Writing and Submitting
I’ve been working on a batch of small, indie press submissions to send out this month for The Poisoned Moon. Over the years, I’ve bounced back and forth on whether to try getting an agent. I think I’ve finally given up on that idea. There are a lot of really good small presses willing to take risks on books that the larger independent presses and the Big Five won’t touch because those books are hard to market and position in a distribution and sales environment that is controlled by Amazon. What I’m coming to terms with as a writer is that the kind of stories I want to tell aren’t the kind of stories that have mass appeal. My stories are quiet, internal stories about people’s yearning for belonging, love, peace, and a quantum of redemption. On top of that, they tend to be structured like memories, which sometimes makes them formally challenging, requiring the reader hold a parallel narrative line to the one represented by the text. Reading my work can be like archaeology. Of course, that creates a lot of self-doubt about the viability of anything I write. That being said, The Poisoned Moon is some of the best writing I’ve done . . . maybe. If I’m not deluding myself, or if I’ve not completely lost my ability. These days, I’ve been fiddling around with a screenplay, but have stalled. I’m not sure why. In the past, for novels, I’ve avoided outlines. It feels too much like telling the story before I’ve written it, and so, I tend to lose interest. However, screenplays, at least they say, are different. So, I wrote an outline . . . and then I started on the script and it petered out. So, I’m on to journaling, tinkering with other stalled projects, and writing cover letters.
Reading
The Ghost Wall petered out, but I attribute that to the holidays and other reading. I’ll get that finished soon. Finally finished How Minds Change by David McRaney. Now, I’ve picked up Rebecca Giblin’s and Cory Doctorow’s important book Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We’ll Win Them Back. This book is incredibly important, especially for those of us on the outside of the publishing algorithm and those of us who hope to win back some control over our creative careers.
Listening
Not much new in the listening queue. I did add to my Kate Bush collection with The Kick Inside, her first album. Finding new music is a challenge. There’s one alternative radio station in Doo-dah and it’s a Clear Channel station, so, of course, it’s awful. If you ever wonder why I can’t stand Hosier it’s because Clear Channel and iHeart Radio thought that song needed to be played once an hour. Maybe the rest of Hosier’s work is excellent, and the first few time I hear that song (you know the one I’m talking about), I wasn’t repulsed or turned away. If it had been on 1990s college radio, the station would have quickly moved on to other songs, and I may have become a fan. As it is, I now run from that dude. It’s irrational, but I’ve heard that song far too many time in my life already. I don’t need to hear it again.
Watching
December was a very good month for some movie watching. Glass Onion and Bullet Train on Netflix were excellent. Too bad I can’t get DVDs or downloads of those. Instead I have to maintain or go through cycles of cancel and resubscribe to save that $15 I spend every month to watch one or two movies and not much else. Another movie I saw and really enjoyed was The Triangle of Sadness. A satiric swipe at the obscenely wealthy, it also has the feel of great 1970s cinema in its bleak, nihilistic tone.
Outrider Podcast
The show is up and running again, and we’re getting our legs back under us (i.e. figuring out how to record ourselves again, sorting our hardware and software issues, etc.). I expect us to start making some changes here this year, all in the hopes of expanding our audience and variety. I look forward to doing some live shows again, and to finally inviting guests to join me and Jenn.
Thoughts
No deep thoughts just yet this year. Soon.
A Wandering Road 