Folsom Prison Blues
"When I was just a baby,
my mama told me, son
Always be a good boy,
don't ever play with guns.
But I shot a man in Reno
just to watch him die.
When I hear that whistle blowing,
I hang my head and cry."
Man in Black
"Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white."
The Man Comes Around
"There's a man going around taking names
and he decides who to free and who to blame;
Every body won't be treated quite the same,
there will be a golden ladder reaching down
When the man comes around.
The hairs on your arm will stand up at the terror in each sip and each sup,
will you partake of that last offered cup?
Or disappear into the potter's ground?
When the man comes around."
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sometimes, it is who you know
Contacts are very important in any business, and they are just as important for writers as they are for bankers, realtors and any other professional.
To succeed as a writer you need a lot of things: Talent, skill, luck, ability, etc. But personal contacts can help.
Getting to know editors, and other writers, can help. First, these other people become your peers, and they can become a sort-of support group for you. Who else knows the goods and bads and ins and outs of the writing business than editors and other writers? They can also provide advice, and sometimes they're just swell people to hang out with or chat with online.
And, and this is a big and, they can help your career.
How?
Simple. If an editor has one slot open for a story in his or her publication, and they have two great stories in front of them, they are more than likely going to pick the story from the writer whom they are most familiar.
Foul! Right? No, not right. It's fair. You might scream nepotism or favoritism or some other -tism, but the truth of the matter is that editors are human too, so most of the time they're going to go with the safe bet, someone they know and trust to provide them with good material. Also, editors, more so often than writers, realize publishing is a business ... that's right, a business, not artsy fartsy or playtime or any other garbage ... publishing is a business, so again, the editor is probably going to play it safe.
Now, that's not always the case. Again, editors are human, so maybe some of them will sometimes give the new guy or gal a try. Or maybe they just feel they've published a lot of work from one particular writer of late and they want some fresh meat in their publication.
But regardless, it never hurts to make contacts. And contacts at smaller publications could be just as important as knowing the big-city, hot-shot editor at a major book publisher. Someday that hotshot editor is going to retire or move on, then he or she is going to be replaced. And the truth of the matter is this, quite often the newest bigshot editor at the giant publishing house is someone who has worked their way up from smaller publications. It happens. Be prepared for it. A lot of known editors and publishers started off 10 or 20 or 30 years ago with a fanzine or just as fans.
So, the lesson of the day is, get to know some people.
Oh, yeah, and be nice to them. Nobody likes an asshole writer.
To succeed as a writer you need a lot of things: Talent, skill, luck, ability, etc. But personal contacts can help.
Getting to know editors, and other writers, can help. First, these other people become your peers, and they can become a sort-of support group for you. Who else knows the goods and bads and ins and outs of the writing business than editors and other writers? They can also provide advice, and sometimes they're just swell people to hang out with or chat with online.
And, and this is a big and, they can help your career.
How?
Simple. If an editor has one slot open for a story in his or her publication, and they have two great stories in front of them, they are more than likely going to pick the story from the writer whom they are most familiar.
Foul! Right? No, not right. It's fair. You might scream nepotism or favoritism or some other -tism, but the truth of the matter is that editors are human too, so most of the time they're going to go with the safe bet, someone they know and trust to provide them with good material. Also, editors, more so often than writers, realize publishing is a business ... that's right, a business, not artsy fartsy or playtime or any other garbage ... publishing is a business, so again, the editor is probably going to play it safe.
Now, that's not always the case. Again, editors are human, so maybe some of them will sometimes give the new guy or gal a try. Or maybe they just feel they've published a lot of work from one particular writer of late and they want some fresh meat in their publication.
But regardless, it never hurts to make contacts. And contacts at smaller publications could be just as important as knowing the big-city, hot-shot editor at a major book publisher. Someday that hotshot editor is going to retire or move on, then he or she is going to be replaced. And the truth of the matter is this, quite often the newest bigshot editor at the giant publishing house is someone who has worked their way up from smaller publications. It happens. Be prepared for it. A lot of known editors and publishers started off 10 or 20 or 30 years ago with a fanzine or just as fans.
So, the lesson of the day is, get to know some people.
Oh, yeah, and be nice to them. Nobody likes an asshole writer.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Cover letters are no big deal
Every once in a while I run across a blog post on some writer or editor's site that has to do with writing cover letters. It seems a lot of writers, especially beginners, get caught up trying to write the perfect cover letter when submitting a story or novel for publication.
Here is my best advice: Keep it short.
Editors are busy people. They have a lot of stories to read. Most of them also have a day job and family and friends and a thousand other things that keep them busy. They don't have a lot of time to flounder through some lengthy cover letter.
