Sheldon L'Henaff's Blog, page 2

This Is The Day

 

     Well it looks like I already ruined one New Year's resolution. I had promised myself that I would keep with the blog as much as possible during 2012,that I would make sure I could keep everyone posted on dispatches from the mind of the writer who pontificates on queer love in the age of sex, drugs, and techno. 

     Unfortunately, this was not the case.

     After a summer reprint and re-release of The Heart's Filthy Lesson, I had two pressing manuscripts that demanded my full attention. The first one was the romantic comedy that like a lawnmower had sputtered since last summer. And while I had 100 pages down to a science and conjuring up some of the more obvious dating faux pas of my past dating misadventures, it was the easier manuscript of the two that needed some tlc. The other manuscript, Drowned World's sequel. (which I'd like to point out is in first draft complete, however needs a little more meat on the bones).

      Despite the romantic comedy being a start/stop affair, some progress was made at my usual writing studio (I have now declared my Edmonton Starbucks the location to be he source of my card-carrying caffeine addiction), while new story ideas fused together my love for music, coffee and guys (!). While summer was not necessarily a write off personally, (the biggest highlight was finally making my DJ debut at the Connect Festival in Saskatchewan), I was itching to make it back to Montreal for the annual October personal pilgrimage called Black and Blue.

      The holiday in itself was a really productive time. Montreal as always created the canvas for me to work on the next new story ideas, and helped me cultivate new ideas for the Montreal manuscript I had so diligently worked on every time I had commuted east for work. Coming back this time was especially hard, taking into consideration that my heart was beginning to tug me back there every time I had landed back at Edmonton International.

      Work on the romantic comedy resumed once back home, with plans in the back of my mind to finally begin a permanent relocation back to Montreal. From a creative standpoint as well as a professional standpoint, I knew where my future lay. It was exciting as well as nerve wracking. Leaving behind the city that you've called home for over 10 years is not an easy thing to do, keeping in mind that said history with city is as varied and colorful as the stories you work on.

     Fast-forward to December and real life had begun to intrude. This had resulted in a lot of changes which recently have required me to rethink everything. From where I want to be as an author, to what I want to do with my life. suddenly some of the goals which I never thought were close to being tangible have now become that much closer to accomplishing. One thing is certain, letting go is hard to do after six years…

      This year has gotten off to a mixed start, however that being said, I ventured to Mexico in January to experience a best friend's important life event, and in turn it helped me to sort out the forward movements that this year is going to bring. This year is a very exciting year ahead. While I can't predict a novel along the way for this year, I can tell you that the ideas that are created are going to be well worth the wait, I promise.

Cheers…

A Design For Life – 05.28.11

       For those of you who follow this blog, and also for those who know me, I usually like to wait until something pertinent for me to say comes along before I actually post it up. And while sometimes I think I have something I want to share, I usually end up not sharing it in the end anyhow. However with the soon to be released The Heart's Filthy Lesson coming out this summer, I figured it was time to post something up considering it had been awhile.

       During the time I wrote the latest novel, I had for the sake of research done a little delving into the Manic Street Preachers. Those of you that know me that during the whole Britpop era that rippled across the Atlantic, I managed to wholeheartedly embrace Oasis, Suede, The Verve and to a lesser degree Blur. I knew of the Manics however really didn't listen to them as religiously as all of the above. And despite knowing about Everything Must Go, their sonic triumph from the brink of implosion in 1996, the further stirrings of underground dance would cause me to plance the Manics on the backburner.

     Fast forward to 2004, and I finally decided to pick up This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours. While my primary motive for picking up the CD was solely for the amazing song "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next", it wasn't until I actually listened to the remainder of the CD that it forced me to delve a little deeper into the history of one ofEngland's hardest working groups. One of the pieces of band history that signposted the end of an era, was the disappearance of their guitarist and chief lyricist Richey Edwards.

    One of the things I regret while writing The Heart's Filthy Lesson, was not getting an opportunity to listen to The Holy Bible, one of Richey's final lyrical testaments before his disappearance. Some of the inspiration for Dutch, one of THFL's pivotal characters, was Richey and his infamous disappearance in 1995. When I finished writing and started researching a little more on Richey's vanishing act, it also lead me to the other bookend of an album called Everything Must Go. The two albums are vastly different, however are accurate representations of where the band were sonically, as well as emotionally.

      For me The Heart's Filthy Lesson was a book that was written while I was in a state of personal continual flux. Most of that flux was positive, but at the same time also made me realize a few things, which in turn produced this novel. Even though the first draft of the next Drowned World novel is finished, there are still more things I need to tie together…one of my goals this summer if to finally get a website up and running, which will continue to evolve, much like my writing.

     To the next chapter…

13. An Easier Affair 10.14.10

I just got back from Montreal yesterday and I can definitely say that there's nothing like a week away from your home to make you feel relaxed. It also pointed out to me how complacent I've become with my blog so I thought that it was time to put a new one up.

