Queer writer of weird things
Four years is not such a long time when you think about it. On the other hand, in such a short time a lot can happen. Leaders change, geniuses die, Kate Bush stubbornly does not come out with a new album. Did you know that in the last four years you've traveled 3.76 billion kilometers …
Continue reading "Don’t measure success using someone else’s yardstick"
I had lunch recently with a friend of mine, Karen. In addition to mutual appreciation of many things (wine is high up on the list), we also have a deep and abiding love of pasta, grilled cheese sandwiches of infinite variety, and pizza. So, as we caught up over a plate of spaghetti and a …
For the past couple years, I’ve tried to come up with one word or phrase that could capture my focus for the coming year. In 2016, it was “completion.” I wanted to complete the draft of the novel I was working on. And I did that, although in 2017 I ended up setting it aside …
At the beginning of 2017, I set a goal for the year of actively seeking rejection. What this meant was that I would send out my short fiction to contests and magazines, apply for fellowships and residencies, and otherwise just get my work out into the world so that other people might possibly read it. …
Continue reading "My year of embracing rejection, year-end roundup"
There’s a moment in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (the best of the Star Trek films, if you ask me) when Spock offers Admiral Kirk command of the Enterprise. Spock has captained the ship as a teacher of cadets on a training cruise. If they're going into combat, though, Kirk should take command, …
They (that ambiguous, omnipresent “they”) always say that you learn more from your failures than you do from your successes. Unfortunately, it’s true. Equally unfortunate for me, I just got reminded of that recently. I've been talking a lot about the as-yet-unnamed sequel to The Unwanted over the past three years. Recently, I came to a …
Continue reading "Five Things I Learned by Failing at This Novel"
If you’re a writer, you will most likely think, in some variation at one time or another: Well, this is not really very good at all. I have no idea what I’m doing. What is this story/essay/script/poem even about? I shouldn’t be wasting my time. No one’s going to read this. Why did I ever …
You never know when inspiration is going to cross your path. In my case, I never would have expected inspiration for my young adult writing to arrive at a leather convention. Let me back up. Recently, we went to Chicago to visit my friend Scott. He’s a photographer and a good friend I originally got …
Continue reading "Finding writing inspiration… at a leather convention?"
I got the nicest rejection letter recently. No, I’m totally serious. I wanted to write them back and say thank you; thank you for rejecting my work! Are they going to publish it? No. Did I win any sort of consolation prize (like, you know, money)? No. Is my name going to be on some …
Continue reading "Want to get published more? Embrace rejection — an update"
[TL/DR: social media delights in distracting you and wasting your time. Minutes/hours spent tweeting or posting are minutes/hours not spent writing. Is that how you want to be spending your time? Also, commenting on a trending hashtag brings out the crazies like you wouldn’t believe. Don’t feed them, whatever you do. Their appetite is bottomless.] …