There comes a point when it’s time to throw in the towel and re-evaluate the goals.
I am at that point on two of my struggles.
First, I am having no success at all consistently getting up earlier than 0500. So my new goal is to get up consistently at 0500. Ha. If I *happen* to wake up earlier than that I will get myself out of bed and consider it a treat. I’ll stay up as late as I feel like staying up in the evenings if I’m working on my writing. If I’m just goofing off on the internet, I’ll go to bed by 2130. There is no television (well, there’s the unit, but no service) in my house, so no worries there.
As for finishing my manuscript before August. I don’t see it happening. There just aren’t enough hours in the day for my rate of editing. I’ll continue at the pace I’m currently going, and barring unforeseen circumstances, it should be done in time for the Plan B date in October. I’ll use my Chicon experience to network and make contacts and learn from the workshops. Originally I’d wanted my ms to be ready for spontaneous pitching opportunity at the conference.
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Taking Reading Recommendations
One new thing I’m adding to my goal list is to read more. I need to find some comparable titles in my genre because I’ll need that info when I’m pitching.
Do you have any favorite books (traditionally published, that would be known to agents/editors) to recommend in the genres I write? A blend of urban fantasy and magical realism I think is closest to what Symbiosis will likely be categorized.
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Update 1545: Just found this excellent post at Tor.com about the differences between Fantasy and Magical Realism:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2008/10/magicrealism
It’s no wonder you can’t get up early if you’re going to bed that late! I get up at 4:00 every morning but I also go to sleep fairly early. I’m not a huge urban fantasy fan but I really liked War for the Oaks by Emma Bull and I thought Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews was very good. I’m not an expert by any means, but just don’t let your character(s) get stale or too safe.
Thanks, Michael, I’ll see if those books look interesting to me too. And I’ll work hard to keep my characters on their toes
If you’re looking for urban fantasy, definitely check out Welcome to Bordertown (and the entire Bordertown series, but the other books are hard to find because they’re pretty old). It’s an urban fantasy anthology and quite good. Another good anthology is Naked City, which features a lot of the same authors.
Novel wise, American Gods by Neil Gaiman is wonderful (though I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already read it, what with is being amazing and all), as is Neverwhere. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is also crazy good, though it’s more victorian fantasy than modern/urban.
For book suggestions, there’s always Kim Harrison’s series or possible Devon Monk’s? I also agree with Michael on Ilona Andrews, haven’t read anything by Emma Bull, so can’t give an opinion there.
Hope it helps!
Magical realism?
Gaiman is the first to come to mind when I think magical realism, and actually, I’ve only thumbed through his books because I haven’t had time to read lately. Lately as in the last several years, lol. But he’s on top of the list. Thanks for all the recommendations!
Thanks, Trudy, I’ll look at those too
This is from Wikipedia: Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world.
That’s quite possibly the predominant genre I write, but I need to read more to know for sure.
Don’t beat up on yourself too much. It’s hard to keep writerly goals when you work a full-time job and try to write, too.
Taking up reading is a good way to stimulate the little gray writing cells, as well. I was going to suggest Gaiman, but someone beat me to it. I’ll add Octavia Butler–anything by her.
My dear Rox…good for you for having the courage to revamp what isn’t working for you. You know, since you’re up late because you’re writing it seems that may be your best writing time. Between the day job and what you have going on at home, I say cut your self a bit of slack. You will do much better writing work when you are refreshed and have had some time to do other things you also enjoy. It’s kind of like keeping the firewood stacked…if you don’t, it’s not there when you need it the most.
The only thing I can recommend are the Tamora Pierce books. I especially like them because they have magic, mages, wildmagic (with animals), herbal medicines, healers, immortals (strange creatures), Gods and Goddesses and so much more that are all part of their real life everyday. My favorites are the Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, Protector of the Small, Trickster…I didn’t like the Circle books as well.
xoxo
As you know, I firmly support changing goals to suit reality. No point banging your head again a wall indefinitely and your new goals still sound ambitious and exciting. Even without a fully formed MS, you’ll be able to achieve a lot at Chicon. Good luck!
recalibrating is a good thing, if your goals aren’t working. I am not a morning person. and as we’ve chatted, I end up staying up late or napping mid afternoon, none of which is conduscive to early mornings over the long haul. I finally accepted that about myself. there will be no early workouts or writing in my house. if 5am is your time, then that’s what it is. congrats for figuring it out.
LOL, I have decided to quit wiping the blood from my eyes and try another tactic. Beating my head against the wall just isn’t working…
That recommendation sounds right up my alley, I’ll have to look into them! I’m supposed to find both newer and older titles.
Octavia Butler is a new name for me. I’ll look her up. Thanks!
Thanks
I actually feel a lot of relief now.
I think over the years I’ve morphed into more a night owl than a morning bird and I didn’t like that idea at first. But it is what it is. I might be stubborn, but sooner or later I will get my schedule figured out, LOL.
I’m laughing out loud reading this post. If you go back and read some of my posts, it’s as if we’ve been struggling with the same demons! I hope you have better luck than I. Let me say, for what it’s worth. I’m not dead so I keep trying.
good for you
One of the few, female African-American sci-fi/spec fi writers, and she died way too early at 53.
I’d recommend the first 5 Laurel Km Hamilton books (Anita Blake series). After that, and with her other work, the sex she’s become known for starts to ramp up, so YMMV.
This might be a good series for me to read then, because there’s quite a bit of it in mine, too, and I was afraid it might be too much. Thanks!
LOL! I’m sad to say that makes me feel better!
