I've had concerns about the work my agent has put into the novel, as well as the saleability of the novel itself. It's been over a year since she asked for those first thirty pages, and still no sale. No huge advance, no writing groupies, no Ferrari in the driveway (you laugh, but that's what all my friends seem to think is going to happen when I finally do get published).
Sometimes it gets me down, and I start to wonder why there haven't been any bites, or why she didn't send the novel to this house or that house. Basically it all boils down to this: David, still unpublished, is feeling insecure about his ability and his future. Hey, it happens. I can admit it.
So I've been asking my friends for advice. Hey, should I say this? Do you think I should move on? What do you think...etc. etc. etc. Several of them (much wiser than I) gave me this simple bit of advice: Talk to your agent.
Sounds good, right? Sounds like something I should have come up with all on my own, right? Yup.
Well, in case y'all haven't figured it out yet, sometimes I can be a real dumbass (ask my wife; she'll tell ya!). So of course I never said anything to my agent, instead letting all that stuff eat at me while I pestered friends and associates for their thoughts.
So today I finally wrote her after seeing an announcement in Publisher's Lunch for a book sale along the same lines as mine. I won't go into the email in detail, but I asked her a few questions about why we hadn't tried there, and why she thought I might not be getting any bites. It was both a confused and a mildly paranoid email. Was it my writing? The genre? Is the idea too ambitious for a debut novelist? What, praytell, was happening?
She wrote me back less than two hours later. I just had time to go home from work, walk the dogs, and eat dinner. Wanna know the first line of her reply? Here it is:
"Dear David: Your writing is wonderful."
There was more to the email (good points, too), but the bottom line is she knew what was wrong, and she addressed it right off the bat in a manner that both soothed my frayed nerves and made me feel a little better about where I am and where I am going.
She didn't take my email as angry or accusing, or anything other than just a poor guy in need of a little reassurance (the kind that doesn't come from friends or family - you other writers out there know how important that kind of thing is). And even though I haven't made her a cent, she took a moment to give it to me, right away, and let me know I'm still in the running and she still takes me seriously.
That made me feel a lot better.
It's good to have an agent. Now I just gotta give her a better book.
Gonna go work on that right now.
See Y'all!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Time For Another Long, Boring Football Post
I’d like to take a moment to do yet another football post. This post will get into scheduling (sort of) and historical Super Bowl results, so you non-football types may find it a little long winded and boring. Sorry about that, non-football types. I still love ya. Angelle, if you come across this post, you’ll probably either (A) find something interesting or (B) at the very least agree with me.
First, some quick basics as to the structure of the NFL (for you non-FB types). The NFL is divided into two conferences – the NFC and the AFC. Each conference is divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. The winningest team in each division is the division champion, and moves on to their conference playoffs. The playoffs are sudden death, and the last two surviving teams from each conference compete for the conference championship. These two conference champions face off in the Super Bowl. Got it? OK.
So. Anyway, down to business. Someone (a Pats fan) once told me (quite seriously, I might add) the only reason the Cowboys have won so many division championships (14), conference championships (8), and Super Bowl championships (5) is because they typically have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL. I have heard this echoed a time or two, usually by fans of losing teams (big surprise there).
Well, I have to defend my ‘Boys, here. You want proof that the Cowboys NEVER have an easy schedule? Here it is:
42 Super Bowls have been played. That’s right. 42. Now subtract 20 Super Bowls, because that’s the number of SB’s that have been won by AFC teams. That leaves 22 Super Bowl victories in the NFC. Here’s the breakdown of those 22 SB wins:
Dallas Cowboys: 5
San Francisco 49ers: 5
NY Giants: 3
Wasington redskins: 3
Green Bay Packers: 3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1
St. Louis Rams: 1
Chicago Bears: 1
Okay, so what does that tell you? What if I told you that Dallas, NYG, and Washington all play in the same division; the NFC East? Here’s what that means: of the 22 SB victories for the NFC, 11 of them (that’s right, HALF of the total NFC SB wins) have been won by teams in the NFC East. Dallas’ division.
Look at the remaining 11 and you’ll see 5 of them (almost half) were won by San Francisco. Throw in the Rams’ win and that’s over half of the remaining eleven wins for the NFC West.
