Agonies of a Young Author

Surprise publication this morning! My short story "An Accidental Morning Bathroom Meeting" was posted to DOGZPLOT Flash Fiction Magazine, and can be read here.

As always, I'd love for comments and feedback! Thanks!

Hello!

Just a quick update to say my micro-fiction piece "They Burned Our Ssekabakas, They Burned Our Kings" was published today in the magazine SHORT, FAST, AND DEADLY! You can read the magazine here.

I'm super excited!

Please read and comment! This is one of my first ventures into fiction, so would love the feedback! Thank you!

Writee Now:
What I'm listening to: the fireplace burning =)
What I want most: mmm, ice cream? or cheesecake?

It's the night before the conference!! Well, actually, it's the night before my roadtrip to the conference. I'm driving five hours up to Lancaster, PA to attend the Pennwriter's Writer's Conference. But before you feel sorry for my numbed posterior, here's something you should know...

Secret: I love roadtrips.

I actually like driving five, six hours to go someplace. It doesn't feel as long to me as you might imagine. With my location on the East Coast, I can easily dash up to Richmond, D.C., Baltimore, or Philly. I can  also scoot down to Durham (next week's conference!) or across state to Charlotte or anywhere I want to go. I really can go pretty much anywhere, and I try to follow through.

Since last summer I've put almost three thousand miles on my adorable Rosie Gambler, Roadster. I am determined to drive and drive and drive until I drive my car into the ground (because want else is it for? Girl's gotta go places.)

So! Agenda:
this weekend--Lancaster, PA
next weekend-- Durham, NC
following day-- Portland, OR (this will require a plane-- I'm not THAT addicted)
same week- heartland of Texas
following week-- home to California for month of June
month of July-- Prague creative writing summer school!!! And Russia!!!
month of August-- possibly travel for a week, then back to VA

Oh yeah. I gotta good summer. Good good summer.

Write now:
What I'm listening to: Panera diner music
What I want most: to get going!!

This is me right now. I feel like Princess Extraordinaire. Or Queen of Everything. Goddess of All She Surveys. Empress of Every Living Thing.

Why, you ask?

Because the Paternal Voice just got me a plane ticket.

To Portland!!!

To see the Triple Mistresses of Authorial Awesomeness, Ilona Andrews, Lilith Saintcrow, and Devon Monk.

Zee. Oh. Mm. Gee!!!!!!

I wanna be Lilith Saintcrow (she inspired my blog). I wanna write like Ilona Andrews (she inspired.. well everything). And I wanna come up with plot twists like Devon Monk (she inspired one of my many WIPS and one of my favorite characters).

AND I'M MEETING ALL THREE!

*faints in overflowing joy*

See the pretty, pretty poster?



So me. Portland. Rain. Authors. Books.

Awesomeness.

Write Now:
What I'm listening to: "Send It Up" by Vertical Horizon
What I want most: to be in Portland!!!!

It's a big step. It's not a necessary one, but it's a big, huge, thrilling step.

I bought business cards!

Business cards. For me. Saying "Shelly Holder: Author/Poet"

Once again, I have stepped over those invisible cobweb boundaries that mark the division between "student author" and "professional author." This makes, maybe, number 3452, and I believe the generally accepted final number to be 23948245834293714136457589964243452346 and 1, but hey who's countin'?

Ahem. Anyways.

This is what they look like.

I got the scholarship!!!!!! I'm going to Prague!!!!!!

I never wrote about this opportunity (superstition coming to the forefront?) but now I can happy announce that I am a John Woods scholarship recipient to Western Michigan University's Prague Summer Creative Writing program. The 2010 theme is called

Scribbling on the Ether: The Changing Nature of Writing and Publication


The full theme description can be found here, but this is a quote from the conclusion:

"Are we moving toward a “paperless” textuality? Are books, as such, becoming anachronisms? Will it mean the same thing to “publish,” to be a “writer,” when all or most texts will be virtual? May the process by which texts are brought to prominence, through wise and scrupulous editorial discretion, maintain its integrity in the virtual dimension? When anyone can “publish” at anytime, what is the value of publication?"

I am so excited! I will be taking a poetry workshop and a class on Czech literature, as well as attending the program lectures (the mandatory ones for all attendees) and some reading lectures by the professors and other authors. Sounds like a full schedule, but I can't wait! I will be spending a whole month there, and will be living in a dorm with a random roommate. I won't have a meal plan, so that will be interesting-- grocery shopping in the Czech Republic. I hope there won't be too many culinary misadventures waiting for me.... Dishearteningly, some are inevitable.

Hopefully I will get to travel a little bit as well. Several friends are abroad at the same time, and we may try to meet up. I would also like to venture into new places, and perhaps even revisit Romania, since it would be summer and a good chance to visit Transylvania. But most of the bordering countries I haven't visited, so maybe I should stick with those first! Ah, possibilities...

Anyways, I am so excited that I have accomplished a scholarship on my writing merit! It feels good to be recognized in that sense- to have someone else say "You're worthy." It's somehow other than the praise of peers or even the feeling from publication. It's seems more artistic, less commercial in a sense to be recognized this way. I can't really explain it, but in any case, I'm thrilled to be part of this program. I can't wait for July!

