Browsing the blog archives for January, 2009

Hey! I won, I won!

6 Comments
21 Jan, 2009
aidan
My Novel

Colleen Lindsay, an agent with FinePrint Literary Management and well known blogger, held a really fun contest over at her blog, The Swivet, recently that asked writers to post a query to the novel and Colleen would give the winner’s query and first chapter a serious look over.

The catch? The query had to be 140 characters or under, including spaces and punctuation!

From her post:

First, can I just say? WOW! You guys really know how to rise to a challenge. And, boy howdy, did I ever give you a challenge: To come up with a great book query in 140 characters or less (the length of the average text message or Twitter post). The idea was to A.) have some fun and B.) see if I could get you all thinking about how to convey a clear story idea in a very concise way. And while it quickly became apparent to me that more than a few of you don’t seem to know how to count, the majority of you managed to keep within the contest guidelines very nicely. And a few of you managed to not only hook me with your wee tiny query, but you managed to do it with a unique voice.

There were a lot of great entries, some absolutely hilarious ones, and a few that kinda made me question whether the writer was actually communicating in the English language. But there were several real standouts for me.

The winning query:

What would YOU do if you realized all the kids on your baseball team were vampires? Explains the night practices! Little League Sucks, YA.

With well over 300 entries, everyone had their work cut out for them, so you can imagine how tickled I was when I saw the results and found myself in the Best of the Rest/Runner-up section among about 10 other queries picked!

My Query:

LABYRINTH – (David Bowie and Muppets) + Fey mythology x The dirty streets of Ireland = THROUGH BENDED GRASS, a 90k contemporary Fantasy.

The coolest thing of all is that, via Twitter, Colleen let me know that she’s interested in getting her hands on a realy query for Through Bended Grass! While it’s not a sure bet by any means, there’s nothing like encouragement like that to get someone motivated in finishing their novel!

So, can you pitch your novel in 140 characters?

http://aidanmoher.com/mightierthanthesword/2009/01/21/hey-i-won-i-won/

At long last, my return.

2 Comments
15 Jan, 2009
aidan
Me, My Novel, Progress Reports

First I must apologize to Mightier than the Sword, I certainly didn’t forget about you. I promise!

Second, to those of you who have stuck with me – checking periodically in hopes that I might’ve returned from the ether to drop some hints about the progress of Through Bended Grass – let me just say that I have little excuse other than laziness, maybe. Actually, maybe that’s not entirely true, and I’ll explain why.

Last October I hopped on a plane, with nothing but my backpack and my girlfriend, and hit the roads (or rather, traintracks) of Eastern and Central Europe for a few months. The journey was fantastic and opened my eyes up to so many things that I had little appreciation for in the past. I’ve spent some time in Western Europe before and had little idea what I would find when in the other, underappreciated side of the continent. All I can say is that I was utterly blown away by the generosity and beautry of the people, the timeless, tragic history of the land and the utter decadance of the food (and beer!).

The countries I visited were:

  • Holland
  • Czech Republic
  • Slovakia
  • Poland
  • Hungary
  • Croatia
  • Slovenia
  • Austria
  • Italy
  • France

Most importantly, however, were the plans that were to come after my travels, which included a several month hiatus in Ireland. For obvious reasons (my novel taking place in Ireland, for instance) this would be a big influence on bringing Through Bended Grass into the light. I’d spent a fair bit of time in Ireland a few years ago, but I was eager to get back and drop myself into some of the places that Rowan explores over the course of the novel.

Well, it didn’t turn out all as planned. The economy started collapsing almost as soon as I got to Europe and by the time I got to Ireland, getting a job and living there for a few months seemed like a tough task indeed. Plus I didn’t want to miss Christmas with the family! So, instead of a few months, we spent a few nights there and then headed back home, just in time for the holidays.

Being back in Ireland, and Dublin in particular, was a great way to re-immerse myself in the story and get another perspective of what the Irish way of life is like. Maybe it’s because I’m older, maybe it’s because I was in a different part of town, but I saw a harder edge to Dublin that I missed the first time I was there – drunk bums, drugs, dirty streets, stag parties – and I think that experience will enhance my story in a big way. Don’t get me wrong, all the wonderful things that first made me fall in love with Ireland were still there, but I was able to catch a glimpse at some of the seedier elements of city living that will help draw life into my version of Ireland in Through Bended Grass.

Enough about the travels, though, you probably want to know how the novel is coming along, eh? It’s coming along great and very slowly, all at once.

While overseas I had a lot of downtime, and that gave me a terrific opportunity to contemplate the story and how the final third (the unwritten portion) should unfold. To say that I had several epiphanies while there would be an understatement. Slowly, over the course of those two or so months, the entire story unfolded itself before me and by the time I was leaving Ireland I knew exactly how it should end.

Since returning I’ve outlined the story fully and now the real work begins in getting those final chapters down on paper so I can have a complete story to edit and, eventually, submit to publishers and agents. It’s crazy to think the finish line is finally in sight. Just the other day I sat down and began work on Chapter 19, and by golly did it feel bloody good to be back with Rowan after so many months of not being able to write.

The final break down is:

Prologue + 28 Chapters + 3 Interludes + Epilogue = Through Bended Grass

Of course, this could always change, but I feel very confident that I have the story laid out properly and the fun stuff is all about to begin. I can’t wait to share it all with you.

Oh, and I promise I’ll be back to updating Mightier than the Sword more frequently now that the dam has burst!

http://aidanmoher.com/mightierthanthesword/2009/01/15/at-long-last-my-return/