Salinger and LitFic

This piece talks about Salinger being credited with the creation of the literary short story. Perhaps "blame" would be a better word?

Dream: Bundy? No, Danson

I woke up too early, then went back to sleep, had a bad dream/nightmare for my troubles! Thanks, Brain! I dreamed I was in a house I used to own, and was talking to my folks on the phone, when I became aware of this presence, this sense of somebody in the house who ought not to be. This while I was in the basement. So, I'm hunting around for something to use as a weapon, and keep finding useless toy weapons -- green Colt .45 squirtgun? No good. Black Smith & Wesson .45 Peacemaker cap gun? No good. A starter pistol? No good. Colt Navy replica revolver? No good. I peek at the stairs and see this guy's feet, moving very quietly, realllll sneaky-like. So, I hang up on my folks (not wanting them to worry and/or give away my position) and I draw back the hammer on the replica pistol, which makes a nice authentic-seeming click, even though I'm desperate to find an actual weapon. The guy doesn't hear it, keeps going down the steps. He has a rifle. He's a middle-aged guy with a kind of hair helmet ala Ted Danson. He doesn't see me, as I'm crouched behind some boxes. I find a machete. Finally! A weapon. I have the cap pistol in one hand, and the machete in the other, am bracing for this psycho to find me.

He sees me at last, once he's down in the room, and I brandish the cap pistol and blaze away at him, which startles him, and he ducks, firing his rifle, which thankfully misses me. Then I throw the pistol at him, and charge him with the machete. I go to swing at him but the rifle deflects the blow, and the guy runs back upstairs, leaving me in the basement.

Then I woke up.

J. D. Salinger. Seymour or Less?

I just saw that Salinger died. He influenced me a lot in the mid-90s, when I went on a Salinger reading binge. I read most of his books back then, liked his writing style, even though the world he conjured didn't really speak to me, I liked his writing style.

I have a few bones to pick with Salinger, but will revisit that another time, since he just died. I always thought that he was his enigmatic character, Seymour. Or that he projected much of himself onto Seymour, for perhaps various reasons he wanted to keep hidden from the world.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/13773

State of the Union?

Obama and the Democrats have really dug themselves into a hole. It's amazing. They need to realize that, unlike the Republican base, who by and large will stay by their leaders so long as they keep goose-stepping to their agenda, with the Democratic base, it is built entirely in progress -- forward momentum, building a better, brighter future for all Americans. And when there is no progress, there is immediate risk of backlash. The GOP understands that if they can prevent the Democrats from getting anything done, they magically get on equal footing with the Democrats, despite their absence of an actual mandate. They keep people believing that government is good for nothing (except when it helps), and that it's the problem, not the solution. Weirdly, it creates the idea that the government is this unaccountable and alien entity, apart from "real" Americans (which embody stalwart Republican values like mandatory prayer in schools, warrantless wiretapping, endless militarism, gutting environmental protections, privatization of public assets, secret wars and sabotaging the Bill of Rights, etc.) The GOP, in their bid to demonize government, work paradoxically to make government as evil as they can -- civil rights fly out the window in favor of a centralized police state where corporate wealth is the only thing to be protected, where the rich are free to enjoy their wealth without the rest of the country having much say about it.

That's been their agenda since about 1964, and it hasn't changed. The Democrats continue to fail to realize this. Movement conservatism isn't going to work with "the enemy" (e.g., anybody that isn't them); it's why movement conservatives excel at forming Marxian blocs that don't budge an inch, forcing the Democrats to give and give and give again.

The Democrats need to do an end run around the Republicans, and grab the unacted-upon social mandate that is there, if only they had the political courage to risk going for it.

They won't do it; if they could have, they would have decades ago. They'll only pretend to do so. It's very frustrating.

Quote: George R. R. Martin

“Henry James and Robert Louis Stevenson’s quarrel divided us into realism and romanticism, and, in a way, fantasy writers are all children of Stevenson, and literary fiction writers are all like James. But now you’ve got writers like Michael Chabon and Junot Diaz who are accepted in literary fiction despite their clear groundings in fantasy. There’s no real distinction between fantasy and literary fiction.”

Ouch

I made the mistake of getting too many groceries at the Fullerton El stop last night, after work, ended up doing a kind of Bataan Death March with the groceries, hauling them homeward about 1.3 miles. Now, that isn't a tough distance ordinarily; I'm used to walking through the city and all, but encumbered with many pounds of groceries entrusted to my carpal-tunnel-damaged wrists, it was a bit of a slog. And with the CTA apparently getting a head start on their whole service cutbacks plan for February, not a bus in sight, so I trekked it home, my wrists aching, shoulders sore. Next time I do that, I'm totally bringing a hauler for the groceries, so I won't be lumbering about. In the snow and wind, it was comically horrible. I felt like stopping into a bar on the way for some refreshment, leaving groceries on the curb.

