Patrice Sarath's Blog, page 3

Petrichor and Ozone — Live at Gingerbread House Magazine

Quick post to say that my short story “Petrichor and Ozone” is up at Gingerbread House Magazine. This is my second appearance in their stunning, beautifully designed journal. I recommend you all head over there and drink in the beauty.

Artwork : Yuumei, Reclaim Website : https://www.yuumeiart.com/

The Writer Goes to Film School

INT. KITCHEN – DAY

Writer sits down with coffee and laptop, and looks out over an expanse of green. FX Suddenly, an alien ship lands in the backyard.

Ugh. Boring.

Suddenly, a portal opens and a girl on a beautiful horse gallops desperately through, turning to shoot one last arrow at her pursuers as the portal closes behind her.  

I mean, a little on the nose – probably should describe the horse better. Dapple grey, Andalusian, intelligent kind eyes.

Suddenly, a gong sounds, and two martial artists float down out of another portal – come on, we all love portals – and commence dance fighting, their robes flowing around them.

Maybe, but I kind of like the horse one.

Suddenly. Suddenly. Suddenly.

Sometimes things don’t happen suddenly; they unfold over the course of months, or more accurately in my case, over a semester. And it’s been a hell of a semester.

Film Class Statistics

Screenplays written: 3

Films made: 4Films crewed on: 3? 4? 5? I lost track.Screenplays written: 3

But let’s go back to the films made stat.

Y’all. Y’all. I MADE FOUR MOVIES.

This is the part where I was going to say, oh, but they’re not that good, and there are so many mistakes, and I feel like I let the actors down, and I still can’t do sound editing, and color correction defeats me too, and…

No. I MADE FOUR MOVIES

This is the reason I’m doing this. To embrace the technical details of making a movie, understanding how lighting and shot decisions and sound and editing tell a story. To work with cast and crew on a shared mission, and to keep getting better at each part of this.

Lighting Class, or how I learned to pronounce Fresnel

As some of you know, in Fog Season there’s a character named Abel Fresnel, the Harrier (think Pinkerton) detective who is a thorn in Yvienne Mederos’s side. I chose the name Fresnel after a trip to a lighthouse on the California coast, which has a Fresnel lens. I wrote the book in 2017-2018, read from it at multiple book signings and events, and even had people comment on the name, which was specifically chosen because the character sheds light on a mystery.

So then I start intro classes last semester and learn I’ve been pronouncing it wrong this whole time.

For the record, it’s fruh-nel.

I personally think it’s a typically hilarious thing for a book-nerd to do. So, uh, Laura and Jay, thank you for enlightening me (hah!) about how to pronounce my character’s name.

What else I learned:

After never noticing lighting in a movie or TV show ever before, I’ve become pretty fascinated by lighting choices. I am looking forward to getting better at it.Being a gaffer is hard. Being a short person who is also a wee bit older than other people on a typical student film makes it harder. I can still do it.C stands will always baffle and try to hurt me.If I sit with a crate of lighting equipment long enough, read the instructions, and watch YouTube videos, I can put together the components and make it work. I also can just ask questions from more experienced people.“No one knows anything in this business,” William Goldman famously said. No one has all the answers, is my version. As I learned on student films especially, we all have some of the experience and information and somehow everyone brings what they have and it comes together.Film Style Production, or how the old lady got it done

So, this was an … interesting experience. For a variety of reasons, the class never gelled. Not going to go into it, but it was a frustrating semester for all of us. We didn’t shoot a single project for most of the semester, and probably weren’t going to get anything done, until I stepped up.

I realized that instead of learning to use the camera in class I was going to have to take responsibility and learn it on my own. So I reserved a camera and tripod and lenses, and built and shot with it every day for a week on my own. I used it for a film lighting project.

With that experience under my belt, I gained confidence and was able to move forward with other projects.

