Nicole Givens Kurtz's WebJournal
SF writing, publishing, other musings and mutterings
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Are Serial Novels Becoming a Serious Problem?Serial novels aren’t new. However it seems that just as Hollywood has fallen into a sequels rut, making very little original, creative, fresh new movies, so is the case with novels.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge of fan of The Dark Tower, Anita Blake, and Harry Potter—all of which are long, volumes of serial books.
I’m even guilty of writing serial books. It seems that every novel I write, both under my current pen name, and my romance pen name, I want to serialize.
I can’t speak for other writers, producers, etc., but for me, it’s not so much the characters, but the world that makes me want to write several volumes.
World building is hard, difficult, intensive work. I hate building a world, leaving it and never again going to play there. The characters themselves can come and go, their stories told, enjoyed, and done. Yet the world itself is difficult to just leave without wanting short vacations back there.
Yet I have heard that serial novels are laziness on the part of the author, producer, {insert here any other titles of creative personnel}. Those who write serial novels are dumbing down childre/readers and single-handedly turning people off from reading. I’m not quite sure I buy into this statement.
Yes, I did just discuss how hard, time intensive and front-heavy world building is, and that I hated leaving all that work to spoil. But who wouldn’t?
It’s the same as football player who continues to play well past the point of retirement. Why? Because they’ve spent years, chunks of their lives working on that skill, to reach that goal. It’s difficult to just walk away from that.
And that’s the point with writing serials.
I don’t write them because they’re easy. Creating characters to fit into those worlds are always hard. Not to mention, readers sometimes like to see the same characters in the same world, without too much overwhelming changes—while still bringing a fresh twist to the tale.
And I thought world building was hard.
Come to think of it, none of this shit is easy. Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2006-05-14 23:15:56
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
LepreCON: A Look BackLeprecon has come to an end, and I'm back home in Gallup. As I reflect over the convention itself, I must say that I met some truly fun people. I also had a chance to spend time alone with my husband, without children as my father-in-law babysat the three boys (thanks Dad!).
I did manage a sell--to a fantastic poet! Thanks, Scott!
Yes, Iwas new to LepreCON and spent my first panel fingerpainting with Gilead, an extrordinarily gifted artist. I also managed to purchase a print of Alan M. Clark's Dark Tower painting with Roland standing at the foot of the enormous tower. Check out the print here. If you don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to Roland and the Dark Tower, it would take too long to explain.
Anyway, I'm terribly excited about my purchase and my time fingerpainting. My kids loved it too!
Ispent timetalking to David Lee Summers, Evo Terra and Michael about science fiction and audio books. I also swapped CON stories and experiences as well as classroom stuff with Shelia Unwin. Overall a very good time.
But as it was, I am quite tired by the end of day one. Too tired to even talk about what I did that night after the panels. I also managed to meeet lovely people, purchase truly wonderful art, and overall enjoy myself immensely.
I even made some beautiful art--necklac I even made some beautiful art--necklace and bracelet from beading. I even participated on a panel that discussed crossing genres.
There's nothing else I can say, except the competition between LepreCON and the Nebulas rendered the hotel empty to some degree as all the fans were seeking out the big name stars at the Nebulas in Tempe.
I liked Leprecon, overall and would attend again.e and bracelet from beading. I even participated on a panel that discussed crossing genres.
Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2006-05-09 23:40:42
Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Rejection and Wait--More Rejection!Well, if one thing can be said of writing, it's this...your skin grows incredibly thick and calloused before you die.
Then the critics scrap it off, and celebrate your literary genius!
Two things happened this week that have added an additional layer of skin to my already ripped hide. A publisher and I parted waysand a potential agent rejected my latest stab at commerical writing.
"Wait," you might be saying. "Don't all writers ger rejected?"
We do. And let me tell you, it doesn't get any easier regardless of the rejection count. I don't care how long you've been writing...when someone tells you that your work isn't "right" then something inside you eeks out a small whimper.
If you're new to the game, you might release a bellowing "What?" instead of the soft eeking.
True enough, many of my friends have agents, publishing contracts, and are on the golden roadto the "dream"--being a full time, well paid writer.
I am not on the road yet, but am driving in circles in the parking lot.
I've been at this for some time, as many of you well know. Unfortunately, there's no time table for when you make it, or IF you even make it. I'm in the boat, paddling against the tide of wanna-be writers in a genre that is not common for African Americans that are also women.
You've heard my soapbox speech about that, read "Race Card: Is it Electric?" So I won't repeat it here.
So, why am I once again blogging about an ordinary occurance for millions of writers?
Because misery loves company :-).
I'm kidding about the company part.
I'm blogging about it for many reasons, some very private, but I will post the public reasons.
The Top Five Public Reasons I am blogging about REJECTION:
1. So that beginning writers realize that just because you have books published, you're still a nobody until you reach #30 or above on the New York Times bestseller list.
2. To save my husband's ears-By writing it here, he won't have to listen to me rant about it for hours and hours tonight.
3. To gather pity for myself-If everyone who reads this thinks I deserve a pity party, they'll throw me one.
4. To prove that I am human- there is a common belief on the Internet that I am not human, but a robot that spells everything phonetically and loses my students' homework papers--as a means of torture.
