The beginning of Margarita Nights was a moment of epiphany. I was sitting at my desk, eating lunch, thinking, thinking, thinking some more and then - BAM! Yes, BAM! I thought - why not write a story about a bunch of guys who meet once a month for margaritas. I mean, so what if, at the time, I was a guy who met his guy friends once every couple of month or so for margaritas. Isn't writing about what you know a standard theme among writers?
So, I had the moment of inspiration and jotted down the first paragraph on a piece of paper. I had goosebumps - the good kind - by the time I wrote the last word of the paragraph. The obsession began in that moment! I'm not sure if it's ended yet.
What was the first paragraph? Well, I'm glad you asked that question. The first paragraph (or, at least what hit the screen with a few changes here and there) was . . .
Every two weeks – rain or shine, sleet or snow, often on a Friday, sometimes on a Saturday – they met for margarita night. They always ordered a pitcher, numerous pitchers on some nights, and each normally ordered the same thing: #1, #6, quesadilla fajitas, chicken chimichanga, beef taquitos with rice and beans, taco salad, etc. The food did not really matter, the margaritas did matter, but most important of all was the companionship and the discussions, from mild to wild, that would ensue every time they gathered for margaritas and cheap Mexican. There were nights when it was all nine of them, but more often than not, it was the core six – the first six who began the tradition years earlier and added a friend or two in the process to equal nine in all. Some of them had partners, some were single, and some suddenly single. They varied in ages from early thirties to just past fifty and came from all different backgrounds. They had one commonality, minor really in the scheme of things, but it was there and it linked them together – they were gay and each of them had had sex, or come close to having sex, with Kevin Kirkpatrick.
Now, of course, a gazillion drafts later. Okay, not that many . . .
Jared knew the stroke of midnight was almost on him, and he feared whatever semblance of happily ever after he currently had would disappear like Cinderella’s gown when the clock struck twelve. His only problem: the stroke of midnight was just an expression and not actually a time-related emergency . . . unless he counted the fact that the days, maybe months, of his current relationship were nearing an unhappily ever after.
He walked into the crowded Mexican restaurant and looked around. None of the boyz (well, grown men desperately trying to hang on to their youth) had arrived yet. He, was the first – punctual, reliable, stable, loyal (had he been a dog in another life?) – to arrive. He waited in line and checked out the scenery. The college boys were out in force tonight – cheap food and fairly cheap drinks a definite draw for them, and their presence a definite bonus for Jared and the rest of the boyz.
“Hey, man!”
He jumped slightly and turned. His friend Nick – slender, toned, auburn hair – grinned at him. “Hey.”
“Happy margarita night.”
“Any night with a margarita is happy.” He winked at Nick. He seemed to hear the pendulum of the mysterious clock – whoosh, whoosh, whoosh – swinging back and forth, back and forth. His life was not, even though he was a gay man, a fairy tale. He didn’t have a fairy godmother, though he knew a few tired old drag queens in sparkly dresses, to wave her magic wand and deliver up Prince Charming in a tight pair of jeans with nice assets. He only had the boyz, margarita night once a month, some snarky comments, and the whispers of the gayvine – telephone, telegraph, tell-a-gay-man – to help him through the challenges of his currently chaotic life.
So, that's the difference between rough draft and draft I'm currently revising . . . at least the opening of Chapter One!
Writing Margarita Nights wasn't/isn't just writing about a bunch of guys who meet once a month to drink margaritas, trade snarky comments, and deal with the issues in their lives. I wanted to tell a story that actually reflected life for gay men in the here and now, something beyond the stereotypes on television and the movies, something beyond Jack of Will and Grace. I wanted (did) to deal with the loneliness and depression of being gay and single, and being gay and partnered.
A friend of mine, perpetually single, is always like: gee, I wish I had what you and Frank had. I try to tell him that there aren't any perfect relationships out there. I show that in Margarita Nights. I delve into the lives of the single and partnered and - hopefully - show that sometimes, even the most meaningless of relationships, ironically have meaning after all. I show - again, hopefully - that sometimes, staying in a bad relationship just because a person is afraid to be alone, isn't necessarily a good thing. I show - tell, whatever - lots of other things as well, but you'll have to read the book to find out about those things . . . and the dirty little secrets I incorporated into the book as will. I'm just saying . . .
