Are you ready then? Here we go.

***

Let's go back to your childhood. Do you remember when you started taking lessons in _____? Because you thought it'd be cool to _____? Do you remember how awful you were at first? I come from a musically inclined family. I played the baritone. I started in sixth grade. There were a lot of squeaks and blats, and lots of tone deaf renditions of Mary's Little Lamb. I did get better.

Let's go back to a class that really challenged you in high school or college. My first philosophy test was a C. It was a boring recap of the contents of the articles I read, and my first experience that college teachers want your own thoughts and extrapolations in philosophy. I finished with an A-. I got better.

How's about that first day on the job? Let's...not talk about my first year of high school teaching. It took that long to get hazed by the kids, to learn about the patriarchal environment of a small town school, and how to work within that system. The second year was better, and although I chose not to stay in high school education, I got better at the job.

***

Writing then. Remember your first story? Your first book? Your first "good" rejection? Your first request for a partial manuscript? A full? Several fulls? An almost offer of representation? It's great if we get farther and farther along the trail. How frustrating to not get there.

Two things:

1. It takes a while to learn to do anything well. To master a craft. It takes a while to write something that is good enough. Gotta live with that. Got no choice there.

2. It only takes one yes. One message in a bottle. One short straw. One number picked between one and ten.

The first point is a question of skill. Work and wait. Try not to be demoralized while you work and wait. You will be, of course. Even when you've published books, you'll probably still play these I'm not good enough games. And you aren't. But you should keep writing anyway.

The second point is the role of luck or subjective preference. And you can't do anything about whether someone is going to pluck you out from all the other straws, from all the other numbers. Stop worrying about that, because you can't do nothing about that.

In closing, go out and buy a teddy bear so you can have free hugs when you're feeling down. I got nothin' else. Get to work.

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***

Off to...Wiscon! So, you will be getting the barrage of Wiscon reports as usual. I have not forgotten about the Black Widow, and have been thinking about my feminism in The Avengers write up, so that's still coming.

***

Yesterday on my daycation I didn't do much of anything. I had an awesome spa treatment, got my hair done and styled and read. I finished Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgis (as expected, good!) and 3 volumes of Love and Rockets.

The evening before I finished Ellen Klages' The Green Glass Sea.

All right. So it's not a fantasy. It's a book about the Los Alamos development site for the nuclear bomb, and the experiences of two young girls who live at the project with their parents. There's a lot of the 1940s in it. The girls are very interesting characters, and their interactions are natural and evolving. Coloring everything in the background is what you know, and what the scientists don't, about our nuclear future. It's a stunner. It's the first book where I've cried reading a character scene in quite a while. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially if you like reading, or you're working on, character development and relationships.

One more post today, and then I've got to get down to some hard core computer program chasing.

Cath

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Icon is our local literary convention. It's going into its 37th year, and it's undergoing a bit of revitalization. We've decided to try to add another interesting piece to Icon--a journeyman's writer workshop.

Icon has a great tradition of attending authors and a strong beginning writer's workshop hosted by Mickey Zucker Reichart. We'd like to continue that tradition by adding a second tier.

One of the requirements of applying to the workshop is journeyman status. The cost of $100 includes admission to the convention and the workshop, as well as a reception Saturday evening. Friday will be a day of critiquing and workshopping. Saturday will be a day of seminars, readings, and participation in panels. Membership will be capped at 18 writers.

Our information will evolve, but you can read the basics here. Click the Projects Menu, and then highlight Paradise Icon. A side menu will show up with a variety of details.

Hope to see some of you there!

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Viable Paradise applications close June 15th. That's close, peoples.

And you know how I feel about Viable Paradise? You don't? Click here, and find out. You can also see what some other wonderful people thought as well.

If you want to take your writing up to another level, meet some awe-inspiring fellow writers, get treated LIKE A WRITER FOR REELZ, and receive some good instruction, this is for you.

Or you could just stay home and miss the day glo jelly fish, Mac's excellent cooking, and Beer with Billy. It's your call.

I will happily answer any questions I can. But if you have been considering a writing workshop, and you're like me, writer with a serious day job, this is a great way to go.