Green Bay and Chicago are both NFC North teams, so that takes care of 4 more wins. Leaving the Bucs as the only team in the NFC South to ever bring home a SB Trophy.
Looking to the AFC’s 20 victories, you see a much different picture.
AFC East: 6 (Pats – 3, Dolphins – 2, Jets -1)
AFC West: 6 (Raiders – 3, Broncos – 2, Chiefs – 1)
AFC North: 6 (Pittsburgh – 5, Ravens – 1)
AFC South: 2 (both Colts)
Over in the AFC you see a much more even spread across the divisions. Granted, Pittsburg is hogging most of the SB Wins in the AFC North, but that's ok.
All right, ya followin' me so far? Good. Now, you may be wondering just what this has to do with the Cowboys’ schedule. Simple: each team is required to play the other three teams in their division TWICE during the regular season. Not once, but twice. That means Dallas has to play a total of four games against the other two SB winning teams in their division every year, and another two against the last team in the division, the Philadelphia Eagles, who have been to the SB twice but have yet to win.
Now add to that fact that all teams in the NFL are required to play against the teams from the other three divisions (in their own conference) whose divisional standing for the previous season equaled their own. Eample: in 2008 Dallas, the NFC East Champions for 2007, will have to play the three other NFC division champions during the regular season (the Bucs, the Seahawks, and the Packers, to be specific). If Dallas had placed last in their division, they would play against the other three last-place teams. Ya follow me?
Now take into account that Dallas has won 14 Division Championships (more, by the way, than any other NFL team). That means they have had to face these other division champions 14 times. 14 seasons facing the NFC’s best teams, IN ADDITION to those SB winning Redskins and Giants.
So taking all that into account, I think it’s safe to say that anyone who says Dallas historically has one of the easiest schedules in the NFL is full of poo poo. If anything, Dallas statistically has one of the hardest schedules in the NFL year after year.
So there you have it, folks. Irrefutable evidence (that probably only one or two of you care about) that Dallas is no fair-weather, wimpy team. The Cowboys earned their spot at the top of the NFL. :)
Thank you. I'll step down off my soap box now.
See Y'all!
First, some quick basics as to the structure of the NFL (for you non-FB types). The NFL is divided into two conferences – the NFC and the AFC. Each conference is divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. The winningest team in each division is the division champion, and moves on to their conference playoffs. The playoffs are sudden death, and the last two surviving teams from each conference compete for the conference championship. These two conference champions face off in the Super Bowl. Got it? OK.
So. Anyway, down to business. Someone (a Pats fan) once told me (quite seriously, I might add) the only reason the Cowboys have won so many division championships (14), conference championships (8), and Super Bowl championships (5) is because they typically have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL. I have heard this echoed a time or two, usually by fans of losing teams (big surprise there).
Well, I have to defend my ‘Boys, here. You want proof that the Cowboys NEVER have an easy schedule? Here it is:
42 Super Bowls have been played. That’s right. 42. Now subtract 20 Super Bowls, because that’s the number of SB’s that have been won by AFC teams. That leaves 22 Super Bowl victories in the NFC. Here’s the breakdown of those 22 SB wins:
Dallas Cowboys: 5
San Francisco 49ers: 5
NY Giants: 3
Wasington redskins: 3
Green Bay Packers: 3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1
St. Louis Rams: 1
Chicago Bears: 1
Okay, so what does that tell you? What if I told you that Dallas, NYG, and Washington all play in the same division; the NFC East? Here’s what that means: of the 22 SB victories for the NFC, 11 of them (that’s right, HALF of the total NFC SB wins) have been won by teams in the NFC East. Dallas’ division.
Look at the remaining 11 and you’ll see 5 of them (almost half) were won by San Francisco. Throw in the Rams’ win and that’s over half of the remaining eleven wins for the NFC West.
Green Bay and Chicago are both NFC North teams, so that takes care of 4 more wins. Leaving the Bucs as the only team in the NFC South to ever bring home a SB Trophy.
Looking to the AFC’s 20 victories, you see a much different picture.
