It's been a busy 2012 so far, and we're only halfway through January. First, I was interviewed on an art & architecture podcast for Austin, Texas. You can stream/download the interview HERE, or from iTUNES.
I'm collaborating with a programmer and some other friends to create iPhone games and apps of my own design. This is super exciting for me, since it's the first time I'm getting to work on my own games. I'd like to pump out a lot of material and see if anything takes off. The advantages we have: A talented team with lots of excitement and passion, and (if I say so myself) good ideas. The disadvantages: Lack of budget, and my own inexperience in marketing. The more I learn about marketing, the more scary it seems. Anyway, I will do my best. I'll let everyone know when our first game comes out. If you haven't subscribed to my blog, please do so!
I'm recording tutorial videos for 3D Modeling in 3dsmax. They're available in HD on my YouTube channel, and on the new tutorial page of my website. I plan to add more tutorials for animation, Flash, and other art software. This is partially just because it's fun to make videos, and relatively easy nowadays. It's also to prepare for my first job as a teacher. I will be teaching a 3D Animation class once per week at the local community college.
Games, contract art, teaching. What else am I doing? Still writing novels, of course. Actually ... no ... I'm editing and marketing novels now. I would like to get back to writing original material, but sadly, I've learned beyond any shadow of doubt that marketing is important if one wants to sell one's work. I'm 3/4 through an edit of Book 2, and in the process of querying agents and publishers about Book 1. Still getting top tier rejections for my short stories, but I haven't written any new short stories in a few years. Participating in (and enjoying) my local novel critique group. It's a talented bunch of writers.
I wish I could report more on my personal life, but there's not much to say. My adorable dog says "hello." She apparently sees the HOA (home owner's association) lady as a threat, which could be why the HOA lady got on my case a few months ago. My dog normally loves people, but every once in a while, she goes into attack mode ... this was the first time I saw her growl at a woman, though. Strange. Usually she has a problem with men in uniforms wearing hats. (I will add that I don't encourage aggression in my dog; she just has guard dog tendencies. She might be part pitbull or akita, and I suspect she might have been abused before I got her.)
Movie Reviews:
I enjoyed HUGO, both visually wonderful and good storytelling. I saw TINTIN in 3D, and although it was visually stunning, I thought the story was weak; predictable and beating the same joke to death. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (American version) was really great. I was pleasantly surprised that it followed the book closely, and managed to do it well. There's an example of a well written screenplay adaptation.
Book Reviews:
I read the first ten books in the ANITA BLAKE, vampire hunter series. What can I say? GUILTY PLEASURES is aptly named. I'm not sure I can recommend this series for everyone, but the first four or five books entertained me. After that, there's some fall-off. Many fans say that it devolves into weirdo erotica after the tenth book, and I can see that happening. Dating a vampire and then dating a werewolf is fine. Menage-a-trois sex with a werewolf and a vampire, plus bondage rape with a wereleopard, and turning into a succubus ... um, starting to cross a line there.
Then I read the Stieg Larsson series, which starts with THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. Interesting stuff. People may scoff, but I find the books to be very feminist, despite being written by a man! The main characters get a little ridiculous and unbelievable, especially in the second and third book, but I don't mind ridiculousness with a good story, which this had. Salander is a cool character. No one knows if she has Asperger's Syndrome or what, but she's a criminal mastermind who looks like a sullen Goth teenager, so who cares?
And I just finished listening to Scott Sigler's THE STARTER, a sequel to THE ROOKIE. Yes, that's right, I don't have a clue about sports or football, yet I read two books about football. I'm just a hopeless Sigler fan. I guess it's weird that I like his alien voice acting and his super-weird alien universe, where humans play pro sports alongside drooling alien teammates. What a cool idea, though.
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Showing posts with label job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label job. Show all posts
Jan 15, 2012
Nov 11, 2011
Update and Thoughts on Mind Readers
Time for a bit of an update! I got my first two (form) rejection letters from this year's round of novel querying. Rejection is never pleasant, but it's especially hard when you spend years rewriting the 1-page query letter. Literary agents usually never get past this simple-yet-vitally-important letter. They get flooded with hundreds of query letters per week, and that's on top of the daily work they need to do for their existing clients. I'm going to try and keep my complaining online to a minimum. I'll let you and the rest of the world know if ... ahem, *WHEN*, I land an agent.
Tomorrow, I'm going through a corn maze. I have also begun to substitute teach a 3D Animation class at the nearby community college. It's my first time teaching, and I'm pretty stoked about it!
One of the games I've worked on this year is coming to the App store. If you or your child want a simple and fun way to learn how to hear/play music, check out Tune Hopper.
I just got my shipment of Book 6 in the SmartBoys Club book series, which I've been illustrating. These are great books for middle grade readers, girls or boys.
Work life: I continue to freelance from home, using 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and a variety of other art programs. What's next? Should I start a business in e-learning apps? Should I make a series of short animated films? Should I write some silly e-books and sell them? Should I just concentrate on expanding my current self-employed contract business?
What do you think? I have exciting ideas for all of the above, but only enough time to focus on one.
Torth series update: I'm still editing Book 2. Just one major edit, and it should be done by the end of this year.
Writing topic food for thought: We no longer have much folklore, but instead have fantasy books. As a genre writer, are you willing to break with tradition and make a new kind of vampire, elf, zombie, dragon, or whatever? This is about originality, a topic I feel strongly about. Many writers seem uncomfortable about inventing their own worlds and aliens. Even when they do it, they often follow traditions that were laid out by previous writers. I like to break with tradition.
When it comes to mind readers, they're often treated a certain way in fiction. Either they are benevolent and kind (Professor X, Deanna Troi), or they are befuddled by their power (Jean Gray, the cop in "Heroes," and many more). In order to justify this befuddlement, mind readers in fiction often gain their powers late in life, or have very little control over their power, tuning in and out of thoughts at random as the story requires.
I say that's all bull****. First of all, a lifelong mind reader would damn well know how to use that power effectively. Whenever I read or watch someone else's telepathic character get befuddled, I feel a strong sense of author manipulation. It wasn't thought through all the way. The writer was lazy; rather than actually think about the full spectrum of implications of mind reading--its limitations and possibilities--they try to make it work without a set of rules, forcing it to fill a plot need and glossing over the plot holes it creates.
