Writerly Ambition and a Secret Project

Last Wednesday, I received an e-mail about a potential writing project. I haven’t had a Secret Project in quite some time, but if I were to do this one, it would certainly qualify. I’ve already signed a nondisclosure agreement and everything.  (So don’t ask me about the details.)

To say I’m torn would be an understatement.  I’m already working on The Snow Queen’s Shadow, which is due October 1.  I’ve also got a short story for an anthology due in a week.  The deadline for this new book would be the end of this summer.

Before I go any further, I should clarify that I don’t have an offer or a contract yet.  I was asked to write up sample pages to see if I’d be right for the project.

The invite brought to the forefront something I’ve been struggling with lately.  I want to be writing more.  I’ve turned down several short fiction projects over the past month or two.  I was talking with Tobias Buckell back in January about how cool it would be to try doing a YA novel, but I just didn’t know if I could pull it off.  It’s frustrating, to say the least.

Then this invitation shows up, offering me a shot I would have killed for ten years ago.  For a book that, with all due modesty, I’m pretty much perfect for.

So I spent Saturday writing and revising a 2000-word sample chapter.  I’ve sent it in, and we’ll see what happens.  Maybe they won’t like my style, in which case, problem solved.  Maybe the offer won’t be something I’m comfortable with.  Maybe they’ll discover my blog post from last week and decide I’m too fat for their book.

In some ways, life would be simpler if this fell through.  My life is pretty full already.  Two young kids, a full time job, a house to maintain, a wife finishing grad school, a book a year with DAW…  This is where I’ve been for several years now, and it’s worked pretty well.

At the same time … this new book could be an awful lot of fun.  And there’s a part of me that wants to prove I can do it.  There’s a hunger to being a writer.  As great as my career has been so far, I want more.  I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my schedule for the next four months.  Based on the time it took to write and revise the first chapter, I believe I can make this work.

We’ll see what happens.  Like I said, there’s a chance I won’t even get the offer.  But even if I don’t, this has certainly gotten me thinking about my career and where I want to be, and that’s a good thing.

Wish me luck!

Pseudonyms: A Chat with “Benjamin Tate”

Each year, Brenda Novak runs an auction to raise money for diabetes research.  Last year, she raised more than a quarter of a million dollars.  Among the items and services up for bid are a short story/chapter critique by yours truly, as well as an autographed copy of The Stepsister Scheme.

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Jon Gibbs recently interviewed Jig the goblin for the Find a Writing Group blog.  The interview is posted here.  I enjoy this sort of thing, and it was fun to get into Jig’s voice again.

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Benjamin Tate‘s new book Well of Sorrows [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] is out this week from DAW.  My investigative goblins have discovered that Mr. Tate is in fact a pseudonym for another fantasy author.

Pseudonyms are common practice.  Sometimes an author will use them to write in different genres — someone who wants to write YA and erotica both, for example.  Other times it’s a way to reboot a career.  I shot Mr. Tate a few questions about his choice to adopt a new identity.

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The Obesity “Epidemic”

So Michelle Obama is launching the Let’s Move Campaign to eliminate the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.  “[O]ne in three kids are overweight or obese, and we’re spending $150 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses. So we know this is a problem, and there’s a lot at stake.”  (Source)

I applaud the idea of encouraging health.  I do karate 2-3 times each week, and do eight-mile stints on the exercise bike when I can.  My daughter does karate and soccer.  My son does a nightly marathon running laps in our living room.

Yet I’m troubled by this initiative.  I’ve visited four elementary schools this year, and spoken to hundreds of young kids.  Most looked healthy to me.  I saw no difference between these classes and my own a quarter of a century ago.  But the Let’s Move site claims that obesity rates have tripled in the past 30 years.

Interesting…  The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a commonly used tool for classifying individuals as underweight, healthy, overweight, or obese.  You know what doesn’t get mentioned very often?  In 1998, the BMI was changed, reducing the threshold for someone to be considered overweight or obese.  From a 1998 CNN report:

Millions of Americans became “fat” Wednesday — even if they didn’t gain a pound — as the federal government adopted a controversial method for determining who is considered overweight.

(ETA: Slate has a more recent article on the history of the BMI.  Thanks to alcymyst for the link.)

You know what?  I think I’m going to redefine the I.Q. scale so that anyone with an I.Q. under 130 is considered an idiot.  Voila!  I’ve just uncovered this country’s epidemic of stupidity.

You want to see what overweight looks like these days?  According to the BMI, given my height and weight, I’m officially overweight.  I didn’t retouch the photos at all, except to remove a few red dots on the belly from the insulin pump.  (Okay, I also Photoshopped out a chest pimple.  So sue me.)

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Why Con?

While I was at Penguicon this weekend, I posted a quick Twitter update: “To think I used to come to conventions for the panels…”  (I also Twittered about Howard Tayler taking a picture of my crotch, but that’s probably best left for another time.  Or never.)

