Falling stars

I've reached a time of life when people have started to die. I remember seeing Facebook posts last December to the tune of, "Will this year please end before we lose someone else?" We lost so many iconic figures. (It was also the year I lost my mom, though this post isn't about that.)

Personally, I was gutted by the loss of actor Alan Rickman and, of course, our beloved Leia, always and forever my princess before princesses became cupcake girls (my label, because their dresses look like confections and they tend to make regular appearances at little girls' birthday parties). How could she leave me? I bought a t-shirt. Read her memoire. Flogged myself for failing to appreciate her more when she was still around, just as we do when friends or family members pass.

Sharon Fisher with Carrie Fisher

And dear Alan! A brilliant actor, and by all accounts a lovely man. A supremely gifted villain (spot-on casting of Professor Snape), and yet one of my favorite roles of his was Colonel Brandon in the 1995 film adaptation of Sense & Sensibility. And let us not forget ... 

"By Grabthar's hammer, we live to tell the tale." Dr. Lazarus, Galaxy Quest

This past Thursday my husband woke me with the news, "Chris Cornell died." If you weren't a teenager or young adult in the US in the '90s, this name may not be familiar to you. He was frontman for the Seattle grunge band Soundgarden. Though I live in the Seattle area now, I lived in Memphis, TN, at the time. It was a very creative time of my life, during which I wrote my first complete novel. I also wrote a "partial"—the first few chapters—of another novel that made it to a "second reader" at Ace Fantasy & Science Fiction. I consider that my first professional writing success, though a few years later I was to give up writing for nearly two decades. 

The news of Cornell's death shook me. I loved the music, and it was a huge inspiration for me during that time. I also had a major crush on the man himself. When he wasn't screaming into a mic, he had a sexy, smokey voice that reached right down into you and...is it hot in here? 

There was a lot of drug use and depression among the grunge-rock set. NIRVANA's Kurt Cobain famously killed himself, and ALICE IN CHAINS frontman Layne Staley overdosed in 2002, followed by the band's bassist Mike Starr who did the same in 2011. In 2015, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' Scott Weiland overdosed. And long before all that came the heroin overdose of Andrew Wood, frontman of MOTHER LOVE BONE, a grunge pioneer and forerunner of the band PEARL JAM. On Thursday, Tweeters were expressing concern about Eddie Vedder, as grunge's last surviving icon. 

Cornell's death shook me not just because I was such a huge fan, but because like Vedder, the guy seemed somehow to have avoided all that. 

Apparently not. According to the New York Times, he had used drugs for periods both before and after his years in the band. According to Wikipedia he also struggled with depression, a common affliction among both artists and Pacific Northwesterners. Wednesday he was on a tour stop in Detroit with Soundgarden, which reunited in 2010. (Unlike many rock band reboots, this one was proving successful.) Fans at the concert report they saw no hint in his behavior about what was to come, and they said he even talked about future shows. But after the concert his wife apparently called and asked for someone to check on him at his hotel. His death has been ruled a suicide by hanging. He was 52 and left behind three children. 

By christopher simon (originally posted to Flickr as IMG_0126) [CC BY 2.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

From BLACK HOLE SUN, lyrics by Chris Cornell 

Stuttering, cold and damp

Steal the warm wind tired friend

Times are gone for honest men

And sometimes far too long for snakes

In my shoes, a walking sleep

And my youth I pray to keep

Heaven sent hell away

No one sings like you anymore

Black hole sun

Won't you come

And wash away the rain

Black hole sun*

Won't you come

Won't you come

* Soundgarden trivia: Lyrics inspired by Black Sun, a sculpture (black, with a hole in it) in Seattle's Volunteer Park. The name "Soundgarden" itself comes from a Seattle sculpture park, where fans assembled Thursday. 

Below is a video of "Fell on Black Days" (lyrics also by Cornell) that really showcases his soulful voice. 

Wherever you are, Chris, I hope there's light. Or dark. Whatever brings you peace.  

Never Give Up - Never Surrender!

After Donna's post on Friday, I felt compelled to write this. Something I see time and again is how close to giving up some authors have been when it seems their hopes will never come true. I've been there too. But there's just one key difference between an aspiring author and an agented/published one. We didn't give up. No matter what happened. If I could only give someone with any dream just one piece of advice, it would be the title of this post - probably the best known line from scifi spoof Galaxy Quest.

So I thought I'd also share what I believe were the three key elements that helped me to become published.

1. Read. Most authors read prolifically. You'll pick up loads of skills and ideas simply from the act of reading (and for this reason it helps to read widely, but again you won't fail by not doing so). It's worth analysing the books you love though. What do you like most about them? How has the author hooked you? What is it about their style or word choice or descriptions etc that make the story work for you? Some people say you shouldn't read in the genre you want to write in case it colours or changes your voice. I disagree. Jessica Subject wrote a post on this recently with her arguements, and I agree with her view. You can read that here. (There's also a giveaway).

2.Write. Don't just wait for inspiration. Try to set up a schedule. I found that worked well for me when I got into a rut with not writing, even though it meant getting up at 5am to get an hour's quiet time to do so. Try different styles, tenses and POVs. Often if a scene isn't working, trying a different POV can give you a new...well...perspective. Nanowrimo can be a great way to kickstart yourself into a first novel ir a new project. Even if you don't complete it, at least you've made a start. Join somewhere like CritiqueCircle.com to get feedback. Network with other writers and exchange critiques. The beauty of the internet is it makes it easier to connect to other people in your genre.

3. Research. The biggest favour you can do yourself to increase the chance of an agent or publisher choosing you is to find the ones that fit you best. Look at the books/authors/genres that they publish/represent. Check them out with Preditors and Editors and QueryTracker, or The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook in the UK. Ask around. Follow your favourite authors on Twitter and you'll soon see submission calls and pitch contests by publishers and agents. Make sure you follow their guidelines and requests! Nothing annoys them more than being sent a genre they don't read, a format they can't accept, or information that they asked for being missing. Also research the facts in your story. Mistakes are inevitable, but try to be accurate if talking about real places, pwople, concepts etc.

But most of all, just don't give up. Not trying means you've already failed. Good luck!