On 'New Project' Temptations

How sweet it is. A deliciously exciting new idea for a book. You're out for a jog. The dog poops directly on the sidewalk. You are grateful that you brought two baggies instead of one, for he pooped on the sidewalk once already. You pick up said poop, walk to trashcan, and then BAM! It drops out of the sky like bird poop on a windshield. (Lots of poo imagery, I know, I'm stopping, but this is how it happens sometimes.)

Characters, fully formed. A more-than-skeletal plot. Tension. Conflict. The whole enchilada. You run home, fire up lap top and begin writing outline. Then you have flashes of dialogue. Write that down. A scene. Write that down. You are flying high, a bounce in your step. Then the bounce is gone when you remember, "Oh yeah, I'm spoken for."

That other manuscript. The one you've been working on for so long and it's al-most-finished. It was love at first sight with that idea too. What's to be done?

Does this happen to you? Fellow aspiring writers? Even former aspiring writers (aka published)? I'm struggling with this at the moment. One, I feel I'm cheating on my other idea. Two, it makes me wonder if my old idea isn't as great as I think it is and that's why I'm being tempted away. How does one battle the allure??

Here's my plan: 1st draft for manuscript one is almost finished. (Literally. But a few straggling scenes left to go.) Exercise discipline (?) to finish 1st draft. Then, while manuscript one cooks, begin working on idea two. Sound good?

I know I'm not the only story-oriented person this has happened to. How do you rationalize it? How do you to go forth and FINISH SOMETHING when such slithery temptations are on the horizon?

To Kindle or not to Kindle

There's been quite a bit of chatter on the blogosphere in recent months about ebooks. Whether or not they will bring the book business to its knees. Whether they are a sign the end is coming. Yada yada. I have to say I was in the "you will have to rip my paper books from my kung-fu grip" camp there for a while. But I think I've made the dreaded cross-over. I know! THE HORROR!

It all came about when I wanted a book I couldn't get from the library. And, as it were, didn't want to pay for shipping from Amazon. It was a new-ish book (a book I CANNOT stop talking/thinking about, JUST READ IT, mmmkay?) and there weren't many reviews, so I figured it would be a good test book for the ole' Kindle for PC app. I'm tellin' ya, in about three minutes, I had the book.

And that was all it took. I now have seven books in my Kindle library and I've read four of them. Of those seven, only two of them were $9.99 (the hotly debated price for ebooks). The rest only cost 50% of that. I've done more reading in the last week since downloading this God forsaken app than I have in the last month.

Warning: the reason being because it's so easy to just click on over from whatever I should be doing on my computer to read "JUST A CHAPTER! I SWEARS!" Before you know it, you're half way done with the book, you're in danger of being entombed with laundry, and Adult Protective Services is carting away your spouse.

I have yet to purchase the actual Kindle. I'm still on the fence about that. Reviews seem mixed and the current price tag leaves a bit to be desired. But I'm leaning at about a 45-degree angle in that direction. What are your thoughts on the ebook phenomenon? Are you getting on board or ready to hold out till the end?

A Commonplace Blog

When I'm in the mood for a little light reading, I head on over to the blogosphere and soak up a little humor from a few of my favorite blogs: Janet Reid, Query Shark, The Rejectionist, and when feeling sentimental, the dearly departed Miss Snark. However, bloggage is not just for the masses, I'm learning, as I occasionally wander over to this little gem, Dr. D.G. Myers of our own Texas A & M University.

Okay, so I've yet to snicker while reading Dr. Myers posts. How he manages to muster enough breath for such musings on said 'sphere is beyond me. But I must say, he offers quite a bit more than the traditional "Omigod i LOVE thiss book!" approach to online book review. No, there is no mention of Twilight. In fact, I feel a tad iffy about mentioning it in the same paragraph, nay, POST, as his blog.

He does, however, compile a very interesting list of great Texas novels, all of which I intend to add to my to-read list, especially Whitewater, about a man who escapes his small Texas town only to find his thoughts remain on the home front. A sentiment this "expat" understands well. He will also defend Lolita's position as the greatest novel in history until he's blue in the face. I keep going back hoping to be convinced. If only it were the subject matter barring me beyond page 50, IF ONLY! Maybe I could save face.

