Like Glass No Longer a VHP Title

The title pretty much says it all; officially, as of today, Like Glass will not be published by Vanilla Heart Publishing. I will continue to distribute it via the current channels (i.e. Amazon and CreateSpace) at least until the first of the year, though I’m unsure whether I will continue to pursue it after that.

I’m at work right now, so I can’t really discuss the subject too much; suffice to say that it’s better for all parties involved that the novel finds a different home.

I would like to sincerely offer my thanks and gratitude to Kimberlee Williams, the editor at VHP, for the time and effort she and her staff put into what work had already been done on the novel, and for putting up with a rather tedious client. I’d also like to once again thank Mary Quast, the author who introduced me to VHP in the first place; even though it didn’t work out, it was still a wonderful experience that I wouldn’t have had without your assistance.

Okay, back to the rat race.

–Matt

Podcast: Free Short Stories

Why you might want to consider giving some of your short stories away for free…

Free Short Stories (~6:30)

Also, the link to J. Kaye’s Book Blog, where Like Glass is the subject of their noontime chat today, is http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/. Stop by and check it out!

Choices and Dreams

Had kind of an interesting day at work today. Well, the last half of it was interesting; the first half bored me to tears.

First, we had an office party. We have them pretty much every month, to celebrate the birthdays for that month — it’s pretty cool. If nothing else, it’s an excuse to get away from the monitors for a little while.

This time though, they were celebrating because, aside from the birthdays, we just had our big trade show — RSNA — and our product was a big hit. I sat out most of the fireworks leading up to the trade show for personal reasons, so I kinda kept my distance throughout. Didn’t really feel like it was my thing, you know? Honestly, it felt kinda sad, watching every one else celebrate and feeling (entirely of my own volition, I assure you) a little left out.

Anyways, after that, my manager calls me in to talk to me. He’s been wanting to talk to me ever since I returned, so I was curious as to what exactly it was about. Basically, it was an “are-you-sure-you-can-do-this-job-we-need-you-to-be-focused” kinda talk. After that, I started feeling a little more in the game, you know? I mean, I wasn’t chomping at the bit to get working or anything, but it got me going a little.

See, both of these are related in my mind. The party was kinda something I always wanted to be a part of. I always wanted to be the corporate kinda guy, where you do trade shows and you work long hours and everything. Then you celebrate with the staff on a job well done. The lecture, well, I never really expected to have such a talk. I always expected myself to be on top of the game, if that makes sense.

And I know I could be. This’ll probably sound pretty damned arrogant, but I know I could be a damned good coder there if I wanted to give the effort.

The problem arises in my writing. I want to give my effort to that. I want to devote my time and energy to working on characters and plot sketches and stuff like that. I don’t want to be the corporate kinda guy anymore. I don’t really care about getting an office or anything like that anymore; I’ve … well … honestly I gave up on that dream, because it just didn’t seem realistic, knowing myself the way I do.

And the time that I’ve spent in the past couple of months pursuing the writing gig, well, that was wonderful. That felt real. That felt like I was being authentic, being honest with myself, instead of trying to be something I’m not. It was hard work, but it was effortless and honest hard work.

So where do I go? Love or money, the eternal question… Not that I really need to be asking it right now anyways. The answer is pretty obvious at the moment: there’s too many bills that need to be paid, and I’m not making a dime at the pen yet. But still, now I’m in a position to get/have a dream I used to have, when it’s no longer the dream I want.

What would you do, in that situation? Pursue the old dream, because it’s pretty much already there? Or would you puruse the dream you have at the moment? I always hear people talk about “always follow your dreams”, but I can’t say I’ve ever heard any advice on what to do when your dreams change…

Anyways, it’s bedtime, so I’ll catch you on the flip side.

–Matt

Drawing to a Close…

Well, today’s my last day of freedom before I go back to the grind again tomorrow. I’m not exactly looking forward to it, but what can you do? This little break has been … interesting. I started it as a software developer with one novel under my belt, and I’m ending it as a published author with two finished novels under his belt. Well, I’m not technically published until next Spring, and the second “finished” novel is undergoing reviews, but you know what I mean.

I’ve come a long way in two months. And I’ve learned one important thing about myself that I only assumed before I went on this little journey: I am a writer. This is me, for better or worse. I may not be the world’s best wrier, but this is the life I need to have.

So, there’s the question: how do I get there? And, to put a fine point on it, how do I get there using my own strengths and weaknesses? I mean, I’m terrible at multi-tasking careers, or else Shattered would’ve been written a while ago. Can I find it in myself to bring out the next book while I’m maintaining a day job?

