Author: Writer guy

My favorite train wreck

Writer guy

Ever find yourself facing a situation raging out of control, almost certain a disaster lurks around the corner, all the while completely powerless to look away? It’s bad; you know it, and you can’t stop staring.

I refer to Poppy Z. Brite.

Ms. Brite has so much talent–she’s written some great short stories and novels–and so few coping skills. To read her journal, I might think she was a colossal whiner. In fact, she’s probably quite charming and funny on her good days, just a bit lost at the moment.

Hopefully Poppy raises herself out of this funk soon, heals those wounds, and carries on with what matters. As an author, there’s some narrative bouncing around those dark chasms she keeps locked tight, still clawing for the surface.

Situation Unknown

Writer guy

I was chatting with a friend who’s totally fed up with the dating scene. Below is a transcript. Screennames changed to protect the innocent.

[22:18] crazybuddy: im thinking of taking myself out for a date

[22:18] crazybuddy: the question is do i try and get myself drunk?

[22:18] sam: that depends, do you need to? will you take no for an answer?

[22:19] crazybuddy: maybe. will i respect myself in the morning?

[22:20] sam: probably not, I’m betting.

[22:20] crazybuddy: should i splurge? go all out? get the apple martini?

[22:20] sam: oh yeah, spare no expense. nice bottle of Merlot. at least 5 bucks.

[22:21] crazybuddy: do i pick myself up? or meet me there?

[22:21] crazybuddy: where do i go afterwards?

[22:22] sam: somewhere private. like your closet.

[22:24] crazybuddy: damn. i hate dating

[22:25] crazybuddy: already i don’t see much hope for a second date

[22:25] crazybuddy: i’m afraid i only want one thing

[22:25] crazybuddy: do i even want to get to know the real me?

[22:25] sam: I don’t know the real you, so…

[22:27] crazybuddy: should i reply to my text messages?

[22:27] crazybuddy: or wait for 24 hours play hard to get….

[23:06] crazybuddy: all right

[23:06] crazybuddy: i go bed now

[23:06] crazybuddy: and think about where i’m going to take me

Western Fronts

Writer guy

Quiet lately as I tend to housekeeping necessary for pitching the Last Track to agents. Updated the synopsis on Friday. The previous version–revised last in May–could not account for the new middle half; that content did not exist until September. Right now, the synopsis is just over 800 words. It might need a little cutting, still, so I’ll revisit the two page 30,000 foot view of the story once more. Probably Sunday.

This evening I finalized a list of 50 agents to target. Even though the official resolution was for 46, keeping a few on reserve in case one leaves the business or changes agencies made sense to me. A bit of math drove the selection criteria; I’ll detail it later.

The next step: verify the contact information in hand. For that I will consult both reputable print and Internet sources. I predict that task will require a few nights of tedium, but it’s necessary, though not because of the prohibitive cost of a query reaching the wrong location. Between paper, return envelopes and round trip postage, each solicitation costs about a dollar. Relatively cheap business, lobbing notes over the transom, especially in bulk. The right address matters because I want each toss to have an equal shot reaching its destination. What happens once it lands in the blue collection box is out of my hands. I can at least make a concerted attempt to get the address right.

It was fun putting the list together, though, because it revealed the musical chair nature of literary representation. Some names I almost tried with The Ridge Runner two plus years ago. Several I tried and never received responses from work at different agencies. Quite a few are no longer in the business. I’m not pitching anyone who formally declined The Ridge Runner, for two reasons. One I consider a proper rejection–even a form letter–a fair shake. I pitched; they passed. Good enough. Second, there’s a lot more agents who never heard of these characters in any form, than those who have. Better scouting for virgin ears, than those with a history. If it’s necessary to bark up a familiar tree in the future, I’ll do so without hesitation. Or shame.
Next up, a final polish of the query letter…

Not just for breakups any more

Writer guy

Someone was bound to publish an SMS novel–a manuscript consisting entirely of text messages–and now Hannu Luntiala is that author.

Talk about pushing the envelope of literary trends and social conventions. A facsimile reproduction of more than 1000 text messages, The Last Page documents the travels of a fictitious IT executive on a vision quest. For now, The Last Page is available only in Finnish, but with any luck, the publisher will ship an English translation someday.