Write Strong - a home for writers pursuing success

Warning: Longer-than-average post

I've had this blog going for several years now, with varying degrees of activity. Sometimes I feel bad about not doing 3-5 posts a week. I feel bad that I don't have themed daily entries, do a lot of mini-contests, and other things that I enjoy seeing on other blogs.

But that's not the point. I created this blog to share in the writing adventure. To provide a chronicle (however slapdash) of my journey from aspiring writer to published author. To share casual thoughts about the business and craft of writing, to report on conventions and conferences, provide updates on my various projects, and occasionally just post something funny, random, or weird.

When there's something to say, then I post it. When there's nothing to say, I figure it's not worth my time to force the words out just to fill the space. For one thing, I fear that forcing content onto the blog means it'll become bloated...that I'll be typing for the sake of typing, something of a frantic attempt to keep readers' attention here even when there's nothing to focus on. I don't like the feeling that I'm creating false substance. Besides, that mental energy would be better devoted to my actual writing--which is the whole reason this site exists at all.

And that's what I want this blog to continue to be. A place where I can share what's happening in my writing world. Where I can cover what it's like to get an agent, a first book contract, how things lead up to the pub date, and any miscellanea in between.

At the same time, I've been looking at other ways to share the various resources, tools, strategies, and advice I've uncovered since I first chose to pursue publication. And to do so without feeling like I'm constantly harping on the same issues or covering topics that are of interest to writers, but not necessarily readers.

One of the things I've discovered to be invaluable parts of my writing adventure is research. The more I research about writing and publishing, about both the business and the craft sides of this crazy pursuit (and it is crazy), the more I learn. The more my wrong assumptions and false expectations are altered, hammered into shape just a bit more by a bump with reality. The more I research, the more I can anticipate what will happen next, prepare for it, and heighten my chances of long-term success.

And I also want to share what I learn. To point other writers towards the tools and resources I've discovered that have made a big difference for me, again, both in the craft-side of writing, and the business-side. They are so very different, yet so intertwined.

The Fiction Writer's Virtual Toolbox is one step I took towards this, compiling 160+ links that I'd gathered throughout years of scouring the internet, saving favorite sites, and reading through countless author blogs and forums.

Now I'm taking another step. It's called Write Strong. It's a separate blog and website currently in development (i.e., don't expect to see much yet if you follow the link!). My hope with Write Strong is to give other writers a hub of resources and advice they can pick and choose from based on their tastes and experience. A spot where they can experiment with different approaches until they find the one that works best for them.

Now, this is not me pretending to have all the answers about writing. Hardly. I'm still fledgling in my career. Don't even have a book on the shelves yet, though that won't be the case forever. Can I tell you the secrets to becoming a bestselling author? Hah! Can I guarantee that if you follow some special "five step" program that you'll land an agent? Nope.

However, there are things I do have experience with, such as getting from point A to Z in a novel, editing, revising, networking with agents, editors, and authors at conferences, and both writing and delivering successful queries and elevator pitches.

And the areas that I don't have much experience in yet? Well, there are quite a few authors out there who do, and whose advice, in whatever form, has proven invaluable to me. And by combining those two perspectives--my own and those who've gone before me--I hope to inspire other writers in their efforts and to inspire myself to continue learning and growing as a writer, no matter where the adventure takes me.

As 2011 kicks off, I figured it would be fitting to launch this new venture with it. Write Strong is live at this time, and I'm slowly fleshing it out. I hope you'll join me as we continue to write strong together.

New book reviews!

I've got two new reviews up at my Speculative Fiction Examiner column, and one more to come this week. The two up include:

2020 Visions - an excellent short story collection where authors predict what life might be like just ten years down the road. Great range of styles and story content. Highly recommended.

The Lost Gate - this is Orson Scott Card's latest book, and the start of a new series, The Mither Mages. It's an entertaining and satisfying read, if not incredibly unique in its "boy comes of age and power" premise. Still, lots of potential here.

I'll be posting another review for the 2nd-to-last installment of the Wheel of Time series, Towers of Midnight. Though I'm pretty sure anyone who has stuck with the series this long isn't going to let my opinion determine whether they finish it off or not. But I guess it's nice to know what to expect.

Any of y'all read these? Opinions? What other books have you read lately that are worth mentioning?

My love and loathing of short stories

I've been reading a lot of short story collections lately. A number of these have been reviewed on my Speculative Fiction Examiner column, and I've got a couple more in the to-read/to-review stack. Zipping through all these mini-escapades and adventures got me thinking about a number of shorts I have filed away on my computer...where they've been for a couple years now. Stories that have potential. Ones that I had a lot of fun starting, and are based on ideas I still consider nifty.

But ones that I am having the most damnable time figuring out how to finish without turning them into the first chapter of a novel. Therein lies the reason they've been stuck in the dusty netherworld of my hard drive.It's frustrating, actually. When I first set out with the goal of becoming a published author, one of the first things I did was research the various ways I could achieve this. Among these was the Traditional Route.