My cover letters usually have two or three paragraphs.
The first paragraph tells the title and word length of the item I am sending the editor. I will usually also try to work in the genre, but sometimes I won't if the editor is only accepting one particular genre (why waste time telling them something they're going to expect me to know already?).
My second paragraph usually is an extremely brief bio of myself, but only stuff pertaining to writing. I let them know of my last published piece, maybe how long I've been writing, current writing projects, and I'll usually throw in the fact I've got nearly 20 years of experience as a newspaper editor. That last part isn't really all that important, and I don't always throw it in, but it at least lets the editor know I can spell and know my punctuation and grammar (but yes, I still make mistakes ... just look at the mess that is my blog, but in my defense I rarely go back to edit this blog).
The third and final paragraph, if there is one, is usually just to give a brief thanks. I might throw in a little more bio here if the submission guidelines requested more, or I might mention something that was particular to the guidelines, but that's it.
I sign off giving my thanks, then type in my name.
That's it. If it's more than 100 words, I would be surprised.
And you know what, I have never, ever, had an editor send me a note saying "Hey, that was a lousy cover letter," or "Hey, that was way too brief a cover letter."
For the most part, editor's are more interested in the story you are sending them than they are in your cover letter. Don't tell about your stories plot or characters in the letter (unless the guidelines said to). Don't ramble on about your life. Don't suck up, telling the editor how much you love his magazine or that you've read all of his books. All that does is take up space and wastes the editor's time.
To you budding writers, don't fret over your cover letter. Keep them short.
Here is my best advice: Keep it short.
Editors are busy people. They have a lot of stories to read. Most of them also have a day job and family and friends and a thousand other things that keep them busy. They don't have a lot of time to flounder through some lengthy cover letter.
My cover letters usually have two or three paragraphs.
The first paragraph tells the title and word length of the item I am sending the editor. I will usually also try to work in the genre, but sometimes I won't if the editor is only accepting one particular genre (why waste time telling them something they're going to expect me to know already?).
My second paragraph usually is an extremely brief bio of myself, but only stuff pertaining to writing. I let them know of my last published piece, maybe how long I've been writing, current writing projects, and I'll usually throw in the fact I've got nearly 20 years of experience as a newspaper editor. That last part isn't really all that important, and I don't always throw it in, but it at least lets the editor know I can spell and know my punctuation and grammar (but yes, I still make mistakes ... just look at the mess that is my blog, but in my defense I rarely go back to edit this blog).
The third and final paragraph, if there is one, is usually just to give a brief thanks. I might throw in a little more bio here if the submission guidelines requested more, or I might mention something that was particular to the guidelines, but that's it.
I sign off giving my thanks, then type in my name.
That's it. If it's more than 100 words, I would be surprised.
And you know what, I have never, ever, had an editor send me a note saying "Hey, that was a lousy cover letter," or "Hey, that was way too brief a cover letter."
For the most part, editor's are more interested in the story you are sending them than they are in your cover letter. Don't tell about your stories plot or characters in the letter (unless the guidelines said to). Don't ramble on about your life. Don't suck up, telling the editor how much you love his magazine or that you've read all of his books. All that does is take up space and wastes the editor's time.
To you budding writers, don't fret over your cover letter. Keep them short.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
For those about to review, we salute you
Since I started doing book reviews for Apex Digest,andsince I began listing all the books I'm reading this year, I've noticed on my Sitemeteraccount a good bit of traffic from authors and/or editors of the books I've reviewed. Obviously, I don't know for sure it's the author or editor, but it's funny when a good number of hits come from the same town or region listed as the author's town in the blurb in the back of their book or on their Web page.
I find this mildly ammusing, and have to admit I sometimes do the same thing.I think everyone, even non-writers, will Google themselves from time to time.But yeah, I'll look up my own name in connection with certain writing projects and/or publications.
And hey, if you happen to be one of those authors and/or editors ... feel free to drop me a note here.Let me know what you think of my reviews at Apex, and of my mini-reviews here on the blog.
I find this mildly ammusing, and have to admit I sometimes do the same thing.I think everyone, even non-writers, will Google themselves from time to time.But yeah, I'll look up my own name in connection with certain writing projects and/or publications.
And hey, if you happen to be one of those authors and/or editors ... feel free to drop me a note here.Let me know what you think of my reviews at Apex, and of my mini-reviews here on the blog.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
No. 38 - The Princes of The Golden Cage
by Nathalie MalletStarted: October 9
Finished: October 15
Notes: This one is for one of my book reviews. I'm excited about this book because it's from Night Shade Books, a known great smaller publisher. I've read the first few pages already, and it starts really good, with a nice touch of mystery. I'm also interested in this one because the cover art shows it has an "Arabian Nights" feel to it.
