Tag: writing community

Am (Almost) Querying: Now What

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It has occurred to me that there may be a problem with my plan to have a backup novel that is meant to be a lot more marketable than the main “passion project” novel — the two novels are different genres.

My main “passion project” novel is meant to be an homage to Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

I don’t know how much of this problem is in my own mind because I’m overthinking things and how much is real. My theory of the case is it will be easier to sell the scifi novel — then I will use the success of that novel as leverage with the thriller novel.

My concern is, of course, that the two novels begin different genres will cause their paths to be mutually exclusive. But I think I’m overthinking things. I think the concept is still valid — if I use one novel to get an agent, I can leverage that success to sell the other novel.

Or, I suppose, I could just throw up my hands in despair because “everything sucks” and I’m too old to ever have any additional success in life. But I’m just not prepared to admit defeat just yet. I’m going to keep going because no one can predict the future.

I’ve learned a lot about developing and writing a novel from the main “passion project” and I’m hoping that those skills will allow me to develop and write a scifi novel far more rapidly than the mystery thriller. I’ve already seen evidence of that with the mystery thriller.

I hope to wrap up an outline of the scifi novel pretty soon. I’m just about to wrap up the latest iteration of the third draft of the novel. Once I wrap that up, then I am going to find myself at a crossroads. I don’t quite know what I’m going to do in the near term, but I’m sure I’ll think of something.

My Backup Scifi Novel Is Beginning To Get Fleshed Out

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I am going through my main novel — which I now see as a “passion project” at quite a nice little clip. I hope to wrap up the latest iteration of the third draft in a few weeks. Then I will probably go through and really look carefully at each scene to make absolutely sure that it’s good enough to keep as-is.

Meanwhile, the scifi novel, which I am developing specifically to be as marketable as possible, is coming along as well. I’m using AI to help me develop the novel because I have no friends and no one likes me. I have had decidedly mixed results using AI for development.

Sometimes AI has given me so really good suggestions. Other times, meanwhile, the results have been rather…meh. But, in general, using AI has sped development up significantly because it has given me at least some sort of path as to where I should go. Too often in the past I’ve spent a lot of time just spinning my wheels, not really knowing what I should do.

Anyway, the next step with the “passion project” novel is to save up money for an editor. It’s going to take me a few months because I’m living in poverty. But it will be worth it. I am still rattled by the fact that I managed to scare off one editor I wanted to work with simply because I’m a freaky weirdo.

But I have to accept that within a few months — hopefully no later than July 22nd, 2024, I will begin the querying process for the “passion project” in some way — even if it’s just continuing to save money up for an editor of some sort. I may break down and just start to query the novel if I fear it’s just going to take me too long to get through the editing process.

‘The Backup’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I finally have started to work on my backup novel. It’s a scifi novel that deals with a pandemic. It’s really good, but for one thing — the concept seems pretty obvious to me.

So obvious, that I am preparing myself to wake up on day to discover that a movie or novel has been released with the exact same concept. I have some other ideas to use as a back up, but I really like this back up idea and it will really suck to put all this work into it, only to have to pivot to something else.

But development of this backup concept is moving really, really fast. I’m about two thirds of the way through a treatment. Once that is done and stabilized, I hope to do some character studies.

THEN, I will sit down and block off some time during the day to write the first draft. I am going to be really careful to think about current market trends with this backup novel.

There won’t be nearly as much sex as there is with the main novel. The chapters will be shorter. I will have only one — male — POV so the “woke cancel culture mob” won’t get their panties in a bunch because a smelly CIS white male is writing from a female POV. Ugh.

So, I continue to press forward with the main novel project with an eye towards starting a backup project pretty soon. I continue to dread the querying process. It’s going to be tough, being rejected all the time.

But you have to believe.

Things Are Moving Fast With My Backup Scifi Novel

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Because of how “racy” my mystery-thriller is, I’ve finally decided to work on a backup novel. The novel is a scifi novel with a pandemic element to it. As I’ve said before, it’s a pretty obvious way to talk about pandemics — at least in my opinion — so I keep expecting to wake up and read in Variety or The Hollywood Reporter that a movie with the exact same premise has started production.

But I really like the idea and it gives me a sense of insurance against my main novel being too “racy’ to ever get published. I have a few other novel ideas to pivot to if disaster strikes and even the scifi novel I’m working on is somehow co-oped by someone else.

One key thing that I’ve learned working on the mystery-thriller is you have to have a proactive protagonist. Too often in the past, I’ve had very passive protagonists, which has made for a dull story. So, now that I am very aware of how important having a proactive hero is, the scifi novel concept is moving a lot faster.

