Writing Archives - Page 11 of 12

Murder in Ocean Hall – Update

Just a quick update to let people know where I’m at with my book.

I finished writing Murder in Ocean Hall at the beginning of April. It’s a murder-mystery about a controversial explorer who’s killed in the Smithsonian’s Ocean Hall, when a giant replica of a whale falls from the ceiling and crushes him. It’s up to a cynical DC detective to solve the murder of a man who was equally admired and hated among scientists and explorers.

There really is whale hanging from the ceiling of Ocean Hall – go check it out.

The book was loosely inspired by the three years I spent working as a web site manager for NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Of course, no one was murdered while I worked there but a lot of what I learned about ocean exploration, government bureaucracy and the occasionally big egos of people in the field has made it into the book.

I’m represented by Stuart Chang of Samara Literary. I’ve known Stuart for several years – we used to be in a writers’ group together – so I was really happy that he agreed to be my literary agent. Samara Literary will be focusing on DC authors. I’ve signed a six-month contract with the agency. Literary agents work like other types of agents – they get paid a percentage, if the book gets sold.

I’ve submitted the manuscript to Stuart and he’s gotten back to me with some excellent edits and suggestions that I’m in the process of making. A select group of readers has also provided invaluable feedback. After I get the book in final shape, we’ll start looking for a publisher.

This is the beginning of the long process of getting the book published. Coming from a career in web site development, the publishing world seems positively antiquarian with its lengthy lead times and schedules. If we sold the book today, it would be a year before it’s in stores.

But I’ve done the hard part – I wrote the book – so I’ll keep pushing on.

I’ll let you know what happens next!

Murder in Ocean Hall – Almost Done!

I’m in the final stages of my book, Murder in Ocean Hall. I’ve spent a lot of time at Caribou to get this far. Right now, I’m busy proofing the book. I’m done writing it, have edited a couple times already, and am going through the book once more. I’ve printed all 235 pages and and am closely reading the book to catch any mistakes.

Am I really done with the book? Hmm. I could probably spend the rest of my life tweaking it but eventually you have to send it off into the world. “Real artists ship,” to quote Steve Jobs.

Am I happy with the book? Yes. It’s got a beginning, middle and end, interesting characters, some good info on ocean exploration and urban life in DC, and a couple of plot twists. It might meander at times, a bit.

Is it perfect? No. Nothing is as perfect as it is in your head. By putting your idea to paper, you take it out of the ideal world and put it into the real one. This fear of sullying your own creation is a cause of writer’s block. It causes many people not to write anything because they know it won’t be perfect.

What’s next for my book?

Plan A – The Traditional Route. Look for an agent, try to sell the book to a publisher, and then wait for it to appear in bookstores.

Plan B – The Nontraditional Route. Self-publish it using Lulu or Blurb. Sell it online using one of these print on demand services.

The first path is more prestigious and accepted but the print publishing world is in really bad shape these days. The second road is much easier – I could have a paperback version of the book next week- but it’s more of a DIY project.

Friday's Links

Here’s what’s interested me this week:

Government 2.0: The Midlife Crisis
Hard truths about the difficulties of implementing Web 2.0 in government.

It’s Time for Governance
Even more hard truths, this time about professionalizing web site management in government.

Wil Wheaton Interview on Lulu
Interesting article on why a blogger went the self-publishing route.

Apple Store Coming to DC
Finally!

DCist Exposed
One more day to see this photo show at Flashpoint.

Five Ways to Find an Agent

Paige Wheeler is a literary agent and founder of Folio Literary Management. On February 22, at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, she gave a wide-ranging talk about a host of topics pertinent to writers such as the publishing process, how the downturn has effected the book industry, the economics of writing, contract pitfalls and the advantages of having a literary agent on your side.

But how do you find an agent? She provided five really good tips:

Attend writer’s conferences. No matter what genre you write in, or where you live, there’s bound to be a conference for you to attend. Conferences offer opportunities to network with writers, editors and agents. Fellow writers can be a good source of information on agents and what they like. Also, the writing business is based upon relationships and attending conferences are a way of making those connections.
Contests. Agents and editors judge writing contests. Winning a contest could lead to a book deal. Be sure to check out who’s judging the conference to make sure it’s reputable.
Guides to agents. Your bookstore has several guides to literary agents, such as Writer’s Market and Jeff Herman’s Guide.
Dedication pages of books. Does your favorite author thank their agent in their acknowledgements?
Online sources. AgentQuery, AAR Online, Mediabistro and Publishers Marketplace were all cited by Wheeler or members of the audience as good resources.