Second of all, if you are privy to the darkest secrets of your fellow humans, you're not going to be a benevolent sweetheart. More like cynical and misanthropic.
And if you have the ability to control other people's minds, that is the trump card of all super-powers. It trumps *EVERYTHING* else. Any character who can use a Jedi mind trick is likely to become super-corrupt. I use it sparingly in my fiction ... because much like time travel, it can easily mess up a story unless it's thoroughly thought out.
And that concludes my thoughts on mind readers for the afternoon.
Tomorrow, I'm going through a corn maze. I have also begun to substitute teach a 3D Animation class at the nearby community college. It's my first time teaching, and I'm pretty stoked about it!
One of the games I've worked on this year is coming to the App store. If you or your child want a simple and fun way to learn how to hear/play music, check out Tune Hopper.
I just got my shipment of Book 6 in the SmartBoys Club book series, which I've been illustrating. These are great books for middle grade readers, girls or boys.
Work life: I continue to freelance from home, using 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and a variety of other art programs. What's next? Should I start a business in e-learning apps? Should I make a series of short animated films? Should I write some silly e-books and sell them? Should I just concentrate on expanding my current self-employed contract business?
What do you think? I have exciting ideas for all of the above, but only enough time to focus on one.
Torth series update: I'm still editing Book 2. Just one major edit, and it should be done by the end of this year.
Writing topic food for thought: We no longer have much folklore, but instead have fantasy books. As a genre writer, are you willing to break with tradition and make a new kind of vampire, elf, zombie, dragon, or whatever? This is about originality, a topic I feel strongly about. Many writers seem uncomfortable about inventing their own worlds and aliens. Even when they do it, they often follow traditions that were laid out by previous writers. I like to break with tradition.
When it comes to mind readers, they're often treated a certain way in fiction. Either they are benevolent and kind (Professor X, Deanna Troi), or they are befuddled by their power (Jean Gray, the cop in "Heroes," and many more). In order to justify this befuddlement, mind readers in fiction often gain their powers late in life, or have very little control over their power, tuning in and out of thoughts at random as the story requires.
I say that's all bull****. First of all, a lifelong mind reader would damn well know how to use that power effectively. Whenever I read or watch someone else's telepathic character get befuddled, I feel a strong sense of author manipulation. It wasn't thought through all the way. The writer was lazy; rather than actually think about the full spectrum of implications of mind reading--its limitations and possibilities--they try to make it work without a set of rules, forcing it to fill a plot need and glossing over the plot holes it creates.
Second of all, if you are privy to the darkest secrets of your fellow humans, you're not going to be a benevolent sweetheart. More like cynical and misanthropic.
And if you have the ability to control other people's minds, that is the trump card of all super-powers. It trumps *EVERYTHING* else. Any character who can use a Jedi mind trick is likely to become super-corrupt. I use it sparingly in my fiction ... because much like time travel, it can easily mess up a story unless it's thoroughly thought out.
And that concludes my thoughts on mind readers for the afternoon.
Sep 7, 2011
Teaching and public speaking
I've been telecommuting from my home office for a while now. Sure, I get out of the house to do social things, but I figure it's time to try something totally new and different for me: Teaching. I used to be very uncomfortable speaking in front of people, and I still have trouble overcoming my natural urge to blend into the background ... but self-marketing has become necessary in my career. I want to continue working on fun animation projects with nice clients. I want to get literary agents and publishers interested in my novels. To that end, I want to get more comfortable with public speaking, including being on panels, and teaching.
So I will be teaching 3D Animation at the Austin Community College. I'm really excited about this, and grateful for the opportunity to teach a subject that I feel comfortable in.
To prepare myself for the act of teaching, I've volunteered to teach a class on Writing: Plot Structure, which is free and open to the public, hosted by HourSchool. If you live in or near Austin, you're welcome to attend, and I'd appreciate your feedback if you show up. A minimum number of RSVPs are necessary to make the class happen. You can sign up here.
I'm also volunteering to speak at local schools. I gave a talk at UT (the University of Texas) a few months ago, and I may speak at a high school later this week.
If you have questions, or would like to invite me to talk about animation, the game industry, or fiction writing, please contact me through my website.
So I will be teaching 3D Animation at the Austin Community College. I'm really excited about this, and grateful for the opportunity to teach a subject that I feel comfortable in.
To prepare myself for the act of teaching, I've volunteered to teach a class on Writing: Plot Structure, which is free and open to the public, hosted by HourSchool. If you live in or near Austin, you're welcome to attend, and I'd appreciate your feedback if you show up. A minimum number of RSVPs are necessary to make the class happen. You can sign up here.
I'm also volunteering to speak at local schools. I gave a talk at UT (the University of Texas) a few months ago, and I may speak at a high school later this week.
If you have questions, or would like to invite me to talk about animation, the game industry, or fiction writing, please contact me through my website.
Feb 8, 2011
So few readers on my blog!
I wonder if my blog ever gets more than two readers? Looking at the lack of comments, it looks so lonely. But never fear! Someday I will have a fan club, and the most hardcore among them will look back through these old blog entries and fill them with insightful and delightful comments. Yes. It will be awesome.
I wonder if my 600+ friends on Facebook would visit more often if I blogged more often?
I wonder if having 600+ friends on Facebook is lame, or if it's a good start to building a fan base? I swear, they're all people I know. Maybe not WELL, but at least I know where I know them from.
Okay. Time for an Abby Update. Feel free to comment.
- I sold a short story to Escape Pod. No, it isn't out yet. Yes, I'll let everyone know when it comes out. No, I don't know who will narrate the podcast version. Yes, it's a really good e-zine. This story has never been rejected!
- I'm procrastinating on making edits to Torth Book 1: City of Slaves. Here's a very short prologue. What do you think? One thing I'd like to do is post the first few chapters along with a comment box, and see if I get some interactive feedback.
- My employment situation is sketchy right now. I'm feeling a need to get better at self-marketing, and/or start a business, like everyone else my age. Last week, I thought I had three job interviews lined up for this week. I might have contract work tomorrow. I've signed a lot of NDAs lately. Either the perfect storm of jobs will happen, or it will all evaporate and leave me at square one. I hate uncertainty.