At the moment, I’m just at the treatment stage for the scifi novel. But things are moving a fairly nice clip. I’m beginning to struggle with the second half of the novel at the moment. And once the treatment is done, I think the next step is to do some rough character studies so I won’t be where I am now with the main novel where I have to reverse engineer character development in a story that is pretty much all plot.

I have developed a hero for the scifi novel that resembles me, which is bad because you’re not supposed to have a “proxy you” in the novel when you write one. And, yet, at the moment the elements that are similar to me work, so, lulz, why bother fixing them.

And I’m still pretty early in the process.

I continue to worry that all of this will be moot because of the looming possibility of a “perfect storm” involving the so-called political Fourth Turning and a technological Petite Singularity.

But while there’s life, there’s hope.

Feeling Better About The Novel

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

A number of things have come together that give me renewed confidence with the third draft of the novel I’m working on. The last few days, since an editor I was hoping to work with begged off after they read this blog, I have been feeling a great deal of existential angst.

But things have changed for the better.

I feel a lot better. One thing that happened is a random woman I gave the first three chapters of the novel to read it and didn’t say she hated it. In fact, she said, “keep writing.” That makes me feel a lot better. I was really sweating it there for a little while because I gave it to her and she had not emailed me back any reaction.

Another is, I was reminded yet again that just because ONE person thinks I’m too much of a freaky weirdo to work with, doesn’t mean that it’s totally impossible for me to find someone, somewhere who will find my kookiness endearing.

Or something. Something like that. I just can hinge everything on rejection from one person — even if I fear she does give me some sense of what “liberal white women” might think of the premise of the novel. As I’ve said before, I got no beef with liberal white women, I just see it as something of a running gag.

Anyway. With all that in mind, I’m going to throw myself back into writing the novel. *I* really like the story I’ve come up with, even if some members of the woke cancel culture mob (wink) might be aghast that my heroine is a part-time stripper. Ok, I get it. But I do think that if you give the story a chance — which I know is, unto itself, a big ask — that you will enjoy it.

Having said all that, I am really going to work hard to use some of my spare time to develop the backup scifi novel that I have been working on some. It’s really cool and I just don’t feel comfortable putting ALL my creative eggs in the lone basket of the main novel.

I’m not getting any younger.

But the key thing remains — I have to prepare myself for rejection –a lot of it — as I get closer to the querying process.

‘User Error’

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Now that it’s clear that *I* am the problem going forward if anyone should do due diligence on me when I query the novel I’m working on, let’s go through what might be problematic.

Mood

My Comments About Transgender People
I will occasionally write something on this blog about how if I was a “twenty something undocumented transgendered woman” then selling my novel would be easier. I can see why such a quip might alarm some people who are easily “triggered” by statement that doesn’t fix the orthodox that has developed around trans people. What bothers me is that I am not being serious when I say this. I’m just pointing out the obvious — as one would-be reader of my novel (who promptly ghosted me) said, “The demographics aren’t on my side.” I’m not picking on trans people by my observation, just being realistic. And, I think, the bigger issue is that I even bring up this fact of life — even if it’s meant in jest.

My Comments on “Liberal White Women”
Another running gag on this blog is the idea that my novel will offend “liberal white women” and, as such, I’m screwed. I honestly don’t know one way or another what this mythical demographic will think. I just occasionally find myself full of angst over the part-time sex worker nature of my heroine and as part of that angst, I mention liberal white women. Just like with my comments on trans people, it’s more a testament to my sense of humor than it is me picking on the group. But we live in a humorless age without any sense of nuance, so I guess I have only myself to blame.

My Political Ranting
My politics generally fit within the center-Left “media narrative,” but I guess it’s possible that some of my edgier hot takes might alarm some people. You can never tell these days. People are just to touchy about any and everything that it could be that some people doing due diligence on me would think my political rantings are just yet another sign of what a fucking crank I am.

My Angst Over The “Woke Cancel Culture Mob”
If someone gets upset over this, then, I dunno what to say. My ranting about what I fear the “woke cancel culture mob” MIGHT think about my novel is just me being my usual angst-ridden self. And, I can see how if you were a “liberal white woman” with a clear set of goals for a story that me ranting about how much I fucking hate the Bechdel Test might be a serious turn off to the point you wouldn’t want anything to do with me.

The Part-Time Sex Worker Angle Of My Novel
This is a tough one. I find myself vacillating wildly between being overcome with self-doubt about this element of my heroine and thinking it’s pretty cool. It’s an interesting way to have built-in conflict for my heroine and helps with character development. And, yet, by definition, doing such a thing at all as a smelly middle-aged CIS white male is loaded and provocative to the tender sensibilities of some “liberal white women” who might be, in general, members of the mythical “woke cancel culture mob.” (wink.) I will note that I was doing some some editing today and re-reading the novel gave me renewed hope that maybe I’ve stumbled across a really interesting story.