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Struggle
I'm writing this blog post rather than work on the revisions for Margarita Nights. Yes, I'm procrastinating. BIG TIME! I should be revising. I'm not. My mind just can't go there right now.
I don't know why. I don't care why. I've just decided that my mind needs a break. I've just decided that tonight is not the time (like how I keep linking to my own post???) to revise.
So, all evening long so far, I've struggled - revise, don't revise, revise, don't revise, revise just one section of Chapter Five, don't revise, revise two sections of Chapter Five, don't revise, revise the entire chapter, don't revise. Ah, the internal struggle of the writer when his mind is tired and he just really, really, really doesn't want to revise for the evening.
In the end, I step away from the struggle. I realize I need to heed my own advice and take a break from writing and spend some time on ourselves, our families, our children, our pets, the writing we've been neglecting, or the other passions (i love to cook) in our life.
As Scarlett O'Hara once immortalized: tomorrow is another day.
Tomorrow I will revise, revise, and revise some more. Tonight, I'm just going to take some time for myself.
S
I don't know why. I don't care why. I've just decided that my mind needs a break. I've just decided that tonight is not the time (like how I keep linking to my own post???) to revise.
So, all evening long so far, I've struggled - revise, don't revise, revise, don't revise, revise just one section of Chapter Five, don't revise, revise two sections of Chapter Five, don't revise, revise the entire chapter, don't revise. Ah, the internal struggle of the writer when his mind is tired and he just really, really, really doesn't want to revise for the evening.
In the end, I step away from the struggle. I realize I need to heed my own advice and take a break from writing and spend some time on ourselves, our families, our children, our pets, the writing we've been neglecting, or the other passions (i love to cook) in our life.
As Scarlett O'Hara once immortalized: tomorrow is another day.
Tomorrow I will revise, revise, and revise some more. Tonight, I'm just going to take some time for myself.
S
RiP Wednesday
I thought of posting a picture of a tombstone. I resisted the temptation.
I've eliminated as many that's as I can. I have italicized and bolded the following words: just, like, and fact. As I work my way through the document, chapter by chapter, I eliminate the words if possible. If not, they stay where they are . . . at least until an editor tells me to remove them.
I've revised my way through the first four chapters and eliminated about 3,000 words. Woo-hoo!
That's it for this post. Brief. Too the point! Have a great day.
S
I've eliminated as many that's as I can. I have italicized and bolded the following words: just, like, and fact. As I work my way through the document, chapter by chapter, I eliminate the words if possible. If not, they stay where they are . . . at least until an editor tells me to remove them.
I've revised my way through the first four chapters and eliminated about 3,000 words. Woo-hoo!
That's it for this post. Brief. Too the point! Have a great day.
S
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Time
Time seems the subject of the day . . . go here to read Lady Glamis' post, and here to read Michelle McLean's post about time. Really, the posts have more to due with lack of time.
Here's a day in my life:
5:50 AM - alarm goes off, time to get up, shower, get dressed, clean the litter boxes (fun, fun, fun).
6:15 AM - walk the boyz, beg them to do their business, bond a bit with them and the cats.
6:30 AM - leave for work
7:00 AM - at work, check Blogger and Facebook, email my best friend, work, work, work, some more, take lunch at some point.
5:00 PM - go home
5:30 PM - get home, feed the cats, bond with the boyz and Frank (if he's awake), prepare dinner if cooking, eat, clean up.
6:45 PM - send Frank off to work.
7:00 PM - work on writing.
8:00 PM - walk the boyz.
8:15 PM - bond with the boyz for 20 to 30 minutes.
9:00 PM - go to bed, if not already in bed. Yes, I go to bed early, but, I normally wake up around 3:30 AM when Frank gets in from work and never go fully back to sleep.
This is the normal routine for me. Oh, and I try and fit excercise in there at least 3 days per week. So, as you can see, there's not always a ton of time for writing.
Once upon a time, in the way of fairy tales and happy endings, I used to stress about the time I was spending not writing. I no longer do. I do the best I can. I write when I can write! I write when the words flow freely. I write when I'm obsessing about writing. I write when the mood strikes me. I'm in revision mode right now, and so I try to do a chapter per night during the week, and much, much more on the weekends.
