My God, It's Raining

So I was talking to a workmate today and she was asking a lot of questions about writing – about research and editing and so on and so forth – which prompted me to ask if she was writing anything. She wasn’t. Her twelve-year-old daughter, though…it turns out that she writes virtually non-stop, and when she’s not writing she’s reading or talking to anyone within earshot that will listen about it.

That’s the spirit, I thought.

I was kind of at a loss when she asked me if I could recommend resources or events that would be suitable for encouraging her, though. They had been to an Anthony Horowitz event and really enjoyed that, but author events in the North East tend to be notable for their scarcity. She asked if there were any workshops or groups that would be suitable, but all I could think was, at twelve? Needless to say there weren’t many things I could think of off the top of my head that would be age appropriate or successful in helping her interest along. The local theatre does a young playwright’s workshop but that was it as far as I could recall. If anyone has any suggestions, they would be gratefully received.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway. So I’ve been thinking about ways to a) up my writing tempo and b) get better at it. I’ve been sitting in a kind of limbo state tinkering with Gunslinger… since I finished editing the Fantasy novel and other than that just jotting down the odd idea as they come to me I’m not doing that much else. I’ve been reading where I can, but it feels like I’m not pushing myself forward. I need to do more things, and challenging things at that if I want to improve.

On the news front, I’ve got a story coming out soon in Dark Fiction Magazine, and another in Fox Spirit’s Tales of Eve anthology. I’ve been thinking of doing some more short fiction and my notebook is slowly filling with scribbles as I toss ideas around. I’m still toying with the idea of trying to hunt out a local writing group, if only to keep myself from spamming my Twitter friends every time I have a neurotic outburst, but it’s still the case of finding one. I would have liked to have kept up with the York Nanowrimo group, but it clashes with my other half’s knitting group and it’s a bit of a trek.

So, um, yeah. Things. Stuff. Less procrastination required. More words. Better words.

But first, tea.

So, Christmas has come and gone. I am still recovering from the two (TWO) Christmas dinners and drinking far too much coffee for it to be strictly healthy.

It’s been an okay year. Financially a very hard one, but we’ve struggled through it with some help from our families and a canny eye on buying veg from the markets. There have been ups and downs, as there always are, but on balance I think the ups count for more.

I’ve made more friends online and in real life, meeting more and more awesome people through primarily Twitter and – when I could afford it – conventions. I feel ridiculously lucky in that respect as I’ve had enough online friendships go sour over the years (damn you, World of Warcraft) and while I can attribute it partially to a shift in how I present myself online, it’s also largely due to the very open, forgiving, and good-humoured people I meet.

I haven’t read nearly as many books as I want to, but that never changes. I could read all day every day and never catch up, it seems.

Health-wise, things are pretty good. Last year was awful for hospital trips and constant vigilance over my blood results, so it’s been nice to get that onto an even keel. I am so unfit, though, and I need to get on that in the New Year.

Writing is going well. I got my first short story in print, with three more coming in 2013 – the last of which is possibly the most personal and difficult thing I’ve written. I wrote the first novel in a epic fantasy series which is currently out on submission because I think any more edits will just be second-guessing myself at this point. I wrote the first draft of an alt-history adventure that started humble and got progressively more insane.

Next year I will be editing a collection of recipes (all desserts) and short stories for Fox Spirit books, which I am both dreading and looking forward to. It’s a lot of responsibility so I’m pretty desperate to get it right. I’m sure Adele will keep me on the straight and narrow.

I’m also planning to write another two novels in 2013. I was tempted to start a whole new Fantasy world, but I can’t leave the other one unfinished. I’ll crack on with the second volume and see how it goes. The other novel is kind of linked to Gunslinger Symphony but isn’t. It’s another alt-history novel, set in roughly the same time period, but with a different fantastical twist driving the narrative: this time about pocket watches, and a fashionable obsession with the dead. The idea is to create a trio of stories that link thematically but are not set in the same versions of the world.

And that’s my plan. Not quite a resolution, but better than nothing.

What have you got planned for next year?