- I'd like to make e-learning apps (smaller than games) that are fun (not boring), with appealing characters, and relevant to the target audience. I'm beginning to see some concrete directions to take this business idea, but I would love to find a partner(s) to work with. I wish I could write code. And the whole marketing thing will be daunting. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- My dating life. Do you really want to know about it? Okay, I'll tell you. I've stopped answering messages on my online dating profile due to the volume. So I'm optimistic this time around. Being single is a drag--and not a state that I intend to stay in forever--but I'm not looking to rush into another relationship that ends after a few years. No rushing. No settling. Pure pickiness. I owe this ability to Austin, which has a high male-to-female ratio. Maybe I'll change my mind in a year ... but right now, I have a nice feeling that: (a) I know what I want, (b) I'll recognize it when I see it, and (c) my next long-term relationship has a chance of becoming something permanent, owing to (a) and (b).
It will be interesting for me to reread this blog entry in a year and see what's changed.
I wonder if my 600+ friends on Facebook would visit more often if I blogged more often?
I wonder if having 600+ friends on Facebook is lame, or if it's a good start to building a fan base? I swear, they're all people I know. Maybe not WELL, but at least I know where I know them from.
Okay. Time for an Abby Update. Feel free to comment.
- I sold a short story to Escape Pod. No, it isn't out yet. Yes, I'll let everyone know when it comes out. No, I don't know who will narrate the podcast version. Yes, it's a really good e-zine. This story has never been rejected!
- I'm procrastinating on making edits to Torth Book 1: City of Slaves. Here's a very short prologue. What do you think? One thing I'd like to do is post the first few chapters along with a comment box, and see if I get some interactive feedback.
- My employment situation is sketchy right now. I'm feeling a need to get better at self-marketing, and/or start a business, like everyone else my age. Last week, I thought I had three job interviews lined up for this week. I might have contract work tomorrow. I've signed a lot of NDAs lately. Either the perfect storm of jobs will happen, or it will all evaporate and leave me at square one. I hate uncertainty.
- I'd like to make e-learning apps (smaller than games) that are fun (not boring), with appealing characters, and relevant to the target audience. I'm beginning to see some concrete directions to take this business idea, but I would love to find a partner(s) to work with. I wish I could write code. And the whole marketing thing will be daunting. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- My dating life. Do you really want to know about it? Okay, I'll tell you. I've stopped answering messages on my online dating profile due to the volume. So I'm optimistic this time around. Being single is a drag--and not a state that I intend to stay in forever--but I'm not looking to rush into another relationship that ends after a few years. No rushing. No settling. Pure pickiness. I owe this ability to Austin, which has a high male-to-female ratio. Maybe I'll change my mind in a year ... but right now, I have a nice feeling that: (a) I know what I want, (b) I'll recognize it when I see it, and (c) my next long-term relationship has a chance of becoming something permanent, owing to (a) and (b).
It will be interesting for me to reread this blog entry in a year and see what's changed.
Jan 30, 2008
Moving to Missouri
If you include my four years of college, I've lived in the same Southern California valley for nearly 12 years. Now I'm going to enter a new decade of my life by moving to the American midwest.
Why Missouri, you ask? Well, 1) boyfriend is waiting there, 2) new job is waiting there, 3) house and lower cost of living, and 4) just for the change. As much as I enjoy living in California, I've grown increasingly bored with the lifestyle. It's almost too easy. I can go to Disneyland or San Diego, ocean kayaking or skiing, out to the high desert or up to wine country, clubs or theatres, whenever I want. And all my friends are here. Oh, okay ... so I'll miss California. A lot.
All the same, I'm excited about this new lifestyle awaiting me. I never expected I'd end up in Missouri, but then, I never expected I'd live in California for 12 years, either. Here's a photo of Phil and our Missouri "front lawn" (actually a park across the street):
I don't know how many tornadoes we're going to face, or how my new job will compare to the old, but I look forward to all of it. And I will continue aiming to get my novels published. That hasn't changed.
As my new life gets started, I will make an effort to update this blog more often. For now, let me show you some pretty pictures of California and what I'm leaving behind.
Why Missouri, you ask? Well, 1) boyfriend is waiting there, 2) new job is waiting there, 3) house and lower cost of living, and 4) just for the change. As much as I enjoy living in California, I've grown increasingly bored with the lifestyle. It's almost too easy. I can go to Disneyland or San Diego, ocean kayaking or skiing, out to the high desert or up to wine country, clubs or theatres, whenever I want. And all my friends are here. Oh, okay ... so I'll miss California. A lot.
All the same, I'm excited about this new lifestyle awaiting me. I never expected I'd end up in Missouri, but then, I never expected I'd live in California for 12 years, either. Here's a photo of Phil and our Missouri "front lawn" (actually a park across the street):
I don't know how many tornadoes we're going to face, or how my new job will compare to the old, but I look forward to all of it. And I will continue aiming to get my novels published. That hasn't changed.
As my new life gets started, I will make an effort to update this blog more often. For now, let me show you some pretty pictures of California and what I'm leaving behind.
Sep 1, 2005
Long Time, No Update
It's been a while. I planned to update this blog every week, but I think I'd have to write a novel to catch up now. August was a busy month. Well, it was a vacation month, which means I got to go to a lot of theme parks, concerts, parties, and generally wallow in my free time. I count that as REAL life. Most of my life isn't that exciting.
Anyway, my artwork will be featured in an upcoming gallery show. The reception is this Saturday evening, in Alhambra (between Pasadena and Los Angeles), at Gallery Nucleus. If you're in the L.A. area, it's worth going to! There will be free drinks, a live band, and women get 10% off all the store merchandise, since it's an all-woman show. My artwork will be for sale at the gallery and on their online store throughout September.
I never told you about Comic Con, did I? Well ... to those of you who are "Wheel of Time" fans ... I went to a dinner with Robert Jordan and his wife, Harriet. That was a really cool, interesting experience! I'll attempt to go into more detail at a later date.
In the last week of July, I spent ten days in New Hampshire at TNEO (the Odyssey writing workshop alumni program thingy). It's basically a high-end critique group. Some of the Odyssey graduates are published novelists, and many have experience in the publishing industry, so I judged it worth going to. It was. I'll probably go again next year. Not only did we critique each other's work (and receive critiques on up to three stories of our own), but we practiced pitching our novels, we did a reading at Barnes & Noble, and we had panels covering everything from Young Adult markets to writing good query letters. Ask about my reading at B&N and watch me blush ...