 The Heart's Filthy Lesson is right now sitting at the editors and before I had left to Montreal I had decided this summer I would begin to attempt to write a gay romantic/comedy that would revolve around one thirty-something gay boy and 4 other men that would add some humor to what would appear to be a story about one person's self acceptance and quest for love. (Okay yes admittedly I'd read Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love). The good news is that work is moving slowly but surely on the first draft which upon writing has actually made me sit back and reflect on my dating life, especially when it comes to one of the characters in the novel called Knockoff (and that's all you get in the meantime…)

Drowned World has still gotten a lot of positive attention as my debut novel. And that still means worlds to me as I prepare yet another novel for publication. I've been asked by some people why I haven't put this one together as Drowned World's sequel. Part of the reason is after looking at the first draft of the manuscript for the first time last summer, changes in the storyline as well as more character development was needed, especially because this would be an indirect link to the third book. Drowned World's sequel also needs some geographic research, so hoping that I make it back to Toronto for more than just thirty minutes or three hours at a time (merci, Air Canada). When this is complete the second draft will be worked on and finally Drowned World's sequel will see the light of day…

(However I can also tell you that the third book in the series is two-thirds finished in a first draft format, so once the sequel is done the plans are to get this out as soon as possible…don't tell me you've been wondering about how Scott and Ryan have been doing all this time…)

The time in Montreal also made me think on some recent events that's been going on in the States as of late. Tyler Clementi jumped off a bridge because his roommate had the bright idea to webcam him having sex with another man in his dorm. Not only this was an invasion of privacy, but also had outed Tyler to the world as gay. It was heartbreaking because within the time stretch of that week there was a whole rash of suicides by kids who had been bullied or harassed for being gay or labeled as gay. I know there are tons of kids/teen suicides that always go unreported or unheard. But this has to stop. There's much more work needed to be done when it comes to letting people know that it's okay to be gay. God loves you and created you and he does not create throwaways…

 I'm especially thankful for the love and support my friends and family gave me when at nineteen I had made the decision to come out. It was not easy, but in the end it was the best thing I could do for myself…

  At this point I do have to give credit where credit is due. If you've been following my blog you know how much disdain I have for Perez Hilton. However in media reports he has stated that he will be giving up his bullying ways…and that in itself means something.

 "An Easier Affair " is a song that was released by George Michael on his Twenty- Five compilation in 2006. The song itself is a snpshot of his complete musical career  to date. More importantly the song focuses on being yourself and not taking shit from anyone. The most important part of the song includes the lyric that I think everybody should, and I personally identify with located at the end and is my closing piece of encouragement to anyone who is reading this.

"…don't let them tell you who you are is not enough…."

The Truth About Us 8.19.10

Any good artist should be able to push the boundaries in their respective craft, no matter what they do if they have the passion for it. If it wasn't for that determination we wouldn't have the many expressions or interpretations that exist today. 

I wrote Drowned World because I knew that it was an important story to tell. Despite that fact that the first draft took me a whole eight years, another year to finish the second draft, I knew that despite how long it took that the story would be...

11. Splitting The Atom 7.29.10

 This blog is a little late however I guess better late then never.

 It's been just over a year since Drowned World had officially went live and was finally released to the world. In that year a whole lot has changed. Some of those things include the following:

 I developed a newfound respect and admiration for Chuck Klosterman: Klosterman is a phenomenal author and whether its describing snorting cocaine in a graveyard in Killing Yourself To Live, to demystifying romantic comedies in Sex...

On To The Next One

This blog will probably be a whole string of thoughts compared to my normal blogs that I write. Normally when I write a blog I like to focus on one subject and run with it from there. However, there's a few things on my mind that I would love to get down in blog space that just wouldn't seem to completely fit on its own. 

First of all, I want to take the time to thank and congratulate Ricky Martin for making the decision to come out of the closet. I know that the climate in 2000 was probably n...

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

I'm disappointed that I was unable to see the Walterdale Playhouse's stage production of Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing this past month. For those of you who have never heard of the play. Beautiful Thing is the story of two London teenagers who live on a council estate. Sensitive Jamie, whose mother works everyday to make ends meet for her and her son. Ste, whose father and brother regularly beat him. One night changes everything for both of them as Ste finds refuge in Jamie's flat, only t...

Us Remains Impossible

I love Matthew Good. There now I've said it. I'm probably one of a handful of gay guys in North America that likes Mr. Good. And this wasn't always the case… the listening relationship I have with Matthew Good only came into it's own within the past few years.

While I was in university I always remember hearing him over the loudspeakers at Louis (in Saskatoon) cramming in either that last onion ring, or over that last double gin & tonic. I didn't like "Apparitions" at the time, but I loved...

It's funny the things you pick up when you actually take ...

It's funny the things you pick up when you actually take the time to stop and listen to what's around you…

In my previous blog (On A Day Like Today), I explained that I had made the very brave (at least for me) decision to shed my Ipod headphones while I was in Montreal and try listening to the world around me. One of the biggest ulterior motives to this was also to start picking up French, as eventually the plan is to buff my French up for fluency and one of my future literary ideas that I am sl

Drowned World

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It's funny how you remember all of the events that happen in life that surround your own personal events…

One of the things that I'm sure everyone will be asking everyone else will be where were you when Michael Jackson died? It pretty much runs along the same lines of when the twin towers were hit, or when John F Kennedy was assassinated.

<>June 24th I marked the 32nd birthday with my mother and my younger brother by getting the chance to see Fleetwood Mac. The next day on June 25th, I was in a car</></>