Giving Up.

No, not on the novel. The novel is rolling on through production just fine, so far as I know. I mean giving up on screenwriting. Quitting has always rattled around in the back of my mind. I'm certainly not achieving any kind of success. It was put to me this morning that the soundest decision I could make next year is packing up my apartment here in L.A. and moving home to Hawaii. A very good idea. I have a house there and staying here is something like pouring money down the drain.

I had so many dreams when I rented this place. I spent a lot of money (and a lot of my parents' money) getting a Master's degree in screenwriting at UCLA. And I spent eight years chasing this lunatic dream. Eight years. I'm ashamed of the waste and the failure and how stupid I've been. And I'm sad. Ah, well. I knew the day would come.

All's well that ends.

Writing Blather

I've decided that, from time to time, I'll run off at the mouth on the subject of writing. Heck, the only person reading this is my mother, and she doesn't mind.

Writers are funny people. But people who want to be writers are often really, really weird. Here's the strangest thing I've observed about them: some of them don't read. Yes, it is true. I know it's hard to believe. I've gone to conferences, met Writer X who is working on a mystery, and discovered that Writer X can't name a mystery writer other than him or herself. Kooky talk.

Here's where it really gets toxic: the erstwhile writer who hasn't read much since college. This is where you get novels replete with "reporter" characters, relating the actions of the main (interesting) characters. This worked for Pushkin and Balzac. Heck, it worked for Fitzgerald. You can stop now. Go out and buy some contemporary literature. Go read some Palahniuk, some Chabon, some Lethem, some Safran-Foer, some Steven Hall. See what's working for agents, editors, and readers today.

College professors just can't buy that many books.

To Blog, Blog Again...

Found my blog again! Aren't I clever? I do better elsewhere in the Internet, I promise. I'm having a fab-u time in Second Life. Built an entire copy of Bag End! Any time you're in world, don't be a stranger! My SL name is Rusalka Writer. I cannot think of a better tool for procrastination, and a writer can't have too much of that.

Delivered the novel! The bulk of rewrites are done. The publisher is going ahead on the cover art, and I am to start thinking about cover copy, acknowledgments, dedications, and a bio. This is where I wish I had spent more time having an interesting life. Ah, well.

Off to Austin October 10th for the film festival and screenwriting conference. I'm a finalist in their contest this year. I was a semifinalist last year. Austin is a four-day party with a few talks and films tucked in here and there. Can't wait!

Wrestling with the new book. Sending my character to Purgatory took less time than expected. From here it's back to his ordinary life, kind of, and then off to Hell. If it's Tuesday, it must be Hell! But shorter seems to be better, even in genres known for producing doorstops. Either way, I'm approaching the halfway point. I think.

Your Editor

Soon after you sell your novel, you will be assigned an editor. This is frightening. Who is this person? Does he or she read your genre? Does he or she like your genre? Does he or she understand that Mystery is modernist epistemology, while Science Fiction is postmodernist ontology? In short, you panic.

Then it gets worse. You've probably never even talked to your editor on the phone and suddenly he or she sends you Notes on your book. And the flop sweat pours forth. Your perfect book! How can this editor know how much effort you put in to this flawless and sparkling gem of fiction?

Okay, maybe you're not that bad, but you definitely wonder what anybody liked about the book. And does your editor know how much work lies ahead? That one little suggestion can unravel months of work and careful plotting? How will you answer all these issues and still make your deadline?

And then: Enlightenment.

Here is who your editor is: he or she is the representative and voice of your reader. The reader who will not be able to ask you to clarify your intent. Who will not be able to question you about that plot turn. Whose only defense when something goes wrong is to put your book down. To not recommend it, and you, to other readers. The editor stands between you and doom.

Listen to your editor. Do whatever it takes to get yourself out of your funk and into a collegial mood. I'm not saying to do as you're told; I'm telling you to listen. Yes, sometimes your editor is wrong, or doesn't understand, or needs to read something again. So do you.

So a big thank you to my editor, Kimberly Cameron. You are intelligent, you are patient, you are an ally.

Mahalo.

Back!

Is there anything worse than a vanishing blogger? No defense, dear reader(s). Other than the rather awkward systems in place for logging in to Blogger. In short, I lost my blog. This is the third attempt to find it in as many days. The problem is that my gmail email account takes over from my earthlink email account, and soon the blog has vanished. 

But these travails are now behind me and I have bravely recovered my blog. Since my last entry I have also experienced the adventure of having an attorney go three rounds over the publishing contract, completed my major rewrite and a polish, contemplated a publicist, and joined Second Life.

Did that last item stick out a bit? Well, for those who don't know, Second Life is an artificial world that takes place entirely inside a vast series of computer simulation servers. You join, create an avatar to represent you in-world, and go about your travels and adventures. Yesterday I spent a bit of time at a beach mall talking to a seven-foot-tall gentleman sporting a kilt and a pink mohawk, then strolled next door for a tour of Beijing's Forbidden City.

Today I attended (or rather, my avatar attended) a lecture by an erotica writer. Her topic was promoting yourself and your writing in Second Life. Invaluable, if a little strange. At least four of the attendees were furries (who go through their life at least partly transformed into animal form), and one was wearing a Star Trek uniform. In short, a place where a science fiction novelist feels very, very welcome. My people!

Come on down, basic memberships are free. Take the plunge, give it a whirl, I think you'll love it.

Let's see, what was this blog about? Oh, yes, writing. Well, actually, the topic I wanted to discuss is too important to append to a ramble, so I shall add a second entry. *Gasp*!

Fifteen Tries Later...

Logging in to Blogger is turning out to be a good metaphor for breaking in as a novelist. There is a great deal of head-pounding involved. Blogger keeps forgetting I exist. I feel like I'm sending a query letter into the void every time I try to log in. Oy.

I'm in a bit of a void book-wise as well. My attorney, who did a fantastic job going over my contract, is dealing with the publisher directly. I don't particularly want to play phone-tag and I'd like this part to go as fast as possible. I want my story notes!

I spent the last three days re-reading the book and cleaning up things here and there. I shouldn't mention how long it has been since last I read it; suffice it to say it was one graduate degree ago. I was pleased. I was surprised. I have claimed that writing screenplays for a few years made my writing lean; turns out it was plenty lean back then. 

So what's the #1 problem I see now? It's more a publishing problem than a book problem, since, heck, I like the book. The book is working. It's a "good yarn" as one of my writer friends would say. The problem is the dreaded genre mix. It's a science fiction mystery. I had no idea until I read the press release about the publishing contract. In my mind it was always pure science fiction. My mother, who reads more mysteries than the folks at the Edgar Awards, spotted it right away. Mystery!

The deuce you say!

Is this why agents in the past have said they didn't know what to do with the book? I don't know. Is crossing genres a good idea? Well, for a first-time novelist, probably not. Is this probably the one chance I had to get this book published? Yep. Am I going to do whatever it takes to get the book ready and launched? You bet. Where will it be shelved? I have no idea.

SBWC

Last week was the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and as usual it went by too quickly. Anybody interested in a real, working conference? This one's for you. I was cranky some years ago when SBWC added an Agent and Editor Day, but these things happen. I prefer a pure, working conference, but the lure of pitching to agents is real, and it is fun to watch the mania from afar.

As for my agent-less self, progress continues. I like my new attorney a great deal, and he has told me the contract looks good. A few minor changes and we'll be good to go with rewrites. Still haven't seen any story notes, so happiness lingers. I am in that post-conference mania for reading and writing. I'd love to get back to work on the new novel, but I should save that good energy for rewriting the old. Sigh.