Progress Report, in which I am caught without fishnets

Posted on June 4, 2007 by Matthew S. Rotundo

A very discombobulated week for me, but I managed to at least accomplish some writing-related program activities.  These included getting another ms in the mail, wrangling beta readers for Petra, and sending out another round of agent queries.

I had intended to take another look at “The Multiplicity Has Arrived” before sending it out again, primarily to see if there was any way to cut it.  But then the weekend came, and my schedule got shot to hell . . . in a good way.

The wife, in cahoots with friends and family, threw a boffo bash for my 40th birthday, which they dubbed “MattCon 40.”  It was quite overwhelming.  Lots of people came, including

[info]blzblack

 and TH.  Much food was consumed (and much still remains).  I got roped into single-handedly trying to karaoke my way through “The Time Warp,” which is not only a bit above my range, but also a duet.  At least I had a few dancers to help me out, but still . . . and me without any fishnets.  Horrors.

The highlight of the evening had to be my buddy

[info]flaming_ewok

 singing and dancing the “Ewok Celebration” from Jedi.  Dressed accordingly, no less.  I must admit I screamed laughter.  But it was also kinda touching, given how much he absolutely hates ewoks.  He’s not even a big fan of Jedi. 

Oh, and you should have seen the cake.  And the MattCon 40 “program.”  And . . . and . . . and . . .

Like I said, overwhelming.  Maybe I’ll post some pics, once I have them.  Anyway, perhaps you can understand why I didn’t get much writing done.

I also scored some cool presents, although such was not my intention.  Seriously.  I had hoped people would come and have a good time, but it didn’t occur to me until very late in the game that some of them would probably bring gifts.  Seriously, gang, you didn’t have to do that.  But thanks.

Funniest present:  this t-shirt, from my sister in Minneapolis.

So now I enter my fourth decade, and if I’m not quite where I thought I’d be at this point . . . hell, who is?  I still feel like my best days are ahead of me.  That’s something, right?

Write Club updates:

My sale to IGMS, which I mentioned last week, came in the nick of time, to wit:

Tier one reject from GUD for “Friends in Low Places.”  Response time, four days.

Tier one reject from Darker Matter for “The Problem of Power.”  Too long, as it happens.  Although their guidelines don’t say it, their absolute limit is 6K.  Response time, three days.

Tier two bounce from Weird Tales for “What Really Happened That Night.”  At least, I think it’s a form reject.  It’s worded a little differently than my previous rejection slip from Ann VanderMeer.

OK, time to try to get back to (ahem) normal . . .

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Progress Report, in which I finally exhale

Posted on May 29, 2007 by Matthew S. Rotundo

Running late with this report, owing to the holiday.  Had much happening yesterday.  Actually, a lot happened over the week, as you’re about to learn.  Here goes:

It’s been a while since I’ve been between projects. It felt so strange not having a daily word goal to meet. I’ve come to realize that I like having that structure, pain in the ass though it may be at times. I’ll be back at it soon enough, I suppose.

In the interim, I spent much of last week navel-gazing, as you no doubt already know. It was good for me to get my thoughts organized a bit, and it helped me plan for the future.  So thanks for indulging me.

On the Petra front, it appears that I will actually inflict my first draft on some readers, solely in the interest of getting the thing done faster. So that’s another first to add to the list. I’ll let you know how it goes.

The rest of the week was spent updating my database, then plowing through my stack of mss and getting some of them back in circulation. I also got a chance to follow up on some stories that have been languishing in slush piles.  I probably should have followed up sooner, but hey, I was busy.  And I’m a patient soul, folks.  Don’t believe me?  Keep reading.

I still have some novel queries to send, and some more correspondence to catch up on. After that, I will attack a rewrite or two.

Am also pleased and proud to report that my copies of Prime Codex have arrived, and they look even nicer in person than online.  Woo hoo!

Oh yeah, and I turn 40 on Saturday. That’ll be weird. The wife and some friends are planning a big bash. There will be food, fun, and even karaoke. I’m looking forward to the party, actually, and trying not to spend too much time glancing over my shoulder at that hooded figure in black, carrying a scythe . . .

And this just in from Write Club–

After a long, long, long, long wait, I got word today that IGMS has accepted “The Frankenstein Diaries.”

I’m always pleased to make a sale, but this one is especially sweet.  I simply must tell you the tale.  I think you’ll get a kick out of it.

This one took nineteen months, almost to the day.

Yes, you read that correctly–over a year and a half.

To be fair, it was part of the original backlog that had accumulated prior to Edmund Schubert hiring on as editor at IGMS. Complicating the situation was the story’s length–16K. Perfectly understandable that an editor would have a hard time finding room for it, even if he did like it. Ed, bless his heart, would very kindly send me periodic updates, assuring me the story was still alive and under consideration. I also checked his blog regularly, which helped.  But I gotta tell ya, I wanted this one.  I really wanted this one.  And the more time passed, the more I wanted it.

Now, those of you who read Ed’s blog may recall a minor dust-up that occurred a few months back, regarding a post from a friend of his, also an editor, who had participated in an IGMS slush party. I read the post with a great deal of interest, as I knew “The Frankenstein Diaries” was in that slush pile. Imagine my reaction, then, when I saw this: “‘Oh my God, this is my third clone story,’ exclaimed one reader (Mark Rainey, who edited the horror magazine DeathRealms for 10 years). ‘What’s with all the clones?'”

