Schedules and the Day-to-Day

Last night, I was bemoaning the fact that the round of editing I was going through was taking so long. Although I've been known to start wrting at 9 p.m. and keep going until 2 a.m., there are days I edit about three pages and it takes me all day.

Now, those are two somewhat different examples, but in my mind, one reflects a personality I thought I had, that of a writer who can "put butt in chair, work." The other suggests a writer distracted by every single noise and bright light. "Oh, shiny!" I don't want to be the latter. Although, I could excuse it because during the day there's more noise, more things on TV to distract, etc. etc. There are even a couple of guys painting the house and making repairs from 7 in the morning until 4:30 (actually, small applause for them, because we've had maintenance guys who were slow as heck, and we couldn't do anything about it since we're renters and thus, don't hire them, but these are working the whole, sans lunch, and friendly. Yay for them), but they make noise pounding on doors and scraping old paint. But I don't really want to use that as an excuse.

So, this got me wondering if perhaps it's my schedule that's keeping me cut off from my "diligent worker" side.

A lot of writing books will either give the newbie writer specific exercises or suggestions in terms of writing schedules. An hour a day in the morning, before anything else, half an hour in the evening, four hours while "the kids" are at school. Other advice givers say whatever works for you without any suggestions.

I say, in my limited experience, play around with it. Figure out what time you already have free, start there, writing and editing. If you find that's not enough time, see where you can squeeze more. Examine whether that time of day works, and whether that free time can be moved. Try different lengths of time at different times of day, in different places.

When I was at university, I got some writing done on the bus ride to campus (1 1/2 hours usually), and in high school, I got a lot of writing done during recess and lunch (hanging out in front of my friend's English class, or on the outdoor stage). That's where the characters and plot for my first finished novel came. I even started a vampire story with another friend, while walking around the gym on Fridays during P.E. and got fairly far along--filled most of a spiral notebook with that story (Fridays were 'do whatever' in P.E., but we had to do something, if not a sport, then walk around the gym 12 times. I became skilled in walking and writing at the same time).

Now, though, I'm out of school, focusing on the writing, and don't have the added time constraint of a job. And I'm at a loss. During winter break, the 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. slot worked for me, but it doesn't now when I can't relax during the day.

I need to find a new schedule that works for me, because what I have now doesn't.

Which I think is a point most writing books neglect. Your writing schedule can change. There's no rule that says once you become a writer (however you define it for yourself) you have to pick a certain time of day and amount of time and that's what you should stick to in order to be considered a "serious writer." Srsly.

Life gets in the way, our living situations change, and sometimes, you may find a certain time just doesn't work as well for you anymore. Never limit yourself, that should (could) be a writer's credo.

My goal for today, then, is to find a schedule that works for me. I've been slogging through it for the past month, wasting so much time. I don't want to waste anymore. So I'll push through today and see at what time I seem to get the most work done. I'll even stay up late and see if the 9-2 could work for me again. I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy writing.

Nathan Bransford Linkage

A swing by Writtenwyrdd's blog reminded me, I wanted to share a particular link. When I swung by agent Nathan Bransford's blog, I saw another link to share.

The latter is actually a post of links. "Writing Advice Database" lists a ton of Bransford's past posts regarding writing, broken down into sub-headings like "The Writing Process" "Revising" and "Genres and Classification." The last heading being, enjoyably, "Staying Sane During the Writing/Publishing Process." Because we all need help with that sometimes, don't we?

The other post, which I originally wanted to mention was, "Revision Checklist." I know when I write a story, I'll read writing books beforehand, and sometimes after, but when I'm in the thick of things, writing or editing, I don't always consciously think about what I should be looking for. I found this post, which is a list of questions to keep in mind when revising, easy to understand and something that I think will be rather helpful to me. Mostly as something I can write out or print and keep near at hand, perhaps to glance at when I know something isn't working in a scene, but I can't figure out what. I thought it might helps others as well.

