C.B. Calsing's Blog, page 33
January 8, 2011
New Yorker
There's been a lot of controversy this week about the balance of male to female writers. Women appear to be tragically underrepresented by the literary magazine, and some subscribers are returning their editions and requesting refunds or extensions until a more equitable mix is found.
I've never considered myself a New Yorker caliber writer, but last night, over a bowl of mussels and after a vodka and cranberry, I decided I would give it a shot. I thought maybe they'd be in the market for female writers once they see the error of their ways.
I started on the story today. I'm not sure exactly where it will end up, but I think I have a fairly good concept that will fit in with the fiction of the magazine I've read in the past.
My chances are not good. At Duotrope, out of 201 submissions, 0.5 percent have been accepted, so roughly one. I don't see that as awful. Maybe I'll write two hundred stories. They've have to take one of the eventually, or at least the odds would have me believe.
I've never considered myself a New Yorker caliber writer, but last night, over a bowl of mussels and after a vodka and cranberry, I decided I would give it a shot. I thought maybe they'd be in the market for female writers once they see the error of their ways.
I started on the story today. I'm not sure exactly where it will end up, but I think I have a fairly good concept that will fit in with the fiction of the magazine I've read in the past.
My chances are not good. At Duotrope, out of 201 submissions, 0.5 percent have been accepted, so roughly one. I don't see that as awful. Maybe I'll write two hundred stories. They've have to take one of the eventually, or at least the odds would have me believe.
December 31, 2010
Squeeze one more in...
Tonight, I'll go out and eat gumbo with friends. I'll launch bottle rockets in the general direction of Bud Rip's, and I'll drink a cube of mojitos -- that's right.
And of course, I'll have to look back over 2010 with fond nostalgia.
After all, I'll only ever have one first book. There's the chance that I may -- someday -- have a first "New York" published book, but All Along the Pacific will still always be my first. That happened this year. It really happened.
This may seem a little redundant, but some days I still can't believe it. I'm eternally grateful to the people who have worked to make this happen -- my mom who did the illustrations, my thesis team, the staff at Open Heart, my husband for his patience, and anyone who decides my book is good enough to buy.
Thank you everyone for making 2010 one of the best years yet.
And of course, I'll have to look back over 2010 with fond nostalgia.
After all, I'll only ever have one first book. There's the chance that I may -- someday -- have a first "New York" published book, but All Along the Pacific will still always be my first. That happened this year. It really happened.
This may seem a little redundant, but some days I still can't believe it. I'm eternally grateful to the people who have worked to make this happen -- my mom who did the illustrations, my thesis team, the staff at Open Heart, my husband for his patience, and anyone who decides my book is good enough to buy.
Thank you everyone for making 2010 one of the best years yet.
December 29, 2010
The Taro and Bread
I finally pulled the taro up yesterday, after a few frosts had killed off most of the leaves. It certainly didn't get the full time in the soil that it should have, but I did get plenty of tubers to use. Half of the harvest I sliced up and put in the food dehydrator as a first step toward flour. I probably should have done a little research first. Seems it would have been better to make poi first and then dehydrate it, which in hindsight makes a lot of sense. Boiling it first would get a lot of excess starch out of it which might affect the bread consistency afterward. I'll try that next time.
I still have a bag full of taro tubers in the fridge as well. For, I'd say $0.99 worth of investment -- and some time -- I've got quite a bit of stuff to work with.
I've also got bread starter going right now, and have been baking everyday for three days straight. So far, the sponge method is working best. A cup of starter is mixed with a cup of flour and water and left to sit over night. In the morning, I make my dough by adding enough flour to get to the right consistency. That sits until it rises enough, then I bake it in a dutch oven. Today's bread is a take on brown bread. I added brown sugar, molasses, and corn flour, along with my regular white flour and whole wheat flour. We'll see how it comes out.
I still have a bag full of taro tubers in the fridge as well. For, I'd say $0.99 worth of investment -- and some time -- I've got quite a bit of stuff to work with.
