Month: May 2010

I was negligent in providing you with the first link when it went up two weeks ago, but since a second has come out, I figured I should hook you back up with Demon Muse and their two new posts about Stoking Your Creative Fire, Part 2: Embrace Your Creative Demon’s Rhythm.

Part 1

Part 2

I know what you’re thinking. Same thing I’m thinking. Reading The City and the City by China Mieville and Kid vs Squid by Greg van Eekhout is a lot like having chocolate cake and grapefruit juice for breakfast.

Actually, though, mmmm…

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It’ll be a busy week at work and at play. I’ll be working on Wiscon promotional material this week for our reading (weenie graphic abilities activate!), and I’ll also be trying to get a profile done on fellow VP’er Sean Craven finished, so I can post it here. (Sean has been a paragon of patience. I need to get this done.)

I’ll be working real person hours instead of professor hours this week, except Wednesday, which is MINE for writing. Next post, then, will be Sean’s profile, or promo material.

Unless the world ends or something.

Catherine

Teacher! Cath cannot resist when writers bring you particularly instructive write-ups. I’ve had the joy of meeting these writers when their first books came out, and the wonderful thing about both Jeaniene and Maggie is that success has not *sniff* changed the sincerity with which they come across on the Internet. 🙂

In seriousness, though, these are excellent articles with instructive advice, and I really encourage you to take a look.

Jeaniene Frost brings you a comprehensive article on Advice for Writers, or Everything Jeaniene Knows about Getting Published. Jeaniene has put together a great series of links from her journal trying to comprehensively answer reader questions about the entire process. It’s a great orientation and one stop shop for those general questions that an author might have as they start the zany journey in the right direction. I admire Jeaniene for putting the links together, and for being accessible.

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Additionally, Maggie Stiefvater writes a thought-provoking article on time management. And it’s really good stuff.

I was impressed by number three, priorities. And I have to say that since I decided to make writing a priority in my life, rather than letting everything else happen first, it has made a huge different. It really was a matter of deciding how I wanted to spend my time and then doing that, rather than lamenting how much time I didn’t have to write. I agree totally with Maggie on that one.

Doing what you love is also a point well-made. Many of us turn writing into a psychologically twisted, guilt ridden thing. It’s work to right, sure it is. It is also uplifting, soulful, and creative on occasion. If I didn’t enjoy it overall, I wouldn’t do it. I feel much the same about teaching.

Maggie’s post is a good touchstone for writers who need to remember that they can do it, or perhaps remember why they started doing it.

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*dust hands* Well, that’s Monday’s entry done. With much less fuss than usual too.

Catherine

Oh no you don’t, subconscious! I am finishing this troll novel, and the WQ costume.

I am not…

going to start on the small town werewolf novella because I know where to send it now.

writing a short story for Writers of the Future because I wonder if I’d look good in a tux there.

starting on that story for the Realms of Fantasy women’s issue. Yet.

outlining the 1960s story about the girl who travels back to meet her spy fi grandma.

dropping the trolls to work with the Klarions.

Listen up subconscious. I am finishing this troll novel. I am beating it into submission. People are waiting on this thing. I’m rather excited to see how it turns out, finally.

I’m on to you, so you might as well just cut it out.

Catherine

(This is the most common problem in the writerverse, init? All those shiny new projects waiting to be free. What’s tempting you to eat the apple?)

Another scrapbook moment for the newb. Bear with me.

Ahem. The first appearance on line of my book.

Thank you Barnes and Noble.

In other news, I have my copy of Kid vs Squid. Do you have yours?

Catherine

Here are some more books coming out soon that I’m interested in. Okay, eagerly anticipating by pacing across the floor and wearing a hole in my carpet.

Jim Hines’ third book of the Princess Series, Red Hood’s Revenge is coming out in two long months. To help pass the time, Jim is having a book contest. He’s giving away 8 books in the 8 weeks out from his series. Well, yeah, I have everything, so fat lot of good it does me, but you might benefit. Click on Jim’s name for details. Jim is a writer’s writer. His humor and sincerity make his journal a joy to read.

Nnedi Okorafor didn’t release a book last year, but this year she’s releasing two, so she can make it up to me. I will pick up a copy of Long Juju Man, but the one I’m really excited about is Who Fears Death, the author’s study of grief and loss concerning the death of her father. Nnedi is one of today’s finest speculative writers, and she’ll be able to pull this off.

