I got a form rejection in the mail from FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION magazine today. I'm slightly bummed, given that this one had stayed out for a little while. I thought they may have been giving it some serious consideration.
No Worries. Time to print out another copy and move on to the next market on the list.
For most new, unpublished, writers this submission process into the short story markets can be almost painful. You drop your 4000, 5000, or even 10000 word labor of love into the mail with hopeful granduer. That question popping up whenever your thoughts turn to your wayward manuscript; Is this the one? You check the mailbox with the same wide-eyed anticipation of a 5 year old on Christmas morning back when the toys took the kids outside to play and show off to the other kids in the neighborhood. (I never did get that Knight Rider big wheel, dammit)
The lesson we all have to learn at this stage in the game is the same that has been applied to so much modern military missle technology. FIRE AND FORGET. Write your story. FIRE it off into the mail and FORGET about it. Write the next story, rinse and repeat. I'm still learning this. Its not second nature yet. Each rejection that comes back is still a bit of a downer, but if there's still a market available, I'm sending the story back out. I may give it the once over checking for mispellings and things like that, just in case. But sure as shit, its going back out.
So I push ahead with the novel, still in the developmental stage. The production goal is set at 1000 words a day, projecting 80,000 words. When it's finished, I move on to that next stage in a writer's development; the query.
^JR^
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
How does one start one of those pesky novels?
The short (and smart-ass)answer is "at the beginning".
But that's not what I'm going on about today. No, I'm speaking of that most sacred cow of questions that new writers have for the pros; How do you WRITE a novel? A question that any writing pro SHOULD tell you has no direct answer. Anyway you want, is the answer I like.
There are endless creative processes to choose from. Some have to have every detail laid out in stacks and stacks of character notes and a rigid outline before anything is committed to paper. Some have whiteboards on the walls of their office with major charcters listed and track each character's progress in the story with a flow chart. A few brave souls have the raw talent to just go to town without anything more than the idea for the story. Myself, I can't micro-analyze to that degree but having some sort of roadmap is very helpful.
For my novel, I guess I could say I'm in the outline stage (and I use the term loosely). I went through a period of making some character notes a couple a few months ago. While letting the idea, and the things I planned for it, congeal into something more useful, I spent time writing short stories. After mulling things over in my head from time to time, I felt like that pie was fully cooked which brings us to now.
My "outline" is, basically, a bulleted list of events I envision for the story. I've done this before. A couple years ago before SNW, I had an idea for a Star Trek novel. Back then, I knew very little about the writing profession. I figured everyone was a heavy outliner with endless rewriting over and over and over. The thought was intimidating and I knew I didn't have the discipline for all of that at that time. I decided to try to keep things simple and started the list. I found that to a degree this list was writing itself. If THIS is going to happen then THAT has to happen. Things began to show themselves and link up in a logical progression. I completed the "outline" for that book, but never wrote it. S&S's policy about not accepting unsolicited manuscripts didn't sit well with me.
Anyway, the list is coming together pretty well. I find it easy to see holes that need to be filled. The neat thing is, some of the things in a list like this can be moved around, like chess pieces, to make the story flow the best way possible. This method could have a benefit later. If it's good and clean enough, I think it will be handy in writing my synopsis for that first agent the requests a partial.
I esitmate I'm about halfway through it at this point. Then it'll be 1000+ words a day until completion. I'm projecting 80,000 words should serve this story nicely.
^JR^
But that's not what I'm going on about today. No, I'm speaking of that most sacred cow of questions that new writers have for the pros; How do you WRITE a novel? A question that any writing pro SHOULD tell you has no direct answer. Anyway you want, is the answer I like.
There are endless creative processes to choose from. Some have to have every detail laid out in stacks and stacks of character notes and a rigid outline before anything is committed to paper. Some have whiteboards on the walls of their office with major charcters listed and track each character's progress in the story with a flow chart. A few brave souls have the raw talent to just go to town without anything more than the idea for the story. Myself, I can't micro-analyze to that degree but having some sort of roadmap is very helpful.
