No, not the song you wish would start playing when you walk into a room. ...though that would be pretty cool. I'm talking about music for writing, songs played while working or before working, all that kind of thing.
I've developed this habit of finding a CD (yes, I still get my music in old-fashioned physical form) that suits the book I'm working on and listening to that every time I sit down to write said book. For THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK, it was U2's "No Line on the Horizon"; I don't really know how to explain it, but somehow, it fit. I also edited the entire thing to the double-CD 20th Anniversary edition of "The Joshua Tree", so now I know both those albums pretty much by heart.
All of TAW is from Shiloh's perspective, but if I ever get to write the sequel, some of it will be from Alexi's POV. I've realized that, when that time comes, I'll have to write Alexi's scenes while listening to U2's "Achtung Baby", as it's better-suited to her.
Also because Alexi does in fact move in mysterious ways.
While writing to music is nothing new, I've also gotten into the habit of finding a song to listen to before I start, sort of mentally preparing me to get back to work on the story. Finding this isn't always easy; feeling out how a book is going to be is difficult enough, so figuring out what song suits it before it's even written seems kind of ridiculous. But I found one for TAW: "My Eyes" from "Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog". The whole thing is this awesome duet of duality, and duality is a big issue in TAW, as the main character learns to deal with two very different kinds of power.
I'm still in the plotting process for two different novels, though I haven't yet given a lot of thought to what to listen to while writing them. I feel like it's the kind of thing I won't really know until it's time to start writing. Here's hoping I actually figure it out by then. O_o
So: am I the only one who does this? Do y'all work in total silence, have playlists or other music set at random, or do you just need a certain amount of background noise? I've heard some people say they prefer film soundtracks, and while I can say that the extended soundtrack to the first "Hobbit" movie has done me very well for plotting, I don't know if it'll do as well for writing. So what does everyone else out there listen to while writing?
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Insecurity, not Anonymous
So, I decided to join the Insecure Writer's Support Group because. . . . Okay, seriously, do I need to list reasons? @_@ Fine, fine.
Because I go to bed every night and wake up every morning knowing that I could spend the rest of my life trying this writing thing and never getting anywhere, never finding an agent, never having any of my work read by more than a few people. Knowing that I could, utterly and completely, fail.
Because while I have two plots that are going great, it's the third one that's tying my guts in more knots than usual, and that's not even for something brand new - it's for the sequel to THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK, which I haven't even started querying yet. So I'm driving myself batty over something I might never need to write.
Because as a good and true friend of mine has pointed out, writing is in fact the hardest job in the world. Perhaps the most rewarding one, true. But still the hardest.
Because I get nervous about how people will react to characters I haven't even written yet.
Because I still beat myself up over stupid stuff I wrote years ago that no one ever read.
Because most, if not all, of the writers whose work I love had started their careers by my age. I know there's no age limit on this job, but I'm thirty-four and I always thought I'd be doing conventions and seeing movie deals by now.
Because I'm both optimistic and neurotic enough to imagine myself doing conventions and seeing movie deals. :P
Because, like most if not all of us, I'm in need of help. But therapy is expensive, and blogging is practically free.
And most of all, because I'm not going to let any of this stop me. So, hello. My name is Mason, and I am tremendously insecure about this whole writing thing.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
BEHOLD, A QUERY!
Okay, this is more than a little silly, but I figured we could all use a good laugh this early in the year. ^_^ In the interest of making my query letter a little more exciting, I decided to write it as melodramatic and overblown as I could. Then I dialed it back a little, so I could actually post it and admit to writing it. I also had Two Steps From Hell blaring while I wrote this, because why not?
So, without further ado, the Melodramatics At Eleven query letter for THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK:
Shiloh Donovan’s dreams tell her of a book only she can see. She seeks it out, desperate for answers, but a demon leaps forth as soon as she opens it. The demon’s claws of crystalline smoke scar her face and awaken a terrible power with her, a warped and chaotic magic. Shiloh turns this new power against the demon, and banishes it back into the book, but knows its actions have doomed her. Demonic magic is forbidden in her homeland, under penalty of banishment or death.
As fate would have it, Shiloh meets Alexi RiLeon that very day. Alexi hails from a powerful merchant family from the desert Cordobrae, and has come to broker a deal with Shiloh’s father. Shiloh is drawn to the dark-skinned beauty from first blush, but knows her feelings cannot be requited – the deal between their families demands that Alexi marry Shiloh’s elder brother.
