The Market For Baby Alligators: Marnee's Favorite Blog for the Year
Hellion's blogs are always little bursts of brilliance but this one really stuck with me. It came right at the time when I started querying and started getting some rejections. At the beginning of the entire process, I think I figured if I didn't get an agent with this book, my world would come to an end... my life as an author would be over.
*snort* I know. But I've got a flair for the dramatic.
But this piece reminds us it only takes that one agent to like your "kind of crazy."
Love it.
Happy Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate!
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Earlier this year, I went and saw the movie, UP, which is a brilliant movie designed within the first ten minutes to question your ability to tell stories at all. It’s got love and adventure, tragedy and laughter, danger and a happily ever after. It also has magic that can’t be divined; it’s clearly the magic of creating characters that seem to walk off the screen and into real life.
But you’ll need to watch the movie for yourself to appreciate it. No, I’m going to talk about the little cartoon short that was featured before the movie: Partly Cloudy. It was five minutes long, with no dialogue, but there was no info dumping or backstory—just a brilliant little tale about clouds who made babies (i.e. humans, puppies, kittens) and the one little gray cloud who made other babies (i.e. alligators, sharks, porcupines). Just another nearly crippling blow to my writer’s ego that dialogue wasn’t remotely needed to tell a story that could make you laugh and cry within five minutes, and leave you thinking about it long after.
I bought my DVD copy of the just-released movie and watched it again, still sniffling and crying at the right parts, then laughing hysterically at the baby animals the grumpy cloud creates. Talk about a character I could identify with. I look all around me at other clouds (writers) who are creating characters and stories that are much more mainstream (i.e. humans, puppies, kittens), while I am endlessly fascinated in creating characters and stories slightly off the beaten path (i.e. alligators, sharks, porcupines). And I have thrown more than my fair share of water-logged crying tantrums when my stork (i.e. CPs or potential agents) have flown off to more mainstream writers to work with. How could I blame them? Like the grumpy cloud, I don’t see what’s so special about babies, puppies, or kittens.
However, as I was staring at that baby alligator that the grumpy cloud had created, all I could think, “Awww, look how cute it is! There’s a market for baby alligators. Someone, somewhere, loves baby alligators.” And then the alligator bites the stork and I laughed. After all, that is the sensitive and caring person I am.
The black moment comes after the stork, ever faithful, ever returning for more “off the beaten path” characters, is presented with a shark. He flies off in pure self-preservation; and every writer knows, as the grumpy cloud realized, not every brilliant idea you have is going to be publishable. Or least maybe there might not be a market for it right away. It might have to be something you save for a cloudy day.
The grumpy cloud allows himself some crying and foot stomping and “it’s not fair” tantrum-throwing before he settles back down and seems to wonder, “Should I try something more mainstream?” And it’s at this crisis of faith, the stork returns, armed with hardware, ready to be the grumpy cloud’s go-to man. The agent that says: Yes, there is a market for your kind of crazy.
The grumpy cloud is so happy, he hugs the stork and presents him with an electric eel. We writers can’t change our true shades of gray. We are who we are. We just need to realize there is a market for baby alligators…and out there is a stork who is willing to go the distance to find the right home for our babies.
Having a bad writing day? Go watch Partly Cloudy. You’ll feel better.
What do you do to cheer yourself out of the writing doldrums of Doubt, Fear, and Loathing? What book or movie have you read or watched lately that has destroyed all your confidence in your ability to tell a story? Come do your grumpy clouding here. The stork is ready to listen.
Books by the Crew
13 comments:
Awwww, thanks, Marn! I think we were both needing reassurance that there is an agent for our kind of crazy. :)
I think I'll watch UP again for Christmas. *LOL* And probaby HP 6 to make my Dad absolutely crazy. "What? They made another movie about that idiot?"
LOL!! Thanks for this post, Hells. :)
I just bought HP & HBP a Tues night. I've watched it a couple times so far. Maybe I'll watch it tonight while I'm wrapping presents and getting my tree Santa-fied. :)
I can't wait for the 7th book's movies. I stalked the internet a couple weeks ago for updated pics and every one just feeds my frenzy for those movies to come out.
And then I don't know what I'll do. When is Rowling writing another book for crying outloud?
She's supposed to be writing one now. But I think it's a political fairy tale for kids even younger. (I saw it as one of the extras on the HP6 movie. Look at the J.K. Rowling interview one day...it's inspirational and informative.) Who knows when she'll be finished and publish it. After all, she started Harry Potter in 1990 and published it in 1997. Even if it takes 2 years to publish, that's 5 years of writing. It could be another 3 years or so....
The 7th movies are exciting. I cannot wait.... *sighs*
A political fairy tale for little kids? I wonder what that'll look like....
And her writing schedule looks mine look like I'm on fire!
I'm with Marn, this was a brilliant blog. (Though I still don't think he's grumpy... He's just concentrating! I look like that when I concentrate...)
And I have to remember this blog, there is an stork out there for my alligator. Somewhere.
That would be a great t-shirt...
Now that you mention it, Chance, I look like that when I'm concentrating too! LOL!!
And it would make a good t-shirt. We say that a lot. We must be brilliant.
*snort*
I only thought he was grumpy because he was a grey cloud--and he didn't laugh like the other ones did. He did at the end, but he wasn't a LAUGHING twitty sort of cloud. And he'd get a worried look on his face every so often. The "happy" clouds didn't seem worried at all. Either major confidence, or ignorance is bliss...whatever.
The shirt should say, "Ask me about my alligator"--then you can wear it at writing conferences. *LOL*
This really was an awesome blog. I love it when Hellie gets inspired and sees things most people would never see. Happens often, thanfully.
At this point I'm less worried about finding a stork than producing something for him to deliver.
Merry Christmas Eve, Pirates!!!
This really is one of Helle's best--and that's saying a lot, given her genius at this sort of thing.
It makes me want to watch Up again too.
And, Hellie, I'm giving my sister the Harry Potter Ultimate Edition of the first two movies for Christmas. She couldn't stand that there were all those extras she hadn't seen. :)
Merry Christmas, pirates--or happy day, whatever holiday you're celebrating.
Hellie - he looks grumpy to me. Though maybe he's just pensive.... Whatever, there's no dialogue. We've got to guess. LOL!
Bo'sun - I am back in that boat with you again. I haven't queried all the agents in the universe yet but the lack of response says my best bet might be giving my story another couple month and then another round of revisions. So I'm back in the planning stage again.
Janga - Wait... there's an edition with a bunch of extras I'm missing? WTF?! And Hellie keeps mentioning stuff at the beginning of her 6th. I haven't got any of that stuff. I'm losing out here I think....
And Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating, or Merry Day if you're not. Honestly, even if you're not celebrating, good chance you've got the day off and that's always something. So happy day off if you've got it. :)
Janga you're a good sis. I can't stand I'm missing extras either. I'll probably break and get them eventually. *LOL*
Marn, I got the 2 disc HP movie...I've done it with all of them. On the extra disc, it has the extra about JK Rowling.
But they're releasing NEW extra-long HP 1 & 2.
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