jonathanmoeller (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jonathanmoeller) wrote,@ 2007-12-30 17:38:00 |
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now what? - the 2008 edition
Well, I am halfway through the final draft of “Share the Pain”. That means it’s time to take stock of my writing goals for the next year, presented in handy FAQ format:
Q: Why do you always do these things in FAQ format?
A: It’s an ancient and honorable literary device, dating back to the Socratic dialogues, wherein Plato portrayed Socrates sparring with a convenient and somewhat hapless bystander.
Besides, it provides boundless opportunities for smart remarks.
Q: Fine, fine. So what are your writing goals for 2008?
A: I’m going to focus entirely on short stories and nonfiction articles.
Q: But aren’t you going to write a novel?
A: No.
Q: What!? Why not?
A: Because my experience with novel publishing has been a grim slog so far, and I’ve found short stories and nonfiction articles both to be more financially and emotionally rewarding.
Q: You can’t be serious.
A: Sure I am.
Q: Prove it.
A: Fine. Let’s go through this step by step. I’ve gotten three (3) book contracts in my life. Let us examine the fate of each:
My first publisher said that while, gosh, we liked your book, it kind of sold for crap, so we can’t accept anything else from you. Dang.
My second publisher seems to be floundering through a variety of internal problems, and I daily expect their collapse. Like watching the Roman Empire around 400 AD or so. It might not collapse today, or tomorrow, but you know it’s going to happen.
My third publisher went under. I still regularly receive mailings from strange lawyers involving the insane multi-party lawsuit this event spawned. Fortunately, no money changed hands, thank God, so I can ignore all of this.
So you can see why I’m somewhat less than enthusiastic at the prospect of writing yet another novel.
Q: And short stories are so much better?
A: Well, yes. This year alone, I sold stuff to Sword & Sorceress XXII, AlienSkin, Aoife’s Kiss, The Sword Review, MindFlights, and Elaine Cunningham’s Lilith anthology. Short stories also have the advantage of being quicker. Almost disposable, if you will. If you write a novel and it tanks, that’s the labor of a year, two years, down the toilet. A short story takes two weeks if you’re diligent about it (and one of the stories listed above I wrote in exactly three days).
Q: But novels are higher prestige! They pay better! More people read them!
A: Blah, blah, blah. A small piece of the pie is better than no pie at all.
Q: So does that mean you’re going to abandon “Share the Pain”?
A: No, no. I will finish editing it, and then try to sell it. I’d like to write more mystery novels; it was a fun book to write. Part of my discontent with novels is that I’d always written sf/f novels, and I’m increasingly annoyed with the sf/f world’s congealed political views, tedious navel-gazing, and insipid factionalism. It’s a bad sign when you’re reading market listings and you suddenly can’t think of a single reason why you’d want to sell anything to these silly, silly people (or, indeed, you find yourself not caring in the slightest what they think about, well, anything).
So I’d like to write in other areas.
Q: Is that why you want to write more non-fiction?
A: Yup. I’m tired of making stuff up.
Q: Will you ever write another novel?
A: If I have a good opportunity for doing so.
Q: What will you do now?
A: Find some supper. I’m hungry!
Q: No! I mean writing-wise?
A: Oh, that. Well, I’m going to finish “Share the Pain”, then write some new short stories and articles on spec.
#
I’ve got more traveling to do, so here’s hoping you all have a happy New Year.
-JM
Well, I am halfway through the final draft of “Share the Pain”. That means it’s time to take stock of my writing goals for the next year, presented in handy FAQ format:
Q: Why do you always do these things in FAQ format?
A: It’s an ancient and honorable literary device, dating back to the Socratic dialogues, wherein Plato portrayed Socrates sparring with a convenient and somewhat hapless bystander.
Besides, it provides boundless opportunities for smart remarks.
Q: Fine, fine. So what are your writing goals for 2008?
A: I’m going to focus entirely on short stories and nonfiction articles.
Q: But aren’t you going to write a novel?
A: No.
Q: What!? Why not?
A: Because my experience with novel publishing has been a grim slog so far, and I’ve found short stories and nonfiction articles both to be more financially and emotionally rewarding.
Q: You can’t be serious.
A: Sure I am.
Q: Prove it.
A: Fine. Let’s go through this step by step. I’ve gotten three (3) book contracts in my life. Let us examine the fate of each:
My first publisher said that while, gosh, we liked your book, it kind of sold for crap, so we can’t accept anything else from you. Dang.
My second publisher seems to be floundering through a variety of internal problems, and I daily expect their collapse. Like watching the Roman Empire around 400 AD or so. It might not collapse today, or tomorrow, but you know it’s going to happen.
My third publisher went under. I still regularly receive mailings from strange lawyers involving the insane multi-party lawsuit this event spawned. Fortunately, no money changed hands, thank God, so I can ignore all of this.
So you can see why I’m somewhat less than enthusiastic at the prospect of writing yet another novel.
Q: And short stories are so much better?
A: Well, yes. This year alone, I sold stuff to Sword & Sorceress XXII, AlienSkin, Aoife’s Kiss, The Sword Review, MindFlights, and Elaine Cunningham’s Lilith anthology. Short stories also have the advantage of being quicker. Almost disposable, if you will. If you write a novel and it tanks, that’s the labor of a year, two years, down the toilet. A short story takes two weeks if you’re diligent about it (and one of the stories listed above I wrote in exactly three days).
Q: But novels are higher prestige! They pay better! More people read them!
A: Blah, blah, blah. A small piece of the pie is better than no pie at all.
Q: So does that mean you’re going to abandon “Share the Pain”?
A: No, no. I will finish editing it, and then try to sell it. I’d like to write more mystery novels; it was a fun book to write. Part of my discontent with novels is that I’d always written sf/f novels, and I’m increasingly annoyed with the sf/f world’s congealed political views, tedious navel-gazing, and insipid factionalism. It’s a bad sign when you’re reading market listings and you suddenly can’t think of a single reason why you’d want to sell anything to these silly, silly people (or, indeed, you find yourself not caring in the slightest what they think about, well, anything).
So I’d like to write in other areas.
Q: Is that why you want to write more non-fiction?
A: Yup. I’m tired of making stuff up.
Q: Will you ever write another novel?
A: If I have a good opportunity for doing so.
Q: What will you do now?
A: Find some supper. I’m hungry!
Q: No! I mean writing-wise?
A: Oh, that. Well, I’m going to finish “Share the Pain”, then write some new short stories and articles on spec.
#
I’ve got more traveling to do, so here’s hoping you all have a happy New Year.
-JM