So, 25 days into NaNoWriMo. I’m a little behind due to two days off during it, but unless something terrible happens between now and the end of the month, I should sail across the line.

One thing I’ve noticed from Twitter is that a small number of people really hate NaNoWriMo. There have been quite a few tweets RT’d into my timeline, especially at the start of the month, that have all had the same flavour to them. “Hey NaNoWriMo peeps! I do what you’re doing every day of the year!” “Oh, look! It’s NaNoWriMo! When everyone decides they can write a novel and then gives up in the third week!”

These tweets seem to raise a chuckle among the genre set, but I find myself at a loss to see why. They are suggesting that by taking part in NaNoWriMo that I am labouring under the misapprehension that writing a novel is easy. I’m not. They are suggesting that the idea that I can use the time to motivate myself to reach a target by a set date – that I can get my arse in the chair and work to a self-imposed deadline – makes me some sort of an idiot. Again, I’m not.

While everyone is entitled to an opinion, these kind of tweets feel like less than that. They feel like a cheap crack, a shot of self-validation at the expense of someone else’s endeavour.

Hey loser, they say, I am published. You are not. Why not just stop kidding yourself? You will never be greater than I.

Here’s my response: whatever. You’ve just lost a customer.

I started getting involved in the genre scene because I was interested in finding books to read – new voices, exciting voices – and even though I am constantly trying to improve my own writing, the fact that I love reading books will never go away. Ever. That said, I don’t care how good a book is, how flat-out brilliant it is – if the author can’t keep from slapping people down in order to validate themselves, I’m not even going to pick it up off the shelf.

And that’s the long and short of it. I could justify at length why I participate in NaNoWriMo and I reckon I could make a very convincing case for the value of the exercise. However, in this case I don’t need to. When someone drops a condescending tweet about another person’s hobby in order to make themselves feel better, then there’s only one thing to say:

Why bother with a tweet when what you really want is a wank? Your hand is right there.

 

So, Halloween has come and gone and we are now on DAY THREE of NaNoWriMo. I’m on target (or will be once I’ve written today’s complement of words) and will be looking to steal a march on things next week so that I can have the weekend of my birthday off.

Things I have learned from NaNoWriMo:

- Vomit drafts are harder than they appear. It takes a significant amount of effort for me to just leave it alone when I am writing. I have a horrible tendency to fiddle with sentences while I write them (which is why I prefer word processor over longhand) and more often than not the final version isn’t that far removed from what I originally had in mind.

- I am terrible at being social. Maybe it’s just me on this, but the community aspect of NaNoWriMo still eludes me. I’ve tried to take part in the forums and chatrooms and even been to a couple of write-ins, but it feels like I’m walking around the edge of a closed loop. It’s very cliquey, and I have a deep suspicion of internet circle-jerks. Having someone ask, “who is this guy and why is he here?” when you say hello is usually a bad sign, but then maybe I’m just a bit touchy about these things.

In other news, Halloween Shorts seemed to go quite well. It’d be interesting to see how many reads we got in total. I thought that doing a reading of it would be a fun twist and something that might attract a few more readers/listeners, but I was hampered slightly by a cold and a crappy mic that meant the audio wasn’t the best quality. It’s tolerable, but not great.

I’ve been musing on ideas regarding publication. I’m still pursuing the traditional route, but I’ve been thinking about the indie/self route and what sort of things I could do in 2013. I’m close to my target aim of two novels completed for 2012 (despite deciding to re-write a large portion of Gunslinger Symphony) so I need something to aim for over the next twelve months. I’m thinking that maybe one novel and a set of smaller projects (novella or serial) would give me an opportunity to split up my goals into smaller milestones. I’ve got a fair old list of projects all sitting in my notebooks waiting to be picked, so it’s a case of taking the time in December to decide which ones to go for.

Tag! I am apparently it, courtesy of Jennifer Williams over at her ‘blog. She tagged me alongside Emma Newman, Adam Christopher, and K T Davies, which is a hell of a compliment over and above the tag itself.

