I took a break for the month of December. Then worked harder than ever to put together my interview series. It has been so successful, it will be staying on as a regular part of The Novel Road on top of links, original posts, Short Story Saturday, and an occational Flash Fiction Sunday.
It's my hope that everyone has enjoyed the interviews as much as I have putting them together. I've met some truly amazing authors, agents and editors and publisher so far. Have a question you think should be asked? Send on to me . Have an author you'd like to hear more from? Let me know and I'll try to track them down.
All the Best!
Doug
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
STANFORD Magazine: The Future of Publishing
STANFORD Magazine: The Future of Publishing Great observations on the battles being fought on our behalf by publishers. Can they win? It's time for every author to chime in, or lose the right to have a say in Literature's future. What we do or don't do, will affect the world for centuries to come...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Novel Road Interview: David Brown Excerpt
An excerpt from the interview with David Brown the Deputy Director of Publicity for Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster-
Me: Talk about some of the craziest campaigns you have worked on.
David: We currently have Olympic hero Apolo Ohno on a multi-city bus tour for his book Zero Regrets. When it is all said and done, he will have visited over 50 cities and met over 20,000 people in the span of just 2 weeks! I've also worked on book written by a dog and a book written by a pimp.
Me: Talk about some of the craziest campaigns you have worked on.
David: We currently have Olympic hero Apolo Ohno on a multi-city bus tour for his book Zero Regrets. When it is all said and done, he will have visited over 50 cities and met over 20,000 people in the span of just 2 weeks! I've also worked on book written by a dog and a book written by a pimp.
Excuse My Being Sidetracked
Please pardon my lack of original posts. I'm up to my neck in... I mean I am busy formating with care and expertise, the MANY great interviews coming your way in December. I believe you will find this series of interviews enlightening, as well as humorous. Stay tuned... can you even say stay tuned any more? Think about it. I remember when...OUCH!
Pardon me for fading into post mode. Luckily my trusty sidekick... Stop hitting me! Ok, my assistant reminded me that we have a few details to iron out (It's all her fault) and we'll see you soon... Well not exactly see...
Pardon me for fading into post mode. Luckily my trusty sidekick... Stop hitting me! Ok, my assistant reminded me that we have a few details to iron out (It's all her fault) and we'll see you soon... Well not exactly see...
The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment: The Most Sympathetic Villain Ever
The Most Sympathetic Villain Ever Give me your picks for a villian that deserves a hug. I've seen villians over the years wrestling with their path of evil. Fighting the urge to give in to the darker aspects of their character, only to change at the last second. Redemption?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Novel Road: Bryan Russell- Perfect 2 Sentence Pitch
Me: In two sentences, describe your book or work in progress.
Bryan: After killing his father in an argument, Japheth Tagori is sentenced to a life of service as a soldier in the Legion – yet he cannot escape his past, as the brigands who worked with his father (a smuggler) want Japheth dead because of something he’s forgotten he knows – the destination of a cartload of gold set to fuel a rebellion. The rebellion, though, is merely a diversion, as a war between empires looms on the horizon and Japheth finds himself a pawn in a dangerous game, manipulated by the mysterious Ghost King even as his enemies seek his head – and as Japheth seeks to understand his own identity as a soldier.
Bryan: After killing his father in an argument, Japheth Tagori is sentenced to a life of service as a soldier in the Legion – yet he cannot escape his past, as the brigands who worked with his father (a smuggler) want Japheth dead because of something he’s forgotten he knows – the destination of a cartload of gold set to fuel a rebellion. The rebellion, though, is merely a diversion, as a war between empires looms on the horizon and Japheth finds himself a pawn in a dangerous game, manipulated by the mysterious Ghost King even as his enemies seek his head – and as Japheth seeks to understand his own identity as a soldier.
What Motivates You?
Motivation has root causes. Different in each of us, money, power, pleasure... hell, even pain can motivate. Each day we get out of bed, there is a reason. It may be that bowl of Cheerios in the last seconds of a dream or something that makes you grumble, like the thoughts of rush hour traffic ahead. Whatever it is, something does drive us to do the things we do.
I can't talk to the sciences of the mind. What the chemical or primordial triggers are to motivation is really not here nor there for me. I just know that things occur to me that cause a need to do - something.
There are passions that inspire. Physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual inspirations which can drive us to the patent extremes of love and hate. We can become so driven by what motivates, that we begin to wrestle within ourselves to find right and wrong. The erudite will not be motivated below a line. The simple dreamer looks up, no line in sight.
Motivation is the essence of free will.
What about ulterior motives? Motivation to act based on compensation to another mean or end. Is acting upon a thought without regard to gain counter to the define motive?
This can be an endless thought or one that causes internal doubt. Anarchy is motivation ill defined. Conservatism owns few changes in either dawn or sunset.
I began thinking about this last night, when a knowledgeable friend's email asked me what I hoped to gain by posting interviews next month. Gain? Don't get me wrong, it was a fair enough question. I was asking for help getting the word out about my December format, and he has a huge audience to tap. It just never occurred to me that I would have to set a value to my interviews. In other words, what would I gain?
Audience? If I'm honest with myself, the answer is yes. My guest list is enough for a few thousand more visits to my blog each day.
Money? The answer is no. I don't think it right to earn money from the generosity of my guests. Even the book links are pulled from their sites, intact. So hits by anyone clicking them goes to my guests site.
Ego? Like a friend told me not long ago, "Ah, there's the rub". Will I be absolutely jacked up happy if I get good responses from the interviews? YES. If I find that my efforts have helped authors sell more books, I will be flat out over the moon.
The best thing about motivation is that it's innately personal. What drives me to write, blog or mow the lawn is purely mine. The things that inspire you are all yours, so keep what motivates you unique. Do what must be done according to heart and mind, just let your dreams into the decision making paradigm. After all, motivations that lighten the day, that add a smile, are the endless fuel you are blessed with to live each day as new.
I can't talk to the sciences of the mind. What the chemical or primordial triggers are to motivation is really not here nor there for me. I just know that things occur to me that cause a need to do - something.
There are passions that inspire. Physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual inspirations which can drive us to the patent extremes of love and hate. We can become so driven by what motivates, that we begin to wrestle within ourselves to find right and wrong. The erudite will not be motivated below a line. The simple dreamer looks up, no line in sight.
Motivation is the essence of free will.
What about ulterior motives? Motivation to act based on compensation to another mean or end. Is acting upon a thought without regard to gain counter to the define motive?
This can be an endless thought or one that causes internal doubt. Anarchy is motivation ill defined. Conservatism owns few changes in either dawn or sunset.
I began thinking about this last night, when a knowledgeable friend's email asked me what I hoped to gain by posting interviews next month. Gain? Don't get me wrong, it was a fair enough question. I was asking for help getting the word out about my December format, and he has a huge audience to tap. It just never occurred to me that I would have to set a value to my interviews. In other words, what would I gain?
Audience? If I'm honest with myself, the answer is yes. My guest list is enough for a few thousand more visits to my blog each day.
Money? The answer is no. I don't think it right to earn money from the generosity of my guests. Even the book links are pulled from their sites, intact. So hits by anyone clicking them goes to my guests site.
Ego? Like a friend told me not long ago, "Ah, there's the rub". Will I be absolutely jacked up happy if I get good responses from the interviews? YES. If I find that my efforts have helped authors sell more books, I will be flat out over the moon.
The best thing about motivation is that it's innately personal. What drives me to write, blog or mow the lawn is purely mine. The things that inspire you are all yours, so keep what motivates you unique. Do what must be done according to heart and mind, just let your dreams into the decision making paradigm. After all, motivations that lighten the day, that add a smile, are the endless fuel you are blessed with to live each day as new.
Shareholders approve Barnes & Noble 'poison pill' - Yahoo! News
Shareholders approve Barnes & Noble 'poison pill' . The drama continues for the huge book retailer
Don't pet me, I'm writing: Three tips for bouncing between books
Tawna Fenske should be on your morning blog read. Why? Well, if you're the type of person who likes starting their day off with a smile, this is the place to be.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Dale Brown Interview - Excerpt - 12/7/10
Join me for an interview with Dale Brown, Techno-Thriller author whose sold over 15 million books!
Me: You're co-writing novels with Jim DeFelice. It is becoming more and more common among established authors to co-write. Why?
Dale: Established authors do other series to keep their names on the bookshelves. But I do not subscribe to the concept of "ghost writer." Jim DeFelice is not my ghost-writer: he is an established and well-known author that writes outstanding stories that I am fortunate enough to collaborate on with him.
Me: You're co-writing novels with Jim DeFelice. It is becoming more and more common among established authors to co-write. Why?
Dale: Established authors do other series to keep their names on the bookshelves. But I do not subscribe to the concept of "ghost writer." Jim DeFelice is not my ghost-writer: he is an established and well-known author that writes outstanding stories that I am fortunate enough to collaborate on with him.
Robin Becker Interview 12/2/10
The Novel Road Interview series: Robin Becker, author of "Brains: a Zombie Memoir - December 2
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com
I found this on Twitter this morning. Give it a try. It makes it seem far to easy to balance the Budget. The definitions of what's being cut or kept is a little fairly vague. Quite interesting though...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Writer Angst Part 3 --- Editors
If literary agents are a bridge between authors and getting published, then editors are thr road signs, if not the very road itself toward that end. The new or aspiring author has to understand the part of the editor. I think far too many believe that once they have an agent, it all comes down to a sales pitch to a publisher. That the next step is, a place on the bookshelf. Something else has to happen before your dream comes true. The something, is a someone. You will know little of who this person is, but the future of your work is in their hands.
Editors have the most amazing, and somewhat secret, way of doing what they do. They add another layer of checks and balances to the publishing process. Actually, more than one layer, since their OCD bretheren, the copy editor, adds a last laugh before publishing. Oh sure, the author gets views after each process, but unless you are a successful author, challenging an editor's requests can often make the "Things not to do" list. Don't get me wrong, an author has to stand up for their work. Just pick your battles wisely.
The editor is part Yoda and Gollum - wise, but obsessed. Paid by an author privately, they manage patience as best they can. Paid by a publisher - just this side of whip cracking can happen, though more often it takes the form of lengthy, very exact, e-mails. (your agent is in the middle of all this, of course) Editor's respect the creative process, but demand in their own unique way, what will make the story "right".
I made an observation to an editor that had him no doubt shaking his head before I finished my thought. I had tried to make the analogy that an author has to hold their work up to a mirror, to see problems from a different perspective. This comment was met with a silence for a few moments. Just as I was about to pat myself on the back for my example, I got slapped back to reality.
