I can't believe there's still so much work to do. The novel is off to the printers, but now I have to set up book launches and readings to promote the book. The publisher is doing some of the work, but they have 18 other titles to promote too, so the amount of time they have to devote to me isn't all that much. I'm trying to line up school readings in Edmonton and Calgary to promote my bookstore appearances. I enjoy getting out and talking about the book, but all this work is just a reminder that an author shouldn't think that his or her work is done when the publisher accepts the manuscript. Since I'm a control freak, I like handling my own promotional campaign. Plus, this marketing is a great excuse to procrastinate from writing... oh right, I'd better get back to work on my three plays... yikes!
February 2006 Archives
Maybe it's the slump or maybe I need social contact, but I just agreed to pinch hit for the upcoming Over the Edge fundraiser at Catalyst Theatre. This crazy event calls theatre professionals to pull together four short new works in just a day. Playwrights show up early in the morning and get an opening line. They then have 3 hours to write a ten minute play that is inspired by the line. When the plays are done, directors, actors and designers try to make sense of the scripts and mount the productions as mini-plays (actors still have scripts in hand).
Anyway, one of the playwrights had to pull out at the last minute and I got the call. I figured this might help get my creative juices flowing. At the very least, it'll give me the fear of deadlines. The event takes place this Friday, March 3 at the Catalyst Theatre. Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?
Last night, I read a great young adult book by Christopher Paul Curtis. It was hilarious and poignant and real. The story is about an African-American family in 1963, and it's told from a ten year old boy's point of view. I laughed aloud a lot through the book. The characters are great and the nostalgia is perfect. It's a good read for adults and kids alike. It's an older book, but it has a universal theme. Pick it up if you have the chance. My thanks to Anita Horrocks for recommending the book. By the way, she's a y/a author with a new book coming out this spring. Watch for it. It's called Almost Eden.
Just finished Darren Shan's latest in the Cirque du Freak series. This time, the epic takes a sidetrack to find out the true identity of Harkat. I liked this book, because Harkat is one of my favourite characters. I like people with a past. I find it a little awkward to go into more detail about this book without spoiling the ending. Just read it and enjoy the twists.
Ugh, I'm totally unmotivated this week. I think I can pinpoint the reason. I've been getting quite a few rejections over the last three weeks. I know this is part of a writer's life, but this is the first time that I had so many rejections in a short period. I think they're making me lose confidence and I'm starting to second guess all my creative decisions.
Yesterday, I had to write the first draft of the Monkey King short play, and I couldn't get into it. But instead of walking away, I just slammed down the general scenes. It's ugly, but now I have something that I can shape. I'm sure that my confidence will bounce back when I get the next acceptance... I hope there's a next one anyway. Yikes, there I go sounding defeatist again. The best thing to do in times like this is take small steps and celebrate the little accomplishments.
The chorus is going to be the Three Wise Monkeys, who see, hear and speak no evil. I have to be careful now, because I think I'm going to have more fun with them than the main character. Now I have to find the dramatic thruline of this short play. I think it's about a kid who has no parents and denies that it bothers him. It may work and it may fall apart. The only way I'll know for sure is to write a first draft. Off I go.
I'm just starting to flesh out my paragraph pitch into an outline for the Sprouts Festival in June. For some reason, I'm picturing a Greek chorus narrating the opening. It might be a cultural clash of Chinese and Greek styles, but because this is a short cultural fable for kids, I might need to have some narration to introduce the Monkey King. Otherwise, the kids may not know what's going on. Hey, maybe I can have fun with the chorus members and create a little tension between them. Hmm, I'll have to do some thinking about this.
This is the last day of the retreat. I hope that the participants got what they needed out of the retreat. I know that participants are responsible for what they do at the retreat. Some will use the time to revise a manuscript; others will start a new story; and some will use the time to think about what they want to write. With so many different agendas on the go, I found it challenging at times to give the partipants what they needed.
As I write this last blog on the retreat, I look back and hope that what I did encouraged and did not hinder their creative process. But true writers that they are, I doubt anything I or anyone said or did would stop them from writing. I wish all the participants the best in their careers, and I expect an invitation to their book launches!
Yay! The galleys are proofed and on their way to the printer. Now I just have to wait and see the final product. It's incredible the amount of lead time that's needed for a book to go out. I spoke to one writer at the Banff Retreat who has a children's picture book coming out in 2008! I'm so used to things happening faster in the theatre world. I think I'd go nuts if I only wrote books... all that waiting is not good for a guy with an MTV attention span.
I've been run off my feet for the last few days. I'm reading tons of submissions and I'm meeting people every afternoon. The evenings are filled with readings (some planned and some impromptu). Everyone seems to be in a creative zone, and I'm so thrilled to see the output of writing.
My only wish is that I had some time to work on my own projects. I was up at 6:30 this morning finishing the proof of my galley, and instead of e-mailing the corrections to the publisher I ended up phoning them in because it would save me about an hour. It's a small complaint, considering I'm in the mountains.