I've also got bread starter going right now, and have been baking everyday for three days straight. So far, the sponge method is working best. A cup of starter is mixed with a cup of flour and water and left to sit over night. In the morning, I make my dough by adding enough flour to get to the right consistency. That sits until it rises enough, then I bake it in a dutch oven. Today's bread is a take on brown bread. I added brown sugar, molasses, and corn flour, along with my regular white flour and whole wheat flour. We'll see how it comes out.
December 13, 2010
Today is My Birthday
Today I turn thirty-three years old. Eleven days ago my first book released. Here are some comparisons (first novel year minus birthday year, according to Wikipedia):
Stephanie Meyers 28
Anne Rice 35
John Steinbeck 27
China Mieville 26
Gabriel Garcia Marquez 35
Jane Austen 36
Those average to about 31.2, so I guess I was a little later than average, but still on a fine schedule if I can keep my workload up over the next few years.
This week, I wrote a speculative fiction story for an anthology. It had to be set in the 1920s, but include paranormal, science fiction, or horror elements. I went the sci fi route. I'm afraid it's lacking something -- a more dynamic meeting with the red herring, perhaps. A gun fight in an alley... I don't know, but as it is, I'm only 500 words from the limit on the anth, so I don't think I have much room to add anything.
I know I'm supposed to be starting back on Magpie, but that's going to wait until the New Year. I'd like to get a few more short stories out for anthologies next year. Maybe write one more before the end of the year. I'm also figuring that I should focuse more on literary fiction, so those anthology readers would buy my book. Sci fi fans may not want historic fiction, but people who read literary fiction would, possibly.
Stephanie Meyers 28
Anne Rice 35
John Steinbeck 27
China Mieville 26
Gabriel Garcia Marquez 35
Jane Austen 36
Those average to about 31.2, so I guess I was a little later than average, but still on a fine schedule if I can keep my workload up over the next few years.
This week, I wrote a speculative fiction story for an anthology. It had to be set in the 1920s, but include paranormal, science fiction, or horror elements. I went the sci fi route. I'm afraid it's lacking something -- a more dynamic meeting with the red herring, perhaps. A gun fight in an alley... I don't know, but as it is, I'm only 500 words from the limit on the anth, so I don't think I have much room to add anything.
I know I'm supposed to be starting back on Magpie, but that's going to wait until the New Year. I'd like to get a few more short stories out for anthologies next year. Maybe write one more before the end of the year. I'm also figuring that I should focuse more on literary fiction, so those anthology readers would buy my book. Sci fi fans may not want historic fiction, but people who read literary fiction would, possibly.
December 6, 2010
Christmas Tree
I put up our Christmas tree yesterday while the Buccaneers played against the Falcons... I bet you know who I was cheering for in that match-up.
We are starting on year two with living in half the house, so again we have a small tree, a white tinsel number, that sits on top of the Brunswick .78 player that belonged to my great grandmother. That means no listening to Bessie Smith for the interim. We are putting up only gold and white ornaments, hoping to make up for the sorry $20 Big Lots tree with the sheer decadence of the decorations. My ornament for this year was an air ship. It's silver, but I put it up anyway.
My birthday is in a month: thirty-three years old. I like double numbers. I'm one of those people that makes a wish at 11:11, so it seems like a nice year. To celebrate, I got tickets for the Tales of the Cocktail holiday event, Tales of the Toddy. We went to this last year, and it was awesome. This year may even be better because it is in the Monteleone, which I love.
We are starting on year two with living in half the house, so again we have a small tree, a white tinsel number, that sits on top of the Brunswick .78 player that belonged to my great grandmother. That means no listening to Bessie Smith for the interim. We are putting up only gold and white ornaments, hoping to make up for the sorry $20 Big Lots tree with the sheer decadence of the decorations. My ornament for this year was an air ship. It's silver, but I put it up anyway.
