Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Dancing with Snoopy
Someone over at Miss Snark used the phrase Snoopy dance as an alternative to the more contemporary Homer Simpsonesque woo-hoo! I suppose Eric Cartman’s Sweeeet would be even more hip. Whatever.
Point is, Miss Snark liked my snippet. In fact, she used that other L word, the one you want so desperately to hear from your agent/editor/publisher. Here’s the link.
Aside from giving me a goofy smile for the morning, this also persuades me to rethink my plans. I’d gotten it into my head that I would have to sell my first story to a publisher before an agent would ever take me seriously. Hmm. Maybe not so.
I have a meeting tonight. Not one of those ‘pull out my wisdom teeth with rusty pliers’ hospital meetings, but a board meeting for the North Coast Nature Center. I wonder how Ray is doing with her moon jellyfish exhibit. She’s been having a devil of a time keeping them alive.
You lurkers who have known Karen and me forever (hi Kira!) are familiar with our creepy crawly love affair*. Our house is, as always, a menagerie. Unfortunately, we have way too many mammals for my liking: three cats, one ferret, and four degus.
What? Never heard of a degu?
Think big gerbil, but don’t think about it too hard.
Our cold-blooded collection, ignoring for the moment Karen’s tarantula mania, consists only of a Madagascar hissing cockroach colony, some freshwater fish, and a water dragon. For us, this is a mighty low census.
That’s enough for the morning. One Snoopy dance and one cute furry rodent. You’d get sugar toxic if I gave you any more than that.
D.
*Take that however you like.
Oh, you owe it to yourself to try agents too, doug. I went down the agent route first – one submission, long wait – and it was only when it became clear agents wouldn’t pee on me if I was on fire I started to send direct to publishers. Even then I’d send two subs at once – one to an agent, another to a publisher.
I’d pee on you if you were on fire, Keith. I like you that much ;o)
And I pee on you just for the hell of it. I’m that nice. 🙂
I can’t begin to tell you how pleased I am for you, Doug.
I’m, I’m…. way pleased.
Maureen the writer.
Oooh, Maureen. Don’t get me started.
I have a lot of work ahead, as you well know. The biggest job will come in addressing the character motivation problems. I think the end result will be a far stronger story, but it makes my head throb even thinking about it.
Congratulations on the Miss Snark post, Doug. I only wish I’d known about her Sunday emailorama on Sunday instead of, too late, Monday.
A friend of mine has two degus. She’s named them Merry and Pippin. A cow-orker of mine once referred to them as “Brazilian sewer rats”, to which she took umbrage. For some reason.
ps, this comment thread is only four comments old (five with this one) and already it’s creepily fetishistic.
It’s comforting to know you’d all pee on me… 🙂
Maybe while you’ve snagged her snarking, doug, you should say: ‘Yes, I see you don’t take Scifi, but can you recommend someone who does?’
Seems to me there’s nothing for those who ain’t bold. And ‘Snarky told me to send you this’ is a great leap from the slush pile.
Pat: keep following Miss Snark. I think she does these sorts of things every week or two. Oh, and as for the creepy fetishism of this thread, you just upped the ante by mentioning cow-orking. Is that a Canadian thing?
Keith: I’ve emailed her. I’m keeping my requests fairly modest for the time being, but if she gives me encouragement, I might do as you ask. Stay dry, Keith.
cow-orker is a deliberate misspelling of co-worker that first appeared (to my knowledge) in the DNRC mailing list. (That’d be “Dogbert’s New Ruling Class” for the in-duh-viduals in the crowd. If you enjoy Dilbert, you really should join the DNRC.)
(According to Wikipedia, the term predates the DNRC usage.)
Wow, Doug, that was your first page? I loved how you depicted a detailed character so clearly in such a brief space. That’s something I have yet to master.
Hi Pat. I really didn’t know cow-orker had a history. I feel so . . . so out of the loop.
Thanks for writing, Laura. I really need to add you to my list o’ pals.
The one thing I worry about, based on the divine Miss S’s assessment, is that Messy may come across as likable (or, worse still, that the reader might see him as an anti-hero). I can’t make him an outright identifiable-on-the-spot villain because that’s not what he is. He’s more of a “banality of evil” sort of baddy.
Oy.
I want one of those degu things. I don’t care what it is, I want one. It’s adorable. Does it come in pink?
Just for you, bam:
Has anybody seen a dog dyed dark green.
About two inches tall, with a strawberry blonde fall;
Sunglasses and a bonnet
and designer jeans with appliques on it?
Gotta warn you, bam: that’s a juvenile you’re looking at. The adults are a bit more rat-like (but still VERY soft and cuddly).
Congrats, Doug.
Now send that baby to a SciFi agent and get out of the slushpile at Bean. 🙂