It’s First Month Again
Dear Etherfriends,
In periods of societal stress, working on personal projects and art can feel selfish. Or pointless. Or maybe like digging your head in the sand and pretending fascists aren’t destroying your country and murdering people remarkably like you while pretending it was entirely the victims’ faults. And minimum, you feel like maybe your art should be directly addressing the problems around you.
But I feel it’s important to continue trying to function even if you aren’t attacking current issues and actively fighting for change, particularly when your job involves giving people things to help them through heartache and anxiety. My books are cozy. Good things happen to good people in them. The bad guys don’t win. Romantic, sexual, and gender queerness are all mainstream. No one is homeless, or malnourished, or wearing clothes with too many holes to provide real warmth because local society has agreed letting that happen would be psychopathic. My world makes statements, yes, but mostly I’m just trying to make people feel a little better during the time they’re reading by letting them escape into a better world.
The US is increasingly turning into a place where simply writing queer books in queernormative settings counts as an act of defiance. Especially when you set them in a place that values immigrants, holds law enforcement MORE accountable than regular citizens rather than less, and shows a functioning socialist government.
So even while mired in anger, grief, and fear over the state of my nation, I continue to write.
I hope you are continuing to do whatever brings you happiness in these troubling times. Joy can be resistance. Don’t let the bullies steal that from you.
Looking for Help!
If you’re interested in beta reading (ie, reading a minimally edited early version of) Winter’s First Verse and providing me with honest feedback on what does and, more importantly, DOESN’T work for you, please let me know! I’ll likely be looking for betas very soon.
Winter’s First Verse is currently a 47,000 word novella following Vil, Vanya, and Bex in the verse immediately following the end of The Harmony of Falling Snow. It will make more sense to people who have read the first book and obviously contains spoilers for it as well as building on the series arc, but the main plot is self-contained.
Life and Such
My Skis: You used us!
Me (Andy): I did!
My Skis: More than once even!
Me: Yeah. I’ve been out for two training sessions. I was going to do a third, but my partners were both sick and I felt like I was coming down with their virus, so tapped out.
My Skis: Did you come down with it?
Me: Not yet? I felt myself fight it off when Wifey first got sick. But I’m feeling it try to latch on again and don’t think I’m quite past needing to make sure I take care of myself if I don’t want to succumb,
My Skis: So… When are you using us again? Because we’ve been hanging out in this locker room since Wednesday, watching other skis go out to play on the snow…
Me: I’m not sure. I’m teaching my first lesson of the year Thursday night and I’m signed up for another clinic on Wednesday. I’d LIKE to get some snow time on my own Monday or Tuesday, but it really depends on how well I feel. The most important ski goal of the week is to be healthy enough to meet my brand new class Thursday! I can’t wait!
My Skis: We hate to ask but, you really haven’t used us since Wednesday because you’re worried about your health, right? Because we were worried that maybe you’re mad at us for what happened in those bumps…
Me: I’m not mad at you! If anything, I should apologize for wiping out and not realizing the real reason the second binding wasn’t clicking for way too long. I KNOW to check and make sure the lever fully released during ejection. And I know that one sticks. But, yeah, I was frustrated with the powder getting everywhere and upset with myself for falling and trying not to get upset over being there in the first place…
My Skis: It’s okay. We should get into some bumps on purpose soon and work on them. We remember learning to do them before, but it’s clearly not instinctive yet. Or, if it was, we lost it over the Warm Months.
Me: Agreed! But not today. The mountain is at capacity.
My Skis: No, not today. We don’t like waiting in lift lines. We’re skis; we want to be SKIING!
Progress and Planning
First Verse (Winter’s First Verse): I’m feeling complete. It’s a very nice sensation.
Me (Andy): We finished your rough draft! Which is great!
First Verse: Why do I sense a ‘but’ on the way?
Me: But!
First Verse: There it is…
Me: I wouldn’t say you’re completed. At minimum, you need a lot of clean-up. And I won’t know until I do a read-through if you need a revision before I can show you to betas. And you may well need one AFTER the betas give feedback.
First Verse: Sounds like a lot of work.
Me: Yep! But it’s work I enjoy, so I’m more excited to get it started than anything.
First Verse: That’s good, I guess. And I appreciate you not allowing me to wander out in the world all sloppy.
Me: I will certainly try to make sure you look your best before the world gets a look at you!
Melody (A Melody of Shining Stars): Is that what you’re taking forever to do with me?
Me: It is. And as soon as I get First Verse to the betas, I plan to tackle the next draft of you. I’d say I don’t anticipate I’ll have to change too much after I remove the stuff that wound up in First Verse, but I doubt anyone would believe that my anticipation will play out. It usually doesn’t when I expect not to completely rewrite much…
Melody: Sigh. I do want to come out this year, you know.
Me: I know. And I told your cover artist I expect you to. So, that’s certainly still my goal.
Melody: Okay. Wrap this up so you can get on to that read-through, then.
Me: Working on it!
In Closing
Ethernotes: Are we done?
Me: I think we are, actually. Although… How do you feel about this format?
Ethernotes: You seem to have more fun with it than with the old one and I’d like to be less of a chore, so I vote to keep it.
Me: Great! I do like it better.
Ethernotes: Plus, in your books, people keep talking about scripts. Like wondering what someone’s script is, or worrying they’re performing a different script from someone, or wanting to skip this part of the script… So presenting me as a script seems appropriate.
Me: I hadn’t considered that before. But, you’re right.
Ethernotes: We should ask other opinions though.
Me: Yeah, probably.
Me: Hey, readers! If you have an opinion, reply with this filled out:
Reader: (Your opinion goes here.)
Me: I wish you all the best January you could possibly have! Thank you for reading and do feel free to let me know if the new format works for you or if you’re interested in beta reading Winter’s First Verse.