Mini review: One of the most entertaining books I've read this year. The fantasy element is pretty light until the end, making this read almost more like a historical mystery tale, but there's nothing wrong with that. The mystery is included right at the beginning and keeps building throughout until the end, which provides some big surprises. I imagine good things for this debuting novelist.
I am a sexist pig, part 2
Okay, so my last post now has me thinking about my characters. I don't have a lot of female characters, though I do have some.
Adara Corvus is a major character in my trilogy, probably one of the most important characters, though she's not the protagonist. Keritha Jarnac is a somewhat minor villain, though she does have a few important roles to play. There are one or two other minor female characters, and that's about it for the trilogy.
As for my short stories, much the same can be said. I don't have a lot of female characters.
Is that sexist? Or is it just Ty writing what he knows?
Probably a little of both, though there's no intentional goal on my part to exclude women characters.
To me, it's a matter of realism, at least within the world of my trilogy. In the world of Kron Darkbow, the continent where the trilogy takes place has just entered a Renaissance-type era. There are no guns. Magic is around, but until very recently (the last 60 years) it has been extremely rare, and is still uncommon for the average person. Thus, swords and armor are still common, though on the way out in civilized urban regions. Magic is the main reason armor and heavy weapons are on the way out; heavy weaponry and armaments generally can't stand up against magic on the battlefield.
So, all of these means is there are not a lot equalizing options available when it comes to physical force. Which means, in my trilogy's world, women are still considered a weaker sex. In some countries of the continent of Ursia, women have a lot of rights, in some places even on equal standing with men. But, unfortunately, in most of the world that isn't the case. Women are still doing a lot of menial tasks while men make most of the political and monetary decisions. Again, to me that's just the reality of the world I've created. For that matter, bigotry and racism and even slavery are quite prevalent in my world, though those things don't come up in the trilogy (but they might in future stories or novels, obviously).
I don't mean for this to be sexist. I don't mean for it to be a throwback. If anything, I mean for it to be one more crisis my female characters have to deal with, especially Adara.
As with many things, all of this (if any) doesn't come up in the trilogy, at least not directly. But I know Adara's past, and I know her thinking. She's not a weak female at all; in fact, even her combat skills are quite superb, though she tends to use lighter weapons (not because of any real or perceived weaknesses due to her sex, but more because of her patrician background). She is not a Red Sonja type character at all. She is a fighter, a professional duelist, but I hope she does not come off as a stereotype.
Yackity, yackity, yack. I just keep digging deeper.
Adara Corvus is a major character in my trilogy, probably one of the most important characters, though she's not the protagonist. Keritha Jarnac is a somewhat minor villain, though she does have a few important roles to play. There are one or two other minor female characters, and that's about it for the trilogy.
As for my short stories, much the same can be said. I don't have a lot of female characters.
Is that sexist? Or is it just Ty writing what he knows?
Probably a little of both, though there's no intentional goal on my part to exclude women characters.
To me, it's a matter of realism, at least within the world of my trilogy. In the world of Kron Darkbow, the continent where the trilogy takes place has just entered a Renaissance-type era. There are no guns. Magic is around, but until very recently (the last 60 years) it has been extremely rare, and is still uncommon for the average person. Thus, swords and armor are still common, though on the way out in civilized urban regions. Magic is the main reason armor and heavy weapons are on the way out; heavy weaponry and armaments generally can't stand up against magic on the battlefield.
So, all of these means is there are not a lot equalizing options available when it comes to physical force. Which means, in my trilogy's world, women are still considered a weaker sex. In some countries of the continent of Ursia, women have a lot of rights, in some places even on equal standing with men. But, unfortunately, in most of the world that isn't the case. Women are still doing a lot of menial tasks while men make most of the political and monetary decisions. Again, to me that's just the reality of the world I've created. For that matter, bigotry and racism and even slavery are quite prevalent in my world, though those things don't come up in the trilogy (but they might in future stories or novels, obviously).
I don't mean for this to be sexist. I don't mean for it to be a throwback. If anything, I mean for it to be one more crisis my female characters have to deal with, especially Adara.
As with many things, all of this (if any) doesn't come up in the trilogy, at least not directly. But I know Adara's past, and I know her thinking. She's not a weak female at all; in fact, even her combat skills are quite superb, though she tends to use lighter weapons (not because of any real or perceived weaknesses due to her sex, but more because of her patrician background). She is not a Red Sonja type character at all. She is a fighter, a professional duelist, but I hope she does not come off as a stereotype.
