Walking on Water

[shadesong]

Walking on Water is almost ready to be submitted for publication. It's a string of vignettes. It just needs to be shuffled into whatever order I decide to put it in, and have whatever other vignettes I decide need to be included written and added in.

The problem is that it's a memoir of Vegas, meaning it's largely a sex and drug memoir.

The problem? Adam's mom.

My mom knows this shit. My dad won't be altogether surprised that I was a junkie - he visited me in Vegas two days after the rape. He saw me at 78 pounds. You don't get to be 78 pounds without chemical assistance. Plus I don't trust Mom not to've told him.

My birthfamily? My birthmom has made cryptic references to having been a "wild child". Plus, they're kind and forgiving people in general.

Which isn't to say that Adam's mom isn't. It's just that I barely know her. And Adam has no idea how she'll react.

I never thought this would be the first thing out of me; I never thought it would be something I'd write about at all. I guess it's something I'm writing to keep Layne and the rest of them alive, in a way.

Always figured Shayara would be first. And yes, it still is. Reminding self of this. :) Just - never thought I'd be writing nonfiction. Never thought I'd have an interesting life. *laugh*

But this is first just because it's nearest completion. And who knows? Places You Haunt or Ondine may beat it. The Shayara graphic novel may beat it, even. But I'm going to get it out there and start submitting it first.

Just, wow. Poor Adam's mom. Must remind her that I'm 10 years clean...

(Intro.)

Comments

[brother-bliss.livejournal.com]

she is just going to have to accept that this was your life, not your life as it is now.

[lamaupin.livejournal.com]

10 years is a long time.
Hopefully she'll appreciate your honesty and bravery.

[yendi]

Like I said, sweetie, get it accepted for publication, and then we'll worry about it. No cart before horse.

And she'll deal -- she roomed with someone after college who regularly made hash brownies -- she's not naive.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Ah! That I did not know. That makes me feel better.

[mick-hale.livejournal.com]

I guarantee you that there's certain things I don't want my own mother finding out about, let alone anyone else's. I sympathize, and I wish you the best. Just one thing...

You don't get to be 78 pounds without chemical assistance.
Sorta true. My ex-girlfriend (and still best friend) who is about 5' tall, was 68lbs at her lowest. Anorexia and bulemia can do that to a body.

Though chemical assistance most certainly does contribute to weight loss.

Lemme know when the stuff gets published, and hopefully it'll be widely distributed enough so that I can pick up a copy here in Israel.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Anorexia and bulemia can do that to a body.

*nods* Eating disorders are up there with drug abuse on the list of stuff you'd rather your mom-in-law not know, though. :)

hopefully it'll be widely distributed enough so that I can pick up a copy here in Israel.

*salute*

[mick-hale.livejournal.com]

Enh. I figure that one of the first things my future mom-in-law will find out is how screwed up I am psychologically. Looking on the bright side, that's quite some time off.

[brother-bliss.livejournal.com]

well you be selling signed copies? if so i want one.

[thejunebug.livejournal.com]

Well, like Adam says: cart before horse. BUT my view of it is that you're human, and therefore not perfect. I know there's that need to appear perfect in front of hubby's mom (eek), but she should understand that you're a person and can & have done things in your past that you shouldn't. Everyone's got skeletons.

[laurelian.livejournal.com]

First of all, no matter what comes out first, I'm going to be buying it. No question.

Second, since, in my mind, you're the guru of going from 'stories in your head' to actual publishable and published work, can you point me to some resources regarding such?

How do you start creating publishable work and once you have something completed, what steps do you take to get it published? You don't even know how much I'd appreciate the help.

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Dude, I got no idea. I was headhunted for the Shooting Star thing, and that's my only published work thus far. I'll keep you posted as I go, though.

[laurelian.livejournal.com]

Well, at least I'm not the only one who doesn't have a clue. :) Thanks! I'll keep an eye out. :)

[phantom_wolfboy]

This is going to sound simplistic and self-evident, but: 1) select a publisher
2) Send work to publisher
3) collect royalties.

