SurLeQuai
from Indiana is reading The Night CircusFebruary 2, 2012 - 10:05pm
Hi.
So I have emerged from the ether and sent Danny an email (and a PM about said email). And am now posting about it. Just because I'm that nervous.
Also, I'm writing. Anthology-stuff.
Oh boy.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 2, 2012 - 10:44pm
Okay, ladies and gents. This is the list as is for now:
Psychosis Anthology
Prologue by Traci Foust, author of Nowhere Near Normal, memoir of OCD
1. Another Lost Day by Bryan Howie (accepted as is)
2. Grin on the Rocks By Rebecca Jones-Howe (accepted as is)
3. In the Absence of Violence (awaiting rewrite)
4. Jump by Dakota Taylor (accepted)
5. Perfectly Natural by Jessica Taylor (accepted as is)
6. Sine Qua Non by Kenneth Goldman (accepted as is)--reprint
7. The Return by Liana V. (rewrite, 3rd draft)
8. Vox Populi by Nicholas Wilczynski (accepted as is)
9. Sermons of my Childhood by Josef Van L. (awaiting 3rd draft)
10. Released by Richard Thomas (accepted)--reprint
11. The Thing About Finn by Renee Pickup (awaiting 2nd draft)
12. All the Whims of my Daily Calamity by DWG (rewrite, 4th draft)
13. Job Security by Bradley Sands (accepted)
14. Hear me Now by Rachel Cohen (awaiting rewrite 2nd draft)
15. Run Into His Arms by Sam Jackson (awaiting 3rd draft)
16. Time and Place by Martin Garrity (final draft)
17. Disassociated by Cristiana Zanelli (3rd draft)
18. Grandmother by Sarah Davenport (accepted)
19. Everywhere and Nowhere by Robin van Eck (accepted)
20. Trial by Fire by Nathan Pettigrew (accepted)
Still in Consideration pending rewrites
21. Holes, Fillers and the Days Between by Jami Kali (waiting on 2nd draft)
22. (This is What Living Like this Does) by Rian Moon (waiting on new story)
23. Through the Meadow by Raelyn Torngren (waiting on rewrite)
24. Phantom Pains by Jason Van Horn (rewrite)
25. Silence by Tessa Yelton (rewrite)
26. The Frequent Flyer by Jamesey Lefebure (accepted) or were you going to rewrite?
27. Wake by Robert Thomas (rewrite)
28. Numb by Winnie Ferree (rewrite)
29. Dear Baby Doll by Scott Carver (accepted)
30. A Table for One by J. Dulouz (waiting on rewrite)
31. Charles said he is working on one
32.
Epilogue
Author Bios/Disorders
1-20 are a done deal for me, they are the stories that I've accepted or I talk to the people on a reg basis so I know that they will finish their drafts. Jami wrote me and said she is working on another draft. Rian (Ry-YUN) is working on a totally new story, Raelyn, I'm not sure. Jason and everyone else is rewriting and Charles is working on one. So I really only have one slot left and pending rewrites or people dropping out or not finishing their rewrites...the book is just under 400 pages in Microsoft Word, double spaced, 12pt font New Times Roman. Over 100,000 words. Just to give you an idea of how large it will be once everyone is done.
Everyone, I beg of you, please submit your final drafts in the correct format, three inches from top on the first page, Times Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, indented paragraphs, one inch margins. Don't put page numbers because the story is going to be part of a larger document so it just messes me up with the formatting. No special ******* or _______ between segments of the story. I hate those and honestly, the publisher of this thing whatever wonderful person that is, will probably delete them anyway. Now that I sound like a picky old bastard. Thank you and goodnight.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 2, 2012 - 11:27pm
Danny,
Just a question, but with the rewrite on the scene I told you about, did you want me to send you an edited version of the story, or were you going to adjust it? Probably a silly question, but I wasn't sure.
Jay.SJ
from London is reading Warmed and BoundFebruary 3, 2012 - 4:15am
Ill email you my piece tomorrow Danny. I aim for it to be a shorter one, just to provide some breathing room for the book.