You'll also find a cool-ish review of Woodsburner, a novel about the little known forest fire started by a not so little known transcendentalist named Henry David Thoreau. The author, John Pipkin, happens to be an Austinite who's better half teaches Victorian lit at my alma mater.
In the mean time, check it out. Chuckling: unlikely. Very serious, high-brow literary criticism: guaranteed.

A National, er, State Holiday

That's right, folks. Today is the anniversary of Texas's declaration of independence from Mexico in 1836. Settlers in Texas drafted up this tricksy little document here and thereby said, "Hmph, we gonna take our toys and go home." I'm kinda glad they did, since it makes Texas one of THE most history-makin'-est states in the union.

In honor of this momentous occasion, I will be listening to Little Texas's 'God Blessed Texas' every hour, on the hour, until I just can't stands it no more. Not really. I'll listen to it a few times and two-step alone in my kitchen before I must get back to the grindstone (since we don't celebrate Texas holidays out here on the West Coast. Darn shame, I'll say).

Book Recs: All Roads Lead Me Back to You, NCFOM

As I mentioned previously (however, not RECENTLY), I'm on a reading kick. Who isn't. Well, frankly, a lot of folks in this grand age of DVR, OnDemand, True Blood and Mad Men. But a few good books have made this tortuous time between seasons (which seems to be getting longer, no?) a little less painful.

See: All Roads Lead Me Back to You. Okay. NOT about Texas. But, it is about Texas-related subject matter, such as ranching, immigration, and land rights. And a little lovin' thrown in for fun.

This debut novel by Kennedy Foster is beautiful, funny, and surprisingly original even if it does have a fairly straight forward plot. Warm, yet tough Washington rancher Alice is up to her ears in work when she finds Domingo Roque bleeding in the snow. She helps him dodge the immigration police while he helps her get the ranch back on track and fend off the rake aiming to sell his share of the ranch to pay off gambling debts. And in the process, they fall in love. How perfect is that!

All Roads Lead Me Back to You is a modern romance for an old world. A world that, I dare say, is dying out in the name of feed lots and mass production (see: Food, Inc., anything by Michael Pollan). The characters are lovable and expertly drawn. The romance is believable and real. Thank you, Kennedy for giving us a real woman. Let us be spared from sultriness. For anyone craving a contemporary western. (Shall we start a movement?) Stumbled on this book via blog of my Dream Agent, Janet Reid. Reid daily, or perish.

Also: No Country for Old Men. For obvious reasons. If there's anyone left out there who hasn't read it, I suggest you stop what you're doing right now, even if you are watching the 2nd season of True Blood AGAIN on OnDemand, and head to the library/bookstore/Amazon.com/where you get books. Texas circa 1980. Hilarious dialogue WITH blood. A surprisingly quick read, so don't be scared even if you're still struggling through Blood Meridian.

Let's all grab a chocolate bar and start clippin' through pages.

Redirecting 'Afterlife', Introducing 'Texasville, CA'

It's official. The focus-less 'Afterlife' is dead. No really, no afterlife for 'Afterlife'. It's time to give this blog a purpose.

And as I'm finding a purpose for my writing in general, I thought it was only appropriate to devote this half-hearted attempt at blogging to the same thing: Texas. And all its murky glory.

Since leaving this God-forsaken state, I just can't stop thinking about it. Or talking about it. Or writing about it. Texas gets in your blood like West Nile after a skeeter bite (skeeter = read 'mosquito').

How do you write about a place when you don't even live there? From 2,000 miles away, I see Texas through new eyes and they find many more things to love, cherish, and celebrate about it. And as I mine the history books, blogosphere, the headlines, and the world wide web for these tidbits, I will share them with you. Hopefully, Texans on their beloved turf will appreciate it more and those who scoff at it from afar will scoff less.

You can never go home again. But at least you can write about it.