Cesar Torres's Blog, page 16

Author Q&A In The Skype Ultraworld Today

My friend Beau, who teaches 7th and 8th grade, is discussing my stories "The Broken Chest" and "Red Light and Shadow" this week with his students.

Today at around Noon, I will answer questions live, via Skype for them. I'm so thrilled. Here's a sampling of their questions:

THE BROKEN CHEST

Who, or what, was the Sphinxe? Does it really matter or was it just a way to pull the reader into the story then switch directions?
Does the Sphinxe matter to the ultimate story, which isn't really about the Sphinxe at all?
Does the time/place/era of the story matter to the story you were trying to tell?
What inspired this story?

In this story science and magic combine. Do you only write in the sci-­?fi/fantasy
genre?

 

RED LIGHT AND SHADOW 

Is this story an allegory for climate change, or was climate change a common knowledge concept that you could use to tell the story through the tree's perspective?
Were the shadows meant to represent anything? A real environmental threat or an allegory to mythical/fictional creature?
Is there a hidden meaning beyond the implications towards global warming and environmental change?
How challenging is it to combine the flow of poetry with a prose story line?
Is the tree representative of people and their own mortality?
Why don't trees have souls?

Tracking My Queries to Agents Using Highrise

 

 

Querying is not a simple task, and it's not gentle on the writer's ego. To query properly, you read up on an agent, you figure out the submissions guidelines for that agency, you customize your letter to said agent, and you send out a brief letter that is meant to represent all the hard work you have put into your manuscript over several years.

When the rejection letters begin to stack up, I do not freak out.

Our manuscripts are meant to be rejected. There's nothing new about this. I generally feel better the longer the stack of rejection letters gets. Rejection means I am putting in my time, doing good work, even if an agent hasn't loved one of my manuscripts yet. Eventually an agent will pick up interests in my novels, and constant querying is the way I will make this happen.

In order to track who I have been querying and how often, I have previously used two well-loved tools. I have updated spreadsheets in Google Docs, marking columns for dates sent, name of agent, response, and whether I can (or should requery) at a later point. I also combined this spreadsheet with Gmail filters, so that responses from agents are routed to special folders labeled according to each novel I'm querying for. Incidentally, I have two novels to sell.

I have used this combo of spreadsheets and filters for about two years.

However, checking these folders can be a bit cumbersome, especially when you consider that I also have to keep a separate address book to track agencies street addresses, agents' Twitter accounts and more.

We are living in the age of automation, Gentle Readers. I looked around a few weeks ago, and I realized I was spending too much time tracking queries this way. The automation of software is here to help!

I signed up for a basic account for Highrise from 37 signals. A lot of companies use this customer relationship management application to keep track of sales and to integrate deals. I have used Basecamp extensively in my dayjobbery, and I decided to try it out.

Guess what? It does what I need it to do. I may post at length about this later on, but just check it out:

When I write a query, all I need to do now is cc the inbox that Highrise creates for me so that it begins to track the correspondence I have with a literary agent.
If I send a Word doc or PDF as an attachment, Highrise catalogues that file so I can see exactly what version of any manuscript I have sent
I have a very easy way to mark a deal as pending or awarded. The day I click that box for being represented by an agent, I'm going to tear my shirt off and run out into the street shouting.
I can keep a very clean and easily implemented list of agents, publishers and other literary contacts. This is key. I do not want to integrate this address book with my personal or work address book, so the ability to put this agenting address book in one place is key.

I am not sure if the 37 Signals team ever intended to have their product be used this way, but I feel like they did. I am using it often. The best part of the software is that it brings me right back to the most important activity in querying: writing a good query letter. With more free time to focus on writing the query for my novels and researching agents, I can worry less about double querying or managing folders.
Lovely and horror show.

My Short Stories as Part of A Curriculum? I Am Not Dreaming.

I just found out a story from my book the "12 Burning Wheels" will going to be discussed in a classroom in Dallas.

Indeed. Seventh and eighth graders are currently reading "The Broken Chest" from the collection, as well as "Red Light and Shadow" this week in my friend Beau's class. His students will be formulating questions for the author through next week. I feel flattered and grateful. Can't wait to field their questions.

You can buy "The 12 Burning Wheels" in print or download to your Kindle.

I'll be reading a new short story on Dia de los Muertos. Join me

You heard it here first. I have been invited again to Tuesday Funk. On Tuesday, November 1st, join me at the Hopleaf in Andersonville.

THERE WILL BE SKULLS.

 

My Current Writing Progress: A Narrative

The story of the past two years is easy to tell.

In 2009, I wrote a handful of stories that became the collection "The 12 Burning Wheels."

After the book was published, I continued writing, knowing that one should never stop, never stop.

Did I mention again that one should never stop?

The project I was developing at the time was tentatively named "Rochnacht."

Sometime in 2010,  I simply…lost the plot. I won't go into dull detail here on why, but both the inspiration and my own daily practice of devoting time to that manuscript dwindled pretty much to nothing.

And now, several months later, I have put "Rotnacht" on hold and begun something new altogether. Maybe I needed to detoxify myself a bit. Not sure.

I am working on a manuscript now, and working in my usual way: Write about two to three times a week, keep a track of word counts, and try not too look back at drafts too long until the whole novel is complete. When I wrote my second novel, I gave myself some very tight deadlines to deliver the manuscript, and I learned a lot from that process. Strangely enough, I enjoyed it.

This time around, though, I am not working on clockwork. I am committing to a minimum of 3,000 words per week, but that is perhaps the only real constraint. I haven't come up with a code name for this project, but I'll be sure to post it once I do.

This time, I am also getting early first reader feedback, which is a little different than before. In fact, I sent off one chapter to a first reader today, and I will send two chapters to my two others, who also happen to be fiction writers.

All of these events measure up to an eventful autumnal season. Productive, full of joy, and also filled with challenges ahead, as I try to figure out my way through a third novel. I'm not sure how everyone else does it, but this is the best way I know how. Make the time, write some copy, and don't look back until the thing is done. Then commit several months to rewriting.

Later this week I'll provide some updates on the querying process and when you can expect new books from me.

Beware the Revenant: My Blog Hiatus is Over

Today is a big day. I don't have to whine anymore about not being able to devote time to the blog.

I'm writing, and there's so much to tell you about. Thank you for sticking with me during my absence. Fire up your RSS readers, in case you still are using one.

I'm Retiring This Blog (OMG!), But My Twitter Lives On

Yes, you heard right. I am retiring this writing blog and relying on Twitter to stay connected with you on all matters of writing and books.

Here's why:

I'm not going away! You can now find my posts on Twitter exclusively by following me at http://twitter.com/urraca. Additionally, I'll make occasional video posts via my YouTube account. You can find it at www.youtube.com/user/urraca500. If you watched the video above, you'll also know I'll be redesigning my web site, so stay tuned for a re-launch this Spring. Thank you, Gentle Readers, for being loyal, true, and attractive.

Here's a Videoclip of Me Reading 'Victoria' at Tuesday Funk

The audio levels are crappy on this one.

I Funked

The reading at Tuesday Funk was great fun. Afterward, I ate the Hopleaf's amazing mussels.

I'll be posting video of the two stories I read later on this week.

Tuesday Funk Happens Tomorrow

And they just posted my author bio.Make sure you join their Facebook Fan Page, friends.

Right now it looks like I'll be reading The Osprey and the Minaret, plus another story. Oh, and I will also have copies of "12BW" for sale and to autograph.

See you tomorrow at the Hopleaf. Have a beer, stay for the short stories and other spoken word gems.