Flaminia Ferina
from Umbria is reading stuffFebruary 3, 2012 - 5:01am
I'll have my rewrite up in the workshop sometime next week, then I'll adapt and send the final draft to Danny's email. Sounds like a good plan.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 3, 2012 - 7:19am
Becky--I can add it back in or you can. Either way. I'm just waiting on Utah's rewrite.
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 3, 2012 - 7:26am
Am I doing a rewrite? haha. I know you said about sending me something Danny and doing a rewrite based on that, but I haven't got anything in my mail.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 3, 2012 - 7:32am
Yes, I still owe you a lbl, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot, I have been so scatterbrained this week. You will definitely get it this weekend.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 3, 2012 - 8:04am
Hey, can everyone doing rewrites or new subs email a copy to me directly in doc format?? I don't always check the workshop and I read a lot of the stories on my phone and I can only open doc format.
I always ask my editors this but, how did you choose the order of stories?
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 3, 2012 - 10:38am
One thing I thought was cool is Stephen King in (oh there's too many collection, but the one with the Dark Tower short story) he said for that collection he assigned each of his stories a card from a card deck, but them in a hat or something, and then drew them out and that's the order they went.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 3, 2012 - 12:09pm
I picked some in the order of acceptance, others I tried to put with complimentary ones.
leapinglizards
February 3, 2012 - 3:02pm
Hi,
This looks really interesting, I understand that you are going 'publisher shopping.' And look I don't mean to be rude or paranoid, but could you please outline the Editor's qualifications? I have been burned on projects like this before. Badly burned. So I'm keen to learn as much about the people behind it as possible. (Good intentions and energy without followup are taxing!)
Thansk
bryanhowie
from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING.February 3, 2012 - 3:05pm
I've been thinking of doing a missing person's poster for my story (Another Lost Day). If anyone wants to do that for me, much obliged. If not, I'll try to get around to it someday.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 3, 2012 - 3:36pm
The editor is highly unqualified and I hear he is an asshole too.
Seriously though, I have addressed this before. This is my first anthology, I have some publication credits under my belt but who am I in the literary world? No one but I am persistant and I already have made contacts with interested parties. However, I am closing submissions at this time to focus on the writers I already have, 30 of them, many doing rewrites. So unless we have already spoken or You have submitting something to me already and I told you I would consider it if you did some rewrites then please don't send anything unless its spectacular because I am devoting my time to the stories I do have for now. I may even have to cut a few stories if this book gets any bigger than 400 pages after rewrites.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 3, 2012 - 3:41pm
That's a big-ass book.
bryanhowie
from FW, ID is reading East of Eden. Steinbeck is FUCKING AMAZING.February 3, 2012 - 3:49pm
An editor who is NOT an asshole isn't an editor. That's actually the editor's job description - be an asshole about publishing a book.
Moderator
Utah
from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryFebruary 3, 2012 - 3:55pm
I kinda thought an editor's job was to boost my self-esteem and give me 5 stars on everything just for showing up. WTF, howie, you're fucking with my world-view.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 3, 2012 - 4:37pm
Well if they publish it in a smaller font it could be closer to 300 but I want the legally blind to read it, for them it will be 700 pages long.
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 3, 2012 - 4:40pm
Editor = asshole
Publicist = ass kisser
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 3, 2012 - 4:44pm
I am going to do some heavy edits this weekend, I can no longer be nice.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 3, 2012 - 4:46pm
Being nice is great for getting submissions. Being an asshole is great for producing a quality anthology.
jl85
from originally East Tennessee now Southern California is reading everything I canFebruary 3, 2012 - 6:20pm
Wow, that list looks pretty fucking amazing! Especially seeing some names like Richard Thomas and Bradley Sands. I definitely look up to a lot of writers on this website and it's encouraging to see how devoted everyone has been to this project. And as far as I can tell Danny's drive has been out-fucking-standing! It's hard to believe this was just an idea posted on the forum not too many months ago, and now it's blossomed into this! I can't wait to see the final product!! So, all this to say, I'm pretty excited about this project and how many people are contributing to this, 2012's going to be one amazing year!
