jessiemac.com

Hey you,

I know I’ve been silent on the Internet – the blog, Twitter and other online activities.

Initially I felt really guilty being away – that nagging voice that picks and pushes telling me that if I was serious about being a writer, I should be writing, blogging, tweeting and connecting on the Internet.

But another part of me needed the break away from it all.

To do what? you ask.

Photo: Quinault Waterfall by Robert Kraft

Nothing in particular. I just needed to hibernate, to just be – away from the many voices that tell you how to live, how to act, how to react, how to be – to be away so I can find me, my voice.

Ultimately, you can never get rid of all the voices out there and the Internet is a place full of them.

There were other things I had to handle but sometimes you just need a break to sit still, live life, think about the bigger picture and decide if you’re still on the right path.

So am I on the right path?

To be honest, I still don’t know. Yes, there are times when I’m sure. Then there are times when I ask myself why I’m here and what it all means. I still don’t know. I don’t think I’ll ever know. Then I ask myself where do I go from here. And this road is always the only way that feels right. Even though it seems the hardest.

I’m sorry for being really crap about letting you know when I go off radar – just not used to letting someone know but I promise I’ll be better at it next time.

It’s good to be back though I’m not sure how often.

Let’s get together soon.

How are you?

Do you ever need a break from the mainstream? What do you do?

Leave a comment. It’s good to know.

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.”

Confucius

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• If I need a break, I should take a break.
  

What I am doing or have done/decided:

• Read Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.
• Read Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig.
• Read The Associate by John Grisham.

WORD COUNT:

Night Walker 159,000 words. Finished. Leaving to marinate.

Insomniac Foetus Editing.

You look good. Thanks for coming back. It’s because it’s Friday isn’t it? You smile but say nothing. You sip the hot tea I’ve given you. I won’t tax you by rambling on too much today I promise.

I watched the film Tamara Drewe a week ago and was surprised to find that I enjoyed it. During the film I found myself laughing out loud a few times. It was mostly because of how it represented writers in the film. It alluded to the writing process and how writers work.

Adapted from the original Posy Simmonds comic strip series, the film was directed by Stephen Frears and the screenplay written by Moira Buffini.

Tamara Drewe is a very funny film, an adroitly observed satire on sexual mores, the pretensions of literary folk and country life that combines rural rumpy-pumpy with an ending of grand-guignol horror that gives lie to the notion of the countryside as tranquil arcadia. Read more…

Posh Tamara Drewe (Gemma Arterton) returns to her hometown set in rural middle-class Dorset countryside and stirs up drama at the nearby farm that functions as a writer’s retreat.

The farm is run by Beth (Tamsin Greig) who tirelessly caters for her best-selling author husband Nicholas (Roger Allam) who prides himself of churning out ten pages every day. In the film he says ‘The real secret to being a writer is knowing how to lie.’ In the film he is both a liar and a cheat.

It is the character Glen (Bill Camp), an American writer, that made me chuckle when he complains about having writer’s block comparing it to being constipated. Later when his writing is flowing he gets excited and compares it to having just passed a big massive stool. I can’t remember the exact words he used but it was funny. At one point, Glen says ‘my kind of books aren’t about sales’ and you get a table full of writers chatting about self-publishing. And of course, Glen is writing about Thomas Hardy alluding to the fact that Simmonds’ comic strip series is based on Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd.

Whatever the merits or flaws of the film, there were some really good lines in it.

The film ends with Nicholas’s view that all writers are thieves and liars. That’s a bit harsh. As writers, we do steal from life and we do make things up. But don’t all artists? Doesn’t everyone?

What did I think of the film?

I enjoyed it mostly because of the references to writers and writing. The most likeable character I found was Glen – though by the end of the film I wasn’t sure. Tamara Drewe has been compared to Bridget Jones and I’m sorry but you can’t compare the two. Bridget Jones was an extremely likeable character – Tamara Drewe not so much.

Have a great weekend.

Have you seen the film?

What did you think of how it represented writers and the writing process?

Leave a comment. It’s good to know.

Last but not least, I’ve been following the recent discussions on the banning of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and the uproar that came from this. If you have not come across it yet, here are some posts that explain it better:

The Power of Speaking Loudly (via Laurie Halse Anderson’s blog)

Why You Should Read Soft Pornography (via Huffington Post)

All of which have inspired others to #speakloudly:

Speak Loudly – In Defense of Laurie Halse Anderson (via Myra McEntire)

Suffer the Children (via Patty Blount’s blog)

“Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us.”

Stephen R. Covey – Author and Speaker

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• Literary Agency Must Change (via Huffington Post).
• No, all interns aren’t idiots, in fact most of them are anything but (via Janet Reid’s blog).
• What do you need in an agent? (via agent Chip MacGregor’s blog).
• My Personal Opinion on Query Updates (via Neverending Page Turner).
• 7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Jacqueline West. Find people who believe in you she says. And I’ll add, stay away from people who don’t.