Casting. Instead of waiting on our instructor to help me find actors, I cast my two-person shoot myself, using other resources.Reserved equipment. I reserved the equipment, reserved the studio, and moved everything forward.Shoot day. Despite being a bundle of nerves, I shot my project in one morning.

That process broke the logjam. Too many details, but my classmates and I completed our projects. We also did a final project for the class, shooting an ambitious film from my screenplay over a weekend.

This is where I discovered my inner producer and assistant director. I managed the following and delegated the rest:

Casting.Crew assignments.Equipment.Props.Location scouting. (The director of photography was instrumental in both props and locations as well.)Shooting schedule and call sheets.

It was an amazing weekend. When the film is out of editing – as of this writing that will probably be the final week of May – I’ll make sure to post it. Excellent performances and a great team experience.

I didn’t expect to learn as much as I did, but I’m glad I stepped up. Otherwise, it would have been a disappointing semester for all of us. I’m most proud of taking charge of my own education.

What’s coming up

2019 was the year of the short story. 2022 is the summer of projects.

My latest novel goes out on submission this summer. It’s ambitious and personal and possibly the best thing I’ve ever written. The novel is with my agent and out of my hands. Knowing how to cede control – it’s a hard thing to learn, but it’s essential.

Petrichor and Ozone, a short from my 2019 story challenge, will appear in The Gingerbread House literary magazine at the end of June. You should go and read Gingerbread House now – it’s a lush and glorious magazine and I’m so proud Petrichor and Ozone will be part of it.

Theo Ballinchard and the Oranges of Possibility sold to ParSec last year; not sure of pub date but I will let you know as soon as I do.

New novel project. It’s been simmering for a long time, and I’m pretty sure this novel is going to take a long time to write. But that’s okay – that’s how long things take for me. I’ve never been a writer who writes a book in six months or a year. I admire those writers. I’m just not one of them.

New screenplay projects. Two, actually. (Well three, but I’m pretty sure that a heist movie without an actual heist plan isn’t ready for project mode.) These are both feature length. To do them right I will need to outline and write a treatment. No cutting steps on these. Surprisingly, not portal stories, although technically that’s what books, movies, and stories are – portals. But that’s another post for another time.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. There’s still so much to come, and the summer of projects awaits.

The post The Writer Goes to Film School first appeared on Patrice Sarath.

The Writer Goes to Film School

INT. KITCHEN – DAY

Writer sits down with coffee and laptop, and looks out over an expanse of green. FX Suddenly, an alien ship lands in the backyard.

Ugh. Boring.

Suddenly, a portal opens and a girl on a beautiful horse gallops desperately through, turning to shoot one last arrow at her pursuers as the portal closes behind her.  

I mean, a little on the nose – probably should describe the horse better. Dapple grey, Andalusian, intelligent kind eyes.

Suddenly, a gong sounds, and two martial artists float down out of another portal – come on, we all love portals – and commence dance fighting, their robes flowing around them.

Maybe, but I kind of like the horse one.

Suddenly. Suddenly. Suddenly.

Sometimes things don’t happen suddenly; they unfold over the course of months, or more accurately in my case, over a semester. And it’s been a hell of a semester.

Film Class Statistics

Screenplays written: 3

Films made: 4Films crewed on: 3? 4? 5? I lost track.Screenplays written: 3

But let’s go back to the films made stat.

Y’all. Y’all. I MADE FOUR MOVIES.

This is the part where I was going to say, oh, but they’re not that good, and there are so many mistakes, and I feel like I let the actors down, and I still can’t do sound editing, and color correction defeats me too, and…

No. I MADE FOUR MOVIES

This is the reason I’m doing this. To embrace the technical details of making a movie, understanding how lighting and shot decisions and sound and editing tell a story. To work with cast and crew on a shared mission, and to keep getting better at each part of this.

