So I’m averaging about one post a month, which is awesome. Hey, I’m busy writing stuff, what do you want from me? That’s completely rhetorical, so shut up.
What’s new on the writing front? I finally got around to posting a preview of The Red. This last edit that I did took about ten percent out of the manuscript, and I feel like they were very necessary cuts. Now that I feel better about, I’m going to start sending it out again.
In the meanwhile, I’ve written a few more short stories, which as I’ve posted about before, are also being circulated. Recently, I made myself a promise that if I got tired of sending them out, I’d just post them on my site. Even though there’s no publishing credit in that, I get a lot of satisfaction out of having other people read my work. Occasionally – and it is rare – someone will tell me that they liked a story. Well, shucks, that’s like Christmas morning for a simple ol’ writer like me. There’s one story in particular that I’m wanting to post. Kind of a double-edged sword, the story has been getting good consideration from the places I’ve submitted to, but no one’s actually bitten yet. The fact that I like it makes me want to post it, but it also makes me believe that it’s got a good shot of being published as well.
You know what? I just made up my mind, it’s going up.
Enjoy.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Dragoncon 2009
I had the good fortune of attending DragonCon this year. For those of you that don’t know, DragonCon is one of – if not the – largest sci-fi fantasy conventions held annually.
In truth, I never planned on going. I’d never been to a convention before and didn’t have any plans on going. However, one of my brothers lives in Atlanta and had the foresight to invite me and our oldest brother over to attend the convention. A bonding experience in the epicenter of all that can be defined as, “Nerd.”
At first, I didn’t know what to expect, but I had a blast. We spent hours each day going to panels and talks, mobbing around through the throngs of costumed convention-goers, and trying to get autographs from some of the celebrity attendees.
A lot of the Battlestar cast was there. I managed to score a signature from Mary McDonnell and Michael Hogan, two of my favorites from the show. They were the first autographs I had ever gotten, I shuffled on my feet like a nervous fan boy and told the actors how much I enjoyed their performances on the show. They were both very gracious.
I also got to meet – however briefly – Jay, Grant, Tango and Steve from TAPS. I told them how much I liked their scientific approach to the paranormal. They were all very nice people. Steve and Tango made a point to shake my hand.
The last event I went to was a talk hosted by Kevin J. and Rebecca Anderson, who spoke about writing. The discussion was titled something like, “Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Writing.” It was a great talk, highlighting a lot of information about the business of writing. Some of it was concepts that other writers had brought up before, like Heinlein’s rules. But most of the information came straight from their personal experiences as writers, which was very refreshing to hear.
One pearl of wisdom I really liked: Kevin and Rebecca made an offer to the aspiring authors in the room. If anyone can produce eighty rejection letters and not have one single published work – not an article, short story or novel – then they offered to buy them dinner. It’s an offer they’ve been making to fellow writers for years, and have never had to cash in.
Rejections are a part of writing, which is common wisdom. But it was the illustration that spoke to me. Eighty rejections. I quickly counted up how many I had – nowhere near that many. Kevin told us that he had more than eighty rejections under his belt after a few years of writing, but he also had several published works. Their point was simple: Just keep writing. If you’re not getting rejected, then you’re not submitting, which means you’re not being a writer.
All in all – a great trip. I got to see family, and I got a dose of writing wisdom.
In truth, I never planned on going. I’d never been to a convention before and didn’t have any plans on going. However, one of my brothers lives in Atlanta and had the foresight to invite me and our oldest brother over to attend the convention. A bonding experience in the epicenter of all that can be defined as, “Nerd.”
At first, I didn’t know what to expect, but I had a blast. We spent hours each day going to panels and talks, mobbing around through the throngs of costumed convention-goers, and trying to get autographs from some of the celebrity attendees.
A lot of the Battlestar cast was there. I managed to score a signature from Mary McDonnell and Michael Hogan, two of my favorites from the show. They were the first autographs I had ever gotten, I shuffled on my feet like a nervous fan boy and told the actors how much I enjoyed their performances on the show. They were both very gracious.
