Welcome to meta.
The other day, I had lunch with a friend of mine [No... I am NOT making that up] and we talked a good bit about writing, which was really nice for me because sometimes, especially when I'm sitting in places like restaurants where they have fancy contrivances such as electricity, it helps me get in touch with how regular writers must live.
There's no doubt that writing is a solitary endeavor. I mean, unless you're one of those fiction-mill type people who hire assembly line storytellers... but I'm not even going to talk about that.
Writing is something that kind of makes you a loner. Most writers I know have ways of overcoming that solitude, and I do genuinely envy them for that. But among all the solitary writers out there, I am even more of a desert island than most.
Where I live, I am 20 miles from the nearest grocery store or traffic light. There are no roads with more than two lanes, and plenty with fewer. So, I don't have crit partners or groups... there is nobody to "get together" with at the local Starbucks, because there is no "local," and there definitely is no Starbucks.
In fact, I kind of secretly despise all my writer friends (okay... I don't have many at all) who have "groups" and "partners" and places with Wi-Fi where they write and drink coffee.
Because I am all alone, and far away.
So I never know anything about what I'm doing.
I just do it.
Then I send it away, and that's when I want to kill myself.
So, more than anyone else I know who does this stupid thing called writing, I think I have the toughest time turning my work over to anyone else, which probably explains the crazy psychological plummets I take when I do finish something.
Not to worry. I have lots of other stuff to work on starting immediately.
Alone.
Up here.
But speaking of turning things over, there is always a bit of a shock when I hear my words being spoken by someone else. It took me a while to get used to that, and, thankfully I was able to be a part of the audio production process of all three of my novels so far.
(And I honestly DO NOT --douchebag for using all caps-- believe that an audio version can be made for Stick, coming up this fall. You'll see why.)
Anyway, it's been kind of weird handing off Stick to the people who are making the live trailer for it, too. But it is a really cool thing to watch, and I have to say I am proud to know these talented kids.
Yesterday, for the two or three of you who've read the novel (and don't worry, the ARCs are coming), they shot a scene where Stark is hiding inside the small room on Willie's houseboat. Yeah... you know the scene. Anyway, it looked totally cool, with moonlight reflected off the water and stuff.
So I took this very grainy picture with my iPhone, to give you an idea of what's going to come out in the trailer. It shows the actor who plays Stark McClellan ("Stick") as he's hiding behind a door while Willie and Brock are outside.
The actor's name is James Marino, who not only voices the narration, he also composed the score for the trailer. Yeah... pretty freaking talented kid, considering he lives in an actual "city" with "people" and stuff.
12 comments:
Very interesting.
Or something.
I could fire a pistol and hit a Starbuck's from my house. (I probably won't.) I have all the technology in existence. But I compensate by being a cold, mean, unfriendly bastard and therefore achieve the same isolation.
I realize it's different strokes etc... but I also have a sort of sneering contempt for people with groups. Why the hell would I ask a bunch of writers and wanna-be writers their opinions? Are they going to pay me? No? Then leave me alone. Let me do my lonely little job with my coffee by day and my whisky by night.
As for handing things off. I love it. Nothing makes me happier than hitting "send" and that 500 page bitch is outta here and someone else's problem. By that point I'm just so sick of the manuscript. Ugh. Take it away.
Yeah, but, if I'm not mistaken, you sell your stuff before you write it. It's very different for me. I spend thousands of hours writing things and I have no idea whether I am wasting my time or not. The latest -- a 540-page monster that took longer than anything I've ever done -- 6 months. So it is kind of a killer to me. No, that definitely will kill me if it now doesn't succeed after I've let it go.
I live in Queens, NYC, surrounded by people above and below and to all sides. It' a latin neighborhood so the cafe con leche at La Nueva is better and cheaper than the coffee and struggling writer's at Starbucks or the tiny Espresso 77. I know these places only mean something to me but they can be oasis for the loneliness of staring at the blank page. Surrounded by people, it can be just as lonely, writing or no writing. At least that's my experience.
As for writer's groups I've been in a a few and some have been wonderful and some have been terrible. As I've grown as a writer and human being (I hope) I've gotten better at choosing when and with who to share my work.
That said, I'm with you, Andrew. Sharing my work is a killer moment for me. Rejection sucks, and rejection of work I've put my heart and soul into sucks even more (how eloquent!). And it never seems to end. Even after my book has been picked for publication. There's blurbs to get, pre-publication reviews, post publication reviews, amazon reviews, blog reviews, everyone taking a look at my heart and soul. Vulnerable and naked is what it feels like. When it's still in my hands I'm clothed. That's also why, for me, it's so hard to be finished.
I've got three books that never made it to the publishing finish line, close, but not quite. It still hurts to look them. Years of work and fascination with subject matter, characters, and lonely hours inside my head living with each of them.
I'm sure all the writers you envy, envy you and your solitude ;)
I often have to put my music on LOUD to escape the noise.
Keep your clothes on, Joe.
Ha ha... thanks for the input. I will be honest and say that I stay away from looking at reviews. The only ones I get are actually sent to me by my editor or friends.
I can not take looking at what people say about me and my work.
Thank you very much for stopping by. I have been checking on cover images for your forthcoming Open Wounds, which is such a good, good, book (and I'll be mentioning it on the video I reference on tomorrow's blog -- that will be coming up in a couple weeks).
And Lynda, yes, I truly do appreciate the quiet and solitude here. Like all things, I suppose it comes at a price.
Thanks for commenting.
Nothing yet on the cover for Open Wounds. I haven't seen it yet. I was supposed to get the galleys today and my first peek at the cover - but the snow delayed them. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Thanks for the good word on my book. And hey, when is Winger going to make the news? Just curious. It was terrific.
No, not something. Interesting. I would have said more, but all I had to go on was that grainy, but interesting photo. Well, that and your post. Sorry I didn't say more Andrew, I was in a huge hurry this morning.
Oh that. It was a character taking over, I guess. He says "or something" a lot in one of my books.
Stark is heartbreaking. Excellent casting.
I'm with you on the aloneness. Everyplace where I live (ND) is by definition isolated and desolate and miles from anything. For the most part I love it, except every now and then I crave the company of other writers and even the somewhat contrived affirmation that comes along with it. But alas, no writer's groups here.
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