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#60 Comic of the Day

January 16, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, dreams | 13 comments

Yeah, let’s not talk too much about this, kay?

Do you guys remember your dreams? Do you dream in color? Funny story, one time years and years ago I was talking to some friends about dreams and I was asked if I dreamed in color, because apparently a surprising number of people don’t. Anyway, I realized I didn’t know the answer. So that night when I dreamed, I dreamed I was in a giant brightly colored hot air balloon, flying in the sky with dozens of other brightly colored balloons, and there were fireworks going off all around us, but instead of plain fireworks, they were like giant exploding cans of paint, in firework patterns. Is that my dreams telling me to f’ing start paying attention or what?

#59 Comic of the Day

January 15, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, health, technology | 3 comments

Yeah, I’m not pleased about this.

And instead of talking heads ALL week, today you get a close up of an EYE. OOOOOOhhhhhh!

#58 Comic of the Day

January 14, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, publishing, query letters, seafood, writing | 15 comments

How was everyone’s weekend? I literally buried myself in this depressing query crap, it was so disheartening. I also realized that I probably should re-write my book, which I’ve always considered a “part one of three” into just a massive one book epic. Sigh. Last thing on earth I want to do, but all the advice seems to point to that being the “smart choice”. I did escape for a few hours on Sunday to see Juno (it was pretty good, but overhyped) and to get a Lobster Roll, which though still good was the worst one I’ve had since I discovered them last June… 🙁 A bit of a bummer weekend overall I guess. I’m feeling pretty low about all of it. How about you guys…do anything good this weekend?

#57 Comic of the Day

January 11, 2008 in agents, comic of the day, comics, publishing, query letters, rejection, writing | 8 comments

Ack. I think we, and by we I mean the insanely talented but tortured writers out there (joke), all feel this way about the query letter process. I don’t know about many other actual personal experiences outside of my own (except what I read about on my best friend ‘the interwebs’) but for me I can’t decide if I’ve been blessed or cursed.

I had the advantage/disadvantage of having my very first agent query letter (to the agent I researched and really really thought I wanted) come back within a week with an email request for a partial (the first 50 pages). JOY! This partial was rejected by email about 2 months later with some helpful (and some less than helpful) notes. Less than joy.

I have sent two queries since – one has been out there for almost three months with no response and the other for three weeks with no response. I completely recognize that this is not exactly a “wide net” to cast. I also recognize that I already have great statistics considering what I’ve actually put out there and the response I’ve gotten. It it still a completely frustrating and self destructive process. Also, I felt good initially that though my first agent didn’t want me or my book he apparently thought I had a good query letter. Good right? A good query letter is almost as good as a good novel…yet no response to my new queries, which though tailored to the specific agents, were largely the same as the first. *SIGH* Apparently my query letter was not made of magic.

I often wish I could be one of those writers that is totally convinced they are brilliant – and that their novel is the best novel ever written. Although agents, and agent assistants, and really everyone, hates those kind of people and nine times out of ten (okay ten times out of ten) they’re delusional anyway, it still must be nice to just feel so confident in your work. I have doubts about my work every moment…actually that’s a lie, I vacillate wildly (especially when I’m actually writing) between “I AM A GOLDEN GOD! I AM A GENIUS!” to ten minutes later “I AM THE WORST OF HACKS. I AM THE HACKIEST HACKY HACK HACK THAT EVER DARED SIT AT A COMPUTER”. These two thoughts can be about the exact same sentence, plot, arc, character, or even title, merely ten minutes apart.

I think I’m also pretty realistic about the state of ‘the process’ and the state of publishing in general. The reality is that you CAN actually have written a great book and that STILL does not mean you are ever getting published…so what hope is there for those of us that maybe have a great book idea that is maybe well written or is maybe timely…it’s pretty debilitating.

I am making a concerted effort this weekend though, no excuses and “sad pile of low self-esteem and mania” be damned, to cast a wide net of query letters. Look out world…a mediocre bi-polar mess is comin’ out…

#56 Comic of the Day

January 10, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, seafood, travel | 9 comments

This one is a bit misleading”fact-wise”, though I like it.

In the end we decided not to go anywhere in an effort to save money, and so that we could perhaps go on a “big trip” to Europe (or somewhere out of country) in 2009…2010…well, someday, and not just because we couldn’t agree on a location. It’s ironic that Adam and I actually both love to travel and have very similar interests, they just never seem to kind of perfectly line up…when I feel like Greece he’s feeling Ireland…when I feel like Philly he’s feeling like Vermont…it’s frustrating.

We had actually agreed to go to Boston for our Anniversary this year and were both quite excited about it (me maybe just for the seafood – clam chowder and lobster rolls – whee!) but we pulled out at the last minute, deciding that the grand we would probably spend on a two or three day trip was better left in our savings accounts considering the year we have ahead (and the never-ending writer’s strike). It was a good choice. I don’t think either of us regret it…especially since I ended up getting sick for part of the time we would have been gone.

What about you guys…any dream destinations? Best places you have already visited?

#55 Comic of the Day

January 9, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, food, relationships, seafood | 5 comments

It’s true.

#54 Comic of the Day

January 8, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, entertainment | 5 comments

How I love/hate Law & Order. I think it is the definition of an addiction…in the sense that I don’t even really like it and it makes me feel terrible, yet I feel compelled to watch…unable to stop. And damn TNT for playing them so cleverly back to back the way they do, which is the whole reason I’m unable to turn it off. The only saving grace I suppose is that I don’t actually LIKE the show, so I don’t turn the tv on looking for it…but it definitely preys on me if it happens to be on…which is ALL THE TIME.

Damn this show. I resolve to watch like 80% less than last year. SIGH. That will never happen.

#53 Comic of the Day

January 7, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, holidays, travel, vacation | 7 comments

Ah, so true. So sad.

I’m finding getting into 2008 (despite my productive and massive 2008 priorities list) to be quite a drag, which is the opposite of what I was hoping for. I’m getting some things done, but I’m definitely not “having more fun” as I noted I should try hard to do in 2008. I also did a preliminary 2008 budget and cannot believe how strict and horrible it is. What was I doing before? Oh yeah, credit cards. Great. Anyway, how are you guys faring with 2008? Better I hope…

#52 Comic of the Day

January 4, 2008 in comic of the day, comics, relationships | 5 comments

This is SO sad. Just a few short months after my blissful discovery, and a few short weeks after I told the world (er uh, you guys) about it, and it has vanished like so much mist. The snoring is not constant, thank goodness, but man is it an adjustment to go from blissful silence to occasional abrupt loud ass log sawing right next to you. It doesn’t help that I’m a terribly light sleeper and Adam is a terribly deep sleeper. Oh woe is me. Suggestions? Other than not bragging anymore of course…

#51 Comic of the Day

January 3, 2008 in art, comic of the day, comics, james jean | 4 comments

They look FANTASTIC. And I’m so happy to finally have them up…most importantly because this “art cluster” hides a giant grey metal switch box in my living room wall that I’ve been staring at angrily for the last six months. Yea for art on walls!

I also made a massive list…not of resolutions, but of priorities for 2008, and there were so many things I wanted to make sure I do this year that I broke the list up into sections (work/art, job, health, money, house, and fun). Onto each of these categories I put a bunch of things I want to accomplish this year and more importantly where I think my priorities should be on a daily basis (funny…tv did not make the list…at all). Anyway, house has by far the most things on the list, although if I just get up and do it the “house” items are also the easiest to accomplish, so that is good. Already two things (hanging those pictures was number one) have been accomplished…so that’s not too bad for January 3rd right?

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