I also got to meet – however briefly – Jay, Grant, Tango and Steve from TAPS. I told them how much I liked their scientific approach to the paranormal. They were all very nice people. Steve and Tango made a point to shake my hand.
The last event I went to was a talk hosted by Kevin J. and Rebecca Anderson, who spoke about writing. The discussion was titled something like, “Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Writing.” It was a great talk, highlighting a lot of information about the business of writing. Some of it was concepts that other writers had brought up before, like Heinlein’s rules. But most of the information came straight from their personal experiences as writers, which was very refreshing to hear.
One pearl of wisdom I really liked: Kevin and Rebecca made an offer to the aspiring authors in the room. If anyone can produce eighty rejection letters and not have one single published work – not an article, short story or novel – then they offered to buy them dinner. It’s an offer they’ve been making to fellow writers for years, and have never had to cash in.
Rejections are a part of writing, which is common wisdom. But it was the illustration that spoke to me. Eighty rejections. I quickly counted up how many I had – nowhere near that many. Kevin told us that he had more than eighty rejections under his belt after a few years of writing, but he also had several published works. Their point was simple: Just keep writing. If you’re not getting rejected, then you’re not submitting, which means you’re not being a writer.
All in all – a great trip. I got to see family, and I got a dose of writing wisdom.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Books - Check 'Em Out!
I’ve written a few more short stories. They’re making rounds on the “let’s try to get published” circuit as we speak. Normally, I would’ve just posted them on my site, but lately I’ve been thinking that it would probably help me if I get at least a couple publishing credits under my belt.
Naturally, short stories seem like a good way to do this. The conventional wisdom has always been that if you want someone to publish your novel, you’ll need to show them that you’re publishable, or in other words: That you’ve already been published. Sort of reminds me of the old saying, “In order to get a loan, you must first prove that you don’t need one.” I suppose it does make sense though, that a writer would be taken more seriously for a large project if they have a few smaller ones already under their belt.
Unfortunately, the market for short stories just isn’t what it used to be. At the time many of our modern powerhouse writers were cutting their teeth on short stories, there were a lot more printed publications specializing in just that; printing short stories. Thankfully, we do have the internet, and many sites still look for original short fiction. There are a few printed magazines out there too, but competition is fierce. Competition is fine, I’m not afraid of a few more rejections. For me, the problem is that I just want to share my work, so I’m itching to post it on my site.
I know, I know… What’s stopping me? Back to the whole “publishing credit” thing, I really would like a couple of those, so I’m going to try it out for a while. Hell, what’s the harm, right? Among many new writers there is a school of thought that trying to get a short story published anymore may be more trouble than it’s worth. I’m not sure what the right answer is, but I think that at least seeing something I’ve written published would be pretty sweet, so like I said, I’ll give it a whirl.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reading, which has been great. During the semesters I go to school and work full time, so I don’t get much chance to read for enjoyment, which is a shame. Now that I’m on a break for a few weeks before the fall semester starts – well, working full time but no school, so close enough to a break – I’ve been sucking down the novels. My fiancé commented the other night on how quickly I read. I hadn’t thought about it before, but I suppose I do.
It made me think about being a kid. I was in the forth grade, I want to say. Could have been the third, but that’s not totally important. Our class participated in the Book It program, so there on the wall was a huge construction paper poster with every kid’s name on it, and a big paper star for every book report that they turned in. It was getting close to the end of the year and I remember having a conversation with a kid I sat next to. I told him that I didn’t see why anyone would voluntarily write a book report and turn it – for fun. The kid let me know that it wasn’t all for fun, in fact, if you did twenty book reports, you got a free pizza from Pizza Hut.
What. The. Fuck. Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? We’re talking about pizza here, people! That night, I was on a mission. I pulled out every supermarket paperback I had bought with my meager allowance, every book of my mom’s that I had read, and struggled to jog my memory about every library book I had read over the course of the year. Some, I couldn’t remember the author, others I couldn’t remember the title, and still others just weren’t good enough to remember at all. So, I couldn’t get credit for all of my reading.
The next morning, I turned in over forty book reports.
