Book recommendation

Just finished an awesome book you should read: Why We Suck by Dennis Leary. It's not only funny, so much of it is true. He tells it like it is, why men are the way we are, how the world works, and how he loathes celebutards (as do) I and the culture spawning their ubiquitous presence in the media. It seems the dumber you are, the more show time you get on television. We now have the privilege of watching human train wrecks competing for our limited attention span.

Back in the early 60's, Newton Minnow called television the vast wasteland. And that was before reality shows. I was raised on the idiot box, and I can easily slip into a blobby trance while watching bad television. So it speaks volumes when I can flip through a hundred channels and not find one thing worth my limited remaining time here on this plane of existence. It's a variation of Gresham's Law, with the bad driving out the good. They've killed television, and that may be a good thing. I'll actually shut it off and go do something else, which is absolutely the best thing.

CrimeBake

Sorry for the radio silence, but I've been preparing for two important events. The first, and most important, is my daughter's birthday today. She's having a party, and we've all been getting our home ready for a bunch of pre-teens.

The second is the big mystery convention around these parts, called CrimeBake, and I just got back from there, having spent most of the weekend. It was my first of this type, and was quite an experience. I met writers, editors, and agents. Met some old friends and made some new ones. It was a sold-out smash hit with everyone. So many nice people being helpful.

Like a number of others there, I was able to pitch my novel to someone in the biz, and he asked to see the first ten pages. So here's hoping he likes what he sees and wants to take on my novel. If not, it's off to other agents. I'd guess well over half the folk there, well over a hundred, were mystery writers-- some already established, and some trying to break in to the biz.

Imagine playing Little League with dreams of pro glory, and then getting to hang out with some of the biggest Major League players: that's what this kind of show offers. And then having a scout tell you to throw a few pitches to see what you've got. Yeah, the pressure is enormous, but you get in there and give 'em your best. And you wait to see if they call you up. Wow. People came out of the pitch session stunned. A few of us gathered together to share our stories and congratulate each other.

Just so you'll know, many of the top-name writers also faced repeated rejection. Toni Kelner, a very nice mystery author, had a story rejected by someone she never even submitted it to! One writer had a NY Times best seller book that was turned down by 65 people before it hit. Yeah. A similar story with another, 60 rejections before the best seller sold. It really doesn't matter how good it is, it's getting it before the right set of eyes, and that's the tough part.

And that's where I am, waiting for the Right One. I've got three complete novels, good enough to show to professionals. We'll start with one, and get a foot in the door. Then it's Katy, Bar the Door!

Rejections of good stories

Sorry for sounding like I'm whining, but it's getting more than a little frustrating. I'm getting numerous story rejections where the editors are telling me that they liked it, and that the story is good and well-written. Which tends to put them above most of the stories I read in these mags. So why aren't the editors buying? If an editor has lengthy discussions with other people about the merits of a story, shouldn't they buy the damn thing, especially at bargain rates? You'd think so, huh? When was the last time you had a lengthy discussion about a story? If it makes you think about it that much, it's something that should be published.

Here's excerpts:
"After some lengthy discussion... This is a very well-written piece, with convincing characters, an effective dénouement and a nice twist, and an important social message ... it fell just short of being outstanding... we thought this was an excellently crafted story, with its heart entirely in the right place."

And despite that, they won't publish it. Wow. Just short of outstanding, but not good enough for token pay rates.

And so it's off to another market, a magazine that rejected my last submission thusly:
"Your story was well-written and I could see your characters clearly."

Well, Heaven forbid you should get well-written stories with clear characters. Or support a writer who submits such stuff. And then editors whine about not getting enough quality submissions...

But tenacity is the name of the game. Right after the rejection of the last one, the story sold to House of Horror, where it will appear this month. One man's lengthy, unpublished discussion is another man's sale and readership.

Non carborundum illegitimatus

New Month

Happy Daylight Savings Time, this first day of November. It was a beauty, starting with that lovely extra hour. We should have that extra hour more often- it seems like it 's worth three or more. And the warm sun made it extra special.

Need it after last night, Trick-or-Treating with the kids. This might be my last year doing it. Wah. It was a perfect night for Halloween, an almost-full moon, and ghostly clouds scudding across the sky, driven by a swift wind. Warm enough for costumes without jackets. And a fun person to hang back with while the kids rang doorbells and collected sweet tribute.

