Wednesday, March 5, 2008

So, what now...

Now that the editing of Marton Syan is done, I'm left in something of a state of flux. I'm waiting for people to get back to me on critiques of the MS manuscript, something that I'm absolutely dying to see. I'm also ready to move on. Very much so.

I've so far written three novels. The first one might as well not count, though I'll dust it off one day. The other two are good, and they get better one after the other, but they're very serious and full of nuance and characters dealing with life and whatnot.

All in all, what could be considered 'boring literary stuff'.

I don't think it is. In fact, I LOVE the stuff that most people call 'boring literary stuff'. But I can't make a living writing that. Not unless I also write it with all the aplomb and finesse of someone who can make prose sing. Someone both brilliant and witty.

Someone like Tom Robbins.

My next novel, which I'm still not 100% ready to spill the beans on, is my attempt at a Tom Robbins-like novel, through the skein of me being me and having to do things my own way. It's not anything like a Robbins novel, but if I could write with 1/10th of the skill he puts into every sentence, I'd consider myself a victor.

Of course, I write 5x faster than he does (seriously, the man claims he aims for two pages a day). And he's been doing it forever. And he's a genius. But I want to write like that. So it's the high water mark of the moment.

Anyway, this next book is a bit of a stretch for me. It's light-hearted (sorta) and funny (supposedly). It's tongue-in-cheek and seat of the pants. It's full of piss and vinegar in the best way.

It's also absolutely terrifying to think about.

I'm feeling very lost with this one. Drama is easy, comedy is hard. But I'm going to go for it. I consider this an expansion project. Even if it bombs, it'll be a learning experience. I'm just not sure how far down the rabbit hole I'm going to go with it, or how long it'll take me. If it ends up taking longer than the expected two months, I'd be okay with that, so long as the end result is worth it.

I'll post up a plot synopsis as soon as I have ... a plot. I have a half-cooked idea and an opening chapter that I adore, but right now I'm sitting on chapter two wondering how my opening sentence took a brilliant book and drove it striaght into the ground. Such is the life.

This one's going to be a fight.

If I win, expect something amazing.

If I lose, expect me complaining about the book that never was.

I will spill the title, though. The next book is going to be called Tango Diagonal.

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