For my novel, I guess I could say I'm in the outline stage (and I use the term loosely). I went through a period of making some character notes a couple a few months ago. While letting the idea, and the things I planned for it, congeal into something more useful, I spent time writing short stories. After mulling things over in my head from time to time, I felt like that pie was fully cooked which brings us to now.
My "outline" is, basically, a bulleted list of events I envision for the story. I've done this before. A couple years ago before SNW, I had an idea for a Star Trek novel. Back then, I knew very little about the writing profession. I figured everyone was a heavy outliner with endless rewriting over and over and over. The thought was intimidating and I knew I didn't have the discipline for all of that at that time. I decided to try to keep things simple and started the list. I found that to a degree this list was writing itself. If THIS is going to happen then THAT has to happen. Things began to show themselves and link up in a logical progression. I completed the "outline" for that book, but never wrote it. S&S's policy about not accepting unsolicited manuscripts didn't sit well with me.
Anyway, the list is coming together pretty well. I find it easy to see holes that need to be filled. The neat thing is, some of the things in a list like this can be moved around, like chess pieces, to make the story flow the best way possible. This method could have a benefit later. If it's good and clean enough, I think it will be handy in writing my synopsis for that first agent the requests a partial.
I esitmate I'm about halfway through it at this point. Then it'll be 1000+ words a day until completion. I'm projecting 80,000 words should serve this story nicely.
^JR^
Friday, May 16, 2008
A Couple of Personal Achievments I'm Proud of
Here are the results of my first project in my partial-part time fun hobby, MACHINIMA.
This is the trailer for my first video: REKGAR & BUSBY EPISODE ONE: PART A
WoW Videos
This is the trailer for my first video: REKGAR & BUSBY EPISODE ONE: PART A
WoW Videos
And here is the full feature....
Blog relaunch accompanies new novel project
Greetings, my friends.
Following the trend of blogging writers, I present myself to you. The novel has been in development for a while and I think I'm pretty close to beginning real, steady work on it.
Don't worry, though. While my focus is turned mostly to my writing, I'm still chock full of opinions that I'll still express from time to time.
So sit back, kick your shoes off, and lets take this wild ride together. Hopefully, when its all said and done, someone will learn something,
^JR^
Following the trend of blogging writers, I present myself to you. The novel has been in development for a while and I think I'm pretty close to beginning real, steady work on it.
Don't worry, though. While my focus is turned mostly to my writing, I'm still chock full of opinions that I'll still express from time to time.
So sit back, kick your shoes off, and lets take this wild ride together. Hopefully, when its all said and done, someone will learn something,
^JR^
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Same old song and dance -- without Aerosmith
So, Hillary Clinton pulls off the unexpected victory in New Hampshire even though before the primary, polling data showed her trailing by as much as double digit points behind Obama. The embarrassment of Iowa, all but forgotten.
In a pre-primary newsconference, Clinton choked back tears as she reaffirmed her committment to carry on in the face of the Iowa loss and the brutal media coverage that came with it. This demonstrated to the voters that the usually rock-solid chick candidate had a soft side. We were made to feel her pain (in the words of another Clinton)
Fast forward to the closing of the polls in NH. Exit polling painted a very different picture than the day before. Oddly enough, the voters seemed to flock to her side. Did we feel for her plight and give her the support she was supposed to get in Iowa?
I think not.
Sure, the tears may have moved some people--a few; the weak minded, most likely. But I propose a different answer. One that has been demonstrated before.
In 1992, the buzz surrounding Bill Cinton's campaign was shattered by the Gennifer Flowers scandal. Clinton's aspirations appeared derailed like those of so many other big name dems from years past (Gary Hart comes to mind). But then there was a heartfelt appearance on 60 Minutes with his wife at his side. He was apologetic, ashamed, nearly tearful about the affair (as I recall). This sensitive display seemed to carry weight with the voters of the time by rebounding Clinton to come in respectable second place to Mass Sen. Paul Tsongas. Clinton then dubbed himself "The comeback Kid". Sound familiar yet?