In fact, the post in between these two is on how one knows when one is done editing, with Bransford asking for answers to that question in the comments section.

These are strangely well-timed, for me at least, as if Mr. Bransford somehow knows I'm diving into editing two novels. (Is he psychic? Are all agents?) ;)

Anyway, maybe these posts will help others. Happy writing.

David Eddings

My dad was reading Eddings' books for as long as I can remember. When I was just beginning to get into fantasy, my older sister was speeding though the Belgariad. Going through my long list of author/writer and agent blogs, I came across one mention, which prompted me to go digging.


According to a few sources, David Eddings died on June 2, 2009 at the age of 77.


His wife, Leigh Eddings, died in 2007.

It seems that one of the first mentions of this was on Twitter (not where I saw it), so I am still digging to find the most credible source. It appears About.com has an article on this, as does Forbidden Planet . SFCrownsnest may be the first, written by Stephen Hunt, or certainly one of the first. Three of the most credible sources seem to be Associated Content, The Guardian and Media Bistro.


Fantasy Book Review has a good, detailed biography of his life and work.

Too many of the long-standing, wonderful writers of fantasy are leaving us.




I swung by LKH's blog before posting here, and she'd shared a couple of quotes. The last one especially stuck with me.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." To quote Frank Herbert, Dune—Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear.

A Writer's Summer

Well, this writer's summer, anyhow.

I started with wanting a week or so of rest. I cleaned. Then I caught the cleaning bug even when I didn't need to clean for the sake of a graduation party. Now I've started the process of cleaning the house, and yet have spent the day so far, on the computer.

I have editing to do, and research for agents, then the querying. I'm thinking it will work best in that order. Much as part of me wants to just send off teh query letters, I know I've seen a few agents who aren't accepting letters right now, and others whose blogs I follow, but who don't accept my genre.

(To explain, I first starting reading agent blogs a couple of years ago when I visited agentquery.com, thinking I'd query for that first novel and be ready to do so as soon as I was done with it. Well, agent query contains links to agent blogs, for some of them. So, in my search for sci fi/fantasy agents, I found blogs, and those blogs had links or comments by other agents, some of whom didn't accept my genre. From there, I have a fairly large list of blogs I visit, and although my first thought it to query those I follow, I immediately remember that that won't work for all of them.)

Anyway, it's Tuesday, for those of you following the calender. I tend to wear my watch, with its reminder of the day and date in addition to the time, but still, I lose track. I've blinked only to find days, weeks, almost entire months having passed with my hardly noticing. This week is nearly half over, which to my mother means the whole week is almost at an end. So I think what I'd like to do is finish with the manic cleaning, so my work space is clean, and so I won't have the rest of the house as an excuse. Then I'll hit the editing. One story just needs a final go-over, fix up the ending a bit, make sure the world-building works (i.e. enough of it, but not too heavy). The other is more recent, but needs a lot more work.

First one first, then query, then hope for the best.

In the midst of that, research short story markets for this secondary world fantasy story with no magic.

In blog-admin updatey-ness: there is a Followers link in the side bar, as well as a Search bar.

Happy writing, people.

My first submission ever

...And my first rejection.

It was for a short story anthology. The editor said it was a good story, just not what she envisioned for the anthology and added I should sumit to other markets. It looked like a form letter (my sister also submitted and received the exact same thing), but it's still encouraging.

Would have been more encouraging to get accepted, but that's how it goes. I've always been afraid of rejection. I wanted people to like me, I didn't like to get into fights, and I'm a horrible devil's advocate sometimes. But I knew, if I wanted to be a writer, rejection was going to happen.

I stood on the teetering beam of confidence, on one end, the inflamed ego a writer needs to be able to get herself out of bed in the morning, with the certainty that she will be published despite the odds. On the other end, a somewhat self-deprecating humility. The absolute sense that I will never make it and the odds are against me and I'll never be published.

