Put a little love in your heart

I know I’ve featured all these at one time or another but… Well, look. It’s gray and horrible outside and I think we could all use a happy place today.

Oh, what a circus! Oh, what a show!

Last night, MyGuy^TM and I went to the Guthrie Theater to attend a local production of THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER, one of over 150 simultaneous worldwide readings of this new work by the  Tectonic Theatre Project, an epilogue to their previous piece, THE LARAMIE PROJECT.  Last year, the company went back to Laramie and re-interviewed many of the same people they’d spoken to the first time to get an idea of how, if at all, Laramie had changed since Matthew Shepard’s murder.

This new work, straight from the transcripts of the interviews, examined the self-reflection of Laramie’s residents, reactions to a revisionist story on 20/20 that asserted Matthew’s murder was a drug deal gone wrong and not a hate crime, and, for the first time, interviews with Matthew’s killers (by “for the first time, ” I mean that when the original project was written, the theatre company did not have access to the killers and could only use court transcripts and police records).

The evening began with a webcast from New York, with opening comments by Glenn Close and Judy Shepard.  Then, the webfeed switched off as 150+ companies across the world began reading the new work. The performers in our local reading were top notch, using the right balance of humor and pathos.  It was a fascinating look into the human psyche and the varied reactions people continue to have, ten years after the fact.

I found myself, as a writer, really admiring the brilliant script.  The words that came from the actors were edited down from the original transcripts but weren’t altered to create a narrative arc or theme. And yet, I found both emerging.  When asked about some of the changes they’d made to reality when writing the book for the musical 1776, the creators of the show deemed it necessary because “God writes lousy drama.” Meaning that, without authorial manipulation, most real stories lack the ebb and flow expected from narrative structure.  

But the Tectonic Theatre didn’t add any intriguing bits of drama; they just used the transcripts of their interviews and, with judicious and brilliant editing, found their story.  I was fascinated by how the same themes and key words cropped up in the disparate interviews and how the writers brought those out. In many ways, I felt it was an even stronger script than the original LARAMIE PROJECT.

Here’s hoping this epilogue will go on to enjoy the worldwide success that its parent production had. It’s a worthy successor.

This is the morning report. Gives you the long and the short.

• On October 12, over 100 theaters nationwide (at least one per state) will simultaneously present a staged reading of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, an “epilogue” to the 2000 play created by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project.  The original play was created when members of the Tectonic company interviewed the people of Laramie following the murder of Matthew Shepard.  This new 80 minute production “includes re-interviews with subjects from the first play, plus an interview Tectonic artists had with one of Shepard’s convicted killers, Aaron McKinney.”  Locally, it’s being produced at the Guthrie (there’s also a production in Duluth).  MyGuy^TM and I have tickets.  Matthew died two years before I came out and I’d be lying if I said his death didn’t play a factor in the decisions I made on how to live my life openly and proudly.
• Blinkbox, a Hulu-esque site, has made a deal with the BBC to make episodes of “classic” DOCTOR WHO available on their site.  At present, they have a few William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton stories but the plan is to expand. This is very dangerous.
• Work is crazy busy. Home is crazy busy. Brian needs a break.

Well, isn’t that special?

Recently at work, a Name Author From Another Publisher was kind enough to offer an endorsement for one of our authors.  In it, the work in question was described as “interesting.”  Now, Name Authors are highly sought out for their endorsements and, rightly so, they tend to be very choosey.  Some Name Authors have a strict “no can do” policy. Others will only consider stuff sent to them through their agent via a trusted source.  So, I have no doubt that this Name Author was being very complimentary in using the word “interesting.”

But when I read the endorsement, I shuddered. I considered it the kiss of death and I couldn’t figure out why. I asked myself why the Name Author couldn’t have chosen a more complimentary word.  Then it occurred to me: it’s all in my head. There’s nothing wrong with “interesting” as a compliment.

Unfortunately, that’s the word I find myself defaulting to when I’m asked to give an assessment of something I don’t like and I’m trying to be diplomatic and non-committal.

• What an interesting concept!
• What an interesting approach!
• I think that was such an interesting choice you made on stage.

I’m sure others use this in the same manner too.  I also have a problem with the word ‘prolific.’ I don’t use the word myself but I abhor having it used on me. My MFA thesis advisor, trying to pay me a compliment, told me I was the most prolific student he knew.  My friend, Lady Grimm, also once tried to pay me that compliment.  But I don’t  see it that way. To me, prolific refers to quantity not quality. It means you write a lot. Big deal. Lots of people write a lot and most, if not all, is crap.  BUT, some people view it as a compliment.

