Sunday, April 26, 2015

A Week in Writing #34

At 9:30 on a Saturday night I received an apology and a rejection from an agent I had given up on about a month ago. Seeing how that was 12:30 in the morning on Sunday, New York time, I wonder if they purposefully stayed up late to try and ruin my Sunday morning look at emails. As it was, the missive have ended up in my junk mail folder, which I guess is where it belonged in the first place.
I don't mean to sound blase about it, but I had already written them off as a no-go. Hearing from them a month later doesn't really effect how I feel.

A more productive week than most. I was able to complete the comic book script, at least a first draft. The story became four parts, 52 pages and over 10,000 words. I have to admit, I like the story, but so far the audience has been one, so I'm waiting for feedback. While I have the germ for the next story, I don't want to keep writing in a void. Hoping that this time at Comic-Con we can connect with an artist that can bring these words to life.

True to my word, I also completed a review for Shakespeare in Love, which was Friday a week ago's family movie. Didn't write a new one again, for the past Friday's film. Macbeth was up and we tried to watch not one, but two film versions based on the play. The first one starred Sean Connery and appeared to be a kinescope that had been remastered. The run time was a little over an hour, which made it appealing, but the play started several scenes in and seemed to be shot in mostly close-ups, the way many TV productions were at the time of small black and white sets.

Opted out of that one and tried to rent another version, this one with Nicol Williamson as the lead. But by then the hour was growing late and interest had waned. So no Macbeth review forthcoming.

Did publish one for Female (1933), ending a run of Pre-Code films. Not sure what to post next. A little mystery is good.

My writing goals for the next week are a little more simple. I want to get back to Barrister, either Public and Private because my editors given me feedback or Familiar Stranger, because it's time to put this one to bed.

I also want to send a few queries, which are always more of a time suck then you'd think. I really want to follow up this week with the agent who has my manuscript. We're coming up on a year since my original query. I'm anxious because I sort of fear the worst, but its time to rip that bandage off.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

A Week in Writing #33

Some days it just seems like I can never get as much traction going as I'd like. When I get home, if I haven't started writing before dinner, then I might not get another chance until it is almost time to go to bed. By that time, the mind is willing, but the body fails me. This has been one of those weeks for me. Never quite got into the groove. I'm not having writer's block or anything like that, there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day.

Family commitments basically took away a whole day, Saturday, though I did have time to post a review on Trophy Unlocked: Three on a Match (1932), another Pre-code film. The response has been better than I had expected. When you're counting pageviews in the tens, 25 in a day and a half is a lot. I don't really expect to get much more, at least not right away.

One of the things I didn't get a chance to do was write a review of our Friday night film, Shakespeare in Love, but I hope to work on that during the week. That may be my writing project, along with trying to finish the comic book script I started last week. I'm into a Part 3 on this draft and about 6300 words.

Spent some time this past week trying to rewrite the ending to Public and Private, but my editor did not like my efforts. We decided to table this bit and start in again from the top. I really appreciate the bad reviews as well as the good advice. As I always say, my goal is to make the book better and salable.

Nothing new on the query front, none sent and none returned. Haven't looked at my spreadsheet all week. As I said, I never quite got things going this week.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

A Week in Writing #32

It hasn't been a bad week, but I wouldn't say this has been my most productive. It started out pretty well. I made the edits to the final chapters of Public and Private, except I still need a new last line/ending. Hoped it would come to me, but it really hasn't yet. Need to finish this week.

The week also started out on a positive note as a recently queried agent wanted to see more of A Killer Blog. I have to admit, that felt encouraging after so many non-responses. I keep saying I'm going to do more querying, but that is really very time consuming. When I only have a little time to write, I'd rather do than query. At least writing seems comforting and of the two is something I have some control over.

For the second time in a couple of weeks, didn't write a movie review, though I did post one on Trophy Unlocked for Other Men's Women (1931) http://trophyunlocked.blogspot.com/2015/04/stubs-other-mens-women.html. Doing a whole pre-code theme in April, starting with Sinners' Holiday last week.

This Friday's movie was actually a British TV production of King Lear (2009), starring Ian McKellen in the title role. The movie was a long and rather incomprehensible 156 minutes. While it does tell the story of the play, it might have been better to have done it in mime, as the dialogue was very fast and hard to understand. We took two nights to finish it, so I decided against spending any more time with the film.

Did some work on another script for our non-existent comic book, PowerSquared. Wrote Part 1 and am into Part 2 of the new story (about 3700 words so far). Going to Comic Con again this year hoping again to find an artist/collaborator there. If nothing works out this time, I'm going to have to change tactics. Isn't there a saying that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is a sign of insanity? I don't think I'm insane. Does writing a blog that no one reads like talking to yourself? Isn't that a sign of insanity? So maybe I am.

This coming week, the plan is to finish Public and Private, finish the comic book script and then hopefully get back to Familiar Stranger (remember that one?). That's the plan, I'll write about the realities next week, even if no one else cares.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

A Week in Writing #31

Spent most of the week working on the rewrites for Public and Private.  There were about 500 pages that I had made notes on, but had not typed up. Made those edits, including some to the chapters I rewrote last week. Still waiting to hear back from my editor. Hopefully soon. We'll see where things go from here. Would really like to have another book to query. I'd like to think they're getting better.

No new queries this week and no new rejections, either. Coming up on a year since I first contacted the agent that has my complete manuscript. Not sure why I'm not hearing back from her.

Wrote a future review for Other Men's Women (1931), a pre-code film starring Grant Withers (yes that Grant Withers) with an appearance by some actor named James Cagney. Actually wanted to watch it for Withers, so look for that later. Posted a review for another pre-code film, Sinners' Holiday (1930). This one also stars Grant Withers and is Cagney's first film. Watched this one for Cagney. You can read that one here: http://trophyunlocked.blogspot.com/2015/04/stubs-sinners-holiday.html

Also started working on another script for the comic book I still want to get started this year. Did not attend WonderCon this year. Attended last year, but the Comic Creator Connection was a bust, I'm afraid to say. Scheduling didn't work out to attend this year.

This coming week, planning on getting back to Familiar Stranger, doing more work on the comic book script and hopefully finding the time to query more agents. Things never seem to stop.