Needless to say, teacher was a little suspicious. So, that afternoon I stood in front of her desk, rubbing my hand, cramped from a night of feverishly summarizing every novel on paper. The teacher – I can’t remember her name for the life of me, sad – stood behind her desk with a coworker. They each held a pile of the reports I had turned in. At random, they began to quiz me on the book reports; asking me details about the stories, characters, the number of pages and where I got the book from.
The first one, I did have a little trouble remembering. It was a young adult book about some kid growing up, blah, blah. The teacher got a little knowing smile and looked at her coworker. She picked another report and asked me about it.
“Tell me about Windows on a Lost World.”
Now that was my shit; she was talking about Star Trek. I think I was five minutes into recapping the story of how ancient alien technology had turned many of the ship’s away team into giant crabs when she stopped me. Then her coworker asked me about a Robotech book. Midway into my explanation about who the Zentradi were and why they were hell bent on the destruction of mankind, I was once again, stopped. I was actually kind of pissed that I didn’t get to finish, it was a great story and I wanted to tell them about it.
We went on like that for a few more minutes. In the end, she completely believed me, and I made it rain pizza, y’all. On a couple of glorious nights, I actually contributed to my family – providing a meal.
In hindsight, I think the teacher was right to be suspicious. After all, some kids may cheat and lie to get things they want. But in the end, she had to believe me. Many kids may tell a fib for a free pizza, but there are very few who will gladly drag themselves through the mud of self-proclaimed nerddom to do it.
Just thought I’d share that with you. Keep reading, your pizza awaits.
-A. Michael
Naturally, short stories seem like a good way to do this. The conventional wisdom has always been that if you want someone to publish your novel, you’ll need to show them that you’re publishable, or in other words: That you’ve already been published. Sort of reminds me of the old saying, “In order to get a loan, you must first prove that you don’t need one.” I suppose it does make sense though, that a writer would be taken more seriously for a large project if they have a few smaller ones already under their belt.
Unfortunately, the market for short stories just isn’t what it used to be. At the time many of our modern powerhouse writers were cutting their teeth on short stories, there were a lot more printed publications specializing in just that; printing short stories. Thankfully, we do have the internet, and many sites still look for original short fiction. There are a few printed magazines out there too, but competition is fierce. Competition is fine, I’m not afraid of a few more rejections. For me, the problem is that I just want to share my work, so I’m itching to post it on my site.
I know, I know… What’s stopping me? Back to the whole “publishing credit” thing, I really would like a couple of those, so I’m going to try it out for a while. Hell, what’s the harm, right? Among many new writers there is a school of thought that trying to get a short story published anymore may be more trouble than it’s worth. I’m not sure what the right answer is, but I think that at least seeing something I’ve written published would be pretty sweet, so like I said, I’ll give it a whirl.
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of reading, which has been great. During the semesters I go to school and work full time, so I don’t get much chance to read for enjoyment, which is a shame. Now that I’m on a break for a few weeks before the fall semester starts – well, working full time but no school, so close enough to a break – I’ve been sucking down the novels. My fiancé commented the other night on how quickly I read. I hadn’t thought about it before, but I suppose I do.
It made me think about being a kid. I was in the forth grade, I want to say. Could have been the third, but that’s not totally important. Our class participated in the Book It program, so there on the wall was a huge construction paper poster with every kid’s name on it, and a big paper star for every book report that they turned in. It was getting close to the end of the year and I remember having a conversation with a kid I sat next to. I told him that I didn’t see why anyone would voluntarily write a book report and turn it – for fun. The kid let me know that it wasn’t all for fun, in fact, if you did twenty book reports, you got a free pizza from Pizza Hut.
What. The. Fuck. Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? We’re talking about pizza here, people! That night, I was on a mission. I pulled out every supermarket paperback I had bought with my meager allowance, every book of my mom’s that I had read, and struggled to jog my memory about every library book I had read over the course of the year. Some, I couldn’t remember the author, others I couldn’t remember the title, and still others just weren’t good enough to remember at all. So, I couldn’t get credit for all of my reading.
The next morning, I turned in over forty book reports.
