Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Up at 5 but with no car, I wasn't able to go to the gym. I banged out two more queries, bringing my total to 27 sent with 14 currently out. I've mixed things up a bit, changing words here and there, creating more energy and immediacy. I think what I need is a little luck in finding the right agent with the right needs. All agents talk about are voice and character. No one talks story, which is the complete opposite focus in the movie world. A compelling voice and characters are a given, but to me, everything, every decision, every choice, is governed by the story itself. If there isn't a well-thought-out story behind someone's beautiful writing and engaging characters, chances are I will not finish that book. Voice and character are components of story, but what I'm discovering is they're everything to these readers. It's really something. So, rather than fight this, I'm shifting my priorities to focus on these two elements as if they're the bedrock of a good novel, which they are NOT. They serve the story, not the other way around. I'm going to create a list of novels that do this so well, create a wonderful voice and marvelous characters that function at the pleasure of a dynamite story. Barry Unsworth's Morality Play comes to mind. The voice and characters are so magnificent, but what distinguishes this brilliant novel is a perfectly plotted storyline with surprises, twists and turns, and action that keeps things moving forward. It is simply stunning to me that this is not on the radar of the gatekeepers of literature. When agents and editors mean voice, what they really mean is first person narrative. A strong third person narrative doesn't really have a voice. That's because the narrator is out of the way. Some of these middle grade books I'm reading are so incredibly slow that I boggles my mind that anyone has any patience reading them. Oh, the writing's pretty enough and the details and beautiful language go on forever, but the story? Holy cow. TV writers are totally schooling novelists right now when it comes to inventive, fast-paced, electrifying story. Schooling them.
That felt good getting that out. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a Kafka novel. I need to focus less on the contrived, ridiculous MG novels out there and focus more on the books I really admire, like Running Out of Night by Sharon Lovejoy and Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth. Both first person. I'm halfway through School of Fear right now and it's so unbelievably slow. It isn't until page 100 when these kids arrive at school. Unreal! It just goes on and on and on. Novelists, we're living in the year 2015, not 1915 or 1815. Get over your brilliant writing talent and please for the love of God pick up your pace!
Went to Bay Bridge Motors at 10:45 and picked up my MINI, which is still with the dead battery. Got a jump, then drove to the dealership for a free replacement. Had lunch at China Lounge which was good. I'm so glad my MINI is back in running order again.
Worked at Wendel from 3-6, then had to matches tonight, winning both. Had to come back from a 6-14 deficit to beat Patrick 15-14. I love doing that.
Talked to Chris tonight, which felt good. I vented about Edward Snowden and the Death Star that is the United States in general and the NSA in particular. Citizenfour and Glenn Grenwald's No Place to Hide really affected me. If liberty and freedom are really illusions in this country, then what does this country really stand for? Perhaps I'm so outraged about the who NSA thing because I'm a white male and I'm not used to having my civil liberties so thoroughly shredded and dismissed. Maybe if I were a woman or a black male, I wouldn't be so surprised.
Time for bed. I'm too wired up tonight.
Up at 5 but with no car, I wasn't able to go to the gym. I banged out two more queries, bringing my total to 27 sent with 14 currently out. I've mixed things up a bit, changing words here and there, creating more energy and immediacy. I think what I need is a little luck in finding the right agent with the right needs. All agents talk about are voice and character. No one talks story, which is the complete opposite focus in the movie world. A compelling voice and characters are a given, but to me, everything, every decision, every choice, is governed by the story itself. If there isn't a well-thought-out story behind someone's beautiful writing and engaging characters, chances are I will not finish that book. Voice and character are components of story, but what I'm discovering is they're everything to these readers. It's really something. So, rather than fight this, I'm shifting my priorities to focus on these two elements as if they're the bedrock of a good novel, which they are NOT. They serve the story, not the other way around. I'm going to create a list of novels that do this so well, create a wonderful voice and marvelous characters that function at the pleasure of a dynamite story. Barry Unsworth's Morality Play comes to mind. The voice and characters are so magnificent, but what distinguishes this brilliant novel is a perfectly plotted storyline with surprises, twists and turns, and action that keeps things moving forward. It is simply stunning to me that this is not on the radar of the gatekeepers of literature. When agents and editors mean voice, what they really mean is first person narrative. A strong third person narrative doesn't really have a voice. That's because the narrator is out of the way. Some of these middle grade books I'm reading are so incredibly slow that I boggles my mind that anyone has any patience reading them. Oh, the writing's pretty enough and the details and beautiful language go on forever, but the story? Holy cow. TV writers are totally schooling novelists right now when it comes to inventive, fast-paced, electrifying story. Schooling them.
That felt good getting that out. Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a Kafka novel. I need to focus less on the contrived, ridiculous MG novels out there and focus more on the books I really admire, like Running Out of Night by Sharon Lovejoy and Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth. Both first person. I'm halfway through School of Fear right now and it's so unbelievably slow. It isn't until page 100 when these kids arrive at school. Unreal! It just goes on and on and on. Novelists, we're living in the year 2015, not 1915 or 1815. Get over your brilliant writing talent and please for the love of God pick up your pace!
Went to Bay Bridge Motors at 10:45 and picked up my MINI, which is still with the dead battery. Got a jump, then drove to the dealership for a free replacement. Had lunch at China Lounge which was good. I'm so glad my MINI is back in running order again.
Worked at Wendel from 3-6, then had to matches tonight, winning both. Had to come back from a 6-14 deficit to beat Patrick 15-14. I love doing that.
Talked to Chris tonight, which felt good. I vented about Edward Snowden and the Death Star that is the United States in general and the NSA in particular. Citizenfour and Glenn Grenwald's No Place to Hide really affected me. If liberty and freedom are really illusions in this country, then what does this country really stand for? Perhaps I'm so outraged about the who NSA thing because I'm a white male and I'm not used to having my civil liberties so thoroughly shredded and dismissed. Maybe if I were a woman or a black male, I wouldn't be so surprised.
Time for bed. I'm too wired up tonight.
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