I went to my first con not as a fan, but as a wannabe writer, because that’s what you’re supposed to do, right?  You go to sell books (once you have books to sell), and to get your name out there, and to network with editors and other professionals, and do panels, and so on.

I enjoy the panels.  I did a half-dozen this weekend, along with a reading and an autographing session.  The programming was great — big props to the con staff.  Fun topics, fun panelists, and good-sized audiences.  And according to Larry Smith in the dealer’s room, I sold a decent number of books, too.  (I also note that my Amazon rankings are looking pretty good today — though this may or may not have anything to do with the con.)

But the most fun of the weekend?  Hanging out at the bar with friends, arguing whether semicolons are pretentious.  Chatting about kids/family with Sandra Tayler.  Listening to Tom Smith perform 307 Ale in the middle of the lobby.  Listening to Pat Rothfuss go on about Spirographs and masturbation.  (I came into that conversation halfway through, so I suspect I may have missed something…)

I’m not the most extroverted or outgoing guy, but I love the social side.  I’ve never been one for the parties, but I definitely understand how John Scalzi can spend an entire con just chatting with folks in the bar and have a blast.

The networking and the promotion still happen.  I’ve landed story contracts and talked about anthology projects at conventions.  I’ve made connections with editors who later bought my work.  And I do sell some books.  But I’ve learned not to force that.  For me, it works better to show up and have fun.  If people like what I have to say in panels, or think I’m a fun guy in person, they’ll track down the books.  Whereas if I’m coming off as a salesman … well, I might sell books, but it’s also very easy to push too hard and annoy people.  Not to mention I won’t have as much fun.

One downside, of course, is that I’m pretty wiped by the end of it all.  Especially when my hotel room was on the second floor, in a location where people were apparently compelled to run around shouting and stomping at three in the morning.  So as a result, I’ve forgotten all of the brilliant and insightful things I meant to say about conventions.

Instead, I’ll toss it out to you.  For those of you who are into conventions, why do you go and what do you do in order to get the most out of the experience?

Friday LEGO

Quick blog post today before setting off for Penguicon this afternoon.  Hoping to see some of you there!

Assuming the schedule doesn’t change, I’ll be doing a five-hour panel block Saturday afternoon.  If I crash the author signing at 6:00, it’ll be six hours nonstop.  Should be interesting to see how coherent I am by the end of the day!

I’m also doing a reading on Sunday with Sarah Monette and Pat Rothfuss, which should be fun.  I’m still trying to decide which bit to read out of Red Hood’s Revenge.

Unrelated to Penguicon, I have web site envy.  I mentioned the book Feed yesterday.  Today, the Feed Book site launched.  ‘Tis most nifty.

Finally, your Friday LEGO, courtesy of Mrs. Monster.  Click here or on the picture for the full set.  (She’s also done Marvin the Martian, among others!)

Day Off

Sigh.  So I missed at least two more of my friends’ books that were out this week.  I plead squirrel brain.

David B. Coe’s novelization of the new Robin Hood [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon] movie is first up.  Coe posted at SF Novelists about the challenges of doing a work like this.

Also out is Janni Lee Simner‘s latest YA title Thief Eyes [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon].  Icelandic fantasy for those tired of traditional pseudo-European settings.  Read an excerpt here.

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So yesterday I took the day off of work.  I’ve maxed out on my annual leave, meaning I’m at the point where I either use it or lose it.  Here are the things I managed to accomplish:

  • Got the boy off to school.
  • Paving stones placed beneath gates to stop dog from digging out of the back yard.
  • Lawn mowed.
  • Front yard weeded and feeded.
  • Weeds in driveway sprayed with liquid death.
  • Oil changed and car washed.
  • Dishes put away.
  • Interview with Jig the goblin written and turned in.

What didn’t I do?  Any writing at all on Snow Queen or for the anthology invitation that showed up Wednesday night.  And this is why the idea of quitting the day job and going full time as a writer isn’t as simple as it looks.

I needed to get all of that stuff done, especially since I’ll be away this weekend at Penguicon.  But it’s still frustrating that, in many ways, it’s easier for me to get writing done when I’m working than it is on a day off.

If I ever do go full time, I know I’ll have to make some changes.  Basically, I’ll have to treat it just like I do my day job, with scheduled work hours.  I’m thinking a two-hour block in the morning, and a 2-3 hour block in the afternoon.  (Yes, I think about this a fair amount.)  It wouldn’t be a full eight-hour work day, but it would be a lot more than I get now, and would leave time for blogging, e-mail, and other related activity.

But hey, at least my car is clean 🙂

Books and Squirrel

Two new books out today from friends of mine.