Lighting Class, or how I learned to pronounce Fresnel

As some of you know, in Fog Season there’s a character named Abel Fresnel, the Harrier (think Pinkerton) detective who is a thorn in Yvienne Mederos’s side. I chose the name Fresnel after a trip to a lighthouse on the California coast, which has a Fresnel lens. I wrote the book in 2017-2018, read from it at multiple book signings and events, and even had people comment on the name, which was specifically chosen because the character sheds light on a mystery.

So then I start intro classes last semester and learn I’ve been pronouncing it wrong this whole time.

For the record, it’s fruh-nel.

I personally think it’s a typically hilarious thing for a book-nerd to do. So, uh, Laura and Jay, thank you for enlightening me (hah!) about how to pronounce my character’s name.

What else I learned:

After never noticing lighting in a movie or TV show ever before, I’ve become pretty fascinated by lighting choices. I am looking forward to getting better at it.Being a gaffer is hard. Being a short person who is also a wee bit older than other people on a typical student film makes it harder. I can still do it.C stands will always baffle and try to hurt me.If I sit with a crate of lighting equipment long enough, read the instructions, and watch YouTube videos, I can put together the components and make it work. I also can just ask questions from more experienced people.“No one knows anything in this business,” William Goldman famously said. No one has all the answers, is my version. As I learned on student films especially, we all have some of the experience and information and somehow everyone brings what they have and it comes together.Film Style Production, or how the old lady got it done

So, this was an … interesting experience. For a variety of reasons, the class never gelled. Not going to go into it, but it was a frustrating semester for all of us. We didn’t shoot a single project for most of the semester, and probably weren’t going to get anything done, until I stepped up.

I realized that instead of learning to use the camera in class I was going to have to take responsibility and learn it on my own. So I reserved a camera and tripod and lenses, and built and shot with it every day for a week on my own. I used it for a film lighting project.

With that experience under my belt, I gained confidence and was able to move forward with other projects.

Casting. Instead of waiting on our instructor to help me find actors, I cast my two-person shoot myself, using other resources.Reserved equipment. I reserved the equipment, reserved the studio, and moved everything forward.Shoot day. Despite being a bundle of nerves, I shot my project in one morning.

That process broke the logjam. Too many details, but my classmates and I completed our projects. We also did a final project for the class, shooting an ambitious film from my screenplay over a weekend.

This is where I discovered my inner producer and assistant director. I managed the following and delegated the rest:

Casting.Crew assignments.Equipment.Props.Location scouting. (The director of photography was instrumental in both props and locations as well.)Shooting schedule and call sheets.

It was an amazing weekend. When the film is out of editing – as of this writing that will probably be the final week of May – I’ll make sure to post it. Excellent performances and a great team experience.

I didn’t expect to learn as much as I did, but I’m glad I stepped up. Otherwise, it would have been a disappointing semester for all of us. I’m most proud of taking charge of my own education.

What’s coming up

2019 was the year of the short story. 2022 is the summer of projects.

My latest novel goes out on submission this summer. It’s ambitious and personal and possibly the best thing I’ve ever written. The novel is with my agent and out of my hands. Knowing how to cede control – it’s a hard thing to learn, but it’s essential.

Petrichor and Ozone, a short from my 2019 story challenge, will appear in The Gingerbread House literary magazine at the end of June. You should go and read Gingerbread House now – it’s a lush and glorious magazine and I’m so proud Petrichor and Ozone will be part of it.

Theo Ballinchard and the Oranges of Possibility sold to ParSec last year; not sure of pub date but I will let you know as soon as I do.

New novel project. It’s been simmering for a long time, and I’m pretty sure this novel is going to take a long time to write. But that’s okay – that’s how long things take for me. I’ve never been a writer who writes a book in six months or a year. I admire those writers. I’m just not one of them.

New screenplay projects. Two, actually. (Well three, but I’m pretty sure that a heist movie without an actual heist plan isn’t ready for project mode.) These are both feature length. To do them right I will need to outline and write a treatment. No cutting steps on these. Surprisingly, not portal stories, although technically that’s what books, movies, and stories are – portals. But that’s another post for another time.

