Hey there dear readers. I have a story, “If You Leave Me,” in the anthology Twisted Love. If you don’t want to invest the money in buying Song of Simon, or the time in reading “The Watchmage of Old New York,” I’d recommend starting here. It’s completely FREE, and it’s a pretty good story. As one fellow author said, “It’s the only zombie story that gets you right in the feels.”
This was a very difficult story to write. I started it not long after my girlfriend Valerie died. I began having nightmares that she was still alive and trying to dig her way out of the grave. I combined it with my own fear that I would someday move on and find someone else to love (a fear that I still have, but that’s a completely different issue). Writing this helped make the nightmares go away (mostly).
The other stories and poems in the anthology are very good too. You should download it.
For those of you that are ready my serial “The Watchmage of Old New York,” chapter 38 is ready. I also decided to go back to a weekly schedule instead of biweekly. We’re nearing the end, so if you have serial anxiety because you don’t like to wait, you can start now. You won’t reach the end by the time it’s done. Believe me, it’s worth the read.
It’s FREE with registration at Jukepop Serials. If you like history, mystery, fantasy, steampunk, or New York city, you’ll love it.
I turned 37 (in a row!? nsfw) on the 13th, but I feel like 50. Medical bills are adding up, and my body is subtracting. It doesn’t seem to matter how much weight I lose (70 pounds since February), my body still rebels against me.
I know that I shouldn’t kvetch, but I’m a Jew and that’s my birthright.
To summarize: my ins is refusing to cover 2 meds that they used to, without which I will die. My endocrine system is fucked. I have a toothache, and I can’t find a dentist that takes my ins. I injured my knee swimming in November and was misdiagnosed. Now I have to go in for an MRI to search for ligament damage. I’m severely bipolar, with anxiety and panic attacks that induce vomiting. I have asthma. I have sleep apnea, but the cpap machine causes panic attacks (having to rip off the mask to throw up is not pleasant. I have the beginnings of Barret’s esophagus (which will eventually cause esophageal cancer, one of the most lethal cancers). My left foot sometimes goes numb, and I have a B12 deficiency.
Many of these things I’ve lived with all my life, and I have come to terms with. I was diagnosed with Bipolar syndrome by age 14. They put me on Lithium, which I think damaged my endocrine system. I always had asthma. Everything else is a brand new fucking experience.
This is why I throw myself into my writing. This is why I aim for a book a year. I want to leave something behind when I die, something that people can enjoy, that will live on beyond me. But one book isn’t enough. Ten might not be enough. I will never be satisfied with what I’ve done, and I feel like I have a short while to do it.
Valerie died when she was 35. She was a brilliant writer, with who knows how many great stories still left inside of her. She was working on her 3rd novel when she died, and it will remain unfinished. I keep putting off publishing her anthology because I am selfish and driven. I keep saying “when I finish this chapter, or this book, or whatever.” One day I am going to die and I hope that it’s not before I get her shit together. Her work means more to me than my own, so why do I keep putting it off?
No matter how much I may want to, I am not ready to join her yet. I have miles to go before I sleep.
Today I went back to my old high school to talk to the kids. Something about “inspiring them to achieve their dreams through hard work, you can be anything you want, blah blah blah.” I think most of that is true, but it feels weird to be on the other side of that speech. I don’t know if the kids really bought it.
Everyone treats the fact I wrote a novel to be some amazing achievement. It’s not. It’s the natural culmination of what I’ve been doing since I was right there in the chairs those kids were sitting in. I wasn’t struck by dumb luck or divine inspiration. I went to college for Creative Writing. I graduated and started writing for magazines. I paid my dues. I did all the Charlie-work. I fine tuned my craft. It’s not like this came out of nowhere.
Maybe that’s the point. You can one day say “I’m gonna write a novel,” and do it, but it will probably suck. Writing is like any other craft. You have to study. You have to practice. You have to work your goddamn ass off to get good.
A lot of people ignore that. They take short cuts. It shows.
But back to the topic. I really don’t feel like I’ve done anything extraordinary, because it’s something that I’ve done all my life. If I was to suddenly star in a movie or fly a plane, that would be extraordinary. A writer writes, that’s what he’s meant to be. Writing is like breathing, and there’s no other way for a writer to live.
So I went back to school. I said a few words, signed a book, took pictures with the staff and kids. All the while I was thinking about what to write next.
I told you, it’s like breathing.
PS: I almost forgot, yesterday was my birthday. Happy happy, blah blah blah
Hey there,
I wrote an article for All Things Book-Review about “World Building in Genre Fiction.” It comes with silly youtube links (although the Bob Ross one at the end exactly reinforces what I’m saying) and a good worksheet at the end. Here is the link. I’d like to do several of them, as they come right from my lesson plans, and it’s stuff that aspiring writers need to know.
I used to be a teacher, and I still tutor English and History. As such, I know a little bit (quite a bit) about writing theory and proper structure. Planning ahead is very important if you want to write a good story, that is, if you want to write a good story without scrapping half of it. And this is why I have serious issues with NaNo.
As some of you know, NaNo purposefully ignores structure (their motto is “no plot, no problem), leading to 1) formless nonsense with a weak plot and/or glaring plot holes, forcing the serious writer to throw out most of his work in order to fix it. or 2) a story that can’t be finished because the writer runs out of ideas and/or writes himself into a corner. “No plot” is a serious problem.
Planning saves paper, people.
I like what Natalie Goldberg has to say about outlining. Once you know what’s going to happen in a chapter, or from point to point, it gives your mind free rein to write as it sees fit, to flow in a natural, zen-like manner, the no-mind.
