Monthly Archives: February 2011

Well, that was cool.

Posted on by Connor W.

Just paid for part of my registration for GRL with money I earned from my writing. A seriously awesome feeling, and it counteracts the OMGPANIC! that Small Mind is trying to drown me with — after all, now I have to GO, and interact, and be social and stuff. With people I don’t know.

It will be fine, I know this. I was just as nervous about going to Sakura-Con the first time, and I had a great time, after all. A bunch of writers and a bunch of readers who love them, what could be more fun?

Plus, I’m going with my best friend, who told me in no uncertain terms that it didn’t matter how old I am, I am not allowed to go to NOLA by myself. There’s all sorts of wonderful things to see, too, and the food is probably going to be worth the price of the flight alone, so.

You know, Brain, the one with the idea usually does the work.

Posted on by Connor W.

So why can’t I decide/figure out if I want to do a historical or a futuristic-y SF thing? I know it’s going to involve pirates, in some capacity; it will also possibly involve either indentured servitude or pottery. Or both.

Basically, so far, all I’ve got is a chronically sea-sick young man nicknamed Cabriti who is exceeding glad to be back on dry land and a burning desire to do more than that.

All that’s left is the saving…

Posted on by Connor W.

So I just finished booking my room for the Gay Rom Lit retreat. I’ll get registered tomorrow, and then all I have to do is put away the money.

I would have signed up as an author, except that I hadn’t made up my tiny little mind before the author’s registration closed — so much for me.

I have to admit that I’m both a bit excited and a bit trepidatious about the whole thing. On the one hand, I’ve always wanted to go to NOLA; on the other, the idea of meeting–and attempting to interact with–real official Authors makes me wibbly. Never mind the fact that I too am a real official Author.

DONE.

Posted on by Connor W.

Finally finished with the major-rewrite portion of my revisions. Now it’s time to put it aside and work on something else for a couple of days before taking another look at it.

One thing I have to do is figure out where I can send it, as well as what to call it, genre-wise. I’m pretty sure it’s not a paranormal; I know it’s not a swords-and-sorcery fantasy; it’s not science fiction… It is a contemporary, though. It qualifies as speculative fiction, but I’ve never seen that offered as a genre. I’ve never seen magical realism offered as a genre, either, and it would fit there, too.

Actually…

Posted on by Connor W.

In the midst of rolling my eyes after reading about someone prepositioning someone else, I realized that it was entirely possible to write suggestive/sexual dialogue using almost nothing but prepositions.

(The blurb should still say ‘proposition’, though.)

So it finally occurred to me that I’m on Goodreads.

Posted on by Connor W.

Skater Boys has been out for a while, after all. So I looked it up, and I discovered my first-ever review that’s more than constructive criticism — I’m still feeling kind of giddy. (I haven’t taken any more cold medication, yet, so it has to be the review. Heh.)

Now all I have to do is find someone who’s willing to fix my name so I can join their Author’s Program…

Submitted!

Posted on by Connor W.

So, A Steady Thing is off in search of a home, again. Now it’s time for the nail-biting and the squinting at my email to set in…

Actually, I’m not that nervous about it; probably due to the fact that it’s Benny and Phil and that I’ve submitted the story before, not to mention understanding perfectly if someone thinks that telling their story from Phil’s POV is a non-starter.

I did include my little blurb about Phil’s voice having literary precedent, mostly because it makes me feel better.

Back to poking at things, now.

Revisionist History

Posted on by Connor W.

I’ve ordered more books, including one about revising. I tend to edit as I go, which means that my final-draft-duties consist basically of making sure I put two spaces between sentences and checking to see that my name’s spelled right. (Or Wright. It’s the middle of the night and I have no idea why I’m up, plus I’m easily amused.)

I’ve been fretting over whether A Steady Thing is ready to be sent away; did I make it clear enough that Phil is bi, not “gay for Benny”? Did I catch all of the words that shouldn’t have a G on the end; did I misspell one of the few words that shouldn’t be? (Running spell-check on a Benny and Phil story is almost impossible.) Is it tight enough; is it too tight? Should I add the bit at the beginning back in; should I change that bit in the middle? What about all the italicised words?

I know I should just leave it alone for a little bit, or ask someone else to take a look at it, then come back. I have a few days before the deadline, after all.

Speaking of Benny, Phil, and revision, I’m thinking about trying to write up their big story again. I still have to figure out a plot so that it’s not all sex, all the time, but I think I can do that, now.

On the general-revision front, I’m still kind of stuck on my Jesse/Chris story. Small Mind keeps escaping from its cave, running around the meadow and screaming at the top of its little lungs about how I’m going to have to throw the whole thing away and start over from the beginning and it’s too much work and Oh my GOD we’re all gonna DIE!

Of course, none of that is true. I may have to do a lot of rewriting, and it may be a lot of work, but I don’t have to start from scratch. And if I take it in small chunks, one scene at a time, it will be fine. If I do one scene/chapter (depending) a day or every two days, it’ll probably only take me about three weeks.

On that calming note, I’m going to try going back to sleep.