No Time to Pout

After waiting more than the allotted time, the agent reading one of my novels didn't want it. Sigh.

I understand the process: if they liked the query then it's a good story idea, if they liked the first three chapters then you can write, if they want to read the whole book it means they are considering if they can sell it.

"Good" and "selling" are two different things.

I get this is a business thing, and not a right cross punch to my writing or my book. I also know it's an honor to have been read by this woman; she represents famous people.

I know all of that. But I was still bummed. For about an hour. Ok, really upset for an hour and pouty all evening. Next morning I resumed my agent search. I had another group of queries all ready to go. I’ve learned from past experience that a Bad News Plan is empowering.

So I’m back on track. Done sniveling. I understand what happened. Yet I still went down the “I’m no good” route and even descended, if only for a few minutes, into the "I quit mode.”

Why would I do that? I think it’s because I hadn’t thought of agents as working stiffs like the rest of us.

In my former life I was a corporate psychologist. I worked with a partner most of the time, usually they were male. This worked out rather nicely, because some clients have a gender preference. But there was more to it than that. Sometimes a client and I just didn’t click. Didn’t mean there was anything wrong with the client…or me. We just didn’t fit. My partner and I regularly “exchanged” people.

I knew right away if I could help someone. But just in case I was wrong, I met them more than once. Most of the time my first impression proved correct. By the end of my career I could usually tell if I could work with someone in about five minutes.

Longer than it takes, no doubt, for an agent to decide if he or she believes my book is sellable.

So why, after reading chapters, would an agent ask to read the whole thing? Can’t they tell immediately? I think they do know right away when something hits them as sellable. However, agents, like anyone else, need to have a stocked work queue. And like me seeing a client more than once just to make sure, a good agent needs to test instincts once in awhile.

So Ms. Agent is sent something a bit outside of what she thinks she might sell. She asks to read the entire manuscript and makes a few phone calls. No one she knows wants it.

Bottom line is, it doesn’t matter if she likes it. She has to sell it. And if she doesn’t know anyone who would buy it, then why in the world would she take it?

The key phrase here is no one she knows would probably buy it. Agents, like writers, specialize. They have to in today’s competitive market. But…just because she doesn’t know anyone who would buy it, doesn’t mean another agent wouldn’t.

She wasn’t the right agent for me. But there’s one out there. And um, now would be a good time for you to make yourself known, OK?

:-)

Book Review

Winter Moon was actually a triad of stories by C.E.Murphy, Mercedes Lackey, and Tanith Lee. As I started the first story by Lackey I couldn’t get interested. It seemed to drag. The second one by Lee also did and I was confused. I love Tanith Lee.

Then I realized what had happened. These stories had come on the heels of my Twilight immersion. Then I got it. They weren’t slow, just not at the heart stopping pace of Twilight.

So I settled in. In some ways all of these authors, especially Lee and Lackey, write in an old fashioned way. They preserve the feeling of high fantasy. You feel as if you’ve been dropped into a Dungeons and Dragons game. This is not a bad thing; the stories slowly draw themselves out like a fine skein of wool, inviting you to discover and enjoy the subtle colors and texture of the tale. The prose is rich and descriptive, the vocabulary beautiful. I didn’t feel as if I had to finish; I knew the stories would be waiting for me anytime I wanted to indulge.

And so I’ve come to realize that for me, both kinds of literature are “good” writing. The Twilight saga because I could think of nothing else while I was reading them. Tanith Lee and the others because of the exquisite language and storytelling. Something to consider. And to strive for.

Spring

There is something very special about spring time in the Midwest; finally seeing blue skies again, early blooming flowers, and the hint of moist warmth in the air. Every year about point I pack away the space heaters, heavy covers, and winter clothes and joyfully exhume my sandals, thin sheets, and fake tan...only to be chilled to the bone when the temperature inevitably drops once again below zero. My husband then reminds me that Indiana's planting frost date is May 10th, because it could FREEZE anytime before that.

Yeah yeah yeah. But I'm fooled every year.

Maybe my gullibility is because we in the Midwest so appreciate warm weather. Winters here, if not brutal, are long, cold, and messy. I've had enough! I'm ready to run through the fields. Throw off my sluggishness and get my creative juices flowing.

That makes perfect sense. After all, whatever your belief system, springtime brings a sense of renewal and rebirth. Something that everyone can appreciate...even writers. :-)

Here are some vintage Easter postcards to help us along. Because today although the skies are indeed a deep azure, it's cold outside.

Easter gnomes. Who knew?



A fairy is another rare image in vintage Easter postcards. This one looks like the Pied Piper...where is she leading these chicks?



This one is just too funny. Hey Fred, check out the eggs on that one.



There are more than a few with a bunny or a chick hauling a giant egg. Many it's a dinosaur egg. Or a dragon's...



Check out this rather pin up looking Easter greeting. What's her story?



In that same vein, there are many vintage Easter flower postcards with women's heads. Not sure what to make of that. Maybe it's like that old disco song It's Raining Men.



Ahhh, Easter on the beach. Doesn't get any better than that.

Vintage St. Patrick's Day Postcards

The day has come and gone. I had a few postcards I meant to post, but Twilight got in the way. :-) So here they are. I picked these because I felt they represented the pull between and mix of Christianity and the older fairy faiths.

Twilight Book Review

I’ve waited to start the last three books in the Twilight saga. It’s not that I haven’t been reading…I always read. I love magazines too: Discover, Scientific American, Smithsonian, are you convinced I’m smart yet? OK, because I also love fashion mags: Lucky, Marie Claire, Vogue, Allure, and many others.

