Writing-related New Year's resolutions

I'm not much for New Year's resolutions. They're either a laughable waste of time, a recipe for disappointment, or both. But I do believe in setting goals, especially when it comes to what I want to accomplish with my writing. I'm way too scatter-brained and easily distracted to stay focused without a clearly defined set of goals in front of me.

So with this in mind, last December I outlined a set of goals to accomplish in 2009. They were as follows:

1) Finish refining my middle grade fantasy novel and BEGIN SEARCHING FOR AGENTS. The book needs at least one more pass before it's ready for prime time, but that should not stop me from being ready to start the querying process.

2) Finish either my dystopian SF book or the follow-up to A Year of Hitchcock. Even better, both! Doing at least one is well within reach. Doing both is doable, too, but I'd rather keep the goal easily attainable.

3) Write at least six new short stories and begin to market them. I'd like to always have a few stories out at any given time.

4) Only one bite on the local history book I wrapped up in January 2008, so get some more queries out there. I sort of forgot about it most of this year and set it aside, but I'd like to at least give this a fair shot with some local publishers before I opt for another route.

How did I do? Not bad. feel like I fell short in some areas but made up for it elsewhere. Here's how things break down when it came to meeting these goals in 2009:

1) revise MG fantasy novel and begin search for agents

Manuscript revisions, done. Did my research on the latter part of this goal -- also wrote several drafts of a query letter and long and short versions of the synopsis -- but to my disappointment I did not begin the actual querying process. It's in the hands of a proofreader right now, and I plan to begin mailing packages in January. So, a touch late but still relatively on target.

That said, this is still taking longer than it should have. Bad on me. I consider this a partial WIN, partial FAIL, leaning towards FAIL because I did not begin to query. Should have been more aggressive, but allowed myself to get consumed by that damn comic anthology.

2) Finish either my dystopian SF book or the follow-up to A Year of Hitchcock.

Well on my way to finishing the dystopian SF novel by the end of the year. (As of this writing, I have maybe a chapter or so to write.) Though the first draft is kind of a mess, I'm pleased with the work and think it will shine after some heavy duty polishing.

Along with my co-author, Jim McDevitt, I wrote a full proposal and outline for Hitchcock 2 but stalled on the sample chapter because, frankly, a bit worn out on the subject matter at the moment. A Year Of Hitchcock only just came out in April, and I'm still producing a weekly podcast on Hitchcock's work, so it's still Hitch! Hitch! Hitch! all the time. Feel like I need a break before launching into yet more work on the subject.

Nonetheless, significant progress on both. This is a WIN.

3) Write at least six new short stories and begin to market them.

I traded this goal for Pitched!, the comic anthology I self-published in September. It was a fair trade, I think. Six new prose short stories traded for nine comic short stories, stories which have been purchased and (allegedly) enjoyed by readers? Works for me. I consider this a WIN.

I also got six existing short stories in the mail, and one of them was accepted for publication, so though there were no new shorts written (just one partial) I consider this a goal accomplished. WIN.

4) Keep plugging the local history book

A WIN on a technicality; spiritually it's a FAIL. I sent out exactly one proposal this year, and that was way back in February. All the others went out late last year. So technically I did get additional queries out there, WIN, but not to my satisfaction, FAIL. I cannot give myself credit for this one.

I suspect the target market for this book is just too small and too niche. Seriously considering self-publishing it next year. I can very easily reach my target market thanks to my day job, which already reaches the exact people to whom this is directed, but I'm torn because I'd really like to work with a legitimate publisher on this.

So overall, not a bad year. But I could have done better, damnit.

Tomorrow, I will officially set my writing goals for 2010. And they will be awesome.

Total. Author. Meltdown.

Wow. This juvenile meltdown by a published author is making the rounds on the Internet right now, and it's great reading. The gist is simple: reviewer on Amazon.com gives a book a bad review, the author responds to the review, and total bugfuck hilarity ensues. The author descends into a meltdown laden with conspiracy theories, secret supporters (none of whom we actually see), and a seemingly insatiable need to dig their hole ever deeper.

