I had to check and see when last I posted. It's been a busy month. I'm on the tail end of the second busy cycle for the year at work, and for some reason, problems just keep coming up to draw it out longer and longer. This does not interfere with my writing in the morning or evenings (not like the summer where I work on the train too), but interferes with me sneaking in some extra time on other projects like podcasting. That should change soon.

So, not knowing how long its been, I had to check and see what was posted last. Ah yes, the whining. Rejections continue to roll in, and I don't post about them here. When I first posted about a rejection, a lot of people said some harsh things about the agent who rejected me. Rejection is part of this industry. She wasn't cruel about it. It just was. So I don't talk about it, because that's like posting about that you just sent an email at work. That happens every day so why post about it (unless it's your commute, in which case you should post about it on Facebook so all your friends who drive or work at home can experience the crazy with you). Still, rejection is hard. No what's harder? The lack of acceptance. Give me a dozen rejections, two, three, as long as they come with that eventual and inevitable acceptance. That's not how this works, though. You get the rejections. The acceptance? Maybe. Wait and see.

Waiting is hard! It allows time for self-doubt and self-pity and then you whine on your LiveJournal. Combine that with where I was in my new manuscript. I see a trend appearing. When I get to the middle of a story, I get really whiny. lurkerwithout had to give me a smack upside the head because I was complaining how my story was shit and no one was going to read it (though if I never get a deal, no one ever will!). It seems I did the exact same thing with this new story. So all that emotion just snowballed with one another and caused a giant emo avalanche.

As for Wanted: Chosen One, I had a very good day on Thursday, not just in word count, but in story development. Things changed. A direction became clear. While I don't have it all yet, the majority of the second half of the story crystallized on Thursday. Bam!

If you haven't heard of Harper Collins' new social slush pile idea, go to Authonomy.com and check it out. This is a big idea and other houses will do the same. They've turned slush pile reading into social media networking. Readers do a lot of the job themselves. Now, of course, they can't replace unpaid interns and assistant editors who normally man the slush piles, but they can crouch on their knees in the muddy stream and find that dirty gold nugget that might have otherwise been missed. Hopeful authors wanting to get recognized by HC (and all its imprints including Eos) post a minimum of 10,000 words of their novel to the website. Others read it and "back" it, offer criticism, what have you. Depending on the quality of the backer and the number of backings, a story may be elevated in the rankings to be brought to the attention of HC editors.

Now, let's take this with a grain of salt. Anyone can post content there and let me tell you, anyone does. There is some really good stuff there. And there is some really bad stuff there. Some of that bad stuff is ranked highly. Why? Because the author knows how to network, how to game the system. So this isn't a miracle solution to find a publisher, but it is one more opportunity for your work to be seen and maybe you'll get some good feedback too. (Don't hold your breathe on that one. Most people just tell you how great it is in hopes you'll back their book too and you can go up the rankings together, lah dee dah.)

I've posted the first six chapters of Black Magic. When I'm finished with Wanted: CO, I'll shop it around first and then post it there as well. That's still a ways off. I was saying March, but I don't know. With some of the changes I figured out on Thursday, I'm now projecting 150,000 words, which is another 70k. We'll see. Good night, all.

That last post was very whiny and left a sour taste in my mouth. I attribute part of that whininess to general stress (it's the second busy time of year for me and my time is being split between work, writing, podcasting, and Dragon Age in proportions that I'm not exactly pleased with). I'm at the library looking for a book to read and am very frustrated by the shelves of books that do not interest me in the slightest.

Wanted: Chosen One is not off the tracks, but it is rocking back and forth precariously. I was thrilled with the book's start, but I am now 61,000 words in and not a lot is happening. I seem to be pulling a Gabaldon, describing every step along their path. Somewhere 30,000 words ago the pace of the book slowed incredibly. Nashau also seems to be in a constant state of PMS. One minute he's happy, the next he's snapping at everyone and anyone around him. His character seems inconsistent. I try to explain this by the stress he feels at being unemployed (I know that feeling well), but that emotional state did not exist at the beginning of the book, it's odd that it should rear his head now. He's also a bit of a coward, yet he's snapping at everyone.

He seems to be an asshole when he has no right to be. Combine that with the lack of reading, and that's what set me on my rant about fantasy. Have you ever noticed that people in fantasy books are huge assholes? Even when they shouldn't be. They may be talking to the one person who can save their lives/the world. They may be speaking with someone that could kill them in an instant. But they're assholes nonetheless. This pervades fantasy video games as well.

Who the hell treats someone whose help they need so callously? The word is please. you should try using it!