All had good, safe fun, and we go into Thanksgiving month with much to be thankful for. In three weeks it's Turkey Time, and then the day and a half until Christmas! It was a fast year, folks. Yeah, there may be 60 days left, but they're booked pretty solid already. It's good to have a full life.

Better Weather

After the hideous snow scare of a short time ago, we have a beautiful day here in late October. So we're taking advantage of it and traveling up to see the Yankee Siege. That, dear readers is the ultimate in cool-- a giant mechanical device that flings pumpkins through the air to crash a long way away. It's called a trebuchet, and is based on siege engines of the middle ages that were used to batter down fortress walls.

It is an awesome process, and to watch the gaze of two hundred people follow the path of an airborne pumpkin missle, while going "oooooh" in unison, is something to see. It is, as they say in these parts, "Wicked cool." Hey, and our local engine has won the World Championship of flinging stuff on several occasions.

If you can take time to see something fun like that with friends, it's a good thing. There are too many headlines and current issues that make one worry, and too many tasks to do in life. On a day like this, I chuck it all and enjoy. What will you do today for relaxation and fun enjoyment of life?

Snow- and having it good

Snow? In mid-October? This isn't right. Snow should have the decency to wait to arrive until at least mid-November. It's still the time to take in the beautiful leaves, the varied colors the trees are displaying. Not the wet slush of flakes. NO, NO, NO!

So May, June, and July were kind of crappy, weather-wise. We had some nice days in August and September. And now this, with a long cold winter ahead. Sigh. Time to weather the weather in warmer climes.

Yeah, it's been a tough blogging season as well. Life demands a great deal of time, as does my job and my family. Oh, yeah, and a fledgling writing career. Plus a few other projects I'm working on to try and bring in some extra money, as we're sinking under a steady increase of bills. Don't get me wrong, life's great, but it does take some creative math to get all the bills paid on time.

Some people don't realize when they've got it good. I was listening to a friend rant about the burden of taxes he was paying, how bad he was suffering under the oppression, blah, blah, blah, and I look around at his $750,000 house, his numerous expensive possessions, his list of trips and vacations, his seemingly limitless wealth. I said it looked like he was doing pretty well. He said, "That's Capitalism."

Oh, I get it. No matter how much you have, it's never enough, and you complain about not having more, and no matter how good the system has been to let you amass great wealth, you complain about putting back into the system and helping anyone else.

Another acquaintance said something similar. His wife won thousands in the lottery, and he was complaining about paying the taxes and having to drive a few miles to collect the winnings. I suggested that if it was that much of a burden, he should give it to me to make his life easier. Man, if I had a few thousand right now, I'd be dancing for joy! All he could do is whine and bitch about not getting it all, not all the fun things he'd do with the extra money. That's some mindset.

Most days I write down the top five things I'm grateful for. Being alive that day is always at the top. Talking with friends this weekend, one mentioned that people get out of bed with the same old mindset, and that some of them die that day. Few think that their number will be up that day, but it happens to them anyway.

So we've got it good if we're alive and healthy. Happy comes from within, and too many people don't know when they've got it really good. Let's spend some time appreciating what we do have instead of what we don't.

Publishing- Addendum

I wanted to share with you the difficulty of placing even a good story these days. Editors say they want different, well-written, yadda, yadda, but send them a truly different story, and they can't place it.

I've been sending this magical realism tale out- it's a lot of wordplay, a la Lewis Carroll or James Joyce. Editors claim to love it, but so far it has not found a home. Here are some of the comments I've received:

Enjoyable, not our style.

Beautiful. Thoroughly enjoyed. Loved your use of language and words

Great opening and premise- unique, semi-surreal.

Loved this whimsical story. Co-editor doesn’t like whimsy.

Beautifully written and very humorous. We like darker.

It was well received here- second round consideration.

I really enjoyed the fun and creative use of language: this sort of poetic word-play is one of the ways that writing can be made really beautiful. This was also a very nice story, with a fun (if predictable) twist and a clever moral. I do hope you'll consider sending us more of your work in the future.

I couldn't decide if this story was utterly brilliant or just too clever for its own good.

I enjoyed this charming, engaging tale very much.