I’m quite happy we got the endorsement from Name Author, ‘interesting’ and all.  Now I just need to learn how to get past my own little problem with that word.

Do you have any crutch words you use to express implied approval without commitment (to the extent where you now see a negative connotation associated with the word when used by others)?

I’m having a thought!

More odds and ends:

• Is it a coincidence that the one episode of GLEE I kinda liked so far (the most recent episode on 9/23 when Kurt joined the football team) is the one episode NOT written by series creator Ryan Murphy?  I still had major problems with it (If Sue Sylvester can blackmail the principal into hiring Sandy back to run the arts program, why not just blackmail him into disbanding Glee club…or for that matter, if Sandy is back to run the arts program, why not just have him usurp Glee club instead of launching into the oddly Machiavellian plan of stealing Rachel? And does no one remember that it was Rachel who got Sandy fired in the first place?) but the heart to heart scenes were far less painful than they’ve been in the past. I know. I”m overanalyzing. I think I”m only doing that because the show is on its way to becoming a runaway hit and while there are certainly aspects I like a lot (when they do comedy, they’re hilarious), I don’t understand the unconditional love I’ve seen for what I consider to be a very flawed show.
• Attended the Children’s Author Breakfast at the Midwest Booksellers Association trade show this past weekend. Got to hear authors Loren Long, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, M.T. Anderson, and Neil Gaiman speak.  All gave great presentations but, oh my God, Tobin Anderson is freaking hilarious. I laughed so hard I had to gasp for breath. When last he entertained me so, Tobin’s funny line was, “A noun is not a plot.” This time it was, “It is the bodies of your own children that I hurl at you now.” You had to be there but, trust me, this line killed.
• I said I’d say more about my recent trip to Boise. First of all, may I say that when you don’t like to fly, it’s hard enough to actually fly on 9/11. It becomes excruciating when the TVs in the airport lounge are all tuned to CNN/Fox News/MSNBC and they’re all doing in depth recaps of the original 9/11. So not cool. Anyway, Boise was great. I met some really wonderful writers out there and we had a really good time at the conference. And Boise’s a nice city. Had lots of fun walking around downtown and exploring. Hope to go back again someday.
• Last night, three of my authors–Kirstin Cronn-Mills, Maggie Stiefvater, and Margaret Willey–did a panel discussion and signing of their new books at the Har Mar Barnes and Noble  and it went very well. 30+ people were in attendance, several books were sold/signed, and everyone seemed to walk away happy.
• As a result of the aforementioned MBA trade show, I also got to meet author Ingrid Law (very nice) and get my hands on tons of cool books (both finished copies and ARCs).  Book geek’s dream!

Those who are tardy do not get fruit cup.

A few odds and ends:

What I’m Watching:  MyGuy^TM and  have only just discovered SLINGS & ARROWS.  Apparently, we’re officially the last people to become fans of this Canadian gem.  The show centers around a professional theatre company in Canada and the often larger-than-life personalities that manage and perform for it.  The writing is wonderful, the comedy top notch, and the acting is amazing.  Paul Gross is a genius. That is all.

What I’m Listening To: I’ve become a little obsessed with my British import CD, SISTER ACT: THE MUSICAL, currently playing in the West End.  I’ve always been a huge fan of Alan Menken so it’s no surprised that I’m thoroughly enjoying this show. I wish the CD included a synopsis as parts of the story have clearly changed from the original Whoopi Goldberg movie (for instance, it’s now set in the 70s and Deloris is now an aspiring disco queen).  Menken has collaborated with a variety of lyricists since the passing of Howard Ashman but Glenn Slater, the lyricist for SISTER ACT, may just come the closest to being a perfect fit. What’s not to love about a show with a song called “Sunday Morning Fever” which features the line, “Fill the church! Pass the plate! Everybody transubstantiate!” ?  Fun stuff.

What I’m Writing: Nothing.  I haven’t had the time to write squat lately. My agent is shopping LIBRIMANCER.  I’m cogitating on a rewrite for VENGEKEEP. I’m jotting down a dozen other ideas but haven’t had the chance to write anything. And I don’t feel bad for once because I’ve had a very productive year so taking time to let the brain stew is probably a good thing. Plus, with the promise of an editorial letter in the near future with suggestions for the CHASERS rewrite, it’s best I’ve got nothing else on my plate. At least, that’s the theory.