So here's what's happening with Wanted. Podome and Nashau have met Bastin and Bastin has a thing going on with Jara, the second-oldest daughter of the owners of the Migrant Goose. I didn't see this relationship coming at all. It just kind of happened. Bastin hasn't been anointed CO yet and Podome is still quite insistent that it's someone else. Podome has a concussion from where a gate guard struck him and they're taking him to an apothecary.

This is all well and good except for the fact that, with the exception of Bastin escaping the Baker Boys and Nashau/Podome running away from a Cheynean assassin, there is no conflict in the story. They just bitch and tell stories.

I know what the end is. I have no idea how I'm going to get there. I just kind of keep rolling along, trying to find my way. If I keep rolling the way I am, this thing is going to balloon to 200,000 words or more. Can you imagine a 250,000-word fantasy novel without any action?

I've taken a wrong turn somewhere. I just don't know where. I don't want to go back, though. I worry that I'll just get mired in revision without making the way forward any easier (or actually making it harder).

The mythology does not play a direct role in the story I'm telling, but it is still pervasive in the society, so comes up frequently. The gods are forgotten (I do not explain why) and most religious invocation deals with a wide variety of saints. This happens so often I've decided to create an appendix in the back to help clarify. Here is what I have so far:

Appendix: A Guide to Your Saints

Alize: Patroness of comedy, humor, and irony
Ashima: Patroness of medicine and physicians
Cheyne: Patron of murder and assassins
Dachand: Patron of disease and corruption
Dinozio: Patron of the insane
Jilisha: Patroness of prophecy
Kishen: Patron of architecture
Kenniff: Patron of gaolers and executioners
Leroch: Patron of actors, performers, and prostitutes
Michard: Patron of vintners, brewers, mashers, and their alcohols
Murta: Patroness of hopeless causes
Shelba: Patron of farms and gardens
Sumad: Patron of peace

I should be focusing on the final revision for Black Magic and Barbecue Sauce. I received feedback from Peggy on the first five chapters of such worth that it has proved all the impetus I need to delay. Want: Chosen One has had a phenomenal start. I'm through chapter 9, have over 19,000 words, and am not slowing down. Every time I think I need to take a break or pause and reflect, I sit down and knock out 2500 words. I don't want to stop and lose all that momentum.

Also, and this is totally wrong of me, I wanted to work with the Nelson Agency. I know there are plenty of good authors out there, but none that do such a good job of selling themselves. I believe that NLA has the right ethos toward agenting, its relationship with authors and its relationship with publishers. Wanted: Chosen One is more mainstream, I think. It still has flawed characters, but not as abysmally depressed as Cy. Ironically, between the two, Wanted has the sadder ending, but I still think will be more widely accepted. It toys with generally accepted fantasy paradigms in a way that reminds me of some well established authors in the genre. And really, I have trouble figuring out what genre Black Magic falls into. Some agents would call it fantasy, some would call it literary fiction, others would call it commercial fiction. Wanted: Chosen One is most certainly fantasy without reservation. So, if my progress continues on such a heavy clip and I finish the manuscript by the beginning of November, perhaps I'll shop it out to NLA before returning to Black Magic.

That's a slippery slope, and one I'm keeping an eye on. Get a rejection and make excuses to work on something else. This isn't denial. I have a large list of agents at home to submit Black Magic to. This is opportunity. As long as Wanted: Chosen One continues to come so easily, I'll keep writing it.

I don't know if I'll post another excerpt after this one. This is the first seven chapters and a good start. I'm a bit wiped. I've written 14,000 words in just a few days. Every time I wondered if I should just slow down and read some more, I just kept cranking it out. The story was coming too easily to stop. Now, however, I'm going to go home and sleep. I was podcasting until 2:30 last night and I'm totally wiped. I'm shocked that I managed so a high word count for today at all. So, here are chapters 4-7. I hope you enjoy.

( Wanted: C.O. chapters 4-7 )

I moved away from posting excerpts on BLACK MAGIC... for a couple of reasons. First, the first drafts sucked. Second, I was writing at such a pace that I had too much content to post (and didn't want it all online anyway). I am very enthusiastic about the progress I've made with WANTED... so I decided to post the first three chapters. I try not to post repeatedly in the same day unless it's really worth it, but I have a feeling this will go over LJ's allowed character limit, so I may post each chapter individually. We'll see how it goes. I hope you enjoy.

( W:CO,NH Excerpt )

Nashau was just sacked as the Baron d'Bluefield's court prophet. Bastin is a flimflam man that's never held a job in his life. All across the Seven Kingdoms prophecies are failing, Chosen Ones are dying, and prophets are taking the blame. But Nashau has a vision and a plan how to break the curse and get his job back. All he needs is a Chosen One dashing, daring...and dumb enough to take the job.