Tomorrow, I'm going to be selfish and use the evening to work on my Sprouts play. Maybe I'll get a first draft done. Off to lunch... and the gym!
I'm currently proofing the galley of the second book. I'm cycling through the manuscript backwards, starting with the last page and working from the bottom paragraph to the top paragraph on each page. This helps me catch mistakes rather than get lost in the story. I'm finding it a pretty effective way of proofing, but man does it make for a weird read.
This is the most social bunch of writers I've come across in a long time. They hit the bar so often I'd swear they were actors. The one-on-one sessions are great. I'm exposed to a wide range of stories, and I love hearing that everyone is busy writing. In fact, I've not seen a couple of people at all because they're squirreled away in their rooms writing... well, I hope they're writing and not just watching Price is Right reruns.
I promised one of the retreat participants that I'd blog about my residency. The weather is beautiful. The mountains are stunning. And the writers are prolific. I offered to read any last-minute submissions, and writing samples have been sliding under my door all day long. There must be something in the mountain air, because these people are writing fiends. All I can say is that I hope they keep writing.
The only negative so far about the experience is the dining hall. They have too many irresistable desserts, and I've already fallen off my diet. I ran extra hard at the gym tonight and I've been climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator. If I'm lucky, I'll only gain 10 pounds by the time I'm done here. Back to the stairs.
My guilty pleasure is anything to do with zombies, and I was thrilled when a friend told me about Stephen King's new novel, Cell. Last night, I ran out and picked up the book and I plan to read it over the weekend. It's probably frightful fluff, but if it has the walking dead I don't care.
Prime Minister Harper claimed he anticipated there would be some "superficial" concerns to his cabinet appointments. I guess Canadian voters are simply too quick to have knee-jerk reactions when cabinet postings can go to former Liberals and to unelected campaign managers like Michael Fortier. Mr. Harper's rationale for the appointments were to make sure there was a voice in Vancouver (David Emerson's former Liberal riding) and in Montreal (apparently, no Bloc member wanted to defect that quickly).
If I were naive I'd apologize for yesterday's blog. Regional representation?! Wow, a politicial who genuinely cares about Canada!! Come on, Mr. Harper. What happened to all this talk about changing the culture of entitlement and getting the business of politics out of the backroom? Noble aims and underhanded means do not make for good political bedfellows. Now lying and politics... those are two things that fit perfectly.
Stephen Harper has appointed David Emerson as International Trade Minister, the same David Emerson who was industry minister when he was a Liberal... just two weeks ago. He kept his seat in the recent election, but apparently loved the cabinet too much to accept the fact that he'd have to sit as an opposition critic.
I feel for Mr. Emerson's constituents. This is a slap in the face and a betrayal of their trust. His crossing the floor is not news. Belinda Stronach did it, and she was re-elected under a new party banner for her efforts. What upsets me more than anything else is the timing of Mr. Emerson's change of heart. I'll bet his Liberal campaign signs are still in the ground. Imagine paying your hard earned money to buy a brand new Solstice, but when you pick up the car, it turns out to be a Cavalier. Would you drive it off the lot anyway? No. You'd expect some answers and a refund.
I guess this latest move just proves my growing sentiment that politicians are no longer connected to their constituents and they feel no responsibility to their voters. Partisan politics may not bring down democracy, but it does gnaw at the foundations.
I finished reading Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux. It's a clever tale about an outcast mouse who must save a human princess. I think the book is geared for younger readers, maybe grade 3 - 5, but the plot is pretty intricate as it shifts from one character's perspective to another. The story blends together nicely and the characters are clear, and I feel for all of them... even the villains. However, if you don't like animals as main characters, this might not be the book for you. Personally, I liked it, and the illustrations by Timothy Ering were pretty cute.
I'm still working on the revised outline for the play, and now I think I can pull the play off in three acts. The first act will be the rise of Edmond Dante. We see the rise of his career. The second act will be Edmond in prison... his fall... and the third act will be his revenge... he sees what his life could have been through Mondego and then tries to tear it down only to realize that it's all be a part of his revenge fantasy and he's never left prison at all. I know this sounds sketchy, but it's making sense in my head. Now I just have to firm up the revised outline and get to reworking the draft.
I finally dusted off my Count of Monte Cristo script and I'm getting ready to revise it. The months away from the script have given me new perspective on the draft. I've got an action adventure, but no heart or character. My main character wants revenge, but I'm not sure why. The reasons are superficial at best and not very heartfelt. I think I've been deluded into thinking that I can write the Readers' Digest version of the play, but the scope of the story is way too big. Instead of cutting and trimming, I'm going to blow up the script into a five-act epic and see where that takes me. I'm on a bit of a clock with the revisions, because I want to submit the script to the Alberta Playwriting Competition. The deadline is March 1. What the heck am I doing blogging? I've got to get to work!