"The problem with your mirror, is that it's your mirror," (insert long exhale by my editor friend), "you'll gain no objectivity from holding the mirror just so. I can't tell you how many authors believe themselves to be objective about their own work. They come up with reasons on why or how they edited. In most cases they think knowing the definition of edit is enough." He gave me a gravel tinted chuckle as I listened and tried to think of what next to ask. He beat me to it.
"Your about to ask my advice to an author, right? Well, the first thing I'd tell them is learn to spell,(I pulled at my shirt collar, al la Rodney Dangerfield, and could swear the room was getting a tad warm).The second thing I'd say is read it out loud. Find sentences or phrases that don't work and re-write or remove them. Third, have someone, other than a friend, read your work. Take whatever anyone says to heart, because that's your damn mirror. An editor reads with the thought of the future reader, not the author's dream."
After our conversation, I came up with this:
Think of a statue. A book without an editor, is a glob of clay with a smiley face and catchy name. With an editor, you get MARBLE, with some nice curves, and a smiley face... And suggestions for better names.
You thought I'd say you'd get Michelangelo's David? An editor can't make a bad story or horrible writing great. They can give the story a better foundation, read-ability and shape. Yet they depend on the initial product to be worthy. For my money, there is no better investment than an editor.
Agents have to use their experience to match a manuscript to the editor. Different editors have different strengths. Some specialize in genres or even a voice. A few really can do it all, but most tend to stay in their comfort zones. So add this to the list of things I didn't tell you about agents in Part 2. Agents shop your story to editors, who have limits on how many manuscripts they can deal with in a year.
Great editors are coveted. They have earned reputations for their work. Think getting to be a debut author is tough? Ask an editor how hard they had to work to get to where they are today. They have the academic resumes to back up their successes. My interview with Peter Ginna was extremely interesting. When I read the answers to my questions, I began to kick myself because I didn't ask more than I did. I suddenly thought of fifteen or twenty questions I could have put to him.
Editors seldom get the credit they deserve. I honor those authors that place mention of the editor's work in their books. The editor must constantly adapt to changing literary preferences. I wanted to ask Peter Ginna how long it takes him to write a text message. (LOL) Changes in slang, must drive them to drink... Or miniature golf. Non-Fiction is one thing, but with Fiction, editors must open a new manuscript like a bomb disposal guy lifting a lid.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I think editors are golden. After all I've learned about what they do... Think DIAMONDS...
Bookish Techy Week in Review - O'Reilly Radar
Lit mags return; libraries and publishers can't figure out e-lending; ebooks headed to NYT list; and David Pogue likes the Galaxy.
Friday, November 12, 2010
January 1st New Home of the Novel Road
The Blooger address for The Novel Road is currently: http://devinbriar.blogspot.com/
It will all move here after the first of the year.
It will all move here after the first of the year.
Ten Block Walk
Ten Block Walk has a post worth a read. Life experience, see places, and learning about the nature of people before you write is priceless.
Dreams and ideas. Make them richer by life well lived.
Dreams and ideas. Make them richer by life well lived.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Nervous Breakdown - Monique Truong - Self Interview
Monique Truong, award winning author, does a self-interview.
New Week after Week #8
This Week after Week will be to answer questions that are currently filling my inbox.
- How did I pick the guests? - The Ouija Board is an amazing thing. Aren't the search engines of Google, Bing, Yahoo and others all based on Ouija technology?
- Can I ask David Baldacci a question? - Of course you can. Go on Amazon.com, look for "Stalking for Fun and Felony". Buy it, and turn to page 793, the one just after "Restaining Orders Don't Apply to You". The answer to your question is there in very small print.
- Why are you trying to compete with CineMax? - Have you seen a picture of Alta Hensley? Actually, I'm trying to represent as many genres as I can, and Romantic Erotica, it turns out, isn't an Error Code for Internet Explorer.
- You have a contest going on Nathan Bransford's blog, the winner gets to ask a question of either Sean Ferrell, author of the critically acclaimed "Numb" or Robin Becker, popular author of "Brains". How about a contest, and the winner gets taken flying with Dale Brown? - Forget the contest, your such a ranty bugger, I just called Dale and he's expecting you. He said something about an experimental "Wing Seat"... Good Times...
- Did you REALLY ask a question about Lolli-Pops and Popcorn and does the Pizza-Snickers diet REALLY work? - To the first question, the answer is no. To the second question, the answer is that it's a working theory. Weight loss is all in your mind, right?
- And finally: Did Janet Reid really help you and if so how? The lovely Ms. Reid is acting as the moderator.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Don't pet me, I'm writing - Cheap Wine, Editor taste
Shopping for wine is an art... Sort of... One of my interview guests gives her take on the $4 bottle
*The Interviews and Why
Fifteen e-mails in this morning (out of 157), I saw a bit of a trend building. The subject lines all had a variation on "Interviews? You've got to be %#*@ ing kidding me?"
What I can say to those who want just the links, and a few jumbled thoughts from myself, to remain on the page: This is something I want to do. The normal stuff will stay, I'm just adding to it.
My page started as my personal creative writing page. To post my thoughts and observations, then to make sure the world didn't end when I did. But a funny thing happened one day... Someone looked in and showed the extremely bad taste to keep coming back. Whoever this was brought along a friend or two. Then someone must have written my blog's address on a massively busy restroom wall, or wrote it on Janet Reid's car bumper, because my traffic went NUTS!
While my frequent viewers still would rather e-mail me than simply post a comment, I think you have the ability to appreciate something new. It was up to me to figure out what "new" thing would interest both you and me. Therefore, my Einstein-esk brain came up with the only logical answer: INTERVIEWS.
Who would want to be interviewed by me you say?
Well I'm not going to tell you since your being a bit of a wiggler. But I will give you a very small sample, because I don't hold grudges.
This list includes some of those that have returned their answers to my sage, well thought out, insightful, questions... Can you believe no one wanted to answer the Tootsie Pops and Popcorn question? Also, none offered to try my "Be a Winner on the Pizza - Snickers Diet", but there you are...
Dale Brown, Brian Haig, Bryan Russell, Peter Ginna, Tawna Fenske, Sean Ferrell, Kennedy Foster, Robin Becker, Joan Wolf, Amy Minato... Wo! There.. that's all you get for now. It's almost half the list, so don't snivel. You want a few surprises, don't you? OK, one more and only because I wanted to compete with CinaMax on Friday night - Alta Hensley (read this one with someone you want to love...Allot... right after reading it)
Now, back to this business no one would want to talk to me... All I had to do is offer $1.83 in unmarked bills and swear to stay off their lawns... At night... Oh, and to stop singing "Cat Scratch Fever" when they answer the phone.
The people I've secured for the interviews have been amazing. My personal thanks to Janet Reid and Suzie Townsend for their help. I'd also like to thank those that couldn't make the interviews now, for their kind words and I hope to have them on the page sometime in 2011.
Anyway, there it is. The Novel Road will also have a new look after the first of the year, as well as tons of guest bloggers. No, Devin Briar will not be a guest. He's a bit full of himself right now.
All the Best!
DougM
What I can say to those who want just the links, and a few jumbled thoughts from myself, to remain on the page: This is something I want to do. The normal stuff will stay, I'm just adding to it.
My page started as my personal creative writing page. To post my thoughts and observations, then to make sure the world didn't end when I did. But a funny thing happened one day... Someone looked in and showed the extremely bad taste to keep coming back. Whoever this was brought along a friend or two. Then someone must have written my blog's address on a massively busy restroom wall, or wrote it on Janet Reid's car bumper, because my traffic went NUTS!
While my frequent viewers still would rather e-mail me than simply post a comment, I think you have the ability to appreciate something new. It was up to me to figure out what "new" thing would interest both you and me. Therefore, my Einstein-esk brain came up with the only logical answer: INTERVIEWS.
Who would want to be interviewed by me you say?
Well I'm not going to tell you since your being a bit of a wiggler. But I will give you a very small sample, because I don't hold grudges.
This list includes some of those that have returned their answers to my sage, well thought out, insightful, questions... Can you believe no one wanted to answer the Tootsie Pops and Popcorn question? Also, none offered to try my "Be a Winner on the Pizza - Snickers Diet", but there you are...
Dale Brown, Brian Haig, Bryan Russell, Peter Ginna, Tawna Fenske, Sean Ferrell, Kennedy Foster, Robin Becker, Joan Wolf, Amy Minato... Wo! There.. that's all you get for now. It's almost half the list, so don't snivel. You want a few surprises, don't you? OK, one more and only because I wanted to compete with CinaMax on Friday night - Alta Hensley (read this one with someone you want to love...Allot... right after reading it)
Now, back to this business no one would want to talk to me... All I had to do is offer $1.83 in unmarked bills and swear to stay off their lawns... At night... Oh, and to stop singing "Cat Scratch Fever" when they answer the phone.
The people I've secured for the interviews have been amazing. My personal thanks to Janet Reid and Suzie Townsend for their help. I'd also like to thank those that couldn't make the interviews now, for their kind words and I hope to have them on the page sometime in 2011.
Anyway, there it is. The Novel Road will also have a new look after the first of the year, as well as tons of guest bloggers. No, Devin Briar will not be a guest. He's a bit full of himself right now.
All the Best!
DougM
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
*Dr. Syntax : Alfred Hitchcock's Bomb
Alfred Hitchcok's Bomb: Suspense, Suprise, and Emotion in Narrative
Monday, November 8, 2010
Joëlle Anthony's "Restoring Harmony"
"Restoring Harmony" by Joëlle Anthony is a book going on my "read list".
Every review so far says it's solid gold! Click her name and have a look at her site. This author's talents are extensive.
Every review so far says it's solid gold! Click her name and have a look at her site. This author's talents are extensive.
*The Alchemy of Writing: Nathan Bransford, the Deafness of Phantasms, and a...
Bryan Russell is one talented writer. Here is an excerpt from his current post :
"I'm naturally fairly blind, but contact lenses make the world clear for me, perceptible and understandable. Writing frames my consciousness in the same way. the act itself is important, the transformation, the formulation in words of a million perceived and felt things. Writing is an act of clarity, an act of envisioning..."
Hopefully, he will be submiting his novel soon. Whatever publisher is lucky enough to add Bryan to their author list, is getting a true winner.
"I'm naturally fairly blind, but contact lenses make the world clear for me, perceptible and understandable. Writing frames my consciousness in the same way. the act itself is important, the transformation, the formulation in words of a million perceived and felt things. Writing is an act of clarity, an act of envisioning..."
Hopefully, he will be submiting his novel soon. Whatever publisher is lucky enough to add Bryan to their author list, is getting a true winner.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Query Shark
Not only is this lady talented, but she has the best logo ever to put on her clients blogs.