So, I could tell you about the Doctor Steel and STG concerts I went to, but I think Larry has covered everything I'd have to say about that. If you've never heard of those bands (and you probably haven't), then it is your duty as a music-lover to check them out. By the way, Doctor Steel went to CalArts in the same Character Animation program I went through. You just wait, someday I'll have a Flash website that looks as cool as his ...
I've been out of work since Tak 3 wrapped up. I believe it will be showing up in stores across the world pretty soon. Remember, kids, I wrote some of the dialogue in that game (the Gameboy Advance version, anyway). I got to write the mind reader boss's dialogue! Oh yeah, and I animated him, too. Actually, I'm only responsible for about 1/3 of the in-game dialogue, and the publisher smoothed it all over and made sure there weren't any in-jokes left. Or maybe they just replaced our in-jokes with their in-jokes.
So, I'm doing some freelance, designing T-shirts and logos for an advertising company. Also continuing to teach myself Flash MX. I've overcome the learning hump and enjoying it now. I want to design a whole bunch of Flash websites for fun. But I try to keep my priorities in the right order, so I'm focusing on my writing instead. (Yes, that is a priority with me; I'm just weird.) I'm currently working on a short story about demonic Vikings. Rejections are trickling in ... maybe I'm self-deluded, but I keep thinking it's only a matter of time before I reach my goal of breaking into a pro market. I'll tell you as soon as it happens.
My novels and my screenplays are on hold. But not for long! I'm going to go insane and rip somebody's head off if I don't get back to long format writing soon.
Abby, signing off.
Anyway, my artwork will be featured in an upcoming gallery show. The reception is this Saturday evening, in Alhambra (between Pasadena and Los Angeles), at Gallery Nucleus. If you're in the L.A. area, it's worth going to! There will be free drinks, a live band, and women get 10% off all the store merchandise, since it's an all-woman show. My artwork will be for sale at the gallery and on their online store throughout September.
I never told you about Comic Con, did I? Well ... to those of you who are "Wheel of Time" fans ... I went to a dinner with Robert Jordan and his wife, Harriet. That was a really cool, interesting experience! I'll attempt to go into more detail at a later date.
In the last week of July, I spent ten days in New Hampshire at TNEO (the Odyssey writing workshop alumni program thingy). It's basically a high-end critique group. Some of the Odyssey graduates are published novelists, and many have experience in the publishing industry, so I judged it worth going to. It was. I'll probably go again next year. Not only did we critique each other's work (and receive critiques on up to three stories of our own), but we practiced pitching our novels, we did a reading at Barnes & Noble, and we had panels covering everything from Young Adult markets to writing good query letters. Ask about my reading at B&N and watch me blush ...
So, I could tell you about the Doctor Steel and STG concerts I went to, but I think Larry has covered everything I'd have to say about that. If you've never heard of those bands (and you probably haven't), then it is your duty as a music-lover to check them out. By the way, Doctor Steel went to CalArts in the same Character Animation program I went through. You just wait, someday I'll have a Flash website that looks as cool as his ...
I've been out of work since Tak 3 wrapped up. I believe it will be showing up in stores across the world pretty soon. Remember, kids, I wrote some of the dialogue in that game (the Gameboy Advance version, anyway). I got to write the mind reader boss's dialogue! Oh yeah, and I animated him, too. Actually, I'm only responsible for about 1/3 of the in-game dialogue, and the publisher smoothed it all over and made sure there weren't any in-jokes left. Or maybe they just replaced our in-jokes with their in-jokes.
So, I'm doing some freelance, designing T-shirts and logos for an advertising company. Also continuing to teach myself Flash MX. I've overcome the learning hump and enjoying it now. I want to design a whole bunch of Flash websites for fun. But I try to keep my priorities in the right order, so I'm focusing on my writing instead. (Yes, that is a priority with me; I'm just weird.) I'm currently working on a short story about demonic Vikings. Rejections are trickling in ... maybe I'm self-deluded, but I keep thinking it's only a matter of time before I reach my goal of breaking into a pro market. I'll tell you as soon as it happens.
My novels and my screenplays are on hold. But not for long! I'm going to go insane and rip somebody's head off if I don't get back to long format writing soon.
Abby, signing off.
Nov 5, 2004
World Fantasy Convention 2004
he palm trees are green, the hedges play jazz music, and it's late autumn in California.
The last time I posted in my blog, I was going insane with my novel rewrite. This is no longer the case. I have attained a zen-like attitude of fatalism. If I finish the rewrite and it works, great. If not . . . I still believe the current version is a good book. If it never gets looked at due to its structural problem, then I'll just wait until I'm famous and have it published then!
I just returned from the World Fantasy Convention, which is a conference for professional genre authors, editors, and publishers (despite its name). They're so professional that they hold the convention on Halloween and don't dress up in any costumes. There was an art show there, and panel discussions, but the point of this convention was mostly to shmooze--aka network. I'm not a social person, but to my surprise, I had a really good time. I met a lot of online friends for the first time, and (to sound corny) met new friends. It was also a thrill for me to hear some big-name authors and publishers speak their minds.
I want to go on about this conference at great length, but that would be boring to many readers, so I'll save it for the end of this entry.
ANIMATION
On the animation front, I'm full-swing into the job hunt. It's a demoralizing process, because most of my queries receive no reply, and I'm not qualified for most of the jobs I want. I'm not qualified because I don't have the right experience, and I can't get the right experience because I can't get those jobs. It's the old catch-22. I can see a way out of this vicious cycle: I need to make a kick-ass 3D film single-handedly. But that requires a lot of time and dedication, and I don't like the idea of putting aside my writing ambitions in favor of that.
However, I am learning Flash MX and making an animated short that will probably put my other films to shame. It's a lot of fun, and I think it'll be a great thing on my demo reel. The process is also setting me up for my future ambition: A series on online cartoons, a la Homestar Runner. I have high hopes for this project. The voice actors are lined up (thanks, voice actors!), the scripts are ready, and the characters are designed. All I need now is to do it.
Speaking of animation, I just saw The Incredibles. Go see it! I think they made an incredible film, exceeding my expectations by a long shot. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually WANT them to make a sequel. (pout) I wish Pixar would hire me. My applications to them never received replies.
