There is a time in the process of refining a project when it’s good to listen to everbody’s opinion.
Untill recently, I thought this time was always.

In my mind, if the piece was truly any good, any human could not fail to see it.

In retrospect, I can see this is ridiculous. If this were the case, there would be no such things as professional editors. I feel stupid.

Of late, I have enjoyed the complimentary editing of, first, people who–no criticism–have no real grasp on literature or its genres, and second, people who REALLY DO!  Who do you think was more helpful?

I guess the take-away point here is that there is a line–a fine one, but very real–between asking for feedback from people who you know will automatically like your work, and people who actually understand what you’re trying to do, and will have something constructive to say.

Approval-seeking is not cured by pursuing people who don’t get fiction. The task of selecting an editor is a little more cerebral than that.

It’s amazing how much stuff you can get done when you’re intentional about it. Pre-noon– and already I’ve gone roller blading, made a post office run, and done two hours of writing (much to the benefit of my current focus, the story of a boyish gypsy who saves a magician’s assistant from a bucha creepy cawlies! But I digress.)

Still to come: lunch, two hours of drawing. Then probably more writing, then the midnight shift at work.

I have enjoyed a very cheery and productive weekend.

On Saturday, I completed another of the short pieces for my pending short story anthology, and since it was a very tricky piece that have been working on since, really, before it was part of a set, I was very happy to see it wrapped up.

Also, I got to spend Sunday afternoon, first, gabbing with a new friend about writing, wich was delightful. Plus, I also commenced my self-education in Photoshop drawing, which was also delightful.

All told, a great weekend.

Current Favorite Thing: Scott McCloud

Not a lot to say today, other than that vacation was great, and it gave me the time to think–and in thinking, to admit to myself that I really really like comics, and it’s time to grow up about it.

That being said, I have my eye on SCAD.

So with no idea how any of this is going to turn out, welcome to my crash course…

Things I purchased today:

The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics

Comics and Sequential Art

The DC Comics Guide to Inking Comics

Vanishing Point

Current Favorite Thing: All of the above.

Still writing though. I’ll always write. Don’t worry.

I may have mentioned before how much I like paper edits (that is, printing out a half-finished piece, writing edits all over it, and then applying them to the computer document). I suspect the underlying love of this step is due to the way it provides a release for all those times you’ve read something in print, and wished you could just change that one thing…and that other one thing…and all this right here. It frees the inner editor!

Since I’m working on three such edits right now, I’m in writer heaven!

I accomplished so much non-writing-nevertheless-writing-related-stuff yesterday, most of which involved reading comic books and thinking deep thoughts about story-craft, all of which is valuable. Life is getting crazier than even now as I will be going on vacation with the family starting this coming Sunday. (Read: I will soon be neglecting you, my two readers.)

Current Favorite Thing: the U-28 Sea Monster. Oh, cryptids, how you charm my imagination…

Ok, stay cool everyone!

Finally went rollerblading today, after a week of apparent it’s-too-hot-out. I now have that wonderfully lively ache all over!

Spent a lot of time this past week researching hemophilia for an alternative history short story about Prince Leopold. Yes.

Yesterday I enjoyed watching Captain America with friends. And, not to dethrone them or me or me from the high halls of nerd-dom, most of us attended primarily to enjoy the aesthetic, the WWII visuals. In that at least, we were very satisfied.

Today, before work, I will continue to write about Leopold, and also the adventures of an outcast gypsy in Austria who collects and re-educates familiars.

That’s all folks!

I always forgot. Always. Maybe if I write a post about it I’ll be forced to remember this time around, but I always forget just how agonizing first drafts can be.

Part of the problem is it’s inherent placement in the writing process–it comes shortly after me becoming happy enough with a previous piece that I’m willing to move on, and immediately after getting this great new idea that inspired me to write something new. In other words, you go straight from several highs, to one serious low.

Dragging into existence anything that didn’t previously exist is always awful. I always forget what a bad mood it puts me in. I’ve heard different writers use many analogies to describe just how tough it can be, and I would personally like to add this one: “Writing a first draft is like trying to induce labor in someone who’s not even pregnant.”

Thank goodness I can always take a break and edit something!

Current Favorite Thing: Famous Last Words

Currently working on a short story about Victorian England and taxidermy (neither of which is a surprise) called ‘The Patchwork Menagerie.’ It concerns a mysterious killing, Frankenstein references, and a private investigator with “a benighted eye” (think the Snow Queen–you know, something’s in your eye?) Anyway, that’s the plan for the next two weeks.

Current favorite thing: The Night of the Hunter. It puts me in mind of peculiar hybrids, and the line about the tree ‘made from tongue of the weak’ hits the spot ever time…

Today’s plan is to work on ‘Zetta’, a short story about a human born in an off-world colony and alienized by the unnaturalness of the environment. So basically, a creature/freak story. As far as publication goes, I’ve got my eye on Swill. We’ll see what happens….

Well since life requires so many different things–despite the fact that some of us wish it required primarily writing–I’ve been a bit absent lately: and here’s why. She is a purty one, I must confess.

It’s a good cause.

Current Favorite Thing: The Red Penny Papers