Consensus

The Moxie have spoken; they liked the new book idea and the one section I've written for it. One said, "Ok, you have to finish this now." The other said, "The only thing wrong with this is that it isn't finished yet." So I guess I have to write the book.

Twist my arm, ladies! Who could resist inducement like that? I wasn't sure whether to venture into the realm of urban fantasy--I've never tried it before, other than the little screenplay I was writing several years ago which I never finished.

Now, here's a dumb move that no aspiring writer should try at home. About four or so years ago, I was writing this little screenplay about a changeling girl who was kicked back out of the sidhe years after she'd been captured. There was more to the premise that I won't go into here, but suffice it to say that I wasn't sure whether the idea would have any merit. I just happened to speak to a William Morris film agent at a conference, and asked him the above question. It was't really a pitch. Really. But he asked me to send him a treatment. Yikes! The William Morris agency! So what did I do? Blew the whole thing off, because I really didn't have a complete screenplay and I was in the middle of writing on my novels and didn't want to lose momentum there.

Who knows where that would have gone, had I pulled myself together and written up a treatment? I could have had a screenplay optioned by now. Or, more likely, I could have fallen on my butt completely and embarrassed myself with a lousy screenplay and a rejection by the William Morris agency. Now we'll never know.

I used to have a bad habit of throwing something together and then rushing to offer it up to agents on a platter, with the wild hope that since I had something new, it might finally be the one to get my foot in the door. I don't do that anymore. I haven't even mentioned this new book idea to my agent yet, mostly because I'm supposed to be finishing the third book of my trilogy (which I'm still faithfully working on, honest!) And also because I want to have several more sections of the new book written before I reveal that I'm contemplating such a radical departure from my other work. I mean, if the Moxie doesn't think it sucks, then I might have reason to suggest it to Bob.

So far, the Moxie doesn't think it sucks. In fact, just the opposite. Sh*t. I might actually have to write this one. No, I do have to write this one. The only question is, will I fall on my a** with it, or will I finally break into print at last? At this point, the game could go either way. But at least I have the Moxie to stop me before I fall on my a**. This is where it pays to have that crit group to watch your six.