AFC East: 6 (Pats – 3, Dolphins – 2, Jets -1)
AFC West: 6 (Raiders – 3, Broncos – 2, Chiefs – 1)
AFC North: 6 (Pittsburgh – 5, Ravens – 1)
AFC South: 2 (both Colts)
Over in the AFC you see a much more even spread across the divisions. Granted, Pittsburg is hogging most of the SB Wins in the AFC North, but that's ok.
All right, ya followin' me so far? Good. Now, you may be wondering just what this has to do with the Cowboys’ schedule. Simple: each team is required to play the other three teams in their division TWICE during the regular season. Not once, but twice. That means Dallas has to play a total of four games against the other two SB winning teams in their division every year, and another two against the last team in the division, the Philadelphia Eagles, who have been to the SB twice but have yet to win.
Now add to that fact that all teams in the NFL are required to play against the teams from the other three divisions (in their own conference) whose divisional standing for the previous season equaled their own. Eample: in 2008 Dallas, the NFC East Champions for 2007, will have to play the three other NFC division champions during the regular season (the Bucs, the Seahawks, and the Packers, to be specific). If Dallas had placed last in their division, they would play against the other three last-place teams. Ya follow me?
Now take into account that Dallas has won 14 Division Championships (more, by the way, than any other NFL team). That means they have had to face these other division champions 14 times. 14 seasons facing the NFC’s best teams, IN ADDITION to those SB winning Redskins and Giants.
So taking all that into account, I think it’s safe to say that anyone who says Dallas historically has one of the easiest schedules in the NFL is full of poo poo. If anything, Dallas statistically has one of the hardest schedules in the NFL year after year.
So there you have it, folks. Irrefutable evidence (that probably only one or two of you care about) that Dallas is no fair-weather, wimpy team. The Cowboys earned their spot at the top of the NFL. :)
Thank you. I'll step down off my soap box now.
See Y'all!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Why, Yes. I Am A Nitwit.
Oh, my…where does the time go? For those of you familiar with Miss Snark, you may be saying “Yer too late, David. The anniversary was yesterday. Moron!” To you I say, I am not a moron, but I am a nitwit.
Sometime in the early days of this month, I was informed via comment that the talented and wonderful Patricia Wood was going to have a tribute to the gin-guzzling, Clooney-chasing, advice-giving Snarky One. The comment Pat left for me is still there, go look at it. I left it there as proof of my nitwittery. Seriously, go look. I’ll wait right here.
Are you back? Good. So you see…I have no excuse for missing the beautiful post by Ms. Wood. I had plenty of warning and lots of time to prepare. My excuse? Other than sheer Nitwittery, my in-laws arrived from Maine yesterday for their annual visit. I was kinda busy with them and forgot all about the Miss Snark Anniversary post.
Bummer.
I really wanted to sneak in there and let her know I got an agent, too. Even if my book hasn’t sold yet. Hey, I’m partially there, right? What? No? I’m still a nitwit?
Ah, crud. Some things never change…
Well, Miss Snark, I would like to take this opportunity to add my voice and my thanks to the many others you have received, even if I am too late to chime in to Pat’s post (I tried…it’s blocked). Thanks for putting up with all us nitwits and wannabe snarklings. I still go back and read your blog every once in a while just because there is so much information to be found there (those 300,000 hits since you closed up shop that Pat was talking about?. Yeah…prolly half those are yours truly).
Anyway, for all you folks out there who miss the Great Snark, go check out Pat's blog, and also Tyhitia’s. They both have tributes, as I am sure many, many others do. The key difference between theirs and mine, of course, is they managed to get their tribute posts in on time.
Leave it to the Nitwit to forget.
Sometime in the early days of this month, I was informed via comment that the talented and wonderful Patricia Wood was going to have a tribute to the gin-guzzling, Clooney-chasing, advice-giving Snarky One. The comment Pat left for me is still there, go look at it. I left it there as proof of my nitwittery. Seriously, go look. I’ll wait right here.
Are you back? Good. So you see…I have no excuse for missing the beautiful post by Ms. Wood. I had plenty of warning and lots of time to prepare. My excuse? Other than sheer Nitwittery, my in-laws arrived from Maine yesterday for their annual visit. I was kinda busy with them and forgot all about the Miss Snark Anniversary post.
