My Love for Logan
Filed under Writing Journal on February 14, 2012
Tagged: Black Gate, e-books, Logan Shadowhand, Shattered Amulet
I had a wonderful compliment paid to my writing last month. Scott, an editor from Black Gate contacted me concerning the launch of Black Gate Books that they announced at last year’s World Fantasy Con. He was looking to fill 3 of the 12 slots for novels they would publish in 2012, and wanted to know if I had anything I would like to submit.
Several different emotions ran through me as I pondered the question. The one submission I had sent to Black Gate had been rejected, though it had been a close call and the rejection contained praise for my writing. That was a couple years ago. The story eventually got published this past September in Pulp Empire’s Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology. I wondered if they remembered the story, or if the editor had been a fan of my Forgotten Realms work. The thought that my writing had made such an impact was a stroke to the ego.
However, the feelings that followed were not so affirming. I had nothing to submit. I had no finished manuscript. Shattered Amulet sat untouched for months; I hadn’t worked on it since the summer. I told myself–and the editor from Black Gate–that I could finish it in a couple months. And I could have. Deadlines do wonders. But I was kicking myself for having procrastinated. I told myself I should have had this story written long before now.
I started to examine my desire to write, and I had to admit it was almost non-existent. If nothing else, my neglect of this blog is ample evidence. I could come up with excuses: school, stress from recent personal upheavals; there will always be excuses, obstacles, though. If I want to write bad enough, I’ll find ways to overcome them. I have (and do) in other arenas.
The fact that I hadn’t made me question my love for Logan. Was I no longer interested in his story? I had other story ideas, both novel and short form, and they failed to fuel my desire any more than Logan did. I had to admit that non-academic writing just wasn’t a priority for me at the moment.
Scott was kind enough to suggest I send him a synopsis and the first three chapters of Shattered Amulet for him to look over. If they interested him, we’d go from there. I sent them, of course. Yet, as I waited to hear back, another aspect of my love for Logan surfaced. Black Gate Books was to be exclusively ebooks, with a word count range between 50-75k. Based on my outline, I envisioned Shattered Amulet to come in around 90-100k. I couldn’t imagine cutting out a quarter of Logan’s story.
And I wanted a print version. Not that I was against ebooks, but having grown up on paper, I wanted to be able to feel the weight of my first non-media tie-in novel in my hands, to flip its pages. As much as I wanted to see Logan in print (electronic and ink), I did not think he would be a good fit for what Black Gate wanted.
I heard back from Scott last week, and he didn’t think it would fit either. He enjoyed the storytelling, thought it would find a place in another market, and hoped I would continue work on it.
I hope I do, too.
February 15th, 2012 at 8:25 am
We’re at the same point in our writing careers (well, if you discount the whole fact that you’ve actually been published
). I’m finding it hard to get motivated to finish my 4th draft. I still love the story, but in my head, it’s finished. It’s on paper/file. Even though the fourth draft will make it better and theoretically more publishable, the chances of it actually making it that far are so remote, it’s hard to scrape time away from my family and work to keep working.
I don’t know anymore. I worked so long and hard on that story, and have follow-up books knocking around in my head to write (both in that world and a new series), but until I get my drive back, it’s not going to happen.
So, if you discover the cure to the writing blues, let me know.