Nothing Goes According to Plan
Well, it doesn't. Or not often, anyway. I thought I'd be in Flagstaff today, chillin' at The Campus Coffee Bean, scribbling in a notebook, getting jacked on caffeine. But I'm not. Dammit. Instead I'm cleaning my house (gross - both in the sense that it looks gross and cleaning is gross) and struggling over some minor plot point with the novel. This is not my beautiful life...this is not my beautiful house...of course, I'm my own beautiful wife, but that's not the point.
I had planned on going to a writer's conference this year. That's also not going to happen. Dude, how do people find the freakin' cash for these things?! Sheesh! By the time you add up the registration fee, airfare, hotel, and food, that's easily over $1000. And that's not including the *essential* bar budget or the *essential* book budget. Well, I need a new laptop. Mine is 6 years old, the battery doesn't work anymore, the modem is dial-up only, and did I mention that it has no disk drive and the only way to save/transfer files is to email them to myself using said dial-up connection? So...yeah. I need a new laptop. Laptop, writer's con, laptop, writer's con. Yeah, writing tool trumps schmooze fest any day. I won't have enough saved up for the 'puter until mid-June...did I mention how much I hate that delayed gratification thingie?! *Sigh*
Oh yeah, and the short-list for the Debut Daggers has been released...sort of. They sent 'round the list of titles (and what countries the authors are from), but not the list of authors. Some weird thing about the judging process. Anyway, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a twinge of "ah, man!" to see I wasn't on the list. On the other hand, I do know one of the writers on said list (and no, I'm not tellin' who it is, don't wanna get 'em in trouble) and that made me very, very happy. Also, I learned a ton in the process of getting the submission ready and sent off. All things considered, I'm pretty cool with the whole dealio. Now I've just got my fingers crossed for a certain writer, sending lots of good luck wishes across "the pond."
On the plus side, we're having a little get-together of local bloggers over at the Raven Cafe this Saturday, organized by the ever fab and overworked hubster. (He's working on Coyote's new web page, so don't laugh at the ridiculously stretched photos - new software to learn and all that!) It was really Granny J's idea - let's give credit here! - but I'm looking forward to going to Blogfest. Should be a nice, eclectic bunch o' bloggers, most of them people I've never met in "real life" before. I'll try and remember to get some pics and talk about that on Sunday...or Saturday night, if I'm really ambitious.
Okay, back to my (ir)regularly scheduled toilet scrubbing and refrigerator de-furring. Actually, I'm considering a simple act of defenestration to deal with the 'fridge. It's quite disgusting in there, I'm ashamed to say. Maybe not head-tucked-behind-a-ham disgusting, but pretty damn icky. Ah well, maybe I'll figure out how to pull off a (fictional) meth stash heist while I'm at it. A girl can dream, can't she?!!
posted by angie @ 9:50 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I love the word defenestrate. And I approve of the act as well.
The thing with the debut daggers... well, for one thing, it was nuts to send the list without the author names. Apparently, they have a publicity blackout on it until May 23. But they never said that in the letters they mailed out to the shortlisted people. And it didn't say that in the email. I could post that list on my blog right now - could they really monitor all 400 or so people who entered and make sure they didn't? I didn't even enter, and I get the mailers, so more people have the names...
And the other thing is, it's a taste thing. Simon Kernick didn't make the shortlist when he entered either, and he's got book 6 with Transworld coming out soon. The daggers seem to have a very specific style they like, so don't sweat it. Well, try not to. Tomayto, tomahto.
Yeah, defenestration is a fav of mine, too! Never pass up an opportunity to defenestrate. Always feels so good...
I'm not sweating the Daggers, Sandra. I feel good about my story and the writing is strong (IMO!). I don't know about the style issue - I honestly didn't go back and read the winning entries from years past. My story is gritty and I know a few people are a little bugged by the ages of the characters, but it's realistic. Oh, except for the ghost, but even that...well, never mind. Like I said, I learned a lot and covered some major ground in the process. And I'm just thrilled for a certain author on the shortlist!
The important thing here is that you're writing and working on a plot point in your novel, instead of sitting in the dark and wishing you were working on a plot point of your novel. The thing about awards, like Sandra says, in part, it's going to be a taste thing.
Sorry to hear you can't make it to the conference. But I think you made the right choice. Keep writing. I say that for entirely selfish reasons. I want to read your book.
I wonder if writers ever get over that, wince "bummer" feeling when contests don't pan out or it's another rejection in the mail.
I tend to think not.
Jeez, angie I wouldn't follow up the dagger news and the not being able to afford a conference with (gasp) house cleaning~
Those things call for some mini indulgence --a shot of tequila, a bubble bath or maybe chocolate or better yet one of those fancy smancy frothy coffee drinks... yeah, that's the ticket.
ooh a meth stash heist...FUN! :-D
Nice post. I enjoyed reading it.
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