The Novelty Girls

We got one, a few months ago. First of all…beagles are part demon. Just fyi. Sure, they’re cute, and mine even has those beautiful puppy-browns rimmed in black like he’s wearing some sort of Puppy eyeliner. However…

He’s into everything. 24-7.
He whines when he’s left alone.
He does NOT know that ‘no means no’, and not just ‘wait til their backs are turned.’

And so I’m scouring the net for ‘puppy training’ articles and suggestions, and trying hard not to lose my patience with him (when all I can think is OMG I have a baby coming in four months what am I going to do!!!) And I wonder…are there any books you’ve read where puppies are…well, puppies? Not cute dogs who pad along behind their owners and lie on the floor like a rug with ears. Ones where the owners don’t ‘teehee’ when it pees where it shouldn’t, but are actually just a wee bit tired of cleaning poop off their carpets?

Because I have this theory that people write about DOGS not puppies for the same reason soap operas don’t have poor people: we wanna escape.

However, if you’ve read a story with a real, honest to goodness “I’m going to shoot him and use his carcass as slippers” kind of puppy…I’d sort of be interested to read it right now. Because while too much reality is a thorough bummer…misery sure loves company, and knowing I’m not alone would be very helpful right now.

At one of my writing groups, there is an ongoing discussion about rejections. It’s fascinating — and a little disturbing — because the general consensus is to get sad or upset about rejections. It’s never been my response. Most of y’all know I’ve been seriously writing with an intent to publish since I was eight; when I was thirteen, I started lurking on writer’s boards like Speculations’ Rumor Mill (SF/F, not Romance). The boards were frequented by professional writers who had been submitting and selling for years, and their attitudes toward rejection were: Send it on elsewhere.

There are plenty of potential publications for most stories — but, man, it sucks when you write something that has a limited market and you can’t manage to sell it. (Oh well. Those become free promo reads, at least for me. *grins*)

I submitted my first story when I was fourteen, to CatFancy’s short story contest. Needless to say, I didn’t win. (Partly, it was because my writing sucked, but they picked gag-me-with-a-porcupine cutesy stories, and mine was very dark.) Disappointed? Yup. Miffed at what they did pick for winners? Yup — but I would’ve been even if I hadn’t entered.

Not too long after, I started submitting more of my stories to science fiction and fantasy magazines, and summarily continued to get rejected. I’m sure they were very quick decisions on the part of the editors, because I hadn’t yet joined a critique group and was still making all the n00b mistakes in the book! But I kept writing and submitting, even as the rejection pile reached upwards of 50.

I am nothing if not persistent.

I didn’t and don’t look at the rejections as “failures.” If anything, they were like badges of honor. Proof that I’d kept trying and not given up when so many do. And I kept at it until I got published — and still got rejections afterward. Everyone gets them, unless you don’t send your work out. Some are disappointing, especially when it was a market that you’d really hoped to break. Keep trying. If you are learning and growing as a writer, then eventually you will succeed.

How do you handle rejections?

In a strange mood today. And buried up to my neck in my current WIP. The good news is I’ll be writing the end today. After being such a good girl….I wanna be evil My feelings can be best expressed by the fabulous Eartha Kitt LOL

I’m soooooo tired from my drive back from California this weekend. I do have some interesting photos to share, as usual.

Okay, this one is creepy. The cute boy with freckles is nice though.

This one reminded me of an awesome story Dayna wrote called Candle Dancer.

Imagine meeting yourself in a smoky room. Freeeeaky.

Okay, this one is just wicked cool. Dragons! Ooooooh!

to keep a writer from writing.
1. Constant food.
I’m either eating, cooking or shopping. It seems to be all I do for the holidays. It makes sitting down and writing a bit tough

2. Constant company.
We have a revolving door in our house. In and out, people crash on our couches, talk, drink coffee. Again, tough to sit down and write with family there that I don’t see much. I’d rather drink coffee. LOL.

3. Constant noise.
Now, I don’t mind TOO much noise, but the T.V. in the background or chatting kind of puts a crimp in writing sex scenes. Right now, I’ve got “John Henry” in the background since Train Boy finally convinced his cousin to sit and watch “American Legends” with him.

4. Constant lethargy.
Call it Tryptophan or just plain laziness, but getting my butt in front of a work in progress has been tough.

I did get about 300 words written but that’s about it. My newest conspiracy theory is that it’s Crystal’s fault.
(I’m kidding Crys.)

Just fyi…when the Americans go on holiday…the internet dies.