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 3, 2012 - 7:31pm
I agree, Josef.
Also, I apologize for not keeping the blog up to date. Work is kicking my ass right now, and when I get home all I ever want to do is cook a proper dinner and get wasted. That said, if anybody has any suggestions of things I can post on the blog, post them here and I'll post them there!
Richard
from St. Louis is reading various anthologiesFebruary 3, 2012 - 8:14pm
@alien - you MIGHT be able to take the font size down a point or two. see how big a page looks printed out a 100% on an actual page size (6x9? or 5.5 x 8.5?) but i wouldn't go below 10 pt
J.Dulouz
from New England is reading The Sirens of TitanFebruary 3, 2012 - 8:36pm
Yeah, I'm with Josef. I love the energy and dedication surrounding this thing. It's alive. And even if my story doesn't make the cut, its been inspiring.
Tessa
from Florida is reading The Painted Boy by Charles de LintFebruary 3, 2012 - 10:42pm
I have finally posted my story in the workshop! :)
Liana
from Romania and Texas is reading Naked LunchFebruary 3, 2012 - 10:56pm
I reuploaded, with more changes. It's not posted as a new story though.
Hey Danny, I just noticed you like John Irving! For reals? I love him!
jl85
from originally East Tennessee now Southern California is reading everything I canFebruary 4, 2012 - 1:39am
@Danny, final version is in your inbox!
Flaminia Ferina
from Umbria is reading stuffFebruary 4, 2012 - 10:19am
Guys, I've been smiling all the time today while working at my rewrite. It's a good sign, isn't it?
I'm thrilled and I want to share this moment with you.
Hasta la madre!
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 4, 2012 - 12:05pm
I am smiling too lol
Flaminia Ferina
from Umbria is reading stuffFebruary 4, 2012 - 12:58pm
Me and my copycat alter
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 4, 2012 - 1:21pm
Ok, thats scary
Class Facilitator
ReneeAPickup
from Southern California is reading Wanderers by Chuck WendigFebruary 4, 2012 - 1:47pm
Yeah it is.
Typewriter Demigod
from London is reading "White Noise" by DeLilo, "Moby-Dick" by Hermann Mellivile and "Uylsses" by JoyceFebruary 4, 2012 - 2:49pm
@f-kila wow, you're really cute there ^///^
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 4, 2012 - 5:58pm
My picture I put up was of Aileen Wuornos, if you don't know about her, see the movie MONSTER which is fucking amazing about a female serial killer.
I cannot recommend it enough.
Flaminia Ferina
from Umbria is reading stuffFebruary 4, 2012 - 7:41pm
Yeah Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. I recommend it too.
My picture was just the first popped out as I googled creepy smile. Don't know who made it but that'll be my make up next job interview.
Jason Van Horn
from North Carolina is reading A Feast For CrowsFebruary 4, 2012 - 8:47pm
I just spent about ten minutes with a chainsaw in the shed trying to workout the plausability of someone being able to cut their own arm off. In my research I also apparently stumbled upon an execution video (I swear I thought it was something fake when I clicked on it) and now know what it's like to see a man decapitated with a chainsaw.
I like it when I can just make stuff up and people believe me. Research makes me feel lightheaded and like I want to puke, but dammit Danny you'll get your second draft tomorrow! :P
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 4, 2012 - 11:24pm
@Jason - One of the best parts of being a writer is having a ridiculous web-browsing history.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 5, 2012 - 1:08am
I know I want to laugh when I think about the things I have gotten people to do for this anthology. I have gotten a feminist to write a rape story from a male perspective, a mother to write a story about neglecting her baby, an underage boy to write about pedophilia, made a military guy tap into his feminine side and other people tap into their childhood torments and/or actual mental disorders. I guess I shouldn't say I made people do these things, they chose to write these stories, I just encouraged them to tap into their own psychosis and it worked. bwahahahaha.