I don’t know where the meme started or how many people have taken part along the way – it would be nice to see a ‘blog with all the Next Big Thing posts linked in order as it has spread.

Anyway. On with the motley.

What is the working title of your book

Kingdom’s Fall

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Alt.Fiction 2009 and NaNoWriMo. I came off a year-long dry spell in my writing – partly due to work, partly due to me hanging on to the idea that I could fix a manuscript that was irretrievably broken – and wanted to completely start over. I signed up for NaNoWriMo and wrote a 65,000 word novel called “The Thousand Fold Blade”. It was awful, but I liked some of the ideas.

After leaving it on my hard disk over the winter, I came across a writing exercise that I did in Mark Chadbourn‘s workshop at Alt.Fiction. It wasn’t bad, so I opened a new document, set it as a prologue, and started again.

What genre does your book fall under?

Fantasy. It started as Sword and Sorcery, but got progressively more Epic as I wrote it. I jokingly described it in an email as Sword and Gunpowder and Sorcery and Danger and Kisses and Lols, but then I wrote all the kissing out.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

Oh, Gods.

Vincent Regan as Commander Gray.

Adrien Brody as Aiden Baird.

Molly Quinn as Shana.

Uhm…I’m not au fait with teen male actors for Cuan so I’m going to have to opt for the obvious default, Wil Wheaton circa 1987.

There are more characters but I am TERRIBLE at this so I’m just going to skip it.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

Generic fantasy sizzle line! Woo! Read this in your best trailer voice!

In a world threatened by a power beyond man’s understanding, four people will try to save their kingdom – if they don’t destroy it in the attempt. 

Also, I was once asked what my five word pitch would be. I pitched it as: “Badass adventurers have feelings too.”

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

Hopefully represented. I’m going through the agony and the ecstasy of the submission cycles at the moment. I got asked about this at FantasyCon – why am I choosing traditional routes over self-pubbing, and while I would like to self-publish something at some point in the future, I’d really like to see my work through the lens of a professional editor.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Six months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I feel really awkward about this question, even more so than “who would play them in a movie?” I was massively influenced by Robin Hobb’s Assassin Trilogy and Fool’s Trilogy. Those books are amazing and I would be seriously kidding myself if I said I could compare. The Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories by Fritz Lieber? The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch. Scaramouche, by Rafael Sabatini.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I sat down at the keyboard wanting to write, and a fantasy novel welled up to meet that desire. One of the big things that I wanted in my novel was a sense of mystery about the magic. There were a glut of blogs and discussions about how important it is to have a completely logical and consistent magical system and that it needs to be nailed down so that the reader isn’t lost. A recent example of this is allomancy in Brandon Sanderson’s books, and while I enjoyed the books overall at times it felt like I was reading a DM’s guide to the magic system. I wanted there to be magic in my world but I wanted it to be rare, and slippery. I wanted it to feel genuinely threatening for them to come up against it.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

It’s got some fantastic characters, and they all get time on the page to make their mark. Pretty much everyone who has seen the MS has come back telling me about their favourite, and they have all been different. Also, there are some heartbreaking moments in there. No kisses, though – not until book two, at least.

What stage is your book at now?

At submissions. After the first beta edit I sent out a couple of queries and got some good feedback, so it has had tweaks and is now back out in the ether trying to find a home.

And that’s it!

So…I guess the next thing to do is tag someone, although I’m not sure who has and has not done this.

Den Patrick. If you do not know his name, then you will soon.

Tom Pollock. He has a book out already. It is ridiculously good. Buy it.

Icy Sedgwick. Dropping new flash fiction weekly and the world is all the better for it.

Liz de Jager. Possibly the most enthusiastic reader and writer I’ve met online. There’s some tough competition out there, but she nails it.

 

 

And so towards November. Halloween is soon upon us, during which I will undoubtedly buy far too many sweeties and end up having to scoff the lot myself. Last year we had a little girl dressed as a fairy/princess/blancmange knock on the door who took a single tiny roll of parma violets and clutched it to her chest as though it was made of gold. So very cute, but she could’ve given us a little help and taken two.