What I have done:

• Catching up with reading blog posts.
• Read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and reading Charlotte Gray.
  

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 159,000 words. Finished. Leaving to marinate. Having a break before getting into editing mode for Insomniac Foetus.

Thanks for coming back for Part 2 of the interview with Chuck Sambuchino. Here’s Part 1 if you missed it.

Remember where we were last time? We were in an English garden (yes – Chuck, you and me) and there are hundreds of garden gnomes all around us. On our right is a quaint cottage with a thatch roof. On the table are plates of cakes, cookies and a big pot of tea. Oh, only the best for us.

But let’s focus.

These garden gnomes, they’re not big and seem harmless enough. But there are so many of them. From where we are sitting, we can’t see where the gathering actually ends.

From a bird’s eye view, you’d mistake us for a big flower with a bee in the middle with odd coloured spots next to it – yeah, that’s us – the odd colours. The bright purple spot is you – not a great camouflaging colour. Don’t look so worried, we may not have to run and hide.The green one is me. See, I can hide in the trees and bushes. Green, good choice I thought. At least you did remember your running shoes just in case. Chuck is wearing white – I’m not sure what that means – do you?

We’re a little apprehensive but Chuck seems very relaxed. He’s sipping tea from a dainty teacup. I drink mine. Mmh, hot. Only the best for us. You sip yours. And we wait.

~ Interview Begins ~

Was there a point when you thought of giving up because things got hard but you did not. What was it and what or who helped you to carry on?

When I first came up with the book concept, I ran the idea by several of my friends and nobody thought it was funny.

Two things kept me going:

1) my agent believed in the idea and asked “How fast can you send it to me?” and

2) I thought of all those poor souls who have been attacked and killed by garden gnomes.  Somebody has to educate the public on proper and effective defense techniques!

~

What qualities does your wife have that helps you be a better writer? What advice would you give to partners and spouses of writers?

WOW—excellent question.  My wife is great.  She puts up with my writer weirdness.  I mean sometimes we’ll be in the car and I’ll just start saying ideas out loud or reciting dialogue that makes no sense.  And she’s grown to accept that and basically ignore me.  She also helps with planning stuff, such as the book release party.

~

How did you get your first writing agent?

I was writing a series of articles for Pennsylvania Magazine (good magazine, btw) on historic theaters around the state. Later, I was at a conference and overheard an agent named Sorche Fairbank mention that some writer somewhere should write a book about old movie houses still in operation.  That kind of started our dialogue, and we started talking about that idea and other book ideas.  HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK is our first successful book project together, but hopefully the first of many.

~

What tips would you give a new writer starting out? Dos and Don’ts.

Do make writer friends.  Do take small assignments if they will lead to bigger & better things.  Do realize this is a marathon, not a race.  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.  Don’t fight the revision process.  I could talk on this stuff all day but that’s what the Guide to Literary Agents blog is for (www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog).

~

How many rejections did you get and how did you handle it?

When I sent my plays out, almost everything I sent out to non-regional organizations (meaning cold submissions out of the Cincinnati area) was rejected.  Rejection sucks, but I feel the best medicine is to keep writing and prove them wrong.

~

What’s the most important thing that has made writing possible for you? Externally and internally?

Internally: an insatiable need to write.  Externally: I would suppose my job, and the connections it brings.

~ Thanks Chuck ~

How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino is the one and only comprehensive survival guide that will help you prevent, prepare for, and ward off an imminent home invasion by the common garden gnome 

Chuck Sambuchino is the author of How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack: Defend Yourself When the Lawn Warriors Strike (And They Will), a humor book released in Sept. 2010.

He is also the editor of Guide To Literary Agents (2011 Guide To Literary Agents edition in stores now) and runs a large and popular blog on publishing: Guide to Literary Agents. You can find Chuck on Twitter @chucksambuchino and on Facebook. Besides that, he is a magazine freelancer, playwright, husband, owner of a flabby-yet-lovable dog, cover band guitarist, and all around chocolate chip cookie fiend.

~ Here’s Part 1 if you haven’t read it yet.

We both look at Chuck. He smiles. Don’t worry he says. Okay. Good. That sounds like a good idea. From under the table he takes out 2 books and hands one to you and one to me. How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack. Have a read, he says, you’ll be tested. He grabs the plate of cookies and disappears behind the garden gnomes. We look at each other. Test? I shout: Hey Chuck, you’re coming back, right? No answer. We look at the gnomes. They haven’t moved. They seem to be waiting for something. We shout Chuck’s name. Chuck’s muffled voice is heard: Read!

Chuck Sambuchino – An Interview: Published Book, Writing and a Writer’s Life (Part 1)

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Numb the Character

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About the Book Trailer Numb

“The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.”