ARIZONA ROAD-TRIP
So anyway, back to other stuff. Larry and I took a little road trip through the deserts of Arizona on the way back from the convention. The photos should be on his website soon. We stopped at Montezuma's Castle, an ancient fortress built into a cliff wall by Native Americans. It was inhabited by 35 people from a community of 200. Apparently the other people had a ground-level place, but it burned down 600 years ago. The same day (Halloween), we drove from a saguaro cactus desert--with warm summer temperatures--to an icy cold pine forest with a foot of snow on the ground. We passed through the town of Sedona at sunset. All the kids were trick-or-treating. According to the people of Sedona, there are energy points around the town that make people feel good. I'm a total skeptic, but I must say, I felt good driving through there! It was so pretty. Larry and I turned to each other at the same moment and said "Let's live here!"
We stayed overnight in Flagstaff--brrr--and then we checked out Meteor Crater. Yeah, it's basically a big hole that got blasted into the desert 50,000 years ago, but it was impressive. Also windy. I figure the wind chill factor was 30 F. And then we drove the eight hours back to L.A., reading the last book in the Dark Tower series on the way. We're still not done with it, but I must say, the action is building toward some kind of crazy climax. My favorite books in the series so far have been Books 2, 3, and 6. Book 6 was hands-down awesome. If anyone out there is looking for a good SF/Fantasy epic, I recommend this one.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND NOVEL STATUS
As you know, the process of editing my novel has become gruesome to me. I'm taking it more slowly now. I also want to polish my scary screenplay and write new short stories. I'm afraid to start a new novel, because I get sucked in and tend to pay less attention to job hunting and films and stuff like that. Once I feel like my life is on a more comfortable track, you can bet I'll start another major project. I have more than enough ideas to run with.
I have a story accepted by Aoife's Kiss. "Leveling Mountains" will appear there sometime in 2005.
I have one submission waiting at Realms of Fantasy, one at Borderlands 6 anthology, and one at Corpse Blossoms anthology. That's all I have out there right now, which is pretty meager for me. You can count on a lot more news with my next update.
MOVIE AND BOOK REVIEWS
The Grudge was relentlessly scary. Lots of fun! Team America was very funny, but not the sort of movie I can watch repeatedly. Most of the gags were one-time only. But other than those movies and The Incredibles, there haven't been many good films lately. The Forgotten was like a low-budget made-for-TV movie. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a huge disappointment, to me. They went all out on special FX, and the imagery was beautiful, but the plot completely failed in its attempt to pay homage to old-time pulp fiction.
Um . . . what have I been reading? Lots and lots of short stories. I'm a member of two critique groups now. That amounts to about three critiques per week. I'm also working through the last Borderlands anthology, in which my friend Lon Prater was published. And reading a bunch of SF magazines I got at the convention. And reading/critiquing a friend's novel. The novel is a relief, because I'm still more of a fan of epics than short form, but I'm also continually suprised by how much plot and character one can pack into a short story.
And now it's time for the . . .
WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION 2004 REPORT
This was my first con, and I learned a few things. Here are the highlights.
01) Many of the authors I talked with had completed five stand-alone novels or so before their first book was picked up by a publisher. There were a LOT of neo-pros there. I had this weird feeling that no one was taking me seriously because I have no pro publications. My conclusion is that I haven't written and submitted nearly enough stuff. I need a few pro publications!
02) The panels were pretty silly. A friend advised that I should attend panels based on WHO is on them rather than the topic, and I think this held true. The panelists were often answering audience questions or talking about their personal opinions rather than holding an illuminating discussion of the topic. There was one panel where they strayed completely from the topic and never came back to it. However, it was illuminating to listen to all these published authors and major editors speak. I feel like I have a much better sense of who they are and what they're about.
03) Ellen Datlow says that the SciFi Channel doesn't read her magazine, SciFiction. Both Ellen Datlow and Gordon Van Gelder want more SF and more Humor, and more complete stories with a protagonist who changes during the course of events. They believe that the importance of story structure is being forgetten, and want to see more stories with the traditional structure of a single hero who undergoes the most important change of his or her life.
04) Gordon Van Gelder gives detailed feedback to writers whom he considers to be promising. He says that sometimes a story is great except that the fantastic element shows up too late, or the setting/style is generic, or it's too literary.
05) All of the panelists on short stories agree that Robert Reed is a model of what a short story writer should be. He has at least 15 stories per year in all the major markets, and they're always good.
06) Tor editor David Hartwell cares so much about finding talent that he actually read a short story of John C. Wright's, then tracked him down and asked him if he had a novel.
07) I was really happy to talk with a screenwriter who's produced TV shows such as DS9 and Sliders. He gave me some nice tips on how to get in on the industry here. I know that book writers and screenwriters don't often mix, but I don't see why not. The mediums are not hugely different. The biggest difference I see is this: Screenwriters cannot survive if they're overly attached to the purity of their work.
08) Interestingly enough, I met an extremely talented animator who's attending the school (and department) I graduated from at CalArts. That was a surprising coincidence. We talked animation industry for a while.
09) The parties were tiring, and they stuffed a lot of people into those little suites. The Tor Books party was particularly crowded. There were about 100 people in a room designed to hold maybe 50. I'd been told that the parties would be mostly invitation only, but it seemed that anyone could walk into any party. There were only four suites or so in the hotel, and a party in them every night. I popped into most of them.
10) Shmoozing was not nearly as frightening as I'd imagined. Writers are very open to conversation. Unfortunately, most of the people there knew each other and were wrapped in private conversations. A few times, I struck up conversations with other people who looked alone. Most of them had their own weird tales about the getting-published process, and most were further along than I am (I have a competetive spirit, and couldn't help but compare). I really found everyone easy to talk to, which was a HUGE relief. I've known writers who are snobbish. It was also nice to realize that just about everyone at this convention wants a lifelong career as a writer or editor.
11) I met a whole bunch of people that I've hitherto only known online. It was exciting to meet other Odyssey graduates, friends from science_fiction_writing on Yahoo, and Samantha Henderson from my online critique group.
12) There were some good artists in the art show amidst the not-so-talented ones. I found a new artist to admire: Sarah Clemens. She's one talented woman. It was also cool to see the original book cover paintings by Janny Wurts and Don Maitz. They're much more impressive up close than on book covers.