Typewriter Demigod
from London is reading "White Noise" by DeLilo, "Moby-Dick" by Hermann Mellivile and "Uylsses" by JoyceFebruary 5, 2012 - 3:03am
I wrote about pedophilia, because I wanted to explore my own feelings about it.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 5, 2012 - 6:38am
I have to say, the first draft of my story was easy to write. It's easy to say breast feeding is hard and babies cry a lot. They do. I wouldn't go through maternity leave again for anything. It was sleep deprived hell.
It wasn't until I got feed back saying I had to show the baby that it got hard. There is one point where i call the baby's gaze "stupid". That probably sounds lame, but I had a lot of trouble saying that. I almost expected a lynch mod when I put it up in the workshop. I remember typing each individual letter
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 5, 2012 - 9:37am
Jessica, it just makes me wonder what kind of metaphorsis I'm going to end up going through when I have a kid. At some angles, newborns just look so weird. My coworker that I mentioned recently, she had a baby out of nowhere; she didn't know was pregnant, or at least she knew in the beginning but was so in denial about it that her mind just shut things out until she woke up last Tuesday with severe stomach pains. Now she's got a son, and she seems to be loving it, judging by her Facebook posts. It's just so crazy, and sometimes I get freaked out that I won't have that motherly transformation, and I'll end up becoming your narrator. Gah!
As for my story, I can say that I've always been interested in rape, why it happens. I didn't really have any problems with writing my story, even the rape scene, because I was just trying to show the damaged man who ended up feeling the need to rape to get over his insecurites. The first person I showed this story to was a coworker of mine (a guy). It was interesting because he read the story on his break, and read up until right before the rape scene, and when he responded to the story he just loved Jonah, how abrasive and angry he was; he thought it was amusing, especially the scene when Jonah met Bailey and took her home from the bar. The scene seemed to resonate with my coworker. Then he took the story home and read the ending, and he didn't have a lot to say. He said it was shocking, event though he knew that Jonah was going to end up raping somebody (because I spoiled it for him); I think it was actually reading about Jonah actually attacking and raping in detail that freaked him out. He seemed to feel different about Jonah after that. His response was just so interesting to me.
Actually, a lot of comments I got from males who gave feedback on my drafts were ones where they actually liked Jonah as a character, even though he was quite obviously an asshole. They found him funny.
I think that's why rape is so predominent in culture right now, is because it's so easy to degrade women, especially for men in college, frat guys and the like. That's how they assert their manliness, is by talking about fucking a lot of women, and especially by making rape jokes (check out this article that I stumbled over this week that pissed me off). Rape jokes get laughs from the right crowd of guys, but I don't think any man in his right mind would be proud of being a rapist. Even the word "rapist" doesn't have any manly connotations. It sounds weird and awkward, and no rapist in prison would ever get into the popular crowd. They'd be scorned and ridculued for not commiting a more manly crime like an armed robbery. So why is making a joke about rape cool? It's easy to assert your sexual dominance as a man by saying, 'It's not rape if you say 'surprise'!" Rape culture is such a double-edged sword.
Typewriter Demigod
from London is reading "White Noise" by DeLilo, "Moby-Dick" by Hermann Mellivile and "Uylsses" by JoyceFebruary 5, 2012 - 3:28pm
My school is full of lads. The sorta two-bit fucktards who say "BUH-HUH-LAYYYYYY-TONT CHURPSE!" (That means, you're hitting on someone and it's obvious). They're the guys who say shit like, "Do I smell vagina, cause it's fishy in here." when they walk into a room that's had a girl's class in it. Fuck em.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 5, 2012 - 3:32pm
@Becky, that's scary. I thought he was a douche from the get go.
Bekanator
from Kamloops, British Columbia is reading Ugly Girls by Lindsay HunterFebruary 5, 2012 - 5:01pm
@Danny - Do you mean about my coworker thinking Jonah was kind of funny and cool? My coworker isn't like Jonah at all, but I'm sure he probably has some of the same conflicted feelings about the opposite sex, the fakeness of a lot of bar-frequenting female folk. If you look at Cosmo, it's all about manipulating men, adapting yourself to suit their needs so you can satisfy yours. Maxim (Cosmo's male counterpart) is really jsut about going after chicks, getting them home with tactics.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 5, 2012 - 5:01pm
@Becky - motherly transformation does not happen instantly. I wish more people would tell you that.
