Post-Con Report

So, I spent the weekend up in Boston for Boskone, and the whole weekend was something of an up-and-down experience for me. 

Of the good: Boston is a gorgeous city, and this weekend was perfect walking-around weather.  As much as I love Austin, it's not a city that's visually inspiring on an architectural level.  Boston-- there are parts of Boston that look almost exactly how Maradaine looks in my head.  (If you take out the cars and traffic lights and such).  We got to visit with my sister and her family, and my parents came up as well, so that was nice.  I live 2000 miles away, so everyone being in the same place for something that's neither wedding nor funeral is a rarity.

Also of the good: I met my agent face-to-face for the first time, which I was quite pleased with.  Especially since one of the first things he said was, "By the way, I absolutely loved the Holver Alley Crew rewrite you did."  So that's making its way out in the world.  Hopefully Maradaine Constabulary will follow shortly. Also, he highly praised my beta-reading people, and I can't help but agree.  They're an awesome group.  Another bright spot, connected to meeting with my agent, is when the editor from Baen saw my nametag and said, "Oh, yes, you're his new guy."  Editors recognizing your name are rarely a bad thing. 

Of the not-as-good: This is more my own issue, but being at a con where I don't really know people is something of a challenge for me.  Yes, my agent was there, and he introduced me to people, and that was great.  And Elizabeth Bear, whom I've met before, was very friendly.  But I didn't have people, if you catch my meaning. I didn't have comfort-zone-familiar-faces to gravitate towards.  It was a different experience for me last year at DFWWriterCon.  I mean, there, I knew NO ONE, but at the same time, EVERYONE there was in the same boat: we had books written, and we were there to pitch to agents.  We were kindred spirits, and it was simple to bond.  I'm sure there were people in the same agented-but-not-sold position as me, but there was no badge color or hand signal to recognize fellow travelers in the last miles of the marathon.

But, like I said, this is probably more my own imposter-syndrome issues above and beyond anything else.

Of the REALLY-not-good: My laptop died.  Horribly.  Fortunately, I backed up ALL my writing stuff the night before I left, AND the machine is still under warranty, but it was still annoying.  I feel kind of hobbled, writing-wise, until I get it back up and running.  Even though I could use the desktop I'm writing this on.  I'm strange like that.

Using Structure to Best Effect

Like I've always said, I'm a planner and an outliner. I can't just wing my way through a novel.I need my big picture.

Part of having that big picture outlook is knowing what the meat and bones of the story are ahead of time.  The dressing, the sinew, the sauce (depending on which metaphor you feel like using), that always comes out in the writing itself.  Sometimes on the second draft.  (Case in point, in the currently-wrapping-up Maradaine Constabulary, I've found Minox's whole extended family, something that didn't exist before.  Taking him out of the standard 'loner' trope has had some interesting effects.) 

But a problem I've run into, almost every time, is that desire to write those "meat and bones" scenes, making it something of a challenge to write those "sinewy tissue" scenes, that are just as necessary.  Each time, on Thorn, on Holver Alley, and on Maradaine Constabulary, I reached a point where, in frustration, I would write a [SCENE ABOUT THIS] notation and move ahead. 

And that's fine.  I think every writer needs to learn their own particular process, and accept how they work it.  It took me a while to realize I had to be a planner.  I had many, many crash-and-burns romanticizing the "just write and see where it takes me" method.  It doesn't work for me. 

(If that works for you, excellent.  I'm not knocking on any one person's methods.  If your methods work for you, then continue with what works.  Though I think people should always analyze whether something REALLY works for them, or they just THINK it does.)

Anyhow, I've now accepted that simply writing straight through in a linear way doesn't work for me.  I need to satisfy those urges to write the big tentpole sequences that hold the story up, and then use the ropes and canvas to hold it all together.

(I'm just throwing all sorts of metaphors around, aren't I?)

So, this is the experiment with Way of the Shield.  It'll also be my first attempt at writing a novel entirely on Scrivener.  Scrivener, of course, it's quite useful in non-linear writing.  Scenes can be written individually, and then assembled in the desired order, new scenes stuck in-between, and so forth.  I believe that this will yield faster results, as my finish-by goal for the rough draft is May 15th.

Down to the word mines I go.

Plans for 2012

I did accomplish a lot of things in 2011, but on some level I always feel like I could have done more.  So here are my Unrealistic Goals for 2012:

1.    Get a book deal for Thorn of Dentonhill.  On some level, this is out of my hands.  I would really like to say 2012 is going to be my year for this to happen.  But the industry moves slow, and I need to be patient.  But fingers crossed.

2.    Finalize Holver Alley Crew, make that book deal as well.  Because we should either go big or go home, right?

3.    Final draft of Maradaine Constabulary.  Have Mike approve that and start selling it.  If we can get the hat trick with the book deals, all the better.  But that might be pushing, even in the dreams department.

4.    Finish Rough draft of Way of the Shield.  Because I need to have the new project working as well.  Move or die, just like a shark.  And with that, I’ll finish all four planned Heroes of Maradaine first books.

5.    Finish worldbuild and outline for Banshee and Starcrossed.  Knocking out a first draft wouldn’t suck, either.

6.    Outline/Worldbuild for one or more of the unnamed YA/Heroine/Steampunk projects.  Because I’ve got stuff rattling around in my skull that wants to get out.

In addition, I’ll be attending Boskone (just as an attendee, not as programming) and ArmadilloCon 34, including the Writers’ Workshop.  And there will probably be a few short plays written in that time as well.

So, that should keep me plenty bust for the next twelve months.