Below are the 6 most recent journal entries recorded in Another tedious writer's LiveJournal:

Sunday, February 18th, 2007
4:12 pm	Cancellation notice Given that: a) I got busy revising a *different* novel, and b) my revision ideas for Heaven or California were becoming more and more complex, I've decided to pull the plug on posting the rough draft here. There is a lot of work to be done, and I look forward to it and thank all of YOU for inspiring the great ideas! But it will be a time before it is "finished." I did puzzle over why Relatively Honest seemed so much more the crowd-pleaser, in terms of comments generated, when I could have sworn that Heaven or California was a better novel. But Les Miserables is probably a better novel than Bridget Jones' Diary, and nonetheless I can predict which one would play better on LiveJournal. ;) Daniel Revelstoke, as a narrator, reads a lot more like LJ than the Amoryville crew does--he speaks in first person, and is snarky, self-absorbed, sex-obsessed, and living in more or less the real world. And that is what people are likelier to want out of their LJ posts. I doubt it means anything about which story would sell better as a book, however. I do know that revisions are in order, and I thank you once again for participating! See you on my other journals. (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 18th, 2007
1:12 pm	HEAVEN OR CALIFORNIA, Ch. 1-2 If you're going to critique only one post of this novel, please critique this one. If the beginning isn't strong enough to keep people reading, it doesn't matter how good the rest is. :) With that, away we go... HEAVEN OR CALIFORNIA (all rights reserved, etc. etc.) Chapter 1 Aug. 1, '05 Oh, God. I'm writing this at work--Leo Santos just came in and told me Tristan Cole's brother died in a car crash this morning! I thought it couldn't be true, but Leo heard it from his cousin, the paramedic, who was actually on the scene. And when I rode my bike here earlier I remember seeing Lost Gold Road blocked off with cones and police tape. The Coles live up there. I feel all sick and freaked out. I didn't really know David, but poor Tristan! He seems so quiet and sensitive; I don't know how he's going to deal with this. Should I go to the funeral? If I don't, I might not see him till school starts. What should I say? It's not like I can go up and hug him, but I ought to do SOMETHING. Argh!! I want to be a child psychiatrist when I grow up, and I can't even figure out what to say to a guy who lost his brother. Maybe Leo got it wrong and it's not true. Please let it not be true. In other news, Leo's trying to grow a mustache. Which is really sad, 'cause dude, you're a sophomore and you're 5'1". * * * Ian Sornak walked yawning into the kitchen at nearly noon. His mother, dipping tortilla chips into a tub of salsa, froze with a chip half-dipped when she saw him. She reminded him of a scared rabbit. "Don't stare at me," he said. He got down a bowl for cereal. "I'm sorry. There's been terrible news. You know the Coles?" The frosted corn flakes fell more slowly as Ian paused to listen. Hope bloomed in his heart. "Yes?" "David--the older son--was killed in a car crash this morning." The hope gave way to amazement, triumph, and a tiny prick of fear. He rolled shut the plastic bag inside the cereal box. "They say how?" "Missed the curve on Lost Gold Road, I guess. Went through the guardrail into the ravine." So people probably thought it was an accident. Good. But the police would still investigate; Ian knew he mustn't get optimistic yet. He poured milk onto his cereal. "What a tragedy." "Did you know him?" "From around. He was younger than me." "Those poor people. His poor mother." "I'll check with the paper. See if they want me to put the news online." Ian took the cereal back to his room. He closed his door and sat down on his carpet between stacks of newspapers, balancing the bowl in his cupped hands. He stared at David's photo on last week's front page. His legs felt shaky with elation--could he really have done it? ( Read more... ) (29 Comments |Comment on this)
12:23 pm	*blows dust off this LJ* Announcement: I will be using this LJ for a new novel-in-progress. Similar deal to before: please stick around if you want to help critique! I only ask that you not be quite so nice--you have to try to find things that need improvement. If you were only here for RELATIVELY HONEST and aren't interested in getting the new novel chapters, it's completely okay to defriend. No one owes me anything! You were all extremely wonderful. Anyone new and not yet "friended" on this LJ may simply comment to be added. The new story is called HEAVEN OR CALIFORNIA, and is an 81,000-word modern fantasy. Snappy book jacket synopsis: A young angel defies orders by trying to catch a killer, and finds himself stranded on Earth in the process. Passing as a high school student, he takes refuge with the murder victim's family in a small California town. But his identity as an angel, his growing love for certain humans, and his pursuit of the killer leave him in a conflicted tangle that he must resolve before anyone else gets killed (or fails to find a date to Homecoming). First few sample chapters will be posted soon. Questions..? (Cross-posting here and there.) (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 18th, 2006
2:23 am	RELATIVELY HONEST, Chapter One, a rewrite Not to revive this journal from the dead or anything, but, um, hello. You all were so helpful last summer, I thought this might be worth a shot. I have been messing with the beginning of Relatively Honest, on the grounds that the beginning pages are the most important thing in the galaxy as far as getting an agent to look at it is concerned. If anyone would be so kind, a possible different first chapter is below the cut. Re-read the older version here, compare, contrast, share thoughts; or, at your discretion, skip this whole thing entirely. You've paid your dues already. Ta! (Oh yeah, Britpicking is still welcome!) ( Chapter One, Revisited ) (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 14th, 2005
7:50 am	* intermission * Just dropping in to say: Hi, all!, and: Thank you for adding this journal! I expected it to be me, my husband, and maybe one or two bored people. Instead it seems I've gained at least a dozen bored people. The Britpicking and other feedback has been most helpful so far, and I'm applying what I learn as I go along. (e.g., I mentioned "Baudelaire prints" on Sinter's walls. Woops; Baudelaire didn't do drawings. I meant Beardsley. But while Sinter, I'm sure, would know the names of both Baudelaire and Beardsley, I don't think Daniel would, so they've been changed to "spooky black-and-white art prints.") Anyway, I reckon I'll post installments every four days, in groups of 2-4 chapters; whatever equals 5000-7000 words (as chapter length varies). Four days is a long enough interval to allow you to catch up, but short enough that you won't forget what was happening. Next installment will thus be posted Thursday. Lastly, this whole thing is kind of an experiment in reader reaction. The story resembles the Jerry Springer show more and more as it goes along, so I'll be curious to hear if you find it amusing, or off-putting, or like a fascinating train wreck, or what exactly. Apologies ahead of time for any squicks I unleash. ;) (15 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, June 12th, 2005
6:56 pm	Relatively Honest - chapters 1-4 What is this journal? Read the explanation here. Without further ado, the first four chapters of Relatively Honest, rough draft. Later chapters will be friends-locked, so comment if you want to be added. Thanks for dropping by. ( Chapters 1-4 ) (49 Comments |Comment on this)