Yackity, yackity, yack. I just keep digging deeper.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
I am a sexist pig
I just found out an editor I've been dealing with off and on for some time is a woman. She has one of those gender neutral names, and without thinking, I assumed she was a he. I was doubly surprised because this editor publishes a goodly amount of what I consider male-oriented fiction.
And no, I won't go into any specifics about this editor or her publication here on this blog. I already sound enough like a pig.
But this has got me to thinking. I really don't consider myself a sexist, but I am male, so I'm sure I do jump the gun sometimes toward the masculine in some forms of my thinking and even writing. I think this is natural, not sexist. I would hazard a guess that females also have a female-oriented thinking process. Now, whether this is because of nature or nurture, I won't argue; personally I think it's a little of both. But again, I think all of this is natural. If you wanted to break people down in other fashions, by race or religion or nationality or whatever, I'm sure there would be some similarities in the way people in any given group or culture think and view the world. Yet again, I find that natural.
But there is something I need to work on, just maybe. While thinking about this gender issue, it has dawned on me that when I am shopping around a story or novel, I almost always bypass women editors, agents and publishers. Why? Because I take it for granted that most women are not going to be interested in most of the fiction I write.
Okay, you can start screaming sexist pig again.
I'm not going to make excuses. But I am going to give thought to giving women more consideration when I'm shopping around stories.
I think part of my feelings about the whole gender issue when it comes to editors has been the chick lit and paranormal romance genres that have been doing pretty well the last few years. Most guy writers probably won't admit this, but I will ... yeah, I feel threatened by it.
I grew up reading books by men, usually about men doing manly stuff. For the most part, that's the kind of stuff I want to keep reading. So when I see that every bookstore I go into seems to be taken over by chick lit or kids' fiction, yeah, I feel threatened by it.
I'm not saying there are not great female writers, and that they are not worthy of an audience. I in no way mean to demean women as writers, and I don't mean to slam their audience.
Call it jealousy. I just wish what I felt was my audience was getting as much attention. And I don't necessarily mean an all-male audience, just an audience that read the manly stuff I was talking about.
One could easily argue that a male-dominated audience had things pretty good for a long time, and now the market has entered another phase. Okay, I can buy that. The majority of book readers are usually females, at least according to every publishing survey I've ever seen.
I guess part of the problem is that males just aren't reading novels and short stories like they used to. Everything's the Internet and/or video games and DVDs nowadays.
Okay, I've rambled enough about a topic that will probably just get me in trouble.
Go ahead. Say it. I'm a sexist pig.
And no, I won't go into any specifics about this editor or her publication here on this blog. I already sound enough like a pig.
But this has got me to thinking. I really don't consider myself a sexist, but I am male, so I'm sure I do jump the gun sometimes toward the masculine in some forms of my thinking and even writing. I think this is natural, not sexist. I would hazard a guess that females also have a female-oriented thinking process. Now, whether this is because of nature or nurture, I won't argue; personally I think it's a little of both. But again, I think all of this is natural. If you wanted to break people down in other fashions, by race or religion or nationality or whatever, I'm sure there would be some similarities in the way people in any given group or culture think and view the world. Yet again, I find that natural.
But there is something I need to work on, just maybe. While thinking about this gender issue, it has dawned on me that when I am shopping around a story or novel, I almost always bypass women editors, agents and publishers. Why? Because I take it for granted that most women are not going to be interested in most of the fiction I write.
Okay, you can start screaming sexist pig again.
I'm not going to make excuses. But I am going to give thought to giving women more consideration when I'm shopping around stories.
I think part of my feelings about the whole gender issue when it comes to editors has been the chick lit and paranormal romance genres that have been doing pretty well the last few years. Most guy writers probably won't admit this, but I will ... yeah, I feel threatened by it.
I grew up reading books by men, usually about men doing manly stuff. For the most part, that's the kind of stuff I want to keep reading. So when I see that every bookstore I go into seems to be taken over by chick lit or kids' fiction, yeah, I feel threatened by it.
I'm not saying there are not great female writers, and that they are not worthy of an audience. I in no way mean to demean women as writers, and I don't mean to slam their audience.
Call it jealousy. I just wish what I felt was my audience was getting as much attention. And I don't necessarily mean an all-male audience, just an audience that read the manly stuff I was talking about.
One could easily argue that a male-dominated audience had things pretty good for a long time, and now the market has entered another phase. Okay, I can buy that. The majority of book readers are usually females, at least according to every publishing survey I've ever seen.
I guess part of the problem is that males just aren't reading novels and short stories like they used to. Everything's the Internet and/or video games and DVDs nowadays.
Okay, I've rambled enough about a topic that will probably just get me in trouble.
Go ahead. Say it. I'm a sexist pig.
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