll spare both of us. For those who care, the wife and I are doing well. We've canceled pretty much all our plans and only go out when we need to. Both being thankful because there are so many people who have it so much worse and we're doing what we can to pay it forward.
With everything that's happened in the past month alone, what has gone on with my writing seems almost petty. But it still happened and I'm going to talk about it. First off, the conference didn't really go as planned. The agent in question behaved as if she was interested, but didn't do much to follow up on it. Another dead end. To top things off, the event gave me a stomach bug that put me down for two days. It's bad enough that I get jerked around and my money taken, but it literally made me sick.
There are a number of things about the conference itself that I could comment on, but I'll reframe beyond broad outlines. Saying more would make me look vindictive and petty. And I'm not petty, just bitter.
In better news, I've once again joined a writing group. We're meeting via Zoom, like every meeting happening this month. The group seems to be doing well. Hopefully, it'll last and will be beneficial for all.
I've somewhat started working on Colony Earth again. Step one is to get reacquainted with it. I've set a daily task to work on a chapter. I've only done it twice this week, but I should do it more once I remember how much I enjoy writing. Once the twenty chapters that I've already written are edited and updated, I'll start working on new material. I'll keep trying to sell the first book, but I need something new under my belt before I go crazy.
Nothing else to report. I was going to say that I've been trying to keep busy, but that isn't true. It's not staying busy that's the problem, its staying committed. The beginning of March really took the wind out of me, and I've just started to get it back. Half of me wants to become a successful writer just so I can go down the list of people who didn't believe in me and taunt them. Okay, maybe I'm a little petty.
Until next time, and at all times, be kind.
Showing posts with label writer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writer. Show all posts
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Sunday, March 1, 2020
I'm with Stupid
I did something stupid. Well, maybe stupid isn't the right word. It was dumb, don't get me wrong, but that's isn't the worst thing about my decision. The worst part is how I seem to enjoy this punishment. I don't, but anyone on the outside looking in might think I do.
So, what I do? I signed up for another writer's conference. I always get my hopes up, always thinking I have a shot. Then, months later, realizing I wasted my time and money. The bruise to my ego and general self-esteem being the worst of it. And people wonder why I'm a pessimist.
This time, at least, I have a half-decent reason for signing up. At the end of January, I entered a contest. You submit the first page of your novel and an agent reviews all the entries. The winner gets a more detailed review of the first ten pages of your manuscript. Maybe more if she likes it. It's a potential foot in the door. At the time after entering, I didn't think much about it. Writing it off as another wasted minute of my time. Then, about halfway into February, I received an email that I had won. I had to read the email a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I wasn't and quickly submitted those ten pages. It'll be April before I hear back about that. But, the agent in question is doing a conference on March 6th, and I'm going to introduce myself. It might ruin my chances. It might put me on track to get an agent. Mostly I'm just hoping I don't make an ass of myself.
I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes.
In other news, I submitted my book to ten publishers. At the time of writing, four have already rejected it. The sad thing is that many publishers are too low brow even more me, being even worse than self-publishing. Maybe I should do an article on how to spot a bad indie publisher. Like if their book covers look like they were made by someone who failed a remedial photoshoot class, you should probably pass. The funniest being a company called "Freebird Publishers" that caters exclusively to prisons. And here I thought they were just big Lynyrd Skynyrd fans.
I also submitted it to Baen Books. They have an open policy as if anyone has a chance to overcome the slush pile. They said it will literally be a year before I hear back from them. Needless to say, I won't hold my breath.
I was hoping to submit to Tor because they have the same policy. The thing is that they want a longer version of what is usually a criminally short synopsis. So I'm re-writing that before I submit. And they want it by snail mail. Because fuck trees.
I was hoping to do my first scheduled short-form writing today. It didn't happen. Long story. I've been doing Skillshare videos every Wednesday evening, but I doubt I'll continue it. Maybe I'll move that writing period to Wednesday instead of putting it in the middle of what is usually a busy Sunday. We'll see.
That's pretty much it for now.
Until next time, and at all times, be kind.
So, what I do? I signed up for another writer's conference. I always get my hopes up, always thinking I have a shot. Then, months later, realizing I wasted my time and money. The bruise to my ego and general self-esteem being the worst of it. And people wonder why I'm a pessimist.
This time, at least, I have a half-decent reason for signing up. At the end of January, I entered a contest. You submit the first page of your novel and an agent reviews all the entries. The winner gets a more detailed review of the first ten pages of your manuscript. Maybe more if she likes it. It's a potential foot in the door. At the time after entering, I didn't think much about it. Writing it off as another wasted minute of my time. Then, about halfway into February, I received an email that I had won. I had to read the email a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I wasn't and quickly submitted those ten pages. It'll be April before I hear back about that. But, the agent in question is doing a conference on March 6th, and I'm going to introduce myself. It might ruin my chances. It might put me on track to get an agent. Mostly I'm just hoping I don't make an ass of myself.