Bummer.
I really wanted to sneak in there and let her know I got an agent, too. Even if my book hasn’t sold yet. Hey, I’m partially there, right? What? No? I’m still a nitwit?
Ah, crud. Some things never change…
Well, Miss Snark, I would like to take this opportunity to add my voice and my thanks to the many others you have received, even if I am too late to chime in to Pat’s post (I tried…it’s blocked). Thanks for putting up with all us nitwits and wannabe snarklings. I still go back and read your blog every once in a while just because there is so much information to be found there (those 300,000 hits since you closed up shop that Pat was talking about?. Yeah…prolly half those are yours truly).
Anyway, for all you folks out there who miss the Great Snark, go check out Pat's blog, and also Tyhitia’s. They both have tributes, as I am sure many, many others do. The key difference between theirs and mine, of course, is they managed to get their tribute posts in on time.
Leave it to the Nitwit to forget.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Flash Fiction Stuff - Fun In 100 Words!
If you zip on over to the Absolute Write Water Cooler, you may find that Haggis, one of the mods, has issued a flash fiction horror challenge.
This is purty darn cool. I've never done any flash fiction before, but Tyhitia talked me into submitting one, so I did. Then I did another...and another...and another. It was pretty fun. A short distraction, yes...but still fun. You can all read them at the Absolute Write Water Cooler, I just gotta say two things first:
1) The flash fiction challenge has really shown me what kind of sick minds (like mine) write this stuff. More than one of them got a nice, fat "EEEEEW!" from me.
2) Some of them (including mine) have strong language. Fair warning.
See Y'all!
This is purty darn cool. I've never done any flash fiction before, but Tyhitia talked me into submitting one, so I did. Then I did another...and another...and another. It was pretty fun. A short distraction, yes...but still fun. You can all read them at the Absolute Write Water Cooler, I just gotta say two things first:
1) The flash fiction challenge has really shown me what kind of sick minds (like mine) write this stuff. More than one of them got a nice, fat "EEEEEW!" from me.
2) Some of them (including mine) have strong language. Fair warning.
See Y'all!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Likes and Dislikes (aka, Scare Me!)
What do you guys like to read?
For the most part, I like books that scare me. Now, I read a lot of different genres, but if I get a shiver while reading a book, or if I am thinking to myself “Don’t go in that room CHARACTER, you’re gonna regret it!” then I’m happy as a pig in…well…you know the rest. Southern colloquialisms…ya gotta love ‘em.
I also like some fantasy. It has to be done a certain way, though. I used to love the Xanth books, but I had to stop reading somewhere around The Color of Her Panties. I just couldn’t get past all the puns. For my fantasy book-buying dollars, I’ll take Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman, R.A. Salvatore, Robert Jordan, and Terry Goodkind (although Goodkind does get a little long-winded from time to time).
Then there are thrillers. Yeah, I like those, too. Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Lisa Gardner, Alex Kava, and Robert Liparulo are just a few of my favorites in this genre. There are also some up-and-comers like Jeremy Robinson and Scott Sigler. Anytime you can read about a character getting eaten by a creature that hasn’t existed on this planet in several hundred million years or so, you have my undivided attention. Aaaah…good times. Goooood times.
But what most of those books have in common is that, at some point in the book, they creeped me out or even scared the poo outta me. THAT’s what I like. Like in Scott Sigler’s Ancestor when that fetus attacked a camera while still in the womb. Ooooh…shivers. Or in Steven King’s The Stand when a group of loincloth-clad black soldiers led a rebellion of sorts against the rest of the company, executing all of them in game-show fashion (the set up resembled The Price is Right). I still have nightmares about those two scenes.
One of my proudest moments as a writer (especially since I’m not published yet) came when one of my beta readers told me she had to sleep with the lights on after reading a scene I wrote. Big smile in McAfee Land that day. Shortly afterward, another beta told me she actually had nightmares about the same scene. Ooh! I scared TWO people with it. You can insert the theme from Rocky here, if you want to.
