Justify!

So, this feels like a justification post, but what the hell. I'm going to roll with it.

Part of me wants to work really really hard to land an agent and get in with the Big 6. But that's only because that's what I have been told has to happen to be successful.

There are tons of writers who have ripped this theory to shreds. There are tons of indie theater projects--projects that I have worked on--that rip this theory to shreds. There are tons of indie movies--some that I have worked on--that rip this theory to shreds.

There are thousands of reasons why I don't merit any love from an agent or a Big 6 house, and they have nothing to do with my ability to type up a decent story. I am a genre writer, and this genre is pretty crowded. And I am not turning the genre on it's head. I am sure they have a million other genre writers in their stable. Why would they add one more unproven, untested writer?

But I am not 20 years old anymore, and don't have years to spend waiting for someone else to give me a stamp of approval. And I know that stamp of approval matters to so many places--media outlets, bloggers, readers, even members of my family--but what does it mean really? How many Big 6 books have you read (or not finished) and said WTF? Exactly.

So I chose to go it alone. Like I have in my day job. I don't have to worry about making my advance, and every step (and misstep) is mine to own. It's at once all incredibly scary and frustrating and exhilarating and fun. Will I find my audience? Will they enjoy my story? Will they fall in love with my characters? Hell, I hope so. That'd be really cool.

All those needly bits and bobs

I am giving the novel a final once-over but am on the hunt for a proofer/copy editor because I have all these needly bits and bobs to exterminate that I simply don't see anymore. I picked up a bunch, but I am certain there are plenty more there. I need some fresh eyes on this sucker.

Every time I re-read, I start changing. And changing. And adding, and subtracting, and changing some more. And every time I change, it needs a new copy edit. Vicious cycle. It'll never be "perfect" but it's impossible to stop "perfecting." Yes, time for fresh eyes.

And my typos are pretty grand. What I found both amazing and frustrating about writing something tens of thousands of words long was how my fingers suddenly go on auto pilot. I am thinking a word, and my fingers are typing something entirely different. Muscle memory, I am sure. This muscle memory typed words that I (clearly) overuse in the press releases that I write for the day job (still feels weird to say/write that). So funny how certain words can become habits.

Awk. Ward.

First blog posts are super awkward. You feel like the wall flower at the high school dance. "Hey, Hi there, wassup?"

So, this is where I will blog about my writing.

Holy Crap. I can't believe I just typed that.

I'll probably cross post a bit on my day-job blog, PR for Smarties, when it makes sense (and where I just came out of the writer closet).

This will either be awful or amazing. Possibly amazingly awful. But I am glad you are here.