My birthday is in a month: thirty-three years old. I like double numbers. I'm one of those people that makes a wish at 11:11, so it seems like a nice year. To celebrate, I got tickets for the Tales of the Cocktail holiday event, Tales of the Toddy. We went to this last year, and it was awesome. This year may even be better because it is in the Monteleone, which I love.
December 2, 2010
All Along the Pacific Released!
All Along the Pacific, my collection of historic fiction, is now for sale at shop.debrincase.com.It went on sale last night. Please help me make it one of the best-selling books from Open Heart ever by placing your order now!
This book spans California history from about 1850 to 2005. The stories are loosely based on real events, with nuggets of truth burred in sometimes strange and wacky tales.
Thanks for your support and happy holidays!
November 27, 2010
Finished!
I finished my first "serious" screenplay, and I'm basically sick to my stomach at the thought of sending it to someone who actually knows something about the business. Now that it is done, I can tell you I will definitely be taking a break before starting back on Magpie, which I talked about a few posts ago.
All Along the Pacific is just waiting on an ISBN, by the way, so it should be out soon.
All Along the Pacific is just waiting on an ISBN, by the way, so it should be out soon.
November 21, 2010
A fortuitous sighting
This morning, I stood in the back yard and watched black vultures circle over head. My husband immediately speculated as to where the "corpse" was. Watching vultures may seem odd, but I love them. When I took natural history at Cuesta Community College, I watched the turkey vultures and kept a detailed account of their behaviors. When I moved to Louisiana, the vultures' black heads fascinated me and made them seem all the more ominous.
Vultures have two names for the groups they gather in depending on their behavior. Just a group is a venue; if they circle -- I presume over a carcass -- then they become a kettle. I find that exceedingly interesting, that animal behaviorists or zoologists or whomever came up with these terms thought it necessary to give the groups two separate names. Are there any other animal group that have different terms based on what they are doing? I don't know.
All of this links back to writing because vultures figure into the first few pages of All Along the Pacific. If you look for them, you'll see them there, circling over the brown hills of the Salinas Valley.
By the way, that book should be out any day now. I'll keep you all posted.
And just for fun, if you sear "vultures" at Amazon, here's the first thing that comes up:
A Star Wars toy.
Vultures have two names for the groups they gather in depending on their behavior. Just a group is a venue; if they circle -- I presume over a carcass -- then they become a kettle. I find that exceedingly interesting, that animal behaviorists or zoologists or whomever came up with these terms thought it necessary to give the groups two separate names. Are there any other animal group that have different terms based on what they are doing? I don't know.
All of this links back to writing because vultures figure into the first few pages of All Along the Pacific. If you look for them, you'll see them there, circling over the brown hills of the Salinas Valley.
By the way, that book should be out any day now. I'll keep you all posted.
And just for fun, if you sear "vultures" at Amazon, here's the first thing that comes up:
A Star Wars toy.
November 12, 2010
November...
I'm so lucky to get an entire week off for Thanksgiving. I'm going to need it. I've procrastinated enough with the revisions of the screenplay. In a little over a week's time, I'll sit down and do it. No matter what. I swear I will. I have all the notes done. I know what needs changing, and I will do it.
In the meantime, I've had something of a revelation as far as deciding what my next project will be. We had a visiting author at my school, Kimberly Willis Holt. She wrote When Zachary Beaver Came to Town and My Louisiana Sky. She said that when she first started writing, she decided she wanted to write like an author she had admired in middle school.
I started thinking about that. Then I decided maybe, in order to get back into the swing of things, I should try to write a story more like those I admire. The three books that I read over and over again are Frank Herbert's Dune, John Steinbeck's East of Eden, and -- probably most surprising -- Nick Cave's And the Ass Saw the Angel. I see the similarities between the first two -- broad, sweeping, generational epics about man carving out his niche in a universe... But the third. Then I realized what it is that always draws me back to that work: the language and the voice. It is an ugly, dirty, gritty story full of pestilence and violence and decadence in the H.P. Lovecraft sense of the word, but it captivates me. Of course, Nick Cave is primarily a song writer, which is why his language is so beautiful, even if his plot is not.