Alas, that book was not able to snag an agent, for all its charms (personally, I still love that book…but what do I know?).
But these things are selective, aren’t they? I mean, watching an unborn prehistoric animal fetus stare at a camera and attack it (with a mouth full of razors…a frickin’ FETUS, mind you!) might not have the same effect on some of you as it did me. So you guys tell me….when it comes to horror (or thrillers with horror elements), what does it for you? Are you a creep-factor reader? Do you like to read about some heretofore unknown critter chomping down on people’s vital organs? Maybe you like the psycho in the bathroom with a butcher knife theme. Or maybe you just pass on that stuff altogether in favor of Mitch Albom (who is friggin’ GREAT, BTW) or Nicholas Sparks.
You tell me. What floats your boat?
For the most part, I like books that scare me. Now, I read a lot of different genres, but if I get a shiver while reading a book, or if I am thinking to myself “Don’t go in that room CHARACTER, you’re gonna regret it!” then I’m happy as a pig in…well…you know the rest. Southern colloquialisms…ya gotta love ‘em.
I also like some fantasy. It has to be done a certain way, though. I used to love the Xanth books, but I had to stop reading somewhere around The Color of Her Panties. I just couldn’t get past all the puns. For my fantasy book-buying dollars, I’ll take Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman, R.A. Salvatore, Robert Jordan, and Terry Goodkind (although Goodkind does get a little long-winded from time to time).
Then there are thrillers. Yeah, I like those, too. Michael Crichton, James Rollins, Lisa Gardner, Alex Kava, and Robert Liparulo are just a few of my favorites in this genre. There are also some up-and-comers like Jeremy Robinson and Scott Sigler. Anytime you can read about a character getting eaten by a creature that hasn’t existed on this planet in several hundred million years or so, you have my undivided attention. Aaaah…good times. Goooood times.
But what most of those books have in common is that, at some point in the book, they creeped me out or even scared the poo outta me. THAT’s what I like. Like in Scott Sigler’s Ancestor when that fetus attacked a camera while still in the womb. Ooooh…shivers. Or in Steven King’s The Stand when a group of loincloth-clad black soldiers led a rebellion of sorts against the rest of the company, executing all of them in game-show fashion (the set up resembled The Price is Right). I still have nightmares about those two scenes.
One of my proudest moments as a writer (especially since I’m not published yet) came when one of my beta readers told me she had to sleep with the lights on after reading a scene I wrote. Big smile in McAfee Land that day. Shortly afterward, another beta told me she actually had nightmares about the same scene. Ooh! I scared TWO people with it. You can insert the theme from Rocky here, if you want to.
Alas, that book was not able to snag an agent, for all its charms (personally, I still love that book…but what do I know?).
But these things are selective, aren’t they? I mean, watching an unborn prehistoric animal fetus stare at a camera and attack it (with a mouth full of razors…a frickin’ FETUS, mind you!) might not have the same effect on some of you as it did me. So you guys tell me….when it comes to horror (or thrillers with horror elements), what does it for you? Are you a creep-factor reader? Do you like to read about some heretofore unknown critter chomping down on people’s vital organs? Maybe you like the psycho in the bathroom with a butcher knife theme. Or maybe you just pass on that stuff altogether in favor of Mitch Albom (who is friggin’ GREAT, BTW) or Nicholas Sparks.
You tell me. What floats your boat?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Egads! I've Been Double-Tagged!!
Yo-Ho, me hearties, Yo-Ho!! Ok, why did I say that? oh, I know, it's because I've got the lovely and talented Adrienne Kress on the brain. That's why. And as we all know (and if you didn't know, you should have known...what's wrong with you, anyway?), Adrienne is the author of Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, which is a phenominal book about a clever and resourceful little girl named Alex who has a remarkable adventure that involves...oh, life and death, treasure and a huge talking octopus (that's Extremely Ginormous Octopus, thank you very much), and...and...what else? Oh, yeah...Pirates! Right...that's where the Yo-Ho comes in. Ok, full circle now. I got it. Anyway, the book really is great, and if you don't have it you should go buy it. Right now.
Seriously, go buy it. I'll wait for ya.
You back? Good.