"it's so easy to degrade women"
I talk about this A LOT. It's trendy and funny to put down a woman. And if anyone complains about it they are weak. I get really angry when I hear sexist jokes. Because the more we allow people to laugh about it, the more accepted it becomes.
aliensoul77
from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall.February 5, 2012 - 5:08pm
Yeah, I think Cosmo and Maxim are just as bad about creating unrealistic expectations of the opposite sex. Women to manipulate or worry about "pleasing their man" and Maxim to think of every woman needed to be supermodel perfect.
avery of the dead
from Kentucky is reading Cipher SistersFebruary 5, 2012 - 5:18pm
How to Please Your Man!!!
Thos articles make me want to punch people in the face. And don't get me wrong, I do care how I look. And I am aware that the way I dress at work makes people see me a certian way. And I'm pretty much fine with that. Because the same goes for a man in that setting. But when it comes to jokes about how a woman is only good for one thing, that base our entire worth on taking care of men, on being domestic or nothing...those jokes can be dangerous.
JC Piech
from England is reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestFebruary 5, 2012 - 5:25pm
@aliensoul77
Hi :) Just a thought - As you've pretty much got all the submissions you're going to need, maybe you should think about changing the blog entry you have about it? I say this because I worked on a piece to submit for this, thinking I had a shot at being accepted, and then I read this thread and it turns out I don't really have any chance now as you've already decided on all your pieces before the deadline. I'm not mentioning this cos I'm pissed off about it, just that it might be kinder to people who come across your blog in the next couple of days, thinking they have til the 15th, when it fact its pretty much too late now.
Hi.
So I have emerged from the ether and sent Danny an email (and a PM about said email). And am now posting about it. Just because I'm that nervous.
Also, I'm writing. Anthology-stuff.
Oh boy.
Okay, ladies and gents. This is the list as is for now:
Psychosis Anthology
Prologue by Traci Foust, author of Nowhere Near Normal, memoir of OCD
1. Another Lost Day by Bryan Howie (accepted as is)
2. Grin on the Rocks By Rebecca Jones-Howe (accepted as is)
3. In the Absence of Violence (awaiting rewrite)
4. Jump by Dakota Taylor (accepted)
5. Perfectly Natural by Jessica Taylor (accepted as is)
6. Sine Qua Non by Kenneth Goldman (accepted as is)--reprint
7. The Return by Liana V. (rewrite, 3rd draft)
8. Vox Populi by Nicholas Wilczynski (accepted as is)
9. Sermons of my Childhood by Josef Van L. (awaiting 3rd draft)
10. Released by Richard Thomas (accepted)--reprint
11. The Thing About Finn by Renee Pickup (awaiting 2nd draft)
12. All the Whims of my Daily Calamity by DWG (rewrite, 4th draft)
13. Job Security by Bradley Sands (accepted)
14. Hear me Now by Rachel Cohen (awaiting rewrite 2nd draft)
15. Run Into His Arms by Sam Jackson (awaiting 3rd draft)
16. Time and Place by Martin Garrity (final draft)
17. Disassociated by Cristiana Zanelli (3rd draft)
18. Grandmother by Sarah Davenport (accepted)
19. Everywhere and Nowhere by Robin van Eck (accepted)
20. Trial by Fire by Nathan Pettigrew (accepted)
Still in Consideration pending rewrites
21. Holes, Fillers and the Days Between by Jami Kali (waiting on 2nd draft)
22. (This is What Living Like this Does) by Rian Moon (waiting on new story)
23. Through the Meadow by Raelyn Torngren (waiting on rewrite)
24. Phantom Pains by Jason Van Horn (rewrite)
25. Silence by Tessa Yelton (rewrite)
26. The Frequent Flyer by Jamesey Lefebure (accepted) or were you going to rewrite?
27. Wake by Robert Thomas (rewrite)
28. Numb by Winnie Ferree (rewrite)
29. Dear Baby Doll by Scott Carver (accepted)
30. A Table for One by J. Dulouz (waiting on rewrite)
31. Charles said he is working on one
32.