All right, I skipped a few steps in there. :) Have you got specific questions?

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

1. Steal underpants
2.
3. Profit!

[phantom_wolfboy]

First time I read that I thought it said, "STeel Underpants". And I thought, "that would be really, really uncomfortable. Unless you were Stalin, I guess."

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

:) It's a reference to a South Park episode. I'm lowbrow. :)

[phantom_wolfboy]

I recognised the reference. I just first read it wrong. :)

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Ah! You're lowbrow, too. Excellent. :)

[laurelian.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah I kinda had the idea that that was the general process. :)

Let's see, questions...1)How do you find publishers? 2)How do you submit work? Or would the specific publishers generally have rules about how to submit work to them?

I'm sure there are more, but I cant think of them just now.

[phantom_wolfboy]

Placer note that I'm not ignoring your questions, nor have I forgotten them; I just don't have time to get back to it now. Tomorrow, I promise.

[phantom_wolfboy]

There are a few ways to find publishers. The easiest is to pick up a copy of Writer's Market, available at all major bookstores in (probably) the reference section, or probably at Amazon . . . Yup.

Not only does it include contact info for most major publishers, but it will also have articles on matters such as formatting.

There are other versions that look at specific subgenres such as Novel and Short story Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and so on.

[laurelian.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That's a huge help. :)

[aki-dreaming.livejournal.com]

Just, wow. Poor Adam's mom. Must remind her that I'm 10 years clean...

That trumps the rest.

[boutell.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, complications notwithstanding.

[natf.livejournal.com]

Do you think you will also ePublish? I read so much more easily on screen / Palm / screenreader...

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

After re-reading the intro and then knowing that you're 10 years clean... just. whoah.

Looking forward to the rest of it - keep us posted!!

[hookncrook.livejournal.com]

Remeber that was who you were, not who your are now. I don't think anyone over 25 would go back to the insanity of their youth again.

If someone can't shrug off what you did a decade ago, they aren't worth it in my book whether they are your inlaw or not.

Plus the writing is great,so I think she should be able to forgive you anything after seeing how talented you are.

[coffeeinhell.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's very well-written. Of course, I know firsthand what you're talking about, so perhaps I'm not the best judge. Maybe the acid test is whether you can make someone who's never done speed to get what you're talking about.

I work in a largely rural county, one with terrible unemployment. Meth is a huge problem here, and getting bigger all the time. Being a newspaper, the subject comes up a lot -- stories about busts, stories on "town hall meetings" to address the issue, etc.

And the overriding misconception, because of the demographics of the area and basic human superiority, is that its a drug done by stupid people, by poor rednecks, and that once you do meth thgere's no turning back -- you've permanently destroyed your life (I actually heard a public official make that statement a few months ago).

How shocked my co-workers are when I calmly tell them that I used to be addicted to meth. Then they want to know WHY -- because all they hear about is the dangers, the pain, the poison. Well, I explain, it makes you feel good.. It gave me energy. I played darts for hours at a time, day after day and got really, really good. I stayed up until 6 a.m. painting or writing. And I lost weight. And I was witty and sparkling and felt able to handle everything that came my way.

Of course, I also became obsessed with cponspiracy theories and alien abduction tales, but that's just a side effect. :-)

But when I hear that it's a guaranteed spiral downward from which there's no escape, I get pissed. Because, like you, I'm proof that's not true. Yeah, the odds are better that you're flushing your life down the toilet if you're hooked on meth ... but I haven't touched the stuff for over ten years. I own a home, I'm happily married, I'm the editor of a newspaper. Free will (and good luck and common sense and self-esteem) is still part of the process of living. Sticking a chemical up your nose is not a guaran-fucking-teed one-way ticket to destruction, not if you decide to change direction.

Anyway, I digress. I'm looking forward to reading more of the work.

[enderfem.livejournal.com]

*is silly, and posted comment to the linked entry, and not to this one* *headslap*