*The Making of Genres and the Quest
When the thought of doing interviews on The Novel Road popped into my head, it wasn't an epiphany-ish pop. It was more like, the site's audience is growing like a weed, so maybe I should do other things to keep it interesting. (Note to self: never run out of "private moment" reading material again. The fan noise causes ideas to "pop")
My idea was to start having the interviews with authors from each and every genre. I mean, how many could there be? After only a few moments of research, I found a list by the California Department of Education. They wrote the list with a vague certainty in the opening line:
"Here is a list of literary genres as defined by the California Department of Education:"
The list includes 18 Fiction and 5 Non-Fiction genres, as well as their descriptions. See? Not that many, so my Einstein-esk mind quickly calculates that's...
Being thorough, I check a little more (Wikipedia) and less than a second after I bring up the "Literary genres" page, I'm spewing Diet Coke with Splenda at my monitor. Coughing and spattering, my eyes clear again to re-read: 189 literary genres. A nervous laugh begins, as I read the headings, some of which I am hoping are a "Wiki-Jokes".
Penny Dreadful - 19th Century weekly sensational series
Homophonic Translation - Translating a text from one language into another without trying to preserve the original meaning. (Why? It sounds like an excuse to get it wrong. Like a literary shoulder shrug...)
Lovecraftian Horror - Named after H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) he was into "Human Nullifying Entities" and grimoire later transitioning into Psychological horror.
Ergodic Literature - I gave up at the descriptions of extranoematic and hypertext fiction
55 Fiction - I'm not even kidding... Science fiction that is no more than 55 words in length (origins of the...Gulp!...Query letter?)
Robinsonade - If you write about being on a desert island, this is you... Seriously, I dare you to put this down as your genre when you submit. Somewhere in the rejection letter will be, "What the %&*$ !)
Scandinavian Noir - OK, this is actually a seriously honorable genre (Stieg Larrson's Millineum Trilogy ). But it gave me mind's eye visuals of a girl named Elsa chasing Heike down a very clean street, imploring him to give up his life of crime in the Brunost Mob...
Seriously, where do these genres come from and above all... Why? I'm sure genres are created by the marketplace. Is it so bookstores know what to call the isle or section you need?
It could be that genres are actually clubs, with secret hand shakes and cool club jackets. Would a Paranormal jacket be see through? The Steam punk jacket would be black, made of despair proof Gore Tex.
Label we will, there for label we must, whether to simplify or identify. But 189 genres? It will be impossible to find authors from all these genres. Some are from long ago and have become the foundation of new genres... Oh my God there may be more of them!
What I do find interesting about my research into genres is that most of the modern genres have roots in others from times past. Have a look and tell me what you think. While your at it, if you should know of any authors in the more obscure genres listed on the Wiki pages listed earlier, let me know...
*I'm now on a quest!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Week after Week -- #7
- I'm overwhelmed by the number of great authors, agents and editors that have consented to do interviews next month. To those that couldn't accept, I'd like to thank you for your kindness for even considering my requests.
- Nathan Bransford has left Curtis Brown Ltd. He will be missed by all, even though he will only be a CNET away.
- Keith Richard's book is a bestseller... Mick is waiting for the movie
- One of my favorite morning reads: The Rejectionist I bet the word "decaf" isn't spoken in their office.
- I think Dr. Syntax should have a word with Kate Bernheimer . Her, "My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me : Forty New Fairy Tales" is a compilation of fairy tales written by Neil Gaiman, Joyce Carol Oates, Kevin Brockmeier and host of other. Is it me, or is the title the best short... Gulp!... query letter of all time?
- Did I mention I'm doing interviews... Oops! Top Secret guest list will be released November 30th and if you aren't even a little impressed with who is coming to The Novel Road... Well then, BALLS to ya!
- Finally, Time magazine has a short memory, or a weak technology department, if they think that Amazon's Kindle is the #2 Gadget of ALL TIME!
- *** Update- new Harlon Coban - Myron Bolitar due out March 22, 2011***
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Rejectionist: * Why Nathan Bransford Left
A very funny post to help us wish Nathan Bransford well... and add to the conspiracy theories like Roswell and the Grassy - Knoll as to why he REEEALLY left.
Nathan Bransford - Leaving the Literary Agent Biz
Nathan Bransford , one of the most popular agents in the Blog-o-Sphere is leaving for a new opportunity at CNET. I wish him well in his new job and life to come. Hail, Jacob Wonderbar!
ANDevers - Overlooked Great Authors
An intriguing list of authors that have been overlooked for their great contributions to literature.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Bryan Allain: Deconstructing Popular Sayings
From lambs tails to straws... Bryan Allain is a talented humorist
**A Brain Scientist's Take on Erotic Writing**
Write about steamy, romantic scenes much? Have a look at some great insights...
Google/Blogger Statistics and Analytics
The analytics that Google provides are great. They are also addictive, as much as they are interesting.
"I just got Romania! Now, how to get a Bulgarian... It's the blogger version of the game "Risk", without the dice. Now if Google would just let me buy countries.... Ba ha ha! I must fill the map of the world with lime green shadows... Lime green? Genghis Khan wouldn't do LIME GREEN! There is Dark Green for most hits countries, I think. The list of countries is limited by how many hits, so ones and twos don't stay on the list for long... But I know they are there, and they're mine dammit! They can hide, in the back list of my conquests, but as long as they return for a visit, they will not incur my wrath... Once I figure out what kind of wrath is even possible. Maybe I'll book all the hotel rooms and not show up? Reserve all the window seats on Macedonia Airways and Crop Dusting...
These statistics are, in a word, COOL. I take my hat off to Google for creating them. They show traffic sources, audience, timelines (ranging from Now, Day, Week, Month and Alltime) and post hits. The post hits is really the one that I watch and I'm proud to say my posts out-do the links.
I know I put my ego at risk when I post a link to Janet Reid or Nathan Bransford . These two are more popular in the literary "blog-o-sphere" world than Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber (Nathan does have a bit of Bieber hair). Not that Gaga has anything to do with Janet "the Shark" Reid, far from it. Janet has a Rental Cat and Gaga has Rental People...
These stats also give me a clue on how much traffic I send to others. The nice people at Google said they will all send me money or gifts at Christmas (Then they told me to never call them again, saying they would penalize me by taking my countries one by one... Gulp! The whole "Absolute Power" thing comes to mind...)
All and all, these statistics are more instant gratification than usable for now. They do help me know that my efforts to expand my social network aren't in vain. Blogger does have its quirks and hitches. As you can see, their spell check lacks, which reflects badly on my, er, ah, ability to spell. (note to self: re-read my post on EDITING) Whatever can be said, saying that Blogger isn't doing a GREAT job isn't one of them.
Now... Can I please have Togo?
** Update- The link that has gotten the most hits? Natalie Wipple's post on Strong Female Characters beat them all.
"I just got Romania! Now, how to get a Bulgarian... It's the blogger version of the game "Risk", without the dice. Now if Google would just let me buy countries.... Ba ha ha! I must fill the map of the world with lime green shadows... Lime green? Genghis Khan wouldn't do LIME GREEN! There is Dark Green for most hits countries, I think. The list of countries is limited by how many hits, so ones and twos don't stay on the list for long... But I know they are there, and they're mine dammit! They can hide, in the back list of my conquests, but as long as they return for a visit, they will not incur my wrath... Once I figure out what kind of wrath is even possible. Maybe I'll book all the hotel rooms and not show up? Reserve all the window seats on Macedonia Airways and Crop Dusting...
These statistics are, in a word, COOL. I take my hat off to Google for creating them. They show traffic sources, audience, timelines (ranging from Now, Day, Week, Month and Alltime) and post hits. The post hits is really the one that I watch and I'm proud to say my posts out-do the links.
I know I put my ego at risk when I post a link to Janet Reid or Nathan Bransford . These two are more popular in the literary "blog-o-sphere" world than Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber (Nathan does have a bit of Bieber hair). Not that Gaga has anything to do with Janet "the Shark" Reid, far from it. Janet has a Rental Cat and Gaga has Rental People...
These stats also give me a clue on how much traffic I send to others. The nice people at Google said they will all send me money or gifts at Christmas (Then they told me to never call them again, saying they would penalize me by taking my countries one by one... Gulp! The whole "Absolute Power" thing comes to mind...)
All and all, these statistics are more instant gratification than usable for now. They do help me know that my efforts to expand my social network aren't in vain. Blogger does have its quirks and hitches. As you can see, their spell check lacks, which reflects badly on my, er, ah, ability to spell. (note to self: re-read my post on EDITING) Whatever can be said, saying that Blogger isn't doing a GREAT job isn't one of them.
Now... Can I please have Togo?
** Update- The link that has gotten the most hits? Natalie Wipple's post on Strong Female Characters beat them all.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
This lady knows humor... and lives it
I'm a fan of Tawna Fenske's blog, "Don't pet me, I'm writing". Have a look at an older post about Matt the Cat.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Writer Angst Part 2 + Literary Agents +
What do you think of bridges? Think about what they do, whether it's spanning the impassable or shortening a trip, they are great, right?
Agents are bridges. Oh, they are much more, but the first purpose is to provide a professional avenue to publication. Without an agent, you are left to your own devices. This is where you all-knowing types insert your ego: "I know as much as an agent", "They are just middle men", "I'm an attorney, so any contract they can do..." or worse still, "They are a cult, bent on keeping my work from a soon-to-be adoring public." Actually they are witches... Just kidding, though I know of one that thinks she is... Ok, knows she is, A SHARK (Though she suffers from ailurophobia).
An agent offers industry and market knowledge they are intimately associated with on a daily basis. They have expertise, gained by exhaustive reading in every genre. They do interject personal opinion, which is only natural, and something every author should be glad that they do. I, for one, would rather have an agent that liked or loved my work, rather than puts up with it. Agents are an extension of your passion into the marketplace. They get paid if they sell, so they are inspired like few others to make you a success. The whole, "like to have groceries and a place to live" thing works FOR you.
If you read Part 1, you'll know that you have a wimpy side... Admit It! Doubt, fears, nerves... ANGST of an author can be handled and, in most cases, shared with an agent as you travel the publication road. In fact, call them at home, late, late at night and they will send you gifts... (things to do: delete my e-mail address before I post this)
I am not an agent, but I know that to be an agent, they have to have the patience of a pre-school teacher, especially with debut authors. "Hand holding" is probably ranked as one of the worst things about their jobs. They buoy egos, talk away tears, and shake you by the shoulders to snap you out of a funk when you need it... All before their first cup of coffee in the morning. ( OK, maybe third cup) The agent is your deal maker, publicist (in some cases), and works vast social networks to give you the best chance at success. All this while they read... Gulp!... Queries of possible new clients, simultaneously pitching your book to editors and marketing executives. Add the "light reading" of partials and full manuscripts at the office and home, plus doing writer's conferences, blogs, pod casts and the obligatory cocktail party (insert fake arm twist) as well as book signing and supporting their colleague's efforts for their clients... Whew!