Seems like college students these days are so much bigger than they were in my day. Just taller. I'm 6'3", and routinely college guys and girls are taller than me! Maybe DePaul attracts amazonian people, I'm not sure. But walking through the Dominick's there, I was amazed to see that.

I've got a new story idea I'm toying with, for a book. I'm going to bang it out, see what comes of it.

Artistry Can Redeem...

Hmmm

Here's the judging process of Amazon/Penguin...

First Round: Amazon editors will review a 300 word Pitch of each entry. The top 1000 entries in each category (2000 total entries) will move on to the second round.

Second Round: The field will be narrowed to 250 entries in each category (500 total entries) by Amazon top customer reviewers from ratings of a 5000 word excerpt.

Quarterfinals: Publishers Weekly reviewers will read the full manuscript of each quarterfinalist, and based on their review scores, the top 50 in each category (100 total entries) will move on to the Semifinals.

Semifinals: Penguin USA editors will read the full manuscript and review all accompanying data for each semifinalist and will then select three finalists in each category (six total finalists).

Finals: Amazon customers will vote on the three finalists in each category resulting in two grand prize winners.

I'm perhaps a little worried about that first round, since it's all based on the pitch. I think the pitch is good, but it's so subjective, who knows? The second round could be worrisome, too. Will the 5000-word excerpt be enough? I'm more optimistic after the second round; but getting there is going to be challenging.

Hope? Joke.

I answered the door over the weekend wearing my green "Audacity of Joke" t-shirt, and the delivery guy saw that, liked it, and treated me an impassioned riff about the current administration, the past administration, and the one before that. He was on fire. Populist anger, right at my doorstep! I just listened, gave him a few "Yeah, things are pretty fucked up." I wasn't about to get into a political discussion that morning with the Peapod grocery guy, so I just let him shpiel, nodding politely. People are so pissed off right now, they don't even necessarily know which way to go, only that they're pissed. The fascinating thing for me was after this fiery diatribe, he said "You know, I'm not political or anything; I'm not right- or left-wing." I thought it was interesting, since he was getting a lot of his stuff from various right-wing radio broadcasters. The inchoate fury among Americans is palpable -- a 21st century version of "Network" -- "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it, anymore. Things have got to change!"

The funny thing is that, the night before, I thought "Hmm, I should change my tee shirt, just in case it provokes the delivery guy." I honestly thought that. It didn't provoke him, though; it inspired him. He saw it, said "Joke. Yeah, the joke's on us, right?" And I nodded, agreed that it was (embittered by last week's Supreme Court decision about corporate political speech).

Amazon/Penguin

So, I entered a novel in the Amazon/Penguin Books Breakthrough Novel Competition. We'll see what happens. First round of eliminations is at the end of next month. I think I should make the quarterfinals, but we'll see how it goes. With my luck, I may get axed early, who knows? But fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted.

Sleepless

Damnable cat woke me up around 2:00 a.m. today. He wanted me to pet him, wanted to hang out on my pillow, purring in my face. I couldn't go back to sleep. So, I gave myself a bit of time to go back to sleep, couldn't, so then I got up and did laundry around 3:00. That's my way; if I can't sleep, I don't stew about it. I just get up. The laundry room in my building is in the basement -- Pennywise's Playground, it is. I don't know why I always think that when I'm down there, but there's this long hallway to one side, near the cargo elevator, and the vantage point always makes me think that. Every fucking time. Not the thing one needs to think at 3 in the morning. The funny thing is that the laundry room itself feels fairly like a sanctuary -- it's hard to think of menace tied with laundry (likely because it's all about getting clean), but when I step into the hallway, turn to the elevator, and can peer down the hallway, then it creeps me out a bit. Also, the fitness room is across from the laundry room, and there's this complete psycho who will jog the treadmill in there IN THE DARK. All hours: morning, late evening. Thankfully, he wasn't in there when I was doing the laundry, but every other time I've seen his dour self in there, he's jogging in the dark. Maybe that's his solution to working out alone, but seriously, who does that? A nutcase, that's who.

I don't drink coffee, but I had to snag a caffeinated diet soda to lurch through my day. Need a bit of the caffeine hit to function today, I think. A rarity for me, but I just need to make it through another 4.5 hours without nodding off at my desk.

