Saturday, September 23, 2006

My Non-Existent Writing Schedule

Hmmm, if I really want to bite off more than I can chew, I could start rev up the engines and try to submit a few more stories as we come to the final stretch of 2006.

For example, I just found out that Philippine Genre Stories is looking for a few stories-- obviously-- hewing close to the genre of "fantasy, science-fiction, speculative, crime, mystery, detective, horror, and suspense". However, to my shock, what I thought was a December deadline was actually a late October mark:

With a lot of luck and hope, we want the first issue out by late Nov or early Dec. So that means the deadline is sometime last week of Oct, to a few days into Nov. By that time, we'll start with pre-press work using the best of whatever we've got.

Hooboy. I do have a couple of idea-stories I'm willing to develop but that would mean I have reserve the whole of October to write at least one.

Meanwhile, another local press Quatre Gats is setting out to publish "innovative thematic anthologies, both fiction and non-fiction" and have an anthology of fiction centering on national hero Jose Rizal's works coming up. This deadline is also around the same time as the above, specifically by November 1. Unfortunately, I have no stories nor ideas applicable to the theme so I might give this one a pass-- unless something comes up. Damn it, I hate working under pressure.

Ironically, one story I'm raring to finish doesn't seem to have a home I can target it so am thinking of giving Strange Horizons a shot again.

Or I could just sleep until the Christmas season...

Seen in the Wild: Finally got a chance to check out the 2nd-hand shops again though these were enticing, I didn't feel like picking these books up. But maybe someone out there might be interested?

  • Glen Cook's The Swordbearer, one of Cook's early fantasy books before he started on the excellent Black Company series. I've actually read another of his early works, The Tower of Fear, which was also good. However, a kid with a sword? Will think about it.
  • Tim Powers' Dinner at Deviant's Palace, also one of his earlier works and I presume really hard to find in comparison to his other works. Unfortunately, despite this being a Powers' title, I'm not much into post-apocalyptic works so am giving this one a pass.

And does anyone have an opinion on a so-called classic, The Illuminatus Trilogy, by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea? Looks very Jack Kerouac-ish.

7 comments:

Andrew said...

Even just you talking about trying to write puts me to shame. (And it's nice to know there's a local market for genre work that pays.)

I'm interested in Dinner at Deviant's Palace actually, though I do share some of your qualms about it. Where did you see it, and how much was it going for? How's the condition?

Also, I've never read The Illuminatus Trilogy, though I did see that copy in Booktopia. I'm not sure I'll get into it myself, but the people I know who've read it just absolutely love it.

I was tempted to get it for my girlfriend, to finally once and for all eradicate all traces of The Da Vinci Code from her head, but ended up not doing so, since it seems like she'll be even less interested than myself in reading the Wilson-Shea.

Andrew said...

Okay, now that I've read a bit about The Illuminatus Trilogy, I'm now intrigued as well. My worry is that if I do get a copy, it'll end up unread for a long time. Oh well, at least, it's available on the mass market...

banzai cat said...

Hehe the funny thing about my writing is that it's severely influenced by my reading material. So when I'm reading novels, I can look at my PC without feeling guilty for not guilty. When I'm reading story collections, hah! I figure I'm a regular Ray Bradbury or something.

If you're interested in the Powers, I saw it in Edsa Central Booksale for 60 bucks. Not bad condition too.

On the other hand, I thought the Illuminatus Trilogy looked interesting but I've never been much for the Beat-style of writing which this seems reminiscent. (Though am waiting for my Mamatas book to shoot down my assumption!) Likewise, I thought Umberto Eco did it better with Foucalt's Pendulum.

So be my guest in getting it first! ;-)

banzai cat said...

Er, damn typos. It's "feeling guilty for not writing" dammit. That's what I get for writing first without sorting out my thoughts first.

Andrew said...

the funny thing about my writing is that it's severely influenced by my reading material

Hell yes! I'm of the belief that one should write the kind of fiction one wishes were more common on bookshelves.

And I constantly turn towards excuses for this, too!

I'll have to drop by EDSA Central sometime then. Thanks for the tip!

From the excerpts I've read of the Mamatas, it doesn't seem to be as "stream-of-consciousness" or whatever as Kerouac's later work, so I think that'll be okay. I do get the same impression as you about The Illuminatus Trilogy though.

And yes, I pretty much agree with your take on Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. Isn't it so difficult to get people to read that? Every one I know who's read The Da Vinci Code gets that recommendation for me, but hardly anyone takes me up on it.

Don said...

"Hehe the funny thing about my writing is that it's severely influenced by my reading material."

Ako din. I get really inspired when I read a well written story. It kind of puts me to shame for a while then, I'll summon up courage to write something.

They say Foucault's Pendulum is the Thinking Man's Da Vinci Code.

banzai cat said...

eldritch: Hehe it's not everyday I get a reference to both Poppy Z. Brite and Ramsey Campbell but I get my kicks wherever I can.

Interesting enough, it's really not about writing style but rather the ideas: how strange it is as opposed to genre-ish expectations or something like that. Or maybe it's all the same also. ;-)

As for Eco, hah, I usually use him as a standard for a person's reading worth. Bad of me, I know. Ah well...

fuhrer: Yes, that's exactly how I feel. It sometimes feels like I've been touched by the numinous. Or the weird, whichever comes first.

On the other hand, I consider Foucault as the ultimate measuring stick given how Eco throws everything at the reader, including the kitchen sink. :-D