I'm somewhere in the middle, hopefully with a realistic sense of the possibilities, with the hope of getting published, the confidence to think my work is good enough, while still being aware and accepting of the numbers involved, how many people get agents, get into anthologies, get published, and then are successful at it.

The numbers aren't good, but I'm willing to make the effort. This submission and rejection was the first step. But the destination is pretty far to walk.

Update: Taste like Pomegranate

Today I translated the last 125 lines of Beowulf, a 3182-line poem in Old English. One of my classmates thinks we should write our professor evaluations in Old English. I totally get a kick out of the thought, but I don't know if I have the time, since perhaps my weakest area (besides the bloody grammar--darn you dative and accusative cases!) is memorizing the vocabulary.

We'll see. I'm working on my ten-page "What I would write on had I more time" paper for Beowulf. And slogging through it, too. I just can't seem to keep my attention on it. But that done, I'll only have to worry about the final next Wednesday and my work at UH is complete.

I graduate--black gown, cap and fancy-schmancy hood--on May 16. Part of me is giddy and squeeing in relief and excitement. I'll be the first one on either side of the family (as far as I know and at least for immediate family) to get a Master's degree. The other part is terrified. I'm taking the summer to focus on querying agents and making my work the best it can be. I won't have the excuse of school or a job taking up so much time that I can't edit. And it is an excuse. After this summer, I start looking for a day job (hence the terror, I have no idea what I want to do or where I want to work, besides writing novels), and at that point, I will work and write and can just shut my cake-hole about being too tired.

I can be kind of mean to myself. ~shrugs~

But the Hounds book has been done, HS is now done and needs an overhaul in one area that will affect the whole book, I have a high fantasy parody/travel narrative complete for my other class, and just finished a short story (self-contained, new characters, and none of them are clamouring for something longer right now, a first!), which is with a few beta readers right now and then goes off on submission for an anthology. I am excited, but trying to keep it to a minimum since I haven't even sent it in yet.

We'll have to see how it goes.

Right then, the women of Beowulf beckon, and the gabby bunch.

When it's a hard hit

I asked for some general feedback on a draft of a query blurb. I was trying a different tactic and mostly wanted, "Works/Doesn't work," with maybe a "Too long/Not enough detail/need better hook." What I got was a detailed five-point explanation of why and how the blurb was wrong.

Suffice it to say, I was a bit thrown. I mean, I was writing it pretty late last night (just before bed, in fact) and blurbs and synopses are not my favorite things in the world, so I wasn't expecting it to be ready for sending out, but it isn't fun to ask for a short response and see just how 'off' your work is. I immediately felt discouraged, despite how little a thing it was (little in terms of length, but it's also what agents base their decisions on). I was beginning to get excited at the prospect of my upcoming Summer of Queries, and this felt like a huge step back.

I know that as a writer, I get too close to the story and the writing itself, so whenever I get harsh feedback, I tend to react emotionally at first. Give me a few hours or a few days and I'm fine and can analyze the comments, disregarding what doesn't work for me, keeping the stuff that does. But it's a dejected bump I need to get over first.

This blog post helped me do just that. Toni McGee Causey of "Murderati: Mysteries, Murder and Marketing" writes about Susan Boyle (the phenomenal Britain's Got Talent singer) and the topic of when do you give up. When do you say, I'm not going to be a writer anymore.

I read that and thought, "Getting upset over this is stupid and useless. The feedback, though harsh, was given with good intentions and is helpful. I am not going to stop writing because of it, and I sure as hell won't give up on trying to get published. So why bother whining and moaning that someone was mean about it?" If the blurb doesn't work, it helps to know now before I send it off to agents. I typed it quickly and posted it on my personal blog, and one imagines I'd have made many more changes before mailing, but I might've missed one of the big problems, just because I get too close to the writing. I get too used to the way a sentence looks and can't always see what's wrong.

I imagine that problem will fade (hopefully) the more I write and edit, but in the meantime, I am not giving up, and I thank my friend for the feedback. I'm going to revise that blurb, then go work on a short story.