If you’ve read this far, thank you. There’s still so much to come, and the summer of projects awaits.

Master Classes for Professional Writers

Look up writing classes and workshops on the Internet, and you’ll come away with a plethora of options for beginning novelists. Outline Your Novel in 10 Days! How to Write a Novel. What A Writer Needs to Know. It would almost seem as if once a writer has experience and sales, there’s nothing more for them to learn.

Far from it. In other creative arts, professionals continue to hone their skills. Most notably, actors continue studying with acting instructors. Opera singers continue to take master classes. So why not writers?

As a professional writer, I respect my craft and want to continue to improve. To that end, I’m taking film classes, because film is storytelling, and storytelling is what I do. I’ve taken a few workshops, and I continue to look out for other workshops that can help me learn more about being a writer. These aren’t “master classes” per se, because certainly participants come with different levels of experience. They are, however, useful and well worth the hours and (reasonable) fees.

To be clear, I’m not talking about the MasterClass series, in which famous authors like Neil Gaiman and Shonda Rhimes discuss how to write their amazing novels and game-changing television shows. I’ve not taken these classes because I’m past the theoretical stage (although I’m sure I can learn from each of them.) What I’m looking for is, for lack of a better word, blue collar. The nuts and bolts of a different way of lining up words. Exercises that dig into plot, structure, mood, tone, emotion.

I had the opportunity a few years ago to sit in and listen to an Austin Lyric Opera masterclass. The audience all watched, rapt, as the instructor taught University of Texas opera students and professional singers, who were already amazing, get the most out of their emotional and technical performance. It was incredible.

That’s the type of class I’m looking for, for writers.

Here are some of the classes I’ve taken and continue to take:

Short Story Structure

A short story writing class with Hannah Tinti of One Story. This was a weeklong online class that focused on structure, one of my weaknesses. It was useful look at how to build a scaffolding for a story and then flesh it out. I had to work on something that didn’t come easy to me, which is outlining. However, the story that I worked on for the class remains unfinished, several years later. It’s still just a core. Does the model that Tinti taught work for me? I don’t know. I’ve been trying to tell that story for a while, so maybe it’s not anything to do with the class, but with the story itself.

Make Your Fiction Sing: Songwriting Techniques that Carry into Prose

Songwriter and storyteller Sarah Pinsker led this Zoom workshop on using songwriting to enhance prose storytelling. I’ve always admired songwriters, those masters of words and music. This is not poetry, although it’s akin to poetry. We learned rhythm, structure (that word again!), emotional stakes, and more. It was a very useful class, and I think I absorbed a lot from it, although nothing I can specifically point to. No, I take that back. I’ve started to look at different ways to incorporate lyrics in my work and I’ve been going for more emotional stakes with simplicity and structure rather than overwriting emotionally.

Prose Lessons from Screenwriting

Taught by Maureen McHugh, this two-hour workshop was an excellent class for novelists and short story writers. The workshop focused on the connective tissue of scenes, how they can be linked by “and,” “because,” and “but” to drive a story. This is potentially the most useful structural concept for me. How do you get from one place to another in story? Plot is not just one damn thing after another. And Because But is ultimately character driven, which is pertinent to novel writing, because when something happens because something already happened, it is largely because of character. We looked at the first 30 or so pages of Fargo, and it was pretty telling how the Coen Brothers used And Because But to great effect.

Film School

Finally, I’m in film classes right now. Screenwriting, film editing, lighting, and production all combine to help build a storytelling framework. I have learned to write more economically, with an eye on plot and character, and yet without losing setting, emotion, backstory, tone, mood and everything else that makes a novel stand out. I’m learning what makes a story (whether film, book, or short) work.