The two women make haste to Donovan Manor, where Shiloh’s parents reveal a long-hidden truth: Shiloh is adopted. Her birth parents were part of a cult that worshiped the very demon Shiloh holds in the hidden book, an ancient being called Ak’tagth. Shiloh herself was prepared before birth to serve as Ak’tagth’s new body. Her dreams mean that the cult has found her, and though she’s foiled their first attempt, they will now stop at nothing to see that she becomes the demon’s vessel.
Donovan Manor is not without its safeguards, though; Shiloh takes a portal to a safehouse across the city. Alexi joins Shiloh, claiming she can offer further protection. But they are too late. The portal sends both women to a distant coastal city, and Shiloh realizes only demonic power could have so altered its magic. The cult has people in her house, and now, she’s exactly where they want her.
Alexi believes they can find safety in her homeland, so the two seek passage on an airship. But the demon’s cultists come after them once they’re airborne, and Shiloh’s new powers blaze out of control, sending the ship toward Cordobrae’s golden sands. . . .
THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK is a young adult fantasy novel of 94,000 words. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mason T. Matchak
So, without further ado, the Melodramatics At Eleven query letter for THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK:
Shiloh Donovan’s dreams tell her of a book only she can see. She seeks it out, desperate for answers, but a demon leaps forth as soon as she opens it. The demon’s claws of crystalline smoke scar her face and awaken a terrible power with her, a warped and chaotic magic. Shiloh turns this new power against the demon, and banishes it back into the book, but knows its actions have doomed her. Demonic magic is forbidden in her homeland, under penalty of banishment or death.
As fate would have it, Shiloh meets Alexi RiLeon that very day. Alexi hails from a powerful merchant family from the desert Cordobrae, and has come to broker a deal with Shiloh’s father. Shiloh is drawn to the dark-skinned beauty from first blush, but knows her feelings cannot be requited – the deal between their families demands that Alexi marry Shiloh’s elder brother.
The two women make haste to Donovan Manor, where Shiloh’s parents reveal a long-hidden truth: Shiloh is adopted. Her birth parents were part of a cult that worshiped the very demon Shiloh holds in the hidden book, an ancient being called Ak’tagth. Shiloh herself was prepared before birth to serve as Ak’tagth’s new body. Her dreams mean that the cult has found her, and though she’s foiled their first attempt, they will now stop at nothing to see that she becomes the demon’s vessel.
Donovan Manor is not without its safeguards, though; Shiloh takes a portal to a safehouse across the city. Alexi joins Shiloh, claiming she can offer further protection. But they are too late. The portal sends both women to a distant coastal city, and Shiloh realizes only demonic power could have so altered its magic. The cult has people in her house, and now, she’s exactly where they want her.
Alexi believes they can find safety in her homeland, so the two seek passage on an airship. But the demon’s cultists come after them once they’re airborne, and Shiloh’s new powers blaze out of control, sending the ship toward Cordobrae’s golden sands. . . .
THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK is a young adult fantasy novel of 94,000 words. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mason T. Matchak
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Year in Review and Looking Forward
It really feels like this was a year of good and bad, writing-wise. The first book I wrote, I deliberately plowed through it in a month because I had this strange idea that I had to write as fast as possible. It sucked. The second book I wrote turned out much better, and I'll begin the publishing attempt process in 2014. Of course, the only reason I wrote that book was because I decided to put SKYBORNE to rest after nearly a year of failing at the publishing attempt process.
So, yeah. Roller coaster and all that. @_@
I also started blogging more regularly in 2013, and it's starting to feel more natural. It still seems more like a duty than something I really enjoy, but as the writing process goes on, I think I'm getting more used to it. I also participated in my first Follow Fest, and met a bunch of nifty people that way; it's been great to reach out to the wider writing community. I'm hoping we all find success in the next year, one way or another.
As for looking forward, I'm pleased to say I have two plots that I'll do my damndest to make into two new books next year. I'm going to try something Rena suggested -- write one book, then write another, then go edit the first one. I've never done that before because I've never had two fully prepared plots at once, so this will be a new experience. Sadly, neither of those plots is the one I blogged about back in October; while I've spent time fleshing that one out and working on character development, something about it just doesn't interest me as much anymore. I think there's too much there for one book, and it needs to be pared down. As much as I overwrite, this is no surprise, but still. I've set it aside for now, and hope to return to it later.
As for what I do have, I gotta say, I'm really excited.
The first one is an interplanar adventure story I tweeted about as sort of a combination of three shows I love. I'm still hashing this one out, as I ran into a problem in the second act that meant I had to re-plot much of the first act. But the re-working is going well, and I'm not getting frustrated. (Yay!) Very much hoping I break through this plot wall tomorrow and pull the whole thing together. And anything that involves an intellectual lamia, a foulmouthed goblin with opposable toes, and a shotgun-wielding faceless wargolem should be fun.