Writers vs. Agents: Thunderdome!

I won't claim to have read every queryfail or agentfail post, nor every post of the same ilk that seem to pervade the internet lately. I try to follow the big discussions and get the gist of things. But the writers' side of the (it isn't a debate, but perhaps "trend" works?) writer vs. agent trend has a new addition, this "Talent Killers" post by a writer of three published books.

Her basic Letter to Editors seems to blame agents for not accepting manuscripts which are considered mid-list literary fiction. Thus writers like herself don't get their mss. to editors, who then cannot publish these novels. The comments are long, but there are writers who agree, writers who disagree and a few agents who have included their two (or ten, or more) cents. Nathan Bransford has a lot to say (with humor, too, which I am enjoying--one can only wonder where the yearly agent conspiracy meetings are held, and whether they have cake), along with Colleen Lindsay and Janet Reid. The writer, Mary, specifically linked to two of them (NB and JR). Jodi Meadows, Jenny Rappaport's assistant, also commented with her own blog post.

Mary said that she wrote the post knowing it would start a flame war, or at least opposing comments. What I wonder is what she felt the benefit would be to post it? Many fellow writers pointed out how the post could hurt her chances of future publication. I can empathize with the frustration of not getting published, but to blame agents and then post about it bitterly (I try, when it comes to posts like this, to keep a more objective perspective, but I can't help but agree with others' comments regarding her tone)--well, it isn't something I would do (not that I am any kind of voice of authority).

Likewise, many have told her writing is a business, and she's had as much chance as anyone. [I know I was going to continue that thought, but then I lost whatever I was going to say. Alack. Wait, no I remembered. She mentioned how one of her books needed an editor who will help improve/edit her book. Am I wrong in thinking [if] she referred to a publishing company editor, that those editors don't do line-by-line edits? And she also mentioned being a big attendee of writing groups, so I wonder why those groups didn't help with the smaller stuff? But that's just my random thought in response.]

My sense is that complaining online, however articulate the complaint, will not help one get published. (Although she doesn't seem very concerned about that.) My other sense is that it's too generalizing to blame a single aspect of the industry for not getting published. True, many agents may pass on a query for literary fiction, but some may take those writers on, and it's the editors and publishers who then pass. And even if one is published with a large publisher, if that book doesn't sell, there's a good chance one won't have a subsequent book pubished. Everyone is impatient for books to make it big. Just like a lot of television shows aren't getting brought back for a second or third season (all the ones I love, too), many books of various genres, including lit fiction, aren't earning out their advances or going into reprints.

Anyway, there is my one cent of opinion, with a handful of links to satisfy the curious.

I for one think agents are indredibly useful as a go-between for writers and publisjers/editors. And they are people too, with their own passions and busy lives. Just as writers must make time to write, so much agents (whose days are filled with work for the writers who are already their clients) make time to read the queries from strangers looking for a chance. Agents do the best they can, just as any writer worth the air they breath tell the best story they can.

Now I am off to bed, because I've decided to go with my brother to campus tomorrow. Apparently the lecture he has to attend is part of the Celebrate Reading Program, which they do every year to stimulate reading among middle school, high school and college students. Kate Elliot will be there, as will be Christopher Moore. Also, a few professors and students in the English Department whom I know will be performing. I am enthused (as long as there is no pre-reg, so my sister, a Moore fan, and I aren't thrown out--then we would cry ;) ).

Reviews: Caitlin Kittredge

Hi all. I know I've put this off for a while now, but it's Spring Break, so even with a bit of homework, I don't want to put it off again. Purely a time and energy issue, unrelated to the books themselves.

I'm going to start with a few books I've mentioned before, but since then, more have come out in the same series. Without further ado, Kittredge's Nocturne City series:

Caitlin Kittredge currently has three novels out in bookstores, Night Life, Pure Blood, and the most recent with a February release, Second Skin. She also has a few stories out in anthologies.