I’ve still got plenty more to learn as a novelist. I figure I’m in my journeyman (journeyperson?) phase right now, and have been for a while. I keep looking for guides along the way that can help me understand this writing thing and grow as a result. Ultimately, it’s a voyage of discovery, and I’m glad to be on the path.

The post Master Classes for Professional Writers first appeared on Patrice Sarath.

Master Classes for Professional Writers

Look up writing classes and workshops on the Internet, and you’ll come away with a plethora of options for beginning novelists. Outline Your Novel in 10 Days! How to Write a Novel. What A Writer Needs to Know. It would almost seem as if once a writer has experience and sales, there’s nothing more for them to learn.

Far from it. In other creative arts, professionals continue to hone their skills. Most notably, actors continue studying with acting instructors. Opera singers continue to take master classes. So why not writers?

As a professional writer, I respect my craft and want to continue to improve. To that end, I’m taking film classes, because film is storytelling, and storytelling is what I do. I’ve taken a few workshops, and I continue to look out for other workshops that can help me learn more about being a writer. These aren’t “master classes” per se, because certainly participants come with different levels of experience. They are, however, useful and well worth the hours and (reasonable) fees.

To be clear, I’m not talking about the MasterClass series, in which famous authors like Neil Gaiman and Shonda Rhimes discuss how to write their amazing novels and game-changing television shows. I’ve not taken these classes because I’m past the theoretical stage (although I’m sure I can learn from each of them.) What I’m looking for is, for lack of a better word, blue collar. The nuts and bolts of a different way of lining up words. Exercises that dig into plot, structure, mood, tone, emotion.

I had the opportunity a few years ago to sit in and listen to an Austin Lyric Opera masterclass. The audience all watched, rapt, as the instructor taught University of Texas opera students and professional singers, who were already amazing, get the most out of their emotional and technical performance. It was incredible.

That’s the type of class I’m looking for, for writers.

Here are some of the classes I’ve taken and continue to take:

Short Story Structure

A short story writing class with Hannah Tinti of One Story. This was a weeklong online class that focused on structure, one of my weaknesses. It was useful look at how to build a scaffolding for a story and then flesh it out. I had to work on something that didn’t come easy to me, which is outlining. However, the story that I worked on for the class remains unfinished, several years later. It’s still just a core. Does the model that Tinti taught work for me? I don’t know. I’ve been trying to tell that story for a while, so maybe it’s not anything to do with the class, but with the story itself.

Make Your Fiction Sing: Songwriting Techniques that Carry into Prose

Songwriter and storyteller Sarah Pinsker led this Zoom workshop on using songwriting to enhance prose storytelling. I’ve always admired songwriters, those masters of words and music. This is not poetry, although it’s akin to poetry. We learned rhythm, structure (that word again!), emotional stakes, and more. It was a very useful class, and I think I absorbed a lot from it, although nothing I can specifically point to. No, I take that back. I’ve started to look at different ways to incorporate lyrics in my work and I’ve been going for more emotional stakes with simplicity and structure rather than overwriting emotionally.

Prose Lessons from Screenwriting

Taught by Maureen McHugh, this two-hour workshop was an excellent class for novelists and short story writers. The workshop focused on the connective tissue of scenes, how they can be linked by “and,” “because,” and “but” to drive a story. This is potentially the most useful structural concept for me. How do you get from one place to another in story? Plot is not just one damn thing after another. And Because But is ultimately character driven, which is pertinent to novel writing, because when something happens because something already happened, it is largely because of character. We looked at the first 30 or so pages of Fargo, and it was pretty telling how the Coen Brothers used And Because But to great effect.

Film School

Finally, I’m in film classes right now. Screenwriting, film editing, lighting, and production all combine to help build a storytelling framework. I have learned to write more economically, with an eye on plot and character, and yet without losing setting, emotion, backstory, tone, mood and everything else that makes a novel stand out. I’m learning what makes a story (whether film, book, or short) work.