Epilogue
Author Bios/Disorders
1-20 are a done deal for me, they are the stories that I've accepted or I talk to the people on a reg basis so I know that they will finish their drafts. Jami wrote me and said she is working on another draft. Rian (Ry-YUN) is working on a totally new story, Raelyn, I'm not sure. Jason and everyone else is rewriting and Charles is working on one. So I really only have one slot left and pending rewrites or people dropping out or not finishing their rewrites...the book is just under 400 pages in Microsoft Word, double spaced, 12pt font New Times Roman. Over 100,000 words. Just to give you an idea of how large it will be once everyone is done.
Everyone, I beg of you, please submit your final drafts in the correct format, three inches from top on the first page, Times Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, indented paragraphs, one inch margins. Don't put page numbers because the story is going to be part of a larger document so it just messes me up with the formatting. No special ******* or _______ between segments of the story. I hate those and honestly, the publisher of this thing whatever wonderful person that is, will probably delete them anyway. Now that I sound like a picky old bastard. Thank you and goodnight.
Danny,
Just a question, but with the rewrite on the scene I told you about, did you want me to send you an edited version of the story, or were you going to adjust it? Probably a silly question, but I wasn't sure.
Ill email you my piece tomorrow Danny. I aim for it to be a shorter one, just to provide some breathing room for the book.
I'll have my rewrite up in the workshop sometime next week, then I'll adapt and send the final draft to Danny's email. Sounds like a good plan.
Becky--I can add it back in or you can. Either way. I'm just waiting on Utah's rewrite.
Am I doing a rewrite? haha. I know you said about sending me something Danny and doing a rewrite based on that, but I haven't got anything in my mail.
Yes, I still owe you a lbl, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot, I have been so scatterbrained this week. You will definitely get it this weekend.
Hey, can everyone doing rewrites or new subs email a copy to me directly in doc format?? I don't always check the workshop and I read a lot of the stories on my phone and I can only open doc format.
Dangrn77@hotmail.com.
I always ask my editors this but, how did you choose the order of stories?
One thing I thought was cool is Stephen King in (oh there's too many collection, but the one with the Dark Tower short story) he said for that collection he assigned each of his stories a card from a card deck, but them in a hat or something, and then drew them out and that's the order they went.
I picked some in the order of acceptance, others I tried to put with complimentary ones.
Hi,
This looks really interesting, I understand that you are going 'publisher shopping.' And look I don't mean to be rude or paranoid, but could you please outline the Editor's qualifications? I have been burned on projects like this before. Badly burned. So I'm keen to learn as much about the people behind it as possible. (Good intentions and energy without followup are taxing!)
Thansk
I've been thinking of doing a missing person's poster for my story (Another Lost Day). If anyone wants to do that for me, much obliged. If not, I'll try to get around to it someday.
The editor is highly unqualified and I hear he is an asshole too.
Seriously though, I have addressed this before. This is my first anthology, I have some publication credits under my belt but who am I in the literary world? No one but I am persistant and I already have made contacts with interested parties. However, I am closing submissions at this time to focus on the writers I already have, 30 of them, many doing rewrites. So unless we have already spoken or You have submitting something to me already and I told you I would consider it if you did some rewrites then please don't send anything unless its spectacular because I am devoting my time to the stories I do have for now. I may even have to cut a few stories if this book gets any bigger than 400 pages after rewrites.
That's a big-ass book.
An editor who is NOT an asshole isn't an editor. That's actually the editor's job description - be an asshole about publishing a book.
I kinda thought an editor's job was to boost my self-esteem and give me 5 stars on everything just for showing up. WTF, howie, you're fucking with my world-view.
Well if they publish it in a smaller font it could be closer to 300 but I want the legally blind to read it, for them it will be 700 pages long.