The Nocturne City series follows Luna Wilder, a cop, werewolf, outcast, and a woman with relationship trouble. After receiving the bite, she ran from the pack, thus becoming an outcast, an Insoli, and considered 'less' in the eyes of most other weres. The first book opens with trying to solves a murder and having to deal with the (sexy) alpha of one of the packs, Dmitri. As the back of the book blurb says, "[Luna's] just been assigned to find the ruthless killer behind a string of ritualistic murders--a killer with ties to an escaped demon found ony in legend...until now." Dmitiri is both a suspect in the murders, and as ally as she investigates and encounters a black magician.

I sped through this. One of Kittredge's strengths seems to be her pacing. I was quickly wrapped up in Luna's character, her relationship with her cousin Sunny, and the anger and control issues that come with being a were who didn't have a pack to teach her control. As someone who accepts a romantic plot thread, but can do without them, I liked how Kittredge focused as much, or more, on the case. Luna doesn't fall into bed with Dmitri after the first time they met, and tries to resist his "wolfish charms."

After being in a slump in terms of reading novels, Night Life was one of the books that picked me out of that slump.

Pure Blood is the sequel, taking place a few months later. She returns to work, but Dmitri has returned to the Ukraine, and she has to suffer through a new captain (Captain Morgan, and no, the hilarity is not lost on Kittredge or Luna), as well as a partner, Shelby O'Halloran. This time, Luna's investigating deaths related to a feud between the blood witches and caster witches, with a powerful artifact in the middle.

I love that, unlike some urban fantasies I've, Luna's position is never static. she doesn't gain more power, but more trouble, with every book. People still hate her (some seem to hate her even more, as if with each book, there's another were pack that tries to kill her), she has more and more trouble with coworkers and bosses (Bryson, another detective in book 1, the Captain in book 2). As soon as Shelby showed up, sitting at Luna's desk, I was hooked to see how Luna would deal with her as a person, and as a partner.

(I take part of that back. She does gain an ability, Pathing, a gift acquired through her bite, but only manifesting in Pure Blood. I don't see this as part of the 'she gains a new power every book until she's unstoppable,' because she has no control over it, and it seems really painful when it happens. And while it helps her against foes, she solves the crimes with her intelligence, and a little brute strength.)

Second Skin is the third book, out at the end of February of this year. After the insanity at the O'Halloran building, and an encounter with the man who gave her the bite, Luna has transferred to SWAT, but detecting in still in her heart. Despite Bryson still being a prick, she agrees to help him solve four murders, all of them weres.

That leads her to Lucas, a Wendigo and a handsome man who knows his chilli.

With Lucas telling her one thing, Dmitri (returned as of Pure Blood) telling her he doesn't know anything, and Bryson being threatened by the packs/relatives of the dead weres, Luna has to figure out who is telling her the truth and solve the murders before she's the next victim.

So here I reach (anthology short stories aside) the current released books, and I want more. At the end, Luna's position on the police force (or lack of position) changes again. It was interesting to see how she'd interact with a team of men while with SWAT, and I wish we could have seen more of that. But it's also not a big point, because again, the story flowed so well I was more focused on reading the next scene, finding out what else was going to be thrown in Luna's way.

Perhaps the only aspect of the novels that irked me, and this was only when I read the first novel--by the second and third, I was used to it and it didn't really jump out at me--was the use of "Hex" as a swear word, instead of the "f" word or something similar.

Also, my professor, who'd never read any urban fantasy before, preferred Night Life over Neil Gaiman's American Gods. The pace was one of the reasons she gave me for that preference.

All in all, the Nocturne City series is a fast-pace durban fantasy, with a little bit of romance and sex, a lot of police work, and interesting characters that I never got tired of reading about.

Caitlin's website is http://www.caitlinkittredge.com/

Trying to get my thoughts in order about Racefail '09

I typed up one post, then thought it needed another look or two. Now, after reading one more person's posts on it, I feel like I can say a few words, that my thoughts have cemented at least a little more.