With the Clinton's, nothing-NOTHING-is coincedental.
But tears alone won't have the effect that these two have shared. There's a funny little thing about NH voter registration. One can register the day of the primary--at the polling place, no less. The residencey restrictions are virtually non-existent. If there is an address in NH that you sometimes sleep at...or one you think you may want to live at sometime in the future, your in!
Its been widely speculated in the last few elections that voters are imported to place with these lax requirements to fluff up the numbers of a particular candidate who needs them. It doesn't take much to round up a few bus loads of homeless people, pay them a meager sum of money, and take them somewhere to vote. Or even using the personal info of the dead to obtain voter registration. I have no doubt that is what happened in NH in 92 and again in 08.
Nothing with Clintons is coincedence.
^JR^
In a pre-primary newsconference, Clinton choked back tears as she reaffirmed her committment to carry on in the face of the Iowa loss and the brutal media coverage that came with it. This demonstrated to the voters that the usually rock-solid chick candidate had a soft side. We were made to feel her pain (in the words of another Clinton)
Fast forward to the closing of the polls in NH. Exit polling painted a very different picture than the day before. Oddly enough, the voters seemed to flock to her side. Did we feel for her plight and give her the support she was supposed to get in Iowa?
I think not.
Sure, the tears may have moved some people--a few; the weak minded, most likely. But I propose a different answer. One that has been demonstrated before.
In 1992, the buzz surrounding Bill Cinton's campaign was shattered by the Gennifer Flowers scandal. Clinton's aspirations appeared derailed like those of so many other big name dems from years past (Gary Hart comes to mind). But then there was a heartfelt appearance on 60 Minutes with his wife at his side. He was apologetic, ashamed, nearly tearful about the affair (as I recall). This sensitive display seemed to carry weight with the voters of the time by rebounding Clinton to come in respectable second place to Mass Sen. Paul Tsongas. Clinton then dubbed himself "The comeback Kid". Sound familiar yet?
With the Clinton's, nothing-NOTHING-is coincedental.
But tears alone won't have the effect that these two have shared. There's a funny little thing about NH voter registration. One can register the day of the primary--at the polling place, no less. The residencey restrictions are virtually non-existent. If there is an address in NH that you sometimes sleep at...or one you think you may want to live at sometime in the future, your in!
Its been widely speculated in the last few elections that voters are imported to place with these lax requirements to fluff up the numbers of a particular candidate who needs them. It doesn't take much to round up a few bus loads of homeless people, pay them a meager sum of money, and take them somewhere to vote. Or even using the personal info of the dead to obtain voter registration. I have no doubt that is what happened in NH in 92 and again in 08.
Nothing with Clintons is coincedence.
^JR^
Monday, January 7, 2008
Presidential Campaign 2008 --The point that NO ONE seems to get.
The campaign regular season has begun with some perceived surprises.
Hillary Clinton was smited in Iowa, as was Mitt Romney. Barrack Obama looks to be carrying his momentum into New Hampshire. Mike Huckabee has been sparring with Romney directly in debate in response to Romney's attack ads. Giuliani is still using 9/11 as the bedrock of his campaign. Ron Paul's radio ads keep running during my favorite talk shows. And still,Fred Thompson still hasn't really said anything at all. Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else and micro analyzing their opponents politcal voting records and, at the same time, calling themselves the candidate for change because they can win!
Geesh!
There in, lies the problem. The focus they want you to have is on who can win. Everyone likes to back a winner, after all. Makes you look like a friggen genius. But beyond that...beyond all the bold promises (remember the middle class tax cut??), it really does not matter who wins.
The winner will be voted in because they are the most "presidential" and have the "interests of the people at heart" and vow to shrink gov't, reduce taxes, reform health care, blah blah blah. This will be the mistake that the voters will make...the same as every presidential election.
