Madness!
24 Mar
Silence from me again all week! I’ve actually been busy, which I know sounds strange, but real life distracts me from my perpetual daydreaming now and then. Or, weeks like this, real life tries to distract me but I carry on daydreaming anyhow. I’m a trooper like that, but I sacrifice my net time for it. All work and no play, etc.
A few points that are completely unrelated to one another:
– My first published short story was The Mirror, in Voices from Morrigan Books. I finished reading the book a while back, and while the experience was a little surreal at first (Whoa dude, I’m in here? How did this even happen?), since mine’s near the front I managed to forget quickly enough and enjoy it. There was a review posted last month over at Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews, which I’ve realized is my first mention in a review. Exciting! More recently it got a really nice mention over at the AHWA site as a work of merit, talking about the Australian Shadow Awards. It specifically mentions Pete Kempshall’s, which was a particular favorite with me in the collection.
Sweet.
– I recently had one of those clarifying moments, with the lightbulb over the head and all, with the creepy period novel I’m planning to write next– working title The Resurrectionist… or maybe The Resurrectionists, I haven’t decided. Anyhow, because of life deciding it would like more of my attention recently, I’m not finished editing my urban fantasy, The Audio File, which is the manuscript I need to have beaten into shape by mid-May so I can try this conference thing.
So I think I’m slowly going crazy going back and forth between the two projects, is what I want to say. Crazier, whatever. I edit until I can’t stand the gnawing on my brain anymore, then I run off and slip into 1820s mode, pulling up fashion plates, reading old newspapers, studying outdated medical books, and constructing scenes in random order.
But it’s better than being blocked, or so they tell me.
– I’m interested in the issue of pet projects. I’ve had loads of conversations with my friends about it, but I’d like to ask the people I don’t regularly correspond with on personal matters: do you have a pet project? A thing that you know might not be so very marketable, or might not even care to make marketable, but something you can’t stop pulling out of the drawer and working on anyhow? They say you have to know when to move on, and I agree, and definitely keep moving. But there’s still that one novel (or, for me, series of five– god help me) that when I’m most frustrated with writing and/or myself, I get out and chew up a bit just to have some fun. Like visiting old friends! Does this sound familiar, or like a pathetic exercise in futility?
Right, I’m done now. See what happens when I save up all week? Madness.
The very definition of it. (And yes, I did just hunt through a pile of Invader Zim screencaps to find that damn madness dog. I think that illustrates my point even more perfectly than the dog itself.)
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Now playing: Joy Division – Disorder
via FoxyTunes
This is now, without doubt, officially review day.
I don’t so much pull out pet projects and work on them, but I do think about pulling them out and working on them.
Yep, review day. Nothing is more surreal (to me) than finding my name attached to a review (exciting, too). Kudos!
Two projects I’d love to work on but probably never will are novels based on ‘San Ferry Ann’ and ‘Lemon Man’. Maybe when I’ve written the third Heather Berry novel (next year?) I’ll have ago at one or the other.
Pet projects are what keep us going when the muse is otherwise silent ; )
Pet projects are the best projects.
Cate- That’s interesting– I hadn’t thought about that. I’m really impressed with your self-discipline, but always have been. I’m taking lessons from you.
Aaron- I wanted to read BT’s review of Tainted but couldn’t because he said it was spoilery! It’s sitting on my shelf staring at me now!
Mike- Gosh, the minute you do those I will be all over it. White on rice, man. But I see your point– you have more pressing things to do immediately. If you had a minute now though, would you do it?
Nat- Or in my case, what keeps me going when I want to punch the muse in the neck. What an ass that guy is. Okay, so no details from you on how often you give in, but I’ll just use my imagination…
Dangerous.
Jodi- Couldn’t agree more. Delusional, perhaps, but the best. I’ll assume you fall off the wagon now and then too, if you don’t mind!
Thanks for the kind words about “Just Us”. It’s a bit of a weird story, in that it’s gone down so well with readers … but it was one of my least favourites to write! (That’s entirely my own fault, though. I talked my way into a rewrite, then couldn’t make the new ending work!)
Anyway, it means a lot that other writers have enjoyed it – thanks again!