How I found out about it:

I saw one post in January, not aware just how big an issue it referred back to. Then a few weeks back, someone on my friends list on LJ posted that they weren't going to read anything by a few specific authors and editors, linking back to another post that led me through the tangled livejournal web of Racefail '09. Since then, I've been trying to keep up-to-date about it and figure out what my thoughts were on the subject before jumping in.

It felt a little bit like double-dutch jumprope--the cords are swinging and I'm rocking back and forth, waiting for the right moment to jump in, but hesitating, because of my own uncertainty, until it's too late.

How did Racefail '09 begin:

As short a description as I can make it--an author wrote a post regarding people of color (POC) in fiction, specifically sci fi/fantasy characters of color. It seems to me, her post basically said 'do your research,' but some of what she said, or how she said it, was problematic and the comment thread was very long, and there were a lot of angry people. It spread to other blogs, and some people in positions of authority (published authors and editors) apparently said some things that created more friction (I didn't see these posts and they are now locked, or the journals themselves deleted). There were issues of race, class, outing people online, and more. Every time I wanted to say something, the comment threads were already very long and I felt overwhelmed by the other opinions already stated, and in some cases, things just dissolved and some of the good, helpful, insightful points people were making fell under the weight of anger and defensiveness.

Where I want to point readers:

Some people seemed angry (I know, I'm using that word a lot, but it is the closest to how the text sounded to me, although I admit a lot of what was going on carried multiple, complex emotions mixed in) about other industry professionals who weren't speaking out. Someone brought up the topic in John Scalzi's blog, and after a few posts, he asked Mary Ann Mohanraj to guest blog. I really like what she said, and how she said it.

I think the basic issue itself of the whole situation, is that writers who aren't POC should write COC, and should do their homework. At the same time, they need to know they will get some things wrong. Mohanraj makes a similar point and breaks down Racefail '09. I encourage people to go here and read what she has to say. And if you comment, please be respectful.

My thoughts on the matter:

I love what Mohanraj says here (in one of her posts which she links to on Scalzi's blog) in relation to white authors writing POCs, "But even a slightly cloudy mirror reflecting reality is better than no mirror at all." 

In my most recently completed novel, this is an issue I'm trying to be consciously aware of. I don't like to think I'm racist, that my parents' prejudices have in any way rubbed off on me, but I worry (perhaps rightly so) that they have in ways that I haven't noticed or felt the effects of. I've grown up in Hawai'i, on an island with a plethora of different ethnicities from across the world. I've known people from Italy, Germany, South Africa, Senegal, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Japan, Korea and probably more that aren't coming to mind, and more that are of those ethnicities but born and raised in the U.S. Although my dad was in the military, at this point, I've spent more years out of the military setting than in. It's easy for me to think, 'I'm not racist, I have nothing against anyone from a particular background.' But that sounds like "I'm not racist, I have a friends who are (insert ethnic background here)." I do not want to be that person.

I'm pretty sure I don't say racist things, and I don't believe that I think anything overtly racist, so lately I've been trying to examine thoughts or behaviors that might not be so overt.

Back to the writing, this current work, my two main characters are white guys, and the protagonist's female friend is also white (tanned, but that's white skin tanning well because of some mediterranean relatives ). At the same time, I have gods based on mesopotamian-region mythologies, a couple of African-American characters, and another dark-skinned character (kind of a gypsy-like character, whose whole background I don't know yet, but I have ideas for developing her in book 2). I know it's not a numbers game, and I know I've probably not given as much attention to some of these characters versus the main two, but they are interesting to me, and I want to hear their stories, and I'm hoping that with more research and more attention to detail, I will find those stories and be able to share them with others.

I still have a lot to learn, I'm sure. But I feel like at least through the opinions and hundreds of comments on dozens of blogs, I've seen new perspectives and am looking at my own writing and behavior with even more forethought. I hope others find similar lessons.

2/5/14 ETA: Fixed some minor typos and grammar mistakes, but the message and ideas are the same.