I logged onto blogs and forums…and nothing. No chatter. No conversation. A lot of ‘happy thanksgiving’ posts, but not much else. What’s with that? Do y’all actually…hang out with your families? What’s up with THAT?!

So I went out today. Yes, the hermit had left the building. I went as far as the house across the road, where my boys had a playdate with the 4 year old who lives there, while I chatted with her mom. (fyi: said four year old has already got a handle on the whole manipulation thing. Just sayin’. I’m not sure if I’m thrilled (sister-woman thing) or frightened (as the mom of two boys) But I digress)

I went out for a few hours, and was just Someone’s Mom. I wasn’t really a writer, although I did mention a book I’m working on, and the possible deadlines headed my way, along with labour and delivery and breastfeeding, etc. I crocheted. I left my dog home alone, and he rewarded me by waiting to poop on the carpet until I got back.

So, while the Americans were holidaying, so was I.

And it was a little weird, not being a writer, in the company of my virtual friends. I sort of forgot what that was like. And..for those of you with writer friends in real life…what’s that like? Do you have ‘time off’ from being a writer? Do you want some?

And how stuffed are you with turkey and pie. (damn I want pie.)

Hope everyone is having a great holiday! I’m taking a quick much needed break from cooking lol.

Anybody who’s been in a writing community or critique group for any length of time has had to deal with the inevitable people who are more than ready to deliver a swift death to their fellow writers’ dreams. Let’s take a few real life examples here. A friend of mine was working on a vampire novel several years ago (around 2002), before the big craze hit. Somebody at her writing group told her repeatedly and very harshly that she was wasting her time, because vampires were a dead genre and would never sell.

In the same writing community, I was told by another person that the urban fantasy novel I was working on was unoriginal because it featured a woman hunting (psychic) vampires for vengeance. According to her, I was writing a Laurell K. Hamilton rip-off, and anyway, nobody else could make a “breakout” in vampire fiction since she’d already done that with her book.

Right. See how accurate that was.
Where the hell do these people get off? (Not literally. I don’t even want to think about that, thank you very much! ) These aren’t even “the rules.” These are unilateral declarations of what will and will not sell. Here’s the problem with that. Not even the agents know what will sell. Yes, they have a better idea than writers, that’s for sure, but how many stories have you heard about authors who were told repeatedly by industry professionals that their book wasn’t saleable for whatever reason — and then went on to become a best-seller?

This isn’t to say that everything is saleable, because that’s not the case. It rarely is determined by pure subject matter, though (outside of genre restrictions), and more upon how well the writer pulls it off. Let’s say there’s some writer talking about her romance featuring elven ninja pirates in New York. The idea sounds totally implausible and unlikely to sell.

But, is it my place to take this woman aside and tell her she should work on something else? If she is obviously passionate about it, why not let her continue to write the story in peace? Maybe it won’t sell. But selling is not the end-all, be-all of writing. Sometimes we write stories not for other people, but for ourselves — and sometimes stories that will never see print are important for us to write, maybe to learn about writing, or maybe to learn something about ourselves.

What do you think? Is this behavior a “favor” to new writers, or is it an active detriment?

I’m late! Sorry, holidays plus family stuff makes me laaaaaaate. Here’s some funnies to make up for it. Happy Turkey Day!

What time is that you ask?

Christmas shopping!

Yep. I said it. Of course if you’re one of those obsessively annoying people who’ve started shopping already…then pooh on you. *Just kidding!* I actually say hooray to you. And I’m not totally behind I guess. I have bought one gift for my girls. I couldn’t pass up the sale. It was for a Dooney & Burke Bitsy Bag which usually goes for $65…I got them for $16 a piece. Again…couldn’t pass that up.

I do have an obsession for purses.

But something you may not know about me, I abhor shopping. *Gasp* I know…that should be a foreign sentence for a female to make, but alas, it’s true. And my abhorance for it especially rears its ugly head during this time of year. I like the Xmas season and all that it stands for, but standing in lines and being around huge crowds like that make me apeshit crazy. So my solution to this problem, which I wondered upon last year…Internet shopping. Now that’s something I absolutely love to do. In the comfort of my own home, sitting at the computer all by myself, a cup of hot tea in my hand…that’s my kind of shopping. The only thing I shopped for and will shop outside the home for is clothes, but I absolutely refuse to go in the toy aisle. Nope. You can’t make me do it.

So, wish me luck on my Internet journey through the web pages of Wally World, Lillian Vernon, ToysRUs, and Sears. Hopefully it’ll be great fun. What about you? Where will you shop for Christmas this year? Any super cool items you plan to get your family or friends?

Have a great Saturday!