Mary Robinette Kowal is an author I’ve not read before, but her book Shades of Milk and Honey is being spoken of highly. I like the weaving of fantasy and literature (when it’s not done to ride the campy zombie wave), and I’d love to read another book reminiscent of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I read the author’s journal, and what also attracted me to the story is that she is researching period clothing to wear at the first events of book release. The costumer in me finds her research fascinating.

Any time now, Ilona Andrews’ Magic Bleeds will hit the stores, and I’ll be there. The first two books were great, but Magic Strikes really pulled me into the interpersonal twists and turns between the main characters, and I’m excited to see how the relationship between Kate and Currran turns out in book 4. Hungry, actually. Ilona is another writer who gives a lot to the writing community at large. She is a teacher’s writer.

Let’s get these books out soon, ‘kay? I’m excited to read them all.

Catherine

We are looking to hire a full-time teacher in the ELA program at work. It’s a committee decision, the qualifications are pretty clearly laid out for the job, and the process is pretty easy to find out about if you read up on the job at HR. We have a pool of adjuncts who work for us, some of whom are applying for the job. Many are hungry for full-time work, and I can certainly appreciate that. I’ve been a part-timer myself. The question becomes this: How do you exude confidence without overwhelming your perspective employer in the wrong direction? Here are some potential mistakes that folks can make.

You can see the obvious cross-over for artists submitting their work, right?

Continue reading “A Lot like Being an Editor, Publisher, or Agent”

If you can get it all into the title, do you have to write the journal entry?

Writerly news: Bryon dremmeled the edges of the Morty Moose tokens, so the giveaways for the Herc book are ready to go. We have 52 right now and can make more. My role was washing and drying the resin. I’m good. Sonya, I’ll get yours out probably Monday.

Craft news: I cut out a whole sleeve on WQ. Woot! Bastet was kind enough to lay all over the velvet for me. She let me know that she prefers costuming to writing.

The English department retirement party was tonight. Bittersweet. Losing a lot of good people.

I get a writing session Monday. It’s finals week, so it’ll be an interesting week for writing overall.

Catherine

If you are interested in winning your very own copy of Hulk Hercules: Professional Wrestler, Sonya Sipes, Cats Curious Publisher, is hosting a contest right here, right now.

Your labor? Write a haiku about one of the 12 labors of Hercules, the subject of the novel. In case you need a haiku refresher, the structure is 5-7-5 in terms of syllables.

I’ll be very interested to see how words like Stygian and Cerebus work into haikus.

Catherine

Good news. My very own copy of Stuart Saves His Family has been shipped.

Everyone has important works of art that reference their life. Jim Hines’ Goldfish Dreams is one of those for me, as is Charles Dickens’ Little Dorrit. And then, there’s Stuart Saves His Family, which doesn’t seem to fit with the more literary works I’ve mentioned.

In the early 90s, my then roommate Steve introduced me to Stuart Smalley and his family. I’m not a Al Franken fan, or an avid Saturday Night Viewer, but it didn’t take me long to recognize Stuart’s family as my family.

I’m Stuart, of course. My older brother is Donnie. When Donnie utters, “As soon as I get a job, I’m out of here” while he’s freebasing, I explode into hysterical laughter. Jodie is my younger brother Ken, who is away from the family, but can’t quite get his head around change. Of course, Mom’s a classic co-dependent, and Dad’s a classic alcoholic. My parents interchanged these roles, but yeah, I recognize that dynamic.

Harold Ramis is under-appreciated as both a comic writer and a director. He directs the film with great pacing and pathos. People who come from dysfunction find the film both poignant and hilarious.

When my past gets me down, I remember students’ real family, his support group and counselors, knocking on his door. “Stuart, you’re in a shame spiral, buddy.” And in the end, when it was finally decided that I couldn’t save my family either, I moved on to my real family.

Because, as Stuart says, “No one parties like people in recovery,” I’ll be holding my second “family” reunion the third Saturday in July this year.

Stuart shows us how recovery is done. I’m looking forward to finally having my own copy. For years, the DVD was an elaborate, out of print expense, but with the advent of NetFlix and Red Box, many stores are clearing out their inventory, and I have my chance.

Do you have movies or books that speak to you especially? I’d love to hear about them.

Catherine