The other is the kind of story I've wanted to write for a long time. It's dark fantasy with a healthy dose of cosmic horror thrown in, inspired by equal parts Marvel Comics and H.P. Lovecraft, and seriously, this thing was just about pulling itself out of my head as I plotted it. It still needs revision, but everything was working perfectly. I can't wait to polish this plot until it shines.
To everyone reading this: happy new year. May 2014 bring you what you want and what you need, whether you find these to be the same thing or not. ^_^
So, yeah. Roller coaster and all that. @_@
I also started blogging more regularly in 2013, and it's starting to feel more natural. It still seems more like a duty than something I really enjoy, but as the writing process goes on, I think I'm getting more used to it. I also participated in my first Follow Fest, and met a bunch of nifty people that way; it's been great to reach out to the wider writing community. I'm hoping we all find success in the next year, one way or another.
As for looking forward, I'm pleased to say I have two plots that I'll do my damndest to make into two new books next year. I'm going to try something Rena suggested -- write one book, then write another, then go edit the first one. I've never done that before because I've never had two fully prepared plots at once, so this will be a new experience. Sadly, neither of those plots is the one I blogged about back in October; while I've spent time fleshing that one out and working on character development, something about it just doesn't interest me as much anymore. I think there's too much there for one book, and it needs to be pared down. As much as I overwrite, this is no surprise, but still. I've set it aside for now, and hope to return to it later.
As for what I do have, I gotta say, I'm really excited.
The first one is an interplanar adventure story I tweeted about as sort of a combination of three shows I love. I'm still hashing this one out, as I ran into a problem in the second act that meant I had to re-plot much of the first act. But the re-working is going well, and I'm not getting frustrated. (Yay!) Very much hoping I break through this plot wall tomorrow and pull the whole thing together. And anything that involves an intellectual lamia, a foulmouthed goblin with opposable toes, and a shotgun-wielding faceless wargolem should be fun.
The other is the kind of story I've wanted to write for a long time. It's dark fantasy with a healthy dose of cosmic horror thrown in, inspired by equal parts Marvel Comics and H.P. Lovecraft, and seriously, this thing was just about pulling itself out of my head as I plotted it. It still needs revision, but everything was working perfectly. I can't wait to polish this plot until it shines.
To everyone reading this: happy new year. May 2014 bring you what you want and what you need, whether you find these to be the same thing or not. ^_^
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Post-Pitch Wars: Editing and Considering
I participated in Pitch Wars earlier this month, and THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK wasn't chosen - trust me, y'all would have heard about it at length (and at volume) if it was. ^_^ But on the plus side, I heard back from all four mentors I submitted to, and got some useful critique of my first few pages.
One of the things I heard was something I'd wondered about and now wish I'd fixed before submitting - Shiloh, the main character, came off as harsh and/or arrogant, and hard to relate to. The thing is, in the book's initial first chapter, she was way too passive; I realized this and some of my pre-readers said the same thing. But when I rewrote the chapter, I went way too far in the other direction.
After tonight's work, though, I can say it wasn't too difficult to fix. The book starts off in a library, and it's easy to capture Shiloh's love for the place when it's a feeling I share. She's there to find a book she's seen in her dreams, so she's determined, but more full of wonder at what this could mean and why she's dreamed of finding the book than dead sure that the book will be there and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
I have to admit, I'm really glad I took care of this before anyone else read it. I don't know if I would have known how to fix it without getting the mentors' feedback.
Another point was that there wasn't much world-building. I'm honestly not certain how much world-building I can get into less than three single-spaced pages, but I went through and tried to fit as many little details as I could. Not the easiest thing without resorting to "As you know" infodumps, especially since neither of the two characters talking would tell the other something like that. We learn about the world as the story goes on, and I think that's a better way.
And, as with any critique, there were things the mentors said that I just don't understand. I thought about writing back to the mentors and asking for clarification, but instead I've looked closer at the book and tried to figure out why they said what they said. Some of it I can sort of understand, some of it I just have to shrug off. I know this isn't a new issue; I'm sure everyone's gotten back critique that made them blink and make weird expressions as they tried to figure out what the reader was thinking. And I am grateful for the critique despite this. Ah, well.
With that in mind, I will be looking for critique partners after the holidays; I've bookmarked a few recommended sites that I heard about via Twitter, so I'm hoping for the best with that. If anyone reading this wants to swap books-in-progress, let me know. TAW is YA fantasy; here's a general description. I tend to like fantasy and sci-fi, but I'm willing to give just about anything a try, though I'm not much interested in contemporary romance.