I like the B&W Madison! Did you ever read The Shadow of the Wind?
p.s. you may need to scale back a few of your activities, to concentrate on your editing… just a suggestion. You are a busy girl.
I have not, but I’ll look into it. Thanks!
would that include harry potter?
I’ve been working on doing that very thing
You’ll notice tomorrow there’s no blog post. Plus, I want to read more, so I’ll have to make time for that…not sure where I’ll pull it from.
It would. I just couldn’t get into the Harry Potter stories for some reason. Even though it should have been right up my alley.
i originally got into them only because my kids was into it. but eventually i enjoyed it greatly.
Well, I’m sure the FFF would forgive you if you took a little time off. That’s a hell of a lot of reading there… too damn good to not read all.
Well, there are several reasons why I don’t want to take a vacation from that. Friday Fictioneers is more than it appears on the surface – it’s a huge learning opportunity of many levels for me (and can be for anyone else as well).
That said, I have taken measures to reduce time spent on it. There’s no way possible for me to read all the stories anymore, which is why I asked that everyone try to read at least five, in a fashion that ensures everyone gets at least five responses to their work.
Most of the reading of the stories I do, is done between work tasks on my iPhone. I have a lot of hurry up and wait with my job, but I can’t work on my ms during times like that because it’s not *enough* time and the setting isn’t appropriate. That’s one of the reasons for asking for very short stories from the Fictioneers.
And probably most important of all, the Fictioneers keep me writing fresh stuff every week. While I’m editing, I get no feedback and I don’t produce *new* in clumps of more than a sentence or two. So it’s a motivator more than a detractor at this point.
No worries. Sorry for the typo, I’m posting on my phone at the moment. It’s “Laurell K. Hamilton”. Start with Guilty Pleasures, where there’s none, then a few books in she starts looking for the balance. Some people say it’s too much now, but I’m invested in the characters now.
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Your flexibility is so far ahead of the curve! I had to go to a cognitive therapist to figure out I’d put too much pressure on myself. For a very organic look at magic have you read any Charles de Lint? He’s got a boatload of novels and short story collections to choose from, most set in the fictional city of Newford.
I would second the recommendation of American Gods AND Neverwhere. And while you are reading Gaiman, you might check out his collaborations with Terry Pratchett, entitled “Good Omens” (about a mix-up between two babies born at the same time who go to the wrong parents … one of them happens to be the Antichrist. Pratchett is incredibly funny, but I doubt if comedic fantasy or magic is what you are looking for.
Thanks Scott
I’ve read some Pratchett, and although I did like it, it’s not going to be a comp title for Symbiosis either. His Discworld book is one I actually forced myself to keep reading because I didn’t like it at first.
As I’ve browsed through a lot of these titles, I’m beginning to think mine falls closer to urban fantasy than it does anything else. I’ll be glad when I can add one to my list of ‘comp titles’ though!
Try Roger Zelazny … particularly any of the books from his Chronicles of Amber (Nine Princes in Amber is the first). Here are the first two sentences from the Wiki entry on his “characteristic themes”: “In his stories, Roger Zelazny frequently portrayed familiar-seeming worlds with plausible magic systems and/or casually supernatural beings. His novels and short stories often involve characters from myth, depicted in the modern world.”
Oh I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Amber Chronicles! I’d forgotten all about them – thanks! Those will definitely go down as comp. Yes, yes, yes – whew! Found one finally, LOL. That and Carlos Castaneda’s books. I’d forgotten about them too.
Well, I totally get that… Plus there would be a run on tissue boxes if you were to take a break. I jump from person to person when I read and take all weekend. Ovf course i have my faves… But, there’s always a new fave on the horrizon. Just be sure you read mine when I do a flash.
LOL, Ted I keep waiting for you to turn another one in.
It takes me a bit of time, but I’m not really quitting…I’m just looking for other ways around this problem
I have not read any of de Lint, but will add it to my list of author’s to check out. Thanks!
Exactly! You’re just progressing via a detour! And I hope you like what you read. I can’t say I love every one of his novels but the ones I do, I really, really do. Oh, and The Wood Wife by Terri Windling was an enjoyable read, with very naturalistic magic.
If I’m up before 5 am, I call it insomnia.
Do you ever get that brain-screaming burnout feeling over identifying your genre? They just seem to proliferate at an unmanagable rate. And then you have to fight the stereotype–it’s a YA paranormal romance, but without vampires, werewolves, or zombies, and by some definitions it’s not a romance… Sometimes I long for the good old days of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Just started reading the Tor link. Finding it interesting. Thanks.
Honestly, I made more progressing from suggestions from y’all than I did from the article. But the article brought me to a new understanding I didn’t have before, so it wasn’t a waste of time. I’m just not liking to books suggested in that article nearly as much as the ones suggested in the comments here.
For a while I did have that burnout feeling, but now I’ve remembered who my initial influencers were (Zelazny and Castenada) and now I know exactly what my books remind me of. I’m sure they’ll be in the ‘Fantasy’ aisle in bookstores, but if the store is broken down to sub genres, they’ll be on the magical realism or surrealism shelves
Unless the publisher has different ideas. Then they’ll just be wherever they decide to put them, and I can guarantee I won’t complain!
So right now I’d say comparative titles to my Symbiosis would be a blend of Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles and Castaneda’s Teachings of Don Juan in the way it organically traverses parallel realities and encounters non-human beings. I haven’t found any recent comps yet, but Laurell K. Hamilton is looking promising for a contemporary yard-stick.