Maureen Dowd – Newspaper Columnist

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• Why you should never date writers. Offended by Rank Objectification of Writers.
• Typical Lengths of Fictional Works (via Jodie Renner Editing).
• Time for Another Live-Blog! What an agent thinks when reading your query.
• All about Execution (via Kidlit.com). ‘…the ideas aren’t the hard part. It’s the execution.’
• Killer Openings (via Pub Rants).

What I have done:

• Still catching up on reading blogs.
  

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 159,000 words.

Please welcome Chuck Sambuchino to my blog today.

I want to thank him for taking time out for this interview to answer some questions on his recently published book, writing and publishing.

~How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack by Chuck Sambuchino is the one and only comprehensive survival guide that will help you prevent, prepare for, and ward off an imminent home invasion by the common garden gnome ~

Imagine with me my friend – we’re in an English garden (you, Chuck and me) surrounded by hundreds of garden gnomes. They look a bit like the gnome on the book cover on the left. Their hands are behind their backs. They may have axes. I can’t see behind them. There are so many of them. They seem innocent enough (and small, knee-high – harmless right?) but I’ve heard rumours. I’m scared. Chuck? Should we be scared? Chuck smiles and shakes his head like a Buddha who knows things. He seems confident so I relax a little. I touch your shoulder. Relax I say to you. We breath in and…relax. For now.

~ Interview  begins~

What was the time gap from thoughts of writing to actual writing to being published? Was there one or was it a spur-of-the-moment thing?

Well I drafted up a nonfiction book proposal pretty quickly—with sample chapters, then there were several months where my agent shopped it around and secured a contract.  Once that happened, I was held at gunpoint (well, almost) for three months to finish the book.

~

You’ve been an established editor, a journalist, a playwright, a musician etc. If you could only choose one and do one, what would it be? Was it a natural succession toward writing with writing as the goal or was it accidental?

I’ve always wanted to write and see my words come to life, but I’ve never really had a focus.  Plus, I tend to get bored easily.  That’s why I write in so many different areas and play music.  I suppose it’s an ADD thing, though I was never formally diagnosed with ADD.  If I had to choose one area, it would probably be nonfiction writing.  I found fiction wonderful, but a good true story even better.

~

What are you really bad at when it comes to writing?

Sticking to one project.  I just want to write and start 8 projects at once.  I find first drafts are infinitely more fun than rewrites, so I tend to move on to new things too much, rather than polishing something to the point where I can sell it.

~

What are you really good at when it comes to writing?

Just getting my butt in the chair to write.  Besides hanging out with my wife and playing music, I can think of nothing I’d rather be doing than writing.

~

What inspired you when it came to this particular book?

I was thinking of the movie The Full Monty, which has a quick scene with a garden gnome.  I started to think of how much I dreaded gnomes, and then the book just started pouring out.

~

Are you planning to write more? Are you writing something now?

Yes indeed.  I am writing a second humor book and there has also been talk of a sequel to the gnome attack book.  Besides that, I am rewriting a screenplay with a buddy at work.  And I am always at work on the next editions of the two resources I edit: Guide To Literary Agents as well as Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market.

~ Thanks Chuck ~

Chuck Sambuchino is the author of How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack: Defend Yourself When the Lawn Warriors Strike (And They Will), a humor book released in Sept. 2010.

He is also the editor of Guide To Literary Agents (2011 Guide To Literary Agents edition in stores now) and runs a large and popular blog on publishing: Guide to Literary Agents. You can find Chuck on Twitter @chucksambuchino and on Facebook. Besides that, he is a magazine freelancer, playwright, husband, owner of a flabby-yet-lovable dog, cover band guitarist, and all around chocolate chip cookie fiend.

~

Part 2 will be posted next Monday. Come back and see what happens to us in the English garden. Will we survive? There are hundreds of them you say. Yes, I know. Chuck is having a chocolate chip cookie. Let’s do what he does. Here, have a cookie. Tea?

Any thoughts?

Want to share?

Leave a comment. It’s good to know.

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Writing

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About Numb the Character

Sean Ferrell – The Author Talks About the Book Trailer Numb

“When you decide what you want, it has to manifest…but only at the level of your belief.”

Rich German – Author

CURRENT STATUS: Reminder, Motivator and Review Meeting (Read on if you want to join me in my Corporation of One meeting)

What l have learnt:

• Post-Publication Book Marketing Activities by Rick Chesler. Good to keep the list handy for later.
• The F-word – To What Extent Do You Tolerate The “F-Word” in Fiction? (via The Blood-Red Pencil).
• What not to open with – Secret Agent Message (via edittorrent).
• It’s all White Noise. It’s good to be reminded (via Pub Rants).

What I have done:

• Slowly getting back to novel writing, blog posts, Twitter and online activities.

WORD COUNT: Night Walker 157,000 words in total. Tuesday 14 September wrote 1,000 words; Wednesday 15 September wrote 1,000 words; Monday 20 September wrote 1,000 words.

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