 

Feed [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon], by Mira Grant, also known as Seanan McGuire (of Rosemary & Rue fame)[1. She’s been talking about the book on her LiveJournal, so I’m assuming the pseudonym is an open secret].  From the Publishers Weekly Starred Review:

Twin bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason and their colleague Buffy are thrilled when Sen. Peter Ryman, the first presidential candidate to come of age since social media saved the world from a virus that reanimates the dead, invites them to cover his campaign. Then an event is attacked by zombies…

Bewitched & Betrayed [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon], by Lisa Shearin.  This is Shearin’s fourth book about seeker/sorceress Raine Benares.  Lisa has posted sample chapters from all four books on her web site.  Check ’em out!

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Thanks for everyone’s input last week about discussing/sharing family stories and such online.  I talked to my wife and both kids about it, and I have a better sense how I’m going to try to go about this.  The current plan is to use the cut tag for these, since not everyone is interested.  I also let the kids choose pseudonyms for themselves.  (Clara and Jackson, if you’re wondering).  I’ll probably reevaluate as I go.

So anyway, this weekend I brought the kids to Michigan State to feed the ducks…

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Everybody was Kung Fu Writing

Okay, so I’m actually studying Sanchin-Ryu, not Kung Fu, but I liked the subject line.  I spent Sunday afternoon at our first spring workshop.  Hundreds of students, lots of senseis and masters, and three hours of instruction and workout.

Lately, I’ve been thinking more about the parallels between writing and martial arts.  I riffed on this a year ago with a Writer as Martial Artist post at SF Novelists.  Both writing and martial arts require a great deal of practice and discipline.  With both, while many people dabble, far fewer stick with it to the point of mastery.

What I’ve been noticing a lot in martial arts lately is that I’m walking away from classes feeling lost.  Back when I was a green belt, I had a pretty good idea what I was doing.  I was learning the moves, getting the forms down, and feeling pretty confident.

What a foolish little green belt I was.  I’m now at third brown (which is the lowest rank of brown belt).  Remember those forms I thought I knew?  Now we’re breaking them down.  It’s one thing to do choreographed movements.  It’s another to perform part of a form with speed, power, and proper technique against someone who just grabbed your gi and hauled off to punch you in the face.

It’s frustrating.  My brain wants concrete right answers, and that’s not what I’m getting now.  Two masters will show me the exact same form, but they’ll do it differently.  Is one way right or better than another?  That depends on the situation, the effect I’m trying to create, and how much I’ve practiced.

Sound familiar?  Tell me, what’s the right way to write a story?  (Seriously, please tell me.  I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and I still don’t know!)

One of the lessons I learned yesterday was that I think too much.  My partner throws a punch.  I step in, strike the arm, throw the kick … and stop.  The kick didn’t go where I expected it to.  So I pull back, trying to figure out what to do differently.  The master we were working with jumped on this.  Better to do something than to do nothing.  The last thing you want to do is train yourself to stop while fighting.  Throw the kick, and if it misses, follow up with something else.  Misses can open up opportunities as well.

Strange how well this matches my personal writing process.  I can’t revise when I’m working on a first draft.  I’ll think about the story on the road, or lying in bed, but when I’m writing I write.  If I write crap, that’s okay — keep writing, and see what I come up with.  Some of that crap will have to be fixed.  Some will create new ideas and opportunities.

They say the more you learn, the more you discover how little you know.  It’s a pretty saying.  In real life, it’s frustrating as heck 🙂  It’s also true.  Will I ever reach a point of mastery, in either Sanchin-Ryu or in writing?  I have no clue.  But I have to trust that I’m getting better, even when I feel completely overwhelmed by it all.

Especially when I feel overwhelmed.

Random LOL Book

I haven’t done a LOL book in ages.  Heck, a good chunk of my readers probably found me after I stopped doing ’em.  But what can I say — I saw this cover, and was struck by inspiration.  The book is Day of the Minotaur, by Thomas Burnett Swann.

The full LOL Book archives are available via http://jimhines.livejournal.com/tag/lol

Authors Behaving Badly?

So, informal poll time — is this a spoof/satire, or a legitimate author blog?

http://rejectionqueen.blogspot.com/

She mentions having a novel coming out, but I can’t find any info on it, which suggests spoof to me.  I’m not sure, though. Most authors are fairly reasonable about rejections, but Rejection Queen wouldn’t be the first to flip out and shoot her career in the foot.  With a bazooka. Just see this post from agent Colleen Lindsay:

http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-not-to-do-when-you-get-rejection.html

That second one is an interesting case, as the idiocy comes from someone who has actually published with major houses.  But if you look at his published work, you notice that each book was with a different publisher.  Makes you wonder … did he storm off, or did the publisher exercise their “No a**hole” clause on subsequent books?

While some authors whine and moan, others actually do the work without expecting things to be handed to them on a golden platter.  See Rae Carson and Jenn Reese, both of whom recently landed awesome book deals.  Huge congratulations to them both!

But you know what?  Ask anyone who has accomplished what Rae and Jenn have, and they’ll probably tell you they got rejected plenty of times before reaching that point.  It’s normal.  Get over it.

You know what most successful authors don’t do?

This.

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