In the Real World ...
In the event anyone wonders where I go when I vanish off all fandom horizons, feel free to read behind the cut. If not, move along, buddy, nothing to see here. ;-)
You still with me? Cool. Put your feet up and pour what pleases you.
So what am I doing these days? I'm writing. That can't be helped, it's just what I do, but I'm not writing fan fiction. I've taken off the training wheels to pursue original writing, and it's an interesting trip.
Foremost, though it took two years to do so, I finished my first-ever fantasy novel, Oak and Stone. After countless hours of agonising research - probably as much agonising as research - I sent it off to TOR Books. Why? Because they don't require an author to have an agent. (Which I don't yet.) Because their website has a sense of humor. And because they are one of THE biggest fantasy publishers out there.
Six months later, they sent me a form-letter rejection notice exactly five lines long, the crux being, "it's not right for us at this time." Jeez, thanks, TOR.
No, really, thanks. I mean it! (I do?) Yup. Because it inspired me to go back into that bloated toad of a manuscript and whittle off umpty-thousand words - it should worry me it had umpty-thousand words to spare - and do some pretty serious slimming and toning. Plus I had to go back at the synopsis with a hammer and chisel, as well. When I'm done, and when I finally sweep up all the dust and shavings, this should be a much better tale. So if it ever sees print, I can thank TOR for saving me from myself. In it's original incarnation, this was not my best possible work, and I'm glad it didn't pass its maiden flight.
Secondly, having mangled all conceivable metaphors, I'll keep the rest simple. I'm also shopping several short stories, with equal lack of success. I'm not disheartened, however. When I get a rejection notice, I just reread the story, revise if needed, slap the sucker in another manila envelope and toss it off to the pony express. Most submissions take at least three months to process, so I have time for the bruises to heal in between. ;-) Though I did get one story rejected by email in less than 24 hours. That was actually rather nice - the rejection was written by a real human in real words, and said some very kind things.
Nice rejections are another thing I could talk about, but I won't. They're curious critters, I'll give that.
So, I'm writing, I'm submitting, I'm getting rejected, but I try not to get dejected. It's the nature of the beast, the rules of the game. Rejection itself is a process of learning, not only requiring one to sit back and evaluate one's work, but also to realise the extremes of subjectivity that editorial tastes encompass. I had one short story rejected by an editor who found a certain scene to be tedious. Another editor also rejected the story - but found that same scene delightful in its detail!
Go figure. So, I'll just keep throwing stories at editors until one day something sticks.
Meanwhile, betwixt polishing on the rejected novel and bouncing rubber short stories, I'm also banging away on a second fantasy novel. (Unrelated to the first.) Wish me luck! And wish me to stay the course. I must believe that "someday" will eventually come, if I simply refuse to give up.
And that's that. That's where I am, that's what I'm doing. I'm still lurking out here, still reading the offerings of talented writers who will remain quite happily in fan fiction - if only because they sensibly lack the masochistic tendancies required for the pursuit of conventional publishing. You all keep up the good work, won't you? It's nice for me to be reminded that one should always, foremostly, write for the joy of writing. I may need that reminder, from time to time. :-)
Fair winds and following seas to you all! I'll shout you a round next time we meet, whether it's in Tortuga or at the Green Dragon. ;-)
Cheers ~
Erin
the piratical hobbit author
P.S.
You may find my LOTR fan fiction HERE, HERE and HERE ).
You still with me? Cool. Put your feet up and pour what pleases you.
So what am I doing these days? I'm writing. That can't be helped, it's just what I do, but I'm not writing fan fiction. I've taken off the training wheels to pursue original writing, and it's an interesting trip.
Foremost, though it took two years to do so, I finished my first-ever fantasy novel, Oak and Stone. After countless hours of agonising research - probably as much agonising as research - I sent it off to TOR Books. Why? Because they don't require an author to have an agent. (Which I don't yet.) Because their website has a sense of humor. And because they are one of THE biggest fantasy publishers out there.
Six months later, they sent me a form-letter rejection notice exactly five lines long, the crux being, "it's not right for us at this time." Jeez, thanks, TOR.
No, really, thanks. I mean it! (I do?) Yup. Because it inspired me to go back into that bloated toad of a manuscript and whittle off umpty-thousand words - it should worry me it had umpty-thousand words to spare - and do some pretty serious slimming and toning. Plus I had to go back at the synopsis with a hammer and chisel, as well. When I'm done, and when I finally sweep up all the dust and shavings, this should be a much better tale. So if it ever sees print, I can thank TOR for saving me from myself. In it's original incarnation, this was not my best possible work, and I'm glad it didn't pass its maiden flight.
Secondly, having mangled all conceivable metaphors, I'll keep the rest simple. I'm also shopping several short stories, with equal lack of success. I'm not disheartened, however. When I get a rejection notice, I just reread the story, revise if needed, slap the sucker in another manila envelope and toss it off to the pony express. Most submissions take at least three months to process, so I have time for the bruises to heal in between. ;-) Though I did get one story rejected by email in less than 24 hours. That was actually rather nice - the rejection was written by a real human in real words, and said some very kind things.
Nice rejections are another thing I could talk about, but I won't. They're curious critters, I'll give that.
So, I'm writing, I'm submitting, I'm getting rejected, but I try not to get dejected. It's the nature of the beast, the rules of the game. Rejection itself is a process of learning, not only requiring one to sit back and evaluate one's work, but also to realise the extremes of subjectivity that editorial tastes encompass. I had one short story rejected by an editor who found a certain scene to be tedious. Another editor also rejected the story - but found that same scene delightful in its detail!
Go figure. So, I'll just keep throwing stories at editors until one day something sticks.
Meanwhile, betwixt polishing on the rejected novel and bouncing rubber short stories, I'm also banging away on a second fantasy novel. (Unrelated to the first.) Wish me luck! And wish me to stay the course. I must believe that "someday" will eventually come, if I simply refuse to give up.
And that's that. That's where I am, that's what I'm doing. I'm still lurking out here, still reading the offerings of talented writers who will remain quite happily in fan fiction - if only because they sensibly lack the masochistic tendancies required for the pursuit of conventional publishing. You all keep up the good work, won't you? It's nice for me to be reminded that one should always, foremostly, write for the joy of writing. I may need that reminder, from time to time. :-)
Fair winds and following seas to you all! I'll shout you a round next time we meet, whether it's in Tortuga or at the Green Dragon. ;-)
Cheers ~
Erin
the piratical hobbit author
P.S.
You may find my LOTR fan fiction HERE, HERE and HERE ).