Last Friday Night
I ended up working almost until closing, so I didn't get home until it was after midnight. Then I ate, watched some television, and passed out only to come to sometime in the mid morning on Saturday to realize that I had work again.
I realize that I am very much the wimp. Anything dubbed "work" that does not involve me and Mendel or Charlie for hours tires me so easily that it becomes unimaginable in my mind. So, thank you to those workers who go through the daily grind, because when this seasonal stint ends I'm not sure if I can go back even if I'm asked.
Also, I am sure that I haven't mentioned either Charlie or Mendel on here before. Charlie is my guitar, Mendel is one of my laptops [Kelly is the older, nearly dead, one], and in case you're into very lame science jokes, Gregor [my phone] is the counterpart to Mendel. For me, naming things helps me remember where they are and with the exception of Kelly they are always named after a scientist, discoverer, philosopher (ask me about my flash drives), or some character/writer.
So, speaking of unpaid work that involves Mendel, I've started writing something new, if only to distract myself so I don't over edit the other projects that are finished for now. So for now that shall become my main focus. Well, not right now, because right now the hunger is really getting to me and I must eat. But after that and some sleep it shall become my main focus.
Also, first day of winter is tomorrow. Oh autumn, I barely knew ye! And then there's Christmas. And then New Year's Eve and Day. Goodness. Well, Happy Holidays. I'll be back with regular posts and essays mid January.
20 December 2009
03 December 2009
Waiting
Oh New York, you disappoint me so.
In other news...Well, this isn't actually news so much as me talking about waiting as I said I would in Tuesday's post.
Now, I know a fair bit about the publishing business, but all in the theoretical sense. I'm unpublished as far as fiction is concerned. Once a poem of mine was submitted to be included in a student anthology in high school, but the teacher had missed the deadline. Aside from that, every work of mine that has ever reached the eyes of others has been either in newsprint or on the internet, the former being the more legitimate of the two.
I've been in the newspaper a number of times, always in the Local section of course. There was one time just over a year ago that a short column of mine was published in a county wide newspaper. Mainly though it was through the school paper that I got any real writing discipline.
Journalism II was fast paced and there was always a sense of urgency whenever the deadline was looming. I know how to plan ahead to meet any deadline now so I'm not scrambling at the last moment, and I basically learned all of that from Journalism II. Sure, I would set deadlines for myself before, but when I didn't meet them there were no consequences. If I didn't meet my deadline there then my story didn't run and I probably wouldn't be able to write another assignment similar as I would have labeled myself as unreliable.
True, sometimes the paper itself didn't meet it's deadline, but I did my best to make sure that I was never a contributor to that.
There was however a certain time that it wasn't so fast paced and all hustle and bustle. That time was known as the time in between issues. It could be viewed as both the best and the worst time. It was the best because you got to catch up and relax. The tension wasn't on. It was that much needed breath before another plunge into that ocean known as Deadline. It was the worst because after a while it got boring. Waiting became the enemy. All you wanted to do is just write something for the new issue. When that break became a painfully stagnant period no amount of gossip or casual conversation could take my mind off of what was next.
Not knowing the exact when of things drives me nuts.
So, naturally, I want to get involved in publishing.
Publishing is full of waiting. So far I'm on the unpublished side, as previously stated. I'm also on the unagented side, which is a little bit worse, but either way, it happens. I know you're supposed to query agents and then wait for their replies. And then if one offers representation you're supposed to wait and think it over, so as not to make any rash decisions. Once you accept an offer you're supposed to wait until they find an editor for it and then you have to wait because you're doing more revisions. Once it's the best it can be you have to wait to have it sold. Once that happens you have to wait for it to be actually published. Of course other non waiting things like publicity and marketing happen in there, but waiting is a major factor.
So far I've waited a lot. Not nearly as much as some, but still a significant amount of time. Waiting blows. I have my query up to the standards that I think is accurately representative of my writing capabilities and the story's plot. I have the story in as close a place to the final incarnation as I could get to on my own. Now it's the holidays almost, which is the quite possibly the worst time to query. So, I'm waiting until half way into the first month of the New Year until I send it out.
For now I am content to say that the book is finished. I just have to wait to do anything with it.
Oh New York, you disappoint me so.
In other news...Well, this isn't actually news so much as me talking about waiting as I said I would in Tuesday's post.
Now, I know a fair bit about the publishing business, but all in the theoretical sense. I'm unpublished as far as fiction is concerned. Once a poem of mine was submitted to be included in a student anthology in high school, but the teacher had missed the deadline. Aside from that, every work of mine that has ever reached the eyes of others has been either in newsprint or on the internet, the former being the more legitimate of the two.