Yep, you guessed it:  “The Frankenstein Diaries” is a clone story.  My heart sank into my shoes. 

Oddly, though, I hadn’t gotten a rejection yet.  Then I learned, just a few days later, that one of the clone stories had made the cut.  I didn’t know which one.  Against my better judgment, my hopes started rising again.  Then I got another email from Ed, informing me that “Frank” had indeed survived the slush party.

Pins and needles?  Needles and pins?  And then some.

Some of this pain, I admit, was self-inflicted.  I’m not a superstitious person, but I have at least one–well, superstition:  I don’t talk about pending mss.  It seems like every time I do, every time I say something like, “Yeah, I’ve had a story at Thus-n-Such Magazine for six months; I’m sure I’ll be getting a rejection from them soon”–every time I say that, the rejection shows up the next day.  I have resolved not to do that any more; I’m sick of being right all the time.  And that meant that I couldn’t even whine about this to anyone.  Yeesh.

So finally, today the email came.  I hesitated to even open it, knowing I would be absolutely crushed if Ed had decided he couldn’t use the story.

Instead, it was good news.  And that made the long wait, with its attendant roller coaster of emotions, worth it.

And I can finally exhale, and tell everyone about it.

Look for “The Frankenstein Diaries” in the Winter ’07 or Spring ’08 issue.

And that’s about enough out of me today.  When next we chat, I will be older.

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First Draft Wrap-up, Part Three: Notes from My Crystal Ball

Posted on May 24, 2007 by Matthew S. Rotundo

I’ve heard it said, and I firmly believe, that the ultimate purpose of writing, for the writer, is to get better at it.  Not to make the million-dollar sale, not to achieve fame and bestsellerdom (though I’ll cash the checks if and when they come), but to make each new work better than the last.  Toward that end, writing a novel is a tremendous learning experience, and Petra has been no exception.  But the journey ain’t over yet.  I wanted to close out these reflections with some thoughts about what’s ahead.

Obviously, I need some distance from the work.  No problem.  I have at least one rewrite to do, a small mountain of mss that need resubmitting, and some correspondence to catch up on.  The immediate future holds some busywork.  I can occupy myself for the next several weeks.

I’m not sure, really, how much time I need away from the novel.  Somewhere in the vicinity of a month to two months, I think–although two months sounds like laziness talking.  Maybe I’ll split the difference, get started after the 4th of July.

I’m quite curious to see what further process changes are in store for me.  After all, I’ve kept my editor brain locked away in a box for four months.  He’s bound to be grumpy when I finally let him out.  And I did promise him free rein with the rewrite.  Will he punish me by being unusually harsh?  Who knows?  But here are a few things I expect he’s going to be upset about: 

Settings.

I usually sweat the setting details, even in a first draft.  But this time out, I contented myself with a few basic strokes, rather than allow myself to get bogged down.  This was especially true with the first act.  I suspect several of my settings aren’t yet distinctive enough.  While fixing this will be a chore, it has its rewards.  For example, working out these details aids immeasurably in the blocking of scenes.

The Opening.

Even as I was writing it, the opening seemed too slow, too expository.  I was casting about at the time, unsure of the novel’s pacing, not yet in stride–and I think it will show.

The Ends of Acts One and Two.

I found myself bogging down at the ends of the first two acts–times when the action should have been picking up.  I don’t know how or why that happened, but it did.  I suspect that much of the major work of the rewrite will be done in these places.

Trimming the Fat.

Even though this is a short novel, I believe it can be even shorter.  I’m not sure where the fat is yet, but the previous two items may be a hint.

Uneven Characters.

I introduced a few characters without a clear idea of how they factored into the story.  As a result, I think the reread will reveal some inconsistent action and dialogue from them.

Line Edits.

Ah, this is where my editor brain lives and breathes.  Ask anyone who’s ever been critiqued by me.  I make no apologies for this; mechanics are every bit as important as strong characterization and gripping plot.  It’s also something I think I’m pretty good at.  Those of you who have been through one of my crits may take some small comfort in knowing that I’m at least as hard on myself as I am on you.

Still, free rein for my editor brain or no, I think it’s not unreasonable for me to set a deadline for the rewrite.  If I can do the first draft in sixteen weeks, surely I can do the second draft in . . . eight weeks?  Really?  Well, that’s the goal I’ll set myself, anyway.  I reserve the right to make adjustments, though, after I reread the thing.

Looking longer term, the goal is to have Petra ready for submission by the end of the year.  That means I’ll need to get some feedback on it, and soon.  I’m not sure how to go about that at this point.  Normally, I don’t let anyone see my first drafts.  I’d rather walk out of my house naked.  But, as should be abundantly clear by now, I’ve chucked my “normal” out the window.  So maybe I’ll look around for some brave souls willing to have a first draft inflicted on them.  We’ll see.

Looking even further down the road–I have to wonder how well this new process will translate to short stories, and to other future works.  Believe me, I realize the short story and the novel are two different animals.  But considering how many more settings you have to describe in a novel, the greater breadth and depth of characters, and the comparative levels of complexity involved, I gotta figure I can churn out short story first drafts faster, too.

And what about future novels?  Can I do this again?

Ah, but I get ahead of myself.  I’m still in the middle of this experiment.  I’ve just reached a way station, that’s all.  Pardon me while I stretch my legs for a bit, get a drink of water, and maybe glance around at the scenery.

And then get back in the car, and drive on.

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