The Traditional Route points to short stories as the way to gradually become a successful novelist. You must first break into the short fiction market, spend a number of years building up name recognition by being published in various mags (or ezines), and then use those credentials and notoriety to improve your chances of being noticed by an editor or agent who would then invest in your potential as a novelist.

That's the way many authors have built and continue to develop their careers. One short story at a time.

I haven't done that though. Now, admittedly, I've had a few short stories published before my first novel will get to the shelves (checks email quickly to see if any publishers have responded to agent's submission yet...no?...okay...back to the topic at hand), but short stories are not my focus. It's actually been a good while since I sat down and worked on anything other than a novel-length manuscript.

Don't get me wrong. I love short stories. Reading them, mostly. It's great to see strong characters and story encapsulated in just a few pages. To get that sense of adventure and completion in a chapter's worth of words. There's something neat and tidy about it.

But writing short stories? I find that even more challenging than writing a novel. With a novel, you have S P A C E. You have time to flesh out the characters, to twine the plot throughout subplots, to worldbuild and play with various ideas as they come and go. To me, short stories invoke a sense of...well... claustrophobia might be the best word for it. I feel rushed. Cramped. My mind keeps trying to veer off into the various plots and characters and magical elements that I otherwise have to gloss over or ignore for the sake of word count.

When I do try to rein in my novel-writing impulses, my imagination mutters and snarls at me, much like I was trying to walk a wild badger on a leash.

That, and I have the worst time figuring out how to end a short story. I'm not sure why that's the case. Short stories always start easily for me, but then grind to a halt about halfway through; and even if I do muddle through to an ending, it often feels tacked on, or inconsistent with the rest of the story's tone.

So part of this post is my venting at my inconsistent ability at brevity. I'd love to write more short stories, but they often feel like more of a distraction from my novels. And part of this post is to once more point out that not everything works for every writer. For some, the Traditional Route has worked well, and short stories pave their path to writing success. Others choose different routes and find it easier going.

Thoughts? Are short stories your friend or foe? Are they part of your long-term career plan, or the occasional  note in the margin?

So it begins...

Perhaps "so it takes another step..." is more accurate, but the other version seems more dramatic.

Got word today that my urban fantasy, Enter the Janitor, is now officially making initial rounds among publishers. He sent me the list, and it includes some names that I've only dreamed of being considered by before. I feel like I just chugged a thermos of coffee, and coworkers are giving me odd glances. Something to do with me vibrating in my chair.

A big mix of emotions going on right now. Excitement, of course, to see the book take another step towards eventually being published. Nervousness is a close runner up (What if they all say no?). But mostly excitement. Also gratitude towards the agent for, first of all, for having the confidence in the story to take it on, and for keeping me in the loop throughout the whole process.

Now comes a familiar phase of the writing career...making myself be patient. Publishing is known for slow turnaround times on submissions, so I won't be waiting by the phone (or inbox) with bated breath. At the same time, part of my mind is yelling "IT COULD COME AT ANY MINUTE."

At least I have Christmas to distract me. Gonna go listen to Straight No Chaser carols to keep up the celebratory mood.

Trailer for new adaptation of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Besides the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams also produced several books in the Dirk Gently series, revolving around the escapades of, who else, Dirk Gently, who runs a detective agency based on the belief in the "interconnectedness of all things." BBC is now producing a television series based on the novels. Here's the first glimpse.



As first glimpse's go, it doesn't give us much to go off of. Douglas Adams' stories blended strange, supernatural, and science fiction elements into the Dirk Gently stories...and there's not really any sign of any of that so far. Will the adaptation set Dirk Gently in a solely realistic, if somewhat wacky, reality? Or have we just not yet been given a peek at those sides of the storylines? Here's BBC's further synopsis of the show:

Stephen Mangan will play Douglas Adams' eccentric detective Dirk Gently in a new BBC Four drama based on the author's cult novel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

He is joined by Darren Boyd as his unwitting sidekick Richard Macduff and Helen Baxendale as Richard's girlfriend Susan in the adaptation by Bafta-winning Howard Overman.

Anti-hero Dirk Gently operates his eponymous detective agency based on the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Perpetually broke, hopelessly chaotic and utterly infuriating, most people suspect Dirk is nothing more than a cheap conman. And they might be right – but nevertheless his methods, though unusual, do often produce surprising results.

When Dirk sets out to solve an apparently simple and harmless disappearance of a cat from an old lady's house, he unwittingly uncovers a double murder which, in turn, leads to a host of even more extraordinary events.

More behind-the-scenes of HBO's Game of Thrones adaptations

HBO has released another (and longer!) behind-the-scenes video of the upcoming Game of Thrones television series. The more I see of this, the more excited I get about it.