Belated birthday wishes for Keats...

[slashweaver]

Oh dear! It was such a Merlin weekend that I completely failed to do a Keats post on his birthday, 31 October. He was a decent person and had a gift for friendship, though, so I am counting on the notion that he'd forgive me. And I did think about him on The Day, and talk about him, look at one of his portraits...

And I have Jane Campion's film Bright Star to look forward to. It finally opens here on Friday. Hurrah!

So last you all heard, I had sent my novel out to agents. It's been either rejections or silence since then - though one of the rejections was handwritten, so kudos to that woman! I have yet to stir my confidence up enough to send it out for round two. And it does occur to me that if I don't have the self-belief necessary to keep circulating it, then am I really just asking for trouble, even wanting to be a published author... Mmm... {ponders}

An alternative is that I convert it to a screenplay for a one-off drama, and send it to the BBC writersroom. This is the central place for the massive BBC organisation that handles input from wannabe writers. And if they think a script is worth anything at all, apparently they give good feedback. Well, I can just see a BBC production of my Keats novel - especially with Colin Morgan (who could play anyone he wanted to as far as I'm concerned) in the role of Byron (six foot tall and profile of an angel). OK, seriously though, and leaving Colin aside for now - I can just see it. And I could add a P.S. - 'Please let me write for Merlin, too. Please, I'm begging you, I'll do anything.'

Or maybe I stick to fan fic! After all, it gives far more scope for sex scenes. :-D

Much to ponder at the moment. In the meantime - Happy belated birthday, Junkets! We love you still.

Comments

[slashweaver.livejournal.com]

Dude... Sweet! :-) Thank you so much for the encouragement. I am sure you will get there, too! And probably you'll do better than me - it wouldn't help that mine's quite short. Tell me where you're up to, hon - you haven't said much about it for ages.

I figured the UK would actually be my best bet for now, as publishers tend to think quite parochially about subject matter. But you're right, there are other fields to try if this doesn't work.

And I must say I'm so very tempted by the notion of it becoming a BBC production. I think I might well pursue that.

Are you a visual writer, like me? I always cast the 'mental movie' of what I'm writing. I'm not sure who'll play Keats - perhaps James MacAvoy? And I'm sure Colin will love working with him. :-) I have such a strong notion of what Keats actually looked like that I didn't need to cast him - but the other roles, I did.

Anyway... am in a bit of a funk just now. Will drag myself out of it soon, and start adapting. And then it's on to my Arthurian Novel! XD

[babydracky.livejournal.com]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!^^

Oh, hon! Please!
Never give up! Your work is beautiful and your writings always are so awesome! I'm pretty sure you'll have your chance one day!

*HUGS YOU TIGHT*

[slashweaver.livejournal.com]

How sweet you are! Keats gives you his best bow, and thanks you for your kind wishes.

I love you so much for liking my fic! I can't help it. You and me are a match made in writerly heaven! ♥

And I am feeling very sentimental right now... It's well after midnight. :-D

[babydracky.livejournal.com]

We definitely are!
And, it is important that people like to read you, enjoy your stories, it means a lot.
<3<3<3
*cuddles in heaven with you, my darling*

[ender24]

I was wondering, have you ever thought about self-publishing??
or is it something entirely impossible ?

I have no idea how the whole industry works, but I thought, int his age and era, with all the print on demand, and whatsover, and even printed fanzines being sold as PDF, or for Kindle, and with original fic websites, that works on paid subscription and all that, going through publishers must be surely not the only way??

[slashweaver.livejournal.com]

Hello, Ender! So very nice to hear from you. :-)

I have indeed thought about it, and I even had my own little book publishing business back in Australia, so I have some experience in this regard. But that experience reinforced something I already kind of knew - I have very little talent for the marketing and selling side of things, and it is pretty much way outside my comfort zone. And no matter how good a book is, it needs to be marketed and 'sold' if it's to get beyond a small circle of friends and family. 'Word of mouth' is the best possible method of marketing, but you need to generate it in the first place, and follow up on it afterwards.

If someone else publishes me, they take on the bulk of the responsibility for sales and marketing. I'd still have to do my bit, but they would shoulder a burden that I could never usefully take on.

Of course, I could just 'publish' it here via my lj, and I'm sure a handful of my friends would enjoy it. But then what would happen? It would just die a death. And while it would be nice to share it with my friends, it would also be kind of a waste of a novel. Because this one is it - this one is my best chance of actually getting professionally published. This is about as mainstream as I can get!

I really appreciate your support and your input, hon, but I think I need to gird my loins and continue down this path... ♥

[jakujin.livejournal.com]

Dear, this is an ill-digested comment, as I peek at LJ while at work - to see what you're up to - however, I'll just blurt a bit. The drama idea struck me at once as up its alley. (rude?) I don't know much about filmic stuff, as you know, but you're in that sphere, and perhaps that's why I can straight away see the book done thus... and besides, doesn't it go with the fashion for wierd or semi-wierd permutations on the classics, that are a hit filmed? Don't even ask me for examples, I don't watch TV, but even I am conscious that's a fashion? No? I think of the alternate Jane Austens, of course. And... the book could be a bit spectacular, the visuals could be lovely. From the start in the harbour with those gorgeous ships, to skullduggery and derring-do about the romantic streets of Rome. AND to convey your thoughts about or their encounter with death, in the crypts, and the fire in the library, we can get great symbolism or visual language going with this stuff.

So, I'm big on the BBC idea, but keep on with the agents. Do both. - I have my little list of agents to go to, even in order I have them, and I am bound to ask you shortly have you sent to this one? to this one? In fact I've the one in mind to ask you first, one second on my list. But I'll do that in a proper email.

[slashweaver.livejournal.com]

Hello, my darling! Thank you for your comments and emails. I am woefully behind on email (sorry!) but have every intention of catching up soon. Been missing chatting with you (or at you!) in the meantime.

Excellent! I'm glad the drama idea works for you. I mean, it does for me, but then that's how I write in the first place - I 'make the movie' of it in my head, and then try to convert that into words. So if the notion of dramatising it works for me, that might say more about my creative processes than the actual merits of the thing. But you've read it, and you're obviously visualising all the right things, so I take this as great encouragement! And yes, I hope that the skewness of my alternate history will feel like part of the zeitgeist... Gosh, I can't believe I just typed that! You have totally spurred on my confidence! Thank you (she added very soberly). :-)

Thank you also re the tips on particular agents. I will start sending out the manuscript again this week, and also dramatising. Bless you, hon! ♥