So... I've been thinking a bit about Skylark. I have had it on submission with a publisher I had really hoped would pick it up; mostly because their submission guidelines were hilarious and it seemed like they shared my humour. They really seemed like people I could, and really wanted to, work with. Still do.
Unfortunately, this particular publisher has gone through a number of upheavals, and I have received no word on my submission. They had advised that it may take around six months. Alas, it has been a year, and I don't think they've even looked at the query I sent.
So now I have to think about shopping Skylark elsewhere. I have the option of withdrawing the submission with the current publisher, but since they haven't even looked at it yet and I get the impression that they won't, as it's been lost in the tumult of the past few months, I don't think I'll bother. I'll just start shopping it around. Perhaps there's an off chance that they will look at it while I'm shopping it around?
I really believe in Skylark. Though it is science fiction, and thus a departure for me, it is by far one of my favourite stories.
I've always been fascinated by the psychology behind a person or character, and so I tend to write from that perspective. What is of interest to me is not the sweeping landscapes or massive battles, though those happen of course. It has always been far more intriguing to me to explore the inner life of someone caught up in those enormous events. I like to focus on the maelstrom within the person, rather than the tumult that surrounds them. Those events are just set dressing.
What really fascinates me are the people in those events.
That is why Skylark is one of my favourite stories. It focusses on one man who was already a psychological mess when the readers meet him. He had a very difficult childhood and managed to pull himself together enough for a successful career in the military. But his sanity was always hanging by a thread.
And then a whole bunch of awful stuff happens.
Yes, it's science fiction. Yes, there are aliens (two kinds, actually), and yes, there is space travel and fight scenes and a massive battle. Yet all of that is irrelevant. This is a story of a man struggling to come to terms with himself while the world around him collapses into madness.
Anyway, I was thinking whether or not I should start to shop the manuscript around elsewhere, but I've made up my mind while writing this post. I am going to shop it around, starting with the biggest name in science fiction I know.
Oh, I know my chances are slim to none. I don't care. I believe in Skylark, and I can't wait to share this story with the world.
Unfortunately, this particular publisher has gone through a number of upheavals, and I have received no word on my submission. They had advised that it may take around six months. Alas, it has been a year, and I don't think they've even looked at the query I sent.
So now I have to think about shopping Skylark elsewhere. I have the option of withdrawing the submission with the current publisher, but since they haven't even looked at it yet and I get the impression that they won't, as it's been lost in the tumult of the past few months, I don't think I'll bother. I'll just start shopping it around. Perhaps there's an off chance that they will look at it while I'm shopping it around?
I really believe in Skylark. Though it is science fiction, and thus a departure for me, it is by far one of my favourite stories.
I've always been fascinated by the psychology behind a person or character, and so I tend to write from that perspective. What is of interest to me is not the sweeping landscapes or massive battles, though those happen of course. It has always been far more intriguing to me to explore the inner life of someone caught up in those enormous events. I like to focus on the maelstrom within the person, rather than the tumult that surrounds them. Those events are just set dressing.
What really fascinates me are the people in those events.
That is why Skylark is one of my favourite stories. It focusses on one man who was already a psychological mess when the readers meet him. He had a very difficult childhood and managed to pull himself together enough for a successful career in the military. But his sanity was always hanging by a thread.
And then a whole bunch of awful stuff happens.
Yes, it's science fiction. Yes, there are aliens (two kinds, actually), and yes, there is space travel and fight scenes and a massive battle. Yet all of that is irrelevant. This is a story of a man struggling to come to terms with himself while the world around him collapses into madness.
Anyway, I was thinking whether or not I should start to shop the manuscript around elsewhere, but I've made up my mind while writing this post. I am going to shop it around, starting with the biggest name in science fiction I know.
Oh, I know my chances are slim to none. I don't care. I believe in Skylark, and I can't wait to share this story with the world.
Here's hoping for a miracle! Image courtesy of Tumblr. Click for link.
Wish me luck!
Ciao.
Ciao.
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