If you at all like watching train wrecks, this is fantastic morning entertainment.

I just can't fathom what's going through someone's head when they do this. Even major authors sometimes fall prey to it. Someone doesn't like your work? Fine. That's part of writing. You feel like you want to respond? Okay, I guess, but do so carefully, tactfully, kindly, and professionally. And by god, don't have a week-long mental breakdown and insist it's someone else's fault! This author first suggests her editor is at fault if someone doesn't like the book, then blames everyone but herself for the continuation of this meltdown when it would have ended immediately had she just stepped away from the computer for a few minutes.

This is 2009 (soon to be 2010). When you do this stuff on the Internet, it doesn't go away. There are no takebacks. There are no do-overs. And it just plain looks bad.

DO NOT DO THIS.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If I ever descend into this kind of thing, can someone please smack me in the back of the head?

Dealing with criticism

One of my favorite bloggers on writing and the publishing industry, literary agent Nathan Bransford, recently made an excellent post about dealing with criticism. Excellent reading for any and all aspiring writers.

Confronting a critique or criticism need not be a gut-wrenching trial. It can, and should, be a valuable learning experience.

One of the first and most difficult hurdles on the road to publication is learning to cope with criticism. Yet you must. No matter how good you think you are, criticism is inevitable. It is also vital to your growth as a writer. The ability to solicit critiques knowing they will poke holes in your work, and to then listen to said critiques objectively and with an open mind, is one of the things that separates writers from people who want to write.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you want to write for publication, don't wait for perfection. Put your work in front of people, and do it now. You'll be a better writer for it.

Writing, old age, and late bloomers

This piece from The New Yorker is well worth reading if you're on the wrong side of 35. Which probably sounds pretty insulting to people on the wrong side of 35, but keep in mind that I am one of you.

Which is why my bones ache.

And I can't remember what I had for dinner last night.

And I want those damn kids off my lawn.

Anyway, this excellent piece notes, "Genius, in the popular conception, is inextricably tied up with precocity—doing something truly creative, we’re inclined to think, requires the freshness and exuberance and energy of youth."

But does it? Not according to University of Chicago economist David Galenson:

(Galenson) looked through forty-seven major poetry anthologies published since 1980 and counted the poems that appear most frequently. ... There is no evidence, Galenson concluded, for the notion that lyric poetry is a young person’s game. Some poets do their best work at the beginning of their careers. Others do their best work decades later ... The same was true of film

Heartening to folks who are past the vigor of their youth and yet who still aspire to reach creative heights -- heartening, and not at all surprising. What we lose in the reckless energy of youth we gain in the knowledge and experience than can only come with age. I may have been bursting with ideas in my teens and twenties, but it wasn't until my thirties that I actually had the discipline and skill to execute those ideas, and to (hopefully) do it well.

There was a time when I beat myself up over getting such a late start at pursuing writing with the seriousness and professionalism it deserved. My twenties, wasted! I thought. The prime of my creative life, gone!

Yet the truth is, only now do I actually have the skills to do something worthwhile with all those ideas. And since the clock is still well clear of reaching midnight, there is no reason to not look ahead and work towards a fruitful and rewarding writing career.

Even if my bones do ache and those damn kids are still on my lawn.

The first music I ever "released" -- it's back!

It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since I first did this little tape. It was the summer of 1994. I had just gotten my trust TASCMAM Porta 7, a four-track tape recorder that allowed talented people record demos and such, and allowed people like me to ruin the definition of "music."

Which is exactly what I did for the last few months of 1994, the time period from which this "music" springs*. I "sampled" (read: stole) chunks of music from elsewhere, slowed it down or played it backwards, laid other stuff on top of it, and generally just played around with things. Also recorded some noisy nonsense. And so on.

