Loose Ends (27/04)
This week was a reminder that progress is messy, mistakes are hilarious, and sometimes falling out of touch is a good thing.
Big mistakes + Time = Funny Story
Aka: Work(s) in Progress
I’ve been editing my novel, which is proving to be a reeeeal sonofabitch. Although, after a good few weeks of faffing I’m starting to make real progress. I’ve been killing darlings left right and centre, I’ve been trigger happy killing darlings, I’m a darling assassin. At one point I realised I took too much out and I had to start putting stuff back in! HA!
I’m so green and that is one of many mistakes I’ve made. Like anything worthwhile, writing a novel has been a steep learning curve. The other big dumb mistake I made was while sending out query letters. For anyone who doesn’t know, a query letter is a little note begging a literary agent to represent you. You’re meant to pitch your book and say nice stuff about their work. I get so awkward and stiff writing things like that, and it always ends up weird and devoid of personality, like:
Hello Sir / Madam,
How do you do? It is today that is the day that I leave my manuscript for vous.
When I expressed this to a writer pal who has been gently guiding me, she sent me an old query letter of hers as a template. I modelled mine closely.
Really closely.
So closely that I copied them into the same Word doc to compare side-by-side... because I’m lazy.
Then! I sent it!
I sent it... with her original query letter still attached.
So not only could you see my compliments were lifted directly from hers, but I may as well have signed off:
PS: I’m phoning it in!
The agent never responded. I died with embarrassment. My friend and I had a good old laugh about it.
Just more evidence for my working theory: Big Mistakes + Time = Funny Story.
Overthinking, As A Hobby
I waded into the deep waters of a social media kerfuffle this week and it will be the likely inspiration for my Wednesday long read:
Social Media - sometimes falling out of touch is a good thing.
What Bits And Pieces Am I Staring At/Listening To?
Ok, I’m loving The Studio on Apple TV so very, very much. I spent Monday night watching it and chuckling up a storm.
Kathryn Hahn has returned to my life in the form of the head of marketing in a Hollywood studio and she crackkkkks me up.
You think you’re getting the usual bonkers serving of Catherine O’Hara when she initially shows up on screen but then she totally turns it around and is a savvy business woman who is, most of the time, the only person that knows what they’re doing.
Seth Rogen is channelling his inner Larry David and it’s beautiful.
I read an article in the New York Times about a firefighter with OCD. Fascinating insight on how the disorder can progress. Also how people can manage it for years without others realising how bad it is.
I listened to this new CMAT single over and over. I’ve been singing along in the shower frequently, which, I’m sure my housemate and neighbours will agree, is fun for all of us.
Lyric Of The Week
From aforementioned CMAT tune,
It runs along in a loop
It runs along as is truth
Along the bottom of the news
That I'm not good enough for you
Just very, very good.