swankivy's New Writeups

September 18, 2012 (log)

2012-09-18T23:33:23Z

Today my literary agent started submitting my fantasy novel to publishers hoping for nibbles.

Still feeling pretty weird about that.

The pitch is polished. The initial list of editors and imprints is picked out. The querying has begun.

I'm still kind of blinking in disbelief at the fact that a bunch of them responded immediately and not all of them said no.

There are people at gigantic publishers on this planet asking to read my book right now. They could be reading it this very second. Deciding whether I suck too much or whether my book is delicious.

It's kind of one of the most important things I've ever done and it feels weird for it to be happening so far away where I can't see it or keep track of it myself or influence it. It's out of my hands. I need a lot of luck. The part of this that was skill is already over.

I need luck.

How to get a literary agent (how-to)

2012-09-11T05:48:04Z

Because of what I wrote in a September 10th daylog, I was asked about how exactly one goes about getting a literary agent to represent one's novel to mainstream publishers (assuming that's what you wish to do).

Well, a lot of the basics on query letters and why the heck you'd WANT an agent are already covered, but considering I've just been through this and all the DOs and DO NOTs are fresh in my mind, I thought I'd share helpful thoughts on how to prepare for querying, what to keep in mind while querying, and what to do in the later stages of the game.

(This is excerpted from an article on my website.)

On Preparing to Query:

It should go without saying that your book should be complete, polished, and if possible, vetted by your critique partner(s) and/or editor(s). Before you contact someone wanting to know if they want to help sell your work, your work has to be ready to sell. (Yes,

…

September 10, 2012 (log)

2012-09-10T21:15:05Z

I hardly ever node these days (since finishing the Animorphs Series a while back, anyway), and I've never made daylogging a habit. But I still pay attention to what some of you folks are doing, still occasionally vote for things and distribute C!s, and still say something off-topic and pointless in the catbox now and then.

That said, for some reason I felt like writing a daylog.

Weird things may be about to go forward for me in exactly the way I've been chasing for years, so for some reason that's caused me to revisit my roots. I've been revisiting my memory boxes and reading old paper journals from ten, even twenty years ago. Reminiscing about people I met whom I still know, and people I would have completely forgotten if I hadn't written about them. I read my sister's old abandoned LiveJournal and read about her first date with the guy who became her husband. I found worksheets I did in elementary school. I reread rants I drafted during six years of being a…

The Ellimist Chronicles (essay)

2012-06-20T18:56:00Z

An unnumbered "Chronicles" book in the series Animorphs by K.A. Applegate.

Disclaimer: If you've heard of Animorphs and you're thinking "Aww, how cute," maybe you should read my introduction to the first book to see how wrong you are.

THE ELLIMIST CHRONICLES

by K.A. Applegate

Summarized Plot:

The Ellimist tells his life story to an unidentified dying Animorph, justifying his actions for playing God in their lives.

It all started when the Ellimist was a child; he was of the race of Ketrans, a winged people who keep their home crystals afloat above their planet by docking onto them and flapping to keep them aloft. "Ellimist" is his game name; his regular name is Toomin, and he's just a shiftless gamer who hopes to be chosen as nonessential crew on an upcoming space mission.

He regularly plays an "Alien Civilizations" game with his…

Inheritance (review)

2012-06-14T18:31:40Z

Fantasy novel by Christopher Paolini; book 4 (final volume) in the Inheritance Cycle.

This ultimate volume of what's often known as "the Eragon series" was published in 2011 and became a bestseller immediately. However, much like its predecessors Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr, this book had basic storytelling problems, clichÃ© and "borrowed" plot elements, unrealistic characters, and a bloated word count.

A short summary: Main character = Eragon, who became a Dragon Rider to fight the evil Empire. His half-brother was taken from him and brainwashed to serve the evil king, and he's joined forces with the rebel group called the Varden. Eragon has to go around his home country of AlagaÃ«sia and fight Bad Guys, fulfill prophecies, creepily pursue his love interest, lead the rebels once their leader is conveniently kidnapped, and search for a final way to defeat the Dark Lord.

(A)sexual (thing)

2012-05-30T19:37:27Z

(A)sexual is an independent documentary film about asexuality, asexual people, asexual people's lives, and the making of a movement.

Stats:

Director: Angela Tucker

Producers: Katy Chevigny, Beth Davenport, Jolene Pinder

Executive Producer: Ewa Bigio

Editor: Michelle Chang

Main Interviewees: David Jay, Barb, Swankivy, Elizabeth, Brian

Running Time: 75 minutes

Production Company: Arts Engine/Big Mouth Films

Premiered: Frameline Film Festival - San Francisco - June 18, 2011

Other Film Festivals Shown: MIX COPENHAGEN (formerly known as Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival), Reeling 2011: The Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival, Queersicht (Bern, Switzerland), Vox Feminae Festival (Zagreb, Croatia), New Orleans Film Festival, Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, NewFest Film Festival (New York).

Official description:…