I’ve still got plenty more to learn as a novelist. I figure I’m in my journeyman (journeyperson?) phase right now, and have been for a while. I keep looking for guides along the way that can help me understand this writing thing and grow as a result. Ultimately, it’s a voyage of discovery, and I’m glad to be on the path.

Why We Love Mary Bennet

Hey there! Do you love Mary Bennet from Pride & Prejudice? Then you should read my post for the Jane Austen Centre on why Mary Bennet rocks. Seriously — she’s nerdy, smart, serious, and knows Fordyce’s Sermons by heart.

The Unexpected Miss Bennet, now in audio!

Here’s a snippet of Why We Love Mary Bennet:

Oh, Mary.  

Anyone who has read Pride & Prejudice can be forgiven for thinking those words. Mary is the plain Bennet sister, the one with the fewest prospects. She’s the girl most likely to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. She sings badly, plays the piano poorly, and is vain and affected in her thoughts and motivations. She exposes herself and the family to ridicule. Mr. Bennet makes fun of her. Mrs. Bennet barely thinks about her. The numerous movie adaptations hardly consider her at all.  

So why is Mary Bennet getting something of a makeover, with new novels that focus on the mostly forgotten Bennet sister? 

Take a look and let me know what you think of Mary Bennet, the forgotten Bennet sister.

“The Unexpected Miss Bennet is a delightful continuation of Pride and Prejudice.” — 5 Minutes for Books“Favorite Pride & Prejudice Sequel” — Austenesque Reviews

The post Why We Love Mary Bennet first appeared on Patrice Sarath.

Why We Love Mary Bennet

Hey there! Do you love Mary Bennet from Pride & Prejudice? Then you should read my post for the Jane Austen Centre on why Mary Bennet rocks. Seriously — she’s nerdy, smart, serious, and knows Fordyce’s Sermons by heart.

The Unexpected Miss Bennet, now in audio!

Here’s a snippet of Why We Love Mary Bennet:

Oh, Mary.  

Anyone who has read Pride & Prejudice can be forgiven for thinking those words. Mary is the plain Bennet sister, the one with the fewest prospects. She’s the girl most likely to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. She sings badly, plays the piano poorly, and is vain and affected in her thoughts and motivations. She exposes herself and the family to ridicule. Mr. Bennet makes fun of her. Mrs. Bennet barely thinks about her. The numerous movie adaptations hardly consider her at all.  

So why is Mary Bennet getting something of a makeover, with new novels that focus on the mostly forgotten Bennet sister? 

Take a look and let me know what you think of Mary Bennet, the forgotten Bennet sister.

“The Unexpected Miss Bennet is a delightful continuation of Pride and Prejudice.” — 5 Minutes for Books“Favorite Pride & Prejudice Sequel” — Austenesque Reviews

2021 in the rearview mirror — year end roundup

It has been a year.

Books read: 50 -ish (I could count the ones on my Kindle and my Libby account, but lost track of the hardcovers and paperbacks)Novels sold: 1 (Audio edition, The Unexpected Miss Bennet )Books edited: 1Stories sold: 4Books completed: 1Stories written: 0Screenplays written: 4Films edited: 1 (plus two short scenes)2021 — the gory detailsGot let go.

The year started with a low. The reasons I got let go from work are complex, and were exacerbated by COVID. When the axe fell, it was extremely unfortunate and unfair – but also not unexpected.

I know COVID did a number on all of us. How could it not? We lost people. We lost our normal. Our families and friends were hurting. But there was also an expectation that we were to carry on, no accommodations for the pain. Or at least, that’s the pressure I put on myself. It was so obvious, looking back, that I was cratering (the anti-anxiety meds were probably an indication), but I didn’t know what to do.

I sort of thought that I needed help, but by the time I realized it, it was too late. The wheels were already in motion. Ah well.

