13 Things About Which I've Changed my Mind
1. Cilantro. I used to think it tasted like soap, now I love the stuff. Mmmm. Cilantro.
2. Olives. My sister loved them and I wanted to, too, because Nan was so cool. Eventually trying them over and over worked. I like them all now. Even the salty shriveled ones. Yum.
3. Gay marriage. First time I heard about it, I thought it was a joke. I don't recall being strongly opposed to it, I just didn't see why it was important. Now I do. I still see a joke in the topic--people who somehow think it'll destroy their straight marriages = Heh, funny.
4. Romances. I thought they were all trash. I no longer do that ranking thing with genres, ever ("literary books are Better than fantasy are Better than mysteries are Better than romances") because it's stoopid and pointless and leaves out too much good stuff.
5. Books with "a novel" written under the title. I boycotted them for a while just because. Now I think there are too many to ignore them. And anyway, maybe it's not the author who thinks putting "a novel" on the cover is a good idea.
6. Loud bars, rock concerts, etc. I used to love them but now I just feel old, old, old.
7. Camping. No wait, I still don't like that one but for different reasons. Never mind.
8. Scott McClellan. Yesterday I swore I wouldn't buy his book. Today....well, okay, I forgive Scottie for trying to make a dime on his sordid past. I'm sure he'll sleep better knowing I no longer believe he's simply a horrible human.
9. School productions. Remember that line from Splash, where Tom Hanks says all he wants to do is see his kid play a tooth in a school play? I used to go watch my nieces and nephews and friends' kids in plays and concerts and presentations and get all teary-eyed and happy about education. Now? See post two spaces down.
10. Tofu. I no longer think "boogers" when I eat it.
11. Birds singing at 5 am. I sleep through the morning choir so that's fine. Go ahead guys, yell at each other. That's a full circle. When we first moved here I thought how lovely! Birds singing! Then I wondered if maybe a bb gun would do the trick.
12. Little yappy dogs. I've met a few pleasant ones lately and see their appeal. But not the little outfits. Nope, not going to shift on that one, probably.
13. RWA. Another circle, or more like a spiral. It's only as closed-minded and silly as its members and sometimes they look like a bunch of silly closed-minded types and then--oh, oops!-- I remember I'm a member of that club too. Plus Nora Roberts is a member and she might be noisy and opinionated but she's not closed minded.
Now I'm onto how relevant is the group anyway? Generally speaking RWA seems less important than it used to. I can't tell if that's my perception or the truth. Do all author-based groups wield less power nowadays?
Makes sense. There's my spiral right there. When I heard Leslie Wainger talk a couple of weeks ago she said the same thing I've heard since I started seriously trying to get published in romance (2002? maybe?). "It's harder and harder for romance writers to get and stay published.".. So because we're a dime a dozen, not adjusted for inflation, we writers have even less control over our fates than we did a few years ago. Not a whine--just an observation. If you don't believe me, ask Nancy Butler.
I wonder if there was ever a time when those of us who know how to write a story (and I include myself in the group) could be confident that we'd sell it for a reasonable price, too.
[updated because now I remember some great unpubbed stuff from long ago, I'm thinking Lori Y.] I kind of doubt it.
2. Olives. My sister loved them and I wanted to, too, because Nan was so cool. Eventually trying them over and over worked. I like them all now. Even the salty shriveled ones. Yum.
3. Gay marriage. First time I heard about it, I thought it was a joke. I don't recall being strongly opposed to it, I just didn't see why it was important. Now I do. I still see a joke in the topic--people who somehow think it'll destroy their straight marriages = Heh, funny.
4. Romances. I thought they were all trash. I no longer do that ranking thing with genres, ever ("literary books are Better than fantasy are Better than mysteries are Better than romances") because it's stoopid and pointless and leaves out too much good stuff.
5. Books with "a novel" written under the title. I boycotted them for a while just because. Now I think there are too many to ignore them. And anyway, maybe it's not the author who thinks putting "a novel" on the cover is a good idea.
6. Loud bars, rock concerts, etc. I used to love them but now I just feel old, old, old.
7. Camping. No wait, I still don't like that one but for different reasons. Never mind.
8. Scott McClellan. Yesterday I swore I wouldn't buy his book. Today....well, okay, I forgive Scottie for trying to make a dime on his sordid past. I'm sure he'll sleep better knowing I no longer believe he's simply a horrible human.