Hell, on top of the day job, I’ll also be trying to do my own part to bolster the publisher’s marketing efforts on Like Glass. And I’m still not sure if I want to work on the same story line again for a little while. Rob’s got two stories finished now. Maybe it’s time to give him a bit of a break and see what else needs to be told.

Now I’ll get to try and develop another character. Rob was pretty easy to do — he’s a lot like me, as I’m sure I’ve said somewhere. That’ll be the real challenge: developing a new character who isn’t like me. Someone entirely different, with different goals and hopes and dreams and fears.

Kinda scary…. Exciting, but scary.

Anyways, as I said at the start, I’m not looking forward to giving up the lifestyle I’ve had for the past two months to go back to the rat race. It’s been extremely trying, but fun as hell — trying to set up marketing stuff, trying to write, trying to get published, so on and so forth. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot, but I also still feel kinda like I failed — I’m going back to work, aren’t I?

Eh, never mind — I’m listening to a “slow” Slipknot song and getting all sentimental and crap. Never mind me

Big News for Shattered and Like Glass

Alright, it’s been some time since I’ve posted anything here, but trust me: the wait was worth it. I’ve got some big news for you today, a couple of items, and they’re mainly what I’ve been waiting for before posting again.

Before I start though, a quick FYI: the matthewcory.com domain is down for the moment. I’m working on getting it back up as soon as possible, but until then you’re stuck with this

Okay, first bit of real news: Shattered is done. Well, the rough draft is, at least. It’s printing as I write this — hard copy is so much easier to edit. It’s a little shorter at the moment than I’d hoped for, but it ended where it was supposed to end. I’m sure it’ll shrink and grow during the editing process, so I’m not worried about it. Nevertheless, no more updates on Shattered saying “It’s coming along.” It’s a total of 38 chapters (or 37 and an epilogue; I haven’t quite decided yet), and I’ll be editing them chapter-by-chapter, so any updates should really have some kind of progress marker in them.

Anyways, that ain’t nothing. Here’s the real big news. Are you ready?

Like Glass has been picked up by Vanilla Heart Publishing and is tentatively scheduled for a Spring 2009 release date! You can check out my own page at their site by going to http://www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com/Writings.html (it’s at the bottom of the page). There you can find info on the book, links to a video trailer, and links to a Cafe Press store where you can get shirts and coffee mugs and all sorts of cool Like Glass gear. (I’ll soon have the links here as well; my brain’s still a little fried from my writing marathon today to finish Shattered.)

I’d like to give a big thanks to Mary Quast, a fellow VHP author who introduced me to them. I was actually giving up on trying to push the book when she contacted me, and I sent my query on a whim. Thanks Mary!

Trust me, there’ll be further news as events warrant, but for now I’m going to take a bit of a break.

New Site Up!

Just wanted to let everyone know that there’s a new “official” site, specifically for the writing junk. You can find it at http://matthewcory.com/ (yes, it feels pretentious to me too). There’s not much there yet, but stop by and say hello. I’ll be moving most of the content regarding my works over there during the next week or so, and I’ll be posting regular updates on Shattered and whatever else I’m working on there as well.

Just FYI.

It Ain’t Easy….

A lot of times when I first tell someone that I’ve written a book, I get the same response: “Well, you’ve done the hard part, now you just have to sell it,” — or some variation thereof.  It seems to be a common perception that, because everyone wants to write a book but can’t get it out, the creative process must be the hardest part.

I like talking to people about the book, but I do want to get one thing out of the way once and for all:  Writing the book was one of the easiest things I’ve done in my life.  It was time consuming, and in some ways even a little painful, but putting the words to paper just came naturally, as I’m sure it does for a lot of writers.

Selling it, on the other hand…

If you’ve never tried to start a business from scratch, you probably won’t understand what’s so hard about it.  I know I didn’t — send out a few emails to agents or publishers, and bam!  You’re an overnight success.  Well, you’ll get a couple of rejection letters, but bear with them and, if there’s any advice in them then take it and move on.  Simple, right?

Yep, that’s what I thought when I started this game, but, in case you haven’t made the connection yet, I want to let you in on a little secret: it ain’t that easy.

I’ve had times in my life where I was unemployed, beating the pavement in a suit and tie with a stack of resumes in one hand, trying to find anyone that would hire me.  That was pretty rough stuff, but it’s a walk in the park compared to trying to convince someone to take the time to read a book.  Seriously, have you ever tried walking for a few miles, in desert heat, a black suit, and dress shoes?  Not pleasant.  But you do what you gotta do.