If you're thinking, "sucks to be them" you'd be wrong. The vast majority of agent live for their work. They LOVE it, even though it takes a huge toll on their lives in many cases. They feel frustration, when they can't find a place for a work they believe in. They strike out more than they succeed in many cases. So, look at it this way: You submit one book and hope and pray it goes to print. An agent handles multiple books, that they have placed their reputations and passions on, at once. Think about that for a second. They know they hold so many hopes in their hands, and most of them fail. That means, when you get "The Call" about a book deal, there is more than likely a failure they have to deal with after or before your call. Talk about "Peak and Valley"...
We, as authors, take more for granted, than we ever should, when it comes to an agent. The common view is that an agent wields Zeus-ian powers over literary life. In a small way, that is kind of true. Yet the power they wield, is tempered by intellect we, as authors, don't readily fathom. They live in the real world, a business world, and they have to make tough choices. Agents crush hopes, but as God is my witness, I know they don't relish doing so. Their business must take personal tolls, because some leave the business after only a few years. They start with idealism of finding wonderful works to bring to print, and many do. Agents have to toughen themselves, to numb themselves, to the reality that of the tens of thousands of works offered yearly, few fall into the category they dream of, and live for, every day.
There are bad agents. Some are scam artists, offering an easy road to your dreams. Remember the bridge reference earlier? Well, bad agents hide the "Bridge Out" sign. If you take the road of not doing your research into the qualifications and history of an agent... "Sucks to be you" will be your publisher. Never pay an agent to read your work. Never contribute money to an agent to "get the ball rolling". In fact, if an agent ever asks for money up front or at anytime, run! ( ****There may be a "returns-reserve coverage" problem that is legitimate I'm told, though I have never personally known anyone that has experienced this, see your contract, or ask... that's right, your agent. That is what they are there for and why they get paid. If anyone can enlighten me further on this aspect, please contact me)
The funny thing is, I have touched on so very little of what an agent does. I haven't touched the things they won't do (But they will wash your car, mow your lawn and do your taxes... I was supposed to remember to do something before I posted this...Hmmmmm?). Reading this, you may say I'm a huge fan of agents, and you'd be right. I respect everyone for the job they do, and thank God when they are doing the job for me. Getting an agent doesn't insure the success that so many believe it does, because there are no guarantees offered or given. Agents are about building a business, your business. Build it right and winning is left to your words. After all, that is what started this dream. Be bold... Be smart... Be patient... If that doesn't work, write about VAMPIRES...
Part three will be about editors... Till then!
Agents are bridges. Oh, they are much more, but the first purpose is to provide a professional avenue to publication. Without an agent, you are left to your own devices. This is where you all-knowing types insert your ego: "I know as much as an agent", "They are just middle men", "I'm an attorney, so any contract they can do..." or worse still, "They are a cult, bent on keeping my work from a soon-to-be adoring public." Actually they are witches... Just kidding, though I know of one that thinks she is... Ok, knows she is, A SHARK (Though she suffers from ailurophobia).
An agent offers industry and market knowledge they are intimately associated with on a daily basis. They have expertise, gained by exhaustive reading in every genre. They do interject personal opinion, which is only natural, and something every author should be glad that they do. I, for one, would rather have an agent that liked or loved my work, rather than puts up with it. Agents are an extension of your passion into the marketplace. They get paid if they sell, so they are inspired like few others to make you a success. The whole, "like to have groceries and a place to live" thing works FOR you.
If you read Part 1, you'll know that you have a wimpy side... Admit It! Doubt, fears, nerves... ANGST of an author can be handled and, in most cases, shared with an agent as you travel the publication road. In fact, call them at home, late, late at night and they will send you gifts... (things to do: delete my e-mail address before I post this)
I am not an agent, but I know that to be an agent, they have to have the patience of a pre-school teacher, especially with debut authors. "Hand holding" is probably ranked as one of the worst things about their jobs. They buoy egos, talk away tears, and shake you by the shoulders to snap you out of a funk when you need it... All before their first cup of coffee in the morning. ( OK, maybe third cup) The agent is your deal maker, publicist (in some cases), and works vast social networks to give you the best chance at success. All this while they read... Gulp!... Queries of possible new clients, simultaneously pitching your book to editors and marketing executives. Add the "light reading" of partials and full manuscripts at the office and home, plus doing writer's conferences, blogs, pod casts and the obligatory cocktail party (insert fake arm twist) as well as book signing and supporting their colleague's efforts for their clients... Whew!
If you're thinking, "sucks to be them" you'd be wrong. The vast majority of agent live for their work. They LOVE it, even though it takes a huge toll on their lives in many cases. They feel frustration, when they can't find a place for a work they believe in. They strike out more than they succeed in many cases. So, look at it this way: You submit one book and hope and pray it goes to print. An agent handles multiple books, that they have placed their reputations and passions on, at once. Think about that for a second. They know they hold so many hopes in their hands, and most of them fail. That means, when you get "The Call" about a book deal, there is more than likely a failure they have to deal with after or before your call. Talk about "Peak and Valley"...
We, as authors, take more for granted, than we ever should, when it comes to an agent. The common view is that an agent wields Zeus-ian powers over literary life. In a small way, that is kind of true. Yet the power they wield, is tempered by intellect we, as authors, don't readily fathom. They live in the real world, a business world, and they have to make tough choices. Agents crush hopes, but as God is my witness, I know they don't relish doing so. Their business must take personal tolls, because some leave the business after only a few years. They start with idealism of finding wonderful works to bring to print, and many do. Agents have to toughen themselves, to numb themselves, to the reality that of the tens of thousands of works offered yearly, few fall into the category they dream of, and live for, every day.
There are bad agents. Some are scam artists, offering an easy road to your dreams. Remember the bridge reference earlier? Well, bad agents hide the "Bridge Out" sign. If you take the road of not doing your research into the qualifications and history of an agent... "Sucks to be you" will be your publisher. Never pay an agent to read your work. Never contribute money to an agent to "get the ball rolling". In fact, if an agent ever asks for money up front or at anytime, run! ( ****There may be a "returns-reserve coverage" problem that is legitimate I'm told, though I have never personally known anyone that has experienced this, see your contract, or ask... that's right, your agent. That is what they are there for and why they get paid. If anyone can enlighten me further on this aspect, please contact me)
The funny thing is, I have touched on so very little of what an agent does. I haven't touched the things they won't do (But they will wash your car, mow your lawn and do your taxes... I was supposed to remember to do something before I posted this...Hmmmmm?). Reading this, you may say I'm a huge fan of agents, and you'd be right. I respect everyone for the job they do, and thank God when they are doing the job for me. Getting an agent doesn't insure the success that so many believe it does, because there are no guarantees offered or given. Agents are about building a business, your business. Build it right and winning is left to your words. After all, that is what started this dream. Be bold... Be smart... Be patient... If that doesn't work, write about VAMPIRES...
Part three will be about editors... Till then!
Urban Psychopomp: Proactive Protagonists
An easy read, as well as helpful, for those needing a reminder of your protagonist's focus.
Urban Psychopomp: Proactive Protagonists
Urban Psychopomp: Proactive Protagonists
Elections and Ground Hog Day...Hmmm?
You ever get the feeling that elections are a never ending cycle of the same thing, happening again and again...
Ebooks and the threat from "internal constituencies" - O'Reilly Radar
An excellent article showing another angle to the E-book evolution.
Ebooks and the threat from "internal constituencies" - O'Reilly Radar
Ebooks and the threat from "internal constituencies" - O'Reilly Radar
Monday, November 1, 2010
Quick Query Critiques : Marla Miller .com
Never seen Marla Miller critique a query? Watch the lady who I believe is the best at the "Hook Sentence"
Quick Query Critiques : Marla Miller .com
Quick Query Critiques : Marla Miller .com
Writer Angst Part 1
As hard core as our plots can be, or our characters all knowing, all writers have, shall we say... a wimpy side.
The act of writing a novel, submitting for publication, then review, can be a masochistic endeavor. The best and worst novel to write is the first. Easy to write because it lacks pressure, and you can still be naive about the publication process. The nervous tremors begin when you start searching the Internet for "How to get published" articles. Part one is about the Debut Author.
If any author, EVER, didn't say or think, "That will be easy" or "How hard can that be?", when they first heard or read the words "Query Letter", has to be a liar or from another planet (Where queries aren't allowed). This is where I add a piece of advice for a beginning author:
"Resist, avoid, deny, the query letter from your world till you have COMPLETELY finish your manuscript." Hell, even block the word Query in your search browser. This is the point where you first come in contact with what I will call "purpose diffusion". Your purpose is to write a great book at this point, period, not add to the things you need to do later. Concentrate on the work, edit like the wind, and move on to publication worries later. Trust me. There is a limbo in the unpublished author world, where the souls of writers are suspended forever... writing query letters, over and over again. Their fellow "limbo-ites" offering heartfelt advice in the quest for the perfect letter. All the while, their manuscripts sit, because a new writer has come to the conclusion that, "why can't I write a query letter, when I've written words numbering in the hundreds of thousands, but these 250-odd words fry my brain?" It will too. Ground Hog Day lives in the query letter maelstrom.
Editing, for me, is the toughest part of writing. The toughness starts when you learn about WORD COUNT. At first, you will have a few moments of, "They don't mean me?" People want THE WHOLE STORY, right?Then you will find article after article that re-affirms the publishing world's preference for brevity. You will learn it has to do with printing cost vs return on investment, shelf space in stores and even cast the reading public as having shortened attention spans. Some agents will have different views. Nathan Bransford , for one, is not intimidated by manuscript length, though "The Swivet" has a closer handle on agent's general opinions. I'll stop here about editing because my left eye starts to twitch at the thought, but I will offer this advice to make it easier:
Have someone else (that means other than YOU) read your work out loud while you listen. You will hear what I call "Bump Sentences". You will hear it, as your friend reads, where something isn't right or awkward. Sure, you could read it out loud yourself, but if you have been pouring through your work, over and over again, you may miss what fresh eyes won't. Plus, it's fun to hear your words out loud and how people in general try to read with an audience. You will hear any confusion in their voices too. A good hint that something needs another look.
This is memory lane for most authors. There will be some that deny a state of anxiousness ever existed. Leave them be to their super-ego selves. This is the real world of a debut author we are talking about, so be as wimpy as you want...Just don't let anyone see it. Part 2 will focus on agents, editors, and blogs. Until then...