13) One of the highlights of my experience at WFC was that a girl asked for my autograph. She was collecting them in case any of the new writers get famous. It was the first time anyone's requested my autograph, and I was flattered!
14) Authors did readings at the con, and I thought this was a great way to sample their work and decide if I wanted to buy one of their books or not.
15) The first panel I went to was a discussion on why adults read Young Adult novels. I thought that one of the best points in the debate was brought up by an audience member. He said that adult fantasy often focuses on using the magic for war and fighting, whereas YA fiction is still about the sheer wonder of magic. This may be why Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is compared to the Harry Potter series. Although it's adult fiction, it's about the wonder of magic rather than using magic for war.
16) I enjoyed the panel about stereotyped characters. The panelists all had interesting things to say. Charles de Lint said that for him, beginning a new novel project is like starting a new job and having to get used to a new setting, new co-workers, etc. He also finds it important (as I do) to have people read the novel before it's published. Jo Walton mentioned that the "spunky woman heroine" in a medieval setting often doesn't belong in that world. The spunky woman heroine is a 20th century woman, not a person that grew up in a medieval society.
17) The panel about villains got a little silly, but it was fun. I'm glad that L.E. Modesitt, Jr. pointed out the done-to-death stereotype of stupid bad guys who also happen to be powerful. Those also bother me. I get bored with stupid villains in novels and movies. Enough with the James Bond cliches! David Levine mentioned that villains are often the agents of progress or change--a new regime--while the protagonists are often trying to restore the old way of doing things. Strange, huh? I think so. But it holds true more often than not. Even in my Yeresunsa saga, the protagonists are trying to restore an ancient culture, and the bad guys are all about technological progress.
18) Finally, the panel about recurring characters in series was a good one. James Barclay doesn't believe in writer's block; he said that Terry Pratchett holds the same opinion. An audience member--Carrie Vaughn--brought up the point that a character must change in order to be interesting, but this might get tiresome in a long series where the character changes in every book. L.E. Modesitt answered this by saying that he never writes more than three books about any given character; beyond that, the character begins to seem plastic. Barclay said his limit is six books before the character gets tired. There was much mention of Lois McMaster Bujold handling a character through seven books without making him seem too plastic. Yes, Bujold is definitely on my list of authors to try soon!
With that, I believe I've run out of things to say. Oh! Email. If you email me, and I don't reply for a month or two, it's because I want to take the time to write a thought-out response. I'm usually too busy or lazy to do that. The one-sentence replies tend to go out the fastest. If I have more than one sentence to say to you, then . . . sorry. I'll reply eventually.
Best of luck to everyone who had the patience to read this. Happy Holidays!
The last time I posted in my blog, I was going insane with my novel rewrite. This is no longer the case. I have attained a zen-like attitude of fatalism. If I finish the rewrite and it works, great. If not . . . I still believe the current version is a good book. If it never gets looked at due to its structural problem, then I'll just wait until I'm famous and have it published then!
I just returned from the World Fantasy Convention, which is a conference for professional genre authors, editors, and publishers (despite its name). They're so professional that they hold the convention on Halloween and don't dress up in any costumes. There was an art show there, and panel discussions, but the point of this convention was mostly to shmooze--aka network. I'm not a social person, but to my surprise, I had a really good time. I met a lot of online friends for the first time, and (to sound corny) met new friends. It was also a thrill for me to hear some big-name authors and publishers speak their minds.
I want to go on about this conference at great length, but that would be boring to many readers, so I'll save it for the end of this entry.
ANIMATION
On the animation front, I'm full-swing into the job hunt. It's a demoralizing process, because most of my queries receive no reply, and I'm not qualified for most of the jobs I want. I'm not qualified because I don't have the right experience, and I can't get the right experience because I can't get those jobs. It's the old catch-22. I can see a way out of this vicious cycle: I need to make a kick-ass 3D film single-handedly. But that requires a lot of time and dedication, and I don't like the idea of putting aside my writing ambitions in favor of that.
However, I am learning Flash MX and making an animated short that will probably put my other films to shame. It's a lot of fun, and I think it'll be a great thing on my demo reel. The process is also setting me up for my future ambition: A series on online cartoons, a la Homestar Runner. I have high hopes for this project. The voice actors are lined up (thanks, voice actors!), the scripts are ready, and the characters are designed. All I need now is to do it.
Speaking of animation, I just saw The Incredibles. Go see it! I think they made an incredible film, exceeding my expectations by a long shot. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually WANT them to make a sequel. (pout) I wish Pixar would hire me. My applications to them never received replies.
ARIZONA ROAD-TRIP
So anyway, back to other stuff. Larry and I took a little road trip through the deserts of Arizona on the way back from the convention. The photos should be on his website soon. We stopped at Montezuma's Castle, an ancient fortress built into a cliff wall by Native Americans. It was inhabited by 35 people from a community of 200. Apparently the other people had a ground-level place, but it burned down 600 years ago. The same day (Halloween), we drove from a saguaro cactus desert--with warm summer temperatures--to an icy cold pine forest with a foot of snow on the ground. We passed through the town of Sedona at sunset. All the kids were trick-or-treating. According to the people of Sedona, there are energy points around the town that make people feel good. I'm a total skeptic, but I must say, I felt good driving through there! It was so pretty. Larry and I turned to each other at the same moment and said "Let's live here!"
We stayed overnight in Flagstaff--brrr--and then we checked out Meteor Crater. Yeah, it's basically a big hole that got blasted into the desert 50,000 years ago, but it was impressive. Also windy. I figure the wind chill factor was 30 F. And then we drove the eight hours back to L.A., reading the last book in the Dark Tower series on the way. We're still not done with it, but I must say, the action is building toward some kind of crazy climax. My favorite books in the series so far have been Books 2, 3, and 6. Book 6 was hands-down awesome. If anyone out there is looking for a good SF/Fantasy epic, I recommend this one.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND NOVEL STATUS
As you know, the process of editing my novel has become gruesome to me. I'm taking it more slowly now. I also want to polish my scary screenplay and write new short stories. I'm afraid to start a new novel, because I get sucked in and tend to pay less attention to job hunting and films and stuff like that. Once I feel like my life is on a more comfortable track, you can bet I'll start another major project. I have more than enough ideas to run with.
I have a story accepted by Aoife's Kiss. "Leveling Mountains" will appear there sometime in 2005.
