Musings Of A New Southern Man

Rejection ... it is as much a part of a novelist's life as plot lines and character development. You put out good queries to various agents, and you WILL get rejection notices. OK, what next? Agent Rachelle Gardner dealt with that on her blog within the past week. Her post couldn't have been more well-timed with my own circumstances. I received notice from one agent ... I won't identify the agent ... who wanted a partial manuscript of my first novel. She requested the first 50 pages, but I sent the first 54 in order to include a full chapter rather than breaking it in the middle. The result was something I have encountered before ... request for partial, followed by a rejection letter. How do I read the context of the rejection letter? Here is what I received ... "I enjoyed reading it. While your pages are interesting and well-written, after careful consideration, I feel that your project is not right for my list at the current time." That is as much depth as ...

I attended the Paul Simon concert in Broomfield last night. It was a blast ... dancing in the aisles, people singing along and adding backup on a song like "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" and there's just the joy of spending time with a man of massive talent. I am biased here. I think he does a better job of blending music and lyrics than any other performer of my time. But for all the amazing moments, one brought tears to my ears ... but it brings tears to my ears every time I hear the song. It is "The Obvious Child," and if you know me or have been reading this blog, you will understand. It is at once joyous and challenging, somber and celebrational. Paul brings it to life as only one of the best writers of our time could. I think it fits nicely in a literary blog because it is a novella in slightly more than 4 minutes. Simon simply is able to get to the essence of the story. What a master. Enjoy.

Before launching into my thoughts, I need to make an important distinction. There is a difference between being a Christian writer and a Christian who writes. A Christian writer is someone who writes for the Christian publishing market (referred to usually as CBA) and creates to exacting standards on issues such as using profanity or not being detailed in matters of sexual activity, to name just two areas of concern. A Christian who writes is a believer who is not bound by those rules. I fall into that second category, by design. Part of it because of intended market, the readership group I want to reach. I think there is a market of Christians out there who want real characters because they are real characters themselves ... complete with flaws, sins, weaknesses. There also is a general class of readers who know enough about Christianity to understand the moral boundaries, and they will be able to relate to my characters. When I use characters in my nove...

I have been pretty quiet on Facebook, Twitter and this blog over the past couple of weeks. Reason? I have started my second novel. Well, actually, it is the third start on my second novel, which makes sense if you have ever sat down to write a novel. Here's my explanation: I started a second novel about five months ago that is a sequel to the first. I put that on the back burner for one reason. Sequels are bad ideas unless you are already published. Publishing houses don't buy that idea, which means that agents don't accept it, which means that first-time writers should put those novels on the back burner. I started my second second novel, and it glided onto the page. I loved the character, and I loved the setup of the story line. But I put it on hold because the subject matter is SO different from my first novel, and what I intend to write in the future. Again, an experienced author can get away with that. James Patterson can almost simultaneously release one of his ...

I never intended to become such an iconoclast as a novelist. I never intended to make things so rough on myself as far as becoming published. I just sat down and wrote my first novel because I liked the story lines, not to satisfy some marketing guidelines. Let me backtrack here. I know most of you are unaware of what that first novel is about, just because I have been so tight-lipped about the content and you weren't given a manuscript to read. I have done that because all the feedback from agents has been that my idea is original, hence my hesitance to divulge my secrets. I will try to give a general idea of my novel's structure without giving away too much info. So here goes: One part of the novel is based on the fantastic, a story about a man thrown into an uncomfortable world where he must face his greatest fears again and again. That repetition of facing fears and the reality that he is powerless to stop it put him on the knife's edge of sanity. If you read my lit...

That chapter that haunted me last week ... it came back to haunt me again. I once again stepped back and looked at what I had written. This time I put on my reality glasses. The chapter had bothered me since the earliest stages, back when the novel was in its skeletal stage. I rewrote the chapter several times, and finally reached a point where the writing and subject matter were acceptable. But something kept nagging at me. It felt false ... like a literary work. I don't strive for that, opting for real characters and situations. But my "real" characters were in a situation that never quite fit. That led to my seeking of different entry points into the chapter, and the resulting mess I made. I went back to my original idea because it was the best of the five I crafted. The problem? It still missed the mark. I finally sat down and ripped apart about 15 pages of manuscript last week. I tossed preconceived notions out the window. Some of my original ideas survived. Othe...