The act of writing a novel, submitting for publication, then review, can be a masochistic endeavor. The best and worst novel to write is the first. Easy to write because it lacks pressure, and you can still be naive about the publication process. The nervous tremors begin when you start searching the Internet for "How to get published" articles. Part one is about the Debut Author.
If any author, EVER, didn't say or think, "That will be easy" or "How hard can that be?", when they first heard or read the words "Query Letter", has to be a liar or from another planet (Where queries aren't allowed). This is where I add a piece of advice for a beginning author:
"Resist, avoid, deny, the query letter from your world till you have COMPLETELY finish your manuscript." Hell, even block the word Query in your search browser. This is the point where you first come in contact with what I will call "purpose diffusion". Your purpose is to write a great book at this point, period, not add to the things you need to do later. Concentrate on the work, edit like the wind, and move on to publication worries later. Trust me. There is a limbo in the unpublished author world, where the souls of writers are suspended forever... writing query letters, over and over again. Their fellow "limbo-ites" offering heartfelt advice in the quest for the perfect letter. All the while, their manuscripts sit, because a new writer has come to the conclusion that, "why can't I write a query letter, when I've written words numbering in the hundreds of thousands, but these 250-odd words fry my brain?" It will too. Ground Hog Day lives in the query letter maelstrom.
Editing, for me, is the toughest part of writing. The toughness starts when you learn about WORD COUNT. At first, you will have a few moments of, "They don't mean me?" People want THE WHOLE STORY, right?Then you will find article after article that re-affirms the publishing world's preference for brevity. You will learn it has to do with printing cost vs return on investment, shelf space in stores and even cast the reading public as having shortened attention spans. Some agents will have different views. Nathan Bransford , for one, is not intimidated by manuscript length, though "The Swivet" has a closer handle on agent's general opinions. I'll stop here about editing because my left eye starts to twitch at the thought, but I will offer this advice to make it easier:
Have someone else (that means other than YOU) read your work out loud while you listen. You will hear what I call "Bump Sentences". You will hear it, as your friend reads, where something isn't right or awkward. Sure, you could read it out loud yourself, but if you have been pouring through your work, over and over again, you may miss what fresh eyes won't. Plus, it's fun to hear your words out loud and how people in general try to read with an audience. You will hear any confusion in their voices too. A good hint that something needs another look.
This is memory lane for most authors. There will be some that deny a state of anxiousness ever existed. Leave them be to their super-ego selves. This is the real world of a debut author we are talking about, so be as wimpy as you want...Just don't let anyone see it. Part 2 will focus on agents, editors, and blogs. Until then...
Week after Week #6
- Most authors think their genre's are competitive... HA! Check out January Magazine and the number of cookbooks being published. JM is a great place for quick reviews, as well as interesting industry news.
- Vertiginous - How I felt when I read about Tom McCarthy, Believer Magazine and The International Necronautical Society. Is this the birthplace of Steampunk?
- Nice to see that "The Call" isn't a one-sided celebration. It's why Jessica Faust is one of the best in the business.
- O'Reilly (not that O'Reilly, this one has Radar) is fast becoming a favorite place for interesting incites.
- It's November... we are talking leaves on the ground, cold wind a blowing in winter, sooooo... Here's a flower... Why? Because I'm the kind of guy that gives... errr, ok, I liked it and with all the politics about us, who can't use a flower...Have an epiphany on me! Flower courtesy of http://thewriteoneval.blogspot.com/ , check out her site when you get a moment, some cool picks.
- Finally, a bit more NaNoWriMo (hopefully) advice from Jennifer Hubbard and a "For those that are about to die at their keyboard from living on Pizza Pockets..." I Salute You!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The Alchemy of Writing - The quiet man speaks
The quiet man speaks... Having writer "angst", doubting your writer-self? Have a read...
The Alchemy of Writing
The Alchemy of Writing
Just for laughs
Kathleen Ortiz posted this link on Twitter for Janet Reid. It gave me a great morning laugh... And fear of CATS!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Janet Reid, Literary Agent
The incomparable Janet Reid has the new Lawrence Block novel... Not that I'm bitter.... #@&*%!
Janet Reid, Literary Agent
Janet Reid, Literary Agent
Something about this season
For the last few days, I've posted a few things that speak to politics.... Gulp!
Momentum of Reason, Ying and Yang, even posting Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If", all were my very small way of voicing, maybe inspiring (forgive my arrogance) a second thought on problems of today.
My blog doesn't reach as many as some. Heck, my best visit numbers would be considered a bad day for Janet Reid, Nathan Bransford or Rachelle Gardner. I've been told that politics on an author's blog is not the best thing. I agree.
The Novel Road will be going back to business as usual. To those that were ticked by my participation in political expression, know that you only have to put up with it for one week, every two years... Deal with it.
I know I risk one of the things I most despise, being labeled. Agreement with anyone's views is a choice, just as expressing my views is mine. I am here in this world, like everyone else, to learn and be a better part of tomorrow. I don't doubt that my views may change as I learn and live more. It saddens me that there are those, so convinced they are all-knowing, that the cries of others don't exist.
The thing about me is, I don't scoff or belittle. I call no name, other than those parentally given. I believe and cherish the views of all. Brought in spirit to fair debate, there is no greater moment in the life of an American or anyone else in this world.
This time, this place, is not calling on us to voice what has been, for that light has gone. The days to come are ours to light. Will we, or will we take light for granted? Is the dull, pixeled hue and venom of an analyst or network going to be the base on which we grow? Can we step back, to awaken from the information gleaned easily, to realize it has been without merit?
The path of least resistance is for the physical, not mental world. We have to challenge the status quo, because our world is not static. We have chosen to unleash information in boundless streams. Standing on the river bank as knowledge flows by, will only allow our feet to sink in the mud of "Whatever".
Care, we must... Trust we may... But learn, we will, or failure is ours.
Momentum of Reason, Ying and Yang, even posting Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If", all were my very small way of voicing, maybe inspiring (forgive my arrogance) a second thought on problems of today.
My blog doesn't reach as many as some. Heck, my best visit numbers would be considered a bad day for Janet Reid, Nathan Bransford or Rachelle Gardner. I've been told that politics on an author's blog is not the best thing. I agree.
The Novel Road will be going back to business as usual. To those that were ticked by my participation in political expression, know that you only have to put up with it for one week, every two years... Deal with it.
I know I risk one of the things I most despise, being labeled. Agreement with anyone's views is a choice, just as expressing my views is mine. I am here in this world, like everyone else, to learn and be a better part of tomorrow. I don't doubt that my views may change as I learn and live more. It saddens me that there are those, so convinced they are all-knowing, that the cries of others don't exist.
The thing about me is, I don't scoff or belittle. I call no name, other than those parentally given. I believe and cherish the views of all. Brought in spirit to fair debate, there is no greater moment in the life of an American or anyone else in this world.
This time, this place, is not calling on us to voice what has been, for that light has gone. The days to come are ours to light. Will we, or will we take light for granted? Is the dull, pixeled hue and venom of an analyst or network going to be the base on which we grow? Can we step back, to awaken from the information gleaned easily, to realize it has been without merit?
The path of least resistance is for the physical, not mental world. We have to challenge the status quo, because our world is not static. We have chosen to unleash information in boundless streams. Standing on the river bank as knowledge flows by, will only allow our feet to sink in the mud of "Whatever".
Care, we must... Trust we may... But learn, we will, or failure is ours.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Author's String Theory
Einstein as Publisher? Satyendra Nath Bose as Agent? Branes as Brains? Black Holes as Slush Piles (couldn't resist the comparative)
Alternate dimensions are to Genre as Vibrational modes are to Literary trends... If this question ever appears on an SAT test, the fall of civilization can't be far behind.
The first view of the publishing world, for me, inspired questions on the nature of the written word as commerce. The farther I researched the business, it became apparent that it exists in numerous layers. Far from labyrinthine, but don't doubt the number of paths available. Many leading to no where, some to a new light of day.
Authors posit their work as being plausible. After all, if written, it is. (Descartes was a closet romantic comedy writer.) Therefore it has the potential to be noticed, liked and published. The problems that arise are surmountable... If created by man, they can be overcome by man, no? Not always.
The intangibles, the quirks of agents, editors and the vacillations of the marketplace can conspire to make an author's dreams either disappear or to be acknowledged.
I like the string theory, not for the scientific meaning. Dimensional aspects could be applied, genres the line of realities split. But that's too deep for me, so I'll just take the string and make it into a theoretical high wire act. The theory part being that gravity works, whether you call it falling or failing.
Authors live on a high wire once their works have been polished. Submitting a manuscript is the first step out onto the wire...Easy! Next step, query an agent or two or seventy. The silence around the author, breathlessly anticipating the Inbox bringing hope, not Viagra spam. Pressure mounts as each step is taken, rejection breaks your concentration, as well as the will to live. Don't look down, next step, another, then another. You're now in the middle of the wire walk now... and you freeze, right there.
This is where you wait. Unseen eyes of speculation in the darkness far below, while the wire twitches beneath your feet. By the way, there is no net... Unless you make one... with your mind. The net is your next book. Write, and the net will rise to meet you. Now step out again and finish the walk you began. Get to the other side with the knowledge that you can begin and begin. Every word you write makes you better at your craft, more confident when you take that next walk across the wire.
An author's string theory can move us, giving the observed words flavor, energy, and life. As long as you are willing to make the walk...
Alternate dimensions are to Genre as Vibrational modes are to Literary trends... If this question ever appears on an SAT test, the fall of civilization can't be far behind.
The first view of the publishing world, for me, inspired questions on the nature of the written word as commerce. The farther I researched the business, it became apparent that it exists in numerous layers. Far from labyrinthine, but don't doubt the number of paths available. Many leading to no where, some to a new light of day.
Authors posit their work as being plausible. After all, if written, it is. (Descartes was a closet romantic comedy writer.) Therefore it has the potential to be noticed, liked and published. The problems that arise are surmountable... If created by man, they can be overcome by man, no? Not always.
The intangibles, the quirks of agents, editors and the vacillations of the marketplace can conspire to make an author's dreams either disappear or to be acknowledged.
I like the string theory, not for the scientific meaning. Dimensional aspects could be applied, genres the line of realities split. But that's too deep for me, so I'll just take the string and make it into a theoretical high wire act. The theory part being that gravity works, whether you call it falling or failing.
Authors live on a high wire once their works have been polished. Submitting a manuscript is the first step out onto the wire...Easy! Next step, query an agent or two or seventy. The silence around the author, breathlessly anticipating the Inbox bringing hope, not Viagra spam. Pressure mounts as each step is taken, rejection breaks your concentration, as well as the will to live. Don't look down, next step, another, then another. You're now in the middle of the wire walk now... and you freeze, right there.