I've been in the newspaper a number of times, always in the Local section of course. There was one time just over a year ago that a short column of mine was published in a county wide newspaper. Mainly though it was through the school paper that I got any real writing discipline.
Journalism II was fast paced and there was always a sense of urgency whenever the deadline was looming. I know how to plan ahead to meet any deadline now so I'm not scrambling at the last moment, and I basically learned all of that from Journalism II. Sure, I would set deadlines for myself before, but when I didn't meet them there were no consequences. If I didn't meet my deadline there then my story didn't run and I probably wouldn't be able to write another assignment similar as I would have labeled myself as unreliable.
True, sometimes the paper itself didn't meet it's deadline, but I did my best to make sure that I was never a contributor to that.
There was however a certain time that it wasn't so fast paced and all hustle and bustle. That time was known as the time in between issues. It could be viewed as both the best and the worst time. It was the best because you got to catch up and relax. The tension wasn't on. It was that much needed breath before another plunge into that ocean known as Deadline. It was the worst because after a while it got boring. Waiting became the enemy. All you wanted to do is just write something for the new issue. When that break became a painfully stagnant period no amount of gossip or casual conversation could take my mind off of what was next.
Not knowing the exact when of things drives me nuts.
So, naturally, I want to get involved in publishing.
Publishing is full of waiting. So far I'm on the unpublished side, as previously stated. I'm also on the unagented side, which is a little bit worse, but either way, it happens. I know you're supposed to query agents and then wait for their replies. And then if one offers representation you're supposed to wait and think it over, so as not to make any rash decisions. Once you accept an offer you're supposed to wait until they find an editor for it and then you have to wait because you're doing more revisions. Once it's the best it can be you have to wait to have it sold. Once that happens you have to wait for it to be actually published. Of course other non waiting things like publicity and marketing happen in there, but waiting is a major factor.
So far I've waited a lot. Not nearly as much as some, but still a significant amount of time. Waiting blows. I have my query up to the standards that I think is accurately representative of my writing capabilities and the story's plot. I have the story in as close a place to the final incarnation as I could get to on my own. Now it's the holidays almost, which is the quite possibly the worst time to query. So, I'm waiting until half way into the first month of the New Year until I send it out.
For now I am content to say that the book is finished. I just have to wait to do anything with it.
01 December 2009
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Weblog
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Weblog
Long story short: too much work, not enough sleep, and a fender bender as a result of the other driver.
I have to work tomorrow too, almost right after school.
Anyway, it is raining now and it is supposed to keep on for the next few days. The good news is that I get to wear my wet weather gear.
The only bad news I can see is that I didn't have time to read all of my library books and they go back tomorrow. I've already renewed them, and since they're from the school I can't keep them over break. Also, since I'm wide awake now and still have some things to take care of I probably will be running strictly on caffeine and that wonderful beast known as car sleep.
Another thing, I kind of forgot that it was the holiday season and December first, meaning Unofficial NaNoQuery Day. I almost lost my mind and sent out the query for my non NaNo manuscript. I've finished all the revisions on it that I've wanted to and it's to the point that I can't do anything else to it without input from an outside source. I haven't found a critique group and everyone I've asked to look at it has agreed to, but hasn't looked at it. It's annoying. I'm kind of leary of posting any of it online for online critique groups, and that won't change. So that only leaves me with that one step. And I need to wait to send it out until at least the new year.
I hate waiting, but I'll write more on that on Thursday.
Long story short: too much work, not enough sleep, and a fender bender as a result of the other driver.
I have to work tomorrow too, almost right after school.
Anyway, it is raining now and it is supposed to keep on for the next few days. The good news is that I get to wear my wet weather gear.
The only bad news I can see is that I didn't have time to read all of my library books and they go back tomorrow. I've already renewed them, and since they're from the school I can't keep them over break. Also, since I'm wide awake now and still have some things to take care of I probably will be running strictly on caffeine and that wonderful beast known as car sleep.
Another thing, I kind of forgot that it was the holiday season and December first, meaning Unofficial NaNoQuery Day. I almost lost my mind and sent out the query for my non NaNo manuscript. I've finished all the revisions on it that I've wanted to and it's to the point that I can't do anything else to it without input from an outside source. I haven't found a critique group and everyone I've asked to look at it has agreed to, but hasn't looked at it. It's annoying. I'm kind of leary of posting any of it online for online critique groups, and that won't change. So that only leaves me with that one step. And I need to wait to send it out until at least the new year.
I hate waiting, but I'll write more on that on Thursday.
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