I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes.
In other news, I submitted my book to ten publishers. At the time of writing, four have already rejected it. The sad thing is that many publishers are too low brow even more me, being even worse than self-publishing. Maybe I should do an article on how to spot a bad indie publisher. Like if their book covers look like they were made by someone who failed a remedial photoshoot class, you should probably pass. The funniest being a company called "Freebird Publishers" that caters exclusively to prisons. And here I thought they were just big Lynyrd Skynyrd fans.
I also submitted it to Baen Books. They have an open policy as if anyone has a chance to overcome the slush pile. They said it will literally be a year before I hear back from them. Needless to say, I won't hold my breath.
I was hoping to submit to Tor because they have the same policy. The thing is that they want a longer version of what is usually a criminally short synopsis. So I'm re-writing that before I submit. And they want it by snail mail. Because fuck trees.
I was hoping to do my first scheduled short-form writing today. It didn't happen. Long story. I've been doing Skillshare videos every Wednesday evening, but I doubt I'll continue it. Maybe I'll move that writing period to Wednesday instead of putting it in the middle of what is usually a busy Sunday. We'll see.
That's pretty much it for now.
Until next time, and at all times, be kind.
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Dear Bubba Rick's Publishing
We're in the endgame now. The house is officially on the market and the large portion of work that needs to be done to it is finished. Now I just need to sell the damn thing. New problems will take its place. I know this. At least that's what my anxiety tells me. For example, last night the dishwasher stopped working. The pleasures of being a homeowner I suppose. But, the sooner I tackle the problems behind me, the sooner I can tackle the problems in front of me.
Speaking of problems, rejection season is here. I've sent out thirty-seven query letters this month and have already received six form rejections that are almost word for word the same. I don't mind. I'm just naturally bitter. I've gone through the entirety of the agent section in the writer's market book. There are still agencies that have multiple agents that deal in science fiction, and several that are simply closed currently, so I still have plenty of querying to go. For now, at least, it's on to publishers who actually take un-agented manuscripts. Which aren't many, especially ones that are a step above self-publishing. Dear Bubba Rick's Publishing.
I have written into the short form notebook I purchased this month. It's mostly reworking some previously written work, but at least it's something. I should have a regular work schedule sometime this month. With the old house pretty much done outside cleaning out the garage, it's no longer taking up so much of my time. I'm currently thinking of a mid-afternoon break on Sunday with coffee and a snack. Coffee and food are the best motivators outside of whiskey.
Will I get any real writing done soon? I hope so. Querying is taking point at the moment, and that won't last forever. I'll give that until June before I start rethinking my plan for the first book. Self-publishing is looking better all the time. Once all the letters are sent out, I'll work on Colony Earth until summer arrives. At least that's the plan.
The wife and I have taken up dancing lessons. With her being Puerto Rican and me being Irish, it's like watching a ballerina dance with a golem. If you keep up with the book reviews, I've also been reading the Witcher book series. It's something I've been wanting to do for several years, but a mix of lack of time and most of them not being translated got in the way. So I'm finally getting that done. That's been more than enough to keep me busy, so I'll stop boring you for this month.
Until next time, and at all times, be kind.
Speaking of problems, rejection season is here. I've sent out thirty-seven query letters this month and have already received six form rejections that are almost word for word the same. I don't mind. I'm just naturally bitter. I've gone through the entirety of the agent section in the writer's market book. There are still agencies that have multiple agents that deal in science fiction, and several that are simply closed currently, so I still have plenty of querying to go. For now, at least, it's on to publishers who actually take un-agented manuscripts. Which aren't many, especially ones that are a step above self-publishing. Dear Bubba Rick's Publishing.
I have written into the short form notebook I purchased this month. It's mostly reworking some previously written work, but at least it's something. I should have a regular work schedule sometime this month. With the old house pretty much done outside cleaning out the garage, it's no longer taking up so much of my time. I'm currently thinking of a mid-afternoon break on Sunday with coffee and a snack. Coffee and food are the best motivators outside of whiskey.
Will I get any real writing done soon? I hope so. Querying is taking point at the moment, and that won't last forever. I'll give that until June before I start rethinking my plan for the first book. Self-publishing is looking better all the time. Once all the letters are sent out, I'll work on Colony Earth until summer arrives. At least that's the plan.
The wife and I have taken up dancing lessons. With her being Puerto Rican and me being Irish, it's like watching a ballerina dance with a golem. If you keep up with the book reviews, I've also been reading the Witcher book series. It's something I've been wanting to do for several years, but a mix of lack of time and most of them not being translated got in the way. So I'm finally getting that done. That's been more than enough to keep me busy, so I'll stop boring you for this month.
Until next time, and at all times, be kind.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Be Kind
Warning: Don't read the first two paragraphs. There is no news/information here. It is simply me getting something off my chest.