This is where you wait. Unseen eyes of speculation in the darkness far below, while the wire twitches beneath your feet. By the way, there is no net... Unless you make one... with your mind. The net is your next book. Write, and the net will rise to meet you. Now step out again and finish the walk you began. Get to the other side with the knowledge that you can begin and begin. Every word you write makes you better at your craft, more confident when you take that next walk across the wire.
An author's string theory can move us, giving the observed words flavor, energy, and life. As long as you are willing to make the walk...
Love, Power & Fairytale Endings
Some great pics and an interesting read from New Mexico... Jeffe sounds like one of those people you'd like to meet one day...
Love, Power & Fairytale Endings
Love, Power & Fairytale Endings
Week after Week #5 - John Lennon Coin
- November 2nd will shock many. Is this the most desperate election EVER? A billion dollars in campaign spending say so...
- New John Lennon coin. Haven't seen the flipside, hope I don't find Yoko...
- Amazon is going to let people "borrow" e-book titles from friends. Already discounted from print price, authors have got to wonder if they are being "Napster-ed". Can I hear the faint chuckle of musicians?
- Livia Blackburne has to have the highest I.Q. of any author... I can't find a misspelled word anywhere on her blog... Show Off!
- Tawna Fenske is looking forward to "All-You-Can-Eat" crab night...With one eye on the door...
- Kristin has a thing for "Convoluted Plots"... Don't EVEN try it!
- One day I will post all the comments I have from my posts here... Even the un-great ones. All I have to do is find out how to get them to post...?
- I have $1.83 in unmarked bills for anyone that can bring back Firefly...
Rudyard Kipling's "If"
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
Of late, I have been thinking of Kipling. I liken my novel's main character, Devin Briar, to someone tested by, then lives, the tenents of "If".
Please visit everypoet.com for more great poets.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
Of late, I have been thinking of Kipling. I liken my novel's main character, Devin Briar, to someone tested by, then lives, the tenents of "If".
Please visit everypoet.com for more great poets.
Random Musings & Ruminations--whatever's on my mind: Random Thursday--where I try to bring "teh funnay"...
Random Musings & Ruminations--whatever's on my mind: Random Thursday--where I try to bring "teh funnay"...: "p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Random Thursday Jon Acuff has “Serious Wednesday,” Bryan Allain “Cliche Thursday,” and FlowerDust (Anne ..."
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Momentum of Reason
I don't normally write about political matters. The current energy of the Mid-Term elections has given me pause and hope.
While the major political parties appear welded to their base ideals, to paraphrase Yoda: "There is another" trend building.
REASON
At my last look-see, over ONE BILLION DOLLARS has been pledged or spent on these mid-term elections. While ground may be lost or gained by the two major parties, the center appears to have grown. Independent candidates are growing in number and popularity. Why?
For a long time, I have believed that both major parties have good intentions, at their cores. What is happening now is a growing concern that each party is an "all or nothing" choice. A voter is backed into a choice of a party, not a candidate. We are voting on, not leadership, but party ideology... All or Nothing.
The growth of the middle would seem to point out this "all or nothing" choice is not sitting well with America. People are seeing that REASON can't be limited. They aren't being bought as thoroughly as Party advertisers think they are, far from it. Tea Parties and "Yes We Cans" are going to be remembered for a lack of latitude. Anger in rhetoric is held by the far right and left, while the middle just shakes it's collective head, hoping that one day something will finally get done. The hitch here is that the middle may be ending their silence.
Here is a prediction for the coming Presidential Election season: A third party candidate will place second. It won't be a person from the far right or left. It will be a centrist.
I personally think that both our major parties have it about half right... Each. I long for the day when our country will embrace whoever is in office, giving them support, not venom in the hope of effecting the next election. We are in a constant state of campaigning. Nothing gets done. What does get proposed is so hacked up by the time it becomes a law, that we will never see progress or success. I look for a candidate who has an idea, if passed into law, stays mailable to change, to make it work and if it doesn't, be man or woman enough to admit it and move on to another way.
My views?
Health Reform --- Great idea, some super components. Won't work unless we get behind it. I see areas where it could have been better and maybe it won't work the way it was dreamed. If it doesn't, change it, don't scrap it.
Taxes --- We hate 'em, but don't deny that they are necessary. Cutting taxes when we owe this much money is absurd. The rich are going to pay more than the poor --- get over it. Your still rich.
Welfare --- When people need a hand, truly need, we as a nation should stand as one to help. That there is anyone starving in this country should be our greatest shame. BUT.... People living on welfare as a life style must change. I have no problem with working - welfare recipients. You want population control? Cut the child credit to exclude additional kids after filing. In New Mexico, welfare recipients boast about how much money they can get for additional kids.
Immigration: I have ZERO problem with anyone that wants to come here, just pay your taxes and stop sending money home.
Social Security: The funds left can't be trusted to the open market. See DJIA and NASDAQ composite for definition of unreliability. We should allow our government to invest in companies, for profit, when they are given contracts with public funds.
Based on these observations, who would I vote for? FYI- these sentiments are extremely common among moderates.
Politics has raised itself to a new high point of absurdity. Vote for the person, not the boxed-platform candidate. Look around you and find great potential leaders for our country. Then all you have to do is keep them away from lobbyists... Easy, Right? (insert slapping of forehead here)
While the major political parties appear welded to their base ideals, to paraphrase Yoda: "There is another" trend building.
REASON
At my last look-see, over ONE BILLION DOLLARS has been pledged or spent on these mid-term elections. While ground may be lost or gained by the two major parties, the center appears to have grown. Independent candidates are growing in number and popularity. Why?
For a long time, I have believed that both major parties have good intentions, at their cores. What is happening now is a growing concern that each party is an "all or nothing" choice. A voter is backed into a choice of a party, not a candidate. We are voting on, not leadership, but party ideology... All or Nothing.
The growth of the middle would seem to point out this "all or nothing" choice is not sitting well with America. People are seeing that REASON can't be limited. They aren't being bought as thoroughly as Party advertisers think they are, far from it. Tea Parties and "Yes We Cans" are going to be remembered for a lack of latitude. Anger in rhetoric is held by the far right and left, while the middle just shakes it's collective head, hoping that one day something will finally get done. The hitch here is that the middle may be ending their silence.
Here is a prediction for the coming Presidential Election season: A third party candidate will place second. It won't be a person from the far right or left. It will be a centrist.
I personally think that both our major parties have it about half right... Each. I long for the day when our country will embrace whoever is in office, giving them support, not venom in the hope of effecting the next election. We are in a constant state of campaigning. Nothing gets done. What does get proposed is so hacked up by the time it becomes a law, that we will never see progress or success. I look for a candidate who has an idea, if passed into law, stays mailable to change, to make it work and if it doesn't, be man or woman enough to admit it and move on to another way.
My views?
Health Reform --- Great idea, some super components. Won't work unless we get behind it. I see areas where it could have been better and maybe it won't work the way it was dreamed. If it doesn't, change it, don't scrap it.
Taxes --- We hate 'em, but don't deny that they are necessary. Cutting taxes when we owe this much money is absurd. The rich are going to pay more than the poor --- get over it. Your still rich.
Welfare --- When people need a hand, truly need, we as a nation should stand as one to help. That there is anyone starving in this country should be our greatest shame. BUT.... People living on welfare as a life style must change. I have no problem with working - welfare recipients. You want population control? Cut the child credit to exclude additional kids after filing. In New Mexico, welfare recipients boast about how much money they can get for additional kids.
Immigration: I have ZERO problem with anyone that wants to come here, just pay your taxes and stop sending money home.
Social Security: The funds left can't be trusted to the open market. See DJIA and NASDAQ composite for definition of unreliability. We should allow our government to invest in companies, for profit, when they are given contracts with public funds.
Based on these observations, who would I vote for? FYI- these sentiments are extremely common among moderates.
Politics has raised itself to a new high point of absurdity. Vote for the person, not the boxed-platform candidate. Look around you and find great potential leaders for our country. Then all you have to do is keep them away from lobbyists... Easy, Right? (insert slapping of forehead here)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Happy Rally Day! Dan Browns The Lost Symbol D.C. Locations Map
Happy Rally Day! For those of you in Washington DC today and need a break from politics, even for just a little while...
Dan Browns The Lost Symbol D.C. Locations Map
Dan Browns The Lost Symbol D.C. Locations Map
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert
I'm a huge fan of both of their shows. October 30th will be a day to remember...
Publishing's New World Order
I love books. Real books, without on-switches. Maybe we can get navitasnavisphobia (fear of energy cells, batteries...) added to the Disabilities Act? Convince Homeland Security that the Energizer Bunny is a terrorist?
Change is coming to the world of the Author, Agent and Publisher. Whether any of what I've written will come true...? Whatever happens, however complex it makes the author's world, is out of our hands now, or is it? Ideally, ever author in the world would have refused Google and Amazon the rights to their work, and life would have stayed as before.
First came the estates of authors selling rights to past catalogues and unprotected works of the literary past that are considered in the public domain. Next came deals with notable authors for their back-lists. Technology enabled Amazon and Google to see a market opening to their, you must admit, genius and innovation. Publishing tried legal and tantrum-like means to stem the incursion into their world... Oops! The solution would have been to invest in the back-lists, creating a second tier effort to market these works. The problem with this solution is that Amazon and Google have more money than most countries and publishers are rather miserly. If anyone doubted who would win that battle, you need to get out more.
E-Books are comin' round the bend and into the stretch. Their place is set as a component of future Publishing. Will they make printed books disappear... NO. Will they deny many authors a chance at print publication... Sorry to say it, but YES.
Here are some predictions of how things may look:
The scene, set by initial re-action to a heretofore unchallenged industry, will create a multi-tiered publication mechanism. Hardcover books will be little effected, though fewer in number.
Paperbacks, the current home of the mid-list author for initial release, are going to feel the heat to the greatest degree.
The overall profits for the publishing industry will actually go UP.
I think this is where I say, "You heard it here first", only I'm quite sure I am not the first to either think this or write it down.
I believe Literary Agencies will build or expand in-house marketing expertise, even merging with Marketing firms to remain competitive. Many agencies will make the mistake of contraction in this new Publishing Economy. The agencies that seek to hold on to "Big Authors", concentrating on them, will have a bleak future. These same authors will seek out larger book deals, while publishers and agents battle to see who can put together "$200 million - two book deals" to keep them.
The Mid-list will be the farm team of the publishing world. Alan Rinzler, amazing editor that he is, has already written an interesting article on the subject . Authors doing well here, will be courted to join the Big Author league... Free agency for authors?