Writing is a gift, a talent some might say, and I don't believe we can force ourselves to write, at least not with the brilliance we are capable of writing. Sometimes, we have to take a break from writing and spend some time on ourselves, our families, our children, our pets, the writing we've been neglecting, or the other passions (i love to cook) in our life. Sometimes, we have to step away from Blogger and Facebook and Twitter and focus our energies on writing. Sometimes, we have to check in on Blogger and Facebook and Twitter and see what our friends (writers and not) are doing.
In the end, our brilliance will escape into the publishing world when it happens, and not a moment sooner, no matter how much time we spend worrying about how much time we're spending doing other things and not writing! So, stop stressing, stop worrying, and just know that you will find the time to write!
S
Here's a day in my life:
5:50 AM - alarm goes off, time to get up, shower, get dressed, clean the litter boxes (fun, fun, fun).
6:15 AM - walk the boyz, beg them to do their business, bond a bit with them and the cats.
6:30 AM - leave for work
7:00 AM - at work, check Blogger and Facebook, email my best friend, work, work, work, some more, take lunch at some point.
5:00 PM - go home
5:30 PM - get home, feed the cats, bond with the boyz and Frank (if he's awake), prepare dinner if cooking, eat, clean up.
6:45 PM - send Frank off to work.
7:00 PM - work on writing.
8:00 PM - walk the boyz.
8:15 PM - bond with the boyz for 20 to 30 minutes.
9:00 PM - go to bed, if not already in bed. Yes, I go to bed early, but, I normally wake up around 3:30 AM when Frank gets in from work and never go fully back to sleep.
This is the normal routine for me. Oh, and I try and fit excercise in there at least 3 days per week. So, as you can see, there's not always a ton of time for writing.
Once upon a time, in the way of fairy tales and happy endings, I used to stress about the time I was spending not writing. I no longer do. I do the best I can. I write when I can write! I write when the words flow freely. I write when I'm obsessing about writing. I write when the mood strikes me. I'm in revision mode right now, and so I try to do a chapter per night during the week, and much, much more on the weekends.
Writing is a gift, a talent some might say, and I don't believe we can force ourselves to write, at least not with the brilliance we are capable of writing. Sometimes, we have to take a break from writing and spend some time on ourselves, our families, our children, our pets, the writing we've been neglecting, or the other passions (i love to cook) in our life. Sometimes, we have to step away from Blogger and Facebook and Twitter and focus our energies on writing. Sometimes, we have to check in on Blogger and Facebook and Twitter and see what our friends (writers and not) are doing.
In the end, our brilliance will escape into the publishing world when it happens, and not a moment sooner, no matter how much time we spend worrying about how much time we're spending doing other things and not writing! So, stop stressing, stop worrying, and just know that you will find the time to write!
S
Monday, July 13, 2009
In Response to . . .
Okay, Blogger's not letting me comment on Rebecca's blog, so I'm going to do it here, just to let her know about the problem.
Rebecca's question for the day: what characters do you love to write? She also asked some other questions, and hit upon a few things, so check out her blog! Another question was . . .
Are they a part of you, or just something you like to try on for an hour?
For me, as I've previously written, I live somewhat vicariously through my characters. My characters often do things that I wish I had done. There's a part of me in every character I write - good, evil, on the edge, a margarita drinking gladiator, or whatever. I don't think I could create a character, no matter how outlandish, and not have a part of me in the character.
My good friend Suzi once asked me: how much of you is in Jared? My response: there's a little bit of me in Jared and every character I create. Jared's the main character in Margarita Nights, btw.
What people do you love to write and why?
Ooooh, that's a great question. I normally write fairly stable (just like me) characters that are down to earth and perhaps a bit snarky (not that I'm that way, not at all, surely not, never). I don't have fairy godmothers (okay, ones with magic wands and all that jazz, give me a break) in my stories to fix the characters problems. The characters must make their own decisions, and deal with the consequences of those decisions. I love to write about characters whose perception of themselves is suddenly changed, and who must dig deep to figure out which path in the road they must take. I don't give my characters easy outs. There's not a shotgun handy when an alligator chases them up a tree. They must figure their own way to safety.
I also love to write about evil characters, though I have a tendency to explain why their evil - a broken heart, jilted at the altar, caught their husband in bed with another woman/man, and all that jazz. I delve beneath the surface, because, sometimes, the surface doesn't tell you crap about a person.