Right now:
What I'm listening to: Can't. In the library
What I want most: this paper to be researched and written for me. Any takers?

I just finished finals yesterday, and I'm already deep into a vortex of scheming for the summer. No rest for the academic, I guess.

I have been pawing at the idea of heading up to New York to participate in Columbia University's Creative Writing Master classes. They offer some really wicked courses, like "Writing Mean and Funny" and "Love Poetry as a Trojan Horse" and other provocative workshops, so that I'm positively drooling over the computer as I read.

But then I picked up the January issue of The Writer this week, and in those brilliantly tempting pages I found a creative writing summer program with West Michigan University... in PRAGUE. Titled "Scribbling on the Ether: The Changing Nature of Writing and Publication."

OH. MY. GOODNESS. I. WANT. IT!

Best yet? I found WMU offers a fellowship to this summer program that's tuition free. Housing, living, and travel not included of course, but anything to take a couple zeros off. I may have just landed a perfect and shiny job, but it's only minimum wage.

So I'm going to spend my vacation thinking and planning and scheming out the perfect application essay for this fellowship. It's pretty tough, actually, you have to get endorsed by a published author in your field. I'm not really sure who to approach on this one, but I hope I can figure something out before February.

Anyways, cross your fingers. Let's see if I can rock the world of some summer admission peoples.

Right now:
What I'm listening: "Fireflies" by Owl City
What I want most: That fellowship. And straight sailing (or flying) right into Prague.

Anyone watch Castle yesterday? If not, you're missing out- hardcore.

*Spoiler Alert*

First of all, let me say that I love Castle. Second, let me say I love Castle. Third, I love Castle. If I could write a TV series, I would hope that it would be Castle-esqe. Not Bones, not Criminal Minds, nor CSI, not even House (alright, maybe House) but Castle. I love that the writers play with the nature of story-telling, plot, and narrative within every episode. Every episode, Castle suggests the "story" behind the murder... usually it's wrong, but he suggests a story that "fits" the crime.

I love that interplay, but it's too complicated in my head to explain it all. So back to my main point.

This weekend I bought Heat Wave. Sound familiar? It should- it's the book Rick Castle "wrote" about Detective Beckett/Nikki Heat in the TV series. ABC has published the (fictional) book that the (fictional) character (fictionally) wrote. But it's a real book, that was truly written, that was truly published and released in September, that I trully read over the weekend, that was even ranked #4 (!!!!) for Barnes and Nobles. Is anyone else spinning from that layering?

I love it. I think the advertising guy who came up with this scheme is truly diabolical. What better way to draw attention to the show? Readers pick it up, and go to find the show. Followers of the series buy the book, because they just have to see if the writing is that good (it wasn't, but I'll come back to that later). And all around, there is creation of a fictional world that translates into reality through the purchase of this book, like some of the Harry Potter or LOTR memorablia. It's material goods from a fictional world made into reality, which makes those goods not fictional, but suddenly real... And the fact that the author bio is about fictional character Rick Castle? The author photo is of actor Nathan Fillion? and the author reviews by real authors refer to the previous Derek Storm series (which are truly fictional, as in ABC hasn't published them) and the famous author Rick Castle and his publishing career as all absolutely established historical realities? Oh, yeah. Twisted.

Anyways, the writing wasn't that great. It was obviously a rush job, and the ghostwriter either was 1) a TV series writer, who couldn't quite make the jump to the novel form, or 2) some other writer who hadn't mastered some of the basics. There were many redeemable one-liners, which is why I suspect that a series writer switched to the novel format (they were classic and characteristic for the show), but many technical aspects that were just... mangled. We get an in-depth flash-back on Nikki Heat's mother's murder within the first ten pages, and POV jumps around sporadically, even within the same sentence. Third person POV is still usually limited to the perspective of one single character, or no characters at all. Check your vocabulary, my children, that why dictionaries were created (Thank you, Samuel Johnson, even if you never claimed credit.) And the plot followed along the plot of the show- clownish but intelligent crime journalist tags along with long suffering attractive detective- which would have been fine, except I expected Castle's book to be a little more removed from the show. (Lookit me. I imagined what the ficitonal book of fictional author Rick Castle would be, and when said fictional book was then published, it wasn't what I imagined it to be. Oy vei.)

What surprised me was the inclusion of romance and a sex scene. Yes, sex is now "mainstream," but the show is not heavily romantic, in the same sense that Bones is not heavily romantic. There's flirting, and a few mushy scenes, but the show's popularity is based on the eternal question "When are they going to get together?" If that question is answered, there is no longer a show. When the rumor about Bones and Booth finally getting together went around last season, I was disappointed, because there was no more appeal in watching the show. There would be messy break-ups, and reunions, and dating other people, and jealously, and it would descend into nothing more than a soap opera. Same with Castle. If they ever do actually act on the romantic feelings so carefully controlled, I won't watch it anymore.