I’m taking a similar walk right now, though I’m finding a lot more closed doors than there were that summer I needed a job.  And I’m probaby making it harder on myself, because — to keep with the analogy, kinda — I’m also holding up a sign to the street saying “Will work for food.”  Okay, that might be a bit of an overkill, but I’m trying to get my foot in the door on one side and sell the book to the general public on the other.  All without a budget or a clue.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m having the time of my life; it’s a strange mix of misery and ecstasy, waiting to see what each day brings.  For the most part, I guess I’m looking to apologize in a way, or at least seek understanding, from some people I’ve surely annoyed over the past couple of weeks.

I’ve been trying to push Like Glass harder than anything I’ve ever done, and in doing so, I’ve probably pushed it a little too hard in some areas.  And if I’ve come across as pushy, or needy, or even desperate, I’m damned sorry.  There isn’t anyone else out there doing the work for me though.  There isn’t a marketing company trying to get the book in a radio spot or a newspaper spot.  No one’s putting displays up at Barnes and Nobles with a rose on a black background.  It’s all me, and I can only think of so many avenues to go that seem viable and modestly simple before I start repeating myself in the same venues.  As I write this, I can’t even budget a few bucks for a simple pay-per-click campaign.

Damn, I hope I don’t sound like I’m asking for pity here — I’m not.  Like I said, just seeking some understanding from anyone I might’ve pissed off recently.  Anyone else who’s tried to sell a book, or start any kind of business from the ground up surely understands.  There isn’t anyone else out there who gives a crap whether you sink or swim, so you got to fight for yourself.  If you’re lucky enough to have something to back you — a publisher, a bankroll, whatever — then you can rest a little bit.  If not, you start to get that wild look in your eyes wondering what the hell you’re doing wrong, hitting the refresh button on your web-visit stats hoping for that one visitor who might actually buy it.  It’s terrible, but exhilirating at the same time.

Okay, I hope that makes sense somehow.  If not, well, I got it off my chest a little so I can relax for a while

Keeping It Rough

I was speaking with my sister last night, first time in quite some time, and after the usual catch-up stuff she started talking about a paper she’s working on.  She’s taking masters classes in psychology, so every paper is a big deal.  This one’s got to be 10-12 pages long, and it’s due in a couple of days, so she’s stressing out (not to mention she’s got a full time job, and several other assignments due as well…).

I asked her if I could give her a bit of advice, as a writer (and damn did it feel strange — but good — saying that!), and she said sure.  So, I gave her my number one bit of advice that I know I’ve posted about here before, but it’s so important in my mind that I feel it always bears repeating:

Let yourself write crap.

Seriously, the number one stressor when you’re writing something, and I don’t care if it’s a simple letter or a blog post or a paper or a book, is that you start worrying about how it’s coming out before it’s even out.  It’s a rough draft, and at that stage, quantity is much more important than quality.  You need to have something to edit before you start worrying about editing.

If you haven’t noticed, I’m working on my follow-up novel to Like Glass right now, and the number one thing I keep telling myself when I get stalled out is “It’s okay if it’s terrible now.  No one has to see it until you’re ready for them to see it.  Just get something for them to see first before you worry about it.”

As many writers have mentioned before, self-editing is the key to that dreaded writer’s block we all know and love.  If you find yourself stopping in mid-sentence to go back and play with punctuation, or re-word something, STOP IT.  It’ll still be a problem later on, when you’ve written those glorious words “The End”.  You can spend all the time in the world editing later on, but right now you’re writing.  Multitasking is a terrible thing when it comes to trying to get something on paper or on the screen.

I’ll say it again: Let yourself write crap.  Now say it with me: Let yourself write crap.  It’s okay for me to write crap.  I can fix it later, and I don’t need to worry about it now.

Drill that into your head; use it as a mantra while you’re writing.  Record it into a file on your computer and play it on repeat while you’re sleeping.  If you have a significant other, get headphones.  Yes, it’s that important, to where you should risk strangulation in your sleep.  (Well, maybe not, as it’s difficult to write in the afterlife, although you could always go for someone who’s trying automatic writing…)

The rough draft is the most important part of your writing; it’s the thing that gets polished later on into a fine gem of art.  In the meantime though, let it be rough, let it be that ugly rock that looks like another chunk of dirt to everyone else; you know what it’ll be later.

Choices, Choices, Choices… Part II

First off, I’d like to thank everyone who commented earlier; I don’t get a lot of comments here, so to get three lengthy comments on the same post means a lot to me — seriously, thank you for your support.  I really appreciate it.

I’ve come to a decision though.  Well, kinda.  Let me first assure you that I’m not going to give up on writing; that came out earlier, and it wasn’t quite what I meant.  What I meant was that I’d be giving up on the business side of writing.  That means that I’d still be writing when I got a chance, but I wouldn’t be trying to make money at it.  Simply put, I’d have the “normal” day job/hobby arrangement that most people have, instead of wanting to make a day job out of my hobby, and do what I currently do as a day job for my hobby (that wasn’t very “simply put”, was it?).