Well, that's it for this brief post, really in response to Rebecca's comments not working. I definitely didn't want her to think that people (me in particular) weren't interested in her blog or commenting. I was, I am, and if Blogger hadn't had some quirk today, my comments would have appeared on her Blog. I'm just saying . . .
S
Rebecca's question for the day: what characters do you love to write? She also asked some other questions, and hit upon a few things, so check out her blog! Another question was . . .
Are they a part of you, or just something you like to try on for an hour?
For me, as I've previously written, I live somewhat vicariously through my characters. My characters often do things that I wish I had done. There's a part of me in every character I write - good, evil, on the edge, a margarita drinking gladiator, or whatever. I don't think I could create a character, no matter how outlandish, and not have a part of me in the character.
My good friend Suzi once asked me: how much of you is in Jared? My response: there's a little bit of me in Jared and every character I create. Jared's the main character in Margarita Nights, btw.
What people do you love to write and why?
Ooooh, that's a great question. I normally write fairly stable (just like me) characters that are down to earth and perhaps a bit snarky (not that I'm that way, not at all, surely not, never). I don't have fairy godmothers (okay, ones with magic wands and all that jazz, give me a break) in my stories to fix the characters problems. The characters must make their own decisions, and deal with the consequences of those decisions. I love to write about characters whose perception of themselves is suddenly changed, and who must dig deep to figure out which path in the road they must take. I don't give my characters easy outs. There's not a shotgun handy when an alligator chases them up a tree. They must figure their own way to safety.
I also love to write about evil characters, though I have a tendency to explain why their evil - a broken heart, jilted at the altar, caught their husband in bed with another woman/man, and all that jazz. I delve beneath the surface, because, sometimes, the surface doesn't tell you crap about a person.
Well, that's it for this brief post, really in response to Rebecca's comments not working. I definitely didn't want her to think that people (me in particular) weren't interested in her blog or commenting. I was, I am, and if Blogger hadn't had some quirk today, my comments would have appeared on her Blog. I'm just saying . . .
S
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Voice of my Inner Snark
So, I have a great voice. According to Suzan Harden (sorry, she doesn't have a blog, but she posted a comment here about version 2 of my query), I have a wonderful voice that blazes out of both queries. Who knew I could blaze? I mean, yeah, I've flamed out every now and then - you should have seen my yesterday morning when the mouse dashed across the counter at me at the office. Not pretty, not pretty at all. But blaze?? Whoa!
Some other comments . . .
Bane of Anubis (no blog) - you've got a fairly distinctive voice and writing style.
Laura Martone (no blog) - your snarky voice is evident.
Rick Daley (and here) - the voice makes this stand out above form or format. I think if I read 50 queries in a row, I would remember this one for the voice.
Beth - LOVE the voice - that's very hard to pull off in a query, and you've nailed it.
Now, I'm not doing this post to pat myself on the back for having a great voice that blazes. No, I'm doing this post to rant about the following: great, so I nailed the voice in my query and yet it still needs some tweaking, which is driving me frakkin' crazy. I mean, if I was a 70s TV commercial I'd be screamin Calgon take me away right about now. Geesh. Yes, I feel a bit better now. Since I'm not a 70s TV commercial (I was barely old enough to watch TV in the 70s - that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it and don't believe a word Tess says about it, even if we are about the same age!), I just keep working on the query hoping to hit the right balance of voice and substance, rather than having too much style versus substance.
Here's my question: how much voice (btw check out Marybeth's post about voice on her blog yesterday) should go into the query?
Why the question? Well, in attempting to explain more about the conflict, some of the voice is lost. So, do agents need a query full of voice or just a paragraph of voice to go along with the gist of the conflict? Do I risk style over substance and maintain the voice totally throughout the query?
My problem - version 2, took out some of the voice to insert more about the conflict. Could I do that in a snarky tone? Hmmm, I think so, it might be a bit of a struggle, me not being so snarky and all that jazz! If I do that in a snarky tone does it take away from the overall manuscript since snark is a peripheral character within the manuscript?
Arrrrgghhhh! I'm going to the store now to find some Calgon. I'll be lounging in a bubble bath tonight with my bucket of margaritas close at hand!