After a talk with my husband -- he's not all unicorns and rainbows when it comes to my writing; he does take it seriously -- we decided I had a voice, but it might make sense to cultivate it a little more. So my next project, pushing all else aside, is going to be finishing Magpie. This was a novella I started my last semester of workshop. It's about a slightly crazy daughter of a moonshiner who kills the preacher's son when he tries to rape her, but no one knows what happened to him. Yes, I listened to "Crow Jane" over and over as I worked on the first two sections. Well, once the screenplay's finished, I'm going to head back to those, rewrite the first two sections, and then finish the story. I think it might be good for me, since Magpie is the only character that has ever gotten away from me.
In the meantime, I've had something of a revelation as far as deciding what my next project will be. We had a visiting author at my school, Kimberly Willis Holt. She wrote When Zachary Beaver Came to Town and My Louisiana Sky. She said that when she first started writing, she decided she wanted to write like an author she had admired in middle school.
I started thinking about that. Then I decided maybe, in order to get back into the swing of things, I should try to write a story more like those I admire. The three books that I read over and over again are Frank Herbert's Dune, John Steinbeck's East of Eden, and -- probably most surprising -- Nick Cave's And the Ass Saw the Angel. I see the similarities between the first two -- broad, sweeping, generational epics about man carving out his niche in a universe... But the third. Then I realized what it is that always draws me back to that work: the language and the voice. It is an ugly, dirty, gritty story full of pestilence and violence and decadence in the H.P. Lovecraft sense of the word, but it captivates me. Of course, Nick Cave is primarily a song writer, which is why his language is so beautiful, even if his plot is not.
After a talk with my husband -- he's not all unicorns and rainbows when it comes to my writing; he does take it seriously -- we decided I had a voice, but it might make sense to cultivate it a little more. So my next project, pushing all else aside, is going to be finishing Magpie. This was a novella I started my last semester of workshop. It's about a slightly crazy daughter of a moonshiner who kills the preacher's son when he tries to rape her, but no one knows what happened to him. Yes, I listened to "Crow Jane" over and over as I worked on the first two sections. Well, once the screenplay's finished, I'm going to head back to those, rewrite the first two sections, and then finish the story. I think it might be good for me, since Magpie is the only character that has ever gotten away from me.
November 7, 2010
We are in crisis
Today is a Saints game. For all intents and purposes, it should be an easy game. We should trample the Panthers and come home with a better record from Carolina than we arrived with.
We have one issue however.
I have neither enough vodka for bloody marys, nor do I have the requisite Lays with ridges and French onion dip which are required to ensure a Saints' win. Mock me will you? This is a tried and true recipe for success. The day we went to the game -- the Browns -- we did not win because we had no chips and dip. We ate nachos at the Dome, but that is not the same thing. Another loss, we'd bought the store-brand chips. See? Believe me now?
Of course, this means I'm going to have to go out before the game to two separate stores to get the required elements for a Saints' victory. I don't want to leave the house, but I'm going to do it for the team.
Geaux Saints!
(I'm glad the Hornets aren't as picky with their rituals. They seem to be winning no matter what I do.)
We have one issue however.
I have neither enough vodka for bloody marys, nor do I have the requisite Lays with ridges and French onion dip which are required to ensure a Saints' win. Mock me will you? This is a tried and true recipe for success. The day we went to the game -- the Browns -- we did not win because we had no chips and dip. We ate nachos at the Dome, but that is not the same thing. Another loss, we'd bought the store-brand chips. See? Believe me now?
Of course, this means I'm going to have to go out before the game to two separate stores to get the required elements for a Saints' victory. I don't want to leave the house, but I'm going to do it for the team.
Geaux Saints!
(I'm glad the Hornets aren't as picky with their rituals. They seem to be winning no matter what I do.)
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