Wow, it's the first Wednesday of the month, which means another Insecure Writers Support Group post. (IWSG is, of course, led by Alex "no-hyperlink-needed" Cavanaugh.)
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| "Dude, I'm telling you... I left my only copy of WIP here somewhere." |
How time flies when you are having fun in the sun...
...because you are *not*, by any means trying to prevent the mayhem of mobile boys who love:
- jumping off couches onto cold, hard tiled floors (the harder the fall, the greater the giggle)
- sitting in a corner, examining a bloody toe that stems from the liberal use of a large pair of kitchen scissors ("my toenail was too big for my foot")
- swishing toilet water with *both* their cute, little 12-month-old hands.
Where was I... oh yes, so I've finished WIP #1 and am stuck in the middle of edits - through no fault of the brave CP's who each sent their thoughts and ideas on time - (and again I say: Thank you.)
Oh, which reminds me... I also wanted to repeat to those who have commented here in the last few weeks... please forgive me for being such a horrendous back-at-you commenter - I have little free writing time, and all focus is on...
...Next week, when I head to the Southern California Writers' Conference in San Diego. While most of my ducks are having a row, (instead of being in a row) I remain super excited to have the chance to sit down and chat with four agents throughout the weekend.
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| Will WIP#2 ever make it onto a shelf? It remains unclear... |
While I, of course, hope and desire that at least one agent will (really) like the ms, a weird question has bubbled to the top of the Beacon of Baldness: What's next?
Sure, if someone picks up WIP #1, I understand the business part of the business will have only just begun (cue Karen Carpenter music) but what about my creative side?
What about, gasp, starting WIP #2...
Regular readers know I'm co-writing a memoir about Donald Braswell, but WIP #2 will be a novel.
About what?
I dunno....
What genre?
I dunno...
When is it set?
I dunno...
What do you know, you annoying little man?
Don't eat yellow snow?
I dunno...
Anyhow, my point is that I am feeling pretty, oh so pretty (I should stop right there) insecure about this next phase of my writing career, because I don't know what's next.
However...
I'm excited to find out :)
What do you think I should write - what would I be good at?
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| Look Papa! We got wheels on this one. There's no stopping us now!!! |
31 comments:
WIP #2 sounds full of possibilities! How great is that. Enjoy your time with the agents too.
Good luck on the agent sit down!
As to WIP number two. Keep your mind open and an idea will find you.
How about a story about a man who goes insane trying to keep up with the antics of his little boys. :)
Very jealous about the Writers' Conference thing. And I'm sure during your time, you'll gt that 'big' idea. Or maybe on the plane ride!
Good luck with all the agents!!
You will be good at anything you write!
But as for finding what that is, have your tried just writing a few hundred words a day, about anything, about your daily life, about your dreams--I mean anything?
For me, that seems to let ideas bubble to the surface, and then as I explore those, a story emerges.
You do write about war veterans quite passionately, and I can see that turning into a project someday.
Congrats on finishing WIP #1! It's a wonderful story and I can't wait to pick up the finished product.
Yes, one should definitely not eat the yellow snow.
I started a NaNoWriMo project with nothing but a name for the MC and one line of dialogue. I just went with it and let the genre and the story find itself. It's now one of my favorite WIPs.
Have a great time at the conference. I expect to hear great things when you return.
Best of luck at the conference, Mark!
You've definitely got a good sense of humor. Have you thought about writing for children? With all your travel and life experience, you could write for adults well, too. I think you'll be good at most anything you choose. :)
The fear to the unknown. I would say don't worry about what's coming but about what you have right now in your hands. Don't let the concern about tomorrow keep you from enjoying the present. :) (and those are very nice pictures)
Excited for WIP#1 and sending you good thoughts as you start dreaming about WIP#2. Family-- you know a lot about family, with all its love, humor, trials. Daddy perspective.
Good luck at the conference! And with WIP #2 :P Working on something fresh and new will be so fun.
What's SO GREAT about your posts, Mark, is that every line is a treasure. It's like a game--there's all these little subtle bits of humor you have to be *really* reading to catch, and it's so much fun!