S
Thursday, July 9, 2009
This, THAT, and Something Else
This post is just a hodge-podge of stuff! Well, not really, but I wanted to use the word hodge-podge in a sentence.
I wanted to pass along a bit of advice about the agent search. I can't remember where I found/heard this information in the first place, but . . .
This
. . . a good way to find an agent who specializes in your genre is to check out the acknowledgements section of a book similar to the one you're writing. For example, if your book is similar to The Friday Night Knitting Club, get the book and look at the acknowledgements section. Why? Because writer's have a tendency to mention . . . drumroll please . . . their agents in the acknowledgements section. Who knew? I certainly didn't have a clue until I read/heard this little piece of advice somewhere/sometime.
So, if you're getting ready to query and you're writing a paranormal urban fantasy chick lit science fiction slay the dragon on the way to the grocery store type of novel, then go to your local bookstore, find a similar book, flip to the acknowledgements page, scroll through the endless thank yous and focus in on the following words: i'd like to thank my uber agent (insert name here). Then, once you have that name, go to any of the online sites, check out the agent, and then check their personal websites just to make sure they are accepting queries. If so . . . go for it!
THAT
I've posted my revised query for Margarita Nights over at The Public Query Slushpile. Wait, make that I've submitted my revised query. It hasn't posted yet, but should sometime today . . . hopefully. If you have a chance, hop on over there, check it out, and shred to your heart's content. My feelings won't be hurt, really, they won't, I'm made of sterner stuff than that . . . where are the margaritas, darn it! Kidding. I seriously need all the feedback I can get.
Update - here's the link: http://openquery.blogspot.com/2009/07/query-margarita-nights-v2.html
Something Else
Did you notice how cleverly I separated the sections of this post to match my title? Neat, huh? Yes, I'm easily amused this morning! I really don't have anything else to write about, but needed another section. : ) Well, I did finish going through and changing/replacing/eliminating all the that's in Margarita Nights. I think I almost went blind by the time I finished last night. My eyes hurt, people, they hurt from staring at the computer screen. I've gone from 36,000 + words to eliminate to just under 34,000 (or 24,000 if I'm aiming for 120,000 words). Woo-hoo! It's a slow progression, but I'll get there!
S
I wanted to pass along a bit of advice about the agent search. I can't remember where I found/heard this information in the first place, but . . .
This
. . . a good way to find an agent who specializes in your genre is to check out the acknowledgements section of a book similar to the one you're writing. For example, if your book is similar to The Friday Night Knitting Club, get the book and look at the acknowledgements section. Why? Because writer's have a tendency to mention . . . drumroll please . . . their agents in the acknowledgements section. Who knew? I certainly didn't have a clue until I read/heard this little piece of advice somewhere/sometime.
So, if you're getting ready to query and you're writing a paranormal urban fantasy chick lit science fiction slay the dragon on the way to the grocery store type of novel, then go to your local bookstore, find a similar book, flip to the acknowledgements page, scroll through the endless thank yous and focus in on the following words: i'd like to thank my uber agent (insert name here). Then, once you have that name, go to any of the online sites, check out the agent, and then check their personal websites just to make sure they are accepting queries. If so . . . go for it!
THAT
I've posted my revised query for Margarita Nights over at The Public Query Slushpile. Wait, make that I've submitted my revised query. It hasn't posted yet, but should sometime today . . . hopefully. If you have a chance, hop on over there, check it out, and shred to your heart's content. My feelings won't be hurt, really, they won't, I'm made of sterner stuff than that . . . where are the margaritas, darn it! Kidding. I seriously need all the feedback I can get.
Update - here's the link: http://openquery.blogspot.com/2009/07/query-margarita-nights-v2.html
Something Else
Did you notice how cleverly I separated the sections of this post to match my title? Neat, huh? Yes, I'm easily amused this morning! I really don't have anything else to write about, but needed another section. : ) Well, I did finish going through and changing/replacing/eliminating all the that's in Margarita Nights. I think I almost went blind by the time I finished last night. My eyes hurt, people, they hurt from staring at the computer screen. I've gone from 36,000 + words to eliminate to just under 34,000 (or 24,000 if I'm aiming for 120,000 words). Woo-hoo! It's a slow progression, but I'll get there!
S
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