Next entry: this year's over, time to look forward to another.
One of the things I heard was something I'd wondered about and now wish I'd fixed before submitting - Shiloh, the main character, came off as harsh and/or arrogant, and hard to relate to. The thing is, in the book's initial first chapter, she was way too passive; I realized this and some of my pre-readers said the same thing. But when I rewrote the chapter, I went way too far in the other direction.
After tonight's work, though, I can say it wasn't too difficult to fix. The book starts off in a library, and it's easy to capture Shiloh's love for the place when it's a feeling I share. She's there to find a book she's seen in her dreams, so she's determined, but more full of wonder at what this could mean and why she's dreamed of finding the book than dead sure that the book will be there and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
I have to admit, I'm really glad I took care of this before anyone else read it. I don't know if I would have known how to fix it without getting the mentors' feedback.
Another point was that there wasn't much world-building. I'm honestly not certain how much world-building I can get into less than three single-spaced pages, but I went through and tried to fit as many little details as I could. Not the easiest thing without resorting to "As you know" infodumps, especially since neither of the two characters talking would tell the other something like that. We learn about the world as the story goes on, and I think that's a better way.
And, as with any critique, there were things the mentors said that I just don't understand. I thought about writing back to the mentors and asking for clarification, but instead I've looked closer at the book and tried to figure out why they said what they said. Some of it I can sort of understand, some of it I just have to shrug off. I know this isn't a new issue; I'm sure everyone's gotten back critique that made them blink and make weird expressions as they tried to figure out what the reader was thinking. And I am grateful for the critique despite this. Ah, well.
With that in mind, I will be looking for critique partners after the holidays; I've bookmarked a few recommended sites that I heard about via Twitter, so I'm hoping for the best with that. If anyone reading this wants to swap books-in-progress, let me know. TAW is YA fantasy; here's a general description. I tend to like fantasy and sci-fi, but I'm willing to give just about anything a try, though I'm not much interested in contemporary romance.
Next entry: this year's over, time to look forward to another.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
They're Going to Hate Her.
This entry comes from The Girl Myth in YA Fiction (And Beyond) at Bookriot and Writing for Girls by Courtney Summers. I read these two articles, did a lot of thinking and a lot of swearing, and knew I had to write this. Go read the articles first, else this won't make as much sense.
Back? Good. I'd like to issue a general statement to people who people who believe in the girl binary as detailed in the first article: "Fuck off. I will never listen to you. I write female characters with their own minds and lives, and I will never try to box them into your narrow ideas of likability and 'proper' behavior. Don't like that? I don't care."
THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK has two female leads, aged seventeen and somewhere around eighteen to twenty. As I read 'The Girl Myth' for the first time, I kept thinking about how people would react to Shiloh and Alexi, and how much they don't fit into this idiotic myth of how girls should be. Neither of them could be considered the secondary players in their own stories, both go after what they want, both look to solve their problems instead of wallowing in despair or whatever else. I made them as real as I could, and never gave a thought to expectations about what girls should be, because I was trying to write people.
As for the romance and purity issues that the article touches on, ye gods, that's going to start a shitstorm. While Shiloh lacks experience in this area, Alexi most certainly does not; the culture she's from is very open about love and sex and all things intimate. I can see the reviews already, calling Alexi all kinds of horrible things because she dared to be with other people before meeting Shiloh. And that's bullshit. The fact that the two of them getting together could cause problems with their families' business deals will only make things worse, despite that they both acknowledge this issue and try to make things work. No, I'm sure they'll both be called selfish for putting their own desires first.
<sarcasm>Because of course, nobody ever does that.</sarcasm> And I don't even want to get into how different the reaction would be if one of them was male.
It's a rough thing to look at my work and know that some people are going to hate the main characters because they don't match up to expectations, stereotypes, and other foolishness. But I'm going forward with it because I know it's right. Because as 'Writing for Girls' shows, I know there are people out there who will see themselves in these characters. And if my stories can really reach someone, make them feel that there's someone out there who understands, and help them in some way, then I know I've done my job right.
Because I'm not writing to fit some impossible ideal. I'm writing for myself, and for everyone who loves these kinds of stories. I'm writing for people.
Back? Good. I'd like to issue a general statement to people who people who believe in the girl binary as detailed in the first article: "Fuck off. I will never listen to you. I write female characters with their own minds and lives, and I will never try to box them into your narrow ideas of likability and 'proper' behavior. Don't like that? I don't care."
THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK has two female leads, aged seventeen and somewhere around eighteen to twenty. As I read 'The Girl Myth' for the first time, I kept thinking about how people would react to Shiloh and Alexi, and how much they don't fit into this idiotic myth of how girls should be. Neither of them could be considered the secondary players in their own stories, both go after what they want, both look to solve their problems instead of wallowing in despair or whatever else. I made them as real as I could, and never gave a thought to expectations about what girls should be, because I was trying to write people.
As for the romance and purity issues that the article touches on, ye gods, that's going to start a shitstorm. While Shiloh lacks experience in this area, Alexi most certainly does not; the culture she's from is very open about love and sex and all things intimate. I can see the reviews already, calling Alexi all kinds of horrible things because she dared to be with other people before meeting Shiloh. And that's bullshit. The fact that the two of them getting together could cause problems with their families' business deals will only make things worse, despite that they both acknowledge this issue and try to make things work. No, I'm sure they'll both be called selfish for putting their own desires first.
<sarcasm>Because of course, nobody ever does that.</sarcasm> And I don't even want to get into how different the reaction would be if one of them was male.
It's a rough thing to look at my work and know that some people are going to hate the main characters because they don't match up to expectations, stereotypes, and other foolishness. But I'm going forward with it because I know it's right. Because as 'Writing for Girls' shows, I know there are people out there who will see themselves in these characters. And if my stories can really reach someone, make them feel that there's someone out there who understands, and help them in some way, then I know I've done my job right.
Because I'm not writing to fit some impossible ideal. I'm writing for myself, and for everyone who loves these kinds of stories. I'm writing for people.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Worst. Rejection. Ever.
There would have been an entry here last week, but I got caught up in Pitch Wars, so I've spent the past week pounding on THE ACCIDENTAL WARLOCK and making sure everything's as good as I can get it. And polishing my query letter, which is always . . . fun. @_@ I do have a much more serious blog entry planned, but that's not for today.
Today, in the spirit of sending off submissions, I want to talk about the worst rejection I ever got.
I think every single writer ever knows what it means to deal with rejection letters. So what, you might ask, made this one so bad?
This happened back in 2003, when I lived in Vermont. (I'm originally from Southern California, so living in Vermont taught me what winter really means, but that's another story.) I'd written a book I thought was pretty damn good (it wasn't), and I was submitting to agents, just me and a crappy query letter and a "Writer's Market" book thick enough to double as insulation. Despite over a dozen rejections, I was still ridiculously optimistic that this book would get published (it never would, trust me). And then . . . a letter arrived.
Not just any letter. This self-addressed stamped envelope (nothing like paying postage to get rejected) was stuffed with a lot more paper than the standard rejection. And as I looked at the envelope before opening it, I saw lines. Blank lines. Like the kind you're expected to fill in before sending something back.
I opened the envelope so quickly it might have spontaneously combusted. Surely, this was a contract! I'd found an agent! This had something for me to fill out, and--
NO! Not only was there a rejection letter, there was an order form for - I swear I'm not making this up - the agency's book on how to be your own literary agent. They weren't going to represent me, but they wanted to sell me a book on how to not need them. Insult, injury, and idiocy all in one.
I've never actually burned a rejection letter, but damn, that one came close.
Next entry, not related to Pitch Wars but to some people who read books with female leads: They're Going to Hate Her.
Today, in the spirit of sending off submissions, I want to talk about the worst rejection I ever got.
I think every single writer ever knows what it means to deal with rejection letters. So what, you might ask, made this one so bad?
This happened back in 2003, when I lived in Vermont. (I'm originally from Southern California, so living in Vermont taught me what winter really means, but that's another story.) I'd written a book I thought was pretty damn good (it wasn't), and I was submitting to agents, just me and a crappy query letter and a "Writer's Market" book thick enough to double as insulation. Despite over a dozen rejections, I was still ridiculously optimistic that this book would get published (it never would, trust me). And then . . . a letter arrived.
Not just any letter. This self-addressed stamped envelope (nothing like paying postage to get rejected) was stuffed with a lot more paper than the standard rejection. And as I looked at the envelope before opening it, I saw lines. Blank lines. Like the kind you're expected to fill in before sending something back.
I opened the envelope so quickly it might have spontaneously combusted. Surely, this was a contract! I'd found an agent! This had something for me to fill out, and--
NO! Not only was there a rejection letter, there was an order form for - I swear I'm not making this up - the agency's book on how to be your own literary agent. They weren't going to represent me, but they wanted to sell me a book on how to not need them. Insult, injury, and idiocy all in one.
I've never actually burned a rejection letter, but damn, that one came close.
Next entry, not related to Pitch Wars but to some people who read books with female leads: They're Going to Hate Her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)