Now, where was I?
Oh, yeah...double-tagged. Well, the other person to tag me with this is Michael from Avatar Lore. While Mike didn't write Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, he did write Sanctuary of the Mind, which you should also go and get if you haven't already read it. Hey, and it's free, no less! Go. Go now. I'll wait (again...yer such a slacker for not having these two books already...sheesh!).
You back? Good. Now no more interruptions.
Shit. I got lost again...wait...let me reread what I've written. Gimme a sec...
OH YEAH! Ok. Hey...I said Yo-Ho. That could get me slapped under some circumstances. But y'all forgive me, don't ya? Please? I knew you would.
But anyway, thanks for bearing with me (hey...do you think bears ever get offended by that phrase? I mean, no one ever says "Please, onion with me" or "Hey, rhino with me for a moment while I collect my thoughts."). As I said a few minutes ago, I've been tagged! Twice. With the same tag. Yeah. Me. Mr. Quiet. Go figure.
So, the rules are thus:
1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences and write them down.
4. Invite five friends to do the same.
I am going to cooperate with rules 1-3, but I'm gonna leave 4 alone. Yeah, I know...spoilsport, right? So, hey...if any of y'all feel like joining in, consider this your open invitation. IOW - TAG!
But for the rest of us, here we go...
The book closest to me is Dawn, by the late, great Octavia Butler. I actually have not read this particular Butler book yet, but I doubt the 5 sentences will ruin the book for me. So here we go...the first five sentences on page 123 of Dawn (I should note I am going to do the first five FULL sentences...the rules were vague on that part):
She really was bright; she had memorized poetry, plays, songs - her own and those of more established writers. She had something that would help future human children remember who they were. The Oankali thought she was unstable, but not dangerously so. They had to drug her because she injured herself trying to break free of what she called her cage. She had broken both her arms.
Wow. That sounds cool, doesn't it? Ok, now I have to read it. What's her name? I dunno. I like this exercise. Thanks Mike and Adrienne. Try and imagine me slapping the palm of my hand on my monitor in an impromptu high-five. I say try and imagine it because (A) you wouldn't see if it I did and (B) I ain't actually gonna slap my monitor. You crazy? Darn things are expensive...unless you steal one. But then you go to jail and have a big ugly cellmate who thinks you're "Mighty Purty" and so I guess it ends up costing you anyway, so...uh...no. No monitor slapping.
Sheesh, how do I get so sidetracked? Must be the crack.
In any case, thanks for stopping by, folks. Thanks Mike and Adrienne for chiming in and tagging me even though I've been in strict lurk mode online the last few weeks. Feels good to be included. :)
A'ight, all. It's bed time for moi. Y'all have a great night and a great tomorrow!
See Y'all!
Seriously, go buy it. I'll wait for ya.
You back? Good.
Now, where was I?
Oh, yeah...double-tagged. Well, the other person to tag me with this is Michael from Avatar Lore. While Mike didn't write Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, he did write Sanctuary of the Mind, which you should also go and get if you haven't already read it. Hey, and it's free, no less! Go. Go now. I'll wait (again...yer such a slacker for not having these two books already...sheesh!).
You back? Good. Now no more interruptions.
Shit. I got lost again...wait...let me reread what I've written. Gimme a sec...
OH YEAH! Ok. Hey...I said Yo-Ho. That could get me slapped under some circumstances. But y'all forgive me, don't ya? Please? I knew you would.
But anyway, thanks for bearing with me (hey...do you think bears ever get offended by that phrase? I mean, no one ever says "Please, onion with me" or "Hey, rhino with me for a moment while I collect my thoughts."). As I said a few minutes ago, I've been tagged! Twice. With the same tag. Yeah. Me. Mr. Quiet. Go figure.
So, the rules are thus:
1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences and write them down.
4. Invite five friends to do the same.
I am going to cooperate with rules 1-3, but I'm gonna leave 4 alone. Yeah, I know...spoilsport, right? So, hey...if any of y'all feel like joining in, consider this your open invitation. IOW - TAG!
But for the rest of us, here we go...