Needless to say, teacher was a little suspicious. So, that afternoon I stood in front of her desk, rubbing my hand, cramped from a night of feverishly summarizing every novel on paper. The teacher – I can’t remember her name for the life of me, sad – stood behind her desk with a coworker. They each held a pile of the reports I had turned in. At random, they began to quiz me on the book reports; asking me details about the stories, characters, the number of pages and where I got the book from.
The first one, I did have a little trouble remembering. It was a young adult book about some kid growing up, blah, blah. The teacher got a little knowing smile and looked at her coworker. She picked another report and asked me about it.
“Tell me about Windows on a Lost World.”
Now that was my shit; she was talking about Star Trek. I think I was five minutes into recapping the story of how ancient alien technology had turned many of the ship’s away team into giant crabs when she stopped me. Then her coworker asked me about a Robotech book. Midway into my explanation about who the Zentradi were and why they were hell bent on the destruction of mankind, I was once again, stopped. I was actually kind of pissed that I didn’t get to finish, it was a great story and I wanted to tell them about it.
We went on like that for a few more minutes. In the end, she completely believed me, and I made it rain pizza, y’all. On a couple of glorious nights, I actually contributed to my family – providing a meal.
In hindsight, I think the teacher was right to be suspicious. After all, some kids may cheat and lie to get things they want. But in the end, she had to believe me. Many kids may tell a fib for a free pizza, but there are very few who will gladly drag themselves through the mud of self-proclaimed nerddom to do it.
Just thought I’d share that with you. Keep reading, your pizza awaits.
-A. Michael
Friday, July 3, 2009
Honing the Craft
So far, I haven't had much success - which is to say none - with my query letters. This has given me some cause for pause...
Deep down, I suppose I’ve always held the secret wish that my first novel would be incredibly well received. After I finished my first draft, I had wonderful visions of my manuscript being carefully read, page by page inside of some smoky editor’s office. Yes, my work alone would have the power to restore the jaded publisher’s love for the written word. “My god,” they’d gasp after finishing the last page of my masterpiece, “This is why I got into the fucking business in the first place!” It’d sell in the millions and I’d finally be able to pay to have the leaks in my roof fixed. My life would become a dream-like existence of high-def televisions and name-brand breakfast cereal. Shit was going to be tight.
But then there’s reality.
The truth is, most authors don’t hit it out of the park the first time around, and I’m absolutely no exception. Jim Butcher writes about how the published version of his first Dresden novel was really more like the fifth complete revision. He’s just one of many that aren’t afraid to say that writing is as much an evolving skill as anything else. In the years that I’ve been taking writing seriously, I can look back and see a definite progression in my work. But still, I have a lot to learn.
I was recently fortunate enough to have a professional critique my manuscript. An opportunity that most beginning writers such as myself would give money, blood and reproductive organs to receive. Through fate, kismet, and an overwhelming kindness on the part of the The Professional, I found myself in this position. Overall, they told me that while I am a good writer, that while I write dialogue and action well, and while parts of the novel really do shine… It’s not quite ready for publishing. They recognized that their opinion is exactly that, an opinion. But when it comes from a person who knows the industry, I’d be stupid not to listen.
I received some specific advice on what I could do to tighten up the manuscript, exercises that will help me determine what will and won’t work for readers and publishers alike. For the most part, the biggest issue in the piece right now comes from classic beginner’s mistakes: Introductions that last too long, scenes that don’t serve enough of a purpose, etc. The best advice I was given: Don’t be discouraged, keep at it.
I’m very excited to begin a new chapter in my development as a writer. I’ve gotten my hands on several different writing texts and I’ve made myself a schedule of books to read and analyze. I’ve also set several writing goals for myself – practice, practice, practice as they say. When I’m ready, I’ll come back to The Red with a blue pencil and start making a better novel out of the one I’ve already written. For now, it's going to take a little rest while I gain some perspective.
One day, you may still see this asshole in print. It just won't be today. :)
Deep down, I suppose I’ve always held the secret wish that my first novel would be incredibly well received. After I finished my first draft, I had wonderful visions of my manuscript being carefully read, page by page inside of some smoky editor’s office. Yes, my work alone would have the power to restore the jaded publisher’s love for the written word. “My god,” they’d gasp after finishing the last page of my masterpiece, “This is why I got into the fucking business in the first place!” It’d sell in the millions and I’d finally be able to pay to have the leaks in my roof fixed. My life would become a dream-like existence of high-def televisions and name-brand breakfast cereal. Shit was going to be tight.