Editor = asshole
Publicist = ass kisser
I am going to do some heavy edits this weekend, I can no longer be nice.
Being nice is great for getting submissions. Being an asshole is great for producing a quality anthology.
Wow, that list looks pretty fucking amazing! Especially seeing some names like Richard Thomas and Bradley Sands. I definitely look up to a lot of writers on this website and it's encouraging to see how devoted everyone has been to this project. And as far as I can tell Danny's drive has been out-fucking-standing! It's hard to believe this was just an idea posted on the forum not too many months ago, and now it's blossomed into this! I can't wait to see the final product!! So, all this to say, I'm pretty excited about this project and how many people are contributing to this, 2012's going to be one amazing year!
I agree, Josef.
Also, I apologize for not keeping the blog up to date. Work is kicking my ass right now, and when I get home all I ever want to do is cook a proper dinner and get wasted. That said, if anybody has any suggestions of things I can post on the blog, post them here and I'll post them there!
@alien - you MIGHT be able to take the font size down a point or two. see how big a page looks printed out a 100% on an actual page size (6x9? or 5.5 x 8.5?) but i wouldn't go below 10 pt
Yeah, I'm with Josef. I love the energy and dedication surrounding this thing. It's alive. And even if my story doesn't make the cut, its been inspiring.
I have finally posted my story in the workshop! :)
I reuploaded, with more changes. It's not posted as a new story though.
Hey Danny, I just noticed you like John Irving! For reals? I love him!
@Danny, final version is in your inbox!
Guys, I've been smiling all the time today while working at my rewrite. It's a good sign, isn't it?
I'm thrilled and I want to share this moment with you.
Hasta la madre!
I am smiling too lol
Me and my copycat alter
Ok, thats scary
Yeah it is.
@f-kila wow, you're really cute there ^///^
My picture I put up was of Aileen Wuornos, if you don't know about her, see the movie MONSTER which is fucking amazing about a female serial killer.
I cannot recommend it enough.
Yeah Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci. I recommend it too.
My picture was just the first popped out as I googled creepy smile. Don't know who made it but that'll be my make up next job interview.
I just spent about ten minutes with a chainsaw in the shed trying to workout the plausability of someone being able to cut their own arm off. In my research I also apparently stumbled upon an execution video (I swear I thought it was something fake when I clicked on it) and now know what it's like to see a man decapitated with a chainsaw.
I like it when I can just make stuff up and people believe me. Research makes me feel lightheaded and like I want to puke, but dammit Danny you'll get your second draft tomorrow! :P
@Jason - One of the best parts of being a writer is having a ridiculous web-browsing history.
I know I want to laugh when I think about the things I have gotten people to do for this anthology. I have gotten a feminist to write a rape story from a male perspective, a mother to write a story about neglecting her baby, an underage boy to write about pedophilia, made a military guy tap into his feminine side and other people tap into their childhood torments and/or actual mental disorders. I guess I shouldn't say I made people do these things, they chose to write these stories, I just encouraged them to tap into their own psychosis and it worked. bwahahahaha.
I wrote about pedophilia, because I wanted to explore my own feelings about it.
I have to say, the first draft of my story was easy to write. It's easy to say breast feeding is hard and babies cry a lot. They do. I wouldn't go through maternity leave again for anything. It was sleep deprived hell.
It wasn't until I got feed back saying I had to show the baby that it got hard. There is one point where i call the baby's gaze "stupid". That probably sounds lame, but I had a lot of trouble saying that. I almost expected a lynch mod when I put it up in the workshop. I remember typing each individual letter
Jessica, it just makes me wonder what kind of metaphorsis I'm going to end up going through when I have a kid. At some angles, newborns just look so weird. My coworker that I mentioned recently, she had a baby out of nowhere; she didn't know was pregnant, or at least she knew in the beginning but was so in denial about it that her mind just shut things out until she woke up last Tuesday with severe stomach pains. Now she's got a son, and she seems to be loving it, judging by her Facebook posts. It's just so crazy, and sometimes I get freaked out that I won't have that motherly transformation, and I'll end up becoming your narrator. Gah!