I was originally going to start this entry off with a rant. Then, as my anger cooled, it turned into more of a well-worded, but hostile, examination. Being more of an observer of humanity than a member, I started to notice something. The thing I was going to rant against has mostly good people involved. Like a charity that spends too much money on donuts. You don't want to call them out for wasting money because you'll look like an ass for criticizing a good charity. Even though that money could be put to better use. Even though I'm right. I saw people defending the good while shooting down any idea of the fact the system is flawed and requires reform. They were being nice. Which led me to something even worse than a rant: A lecture.
I highly value kindness. It's a rare resource or at least rarer than it should be, and it genuinely makes the world a better place. The thing is, I also highly value honesty. And, when you value honesty, you learn the difference between being kind and being nice. Imagine, if you will, that you have a good friend that's currently in a toxic relationship. Being kind is telling your friend to dump that loser. Even though it will hurt. Even though speaking up might jeopardize your friendship. You still need to do it. Because they're your friend and they deserve better. On the other hand, being nice is pretending you like your friend's loser partner despite everything. Sure, you'll be there for your friend when the relationship comes crashing down, but you probably should have spoken up earlier. Being kind requires honesty. Courage. Being nice just requires your presence. Don't be nice. Be better. Be kind.
Now that I've gotten the toxin out of my system, on to the news.
The biggest news, that doesn't involve moving, is that I finally finished the latest round of edits on my novel. I'm expecting to start querying it again in the next week and even entered it into the Pitch Wars contest. I don't expect it get very far since I'm a cynical asshole because I no self-esteem. Or I have no self-esteem because I'm a cynical asshole, depending on who you ask. Still, I march on. Let's hope I can sell this book before I'm dead.
I already mentioned that I'm the ML for my region when NaNoWriMo begins next month. Though, I haven't done too much about it. I've been holding off on planning the writing event because I've been too damn busy. Even as I type this, I'm waiting on the final task so I can complete the fiscal year-end at work. Step one will be to formulate a calendar/attack plan for the event and establish meetups with anyone will to listen to me talk about failing at writing for an hour or so. NaNoWriMo: spring break for writers.
Last bit for now. I finally got the results for the third quarter of the Writer of the Future contest. Another honorable mention. It's better than an outright rejection, but I still won't see my work published in any form. It's a so close, and yet, so far kind of feeling. The damnest thing is that I had a great idea for a short story in the middle of the night just last night. I didn't bother to write it down and now it's lost to the void. Just like my novel.
Until next time, and at all times, be kind.
I was originally going to start this entry off with a rant. Then, as my anger cooled, it turned into more of a well-worded, but hostile, examination. Being more of an observer of humanity than a member, I started to notice something. The thing I was going to rant against has mostly good people involved. Like a charity that spends too much money on donuts. You don't want to call them out for wasting money because you'll look like an ass for criticizing a good charity. Even though that money could be put to better use. Even though I'm right. I saw people defending the good while shooting down any idea of the fact the system is flawed and requires reform. They were being nice. Which led me to something even worse than a rant: A lecture.
I highly value kindness. It's a rare resource or at least rarer than it should be, and it genuinely makes the world a better place. The thing is, I also highly value honesty. And, when you value honesty, you learn the difference between being kind and being nice. Imagine, if you will, that you have a good friend that's currently in a toxic relationship. Being kind is telling your friend to dump that loser. Even though it will hurt. Even though speaking up might jeopardize your friendship. You still need to do it. Because they're your friend and they deserve better. On the other hand, being nice is pretending you like your friend's loser partner despite everything. Sure, you'll be there for your friend when the relationship comes crashing down, but you probably should have spoken up earlier. Being kind requires honesty. Courage. Being nice just requires your presence. Don't be nice. Be better. Be kind.
Now that I've gotten the toxin out of my system, on to the news.
The biggest news, that doesn't involve moving, is that I finally finished the latest round of edits on my novel. I'm expecting to start querying it again in the next week and even entered it into the Pitch Wars contest. I don't expect it get very far since I'm a cynical asshole because I no self-esteem. Or I have no self-esteem because I'm a cynical asshole, depending on who you ask. Still, I march on. Let's hope I can sell this book before I'm dead.
I already mentioned that I'm the ML for my region when NaNoWriMo begins next month. Though, I haven't done too much about it. I've been holding off on planning the writing event because I've been too damn busy. Even as I type this, I'm waiting on the final task so I can complete the fiscal year-end at work. Step one will be to formulate a calendar/attack plan for the event and establish meetups with anyone will to listen to me talk about failing at writing for an hour or so. NaNoWriMo: spring break for writers.
Last bit for now. I finally got the results for the third quarter of the Writer of the Future contest. Another honorable mention. It's better than an outright rejection, but I still won't see my work published in any form. It's a so close, and yet, so far kind of feeling. The damnest thing is that I had a great idea for a short story in the middle of the night just last night. I didn't bother to write it down and now it's lost to the void. Just like my novel.
Until next time, and at all times, be kind.
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