Month: May 2008

Another week, five morning queries!

Cameron McClure of Donald Maass
Anne Boyle of Wylie-Merrick
Whitney Lee of the Fielding Agency
Christi Cardenas of the Lazear Agency
Shawna McCarthy of the McCarthy Agency

I’ll continue the literary series shortly, but today I’ve got to be a good coordinator, and get some things together for the teachers.

Catherine

Donald Maass sends a polite rejection.

I have noticed among some of you a reluctance to be rejected. It is an important part of your growth as a writer. Everyone tells you that you will be rejected much more than you will be published, and it’s true. Please don’t allow it to keep you from sending things out. Every rejection I get for a query I write is someone who will remember my query as professional and sincere. Perhaps the next time I take a manuscript out for a spin, they will remember the promise of this one, or that they were favorably inclined toward me.

You can’t build that kind of coin when you stop sending out queries, or you’re afraid to.

***

The other trap a lot of new writers fall into is “revision unto perfection.” I’m not a seasoned pro, so take this advice for what it’s worth, but you may want to work on something else, sit on the rejected work for a while (I’m thinking a year or two) and circulate something new. Why? Because several agents ask you specifically not to resolicit a work they’ve rejected. I think that you may need substantial time to re-envision your work, so that it is truly something different for them.

This would be the keep writing advice.

Wow. Who put this soap box here, and when did I decide to climb up on it? I’m getting back to making dinner.

Catherine

After yesterday’s initial foray into the world of the break out novel, we were left with the daunting task of trying to figure out what a good book is, or what literature is. Unlike J. Evans Pritchard, PhD (Good for you, if you caught the Dead Poet’s Society reference!), I don’t think literature can be measured on a table. How do we do it then?

When my students and I talk about literature, the first place we start is with the definition of a “good” book. The concept of the good book conjures up a lot of stereotypes for my students: often books that employ artifice the student does not want to read, books that are long, or books written in a stilted or older language. Students enjoy genre books. They suggest these books are not the same as “good” books. I try to challenge their notions that some of them are INDEED good books, so we need to tweak the concept of what we conceive of as good.

Continue reading “What is Literature Anyway?”

Letter this evening:
“We’ll be including ‘Yellow Cat and the Man’ in the FACF chapbook. I’ll be
looking over the accepted pieces closely over the next couple of weeks,
and if I have any editing questions about your story I’ll let you know.”

For those of you in the know, “Yellow Cat and the Man” was my tribute to our Toby, who died over Christmas vacation in 2006. I wrote it first as carthasis for myself and Bryon. When a poetry chapbook for Friends of the Animal Center Foundation asked for submissions, I trimmed it down and sent it off. The chapbook is to raise money for the center, and I’m happy to be part of it. I’d be happy to tell you how to get it, to help out a good cause, once I know. Of course, my work is a donation in this case. Toby was a rescued cat, and it’s only right his story should help others like him.

Closing off the message, I’m noting a rejection from Kirsten Wolf. Just noting. Honestly, most agents write nice rejection letters.

Catherine

Here’s our group’s reading schedule for the upcoming future. I’m pleased. It’s balanced with genres, classics, new authors and established. It pushes all the members of the group, yet everyone chose some favorites as well.

2008
May The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon
June Dead Zone by Stephen King
July The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas (discussion with the author) (can switch to August)
August Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman
September TANYA HUFF NOVEL
October Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry
November The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi
December Goblin Quest by Jim Hines

2009
January Body Bags by Christopher Golden
February Short Story Night
March Ghosts in the Snow by Tamara Siler Jones (discussion with the author)
April Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
May The Princess Bride by William Goldman
June FLEX
July Devices and Desires by K. J. Parker
August The Eyre Affair by Jaspar Fforde
September Mort by Terry Pratchett
October Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
November The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia
December Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

First of all, no from Alexandra Machinist.

For our reading group, I’ve been pouring over the newest Michael Chabon book, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union. The book is a hard hitting detective story in the Raymond Chandler tradition, set in an alternate reality where the Jews, fleeing from Europe’s holocaust, settle in Alaska. The story is based on the slim possibility that the US actually did what it suggested it might do during Roosevelt’s presidency. I’ll talk about the novel in greater detail when I give our reading group’s take on it on May 19th. However, I consider it to be a successful genre jumper and a breakout piece.