But anyway. I have put off the Twilight books. Not because I didn’t want to read them. Quite the opposite. I knew from my first book experience that I would devour them whole, and I wanted to get a few writing chores done. I started the last three books a few days ago and just finished. I’ve put off many things in the meantime: cleaning, errands, calling people back, and exercising.

I simply could not put these books down. Which has caused me to think about just what makes a good story. As many fans as Ms. Meyer has, there are many, mostly wannabe literary critics, who believe she doesn’t write very well. It is true there are more than a few typos. This is significant, because as I’ve stated many times in the past, I am not the best typo catcher. There are also too many gooey-eyed bits with Bella and Edward for my taste. And her use of language doesn’t compare, in my opinion, to the likes of Tanith Lee or Ursula LeGuin.

But Stephanie Meyer has something. Is not being able to put her books down a definition of good writing? I’ve been thinking a lot about that.

I’ve come up with some reasons why I believe so many people are fascinated with her creation. First, even though the descriptive prose was not exquisite, it was compelling. I was there; experiencing the Washington mist, various vampire hangouts, high school, and Italy among other destinations with crystal clear clarity. The lush descriptions, if not beautiful, were so real I could taste, see, touch, and smell them. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been so there in any books I’ve ever read. That’s a talent. And a pretty awesome one.

The second reason that kept me glued to the Kindle was the plot twists and turns. Yes, I guessed some of what was happening, but sometimes you do have to use the gun if you’ve shown it, so those correct guesses were more like an itch scratched. Other happenings I was totally unprepared for, yet each surprise was “fair” in that when I thought back (or checked) they were subtly foreshadowed, and very nicely.

The third, and most important aspect, was that I could not wait to see what happened to these people! Will Bella become a vampire? Which man will she chose? HOW WILL IT ALL END??? I was absolutely riveted. I couldn’t move. I had to make myself eat. And go to the bathroom.

Are they the best books I’ve ever read? My analytical side says no; there are many examples of better literature. Even better written vampire books, in my opinion. But…my emotional side says I’ve never read anything so compelling in my life.

I think I’ll just stay here in the question. And hope that maybe, just maybe, I can capture some of that in my own books.

If you’ll excuse me, I’m really hungry. For food, that is. Moohahahahahaha.

St. Patrick's Day (Almost)

Despite my Irish name, I am not. But I do have a deep appreciation for Ireland's fey, including leprechauns. I find them so mischievous, holding out the promise of riches if you catch them, but often as not that fairy gold turning to leaves or moss once you have obtained it. These creatures play upon our greed and remind us that perhaps it’s the journey that's important; a rainbow quest is always better than treasures.

I think that is true with my writing. I have goals. Lots of them. But sometime goals get in the way of me enjoying the here and now. I love to create stories. I love knowing other people enjoy them. I especially love if someone sees themselves or long held beliefs differently because of something I've written.

These things are all true despite the fact I've never published with a huge publishing house nor do I yet have an agent. Do I want these things? Yes. Will I be happier when I achieve them?

Probably not.

Goals are fleeting. If you're like me, as soon as you accomplish one you immediately set another. This is not a character flaw. Without ambition, I would never have gotten where I am with my writing…or my life.

But I do have to be careful. Planning for the future is good. Living there is not. Like that search for a rainbow and the obligatory pot of gold, it's the journey that's important, because that's where your life really is.

So. Today while I am thinking about that agent who is reading my book (yea!), working on my next story, and doing all my chores, I will make sure that I gaze upon the magical melting surface of my lake at least once.

Perhaps in the morning mist I will see a leprechaun. Even if I'm not Irish.

Going There

I could have labeled this post writing courageously. Or maybe fearless storytelling. But I like ‘going there' best.

This concept is something I’ve discovered during the course of my writing. My best books happen when I’m not afraid to ‘go there.’ This means slightly different things for each story, of course, but the main idea is the same.

And it applies across art forms. One reason I think Oprah is such a good interviewer is that she is never afraid to ‘go there.’ My favorite example was when she was interviewing Michael Jackson some years back. She asked him all the usual questions about his life, his music, his family. Then she hesitated. I have to ask you this, she said. His eyes grew wide. He already knew. You could almost hear the audience hold their breath. They knew too. And then she asked The Question: was your marriage a real marriage? In other words, did he have sex with his wife? The audience gasped.

What? Oprah said, you all wanted to know.

And we did. Oprah asks the questions we are all wondering about; the ones we don’t want to admit to, the ones we’re embarrassed about, the ones that are beneath us. But they are more than that: these are the questions that connect us all. And love and sex are certainly universal interests, among others, especially when the sex has a whiff of the forbidden or quirky.

Oprah’s sort of bravery is what I’m discovering about writing. When I am honest about my own fears, my own desires, my own sources of joy and sorrow, that rawness speaks to my readers, because they are discovering their own feelings about these subjects.

The book I’m working on now, without revealing too much, is a story about two women in one body. There was something in the back of my mind I was wondering about. I ignored it but it kept coming back. Finally I asked my husband, what would you be most curious about in this situation? He looked uncomfortable. Well, he replied, how would that, er, work?

I knew what he meant. I knew before I asked him. And I’m sure you do too. So I’m ‘going there.’ I didn’t really want to. I'm a very private person and I worry people will translate literary sex into my bedroom, for example. But for this story to satisfy my own and my future reader’s curiosity I have to delve into what I am curious about. Because others will be too. If I am brave the book will be more real. And hopefully give some unique insight into the human condition.

Because really, isn’t that why we write?