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I've been meaning to add Stop Staring! for a while. Stop Staring! has one of the best selections of vintage styles on the web. You'll find their dresses available at other sites, but this is the place to find them all. The sizes are right too--I can get clothes that fit and flatter at Stop Staring, all the way up to 3X. Skip through their collection of little black dresses. Come on, you know you want to. I should really get around to buying this beauty.

Mode Merr: Mode Merr has some wonderful outfits, but what really captured my interest were their very attractive office ready skirts and shirts.

Check these sites out and enjoy the gorgeous retro-reproductions!

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***

Tomorrow I'll be off work. I am taking a SPA DAY. (Dr. Catherine needs her a spa day.) So, you won't see me about until later in the day when I settle in for some more writing.

BTW, I am done with chapter six. Can I manage to catch up and get back on schedule? It's a fantasy..

Speaking of spas, did the whole Disney reservation thing for the cruise today. Still gotta have words with the husband about the Nassau part. We'll probably do that tonight.

***

So, Wiscon. As is traditional, my friends Dan and Lisa are kindly driving me to Wisconsin on Friday, where we will rendez-vous with our friend Yolanda. I'm planning on seeing some friends and doing some socializing and getting some books signed. I'll also be available to sign if you just happen to have a copy of Hulk Hercules lying around!

I am not reading this year. Really don't have anything coming out soon. I'll be hopefully reading at Convergence with my fellow Broads from Broad Universe. I expect it'll be something from Abigail Rath. A shocker! But I do have a couple of panels to tell you about, one on Sunday and one on Monday, in case you'd rather see me behind a table rather than over a drink.

Sunday, 2:30 pm -3:45 pm: Baba Yaga and Other Retired/Secret Goddesses. Putting my Fulbright GPA to good use, I'm going to be on a Baba Yaga panel.

Monday, 10:00 am -11:15: Newly Professional Older Writers: What Helps What Hinders. A discussion about trying to break in at a later age.

I'll also be at the sign out, I expect mostly getting books signed.

Will I see you there?

Catherine

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Tamago: Do you have a regular drafting process, or does your drafting process vary from book to book? (If it varies, please keep one project in mind as you answer these questions.)

Tiffany: It tends to vary from book to book. I’ve tried both chronological drafting and also what I’ll call “scene” drafting, in which I allow myself to write whatever scene I want as it comes to me, regardless of order. I did that with a book I started a couple years ago and it was fun, but it became a great challenge when I tried to figure out where the pieces went. I’m still figuring it out!

Tamago: In general, how many drafts does it take before you are satisfied with a novel?

Tiffany: I’m not sure I’m ever satisfied. The closest to satisfied I’ve been is THE UNNATURALISTS (coming in August) and that took more drafts than I care to count, including three to-the-bones rewrites.

Tamago: Which part of writing--drafting, revising, critique from others--do you enjoy the most? Why? The least? Why?

Tiffany: I really enjoy the voyage of discovery when I’m drafting a new novel. It’s then that I feel the most synergy with my characters, that I have the most revelations about the story, that the book is at its most organic. It’s a sort of obsessive love that I cultivate in the beginning because that will carry me through every subsequent draft. I surround myself with art and experiences to enrich the novel; I read lots of resource material and make playlists, etc. I love that best of all. (Though sometimes that process isn’t always as romantic as I make it sound here. Some books just don’t want to cooperate and all one can do is grit one’s teeth, put the butt in the chair, and do the work).

The least enjoyable to me is revision, especially because I know I’m going to have to give up much of what I loved best to achieve the story that really needs to be told. I often hold harder to such things than I should, so the trimming away of all the inessentials is usually a very painful process to me.

Tamago: How much time do you spend, if any, doing research for your books

Tiffany: A TON. At some points, I’ve found myself doing more research than writing. Oops.

Tamago: How do you know when something you're writing isn't working?

Tiffany: It’s sort of like cooking a soufflé. You look in the oven and realize that not only is it not blossoming golden over the top of the dish, but it’s sunk to a pile of sludge that cannot be resuscitated no matter what you do. I throw it out then and start over.

Tamago: Do you discuss your initial ideas and drafts with others? Why or why not?