Don't ever change.
And YAY for WIP #1. And I have no fear with WIP #2. You've got great things ahead of you, Mark.
:D
You have wip #1 done so wip #2 should be all the easier....right??
Best of luck with it!
Congrats on WIP #1, and good luck at the conference! I know that the truly blank slate is hard to stare down. I always choose my next WIP by just giving in to one of the ideas that's been beating on my door for days (sometimes months).
That picture of your kids is just too cute. Watch out world! Best of luck with WIP#1 and trust me having an open WIP#2 isn't bad at all. I have too many WIP ideas. So I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum.
So freaking hilarious!! Hoping your sit-downs at the con go extremely well. Remember, enjoy yourself. :))
Good luck at the conference and ummm...Mark...maybe something inspired by your kiddos could come next? Just sayin'! You've got plenty of material.
I think you would be best at writing satirical family drama that sweeps across several generations and continents. All the things you know!
You're going to San Diego next week!?! Dang, I'm jealous! From Hawaii to SD...not fair. But good luck anyway! :)
Mark, you'd totally rock a "heartfelt humor" theme in WIP #2.
Have fun at the conference! Can't wait to hear your updates.
So happy for your trail blazing to So Cal and I wish you success with those rascally agents.
For your future...I'm sure you have a great road ahead of you for writing books, stories, ramblings, everything! Nothin' to worry about.
Have a great San Diego experience! Good luck with those agents.
Best of luck at the conference!! Hope they love it as much as I did. If they don't, well it's because they can't see your genius from the glare off your head.
You'll come up with something. Stop thinking so hard, you'll only hurt yourself.
And have your boys figured out they can put the toilet paper in the bowl,give it a flush, and it will spin wildly? If not, can I send them a video? They will LOVE it!
Don't play with the yellow water in the toilet bowl, either.
Four agents? That is awesome, Mark!
What to do next? I don't know either. Maybe we can put the two together for an even bigger I don't know.
Mark, I know all about the "no time to visit other blogs" thing. In fact, sometimes I feel selfish for putting up posts that other people will visit, when I know I won't get around to theirs.
Not while the climax of my WIP has me by the throat. Can't. Stop. Working. On. It.
(I'm between chapters right now and mulling over how to choreograph an action scene, so my muse is letting me have a little free time.)
As for what you should write ... something that ties together all those strange professions you've had.
Okay - first off... I need to save money for SCBWI LA next year, so I can meet the awesome Koopman in person!
Also --- WIP WILL most definitely make it on the shelf! Keep going! I still think about that story and it inspires me daily!
Hey Mark, this is the best part about WIP#2 it is still brilliant and the best perfect idea at this stage. But, like others have said, WIP #2 is anything you want it to be and the inspiration will hit when your ready for it. Good luck.
I hear you're flying us all out to Hawaii for a retreat? Just wanted to put in my request for an aisle seat on the flight, and a room with beachfront views--with the beds facing West, of course. :-D
You live in Hawaii, your next story should be about a blind championship surfer, stopping a cataclysmic volcanic eruption, or the seedy underbelly of the pineapple trade. Better yet, make it about all three! I'd read it...
Deer roam the campus where I work. I know all too well about yellow snow.
It has been forever since I've been here. Trying to make up for it now. I'm confident the ideas will come when you least expect it, like when you're in the shower or doing dishes, or doing dishes in the shower (it worked for Krammer). :)
Go for the one with wheels on it! Zoom! Zoom!
Sounds like an awesome conference! Look for some guidance there about what to write next. :)
I don't know you very well but, just from how entertaining your blogposts are, it seems like a memoir/funny sort of thing on parenting and/or your adventures in life would be something right up your alley.
Good luck with finding a new idea. I always think I'll never be able to write anything after the book I'm working on but I'm 3/4 of the way through my fourth book, so apparently I'm always wrong. I'll never be that writer who finds an idea in every encounter but, when I begin actively looking for them, they seem to come. :)I'm sure the same will happen for you!
Good luck at the conference and have fun!!
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