Miscellaneous Kookiness On My Part
This is difficult because it’s not something I can pin down. There’s a chance that someone with, like, a career and reputation could read this blog and just blanch. They just wouldn’t like the vibe I give off. Add to this how much I retweet pictures of hot chicks on Twitter and…oh boy…I could totally see some “normal” person being turned off by…ME.

Existential Angst Over My Novel

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I find myself really struggling with the fact that my nightmare of someone not being willing to work with me after doing due diligence on me has come true and its implications.

I keep wondering if I’ve made a huge mistake by having my heroine be a part-time sex worker. Talk about self-doubt! And, yet, the key thing for me is the story is coherent and cogent. There is a logic to why I’ve decided to do this. I feel as though it makes the story really different and unique — just like me — and I feel as though fuck it, it’s the story I want to tell.

But I have to accept that between the inclinations of liberal white women — wink — and the “woke cancel culture mob” I’m not doing myself any favors by doing such a thing. It’s a risky thing to do, especially as an aspiring first-time novelist.

Mood.

And I only add to this problematic situation by using more than one POV and writing from a female POV at times.

But I have my vision for this novel and I am too stubborn to do anything about it.

I am, however, going to really begin work on my backup scifi novel. I’m proud of the main novel I’m writing — risks and all — but I’m smart enough to know maybe it’s time to accept how difficult pitching such a “racy” novel may be. I’m going to start working on the characters for the backup scifi novel ASAP.

Freedom’s Just Another Name For Nothing Left To Lose

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

Oh boy.

I feel really sad, like a cute girl I was interested in told me to “scram.”

My nightmare about this novel has happened — someone did due diligence on me by reading this blog and didn’t like what they saw. This has really rattled my cage because it’s exactly a fear I’ve had for some time.

I called it.

I called what might be a problem when I start to talk to people outside of my delusional bubble — the moment they look into who I am, they will get turned off.

This event has focused my mind. I am going to keep going with the novel, but my expectations have been adjusted considerably. AND it hits home that I need to start working on a backup plan. The scifi novel I have rolling around in my head seems a lot more important now.

I need a novel that is a lot more marketable and fits modern reading conventions as opposed to one that is modeled after what Stieg Larsson did. Hopefully, I can juggle the two different projects without too much trouble.

But the key take away from this debacle is the issue of expectation. It’s clear I’ve shot my self in the foot making jokes about liberal white women. When actual liberal white women read this blog and see my silliness they take it a lot more seriously than it was intended and are repelled.

As such, I have to go into the next step of this novel writing journey with my eyes wide open. There is a very good chance that I am going to fail in an astonishing, catastrophic manner — because of who I am.

I don’t quite know what to make of this. The thing I’ve assumed would happen — that my freaky weirdo personality would turn off people who read this blog — has actually happened. This is a very alarming development because just like my age, I can’t help who I am.

I wear my heart on my sleeve and am 100% extroverted. So, generally, if I’m thinking about it, I write about it — somewhere — in a public manner. This unsettling development is a ping from what I should expect when I try to query this novel.

As I keep saying, the fact that I’m too weird for some people — and my novel may be too “racy” for liberal white women because it has a heroine who is a part-time stripper…is very unsettling.

And it’s not just that. Come to think of it, I realize I’ve also waded into the trans right movement controversy and there’s such a strict orthodox about that that I probably violated some really important ideological point at some point and didn’t even realize it. Ugh.

So. The take away is I have to adjust my expectations going forward about what may happen when I query this novel. ALSO, I really, really need to use some of my time on my scifi novel. The scifi novel doesn’t have any strippers and is just a pretty basic scifi novel that will adhere to the conventions

Every Writer’s Journey Is Unique

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I often find the online “writing community” very tiresome. It seems full of people who are more concerned with preening than actually writing. And, all things being equal, I would go dark online while I work on this third draft of my first novel.

But I’m an extrovert.

As such, I just can’t help myself. And, sometimes, I need an outlet to let off steam, so I participate in the online writing community even though it often aggravates me.

I can’t help but notice how so many other writers have a totally different relationship to the craft than I do. I love to write and it comes really easy to me — most of the time. I will admit that I can be extremely moody at times and just don’t feel like writing.

I generally have to believe in what I’m writing and, as such, sometimes I just need to stare out into space for a little bit before I know what my next move is. Because I know I can write really fast and don’t want to waste a lot of time with copy that I will later abandon, I spend a lot of time thinking through what I’m going to write.

Now, obviously, I don’t have a MFA or anything and generally no one cares about me or my novel and I do it all in a vacuum…but I do think I have come up with a compelling story that some literary agent at some point between now and early 2025 might like enough to give me a chance.

Video: Idle Rambling About The State Of The Third Draft Of My First Novel