First, writer and blogger Durant Haire weighs in on Hiram Grange & The Chosen One.
Second....been a bit of a lazy blogger lately. Mostly because I'm tired and don't have a lot on my mind. There've been several topics I could've forced, ideas about writing or what I'm reading about...but the kids have been sick, Abby's been sick, and I've just had zero motivation to share anything on my blog. For those of you who read it, I humbly apologize.
Third, maybe you've noticed me reposting a lot of blogs lately from other authors giving advice about the publishing world. I'm not trying to use their blogs to make up for my not blogging, honestly. I've simply reached a threshold: I've come to realize how little I know about the writing market and about publishing in general, and I've also realized that a lot of my pithy writing "plans" ain't what they're cracked up to be. They're based on groupthink, opinions of those equal to or lesser than me, settling for less, and maybe even misinformation (not willful, though. Mostly short-sighted misinformation).
I want to be more informed about the publishing world. I want to make informed decisions. I no longer want to listen to advice given by people equal to me or lesser, even. And I have no real good advice of my own to give, because I'm just trying to figure this thing out for myself.
Also, I've come to believe my own goals are too small, narrow, and....timid. And impatient. I've got to open myself to more rejection (ie. submitting to more pro short story markets) and make myself WAIT for what I really want.
Less is now more. I'd rather wait three or four years to see a midlist/New York publishing deal than publish four small press novels that will take a lot of time, energy, blood and sweat to write - and will have limited readership and may not even be very good, because I'm rushing too fast and settling for less. And if I never see that New York deal in three, four years? Two things. Maybe then I'll look to the small press.
Or maybe I'll just wait longer.
I love your honesty Kevin. I hope you are able to break out into more markets. Go tear down some walls. Will this mean that you won't be blogging as often though?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what you end up doing. Good luck Kevin.
I blog pretty much when the mood comes over me, so I imagine I'll still do it once a week. I guess I just want to focus my goals.
ReplyDeleteIn other words: I'm NOT poo-pooing the small press. By no means. It's where I got my start and I'll always work with the small press. Still planning on editing several more issues of Shroud, and I'm sure I'll do another Hiram sometime in the future, if Tim Deal will still have me.
But I just feel like I got so caught up in the small press movement - and there are so many small presses springing up out there - that I decided to front-load all my writing goals there.
And settle. So I don't want folks to think I'm slamming the small press. Rather, I'm slamming my own impatience, realizing that if I want to write at a higher level, I've got to pay my dues. Wait. And publishing lots in the small press may not be the way to do that.
Of course, I want to be published. Bottom line. And I've loved working with Shroud, and Tim and I have an awesome relationship. I just feel the need to sit back, pace myself, let myself really read and write a lot, and work from the top of the ladder down for a change. I'll go from there, I suppose.
Thanks for commenting, Draven!