Accomplishment

Last night I finally finished the final edit on the new story Bite Me. As well I rewrote a story I had written ten-plus years ago. Surprisingly, the writing was fairly clean but this distance of time let me see that I'd ended it too soon. I think I only ever sent it out once before so it's basically a new story. The title went from Angels Visit to Touch the Magic, which is more apt but maybe it should be Shadow World. Sometimes I get a title and then sometimes I really suck at picking them. Poetry titles make a big difference and I suck more there.

But I'm getting ready for the big sendoff. It will be ten-plus stories and the same with poems. Don't know the total count yet. I've probably already sent out ten stories in the last week to different markets. I would love to some day send out every poem I've written; good, bad or embarassing but that's a lot, maybe 200. I am perseverant to the point of insanity. It's easier to send out a bunch at once but then to find almost all of them come back and when you get many rejections in a week, gah!

Still, feels good to have those two stories completed. In the background are still the barge people story, but it's going to be a novella or longer by the time I'm done alas; the plague Gypsy story, the Cthulhu gamer story, the four species alien planet story/novellete, and a few others that are probably more than just a rewrite. New idea involves a doll maker. It's percolating, to be written after the errr, late taxes are done.

And disappointingly the story I wrote for the Baen SF contest did not win. Pooh. I think I had a good story but it was a challenge to write, not the type of SF I normally do and I had to rush to finish it. So now, time to look it over and send it elsewhere. And try to get it together on writing the novels.

Living in a World of Rejection

Everyone gets some form or rejection at some point in their lives. If you're fairly well balanced, you can take it in stride, maybe momentarily sad/disappointed/angry but you move on.

However, to reject seems a much harder action for some people to commit. Take the thinner side of relationships--that is, dating. How many times has it happened that someone says to you, "I'll call you," when they have no intention of ever calling? Or the slow disappearance of the person you're dating, who can't manage to say, "I'm no longer interested," but instead becomes distant, talking less, laughing less, making love less or with less passion?

I mean, really, who is being fooled in such relationships? Not the one slowly being dumped. And if you haven't learned by now, a slow dumping is much more wounding and demoralizing than a sudden one. Though that shouldn't mean never calling again but having the guts to say, "Look, this just isn't working out," or "I'm really more into my book than you," or whatever.

I believe there's often ego tied up in this that people don't realize. "Oh, I couldn't tell him/her I don't want to see them anymore. It would crush him/her." Yeah, I've been reduced to ashes every time some guy never called. Give me a break. Ego ego ego. Not needed. People survive, they move on. Someone I've dated is not all important in my life. (A longer live-in relationship is a dfferent story however) If you've only had a few dates with someone, be decent and say it's not working. Don't be a worm wriggling away without the guts to say anything.

Which gets to the real point of this. Writing. My gods, I've been rejected so many times I cannot count. I used to say I could paper a house with rejections and a bathroom with acceptances. I think I could now paper a good sized bedroom with acceptances. But the point is, a writer lives with rejection all the time. And it's not just because personalities don't mesh (well, maybe sometimes it is), but it's more personal; it's one's writing.

Writing can be the blood and soul of a writer. A good writer can separate enough to take constructive criticism. A good writer can also be completely emotionally unstable and think that you're ripping the arms off their baby any time you say anything against their perfect child. Okay, that's not a good writer. That's a crazed writer who might, from time to time, write well, but only if they can take criticism.

Still, no matter how professional you are, how gracious, how open and noble, how thick your skin, it can get to you. The perseverance of most writers is akin to beating your head against a wall with a nail sticking out, knowing it's causing you to hurt and bleed, but still doing it, hoping you can pound down that nail. What gives first? How prevalent is depression amongst writers? Ask them.

Writing is not for the weak at heart. Over the years and the many workshops/writers groups I've been in I've seen people freeze up. Some never write again when they find out their perfect child has a flaw to some people. Some are closet writers, writing away, but paralyzed to submit.

And there you go; submission. A writer must be submissive. Passively and meekly sending in stories and poetry to the mighty god-editor of doom, awaiting the call or the casting out. You must submit your writing and submit to the will of others.

Now when you look at the aberrant personalities of past writers: Dylan Thomas, Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron, to name a few, is it any wonder they turned out the way they did? And of course one can ask: does writing attract the aberrant personalities or does writing create them?

Robots R Us

I subscribed to the following list and receive a robot a week in email. I'm sharing this one because it's very funny. Some are modern robots and some, like below are history.

In 1936, the first Robot Bookkeeper was apparently created, "eliminating all possible chance of errors" and "giving both sub and grand totals." The figure standing beside the Bookkeeper is not a robot but an actual human being, as evidenced by his expression of wistful obsolescence.

Source: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/05/14/

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Youth forum on Canada's electoral and political system

If you know of anyone, (must be Canadian) who is between the ages of 18-29 interested in voicing an opinion on Canada's electoral system, house of commons, senate, etc. then have them contact me.

I recently did a forum put on by Canada's Privy Council asking for opinons and understanding by the people. It's a full day from 8-4 and possibly part of another day. Lunch and breakfast are supplied (maybe dinner too) as well as you're paid $150.

It will take place in Ottawa on May 5 & 6 and all expenses are paid. It is a fair amount of work but if you want a voice in how the country and its political systems are run, then here's your chance.

Aberrant Dreams

Besides my own, I've just been accepted on as an editor for Aberrant Dreams. I found the request at www.ralan.com and anyone who writes spec fiction and hasn't checked this site out, should for the extensive market list.

Why did I do this when I'm working 60 hours a week? Because I'm insane. But there are other reasons. I'll probably start to figure out more why some of my stories don't make it, though I think it's that some lack pizazz. Voice is such an important thing in writing and if it's not unique enough it sounds like a thousand ciphers.

And of course should a friend of mine ever start the mag she's talked about this experience will come in quite handy. Always looking to expand my editorial horizons. I'll have a good background for this to begin with because of years of being a copyeditor and a spec writer myself, not to mention reader.

Suggestions for a Reading List

I've been mentoring a 12-year-old girl through the Vancouver School Board. This is in writing and specifically fantasy writing. There are a fair number of kids who are needing mentors in writing and more in the SF and speculative fields. If anyone is interested in mentoring you can always look it up on the internet.

However, I'm trying to give her a list of fiction books to read that would expand her knowledge of the field. Her writing style is quite good and her grammar and sentence structure is better than mine was at twenty. By the time she's in Grade 10 she will also be doing some university level courses, and she wants to become a professional writer.

So far, she's enamored with the Harry Potter series and wrote half a novel about some kids searching for the stealer of some dragon eggs. So she likes magic and dragons.

I think back to when I was 12 and I was starting to write then myself. My older brother had moved out and left a lot of his books behind so I was reading Heinlein and Herbert then, plus John Christopher. I was also reading Bradbury and Poe; perhaps that's why I am the way I am today.

But here I am, trying to compile a list and finding my shelf doesn't always hold those earlier books. I want to give her some classics and some new stuff, (both SF and fantasy) but books that represent the range in the field, keeping in mind that something like China Mieville's books may be a little too sophisticated for her for a few years. She's still reading a lot of young adult books but I know she has the capacity to read more complex tales than that, just by the style of her writing.

If you have any suggestions of books to add to this list, I'd love to hear them.

B is for Bondage

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