But then there’s reality.
The truth is, most authors don’t hit it out of the park the first time around, and I’m absolutely no exception. Jim Butcher writes about how the published version of his first Dresden novel was really more like the fifth complete revision. He’s just one of many that aren’t afraid to say that writing is as much an evolving skill as anything else. In the years that I’ve been taking writing seriously, I can look back and see a definite progression in my work. But still, I have a lot to learn.
I was recently fortunate enough to have a professional critique my manuscript. An opportunity that most beginning writers such as myself would give money, blood and reproductive organs to receive. Through fate, kismet, and an overwhelming kindness on the part of the The Professional, I found myself in this position. Overall, they told me that while I am a good writer, that while I write dialogue and action well, and while parts of the novel really do shine… It’s not quite ready for publishing. They recognized that their opinion is exactly that, an opinion. But when it comes from a person who knows the industry, I’d be stupid not to listen.
I received some specific advice on what I could do to tighten up the manuscript, exercises that will help me determine what will and won’t work for readers and publishers alike. For the most part, the biggest issue in the piece right now comes from classic beginner’s mistakes: Introductions that last too long, scenes that don’t serve enough of a purpose, etc. The best advice I was given: Don’t be discouraged, keep at it.
I’m very excited to begin a new chapter in my development as a writer. I’ve gotten my hands on several different writing texts and I’ve made myself a schedule of books to read and analyze. I’ve also set several writing goals for myself – practice, practice, practice as they say. When I’m ready, I’ll come back to The Red with a blue pencil and start making a better novel out of the one I’ve already written. For now, it's going to take a little rest while I gain some perspective.
One day, you may still see this asshole in print. It just won't be today. :)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
A Couple of Things...
I just finished the most recent revision of The Red. The phrase, "Writing is rewriting," has been attributed to Hemingway. Regardless of who said it, it's absolutely true. Even after many previous revisions to the manuscript, I still found better ways to write certain passages and in a few spots I even found some outright errors.
It just goes to show that I probably never really be done with a story. Even now, looking at short stories and essays that I've already declared "done", I still want to edit when I read them again.
Speaking - or typing - of short stories, an acquaintance of mine who hopped on my site and read some of my work asked me about Leaders of the Modern Rebellion. He said that while he really enjoyed the story, he wondered if I had something against Democrats.
"No," I told him. "Why would you think that?"
"Well, because in the story, the kid is a real ass clown, and you make a point of him being a democrat."
Okay, I get it. I wrote that story over a year ago, or somewhere about then, and this was the first time someone has asked me that.
As I explained to him, the point isn't that Barry is Democrat, the point is that Barry claims affiliation with the Democratic party, but obviously knows very little about the tenants of the organization with which he has allied himself. Stating that the government is "too damn big", which is normally a complaint you hear from Republican pundits - regardless of whether or not their party actually does anything to change that fact.
I won't go into more detail on that, as I want to keep this blog geared more toward writing than politics. As far as the story is concerned, I suppose I could have tried a reverse tactic, having Barry mention a Republican affiliation and then asserting an opposite device. However, in this day and age, given Barry's social proclivities and the current popularity of the Republican party, it just didn't make sense.
This takes me back to rewriting. I've been writing for a while, but it's only been within the past several years that I've really taken it seriously, and only in the past few have I actually shared my work. At one time I would have immediately gone back into the story and tried to clarify that point about Barry's political affiliation, but anymore I won't. While the man had a valid question, he is just one of many that read the story, and he's the only one that asked me about that particular point. More importantly, I like the way it reads.
I better get back at it. The weekend is short and I have to get the manuscript ready to send out. There's also a short story about two thirds of the way done that I'm itching to finish.
Thanks for reading.
-A. Michael
It just goes to show that I probably never really be done with a story. Even now, looking at short stories and essays that I've already declared "done", I still want to edit when I read them again.
