A New Record and New Shows

Posted on 2009.03.22 at 17:41
Current Location: the couch
Current Mood:

accomplished
Tags: editing, short story circulation, television

Today I officially have 8 short stories in circulation. That is the most I've had out at any one time. I also decided to count my rejections after my pity party the other day and discovered the grand total is 73. The triple digits, they are approaching! Don't worry, the pity party is long over.

I've been editing the novel, and yesterday was tough. I had a hard time making myself sit and go through it. I couldn't figure out why, because it hadn't been that hard before. Then I realized I had gotten to the part where I slogged through during the original writing and sometimes wrote crap just so I could keep forward momentum. Much rewriting is about to ensue, and my inner slug is borrowing tips from

babarnett's slug.

I've been watching a couple of new shows--new to me anyway--and really enjoying them. One is Life on Mars, the American version. The dialogue is witty, and New York in the 70's is fascinating. I love the contrast between Sam's way of being a cop (from 2008) and the 70's way of being a cop. I've also just started watching Breaking Bad, a show set in Albuquerque (and consequently filmed here). I started watching it for that reason, but it's got some hilarious moments. A chemistry teacher who's a washed-up Los Alamos scientist is diagnosed with lung cancer and decides to start cooking meth to make some extra money for the family he'll soon be leaving behind. So yeah, it's got some dark moments too.

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Comments:

babarnett at 2009-03-23 01:07 (UTC) (Link)

Damn slugs, sharing tips over drinks at the bar while we're trying to slog through drafts and revisions.

Don't get too attached to Life on Mars. I read the other day that it was canceled (though I think they're letting it finish out the season rather than pulling a FOX and yanking it without closure)

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kannibal_kat at 2009-03-23 01:57 (UTC) (Link)

God help us if the slugs ever form a union.

I'd read the same thing about Life on Mars. All the good shows get canned.

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hildebabble at 2009-03-23 14:03 (UTC) (Link)

I heard the slugs are all In-Network on the same cell plan.

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kannibal_kat at 2009-03-24 00:45 (UTC) (Link)

Those slugs better watch it. I just bought some salt over the weekend.

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maggiedr at 2009-03-23 18:01 (UTC) (Link)

I admire your having 8 stories in circulation. That is 8 more stories than I have out there.

I feel your editing pain. I do the same thing (write crap for forward momentum) and then when I revise, I still have no brilliant new thoughts to replace the crap.

I've been liking "Life On Mars" although I feel it could be a bit better. It reminds me of popular cop shows in the 70s but I'm not so sure real cops acted like that. Maybe they did, I guess I'd have no real way of knowing. I think the era is depicted more hippie-influenced than I recall it, but maybe it was. It seemed like hippiedom had already passed out of favor by then but I do think things were a lot more colorful then.

I'm watching season 2 of Breaking Bad. The first two episodes have been amazing and just as riveting as season one. I found Season one to slow down and lose momentum for a few episodes midway through, which isn't unusual for serial dramas. But Season 2 is just as explosive and amazing as the start of Season 1.

I've also been enjoying "Big Love". My only quibble is that their seasons are too short!

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kannibal_kat at 2009-03-24 00:48 (UTC) (Link)

Good to know about Breaking Bad. Hubby likes Big Love. I've watched a few episodes, but I just can't get into it. And now that you mention it, the hippieness of Mars had me scratching my head. I thought by the mid-70's things had morphed into disco.

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maggiedr at 2009-03-24 03:24 (UTC) (Link)

The show is set in 1973, which is definitely pre-Disco, by approx 5 years. Of course, living in the Midwest, Disco was probably slower to get noticed here.

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kannibal_kat at 2009-03-24 13:41 (UTC) (Link)

I was slightly off by the year the show takes place. Sometimes details go whooshing right over my head.

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