The book closest to me is Dawn, by the late, great Octavia Butler. I actually have not read this particular Butler book yet, but I doubt the 5 sentences will ruin the book for me. So here we go...the first five sentences on page 123 of Dawn (I should note I am going to do the first five FULL sentences...the rules were vague on that part):
She really was bright; she had memorized poetry, plays, songs - her own and those of more established writers. She had something that would help future human children remember who they were. The Oankali thought she was unstable, but not dangerously so. They had to drug her because she injured herself trying to break free of what she called her cage. She had broken both her arms.
Wow. That sounds cool, doesn't it? Ok, now I have to read it. What's her name? I dunno. I like this exercise. Thanks Mike and Adrienne. Try and imagine me slapping the palm of my hand on my monitor in an impromptu high-five. I say try and imagine it because (A) you wouldn't see if it I did and (B) I ain't actually gonna slap my monitor. You crazy? Darn things are expensive...unless you steal one. But then you go to jail and have a big ugly cellmate who thinks you're "Mighty Purty" and so I guess it ends up costing you anyway, so...uh...no. No monitor slapping.
Sheesh, how do I get so sidetracked? Must be the crack.
In any case, thanks for stopping by, folks. Thanks Mike and Adrienne for chiming in and tagging me even though I've been in strict lurk mode online the last few weeks. Feels good to be included. :)
A'ight, all. It's bed time for moi. Y'all have a great night and a great tomorrow!
See Y'all!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I Just Wrote A Scene That Is Going To Haunt Me
Howdy all. I'm back. Sorry for the long silence...it's been one of "those" months. Mike - I saw that you tagged me. I wasn't ignoring ya. I'll do the tag in my next post. Promise.
So after a very unproductive last 4 weeks, I sat down tonight to write a scene I have been dreading. Not because I didn't think I could write it, but because it's something that, in striving for authenticity, I knew I was going to be writing something that would turn my stomach.
My current WIP involves the spirit of an adolescent African American boy who died in the rural south not long after the civil rights movement. What bothered me about it is the boy's death. It's bad. he dies at the hands of a group of white supremacists in a time and place where there just isn't much law. Now, the nature of his death is supposed to be violent, that's part of the story and a primary motivator for revenge, but damn it all...I didn't want to write it.
Not the least concern was the language. We all know the kind of filth those folks spew, and I have to say I found the prospect of writing any of it down to be one of the most distasteful things I've done as an aspiring writer. But I guess that's kid of the point, isn't it? If I, the writer, can make myself cringe, then the reader should get just as angry, right?
Well, that's what I was going for. I dunno if I pulled it off. But I do know I am going to have some ugly dreams tonight. That's probably my cosmic payback for thinking up this darn scene in the first place. This poor kid's death is just so damn wrong. LAPD with less restraint.
ugh.
As an aside - Thank you Tyhitia, for the "sorta" pep-talk about this scene. I took your advice.
Now I need to go wash my hands.
See Y'all!
So after a very unproductive last 4 weeks, I sat down tonight to write a scene I have been dreading. Not because I didn't think I could write it, but because it's something that, in striving for authenticity, I knew I was going to be writing something that would turn my stomach.
My current WIP involves the spirit of an adolescent African American boy who died in the rural south not long after the civil rights movement. What bothered me about it is the boy's death. It's bad. he dies at the hands of a group of white supremacists in a time and place where there just isn't much law. Now, the nature of his death is supposed to be violent, that's part of the story and a primary motivator for revenge, but damn it all...I didn't want to write it.
Not the least concern was the language. We all know the kind of filth those folks spew, and I have to say I found the prospect of writing any of it down to be one of the most distasteful things I've done as an aspiring writer. But I guess that's kid of the point, isn't it? If I, the writer, can make myself cringe, then the reader should get just as angry, right?
Well, that's what I was going for. I dunno if I pulled it off. But I do know I am going to have some ugly dreams tonight. That's probably my cosmic payback for thinking up this darn scene in the first place. This poor kid's death is just so damn wrong. LAPD with less restraint.
ugh.
As an aside - Thank you Tyhitia, for the "sorta" pep-talk about this scene. I took your advice.
Now I need to go wash my hands.
See Y'all!
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