Sold four short stories. The first acceptance came when I was sitting in my childhood bedroom, visiting my mom. She had fallen and needed some extra help for a few days, and since I had the time (points up to bullet point), I donned two masks and braved the pre-vaccine airport situation to head out there and be with her. My email pinged one morning, and I got the news that Utopia Science Fiction wanted Joe Fledge’s Jump.

Then I sold “Caro Comes Home,” and then the “Star Seed Witches Meet at Midnight,” and then a glorious acceptance for “Theo Ballinchard and the Oranges of Possibility.”

Wrote several short screenplays, one of which got me to second round in a screenplay challenge. I think I’m going to film that one in my spring semester, which leads to: points down.

Started film school – found out I loved film editing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got lots to learn, but I’m looking forward to learning it.Finished the novel in the beginning of the year. I started this novel in 2019, during the year of my story a week challenge. One story morphed into the beginning of a novel, and I thought, well, if the universe is making my road clear, might as well start walking down it.2020 and 2021 Year of Reading

If 2019 was my short story challenge, 2020 and 2021 were my Year of Reading. I recommitted to my enjoyment of settling in with a good book, or a hard book, or a book I normally wouldn’t read. I fell in love with Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, and I also read Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste. I reread all of the Three Musketeers books by Dumas, and I read Little, by Edward Carey.

I became completely enamored of reading books through my library app. I want to support authors but I can’t buy every book, so I use Libby. Even getting on the waitlist for popular books has become part of the ritual, and the Libby notification is like Christmas — yay! A new book to read!

Reading makes you slow down – I’d forgotten that. I’m carrying that tradition forward into 2022.

2022! I can’t believe that it’s just weeks away. How does that even happen? The entire world lost a year, and here it is, time rushing at us like a freight train, and we’re all just gaping into the light.

Film School

Fall was a hell of a semester. I learned so much. I wrote a screenplay and learned several forms of media writing. Took a thoroughly absorbing class in media that was engaging and interesting. Probably didn’t need to take the class because I should have gotten credit for my work history, but it was educational anyway and I’m glad I took it.

Film editing is my new love. I keep mentioning that. I know. But damn, it just feels right. I have a couple of projects I’m working over the break, focusing on sound and color correction. I’m really proud of the projects I did for the semester, and I’m looking forward to doing even better.

The intro to TV Tech course was fun, and I’m looking forward to applying what I learned to: (points down)

I’m taking two classes in 2022, after learning my lesson this past fall: taking four classes was insane, and I’d like to have a word with the idiot who thought that was a smart idea. Oh, right. Me. So I scaled way back, and next semester I’m taking Film Style Production and Lighting. We did a little bit with lighting in my intro to TV tech class, and I really liked it, so I’m interested in learning more.

And finally:

The plan is to get the new novel to the agent in January and let her do her magic. And once that’s out of my hands, I start brainstorming the next book.

I just read that last graf and laughed at myself. Yeah, anything with the word plan in it is just all fuzzy math and fractals. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m still planning, and still doing the plan, but I’ll try to be kind to myself when things don’t turn out the way I expect.

Here’s to 2022.

Namaste, y’all.  

The post 2021 in the rearview mirror — year end roundup first appeared on Patrice Sarath.

2021 in the rearview mirror — year end roundup

It has been a year.

Books read: 50 -ish (I could count the ones on my Kindle and my Libby account, but lost track of the hardcovers and paperbacks)Novels sold: 1 (Audio edition, The Unexpected Miss Bennet )Books edited: 1Stories sold: 4Books completed: 1Stories written: 0Screenplays written: 4Films edited: 1 (plus two short scenes)2021 — the gory detailsGot let go.

The year started with a low. The reasons I got let go from work are complex, and were exacerbated by COVID. When the axe fell, it was extremely unfortunate and unfair – but also not unexpected.

