Blog #2, in which we discover uncomfortable things about ourselves and link some junk.

So, I am turning into one of those people. I will try to keep the self referential "what have I become" posts to a minimum here, but I cannot escape the fact that I am sitting in a Hollywood coffee shop, next to a guy carrying around a stand-up bass and a skateboard, a 50 year old woman with a yoga mat and a yogurt cup, and copiously tattooed barristas who could not try harder to remind you that they DO NOT like boys. I am sitting with this tragically chic ensemble, and I am blogging. The film of self loathing will eventually wear off, but one wonders if that is a good thing...

I could not be happier that I see Coraline stuff everywhere. I am a bit nervous, as Stardust ads also dominated the cityscape when it was coming out. The difference here, I think, is that the Coraline ads actually seem to represent the story very well, whereas if you went solely off the Stardust billboards, you probably were expecting a story about a girl, a witch, and a Robert DeNiro in some sort of sky-drama that unfolded to reveal a young, dashing hero coming in to save the day. Which, you know, may have been an interesting story but had very little to do with either the book or the movie. It was almost its own permutation, this odd little movie in posters and 30 second clips. At any rate, they are doing a much better job with Coraline. Here's a great trailer, and another fun little thingummy to whet the appetite, should you not be excited enough.

I have set next week as my first submission week. I will be taking the first short story, Ranchero, and packing into little envelopes with little cover letters and sending it off to various publications, hoping that they will in turn ask to pay me to be the only people allowed to show it off. Chances are slim on this first run, and I am terrified. I am currently reading everything I can about how to get things published and how to navigate that world. I have no idea what I am doing and can only hope that it isn't nearly as complicated as I am making it out to be. I have, by accident, become one of those people who is trying to do something completely outside the realm of their expertise. I equate it to people who decide they want to become actors without going through any of the proper channels of learning technique, business sense, or skill building exercises. I am ignorant in this new world and, as such, feel like I should educate myself as quickly and thoroughly as possible. So, if you know of a good "Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing and Being a Legitimate Contributor to the World of Literature" book, let me know about it. I can't afford go back to school yet, so self education will have to suffice. A workshop would possibly do, but I think one needs to build a little body of work before they allow admission into one of those. At any rate, fun times. Scary. Let me know if you would like to read it. I am always looking for criticism.

I have also decided to keep most of my personal life stuff out of the blog. This is not because I am uncomfortable sharing, nor is it for fear of saying something that will later be referenced in the most inopportune moment to say , "Ha! See? This was said here and so you are now beholden to your idiotic admission." (Although the latter is a bone-chilling thought). I think the truth of it is, some of you reading the blog know what is going on anyway, which would then be redundant and boring, and some of you may be involved with said personal life stuff, and reading about yourself on a blog can be cruel and impersonal. Blech. No, not somewhere I wish to tread. So, unless there are major developments, don't expect to see a lot of that stuff.

So then, goals for next week:

Finally, FINALLY finish the business plan for LFM and get back to being excited about it.

Continue to blog Mon. and Fri., despite overwhelming urge to feel ridiculous about it.

Send out 5 submissions to Short Story publications.

Sleep like a regular person.

More on that last bit later, I think. I have rambled on here enough for one day. Maybe I will do a little sharing next week. I have to talk to another involved party, but it may be fun to show off a bit, and it may rekindle a little fire I had going. In fact, let's go ahead and say that one way or another, there will be a surprise on Monday's blog. So, point your friends this way. Unless your friends are my friends, in which case they may already be here. Either way, it'll be nice to see you.