Anyways, as I said, I’ve made a decision as to what I’m going to do.  I’m going to keep at this whole marketing/writing-business thing for another week, till Tuesday, 11/25/2008.  I have a few irons in the fires, and we’ll see what happens with those.  If things don’t pan out — and trust me, I’ll let everyone know if they do, even people who don’t really give a rat’s ass — then on Wednesday, the 26th, I’m going to hang up the “pen” (well, keyboard) for a couple of weeks and just relax.  I might write; most likely I’ll just play video games or something.  Odds are though, if I do anything that has any redeeming social values, it’ll be programming related.

If things do, however, pan out as I’d like them to, well, we’ll see what happens then.

So, rest assured: for at least a week, you’ll still get plenty of “Matthew Cory just posted about blah; check it out…” status updates on Facebook, and plenty of spam from my groups (if you’re a member) asking for discussions on this or that.  If I get bored I might even make more flair to send at you, or find some other Facebook application to use to spam you with

Until next time,

–Matt

Choices, Choices, Choices…

I’ve accepted a couple of things about myself that fairly recently learned.  A lot of people might consider them flaws; I don’t.  They’d be fairly easy to change, I assume, if I were to try, but I think I’ll keep them.

The first thing is that I’m a terrible multi-tasker.  At least, when it comes to the big scheme of things.  I’ve always been this way; in high school, I played piano quite well, but didn’t keep up with my studies.  As a programmer, I taught myself almost everything I know, at the expense of music.  Same with writing — since I’ve rediscovered the joys of creation, I do so at the expense of software development: I haven’t written a line of code in almost a month, even though it used to be a favorite hobby of mine.

The second thing is that, when I find something I enjoy, I dig in tooth and nail.  I just cannot let it go — not only do I get tunnel vision and ignore most everything else, I’ll work at it incessantly.  That led me to become a good pianist, a good programmer, and (as some will say, I hope) a good writer.  The flip side to that coin is I do get burnt out on stuff fairly quickly.  Instead of running a marathon with something I love, I sprint, and expend all my energy in a week, or a month, instead of a lifetime.

Hopefully you can see the relation between the two.  I find something that I love, and I ignore everything else as I burn the candle at both ends, most often with a blow torch for added effect.

Recently, I’ve been able to take some extended time off from work (well, there’s a reason behind it — a good one, not in trouble or anything — that the observant mind might discover if they read between the lines of some of my recent posts).  In this time, I’ve had the luxury to discover what life would be like if I were a “real” writer, able to work full time on marketing my book and writing my next one.  I have to say that it’s been absolutely wonderful.

Unfortunately, the time for returning to work is drawing near, and I’m left with a choice: do I continue focusing on writing while I have the opportunity, or do I just relax for the next few weeks and enjoy the time off?

The reason I’m away from work would dictate I take the time and just enjoy it.  I’ve lost my love for software development, to put it bluntly.  It’s hard for me to live having just a “job” to pay the bills, one doing something that I no longer care for.  I’m not a jobber — if my heart’s not in it, I can’t see doing it.

I’ll be completely honest with you, I’d hoped for a lot from this time off.  I expected that I’d finish Shattered (right now only about a third of the way through it).  I hoped to possibly get some kind of income started with Like Glass, either through a traditional book deal or just through online sales.  Maybe even find an agent and just get things lined up before going back to work.

And, in all honesty, none of that seems to be coming to play.  It’s been a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong — and quite stressful at times, true — but at the end of the day, I still need to pay rent.  I know that a lot of people spend years trying to get published.  Hell, I know that a lot of people spend years trying to write a novel, period.  But I have a damned hard time doing software development for a living, then coming home and working on a book.  Hell, right now I’ve been having a hard enough time just working on the book and trying to market the old one — I’ve been getting the tunnel vision on the marketing side, instead of the writing side.

So maybe it’d be better just to let the writing go for now, and enjoy my first “vacation” in almost ten years.  Enjoy the time off, play video games and read.  Then maybe I’ll want to work again when the time comes.  Maybe I can get the writer/marketer junkie out of my system, and can focus on writing code again.

If I go that way though, I feel like I’m just giving up.  I know I’ve given the writing stuff a decent effort, but there’s always that thought that one more day could get that big contract, could get that one sale that starts the career.  Hope springs eternal, as they say.

Maybe it isn’t giving up though.  Like I said, I gave it an honest effort — in my opinion, at least — and it just didn’t happen.  That doesn’t mean it never will, just that it wasn’t in the stars for now.  I can get some well-needed rest, and hopefully go back to work and be happier there.

Maybe, maybe maybe…

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