I have one submission waiting at Realms of Fantasy, one at Borderlands 6 anthology, and one at Corpse Blossoms anthology. That's all I have out there right now, which is pretty meager for me. You can count on a lot more news with my next update.
MOVIE AND BOOK REVIEWS
The Grudge was relentlessly scary. Lots of fun! Team America was very funny, but not the sort of movie I can watch repeatedly. Most of the gags were one-time only. But other than those movies and The Incredibles, there haven't been many good films lately. The Forgotten was like a low-budget made-for-TV movie. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a huge disappointment, to me. They went all out on special FX, and the imagery was beautiful, but the plot completely failed in its attempt to pay homage to old-time pulp fiction.
Um . . . what have I been reading? Lots and lots of short stories. I'm a member of two critique groups now. That amounts to about three critiques per week. I'm also working through the last Borderlands anthology, in which my friend Lon Prater was published. And reading a bunch of SF magazines I got at the convention. And reading/critiquing a friend's novel. The novel is a relief, because I'm still more of a fan of epics than short form, but I'm also continually suprised by how much plot and character one can pack into a short story.
And now it's time for the . . .
WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION 2004 REPORT
This was my first con, and I learned a few things. Here are the highlights.
01) Many of the authors I talked with had completed five stand-alone novels or so before their first book was picked up by a publisher. There were a LOT of neo-pros there. I had this weird feeling that no one was taking me seriously because I have no pro publications. My conclusion is that I haven't written and submitted nearly enough stuff. I need a few pro publications!
02) The panels were pretty silly. A friend advised that I should attend panels based on WHO is on them rather than the topic, and I think this held true. The panelists were often answering audience questions or talking about their personal opinions rather than holding an illuminating discussion of the topic. There was one panel where they strayed completely from the topic and never came back to it. However, it was illuminating to listen to all these published authors and major editors speak. I feel like I have a much better sense of who they are and what they're about.
03) Ellen Datlow says that the SciFi Channel doesn't read her magazine, SciFiction. Both Ellen Datlow and Gordon Van Gelder want more SF and more Humor, and more complete stories with a protagonist who changes during the course of events. They believe that the importance of story structure is being forgetten, and want to see more stories with the traditional structure of a single hero who undergoes the most important change of his or her life.
04) Gordon Van Gelder gives detailed feedback to writers whom he considers to be promising. He says that sometimes a story is great except that the fantastic element shows up too late, or the setting/style is generic, or it's too literary.
05) All of the panelists on short stories agree that Robert Reed is a model of what a short story writer should be. He has at least 15 stories per year in all the major markets, and they're always good.
06) Tor editor David Hartwell cares so much about finding talent that he actually read a short story of John C. Wright's, then tracked him down and asked him if he had a novel.
07) I was really happy to talk with a screenwriter who's produced TV shows such as DS9 and Sliders. He gave me some nice tips on how to get in on the industry here. I know that book writers and screenwriters don't often mix, but I don't see why not. The mediums are not hugely different. The biggest difference I see is this: Screenwriters cannot survive if they're overly attached to the purity of their work.
08) Interestingly enough, I met an extremely talented animator who's attending the school (and department) I graduated from at CalArts. That was a surprising coincidence. We talked animation industry for a while.
09) The parties were tiring, and they stuffed a lot of people into those little suites. The Tor Books party was particularly crowded. There were about 100 people in a room designed to hold maybe 50. I'd been told that the parties would be mostly invitation only, but it seemed that anyone could walk into any party. There were only four suites or so in the hotel, and a party in them every night. I popped into most of them.
10) Shmoozing was not nearly as frightening as I'd imagined. Writers are very open to conversation. Unfortunately, most of the people there knew each other and were wrapped in private conversations. A few times, I struck up conversations with other people who looked alone. Most of them had their own weird tales about the getting-published process, and most were further along than I am (I have a competetive spirit, and couldn't help but compare). I really found everyone easy to talk to, which was a HUGE relief. I've known writers who are snobbish. It was also nice to realize that just about everyone at this convention wants a lifelong career as a writer or editor.
11) I met a whole bunch of people that I've hitherto only known online. It was exciting to meet other Odyssey graduates, friends from science_fiction_writing on Yahoo, and Samantha Henderson from my online critique group.
12) There were some good artists in the art show amidst the not-so-talented ones. I found a new artist to admire: Sarah Clemens. She's one talented woman. It was also cool to see the original book cover paintings by Janny Wurts and Don Maitz. They're much more impressive up close than on book covers.
13) One of the highlights of my experience at WFC was that a girl asked for my autograph. She was collecting them in case any of the new writers get famous. It was the first time anyone's requested my autograph, and I was flattered!
14) Authors did readings at the con, and I thought this was a great way to sample their work and decide if I wanted to buy one of their books or not.
15) The first panel I went to was a discussion on why adults read Young Adult novels. I thought that one of the best points in the debate was brought up by an audience member. He said that adult fantasy often focuses on using the magic for war and fighting, whereas YA fiction is still about the sheer wonder of magic. This may be why Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is compared to the Harry Potter series. Although it's adult fiction, it's about the wonder of magic rather than using magic for war.
16) I enjoyed the panel about stereotyped characters. The panelists all had interesting things to say. Charles de Lint said that for him, beginning a new novel project is like starting a new job and having to get used to a new setting, new co-workers, etc. He also finds it important (as I do) to have people read the novel before it's published. Jo Walton mentioned that the "spunky woman heroine" in a medieval setting often doesn't belong in that world. The spunky woman heroine is a 20th century woman, not a person that grew up in a medieval society.
17) The panel about villains got a little silly, but it was fun. I'm glad that L.E. Modesitt, Jr. pointed out the done-to-death stereotype of stupid bad guys who also happen to be powerful. Those also bother me. I get bored with stupid villains in novels and movies. Enough with the James Bond cliches! David Levine mentioned that villains are often the agents of progress or change--a new regime--while the protagonists are often trying to restore the old way of doing things. Strange, huh? I think so. But it holds true more often than not. Even in my Yeresunsa saga, the protagonists are trying to restore an ancient culture, and the bad guys are all about technological progress.
