first manuscript

Elations

Posted on December 1, 2011 by B.C. Johnson

Let’s not bury the lead: I think I may be in the last few hours of one of the best days of my life.

So far, obviously. Someday when I’m riding a pterodactyl into a week-long game of naked laser tag (in space!), I’ll look back on this auspicious Wednesday and think: Was there really a time before I had a pterodactyl? What in the hell did I spend all of my time doing back then? Not riding pterodactyls, that’s what.

First off: I nailed a job interview. This is the least exciting of the three things that made my day, though noteworthy, certainly.

My agent also sent me a publishing contract, which is a sentence I’ve wanted to write my whole life. Eight months ago I didn’t have a contract, or an agent. Just two manuscripts (one particularly dusty, and liable to stay that way) sitting in my hard drive, playing harmonica and singing prison songs. But not like, “Jail House Rock” prison songs. The sad ones, about “nobody knowing” and the like.  A miserable state, happily ended.

The funny thing is, we haven’t decided if we’re taking the contract. Lots of questions still to be had, especially for a raw green publishing newbie like myself. Percentages, rights, maths – all of the stuff I spent most of my academic career trying to get the hell away from. My agent and I are talking about small presses and big presses and working out the details but here’s the best part:

None of that matters.

My worst case scenario at the moment is getting published.

The third thing that put a nice fucking cherry on top of all of this: today was the last day of NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. And I finished, at around nine o’clock. 50,000 words this month.

I’m feeling lucky. Tired. Filled with a voice telling me to enjoy the moment, which is so not a problem. I tried to watch TV, I tried to play some PS3, I tried to tell myself that now was the time to take a much needed break from writing.

So naturally I came here, to type it out.

Fuckin’ writers.

Categories: first manuscript, publishing, writing | Leave a comment

Genesis (Not Sega)

Posted on November 23, 2011 by B.C. Johnson

I blog, therefore, I am.

I’ve had a few blogs before, here and there, scraps of personal info or jokes or comics starring action figures (hilarious, but unprofitable).

I’m first and foremost a writer, and I thought I’d use this particular space to shake loose all the random thoughts, memories, and sea-shanties pertaining to that most hallowed profession. Well, maybe not most hallowed. I mean, we authors basically enjoy “lying to people“ and “wearing sweatpants,” and other than drug-dealer, writer is the only job that allows for both in great quantities.

I’m B.C. Johnson, and I’ll be your host this evening. Actually it’s the middle of the day, and I’m supposed to be working on my manuscript. But I couldn’t help myself – today, I received my first offer to be published(!). A contract is in the mail, folks, and I almost exploded from sheer childish explosive, exploding glee. Whether I’ll be signing it has a lot to do with stuff out my hands, the content of the contract, how many sheep it requires I trade them, etc.

I told my agent I wouldn’t mind being paid in Assassin’s Creed games and Buffy Blurays, but apparently that isn’t “industry standard.”

My first novel sits on my hard drive and in a box, where it will likely remain until the Earth is taken over by Morlocks. My second novel, however, is out there. And someone wants it. Its a difficult feeling to express, but its sort of like OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHOOOOLLLLYYYCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP.

Basically.

When my brain remembers how to function properly, I’ll be back here to try to sort it all out.

– B.C. Johnson

Categories: first manuscript, publishing, second manuscript, writing | Leave a comment

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