Tiffany: I tend not to, though sometimes if an idea seems really strange, I test it on a couple of trusted readers if they have time to see whether I’ve gone completely insane. There are many reasons why I don’t discuss ideas, but most often it’s because if I discuss them too early then it sometimes kills my vision just as it’s forming. And even though that vision may ultimately prove to be wrong, I still need its initial spark to light the flame that keeps me going.

Tamago: What are some particular issues that a YA writer needs to pay attention to that a writer of "adult" fiction might not have to pay attention to?

Tiffany: I think YA is much tighter in its pacing and style. You have to hook the reader and keep hooking them; there’s not much patience for meandering. You also have to make sure the voice is pitch-perfect.

Tamago: Do you write by yourself or do you write in a writing group? What do you see as the benefits of the method that you choose?

Tiffany:I write by myself. It just seems to suit my nature better, I think. And at this point in my life, with a dayjob and a farm and many health problems for the last few years, I have little enough time for my own work as it is. But I do like helping people when I have the time. I seem to have a knack for critting and helping people find the story they’re trying to tell—wish it worked better on my own stuff!

Tamago: What has been your favorite project to date? Why?

Tiffany: I think THE UNNATURALISTS has been one of my favorites because I got to mesh so many things I love—science, Victoriana, museums, mythological creatures, Baima culture—into one thing. It’s not often you get to do that!

Tamago: Besides the big firsts (getting an agent, publishing your first novel), what moments have you had that made you think, "hey, I'm actually a writer?"

Tiffany: I think when I started getting fan mail, I definitely got that feeling. Also when I was asked to speak at a university I’d secretly wanted to attend since I was a child, I had a true sense of arrival.

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Why talk about this at all? Katie was certainly a gifted literature student, one of the best I had had. Her research papers went above and beyond, and her interpretations of texts were nuanced and complex. More importantly, as you read about Katie's life, you will see that she was an IMPORTANT PERSON (TM). There's a law named after her, and her life was in part that of a disability advocate.

I have talked about death here. I've always felt that my father did more harm than good in the world. And my father-in-law had the life he wanted, and left those he knew better than he found them. Katie was a normal person in extraordinary circumstances, and left a legacy to other hospitalized children around the country.

The last time I saw Katie, it was during a writing session I was having at Barnes and Noble during finals week. She robbed me of some of my writing time. I resented that a little. As good a student as Katie was, her new hope was to be a YA writer. She tried to get into a YA program twice, but she wasn't ready. I would go so far to say that Katie was a terrible writer of fiction. But there's a lesson in that too.

When Katie asked me to look at her work, I was ready to be delighted. The writing I had seen from her in lit class led me to believe she had facility with words, and I knew she was an avid reader. What Katie didn't have, however, was a sense of timing, plotting, dialogue, description, pretty much the tool kit of a writer. And I respected her enough, knowing she was planning on applying to a graduate program in YA, to tell her the truth.

I blasted her editing, which was non-existent. I asked her questions about characters. I tried to focus her away from doing too much in the book, toward finding out where she really wanted the character to go. Katie took my criticism hard, but sent off her grad school pages anyway, and was rejected.

Here's the part where it gets interesting. I didn't feel I was the right person to do an independent study with Katie, and my time resource is small. So, when she asked, I tried to hook her up with other burgeoning writers, and she took up an independent study with another faculty. Katie wasn't giving up. She would send me her work from time to time, and I would continue to send feedback.

I never had the feeling that she was taking our advice to heart, or making those kinds of changes myself or the other teacher suggested. She was rejected again from the YA program. Clearly, for now, she was going to have to take another path.

Although I didn't know it, always looming in the background was that every day could have been Katie's last day. Doctors had diagnosed that she probably wouldn't live past 10. She had 24 extra years and each day she continued to plan for a future that centered on her interests. She planned for the world to keep spinning.

I could see the path she was on as a writer. She was still very much in the infant stage of handling critique. I don't know if she would have stuck with it or not. Already she was talking to agents at Romantic Times, and making writer friends. Already she was thinking about revising her book. I'd like to think she would have passed through the highly personal stage of critique, and moved forward into being able to separate herself from her work so she could improve it. Then again, the story's main character was a disability activist living through her teen years, coping with the stress by cutting. I don't know it would have been possible for her to separate herself from that.