Then, I made tapes. Remember cassingles? I grabbed every last one I owned, dubbed these songs over them, hand-drew an awful cover to tape over the existing covers, and handed them out to anyone who would listen.

It was awful. Just freakin' awful. But it sparked 15 years of recording music and giving it out, so for that I'm grateful.

And now, with this post, I officially "re-release" this music to the world, this time sounding better than it did 15 years ago (which isn't saying much) and with bonus tracks from the same era. This music is not yet even on my personal website yet. That's just how special you blog readers are. So, for a limited time only -- I'm pulling this offline on January 1, 2010 -- I present to you...



Music To Trip To:
The 1994 Xmas Single
15th Anniversary Edition

DOWNLOAD MUSIC TO TRIP TO (30mb ZIP file)

1) Oceans of Rebellion (1:58)
2) In The Library (0:28)
3) Water Torture (2:57)
4) Forgetting Prozac (3:18)
5) Drunk In My Lawyer’s Office (3:52)
6) Hangover On Sunday (bonus) (4:37)
7) Asshole (bonus) (0:36)
8) Xmas Single Throwaway (bonus) (2:14)
9) I'm So Naked (bonus) (1:33)

All sounds, clips, and music contained herein are copyright their respective owners and are used here without permission.




*I'm lucky these early recordings even still exist. Back in 1996, in a fit of idiocy I still can't explain, I decided to purge all those dreadful, noisy, inane four-track tapes I had made. Tossed maybe a dozen on them in the trash, including the early, blistering noisefests recorded with my buddy Matt, who I would later go on to form Slumbersigh with, as well as whatever nonsense I recorded in Belmar, NJ and Marietta, GA during stays in each place. I have very little recollection of what may have been on those tapes, and kick myself every time I think of what I threw away. Also had boombox tapes from before I got the four-track, and tossed them, too. This, too, makes me sad.

The Unexpected Death Scene

So I'm writing last night, plugging away at my work in progress. Working on this major action sequence, a series of four or five brief chapters that (hopefully) string together like a Spielberg setpiece. Think the truck scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Minority Report and you have the idea.

And right in the middle of it, this character ... he died.

I didn't expect him to die. Hadn't included it in my outline. Hadn't plotted for it. But he's there and this situation arises and I realized as I was writing, "He's not going to make it, is he?" And he died.

I don't regret the unexpected death. Turned out to be the ideal resolution to his story arc. The exact place his story needed to go. Both the character and the novel are better for it.

But geez, I didn't see it coming -- and I'm the guy writing the story!

Bust my website, please

Spent a good portion of the other day fixing, tweaking, and redesigning my personal website. Please take a look and if anything looks out of place, broken, or otherwise awful, let me know by commenting here, on FaceBook or Twitter, or by emailing me. The kind of browser you're running will be helpful, along with whatever didn't work for you. Thanks.

Stuff for which I am thankful

We're supposed to reflect today (though really we ought do that every day, don't you think?), and so, as I wait for the family to get ready for our car ride to grandmother's house -- we will be going over a river, but won't be near any woods -- I thought I'd quickly do just that.

I am, of course, thankful for a wonderful family who not only support me when I devote long hours in solitude to my creative projects, but who also make me proud by being the good, smart, and of course loving people they are. I couldn't do any of what I do without them.

And to my friends, who are probably more dear to me than they realize. I believe a happy life cannot be lived without good friends. I lead a happy life. So, do the math.

And I'm thankful for the people who have supported me, encouraged me, and believed in me over the years. Having a book published in April and self-publishing a comic anthology in September are both exciting, among a few other nice writing-related accomplishments in 2009, yet I truly believe I am only just getting started. The folks who have been there to help that along (and you know who you are) will no doubt continue to be a part of that. I'm quite thankful for them.

And finally -- and maybe most important of all -- I am thankful for McDonald's sweet tea, because you can't get the South's ubiquitous sweet tea here in the north. Thank you, McDonald's, for improving the quality of my life. I couldn't go on without you.

For those of you who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving.