And about damn time – I’ve been writing about writing for the past 7 years but didn’t have a scrap of fiction to share…until now.
Some context: the latest round of edits on Fool’s Gold slowed (further) over the summer due to burnout. I needed to get the creative juices flowing again, and what better way than with a short story? Something with a simpler plot and less time/emotional investment.
I queried through the fall. Of twelve publications, six rejected me, five didn’t reply, and one accepted. This, I gather, is par for the course. Persistence really does pay off!
My put-upon animal trader, Janek, is entirely made up. And goddamn, it was freeing to write a fully fictional character! No timelines or documentation to work around! I based his curmudgeonly attitude on Rowan Atkinson’s character Edmund Blackadder, a long-suffering servant to idiotic royals in a series of 80s British comedies. My logline for “The Zolo Hound of the Newly Found World” was “Blackadder runs a zoo”.
Laurenciana Pylmannova, however, was completely real. What little I could find of her was fascinating and still left me enough room to make up a personality.
Please read and let me know what you think, either here or over at Tall Tale TV.
Janek and Laurenciana WILL return, along with Felipe.
Regency (the early 1800s) is self-explanatory. So is Ancient Rome, medieval Europe, the Tudors – all the stereotypical time periods one thinks of when someone mentions “historical fiction” are so far in the past
World War II is another obvious and popular time period. One of the first big WWII novels, “From Here to Eternity”, was written in 1951 by an author who was at Pearl Harbor, so though it appears on historical fiction lists it’s really just contemporary fiction from an earlier time.
But then consider Wouk’s “Winds of War”, written in 1971, less than 30 years after the end of WWII, is arguably more a war novel than a historical fiction novel, yet is described as a great work of historical fiction now.
To a history buff 30 years doesn’t seem like much but it still jarred me to realize that the Ramones first album (1975) came out only 30 years after World War II ended (1945).
By that logic, punk, which happened over 40 years ago(!), is now ripe fodder for historical fiction.
I think it depends on the person. “Within living memory” is a long range of years – to a teenager the 1990s maybe ancient history but to me it feels like barely a few years ago. To my mom’s generation I imagine it feels like last week (surely the 1990s aren’t historical fiction yet. Surely not).
I’m researching a new novel to set in the 1970s or 80s, and it does appear that I can do so while staying within my genre though. It’s risky, though, because one of the hazards of writing in settings within living memory is that a lot of readers will get thrown out of my book if I get the slightest detail wrong.
So my research will be long and difficult, though I have no doubt I’ll love every minute of it.The
Yeah, I know we’re only in January but damn, it feels like a year already, doesn’t it?
Like many I hoped the national fabric would start to mend after Inauguration Day but no, the idiots-that-be couldn’t even let us have that.
January 6 was an emotional roller coaster. I started the day watching the Democrats get the Senate back. Regaining the majority with 2 blue candidates is joyous, that they were both from Georgia, remarkable. But winning it back with Georgia’s first Black and first Jewish senators? Historical.
Mom would have loved it. Cruel that it didn’t happen until the first anniversary of her death. I wish she’d seen it.
Then the afternoon happened.
I can’t say I was surprised. I expected some sort of Trump-related violence, but I’d thought it’d be at polling places on Election Day. That Trump himself riled up the crowd…well, we knew who he was, and with administration grownups resigning left and right there was no one to stop him.
No, what’s most jarring is that as the investigation goes on the news gets worse and worse. Lots of prior planning on the parts of the insurrectionists but little preparation on the part of Capitol and DC police despite ample warning that something was brewing. Possible support from white supremacist elements inside those same police forces. Apparent support from members of Congress, even as they cowered in secure locations.
The cherry on this shit sundae is Republicans bleating yet again for national unity while offering no remorse or responsibility. My hope is that Democrats will not give in to the same “Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football” scenario they’ve fallen for repeatedly since Newt Gingrich and probably before.
What happens every time well-meaning Democrats reach across the aisle. Via
Nearly a month on and I’m still digesting everything that’s happened—and is likely to keep happening. These folks aren’t going away, though I can’t imagine how you deprogram ~70 million conspiracy theorists.
But let me end on a hopeful note. I watched/listened to the inauguration as best I could given that it was a work day. When Biden was at last physically inside the White House I was able to relax a little. And I like what he’s doing so far.
Paradoxically for such a long month, it was Inauguration Day that felt like the real new year, the real first day of 2021. As we go into February (and how the hell is it almost February already?) I’m trying to be optimistic.
It’s working, at least subliminally—in the past week I’ve been able to crank out more edits on Fool’s Gold than I have in the past 2 months. If I can continue at this rate I stand a chance of starting queries again by spring. Which I ache to do—I love this book, I’ve learned a lot about writing while creating it, but I want it to be done so I can move on to the next thing, whether it’s about Renaissance cryptid zoos, time traveling glam rockers, or something else.
So raise a glass if you’ve got it. I want it to be a good year!
Or rather, still editing, just limping along a little faster than I have over the past few months. I manage to hammer out a chapter or two a week and if I can get out of my own way I can probably (probably!) finish this fourth draft by fall.
About that getting out of my own way thing.
I could pretend it’s just lack of energy that’s been holding me up, but at least part of it is fear. If I finish the draft, then I’ll have no excuse but to start querying again and I fear wasting the one pitch I get to every agent on my list with a manuscript that is less than perfect.
How I imagine agents reacting to my manuscript.
In short, it’s not being told “no” that I fear. It’s running out of opportunities to ask for a “yes”. As long as I don’t query I can luxuriate in possibility. And yes, typing it out makes it sound just as nail-bitey and tail-chasey as it is.
So I’m going to keep propping up the novel’s saggy middle so I get it back out in the world.
I’m trying to get back into a regular practice of writing. It’s been a depressingly easy habit to break so I’m pursuing almost anything that catches my fancy just to keep the momentum going. To those ends I’ve got several different writing and writing-related things going on:
Researching:
1970s glam rock fandom in America
19th-century underworld/alternative history (listened to Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets and compiling a list of sources he used)
“discovery writing” characters for both book ideas
this blog post
Though I didn’t get a mentor through PitchWars I found some pre-revision “homework” that I’m applying to Fool’s Gold to uncover any glaring failings I missed because I didn’t know any better a year ago.
Regarding the next book: I’m going to have to pick one eventually as I find that I do my best work if I focus on one thing at a time. I don’t know what I’ll do with the short story – maybe just post it as a download on the blog because I can’t imagine where I’d submit it.
This isn’t going to be your usual conference recap.
If I try to list names or sessions I’ll forget someone and I don’t want to risk leaving someone out or appear to play favorites. If you were there, you know who you are, and you made my third(!) HNS conference everything I dreamed it would be and more!
The weekend itself was a delightful, overwhelming blur. Many people met and re-met, many sessions attended, many ideas spawned and shaped.
I’ve not even typed up my notes yet but a few notions stand out:
Make shit up. Hammering a story arc out of Kelley and Dee’s peripatetic activities sent me down research rabbit holes that did nothing to help the story, so “permission” to focus on the fiction in historical fiction in the next book* was supremely freeing!
Do what scares you. If a project seems out of your league, you’re probably on the right track.
Say yes. To ideas, to opportunities, to something or someone you’ve not considered before. You might learn something.
Be flexible. In terms of describing your work, marketing, etc. ‘Cos my manuscript has fingers in multiple pies but doesn’t fit in any one pie tin.
Go gothic. See “be flexible” above. I always thought of “gothic” fiction as something set in the Victorian era that explored the tension between man and technology. Not so – check out these tropes. At HNS 2017 I learned I was writing historical fantasy; this year I further honed that down to gothic fiction. Makes it easier to describe this thing, that’s for damn sure!
Avoid burnout. Because I’ve been skating on the edge of it for months, and enjoy riding that edge until I hit a wall. I may turn off social media apps or designate certain times or days social media-free just for my own sanity. I may also set aside a day a week to NOT work on book-related stuff.
Stay on site, if possible. This is specific to conferences, but not just HNS. This year HNS was in my own back yard but I got a hotel room so I wouldn’t have to cut interesting conversations short to hit the road. Because guaranteed-all the really good conversation takes place after hours.
This publishing thing is incremental. I am thrilled to report that I pitched my novel and got some interest! I’ve sent pages to the relevant parties and while of course I’m hopeful I keep reminding myself: this is just a foot in the door. If it goes nowhere, that’s ok – these pitches were practice for future pitches. If this book goes nowhere, it’s ok – this book was practice for future books. If this book does get representation, that’s only one step in the long process of getting a book on shelves. It’s a cliché but overnight success is never, ever overnight.
Credit where credit is due: this is Katelyn Shelby‘s. Read the post as well.
As I type this I’m prepping for the final loop in this summer’s roller coaster: Nationals. So it’s going to take me awhile to digest everything I learned last weekend. Maybe I’ll make some headway on my to-read stack between competitions, so there’s that.
*For the next book I am going to avoid real historical figures for this reason. I’m also likely going to write the pitch/synopsis first to keep the story foremost in my mind.
Oh, I can do it when I have to, of course, but it’s always an aggravating extra step. I’m not a natural list maker. My clean laundry can stay on the guest bed for weeks. But some jobs are so large that the imposition of a defined order is required. And it’s maddening.
As a newbie writer I’m still working out the best way to collect all critique/beta reader feedback in one place so I can easily refer to it while editing the current* draft.
Some is digital and some is paper. I’ve tried volleying back and forth between 3 hard copies (so far) and multiple Word windows and it’s too confusing.
I’ve handwritten everything on my own printed version and while I have everything in one place I still have to drag a phone-book sized binder around with my laptop. The only places big enough to spread everything are my dining room table and the public library.
So as a last resort I’m going to try adding it all to the current Word** draft as comments. Best of both digital and print.
I hope.
*I hesitate to say “third”. Some parts have had more drafts/are more “done” than others.
**The last draft was restructuring, and Scrivener’s “index cards” functionality was great for moving scenes around easily. Now that I’ve solidified the sequence I want to view it as a whole. That, and a single Word doc is just easier to send to people.
The third draft. I make much ado about this third draft. It’s the one I want to have finished by next summer in time for HNS 2019. But what do I mean by “finished”?
And I’m sure when I’m done I’ll be just as relieved and exhausted as Sam. Via.
I’ve been trying to sort this out and fortunately Outwrite DC last weekend had a Sunday workshop on “Prep to Practice” about this very subject. I initially attended for ideas about how to keep butt in seat but the advice for getting to done—and knowing when I’m done—was far more useful.
“Third draft” is something of a misnomer; when I say it I mean “the third time I’ve gone over the whole thing” but there are multiple passes involved in that. Roughly, from broadest overview to tiniest detail (and I’m probably getting some wrong):
Plot: make sure the stakes are high enough for readers to care and that stuff is happening (for me, remove all bits of research showing-off and character navelgazing)
Pacing: make sure nothing drags or feels rushed
Continuity/loose ends: make sure it all makes sense
Description: where are these people? What do they look like? Make sure they’re not just moving around in a plain white room
Sense: make sure I included all five in aforementioned descriptions, where relevant
Fact check: make sure all that nitpicky alchemical stuff is correct (and how I’m going to do that is a whole separate concern)
Grammar/usage: the final and nit-pickiest, to save until last because it’s assumed in all previous stages you’ll be adding/rewriting.
I also got some good ideas for organizing all my beta reader feedback: alternately add it all to the most marked-up copy and refer back to it, OR read it all to get the gist of what multiple readers ping as a problem and proceed.
Lack of description/cold chapter openings and failure to make it clear who’s speaking are my main problems throughout, so I’m addressing these first. I think I caught most of the continuity problems on the out-loud read through, and I’m guessing (? hoping? This is more art than science!) that fixing plot and pacing is going to involve more deletion than rewriting.
As I sit here tinkering with my third draft, it occurs to me that I could be doing almost anything else. It’s summertime, time for loafing with a G&T and beach reading.
Not that I’m not doing these things, but even so this writing gig eats a lot of time for uncertain ends (and I hate uncertainty). So why do I do it?
It sure as hell isn’t for money. Kameron Hurley does a yearly breakdown of her earnings to illustrate how difficult it is to make a living as a writer. She’s an established sci-fi author with awards so I’ll count myself lucky if a newbie like me in a niche genre breaks even. No, I will always have a day job.
It’s not for fame. While I’d like recognition for a well-written book, the odds of being a J. K. Rowling or Stephen King are close to nil. Which is good for me. Celebrity appears (from the outside at least) to complicate life so much that managing it would be a whole separate job.
Speaking of well-written, more than one writer I’ve interacted with online has said that they write in order to improve their writing. This does make sense to me because I fence, an activity at which you never become expert even after years of practice. There is no graduation, you never arrive—there’s just the next lesson (writing exercise), competition (book), medal (publishing deal) etc., in an endless process of improvement.
No, I think in the end, for me, writing is about the opportunity to share ideas that intrigue me with interesting people. I love good conversation but for most of my life I didn’t feel like I had anything to contribute or any means of doing so. Writing has proved that perhaps I might and can.
I want to get a book out in the world that’s compelling enough to inspire discussion, if not with me then among readers.
True to my promise I’ve been critiquing/beta reading online and off during my break from the second draft. I’m grateful to the writers who are letting me read their works in progress. It takes nerve to share one’s writing and even more when it’s still in draft form.
After a month or so I started to notice patterns. It seems* that some errors happen across the board, regardless of genre or the writer’s experience. Seeing them elsewhere only highlights them in my own work:
No one cares about my research/”inside baseball”. I suspect histfic is more vulnerable to this because of the research needed** to understand the time period, but it’s easy to go overboard with tiny details that don’t contribute to the story. Readers aren’t interested in a room-by-room description of Dee’s home Mortlake and its number and type of servants; they’ll care that Jane Dee has problems keeping the ancient pile in good repair and getting the servants to behave.
Avoid jargon/specialized language unless I define it up front. Or at least give massive hints in context. Do you know what an athanors, pelicans, or bain maries are? I don’t want my readers to have to keep referring to Google to figure out what an alchemy lab looks like.
A story isn’t a just a blow-by-blow of activity. The séances might be line-by-line accurate to Dee’s diaries but that means nothing if I don’t show Edward Kelley’s extreme stress in making up everything on the fly. Readers won’t care – hell, I won’t care – unless he reflects, panics, and schemes over his flagrant BSing.
Select words with care to avoid repetition/adverb overload. Too often I lean on either restating or on my character doing something quickly, stupidly, angrily, etc. when if I just use better words the mood will come across. This is why my next step is reading the whole thing out loud, with red pen at the ready to strike through any unnecessary -lys.
Actual footage of a -ly hunt. Via Giphy.
*No hedging: get on with it already! See, I did it right there! Seems, appears, starting to, about to, thinking about, almost did: these slow things down when the all the reader wants is for characters to do things and stuff to happen. Except for rare exceptions of hesitation or second guessing (and gads, Edward has enough of those) these have no place in my prose.
**Passivity is a penalty: In fencing as well as prose. My tendency to convey events as having no cause is due to long years writing business emails and impersonal technical instructions. There are probably a few in every one of my blog posts despite my best efforts. “Dee was fooled” must turn into “Edwardfooled Dee“ (more than once). Ditto “the money was spent” = “Dee spent it all” (all too often). I don’t even know how I’ll find all of these, let alone get rid of them.
What about you? If you write, what’s on your “search and destroy” list for your next edit? If you read, what errors make you wince if they’re not caught***?
***More passivity. Yellow card (which is fencing “inside baseball”).