This weekend is going to be very busy for me. Submitting one (for sure) or two (maybe) books to a competition, hoping something hits. We'll see.

After that, I'm thinking I'll do a fantasy novel. I've got a ton of material (~130,000 words) from a stillborn fantasy epic I wrote in 2002, material that I thought could be mined for a series of one-book fantasy novels, and I'm going to develop some of that. I would like to avoid trilogies. Tolkienitis and all of that.

Conchords

Music: Suicide Commandos, "Match/Mismatch"

I've been watching "Flight of the Conchords" -- the first two seasons. I liked the first season well enough, but found it was flagging a bit by the end of it. The second season hasn't been as funny/satisfying as the first, and I'm trying to put my finger on it.

I haven't whipped out notes to analyze it or anything, but there is a certain comedic reserve applied to it that makes me feel like they're pulling their punches -- like lobbing a cream pie but saying "Not in the face!" Why this is, I'm not sure.

And the comedic setup has gotten a little rote -- the characters and their situations remain pretty static (Mel remains the obsessed, sexually-frustrated stalker-fan; Murray remains the clueless wannabe band manager; Bret remains a clueless mimbo; Jemaine is whatever-he-is). What works admirably well in the short-term becomes shopworn as the same tricks are played, the same jokes are made, over and over again. This is one of their better musical interludes...

Reading

Having a bit of lunch at the moment -- well, lunch-dessert, anyway: some mini semi-sweet morsels in one hand, and some pretzel sticks in the other. Sort of like the Rum and Coke one might have with one bottle in each hand, taking alternate pulls of the beverages.

Chocolate chips.
Pretzel sticks.
Chocolate chips.
Pretzel sticks.

I'm currently reading American Fantastic Tales: 1940 to Now, edited by Peter Straub. So far, so good. Starting from the beginning (what a great place to start!) I read John Collier's "Evening Primrose," which was an interesting enough story, good concept, compellingly written, if not exceptional. While the actual writing of Fritz Leiber's "Smoke Ghost" was a bit lacking for me, I found it a singularly creepy story, ripe with menace and possibilities and images that will stay with me forever (I'll certainly never take the El again without thinking of that story). I tried to work my way through Tenneessee Williams's "The Mysteries of the Joy Rio" but punted that -- something about the writing of Tennessee Williams makes him a hard read for me. I liked Jane Rice's, "The Refugee," which spun itself out nicely enough, with a juicy little twist to it.

This batch of stories all fell in the wartime period (so far, around 1940-43), and the hulking shadow of World War II hangs over them all. I'll keep posting as I go through it.

Overcast

I was very productive over the weekend, although not productive at all yesterday. Blah. My day off. Why not? It's not like I wasn't doing anything; I was busy taking care of my kids.

Today I'm at work, and somebody brought in some Dunkin Donut holes. I loathe Dunkin Donuts. I want to take one of the powdered ones and launch it at one of walls. But with people walking about, that might kill them -- those Dunkin greaseballs are likely deadly projectiles.

I have six days to get the second chunk of revision done. It should take me two days, if I do it right.

Trimming

I was doing some editing/revising of a book of mine, intending to shave about 416 words from the total. Instead, I culled 4,617 words from it. Lifted a whole chapter out of it. It's okay. It was a bit of fat that could be trimmed. So, now said book is around 145,000 words, down from a little over 150,000. It works! Leaner, meaner. That's the goal of a horror novel, anyway, yes?

With books I write, I tend to keep "Cuttings" files, where edited materials end up. I was amused to see that the Cuttings file for this book runs 60 pages -- over 30,000 words. Don't ever let it be said that I'm shy about revision!

Okay, you can say it, but I'll just look at you like you're crazy.

In other news, I found a dollar on the sidewalk, right in front of the Twin Anchors Tavern, the bar where Two-Face shoots the corrupt cop in "The Dark Knight." Alas, it was not a silver dollar.

Thirsty

Well, I submitted "Thirst" to the "Distant Worlds" anthology. We'll see what comes of it. Probably nothing, but I was pleased to expand the short story into a novella, and for the story to arc the way it did. It topped out at 21,064 words, so I nearly doubled it from its original size. It was a bit of a rush, working on that one. A fun little exercise, and that short story always craved a larger canvas upon which to stretch out, so I was happy to oblige it, and the protagonist in the story.

Fingers crossed, I hope it is one of the winners!