9. School productions. Remember that line from Splash, where Tom Hanks says all he wants to do is see his kid play a tooth in a school play? I used to go watch my nieces and nephews and friends' kids in plays and concerts and presentations and get all teary-eyed and happy about education. Now? See post two spaces down.
10. Tofu. I no longer think "boogers" when I eat it.
11. Birds singing at 5 am. I sleep through the morning choir so that's fine. Go ahead guys, yell at each other. That's a full circle. When we first moved here I thought how lovely! Birds singing! Then I wondered if maybe a bb gun would do the trick.
12. Little yappy dogs. I've met a few pleasant ones lately and see their appeal. But not the little outfits. Nope, not going to shift on that one, probably.
13. RWA. Another circle, or more like a spiral. It's only as closed-minded and silly as its members and sometimes they look like a bunch of silly closed-minded types and then--oh, oops!-- I remember I'm a member of that club too. Plus Nora Roberts is a member and she might be noisy and opinionated but she's not closed minded.
Now I'm onto how relevant is the group anyway? Generally speaking RWA seems less important than it used to. I can't tell if that's my perception or the truth. Do all author-based groups wield less power nowadays?
Makes sense. There's my spiral right there. When I heard Leslie Wainger talk a couple of weeks ago she said the same thing I've heard since I started seriously trying to get published in romance (2002? maybe?). "It's harder and harder for romance writers to get and stay published.".. So because we're a dime a dozen, not adjusted for inflation, we writers have even less control over our fates than we did a few years ago. Not a whine--just an observation. If you don't believe me, ask Nancy Butler.
I wonder if there was ever a time when those of us who know how to write a story (and I include myself in the group) could be confident that we'd sell it for a reasonable price, too.
[updated because now I remember some great unpubbed stuff from long ago, I'm thinking Lori Y.] I kind of doubt it.
I sat in an RT editor/agent panel last month in which Kate Duffy (Kensington senior editor) said that RWA promotes the idea that NY editors are the enemy, and in that way is no friend to the romance writer.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying this is true. But I will say that every other editor on the panel sort of...nodded.
So. There's that. As far as relevance? A year later, I'm still not missing my membership. I keep hearing that the organization will be of use to me later, when I finally break into New York. I remain skeptical.
And hey, I moved my website and blog. Eventually, it'll be back to the old selahmarch.com url, but for now, it's at http://selahmarch.wordpress.com. Come visit me.
I iz lonesum.
PS - You can tell it's before noon by the number of times I used the word "that" in the above comment. God, I SUCK. (But only before noon. Which is sad for my husband, who must leave early each day for work.)
ReplyDeletewell, no wonder you don't update that old blog any more. I was just about to start calling out the bloodhounds.
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on RWA. Of all the reasons I've whined about RWA that's never been one of them. Never ever did I get the impression that RWA regards NYC as the enemy.
Sure, there is a natural tension between publisher and writer--the employer/employee thing means that *occasionally* there will be a conflict of goals. No biggie and natural. I'd hope a group that regards itself as an advocate for one bunch of people would stand up for 'em...as much as possible.
Heck, but I don't think anyone in NYC will lose sleep over RWA because NYC will prevail. Even in its heyday, I don't think RWA could call the shots for its memebers. There's no way a writers' group can hold the power of the teamsters or any real union. Not with thousands of people ready to jump in as replacements at any second.
A few writers can name their terms but that's on the par with the few people who'll get money from the scratch'n'win sweepstakes too. (hey, I'm not completely cynical. I didn't make a comparison with the powerball sweepstakes)
memebers? Must be some kind of internet thingie. People who take part in memes.
ReplyDeleteCool--I agree with you on almost everything. Except maybe Scott McClellan--I have no idea who he is. And camping--unless you don't consider a nice comfy travel trailer or a cabin camping, in which case, no, I don't like it, either. :)
ReplyDeletescottie mcc: former white house press secretary for Bush who echoed the company line for years and years. He eventually quit and has just come out with a tell-all book in which he admits he was parroting scummy stuff and lies.Here's his book.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. It's #1 at Amazon.
Huh. Interesting about the RT panel.
ReplyDeleteI don't find RWA terribly relevant, but then I've always been a bit off the romance path. And it's much less so the last few years; I get the RWR and all the news reported in it is old news to me.
And what's this about Nancy Butler?
Butler is just my usual example of a good writer who doesn't get new contracts. I have a list of them and use them on a rotating basis as examples of Writers Who Should Be Contracted NOW. (boring to use Kate Rothwell as that example over and over)
ReplyDelete