There’s still space on the roster for a short story during Halloween Shorts too, if anyone’s interested. I’m putting together my story at the moment and I’m not sure if it’ll be spooky enough…but I’ve picked now, so I’ll be damned if I’m changing my mind. Damned, I say!

Also, NaNoWriMo approaches. I wasn’t sure about doing it this year but I do have a novel to finish and if I call what I’ve done “Part 1″ and what I’d get done in November “Part 2″ it’s almost as if I’m not gaming the system at all. Tarantino would be so proud, and by “proud” I mean, “confused as to why people are asking him about a Scottish guy he’s never met.”

Anyway. This means that I will be on course for my personal target of writing two novels (in draft form, at least) by the end of the year, which is great because I wrote that target down in the front of my notebook and it’d be a kick in the junk not to be able to tick it off. I haven’t quite managed as many short stories as I wanted, but the ones I have done have had an effect, in that they will be read by people other than my girlfriend and my brother.

At some point towards the end of November I’m going to have to pick what I’m going to do in 2013. Ultimately, the plan is to keep writing things that amaze and amuse me in the hope that eventually they’ll be capable of amazing and amusing others. Hopefully, the projects I pick will be another step towards that goal.

So the big publishing news of this week has been the announcement from Harper Voyager that they are going to open their doors – for two weeks only – to direct submissions. The current version of the FAQ is here.

Great news for aspiring authors like myself? Great news indeed. It’s always nice to see another door opening. That’s not to say that other doors aren’t still available – Gollancz were quick to point out on Twitter that they read direct submissions and always have - and I think it would be remiss of anyone considering the open door not to ponder for a moment on whether they are ready.

I was browsing a few forum threads about this, and there’s a real sensation of panic about it. Which of my projects should I do? Will it be ready in time? What about a synopsis? Blurb? What genre am I really?

Personally, I don’t think panic should be the trigger response. If your MS is ready, you should feel confident. Give your pitch and your synopsis a quick look-over, a polish if needs be, and relax until the two-week window opens. Work on something else in the meantime.

If your work is almost ready, as in you think you could have it ready by next Friday* ready, then be just as confident as the above. Get to work and get it done for the deadline, and feel proud that your MS is going out the door all shiny and good to go.

If your work isn’t quite there yet but you think you could be close if you don’t sleep until the 15th of October, I’m going to offer up a suggestion. Not as a professional. Not as an expert. As one of you. As someone who is right there with you.

Maybe, if it’s not done yet, you should take a pass.

OK. Let’s think about this. I know that opportunities do not roll round every day. There is a school of aspirational thought that says if you see a chance, you should take it. Let me offer a corollary to that. In order to take the chances, you need to set yourself up to succeed when they come. You need to work your ass off so that when the chances comes, you’re in the best possible position to make them pay off.

As an example, in January I started putting together a fantasy novel. On the 25th of January, Angry Robot announce their Open Door for April. A whole month during which a successful, popular, and rapidly growing publisher are open to submissions. On top of that, they are specifically looking for Epic Fantasy. In spite of the sudden quickening of my tiny writer heart, I told myself that I was going to pass on the Open Door. Sure, I could get a draft finished by the end of April, but it would be one hammered out in the spaces between work and life, and considering work commitments had crushed my free time for the previous ten months I knew that if I rushed it, the work would not meet my own standards, let alone that of a publisher.

I finished the novel in July. It’s been through beta readers, some major revisions in part (including an entire rework of the end). While I’ve been working on it I’ve planned a follow up novel and started writing a second, unrelated tale. I’ve also contributed two stories to anthologies. I’ve had an enormous amount of fun doing all of it, which is how I reckon it should be.

And, to put the icing on the cake, another door is opening.

Wow. In writing all that, I’ve discovered what I was actually trying to say is this:

DON’T PANIC

 

*Work-Time Dilation. If you think you can have it done in a week, that usually means two. I’m quadrupling it to the whole month in this case because this is important, right? You want to get it right, right?