Speaking - or typing - of short stories, an acquaintance of mine who hopped on my site and read some of my work asked me about Leaders of the Modern Rebellion. He said that while he really enjoyed the story, he wondered if I had something against Democrats.
"No," I told him. "Why would you think that?"
"Well, because in the story, the kid is a real ass clown, and you make a point of him being a democrat."
Okay, I get it. I wrote that story over a year ago, or somewhere about then, and this was the first time someone has asked me that.
As I explained to him, the point isn't that Barry is Democrat, the point is that Barry claims affiliation with the Democratic party, but obviously knows very little about the tenants of the organization with which he has allied himself. Stating that the government is "too damn big", which is normally a complaint you hear from Republican pundits - regardless of whether or not their party actually does anything to change that fact.
I won't go into more detail on that, as I want to keep this blog geared more toward writing than politics. As far as the story is concerned, I suppose I could have tried a reverse tactic, having Barry mention a Republican affiliation and then asserting an opposite device. However, in this day and age, given Barry's social proclivities and the current popularity of the Republican party, it just didn't make sense.
This takes me back to rewriting. I've been writing for a while, but it's only been within the past several years that I've really taken it seriously, and only in the past few have I actually shared my work. At one time I would have immediately gone back into the story and tried to clarify that point about Barry's political affiliation, but anymore I won't. While the man had a valid question, he is just one of many that read the story, and he's the only one that asked me about that particular point. More importantly, I like the way it reads.
I better get back at it. The weekend is short and I have to get the manuscript ready to send out. There's also a short story about two thirds of the way done that I'm itching to finish.
Thanks for reading.
-A. Michael
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Launch of the Website!
At long last, I’ve finally published my website. I selected three short stories to go up, I’ll probably rotate them out periodically and I’ll definitely post new stories as I write them.
As many of you know, I’m a student and I also work. So when I do get breaks from the semester like this I try and bust a move on writing or writing-related projects that I’ve tabled while trying to keep up with life’s other demands. While I certainly do write during the semesters, I don’t usually have time for the bigger projects, like the website. Those tend to be the bigger goals on my “to do” list that have to wait for times such as this to come to fruition.
For this break – the next week and a half until the summer term starts – I told myself that I would finish the latest revision on The Red, publish my website, continue my quest to find an agent, and write at least two more short stories that I've been really itching to get to.
How’s the agent search going? Well, about as well as one could expect. I started sending query letters around the end of January, I only sent five out – which is a very small amount – and all five resulted in “thanks, but no thanks” responses. I would say that it’s disappointing, but it’s really not unexpected. I can’t remember where I read it, but I recall an author stating something to the effect of, “If you’re not getting rejected, then you’re not trying to get published.” Fact is, there are a lot of authors and a lot of agents who represent a wide-array of clients. I’ll find the right match. I just need to keep at it and more importantly, keep honing my skills as a writer.
So check out the site and let me know what you think! Drop a line or leave a comment.
As many of you know, I’m a student and I also work. So when I do get breaks from the semester like this I try and bust a move on writing or writing-related projects that I’ve tabled while trying to keep up with life’s other demands. While I certainly do write during the semesters, I don’t usually have time for the bigger projects, like the website. Those tend to be the bigger goals on my “to do” list that have to wait for times such as this to come to fruition.
For this break – the next week and a half until the summer term starts – I told myself that I would finish the latest revision on The Red, publish my website, continue my quest to find an agent, and write at least two more short stories that I've been really itching to get to.
How’s the agent search going? Well, about as well as one could expect. I started sending query letters around the end of January, I only sent five out – which is a very small amount – and all five resulted in “thanks, but no thanks” responses. I would say that it’s disappointing, but it’s really not unexpected. I can’t remember where I read it, but I recall an author stating something to the effect of, “If you’re not getting rejected, then you’re not trying to get published.” Fact is, there are a lot of authors and a lot of agents who represent a wide-array of clients. I’ll find the right match. I just need to keep at it and more importantly, keep honing my skills as a writer.
So check out the site and let me know what you think! Drop a line or leave a comment.
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