What I’m Reading: Manuscripts. Tons and tons of manuscripts.  I’ve picked up the assorted book but only managed to read a chapter or two. I’m trying to get caught up in reading for work and that means there’s a foot high stack of manuscripts at my bedside.  Hope to get back to a better balance of books and manuscripts soon but until I’m caught up, it’s all about the submissions.

That’s all I got for now. Peace out, y’all.

Falcon Crest will not be seen tonight so that we may bring you the following special presentation.

So, I’ve been sitting on this since Thursday afternoon for a number of reasons:

1) I spent Friday through Sunday speaking at a SCBWI conference in Boise (more on that later).

2) My belief in magical thinking has overrided my faith in reality.

3) There were a few people I felt obligated to tell personally before saying anything here.

4) It still hasn’t really sunk in.

5) I was hoping to come up with a really cool way to announce it but, because of all of the above, that hasn’t happened.  Yet word is now leaking so I should just get it over with.

My agent sold CHASERS to Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse. It’s scheduled for release in Spring 2011.  I am, to say the least, overwhelmed and still a little disbelieving.  But I’m working on it. (There’s some unfiltered elation in there somewhere too but it’s currently masked as various shades of fear and incredulity.)

MyGuy^TM and I went to my favorite Italian restaurant in the Cities to celebrate on Thursday and then I spent the weekend encouraging mostly unpublished writers that, yes, it is possible to get published. 

Thankfully, I was speaking from experience.

So….

I guess you should watch this space for future updates, panic attacks, and assorted breakdowns. You gotta admit: it’ll be entertaining at the least.

In her face, the mirror of your dreams.

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
                                                                                                                                                     –Carl Jung

When I served on the editorial board for WATERSTONE, Hamline University’s literary journal, my job was to wade through the short story submissions looking for gold. As is wont to happen, I found more pyrite than gold.  Some truly terrible stuff, some decent stuff that wasn’t quite ready, and stuff that I loved and fought for but didn’t end up making it in the issue.

I took a lot from that experience (largely the reminder of just how much ineligible stuff there is out there and how much more special you need to be to stand out) including a better understanding of myself as a writer.  In reading these stories, I began to see the quirks in my own writing.  Short cuts at an emotional moment I wasn’t able to face, the instinct not to trust the reader and be repetitive to drive the point home.

Normally, this is where Mr. Double Standard would show up and say, “Oh, but see, when *I* do it, it works and it’s brilliant.”  But actually, when I saw these bits of poor writing in others, it made me recognize it in my own work.  In fact, I vividly remember once, while reading submissions, I stopped in the middle of the story I was reading and went to my computer to fix something similar I’d recently done in a piece for school. I didn’t do it knowing that it didn’t work.  But when I saw someone else do it, I understood WHY it didn’t work.

Sometimes, the hardest part of my job is reading a submission that’s not quite ready. You’d think it would be easy: reject it and move on.  But what makes it hard is that I sometimes see my own foibles and I think, “Wow, if I’m rejecting this because of that annoying habit, what would another editor think of what I’m doing in my own work?”  Of course, it gives me a reprieve of sorts and allows me to go make things right (or try). And there’s this little part of me that says, “If you see what’s wrong, then work with the writer to fix it.”  And sometimes, I do.  (Other times, there are far too many other elements that aren’t jiving which ultimately leads to a rejection.)

I find, though, that the authors who reach me–the ones whose work makes me rush the manuscript to my ed board so I can snatch it up before anyone else–are the ones who are nothing like me.  The ones whose brains seem to function on a different wavelength, like they get something about the process or humanity that’s not quite registering with me. It’s the writers who surprise me, I guess.  Because we’re so different.

You know I don’t do memes and the like but if you’re a blogger, try taking the Jung quote at the top and doing your own post around it.

Payin’ anything to roll the dice just one more time.

Are MyGuy^TM and I really the only two people who aren’t enjoying GLEE?

The promos for this back in the spring had us hyped, convinced we would love it. Then we saw the pilot and didn’t.  The musical performances are amazing but I’m not sure they’ll keep me coming back each week. I really don’t get when people say they’re “making fun of stereotypes” when all I see is them playing stereotypes. (And the “they’re not stereotypes, they’re archetypes” argument isn’t flying with me either.)

I want to love this show. It seems like it would have all the ingredients for me to love.  So far, that’s not happening. Please, GLEE, make me love you.

This is odd. Usually, I’m the one loving the scrappy little show that could while everyone else poo poos it.

When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay.

Brilliant.

(via Lee Wind)