Literary Agencies will create in house sub-publishing units, handling e-books marketing, will see this unit out perform the traditional print arms. The term - "Self-published authors", will all but disappear at the mid-list level. Some BIG authors will form their own publishing units (a few have them now) and they will form loose associations, to control the upper tier of the market place, actually recruiting mid-list authors to their "teams".
Genres will fill to bursting, which is a Good/Bad thing... Research Supply and Demand theories for more on this....
If any of this comes true, there may be some bright spots that you may want to consider.
Agents who find books that they love, but can't find a place for on the current publishing dance card, will be able to bring these books to light, as long as the enhanced royalty levels of e-publishing remain fairly static. Agents will make more money on these "side projects", and their social networking skills will become a financial asset far beyond what it is now.
Editors may be coming into a Gold Rush period. The quality of e-published books has to rise to remain credible. Poor quality of finished works being "posted" for sale is haunting Amazon. While it is possible that the book buying public will learn to settle for misspelling, sentence fragments and adverb lush prose (look at the alter-English in Instant Messages), I have to believe reading will slow if this shabby writing isn't fixed. All hail the Free Lance Editor! Their time will be at a premium like never before. English Literature/Composition as a major may even get a boost. HotJobs will be filled with "Editor Needed" posts.
There will be a seedy side to this possible future. More shady agents will pop up. Amazon, BN, Borders, etc... may get greedy... hard to believe but... Position of e-book publication may be based on how much royalty the author will give up for prominent placement.
I honestly hope none of this happens, though what I have written has an Orwellian cast. Some of this will probably happen. Our industry can go Scarlet O'Hara and think about it tomorrow, but I think the professionals in our industry have already considered forms of what I have written. I would rather write my Week to Week posts, but for some reason this whole subject has been bothering me. The lack of insight to plan ahead by our industry, for authors to be ready, disturbs me.
This is where I can blame Tawna Fenske . Why not? She really didn't do anything, but what are online friends for, if not to assign reasons for moments of melancholy.
Whatever happens, be ready. This is an authors time to contribute, not just to the discussion, but to participate in the innovation process as well. It's our future, let's take some control of the decisions that will set the standard of Literature for centuries to come.
Change is coming to the world of the Author, Agent and Publisher. Whether any of what I've written will come true...? Whatever happens, however complex it makes the author's world, is out of our hands now, or is it? Ideally, ever author in the world would have refused Google and Amazon the rights to their work, and life would have stayed as before.
First came the estates of authors selling rights to past catalogues and unprotected works of the literary past that are considered in the public domain. Next came deals with notable authors for their back-lists. Technology enabled Amazon and Google to see a market opening to their, you must admit, genius and innovation. Publishing tried legal and tantrum-like means to stem the incursion into their world... Oops! The solution would have been to invest in the back-lists, creating a second tier effort to market these works. The problem with this solution is that Amazon and Google have more money than most countries and publishers are rather miserly. If anyone doubted who would win that battle, you need to get out more.
E-Books are comin' round the bend and into the stretch. Their place is set as a component of future Publishing. Will they make printed books disappear... NO. Will they deny many authors a chance at print publication... Sorry to say it, but YES.
Here are some predictions of how things may look:
The scene, set by initial re-action to a heretofore unchallenged industry, will create a multi-tiered publication mechanism. Hardcover books will be little effected, though fewer in number.
Paperbacks, the current home of the mid-list author for initial release, are going to feel the heat to the greatest degree.
The overall profits for the publishing industry will actually go UP.
I think this is where I say, "You heard it here first", only I'm quite sure I am not the first to either think this or write it down.
I believe Literary Agencies will build or expand in-house marketing expertise, even merging with Marketing firms to remain competitive. Many agencies will make the mistake of contraction in this new Publishing Economy. The agencies that seek to hold on to "Big Authors", concentrating on them, will have a bleak future. These same authors will seek out larger book deals, while publishers and agents battle to see who can put together "$200 million - two book deals" to keep them.
The Mid-list will be the farm team of the publishing world. Alan Rinzler, amazing editor that he is, has already written an interesting article on the subject . Authors doing well here, will be courted to join the Big Author league... Free agency for authors?
Literary Agencies will create in house sub-publishing units, handling e-books marketing, will see this unit out perform the traditional print arms. The term - "Self-published authors", will all but disappear at the mid-list level. Some BIG authors will form their own publishing units (a few have them now) and they will form loose associations, to control the upper tier of the market place, actually recruiting mid-list authors to their "teams".
Genres will fill to bursting, which is a Good/Bad thing... Research Supply and Demand theories for more on this....
If any of this comes true, there may be some bright spots that you may want to consider.
Agents who find books that they love, but can't find a place for on the current publishing dance card, will be able to bring these books to light, as long as the enhanced royalty levels of e-publishing remain fairly static. Agents will make more money on these "side projects", and their social networking skills will become a financial asset far beyond what it is now.
Editors may be coming into a Gold Rush period. The quality of e-published books has to rise to remain credible. Poor quality of finished works being "posted" for sale is haunting Amazon. While it is possible that the book buying public will learn to settle for misspelling, sentence fragments and adverb lush prose (look at the alter-English in Instant Messages), I have to believe reading will slow if this shabby writing isn't fixed. All hail the Free Lance Editor! Their time will be at a premium like never before. English Literature/Composition as a major may even get a boost. HotJobs will be filled with "Editor Needed" posts.
There will be a seedy side to this possible future. More shady agents will pop up. Amazon, BN, Borders, etc... may get greedy... hard to believe but... Position of e-book publication may be based on how much royalty the author will give up for prominent placement.
I honestly hope none of this happens, though what I have written has an Orwellian cast. Some of this will probably happen. Our industry can go Scarlet O'Hara and think about it tomorrow, but I think the professionals in our industry have already considered forms of what I have written. I would rather write my Week to Week posts, but for some reason this whole subject has been bothering me. The lack of insight to plan ahead by our industry, for authors to be ready, disturbs me.
This is where I can blame Tawna Fenske . Why not? She really didn't do anything, but what are online friends for, if not to assign reasons for moments of melancholy.
Whatever happens, be ready. This is an authors time to contribute, not just to the discussion, but to participate in the innovation process as well. It's our future, let's take some control of the decisions that will set the standard of Literature for centuries to come.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Number of Women vs Men in the Publishing World
An interesting article on the percentage of women vs. men in the publishing world. I'd like to know why there is such a HUGE salary disparity between the two?
Where the Boys Are Not
Where the Boys Are Not
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
How to Train Your Dragon
Ok, I need to watch more animated kid movies. I just saw "How to Train Your Dragon". What a great movie! Haven't seen it? I thought I was the only one... $493,000,000 in boxoffice...
I wonder if Hollywood would consider, "How to Train a Devin Briar"???
I wonder if Hollywood would consider, "How to Train a Devin Briar"???
Literary Worlds
There is a tale, as yet untold, of to halves of the same...
Lust for hedonism drives the Comms when they write,read and live. Lits, live to be held on high, through wisdom, though oft times feral, and metaphor. Lits have the bent of information, conveyed through passion or philosophy. Comms seek respite from storms outside and within. These two are unalike... Yet, neither exists without the other.
Commercial Fiction is not just a genre générale. The name itself is unfortunate. It became a catagory, or genre, by default when the "Commercially Successful" novels gained more notice than their Literary Fiction bretheren. I wonder if Cain and Abel were authors?
Lovers of Commercial Fiction (Comms) were dubbed as having less educated "tastes" by the literary fictionists (Lits). Commercial Fiction fired back that Literary Fiction was the haunt of elitest snobs who hate detectives, spys, treasure hunting, science fiction and puppies... Ok, maybe not puppies, but it would make an effective ad-campaign, "Read smart books and puppies die"
The Lits cry out that the Comms are guilty of cultural hegemony, lack artistic merit and deny that "Being and Nothingness" makes for a great party theme.
At a recent summit meeting of the Comms and Lits, the only thing they could agree on is that neither really liked Cricket or Ice Dancing. They canceled a vote on Curling.
These two Genres miss the point. They have the same DNA. They exist because of what one has taught the other, so that books sell in large enough number to maintain the others existance in our world. Literary Fiction has given rise to the growing lists of genres and sub-genres, by inspiring people to record their dreams and fantasies for the enjoyment of others. The likes of H.G.Wells, Jules Verne and Mary Shelly gave us science fiction, though they lived in a time where Literary works ruled the day. Mark Twain took us down river, in a time of a nation's growth, inspiring those that would look further. Modern mega-novels like James Clavell's "Shogun" gave us a story of Japanese history and a vivid picture of beyond a shore.
Fiction is the great "what if", offering sustanance for our minds eye. Chose what you want, what you like, for whatever reason. Just know that both Commercial fiction and Literary Fiction are really one and the same thing... Though one of them does makes for better movies...
Lust for hedonism drives the Comms when they write,read and live. Lits, live to be held on high, through wisdom, though oft times feral, and metaphor. Lits have the bent of information, conveyed through passion or philosophy. Comms seek respite from storms outside and within. These two are unalike... Yet, neither exists without the other.
Commercial Fiction is not just a genre générale. The name itself is unfortunate. It became a catagory, or genre, by default when the "Commercially Successful" novels gained more notice than their Literary Fiction bretheren. I wonder if Cain and Abel were authors?
Lovers of Commercial Fiction (Comms) were dubbed as having less educated "tastes" by the literary fictionists (Lits). Commercial Fiction fired back that Literary Fiction was the haunt of elitest snobs who hate detectives, spys, treasure hunting, science fiction and puppies... Ok, maybe not puppies, but it would make an effective ad-campaign, "Read smart books and puppies die"
The Lits cry out that the Comms are guilty of cultural hegemony, lack artistic merit and deny that "Being and Nothingness" makes for a great party theme.
At a recent summit meeting of the Comms and Lits, the only thing they could agree on is that neither really liked Cricket or Ice Dancing. They canceled a vote on Curling.
These two Genres miss the point. They have the same DNA. They exist because of what one has taught the other, so that books sell in large enough number to maintain the others existance in our world. Literary Fiction has given rise to the growing lists of genres and sub-genres, by inspiring people to record their dreams and fantasies for the enjoyment of others. The likes of H.G.Wells, Jules Verne and Mary Shelly gave us science fiction, though they lived in a time where Literary works ruled the day. Mark Twain took us down river, in a time of a nation's growth, inspiring those that would look further. Modern mega-novels like James Clavell's "Shogun" gave us a story of Japanese history and a vivid picture of beyond a shore.
Fiction is the great "what if", offering sustanance for our minds eye. Chose what you want, what you like, for whatever reason. Just know that both Commercial fiction and Literary Fiction are really one and the same thing... Though one of them does makes for better movies...