But what I do know was that she was alive, and she had plans for the future. There will be no published book by Katie Beckett, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't have put forth any of the effort. That doesn't mean I shouldn't have spent time on the critiques. That doesn't mean that she was wrong to move toward this dream. Even if she had lived, and she had failed, the point is that she was doing it. She was living life on her own terms.

I think about mortality, sometimes in the abstract way middle-aged people do, sometimes in the paranoid way that people do when their parents die young. One of the things I hear from older people is that it's too late for me to do (fill in the blank) because I don't have enough time. Well, you were gonna be that age anyway. And wouldn't you rather be in the middle of something if you should be so unlucky to die? Because you're living life on your own terms?

Safe journey, Katie. And thank you for sharing your life with me.

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***

It's been a while since you've had one of these, but here 'tis...all the writing projects that at least have a file, and where they are at.

But of course this is more for me than you. If you want to see something that's more for you than me, look at the two posts before this. Judging from the traffic they've been getting, you'll want to have a look-see.

Projects Underneath the Cut.

Novels

ACTIVE PROJECT
Abigail Rath Versus Blood-Sucking Fiends (Abigail Rath #1)
Stage: 3rd revision; collecting feedback for 4th revision
Date of Submission: November/December

The Substance of Shadows (Klarion #3)
Stage: Major re-imagining; critique at Taos Toolbox
Date of Submission: Unknown

Unnamed Klarion Novel #1 (Klarion #1)
Stage: 1st draft started
Date of Submission: Unknown

The Fall of the Sparrow (Klarion #2)
Stage: Outlined, timelined
Date of Submission: Unknown

Unnamed Klarion Novel #4 (Klarion #4)
Stage: Outlined, timelined
Date of Submission: Unknown

Unnamed Klarion Novel #5 (Klarion #5)
Stage: Outlined, timelined
Date of Submission: Unknown

The Winter the Troll Danced with Old Nick
Stage: Major surgery. Will divide out Manuel's story into MG novella. Will re-write rest of story from first person Magdalene POV.
Date of Submission: Unknown

The Werehumans
Stage: 1st draft novella. Will expand into longer 2nd draft.
Date of Submission: Unknown

Short Stories

The Standard Bearer:
Stage: First draft complete
Date of Submission: Unknown.

Untitled Superhero's Girlfriend Story
Stage: Handwritten first draft
Date of Submission: Unknown

Circulating

The Love Song of Oliver Toddle (reprint)
Mark Twain's Daughter
O-Taga-San

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And this book was awesome! I met Greg when I'd only gotten to page 60, and asked him for an autograph. He dutifully wrote, "Don't read past page 60. Greg Van Eekhout." But on Saturday night, I needed some me time, and I sat in the bar with the book, reading, trying to exude friendly, but really wanting alone. After a short time it didn't matter, because I was only thinking about the story. And then it was suddenly midnight.

So, I started paying attention to what Greg might be publishing, reading his blog. And next was Kid Vs Squid The title was so awesome. Couldn't say no to that. So...I read the first few pages. And I knew that this was one of those books Bryon and I would have to read to each other on the commute to work. It struck as as very much like those Scholastic adventure books we bought from a flier in school. It was a lot of fun. The Boy at the End of the World wasn't as much fun, but it was still good, and the hubs and I still talk about Protein as a suitable name for mammoths every time we see a walking with pre-historic beasts program.

So, I'm a fan, and I get a little shy around Greg because I am a fan. His wonderful humor keeps me reading, but at the same time he can contrast humor and drama really well. Another writer I'm a fan of, Jim Hines, does the same thing in a different ways. A writer could have worse role models for humor.

Thanks, Greg, for the interview.

***

Tamago: Do you have a regular drafting process, or does your drafting process vary from book to book? (If it varies, please keep one project in mind as you answer these questions.)

Greg: My drafting process is totally stupid. First I outline. Then I start writing. Then I decide my outline is stupid and I start ignoring it. Then I regret ignoring my outline and I dump a bunch of words and go back to adhering to my outline. Then I decide the entire enterprise of writing a novel is pointless and stupid and the only thing keeping me going is the fact that I've already spent my advance and can't afford to give my publisher their money back. Eventually I stumble my way to the end of the book and I brag on Twitter about how awesome I am for having written another book. I do not recommend my process to anyone. It's completely inefficient, frustrating, and ridiculous. The only thing I can say for it is that, eventually, the books get written, and I haven't missed a deadline yet.