A few months ago in January, one of the mid-list authors on my friends’ list said one of her goals this year was to write a breakout novel, the novel that would transcend genre writing and reach out to the public in general. Chabon is clearly a writer who can make this leap, who can write within the confines of genre and win the Nebula, yet capture the imagination of larger than the typical genre audience. What are the characteristics of the breakout novel?

I think about the breakout novel a lot. I am an English professor with a strong interest in the literature of the fantastic. I’ve read good novels and bad novels in lots of genres. What do I think makes a genre book accessible to a wider audience? Is it the fickle finger of fate? Good marketing? I’m about to go all idealistic on you, so for those of you who are nuts-and-bolts, get-the-words-on-the-page kind of people, you may want to skip this next part. I provide a convenient break for you to do so shortly.

Also, I want to clarify. In spite of the direction this essay will go, I don’t believe the purpose of all books is to become “good literature.” Nor do I believe that everything that is taught at our institutions of higher learning is “good literature.” Let’s focus on that genre breaker, shall we? We’ll do this over a series of entries. It’ll be just like sitting in my literature class. Lucky you.

First we need to talk about how the world, and more importantly, the reader, defines what is worth reading.

Continue reading “Professorial Ruminations on Literature and the Break Out Novel”

Melissa Chinchillo says no.

Beautiful Wiscon reading support materials have arrived from Fed-Ex Kinkos. Purdy. Just so you get a feel for the theme, here’s that banner again. 🙂

REALLY getting the itch to write something creative. Not seeing the time right now. May end up breaking down and spending a little time on Hulk Hercules anyway. I can dangle it like a carrot or something.

LAST duty of spring semester at noon. Graduating students. Then, let the summer stuff begin!

Catherine

There are many of you coming to Wiscon, I know, and I’d like to meet those of you who are coming. Let me tell you about my schedule first, so you can sneak in and see me do either of my things, if you’re interested.

Title: Journeys of Self-Discovery
Saturday, 4:00-5:15 P.M.
Conference2

Las Habladoras, my reading group, will be presenting a multi-media presentation. Cat Horsfield has drawn art for each of our stories. Julie Rose has put together a soundtrack for each reading, and four of us: Yolanda Joosten, Jenn Racek, Julie Rose, and myself, will be reading. Yo is reading about alien lawyers and love, Jenn is reading about faerie lands, Julie has a haunting piece set in Norway, and I am reading part of my rural fantasy YA.

But the most important reason to come is the free-trade dark chocolate!

***

The other programming I’m involved in is academic, if literature interests you.

Title: Tradition & Liberation in the Fantastic
Monday, 10:00-11:15 A.M.
Conference 3

I’ll be sharing the spotlight with another presenter. I’ll be sharing the paper Azazello’s Cream, discussing a more feminist friendly reading of Margarita from Master and Margarita. I’m sure that’s not what the author intended, but it’ll be an interesting what-if for readers.

***

Other than that, I’m going to hang out with my good author buddies, and my friends Dan and Lisa. I’m going to see my sublime publisher Sonya M. Sipes of Cats Curious. I know Tiffany Trent will be there, and I’m excited to meet her, especially since I am now a full-fledged fan of her work. 🙂 I’ll be seeing my fellow Broads, especially Phoebe Wray, whose book I have to buy.

What about you? Are you coming? Can I see you ? Do youwant to see me? Just say so, and we’ll work something out.

I love Wiscon. Rainbows and kitties, after spring rain smell kind of love.

Did I mention there’s karaoke too? Just wow.

Catherine

This was a nice one, albeit still a rejection from Krista Goering.

“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read and consider THE SUBSTANCE OF SHADOWS. Unfortunately, I don’t think I am the right agent to represent your work. I only take on fiction projects that I am absolutely crazy about and while your writing is certainly excellent, I can’t say I was immediately absorbed by the story. So I’ll have to pass.”

That’s cool. My excellent writing and I can take it. Thanks for the compliment! 🙂

Shouldn’t I be working or something? Oh yeah.

Catherine

A good little professor, I’ve set up the vetting group for the Portus YA Reading Series. You might remember that I’m on the board of the HPEF, and we’re trying to expand our programming a bit by inviting YA authors, especially new ones, to come and share their work with us.

We’ve had a few takers, but I’d love to have more. ESPECIALLY local Texas authors who wouldn’t have to sell their first born children for gasoline this year. If you know ANYONE that you think might benefit from a public reading at a convention with several YA readers eager to hear their new stuff, please let them know to contact me.

I’m taking submissions until May 15th.

Catherine