Sunday afternoon I returned from another intense and wonderful Writers in Paradise
in St. Petersburg, FL. This year I was in Laura Lippman's workshop and
she was fantastic. The guest speakers (Richard Price and Ann Hood) were
both fascinating and the other programs were as great as usual.
My friend Michael Koryta who you might remember from my blog entry How to Hate Michael Koryta (*) introduced me with some nice words to his agent and I was invited to send him my manuscript (which I did yesterday). This is the first submission I have made, so needless to say I am nervous and anxious to get my first rejection over with. This agent is definitely active in my genre so I am anxious to hear what he has to say.
I'm not sure what to do about approaching my first choice of agents. My teacher from last years WIP is one of his clients and is willing to refer me but only after he's read the book and thinks it's ready. The hang up is he's really busy and may not have time to read the book for a while. Or I could just send a regular query and hope for the best but I do think a referral would be grand.
(*)
The short version of how to hate Michael Koryta? Find out he published
his first novel at nineteen years old. He has three out now and a
fourth on it's way. See, it's easy.
Grifter Movies
I've seen
The Grifters
The Lady Eve
Paper Moon
The Sting
House of Cards
The Spanish Prisoner
Big Hand for a Little Lady
Catch Me if You Can
Heartbreakers
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Six Degrees of Separation
To watch
Nine Queens (AKA Nueve reinas)
Confidence
Matchstick Men
Hustle (tv)
This isn't meant to be comprehensive, it's all off the top of my head. I'm sure I've forgotten some both that I've seen and that I know of and would like to see.
Sometimes you think your work is The Shit, sometimes you think your work ain't shit. Sometimes you pinball between those two extremes a dozen times within a couple seconds.
Tomorrow is the 15th. It's all but assurred I won't make my goal of a complete contiguous draft by then. I'm not beating myself up though, progress has been good and I am still really close.
I wrote the last line of my novel.
Hold that applause. It's not the end of this draft. I have several scenes in the middle that I have yet to write and a few transitions as well. But I am getting close to finishing this draft and it's exciting as hell. My goal is to have it complete and contigous by the 15th of this month. Back when I set that goal I knew it was ambitious. Now that I am closer to the date I now know that the word is actually "ludicrous."
I have a list of things to do, various items to fix before the complete contiguous drafts is officially called done. Then I am going to set it aside for a week or so before beginning revisions. During that time I might write nothing, but I am chomping at the bit to get started on the sequel. I have come up with just a kick-ass ending for book two. I'm also excited at the prospect of a writing the next book in a more intentional way with more preparation and more understanding of how to write a novel.
Bouchercon, the big mystery conference of each year is in Anchorage this year. There are panels of course, but the real point of most of these sorts of conventions is getting face time with editors and agents.
I think I am going.
]]>This week I read Matchstick Men; A Novel About Grifters With Issues by Eric Garcia. Because I am writing a book about a con-artist I resisted reading this or watching the Nicholas Cage movie based on it until now. This ain't no Paper Moon, this book is a heart-breaker, even if you see (as I did) the quadruple blow-off coming. Sweet Dream Baby by Sterling Watson. Watson is co-chair with Dennis Lehane of Writers in Paradise, the conference I have attended the last two Januarys. A year and a half after buying this volume I finally got around to reading it, and the book is fantastic. This is a genuine noir story and remarkably it's written from the point of view of a twelve year old boy. Many neo-noirs I read try to replicate the feel by emphasizing the environment that they associate with Noir; usually LA in the '40's or '50s. Some are more successful than others at this. This book doesn't attempt that at all and so the moments where the story turns dark are more shocking. |
Perhaps a bit more dubious.
Yesterday for the first time I successfully picked a regular pin-tumbler lock. I was able to repeat the feat a couple of times too.
The things we do in the name of research. Not for actual research, but that's our excuse.
I've never had faith that I could finish this book. That's actually been one of my biggest obstacles to finishing. Kind of like punching yourself in the crotch.
But this weekend for the first time ever, I started to believe I might actually finish. I can taste it... though I have tons more to write and re-write I am creeping up on the final page. When I write that final page, I have to go back and fill in some scenes I skipped over and then I can start re-writes.
I had been hoping that a better ending would come to me as I approached the end of the book. One hasn't, though my basic idea has gotten a bit refined and I might be able to build up more support when I re-write so that when the reader gets there it will feel right.
My brain has had to go to more extreme measures to try to distract me from working on the book. It's most cunning plan to date; it's started to give me some ideas for book 2. I've noted them down and haven't been able to help but think about the theme of that book and where Nick will be at the beginning and end of it.
And then it happened. I thought of a truly kick-ass killer ending. Unfortunately, this seriously tasty idea can only be the ending of book 2 (or possibly later).
I really think book 2 will not take as long to write as this one is taking. Of course, this creative flow concerning it may actually dry up fast when that becomes the novel I am supposed to be focusing on. I'm no genius, but my brain is freaking Hannibal Lector when it comes to distracting me. Currently though, I'm winning. I believe I will finish this book and write another. A massive change in fortunes from last year.
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I haven't been around. I apologize, but it's kind of a good sign.
I got moved. I got unpacked/stowed enough to have a housewarming party while my sister was in town. I got sick and then better. I got writing done. Not the whole time. I took a couple week hiatus before and after the move and another week's break just before the party, but I'm making progress.
See my next entry for details. This one is one of those I'm not sorry, but I apologize notes. Usually that's a passive-aggressive thing. It's nice for it to be good news all around.
Laura Lippman is a mystery novelist with a series, and several standalones one of which "What the Dead Know" just broke her for the first time on the NYT Bestsellers list. I met her both years at Writers in Paradise and she so bright you can tell it without her saying a word. She is a former newspaper writer from Baltimore and is married to David Simon creator/producer of the best police show in the history of television, The Wire.
Now, go ahead and check out her blog entry for today. In case the links change, today's entry is titled "Nepotism."
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