Scene: Sinistra

Saw a young (20-something) gal board the bus this morning. She caught my eye because she had this very retro hair -- honey-blonde, long (a bit over shoulder-length) that felt very 70s to me. Somewhere between classic Farrah hair and Cheryl Tiegs, maybe, although maybe some curling iron action on it. Her face was oval, and had a sinister beauty to it that reminded me of a former coworker, although she had full lips and arched brows and dark, squinty eyes. Couldn't be sure if they were hazel or brown. Just dark. She wore stovepipe jeans of very dark hue, and black booties, and a nondescript winter jacket. No jewelry on her hands, although her nails, while unpainted, were well-tended by the look of them.

Two other things jumped out at me with Sinistra -- one was her tendency to sit with her mouth open, very mouthbreathery, just kind of sitting there, squinting off into the distance, gapemouthed. The other thing was her gigantic backpack. The thing was huge. Sitting next to her on the seat, it came up to her shoulders, and was easily 16 inches thick. It was an olive drab canvas abomination, just massive. She was of middling height, perhaps 5'5" -- so the backpack easily dominated her frame. A bottle of pale orange-colored vitamin water was stuffed in the side of it, in a beverage caddy. I wondered what she'd be doing with that massive bag. She also had a purse, a black leather thing, ruffled.

The combination made me wonder what her story was. Runaway? A European of some sort, here on holiday? I don't know. She just squinted her way through her commute. Likely bound for Union Station, judging from the bus we were on. The train station? The colossal backpack looked large enough to hold her whole life.

Whew

2422 words written this evening, which let me cross the needed minimum 20,000-word threshold on the novella. The story's very nearly done, so I'm sitting pretty. Brain-sleepy at the moment, however.

Interview

My first interview! Woo hoo! Thanks, Judy Darley!

http://essentialwriters.com/d-t-neal-5155.htm#comment-11816

Words

Banged out another 3000 words last night and this morning, so I'm only about 3000 shy of what I need for my deadline (Friday). Should get there tonight or tomorrow morning, with time and breathing space.

Book: Horror In Paradise

I stumbled across a paperback, "Horror In Paradise" -- an anthology of horror tales set in the South Pacific. That amused me, so I snagged it, since I've written a few horror short stories set in that area. I don't know if it's any good, but I'll read it and see, and let you know.

This satellite image of Palmyra Atoll (to say nothing of its history) always horrified me. This barely-there spit of land in an vast and uncaring ocean.

And this video clip somebody shot, the darkness of the place, the isolation. Haunting...

Movie: Daybreakers

I saw "Daybreakers" the other day. I was psyched about it (the trailer looked very promising), but it didn't deliver. The concept was good enough -- a world where vampires took over, and humanity was on the road to extinction. Cool, right? Playing with Richard Matheson's wonderful "I Am Legend" concept.

But the directors (who were also the writers, and it showed) failed to execute their promising premise. It was faint filmmaking -- nonexistent (or flimsy) characterization, and meek plotting. It ended up a case where it lacked strong enough characters to be character-driven, and the plot wasn't thick enough to be plot-driven. The bad guys weren't bad enough, the good guys weren't good enough, the subplots weren't engaging enough. As a movie, it just showed up, really created this whole Screenwriting 101 kind of impression with me.

There were a couple of genuinely horrific moments, and a couple of arresting images, but as whole, the piece just failed. Some people have referred to it as a "popcorn movie" -- I hate that expression, but this movie failed even as that. If you want an actually entertaining "popcorn movie" then see "Deep Rising." It's actually thrilling, is well-written and paced, and is amusing. Good stuff. That's worth your time. This movie, however, isn't.

Thirsty

2070 words added this morning to the short story I'm expanding into a novella. I only need about 6000 words to make the minimum length (20,000 words) for the competition I'm thinking of entering, and as it stands, I should be able to bang that out today and tomorrow, with time and breathing space.

I was bummed -- my old Black Flag pin I had on my bag fell off somewhere along my ramblings through the city. Not sure where it was. If you see a little Black Flag pin lying in the snow in Chicago, pick it up, take it; it's yours.

Novella? What the hella!

I stumbled across this today...

http://essentialwriters.com/distant-worlds-anthology-5061.htm

And thought I have a few candidates I could submit. Why the heck not?

One of the likeliest contenders would need maybe 9,000 words added to it to make the bottom limit, lengthwise, which is cake for me.

The deadline is January 15, which is, what, nine days away? No problem. I think I'm going to do it. The story's just sitting there, why not give it a go?

Aegis, reviewed

Got a nice mention on this reviewer's page (below). Always nice to see...

http://essentialwriters.com/albedo-one-review-5032.htm

I submitted a couple other stories at some magazines. Have to hit the ground running in 2010.

Drat

First story rejection of the year: "Spare Tire."

Damn.