5. So that I don't waste Bethany's time- because she's got so many other things to do besides listen to me bellyache about rejection...again!
There you have it folks. What do you think? BTW- Check me out at LepreCON in Phoenix this weekend!
Later~
Nicole Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2006-05-03 20:09:48
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Spring Cleaning My Writing Career
It's spring here in New Mexico. Juniper is blooming in such abundance I can't wear my contacts. My eyes are streaming and incredibly red, which makes wearing contacts right now a big no-no. I know my allegeries aren't unique, but they are quite bothersome!
As with the arrival of spring, a good, deep down cleaning of my home is in on tap. Yet, my husband and I haven't gotten around to it yet due to a death in our family amongt other family centered drama that I won't bore you with here.
However, I have been thinking a lot about my writing career. I started writing for publication in 1998 having spent my entire youth (from 5th grade to 12th) writing in my journal, creating stories in my head and scribbling them in notebooks.
I wrote my first novel, A Complete Woman in 1999 after my fourth miscarriage and a failed relationship. It was accepted for publication by Crossroads, an electronic publisher and one that quickly crashed and burned. Booklocker published it a year later in 2000. Right around the time that Crystral Dreams published Browne Candidate. Both books are shorter than my current works, but are solid in that they tell their stories quickly with a refreshing knowledge that you got the whole tale (at least in my opinion).
Well, with the arrival of this school year, and the direction my writing is going with Cybil, I am focusing on landing an agent, moving into the field of sf hybrids namely Cybil's mystery series set in the near future. I'm finding that Cybil's world is vivid, fun, and totally addicting. I'm currently working on yet another novel in her series and have completed a short story titled, "Recruited" that is being considered by a publication.
Three of my four currently published books, The Soul Cages , Browne Candidate, and A Complete Woman will go out of print in September of this year. Yes, you read that right. You won't be able to get print copies of these titles after September 2006, unless you buy used copies.
There is some good news...The Soul Cages and Browne Candidate will remain in ebook formats!
I think some of the online stores still have copies in their warehouses, but Booklocker isn't printing any more new copies of A Complete Woman. So, once the current stock is depleated, there won't be any more available, unless you get a used copy. So go get it from Amazon today!
What does this mean for Aurora's and Sarah's worlds?
Well, for starters, please know that Aurora is my girl, true and blue. With Zephyr Unfolding, her life arrived at a crossroad that requires deep thought and reflection. Reflection requires time and Aurora will need that to contemplate what path to take. She's come to talk to me occasionally about it, but you know how secretive Aurora can be. She hasn't told me everything, and I need to know everything to tell her tale.
If you need a fix to satisfy your soul snatching craving, Double Dragon Ebooks has published my short novella titled, "A Stranger to Veloris Cometh," available for two bucks. That's right, two U.S. dollars (plus tax in some states and countries). It's a temporary fix for addicts of The Soul Cages . Just know that Manola and her lord grow impatient...
As it were, you may be asking why these three books be available after 2006?
Well, I'm spring cleaning my writing career. Things die and are resurrected this time of year. That's why Easter is celebrated during the spring (you didn't think it took a full 4 months for Jesus to be resurrected did you?). Think of the showers in April that produces the beautiful flowers in May. After a little rain comes the sun shine.
I've had my share of rain with publishers and editors. I'm looking now for the sunshine and hoping that my writing career will blossom as a result.
Of course, I'm writing other stuff besides Cybil's stories, including short stories (look for my story, "The Trader" in the Tales of the Talisman in September), blogs, and occasionally other genres under different pen names.
You may also be wondering what's so great about Cybil. See for yourself. Check out an excerpt from HUNTED, and find out. Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2006-04-13 22:50:59
Monday, March 20, 2006
Stephen King and the Dark Tower's ComicI'd be the first person to celebrate the arrival of my favorite tragic hero, Roland, into the realm of comics. He's coming to one of my favorite comic too-Marvel.
Regardless, I am still very, very leery.
Why?
I can't say that the way the Dark Tower series ended pleased me a great deal--it didn't. I understood King's need to do what he did (I won't spoil it for those you who have not yet finished the massive text).
I just don't like it. I thought Sarah, Jake, Roland, and Eddie deserved better. I am fan, so I wasn't expecting a happily-ever-after, just something more fulfilling. I also wasn't to thrilled with Mordred's role either. It seemed the reader was given a great deal of hype about his birth--over several volumes--to have his demise come about so swiftly.
The same can be said about the Red King too. I found myself, as a reader, thinking, "Damn, that it?"
Nevertheless, my issues with The Dark Tower series isn't the point of this post. This blog is to discuss my joy at seeing Roland's tale continue, even if it snippets of his life before the trio arrived into his world.
I just hope that King keeps him honest and sticks to the canon that he created. I know that keeping up with such massive amounts of information is not only difficult, but nearly impossible without an assistant. The concordance volumes should help also.
So I wait, eagerly, for the new comics from Marvel and Roland's new adventures.
I'm praying to that King delievers...
Let me know what you think. Do you think Stephen King can keep Roland's new tales in Marvel both thrilling and consistent? Post your comments below. Posted by Nicole Givens Kurtz 2006-03-20 16:11:33
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