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Week after Week #4
- Authors and self-publishers, the tools for marketing your work are growing. Is it worth the $$$$$ ? authorbuzz.com - hilsingermendelson.com - authorhive.com
- Galleycat ( mediabistro.com/galleycat/ )has an article about a "handwriting" to font software ( pilothandwriting.com ) Query letters can now be sent in your own scribble... Insert agents groaning here...
- Have a look at Janet Reid's post "You say pushy like it's a bad thing" ( http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/ ) I'm a huge fan of this agent, even though my work is outside her passion zone...
- I HAVE to make it to Bouchercon by the Bay one day...
- The number of agents not accepting queries or unsolicited manuscripts is growing. While I applaud the agents doing so to devote their time to their clients, I question those that are shrinking their portfolios instead of growing them. They have never heard : "putting all your eggs in one basket" ?????
- Check out thesaurus.com and the stupidity quiz. Great source for word substitutes
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Don't pet me, I'm writing
Tawna Fenske makes me laugh. One day she will be a star in the Romantic Comedy book world.
Don't pet me, I'm writing
Don't pet me, I'm writing
Monday, October 18, 2010
Ability and Desire
If Ability is made manifest by success, then Desire is ability's shadow.
Desire raises the heart, releases dreams and confounds expectations. The writing of dreams takes aptitude. Naturally held or scholastically acquired talent is required to transit an idea, in completion, to page. Desire's capacity can only take you so far...
This is what hangs in eternal doubt for a would be storyteller. You have a thought. It flashes on and off in your mind. Clear character profiles or minds-eye misted castles... You feel they are there... sometimes. Playing scenes in your head, some making you smile, others creating passion or anger by extension. Then you put it aside...Life comes first, right?
Still, the yearning builds to write it all down, but you don't... Not yet.
Maybe it's because you don't want to explain to someone what you are doing, avoid ridicule or doubting looks of the people around you. What if they laughed or smirked? They don't think you can do it. What if they are right? Your career in school wasn't marked by literary accolades. Remember those C- papers in English Comp 102? That English professor definitely rolled his eyes when you were reading aloud your essay on "Why the 60's Lost Me". It had nothing to do with what you thought In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida really meant, denying the mondegreen legend.
Whether weeks, months or years... Time goes on and by. Then something happens: Job dis-satisfaction, divorce, boredom... or maybe you just have a catharsis/epiphany. Fewer people notice the times you aren't around or the lock on your home office gets fixed. It's a Saturday and the air is unusually crisp or stars align. You open a word file and...
You idiot! You hit the desire switch. QUICK! Gather your abilities. It's a race against time, for the love of God. Keep the smile balanced with that furrowed brow. When you take a break to refill that coffee cup, keep the knowing smile to a minimum. Don't kiss the dog and throw the ball for your spouse... Be cool...
Faster than normal steps mark the approach to your computer. Has that desk light always been this bright?
Then it grows. Pages turn into chapters. You read writing blogs and see that there are things like genre, query letters, social networking and your story is now a m-a-n-u-s-c-r-i-p-t. Head down, you grow the MS into a living entity. Living, because it is filled now with emotion, despair, humor and it throws tantrums, not allowing you to add to it till it's ready...bitch.
Taking the day off, you look back over the fertile fields that are now your lengthy tomb. Internally proud that you have 387,057 words... Isn't Word Count great? Wait till your friends see how thick your book is! Really, really thick. So you learn the "E" word and take lessons in intellectual wrestling. You sculpt your MS into anovel trilogy, write the ultimate query letter inspired by a Shark, and tussle over which of two agents you should sign with: the one that likes Orange or the one that likes Orange Soda... You flip a coin, then sign with someone else.
Where did it all come from? Hint: You always had it in you.
Ability
It took desire to bring it out, but your aptitude was aways there. Desire is the shadow of ability. Desire to write can't be taught. It had to be there, in a sustained coma after LIFE hit you in the head. The light of hidden ability brought it out again. The silhouette of the desire to write, now stands next to your ability competently convey.
Whether you know it or not, at this point in all of this, is the real epiphany.
Desire raises the heart, releases dreams and confounds expectations. The writing of dreams takes aptitude. Naturally held or scholastically acquired talent is required to transit an idea, in completion, to page. Desire's capacity can only take you so far...
This is what hangs in eternal doubt for a would be storyteller. You have a thought. It flashes on and off in your mind. Clear character profiles or minds-eye misted castles... You feel they are there... sometimes. Playing scenes in your head, some making you smile, others creating passion or anger by extension. Then you put it aside...Life comes first, right?
Still, the yearning builds to write it all down, but you don't... Not yet.
Maybe it's because you don't want to explain to someone what you are doing, avoid ridicule or doubting looks of the people around you. What if they laughed or smirked? They don't think you can do it. What if they are right? Your career in school wasn't marked by literary accolades. Remember those C- papers in English Comp 102? That English professor definitely rolled his eyes when you were reading aloud your essay on "Why the 60's Lost Me". It had nothing to do with what you thought In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida really meant, denying the mondegreen legend.
Whether weeks, months or years... Time goes on and by. Then something happens: Job dis-satisfaction, divorce, boredom... or maybe you just have a catharsis/epiphany. Fewer people notice the times you aren't around or the lock on your home office gets fixed. It's a Saturday and the air is unusually crisp or stars align. You open a word file and...
You idiot! You hit the desire switch. QUICK! Gather your abilities. It's a race against time, for the love of God. Keep the smile balanced with that furrowed brow. When you take a break to refill that coffee cup, keep the knowing smile to a minimum. Don't kiss the dog and throw the ball for your spouse... Be cool...
Faster than normal steps mark the approach to your computer. Has that desk light always been this bright?
Then it grows. Pages turn into chapters. You read writing blogs and see that there are things like genre, query letters, social networking and your story is now a m-a-n-u-s-c-r-i-p-t. Head down, you grow the MS into a living entity. Living, because it is filled now with emotion, despair, humor and it throws tantrums, not allowing you to add to it till it's ready...bitch.
Taking the day off, you look back over the fertile fields that are now your lengthy tomb. Internally proud that you have 387,057 words... Isn't Word Count great? Wait till your friends see how thick your book is! Really, really thick. So you learn the "E" word and take lessons in intellectual wrestling. You sculpt your MS into a
Where did it all come from? Hint: You always had it in you.
Ability
It took desire to bring it out, but your aptitude was aways there. Desire is the shadow of ability. Desire to write can't be taught. It had to be there, in a sustained coma after LIFE hit you in the head. The light of hidden ability brought it out again. The silhouette of the desire to write, now stands next to your ability competently convey.
Whether you know it or not, at this point in all of this, is the real epiphany.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Yin and Yang
Balance between light and dark, enough and not, right and left, up and down....
I've found, lately anyway, that Yin and Yang are denying the existence of each other. Life with just Yin? Or is Yang the way to go?
Know the real meaning of "Yin Yang" ? It's not about opposites, like good and evil, so much as the relationship between them. The interaction point between them is a balance point. Shift to far one way or the other, life sort of wobbles out of control.
America has interaction points and it doesn't take much thought to identify them. Personal- wobble! Business -wobble,wobble! Politics- wobble, wobble to teeth shattering, loss of control!! Anyone who doesn't feel it after seeing the news has lost their soul.
The source of the imbalance? Blame it on.... If that was your first thought, you have secured your status as THE SOURCE. Blame solves nothing, but does encourage : WOBBLE!
What a great word, wobble. Child like visuals are conjured, literally. For me, I flashed on a child's first steps on their own. Hands in the air, a look of happiness and minor terror flashing on their face....
Our current wobble is, unfortunately, more like how it feels in an earthquake. Ever seen someone in an earthquake? Hands in the air, a look of confusion and major terror on their face.... Feel it?
Cure for the wobbles? Don't contribute to it by leaning on Yin and forgeting that Yang exists. Look for a point of balance by acknowledging that we all exist and hold different needs as well as views. Both Yin and Yang have to not just work together, but be a singular presence so we can see and solve problems before us. Damn if I don't fee a little...... ZEN!
I've found, lately anyway, that Yin and Yang are denying the existence of each other. Life with just Yin? Or is Yang the way to go?
Know the real meaning of "Yin Yang" ? It's not about opposites, like good and evil, so much as the relationship between them. The interaction point between them is a balance point. Shift to far one way or the other, life sort of wobbles out of control.
America has interaction points and it doesn't take much thought to identify them. Personal- wobble! Business -wobble,wobble! Politics- wobble, wobble to teeth shattering, loss of control!! Anyone who doesn't feel it after seeing the news has lost their soul.
The source of the imbalance? Blame it on.... If that was your first thought, you have secured your status as THE SOURCE. Blame solves nothing, but does encourage : WOBBLE!
What a great word, wobble. Child like visuals are conjured, literally. For me, I flashed on a child's first steps on their own. Hands in the air, a look of happiness and minor terror flashing on their face....
Our current wobble is, unfortunately, more like how it feels in an earthquake. Ever seen someone in an earthquake? Hands in the air, a look of confusion and major terror on their face.... Feel it?
Cure for the wobbles? Don't contribute to it by leaning on Yin and forgeting that Yang exists. Look for a point of balance by acknowledging that we all exist and hold different needs as well as views. Both Yin and Yang have to not just work together, but be a singular presence so we can see and solve problems before us. Damn if I don't fee a little...... ZEN!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Bob Mayer's Blog | WRITE IT FORWARD
An interesting, experience based, take on some of the perils of E-Publishing.
Bob Mayer's Blog WRITE IT FORWARD
Bob Mayer's Blog WRITE IT FORWARD
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Week after Week #3
- If President Obama, Cheney, Palin and former Presidents Bush are related, is it fair to say Justin Bieber is related to Hobbits... Stupid question, he IS a Hobbit.
- When I think about changes in publishing, I'm reminded of Markov. "The property of the next state, depends only on the current state..."
- Why aren't editors called Tautologists...? The act of editing a Tautoectomy...?
- Liesl of writerropes.blogspot.com dares me to bad... I accept the challenge!!!!
- Master Editor Alan Rinzler ( alanrinzler.com ) talks about the "I" narrative. Leave it to Alan to explain that there are two I-s... I wear glasses, so a four I-d narrative would be hard to follow?
- This is a page from a wordless novel by Lynd Ward. Each page carved in wood... And we complain about editing?
- Here's to "The Finkler Question" by Howard Jacobson, winner of the 2010 Man Booker award. The first Comedic book to win in 42 years. Read more at: confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com
The Bookshelf Muse: Inside the Metaphor
The Bookshelf Muse: Inside the Metaphor: "Metaphors. Most of us know we should use them, that they're a good way to describe, but not everyone has a solid understanding of what they ..."