Tamago: Are you a fast writer or a slow writer?

Greg: It always feels slow while it's happening, but I'm probably about average. What I am is a steady writer. I usually get 1000 - 1500 words a day, and I write most every day.

Tamago: In general, how many drafts does it take before you are satisfied with a novel?

Greg: I'm not sure satisfaction ever comes into it. I submit a final draft when I'm convinced that further work isn't going to make it any better, or I'm out of time. It usually takes somewhere between three and five drafts. And, of course, there's always another draft after my editor's read it and given me notes.

Tamago: Almost all of your novels I've had the opportunity to read have elements of humor. Does this come naturally to you, or do you have to work at it? How hard is it to write humor? When do you know if your humor works?

Greg: I don't set out to write humor, per se, in the vein of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, but my books do tend to include characters who engage the world with humor. I like characters who face horror and hardship with a sardonic outlook. I like humor as a manifestation of defiance against villainy and misfortune. I like smart asses. In my current novel in progress, I wrote three chapters that were all strife and violence, and the lack of humor in those chapters told me that the book wasn't working. It was monotone, it was dreary, it was just no fun to write or to read. I much prefer chiaroscuro to simple light or dark.

You only know humor works when people laugh, but since I seldom watch someone read my work, all you can truly know is that it works for you. That's true of just about everything in writing.

Tamago: Are there any differences for you between writing a middle-grade book and writing a book for adults?

Greg: Not really. Every book has a different voice, a different set of problems, a different approach. The differences among my books probably have to do more with the fact that they're different stories about different people and they're slightly different genres. It has less to do with them being marketed at different ages.

I think, both in the case of books for adults and books for kids, I'm employing what I call the grown-up brain and the kid brain. The kid brain is responsible for fun and for sense of wonder. The grown-up brain is responsible for complexity and ambiguity. I try to use both brains in every book. When those two brains are working in collaboration, the writing seems most natural to me.

Tamago: Which part of writing--drafting, revising, critique from others--do you enjoy the most? Why? The least? Why?

Greg: The best part is brainstorming ideas and sort of planning out a book in broad strokes. At this point, it's all pristine, shiny fun. Once drafting starts, it becomes work and things get messy and ruined. Work is stupid.

Tamago: Do you discuss your initial ideas or drafts with others? Why or why not?

Greg: I do. I have a lot of brilliant, talented, generous friends who let me talk out ideas with them. When you have access to awesome friends, it seems foolish not to exploit them.

Tamago: Are you involved with a writing group, or do you get feedback on your drafts in another way?

Greg: Once a year I go to the Blue Heaven workshop. I haven't written a novel that hasn't been critiqued by Blue Heaven. They've been an important part of my evolution from a short-story writer trying to transition to novels, to a working novelist. I also have a smaller group of friends who are even more involved in my work and help me along the way. It's entirely possible to write a novel in isolation, and I understand why some writers prefer to work that way, but get a lot of benefit about being in the kind of writing community where I don't have to go it alone. Also, my agent is a former editor, and she plays an important role in helping me shape my books before my editors see them.

Tamago: What's been your favorite project so far? Why?

Greg: Kid vs. Squid was the most fun to write. More often than not, I felt I was in my comfort zone and that I knew what I was doing. Although, actually, even with Kid vs. Squid, there was a lot of messy drafting and chucking of words and re-writing. But my recollection of that book is mostly a lot of fun days at the keyboard.

Tamago: After the initial break-in moment (your first book, agent, or assignment), what are the moments/accomplishments that you feel define you as a writer?

Greg: Sending off a finished draft is always extraordinarily satisfying. First time seeing my book on a library shelf. First fan letter. First school visit, when kids treat you like a rock star even though you are nobody. Actually, I try to suck as much joy out of every good thing as possible. Any time I realize a story I told touched a reader in some small way, it's a total rocket engine. That may be corny, but it's true. More than particular moments or accomplishments, what defines me a writer is the daily, constant work. I define myself as a writer because, more days than not, I spend hours writing.

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