Ranting, sorry. Anyways, point is, I got my answer tonight. The latest episode revolves around Heat Wave- yes, the one published. It revolves around the actual plot line of the book, and I think I benefited from having read the book before I watched last night's episode, although it's not necessary in any way. The show was great- Beckett teasing Castle about not reading the book, and secondary characters mentioning the sex scene and Castle teasing Beckett about that... it was really great.

So in summary! The book was ok, but I'm glad I bought it, for the sheer whimsical value and for the connection to the latest episode. I also think it was a FANTASTIC marketing/advertising scheme, and including the book in the plot was diabolical. So I forgive the ghostwriter for the results- it was more important to get the book out before the season progressed too far.

I just wish someone had copy-edited better.

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: "Nothing" by Red Friday (free download of cd here!)
What I want most: more Fall break! (school starts tomorrow, boo)

I'm playing hookie tonight.

Or rather, in between reading/studying for my midterm this Friday, I am plotting for Nanowrimo over AIM with my Evil Twin MlleDiabolique. It's great. I'm so excited. And yes, we're plotting a whole month in advance. Because we're just that cool.

So like I said, MlleDiabolique and I are teaming up to conquer Nanawrimo, because honestly two college students DON'T HAVE TIME TO SLEEP, much less write an entire novel. But between the two of us, we'll kick butt.

I would reveal all the awesome, twisted, unusual, diabolical plotting that we mapped out, except... it's ours (we're hoarding it.) No tidbits for you! (mwahaha)

So keep an eye out for MlleDiabolique and yours truly next month! You can be sure we'll be plotting the whole time until then. =)

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: no music, because I'm studying (although the AIM blips are pretty constant)
What I want most: NaNoWriMo!

Conference! Conference! Conference! I wanna go to a conference!

Ah! I discovered a writing conference just a bare 3 hours from my campus, and I'm so excited. I wanna go to a conference!

The keynote speaker for the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference is Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran! And listen to this: Pulitzer-prize winner Henry Allen will moderate a panel discussion on Literary Border Crossings. The afternoon panel will include authors H.G. Carrillo (Loosing my Espanish) and Olga Grushin (The Dream Life of Sukhanov).

SO excited!

And there are two workshop sessions available! One in the morning, one in the afternoon. I'm thinking that I'll do Short Story Style and Writing the Novel.

Ah, so excited!

Well, off to do some research/ sign up/ convince the parentals that I should go!

Right now:
What I am listening to: n/a- too excited!
What I want most: to go to the writing conference!

I have found a TV show that I absolutely ADORE. Mostly, I suspect, because of the main character, Castle, whose writerly antics I recognize within myself. Certainly the humor qualifies along the lines of British humor, except geared for writers, because I'm rolling on the floor while the Best Friend and the Maternal Figure shot me uneasy glances from the corner of their eyes. Oh well.

So may I present to you all, Castle!!!

Official blurb:

Richard “Rick” Castle [Nathan Fillion], a rock star of the literary world, is suffering from a case of writers block after killing off the main character in his novels and is struggling to come up with a replacement.

Castle had grown weary of having it all, “fame, fans and females”, when he was approached by the attractive Detective Kate Beckett [Stana Katic] of the NYPD to help catch the copy-cat killer staging murders based on scenes from his novels.

Castle is not a traditional investigator and his approach to solving the crimes conflicts with Beckett’s conservative approach leading to much tension and a hint of romance.

SUCH a good show!!

My favorite is the subtle humor found EVERYWHERE, like in the opening credits:

(A bleeding fountain pen? It decends and strikes through the A in the show, as well. So images of revision as well. Oh, goodness, I love this show.)
Or the DVD cover:
(C'mon! A book squishing the dead body? The tag line "A whole new chapter..."? Tell me you don't love that.)

But best I think is the scene where Castle plays poker with a couple buddies... that just happen to be James Patterson, Stephen King, and Sue Grafton. I about died with laughter at this one.

(Sorry, it's a little dark, but ...oh wait, it's a bunch of mystery writers having a poker game. Of COURSE it's dark. Also, not entirely sure if the lady on the left actually IS Sue Grafton, but on the website that's who they say she is. Maybe a representative?)

See why I love this show?

But, please, don't take my word for it. Watch the trailer, watch the series at Surf the Channel, buy the DVD come September 22... because you know I will!

Full Cast of Castle:



Right now:
What I'm listening to: (I guess I should say watching, but semantics, semantics) The Castle trailer. Again.
What I want most: The Castle DVD set. I just may have to pre-order from Amazon...

Big Shiny Sekret Project!!

I'm so excited. I'm not sure if i can get this writing internship, but damn, I wants it. They're looking for a master's graduate, but maybe I can help out in some way... The experience alone would be SO. WORTH. IT. I'm also scared, because this internship would seriously STRETCH. MY. LIMITS. It would be so vastly different from anything that I'm done before... but that's also the point.

Anyways, no more details for now. I don't want to jinx it, and I'm also super paranoid about certain things, and details fall under it. But just keep your fingers crossed for me, 'mmmmmkay?

Right Now:
What I'm listening to: Internal squeals of excitement, peppered with, "Oh, goodness, I wants it!"
What I want most: this internship, definitely. definitely.