18) Finally, the panel about recurring characters in series was a good one. James Barclay doesn't believe in writer's block; he said that Terry Pratchett holds the same opinion. An audience member--Carrie Vaughn--brought up the point that a character must change in order to be interesting, but this might get tiresome in a long series where the character changes in every book. L.E. Modesitt answered this by saying that he never writes more than three books about any given character; beyond that, the character begins to seem plastic. Barclay said his limit is six books before the character gets tired. There was much mention of Lois McMaster Bujold handling a character through seven books without making him seem too plastic. Yes, Bujold is definitely on my list of authors to try soon!
With that, I believe I've run out of things to say. Oh! Email. If you email me, and I don't reply for a month or two, it's because I want to take the time to write a thought-out response. I'm usually too busy or lazy to do that. The one-sentence replies tend to go out the fastest. If I have more than one sentence to say to you, then . . . sorry. I'll reply eventually.
Best of luck to everyone who had the patience to read this. Happy Holidays!
Mar 30, 2004
unemployed and unpublished
Firstly, I was accepted into the 2004 Odyssey Writing Workshop! It's a six week program that takes place from June to July in Manchester, New Hampshire. That happens to be near where I grew up, which is just a coincidence...anyhow, I'm really excited about this, because the guest lecturers include George R.R. Martin (one of my favorite fantasy authors) and Gardner Dozois (the editor of Asimov's SF Magazine).
My job hunt continues, but I've picked up some freelance work animating sprites for a GBA game. It's fun!
COMING SOON on my website: Love Advice from Mack Master Sugar Batter! This guest columnist is *not me* (I feel the need to stress that), but she will have a section HERE. Send your questions and pleas for relationship advice to Sugar Batter!
Also, I've added some new illustrations to The Illusionist, and I plan to add more when I have time.
I'm writing a screenplay about sentient alien parasites that possess a group of human scientists. It's sort of a cross between Alien and Resident Evil. This will be my first feature length screenplay, and my goal is to have it finished by May.
My two completed, ready-to-go novels are currently in the slush piles at Baen Books, and Mundania Press. Reply times are four months at Mundania, and over a year at Baen, so I won't know if I'm rejected or accepted for quite a while. Unfortunately, the odds of being published in print are piled against new authors. Most publishers (even major ones) only publish one or two new authors per year, and they get thousands of submissions. And there's a nasty catch-22: In order to get noticed by a publisher, you usually need an agent, but in order to get an agent, it seems that you need to have a contract with a publisher. Genre fiction is a hard field to break into.
If you're wondering what my track record for these novels is so far, here it is:
What else...? Hmm. Short stories. I've written a few more, and I'm finally starting to like doing it, a little. I still prefer epic novels (both reading and writing), so short fiction is really hard for me. It's literally harder for me to write a good 5,000 word story than a well-plotted 150,000 word novel! What is my problem? Anyway, I'm pleased to report that I've had a story accepted for publication in Deep Magic. This is a really nice genre e-zine; well above standard, in my opinion. And I formed that opinion long before they accepted my story. :-)
I will be attending the 2004 World Fantasy Convention in Tempe, Arizona, this October. Look for me there! Okay, so maybe you won't be there...(or maybe you will; if so, I'm the redhead carrying a notebook portfolio)...but I'll write an update on how it goes. This is my first writing-oriented convention, and I have nothing notable published yet. Scary!
So, that's the end of my news. The weather is getting nice and hot here. I have my first sunburn of the season. I will continue to whittle through my backlog of emails, job hunt, prepare for Odyssey and conventions and other stuff, and write that screenplay. Oh yeah, and finish updating The Wheel of Time section before Robert Jordan writes the next book.
My job hunt continues, but I've picked up some freelance work animating sprites for a GBA game. It's fun!
COMING SOON on my website: Love Advice from Mack Master Sugar Batter! This guest columnist is *not me* (I feel the need to stress that), but she will have a section HERE. Send your questions and pleas for relationship advice to Sugar Batter!
Also, I've added some new illustrations to The Illusionist, and I plan to add more when I have time.
I'm writing a screenplay about sentient alien parasites that possess a group of human scientists. It's sort of a cross between Alien and Resident Evil. This will be my first feature length screenplay, and my goal is to have it finished by May.
My two completed, ready-to-go novels are currently in the slush piles at Baen Books, and Mundania Press. Reply times are four months at Mundania, and over a year at Baen, so I won't know if I'm rejected or accepted for quite a while. Unfortunately, the odds of being published in print are piled against new authors. Most publishers (even major ones) only publish one or two new authors per year, and they get thousands of submissions. And there's a nasty catch-22: In order to get noticed by a publisher, you usually need an agent, but in order to get an agent, it seems that you need to have a contract with a publisher. Genre fiction is a hard field to break into.
If you're wondering what my track record for these novels is so far, here it is:
- I've been unable to get an agent to so much as read the first three chapters of either novel. I think the problem is either a poor synopsis, a lack of impressive writing credits, or a lack of connections.
- The Illusionist has been rejected from LTDBooks and Renaissance e-Books. LTDBooks offered a little bit of feedback with their rejection.
- Baen Books is the first publisher that will ever see Yeresunsa Book 1: The Nameless...provided they actually see it, of course, and don't lose the manuscript or chuck it into the trash without reading it. Yes, I have fears about that. Of course, I won't find out until mid-2005, and I can't submit it elsewhere until then.
What else...? Hmm. Short stories. I've written a few more, and I'm finally starting to like doing it, a little. I still prefer epic novels (both reading and writing), so short fiction is really hard for me. It's literally harder for me to write a good 5,000 word story than a well-plotted 150,000 word novel! What is my problem? Anyway, I'm pleased to report that I've had a story accepted for publication in Deep Magic. This is a really nice genre e-zine; well above standard, in my opinion. And I formed that opinion long before they accepted my story. :-)
I will be attending the 2004 World Fantasy Convention in Tempe, Arizona, this October. Look for me there! Okay, so maybe you won't be there...(or maybe you will; if so, I'm the redhead carrying a notebook portfolio)...but I'll write an update on how it goes. This is my first writing-oriented convention, and I have nothing notable published yet. Scary!
So, that's the end of my news. The weather is getting nice and hot here. I have my first sunburn of the season. I will continue to whittle through my backlog of emails, job hunt, prepare for Odyssey and conventions and other stuff, and write that screenplay. Oh yeah, and finish updating The Wheel of Time section before Robert Jordan writes the next book.
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