Wheeler strongly suggested doing your research before querying an agent. Few things irritated her more than a query letter pitching a project (like a screenplay) that she doesn’t handle.

This is just a fraction of the valuable information she provided in a two-hour long session with a lot of questions and answers. Wheeler is a new member of the Writer’s Center faculty and will be conducting a workshop in the spring.

"Conversations and Connections" Writers Conference

Conversations and Connections, a writers’ conference in DC, just announced that this year’s conference will be April 11. It’s definitely worth attending. For $55, you get a day-long conference, a literary mag, “speed dating” with editors and a chance to listen to Amy Hempel.

I went last year and enjoyed it, not only for the conference, but the chance to meet other writers. Read what I wrote about my experience.

Friday's Links

Here’s what’s interested me in the last week:

How Phony is Shepard Fairey?
There’s a fine line between art and plagiarism.

Apple Store Design Hits a Glass Wall Again
Who is the Old Georgetown Board and why are they holding up Apple coming to DC?

How Will We Survive Battlestar Galactica’s Radioactive Future?
Some practical suggestions.

Christian Bale, Hero of the Set
I find this a little hard to believe – a movie set being terrorized by a DP?

Writers Need to Promote Their Books
Seems obvious, but just because you’re published, it doesn’t mean that your work is done.

No More Washington Post Book World?

Call me old-fashioned, but I think that one of life’s joys is to sit down with a good newspaper. Though I’m someone who’s spent a career working on web sites, there’s some really special about a quiet morning with a paper. And some coffee.

A newspaper is easier on the eyes than a glowing screen. It also offers the chance of serendipity, of stumbling upon some article you never would’ve read, just because you have to turn pages to find the article you’re looking for. A newspaper is also mostly distraction-free (no videos blaring, no animating ads) which, IMHO, makes reading an article in print a richer and more rewarding experience. Things I really want to absorb, I need to see on paper.

Today comes the news (ironically, from The New York Times), that the Washington Post is ending Book World, its Sunday books supplement. Economic reasons are cited. I find this hard to believe. Washington is one of the most literate cities in the country, filled with readers, and writers, too. Hop on the Metro, visit a coffee shop, stroll through a park and you’ll find scores of people lost in good books. The city is home to excellent and popular bookstores, like Kramerbooks and Politics and Prose. With the wide range of books that people in DC read, there’s got to be a need for book reviews. Continue reading “No More Washington Post Book World?”

Murder in Ocean Hall – First Chapter

I’m just about done writing my murder mystery, “Murder in Ocean Hall.” I’ve put the first chapter online. The book is about a famous explorer who dies in mysterious circumstances in Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Suspects are many. A cynical DC detective investigates the case.

Read the first chapter.

Feedback is welcome 🙂

One Writer's Day

My work environment.

Now that I’m not working in an office, people are curious about what I do all day. I told a friend of mine that I was taking a couple of weeks off to go down to Florida. “Take off from what?” he retorted smartly.

But the truth of the matter is that I am busy. I’m writing a mystery called Murder in Ocean Hall.

The other question I get is, “What tools are you using?” There’s almost a fetishization of writing tools out there, as if creativity was a matter of getting the right notebook or pen set. Or, if you’re a geek, getting the right piece of software, one that will magically draw out your work of genius and put it on the page.

While I’ve certainly been guilty of this in the past, I’ve been tending toward simpler and simpler tools. And, with my time, I’ve really discovered the value of something I once despised – routine. Routine is like a healthy habit, one you can’t put down. Continue reading “One Writer's Day”

Eurabia is Semifinalist in 2008 Screenwriting Expo Screenplay Competition

Eurabia, my screenplay about what might happen if the US lost the war on terror, was a Semifinalist in the 2008 Screenwriting Expo Screenplay Competition. The Screenwriting Expo is a huge conference in LA for screenwriters.

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride…

Actually, this script has done really well, making it to at least the semifinalist stages in the Austin, Writers on the Storm and American Screenwriters Association contests.

You can read the first ten pages online.