No candidate...not Clinton, Romney, Huckabee, Obama, McCain,...not a single one will be able be an effective President if there is not a Congress that will work with them. Its that simple. The system of checks and balances will cripple the government as a whole and nothing will get done. No changes. No promises kept.
And the sad thing is, it will take no less than a generation to fix this.
^JR^
Hillary Clinton was smited in Iowa, as was Mitt Romney. Barrack Obama looks to be carrying his momentum into New Hampshire. Mike Huckabee has been sparring with Romney directly in debate in response to Romney's attack ads. Giuliani is still using 9/11 as the bedrock of his campaign. Ron Paul's radio ads keep running during my favorite talk shows. And still,Fred Thompson still hasn't really said anything at all. Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else and micro analyzing their opponents politcal voting records and, at the same time, calling themselves the candidate for change because they can win!
Geesh!
There in, lies the problem. The focus they want you to have is on who can win. Everyone likes to back a winner, after all. Makes you look like a friggen genius. But beyond that...beyond all the bold promises (remember the middle class tax cut??), it really does not matter who wins.
The winner will be voted in because they are the most "presidential" and have the "interests of the people at heart" and vow to shrink gov't, reduce taxes, reform health care, blah blah blah. This will be the mistake that the voters will make...the same as every presidential election.
No candidate...not Clinton, Romney, Huckabee, Obama, McCain,...not a single one will be able be an effective President if there is not a Congress that will work with them. Its that simple. The system of checks and balances will cripple the government as a whole and nothing will get done. No changes. No promises kept.
And the sad thing is, it will take no less than a generation to fix this.
^JR^
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Why the hell is it so hard for people to see the problems that come with illegal immigration???
This past May 1st, a couple hundred thousand or so (I don't have the exact number in front of me) leeching migrants rallied nationwide for immigration reform so they could do the jobs they do now...legally.
This past May 1st, a couple hundred thousand or so (I don't have the exact number in front of me) leeching migrants rallied nationwide for immigration reform so they could do the jobs they do now...legally.
*Note: From this point forward, I WILL NOT to refer to illegals as "immigrants".
Legally is the key word here, my friends.
Now let me recap why this is a problem for those who have been snowballed by Al Gore's fiction movie. The real inconvenient truth here, that you people who think we should just open the gates need to understand, is the 14 million illegal migrants have, in fact, BROKEN THE FRICKEN LAW.
What happens when any one of us is caught breaking the law? We are punished. Whether it be breaking the speed limit, J-walking, murder, failure to pay child support, or whatever, citizens of this country pay a price when convicted. Period.
You enter this country illegally, you get kicked out. Period. I don't care how noble your reasons are for being here. There is a legal process to get in this country. Millions have done it by the book. Millions more are on the waiting list. You want in? Get in line, dammit. If someone actually gets deported for being here illegally, for some reason people think the goverment is being fascist when we enforse the rules the we (as in AMERCIANS) have to follow everyday.
There should be no amnesty for those already here. The real tragedy of illegal migration is the children that they have here.
CBS Evening News, recently, aired a story featuring children of illegals that had been here on expired visas for 18 years. The parents were deported (as they should have been), and the kids pack up every weekend to visit them in Tiajuana. The little girl tugged at our heart strings with tears in her eyes talking about how she gets scared whenever there is a knock at the door, thinking that the evil United States government is going to take them away next. That child didn't need to be subjected to telling that story for the news. Shame on you CBS!!! The kids born here to the illegals are used as the meal ticket for the entire family at taxpayer expense.
That means YOU, Mr and Mrs "can't we all just get along"
Because of the compassion in this country for the downtrodden (spelling?), resources are taken away from where they are needed to care for our OWN people to provide for the needs of people who have proven they can work their asses off. They should take that strong backbone of theirs and use it to bring about positive change in their own country and make it a place they'd want to stay.
Geesh, doesn't anyone think there is something wrong when the Mexican government, themselves, will publish information on how to sneak into the United States?????
Goddammit! I too pissed off to write now, more tomorrow.
^JR^
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