It’s like how a zen practitioner structures his meditation from gong to gong. I’m paraphrasing, but the message is clear.
NaNo claims that it is allowing the writer to write without structure, but instead it does the opposite. The writer has to constantly think about what comes next. It prevents the freedom to write.
It’s like a driver without a map, that has to constantly look for signs to tell them where to go. Instead be the driver with a map that knows exactly where they’re going, free from stress, and wrong turns. The successful NaNo writers I’ve seen have a plot in mind before they start writing. Some even have (gasp) plot points and a chapter outline.
Let’s make September National Preparing for NaNo month (SeNaPreN?). While we’re at it, make December National Revising Your NaNo month (DeNaReYN?)
I’ve written about this before, and each time I am deluged with NaNo devotees that attack me as if I am attacking their religion. I suppose that I am, but I hate to see someone put so much effort into writing something meaningful, only to see it fall apart.
If only they looked before they leaped.
I’m sorry if you think “i’m being a dick,” I don’t “get it,” “it’s the community, man,” or “your writing probably sucks anyway.” Maybe you’re right, but next time try planning ahead before you do NaNo. I guarantee that your story will be much better. Look. Leap. Land on your feet.
Hey there.
I haven’t been very active lately. November is a hard month for me. Once the sun disappears, I get depressed. I’ve always been that way.
In addition, Valerie’s birthday was the 17th. I visited her grave with her mom. It was hard, so very hard. I left some carnations on the grave, and her mom left a carvel ice cream cake. They were her favorite, and a birthday tradition.
I wanted to post something about Valerie earlier, but even writing this small amount makes me cry. I honestly don’t know if it will ever get easier.
But that’s why I’ve been absent from the blog.
I do have some good news. There’s a new review for Song of Simon and interview of me at All Things Book-Review. I know that those of you that follow my blog know quite a bit about my life. This is a little more insight. I hope that you enjoy it. I can’t tell if I give good interviews or not. I try not to use the standard platitudes that most people do, but balancing that without sounding like a douchebag is hard.
I’m a starting what the hep, hep, people call a “blog tour” to promote Song of Simon. My first interview was with Casey Harvell, the NY Books examiner for Examiner.com. You’ll have to forgive the formatting (examiner can be weird to format sometimes, I know from experience). Here is an excerpt:
Please welcome author Craig Sanders! C.A.Sanders is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. His short fiction has been published in many magazines–both electronic and print–over the past 10 years. His stories span genres from literary and humor to fantasy/sci and horror. His first novel,Song of Simon, is set for release on Sept. 1st, 2013. His serial, The Watchmage of Old New York, is currently available with FREE registration at jukepopserials.com
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
That’s a tough question, I know so much stuff about myself, but not necessarily stuff I want other people to know. I’m thirty-six, a former special ed teacher, now writing full time. While I did like working special ed, it’s a very stressful, physically demanding, and occasionally messy, job. I grew up in the Bronx and then Rockland County, NY, and non-New York accents hurt my ears.
This is not something that I usually confess, but I have Bi-polar Syndrome. I take my medicine and have it under control, but it’s such a large aspect of my life that I feel it is important to share. I think that being set apart from “normal” people by this disease helps me to write from a more objective perspective. It’s up to the reader to judge if this is a good thing.
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I go on to discuss SoS and Watchmage, along with favorites, motivation, and some of the little quirks that make me the crazy bastard that I am.
I’m currently giving “The Wild Hunt,” the next chapter in the “Watchmage” serial, a good hard edit. As I said, when I wrote this, I was still seriouly grieving. I want to cut back on some of the more painful stuff, without losing the impact of the piece. I am very excited to be finishing this up, and to be working with JukePop Serials again. I have all this ideas for short and longer stories in the Watchmage world, each one doing a bit more world building. I want to focus on lesser characters in some, and expand on the city the way that the novel does.
btw: almost done with the novel as well. As good as this serial is, the novel blows it out of the water. I can’t help but crow.
*Professor Farnsworth Voice* Good news everyone! After much soul searching, advice-ignoring, and professional pestering, I have decided to return to the serial version of “The Watchmage of Old New York.” I have a 3rd story arc that is almost ready, titled “The Wild Hunt.”
Previously, I stopped writing the serial so that I can novelize each story arc. The fact is, why must I do one and not the other? I could wait and play for the long term, or I can do things now. If a publisher wants to buy the novels, I’ll worry about that then. No use in stifling myself for a bunch of “what ifs.”
Besides, this story arc is so freakin good, I can’t sit on it any longer.
The projected release for “The Wild Hunt” is Mon, August 26.
In the meantime, catch up on the first two stories at #JukepopSerials. Registration is FREE
Whelp, it took more time than I expected, but I finally finished Act II of the Watchmage reboot. This past month has been a rough one for writing, between enjoying the summer, then being sick, then being a different kind of sick. I like to write about 1000 words a day. I’ve been hovering below 500.
Still, I can’t complain. i have the job that I’ve dreamed my whole life for. No matter what a train wreck the rest of my life is (and it is) I have that. Complaining about writing is such a brag-complaint that I’m almost ashamed of doing it. Or, I would be if I had any shame left (the people that grew up with me know what I mean).
I’ve been pretty quiet here about “The Watchmage of Old New York,” as opposed to my Facebook Page, where I don’t shut up about it. But all that not shutting up has paid off. Watchmage is currently ranked 3rd at Jukepop Serials, with 133 unique voters and 1463 positive votes!! Huzzah!! I am so thankful to all of you that have read and voted for Watchmage. I love writing these stories, and I love the Watchmage World. I’ll keep writing if you keep reading 😉
casandersdotnet 