As for my story, I can say that I've always been interested in rape, why it happens. I didn't really have any problems with writing my story, even the rape scene, because I was just trying to show the damaged man who ended up feeling the need to rape to get over his insecurites. The first person I showed this story to was a coworker of mine (a guy). It was interesting because he read the story on his break, and read up until right before the rape scene, and when he responded to the story he just loved Jonah, how abrasive and angry he was; he thought it was amusing, especially the scene when Jonah met Bailey and took her home from the bar. The scene seemed to resonate with my coworker. Then he took the story home and read the ending, and he didn't have a lot to say. He said it was shocking, event though he knew that Jonah was going to end up raping somebody (because I spoiled it for him); I think it was actually reading about Jonah actually attacking and raping in detail that freaked him out. He seemed to feel different about Jonah after that. His response was just so interesting to me.
Actually, a lot of comments I got from males who gave feedback on my drafts were ones where they actually liked Jonah as a character, even though he was quite obviously an asshole. They found him funny.
I think that's why rape is so predominent in culture right now, is because it's so easy to degrade women, especially for men in college, frat guys and the like. That's how they assert their manliness, is by talking about fucking a lot of women, and especially by making rape jokes (check out this article that I stumbled over this week that pissed me off). Rape jokes get laughs from the right crowd of guys, but I don't think any man in his right mind would be proud of being a rapist. Even the word "rapist" doesn't have any manly connotations. It sounds weird and awkward, and no rapist in prison would ever get into the popular crowd. They'd be scorned and ridculued for not commiting a more manly crime like an armed robbery. So why is making a joke about rape cool? It's easy to assert your sexual dominance as a man by saying, 'It's not rape if you say 'surprise'!" Rape culture is such a double-edged sword.
My school is full of lads. The sorta two-bit fucktards who say "BUH-HUH-LAYYYYYY-TONT CHURPSE!" (That means, you're hitting on someone and it's obvious). They're the guys who say shit like, "Do I smell vagina, cause it's fishy in here." when they walk into a room that's had a girl's class in it. Fuck em.
@Becky, that's scary. I thought he was a douche from the get go.
@Danny - Do you mean about my coworker thinking Jonah was kind of funny and cool? My coworker isn't like Jonah at all, but I'm sure he probably has some of the same conflicted feelings about the opposite sex, the fakeness of a lot of bar-frequenting female folk. If you look at Cosmo, it's all about manipulating men, adapting yourself to suit their needs so you can satisfy yours. Maxim (Cosmo's male counterpart) is really jsut about going after chicks, getting them home with tactics.
@Becky - motherly transformation does not happen instantly. I wish more people would tell you that.
"it's so easy to degrade women"
I talk about this A LOT. It's trendy and funny to put down a woman. And if anyone complains about it they are weak. I get really angry when I hear sexist jokes. Because the more we allow people to laugh about it, the more accepted it becomes.
Yeah, I think Cosmo and Maxim are just as bad about creating unrealistic expectations of the opposite sex. Women to manipulate or worry about "pleasing their man" and Maxim to think of every woman needed to be supermodel perfect.
How to Please Your Man!!!
Thos articles make me want to punch people in the face. And don't get me wrong, I do care how I look. And I am aware that the way I dress at work makes people see me a certian way. And I'm pretty much fine with that. Because the same goes for a man in that setting. But when it comes to jokes about how a woman is only good for one thing, that base our entire worth on taking care of men, on being domestic or nothing...those jokes can be dangerous.
@aliensoul77
Hi :) Just a thought - As you've pretty much got all the submissions you're going to need, maybe you should think about changing the blog entry you have about it? I say this because I worked on a piece to submit for this, thinking I had a shot at being accepted, and then I read this thread and it turns out I don't really have any chance now as you've already decided on all your pieces before the deadline. I'm not mentioning this cos I'm pissed off about it, just that it might be kinder to people who come across your blog in the next couple of days, thinking they have til the 15th, when it fact its pretty much too late now.
x