I know COVID did a number on all of us. How could it not? We lost people. We lost our normal. Our families and friends were hurting. But there was also an expectation that we were to carry on, no accommodations for the pain. Or at least, that’s the pressure I put on myself. It was so obvious, looking back, that I was cratering (the anti-anxiety meds were probably an indication), but I didn’t know what to do.

I sort of thought that I needed help, but by the time I realized it, it was too late. The wheels were already in motion. Ah well.

Sold four short stories. The first acceptance came when I was sitting in my childhood bedroom, visiting my mom. She had fallen and needed some extra help for a few days, and since I had the time (points up to bullet point), I donned two masks and braved the pre-vaccine airport situation to head out there and be with her. My email pinged one morning, and I got the news that Utopia Science Fiction wanted Joe Fledge’s Jump.

Then I sold “Caro Comes Home,” and then the “Star Seed Witches Meet at Midnight,” and then a glorious acceptance for “Theo Ballinchard and the Oranges of Possibility.”

Wrote several short screenplays, one of which got me to second round in a screenplay challenge. I think I’m going to film that one in my spring semester, which leads to: points down.

Started film school – found out I loved film editing. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got lots to learn, but I’m looking forward to learning it.Finished the novel in the beginning of the year. I started this novel in 2019, during the year of my story a week challenge. One story morphed into the beginning of a novel, and I thought, well, if the universe is making my road clear, might as well start walking down it.2020 and 2021 Year of Reading

If 2019 was my short story challenge, 2020 and 2021 were my Year of Reading. I recommitted to my enjoyment of settling in with a good book, or a hard book, or a book I normally wouldn’t read. I fell in love with Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga, and I also read Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste. I reread all of the Three Musketeers books by Dumas, and I read Little, by Edward Carey.

I became completely enamored of reading books through my library app. I want to support authors but I can’t buy every book, so I use Libby. Even getting on the waitlist for popular books has become part of the ritual, and the Libby notification is like Christmas — yay! A new book to read!

Reading makes you slow down – I’d forgotten that. I’m carrying that tradition forward into 2022.

2022! I can’t believe that it’s just weeks away. How does that even happen? The entire world lost a year, and here it is, time rushing at us like a freight train, and we’re all just gaping into the light.

Film School

Fall was a hell of a semester. I learned so much. I wrote a screenplay and learned several forms of media writing. Took a thoroughly absorbing class in media that was engaging and interesting. Probably didn’t need to take the class because I should have gotten credit for my work history, but it was educational anyway and I’m glad I took it.

Film editing is my new love. I keep mentioning that. I know. But damn, it just feels right. I have a couple of projects I’m working over the break, focusing on sound and color correction. I’m really proud of the projects I did for the semester, and I’m looking forward to doing even better.

The intro to TV Tech course was fun, and I’m looking forward to applying what I learned to: (points down)

I’m taking two classes in 2022, after learning my lesson this past fall: taking four classes was insane, and I’d like to have a word with the idiot who thought that was a smart idea. Oh, right. Me. So I scaled way back, and next semester I’m taking Film Style Production and Lighting. We did a little bit with lighting in my intro to TV tech class, and I really liked it, so I’m interested in learning more.

And finally:

The plan is to get the new novel to the agent in January and let her do her magic. And once that’s out of my hands, I start brainstorming the next book.

I just read that last graf and laughed at myself. Yeah, anything with the word plan in it is just all fuzzy math and fractals. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m still planning, and still doing the plan, but I’ll try to be kind to myself when things don’t turn out the way I expect.

Here’s to 2022.

Namaste, y’all.  

ArmadilloCon 2021 Oct-15-17

Theyyyyyyyy’re back.

Yes, after a bye last year, ArmadilloCon, the best little sci-fi convention in Texas, is back. I’m looking forward to seeing my friends and all the fans who make ArmadilloCon the legend it is.

There will be workshops! Panels! BarCon! Gaming! Art! The dealer’s room (my usual downfall).

See you all Oct 15-17.

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