Although it has been available on Amazon since late Saturday, today is the official launch day of the anthology, Tales of the Nun and Dragon. This is the first anthology (but not the first title) to be released by Fox Spirit books, a small press set up and run by Adele Wearing (also known as Hagelrat on the Twitter).

It’s an eclectic collection of stories, all based around the theme presented by the title – all the authors were given the remit of including some form of nun and/or a dragon, and the rest was left entirely up to them. As a result we end up with twenty-two (I hope I counted that right) stories and one poem that cover a wide range of influences. From the classical fantasy bookends The Ballad of Gilrain and The Last Hunt shoring up the entire collection (by Black Library stalwart Sarah Cawkwell and fantasy novelist Karen Davies respectively) to the Asimov-meets-Gundam overtones of LOOP (SJ Caunt), there’s something there (hopefully) for everyone’s tastes.

There’s poetry, with VC Linde’s The Hazel and the Hawthorne, where each line rides along a crest of instability, teetering on the edge of  a revelation that neither lady or knight can bring themselves to speak; there’s full-on pulp action, as Ren Warom’s Nil Desperandum channels a Rodriguez-style disregard for the subtle and kicks over all the tables for the sheer Hell of it.

As for a personal favourite, it’s hard to pick, but Adrian Tchaikovsky’s St. George and St. Giles is a convincingly dark tale that strides towards seeming inevitability before taking such a swift turn that I – in the age of the stone-faced LOL – actually laughed aloud. Adrian’s tale has a deft and confident touch, and it works an absolute treat.

On a side note, one of my stories also features! Go me, or something like that!

The Fox Spirit site has an official release post here and Amazon (US) and Wizard’s Tower purchase links here. There is also a competition (details at either link, or both) which could win you a copy of the limited print run of Tales… and an invitation to submit for the next anthology – so get writing!

Finally, here’s a piece of flash fiction I put together for the launch. Hope you enjoy!

Nun and Dragon Story

Kingdom’s Fall is getting very close to submission now. And no, I haven’t thought of another title yet.

I’ve had some responses from beta readers so far, and they’ve been positive and constructive. This doesn’t quite work and that needs more clarification and overall it has added up to what I’d call more tweaks and fixes than outright revision. I’m pleased with how the book is turning out post-revision (with a month spent not looking at the manuscript at all, the beta comments were like a spotlight on the problems) and now I’m thinking that by the time we’re back from Sweden in mid-to-late September, this bad boy should be ready for submission.

Or, to sum it up in a word, eep.

I have no strategy for this, as such. At some point I am going to have to write the synopsis. At some point I am going to have to write a cover letter. At some point I am going to need to crack the spine on the Writer’s & Artist’s Yearbook (wait, I bought that in 2010?) and make a list of people to submit it to.

At some point, it’s going to have to go out the door.

Eep.

 

So, today marks the official launch date of Blood and Feathers, by Lou Morgan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was very lucky to pick this up at the start of the week, the local Waterstones having a single copy out for sale which I immediately snapped up. Of course, it has not been replaced since – that’s Hull for you; endless piles of slice-of-life nostalgia wank in the style of James Herriot, single or zero copies of smoking-hot genre releases.

Did I say smoking hot? Oh yes, I should mention that. It’s bloody good. Working on the premise that the War between Heaven and Hell is starting to gather momentum, the main character Alice finds herself stuck smack dab in the middle of it. Far from being asked to pick a side, it becomes abundantly and immediately clear that both sides have plans for her, and neither seems overly worried about her opinion on the matter.

It’s a tricky balance, but Morgan handles the telling with aplomb. Sailing the course between Scylla and Charybdis (I know I used this description on Twitter already, but I can’t type “rock” and “hard place” together without thinking of Paul Bettany in A Knight’s Tale), the reader’s sympathy stays rooted in the most important part: the human one.

With the sequel already due August next year, it’ll be interesting to see where things go from here.

Also release today are The City’s Son by Tom Pollock, and the paperback of Department 19: The Rising by Will Hill. Sadly neither of these were in stock when I’ve been into town so my comments on those will have to wait.

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