First things first, we’re celebrating Moonrat’s two year blogoversary over at the Moonielove site, so stop by and pay tribute to all things Moonrattable.
Today: wow. I got nothin’. I think we can all safely agree that whatever your politics it’s a big, incredible new day in America’s history. And yet I’m reminded this morning that for every two steps of progress there’s always a step backwards. I’ll say no more because this isn’t a political blog. Ok, I will: really LA County? Really?
Ahem.
So while I will return tomorrow to post something about publishing, today’s You Tell Me is whatever is on your mind.
Deaf Brown Trash Punk says
I feel so proud to be American for the first time today.
Other Lisa says
As a resident of LA county, I am stunned and appalled. Truly. Not how we voted in Venice, I’m quite certain.
Er, I hope that wasn’t too political.
Well, high speed rail seems to be a “go,” and our local measure to build rail and lots of it is passing as well.
Monica says
Besides feeling overwhelming joy and pride at our having elected Obama…I’m also wondering (1) what support artists should receive from their government, (2) what I would ask Obama for, as an artist, and (3) that I need to study economics to understand how to best take advantage of the changes in the publishing industry.
I’m a new reader, and love your blog. Have a wonderful day!
Deaf Brown Trash Punk says
yeah… that sucks what happened in California :-/
JK says
Are you referring to Prop 8? I used to live there and went back to Chicago so I wasn’t aware of what happened. If they voted yes on that I’d be shocked.
Other Lisa says
@ jk – yes. Prop. 8 passed.
Jeanie W says
I don’t know about LA, but here in DC it feels like Christmas, as if we’ve all been given a puppy.
Kiersten says
I’m just thrilled that, for my children, a black president is going to be utterly normal.
How cool is that?
Madame Lefty says
Wow Michael Crichton dies and Prop 8 is passed.
What a sad day. I’m really surprised though, I honestly thought it wouldn’t pass in California.
dan radke says
Damn speech had me in tears last night. Watched the thing twice.
I could hear the roar from Grant Park from my apartment.
Crichton died. Sup with that?
Anne Dayton says
Monica brings up some interesting points. We had an artist over for dinner on Saturday, and he had just come from his last meeting as a member of the council for the National Endowment for the Arts. He didn’t step down because of politics, but he did talk about how politics affects arts funding, and I’d never really thought about it before. I’d be interested to hear people’s thoughts on the government’s role in/obligation to/privilege of supporting the arts.
Erik says
A culture has beliefs and values. A belief in justice is essential for peace. Valuing trust is the only way that everyone can have an opportunity to be all they can be.
Culture begins with a basic agreement on many things. A nation without cultural unity is a nation that is in trouble. We can elect as many political leaders as we want, but without a sense of commonality we can never be a more perfect union.
Literature is critical to a culture because it provides the icons and understanding necessary for people to make sense of their complicated world intuitively. Shared values through shared culture come largely from language and the ancient art of telling a story.
If you want all the wonderful fruits of this thing called “civilization”, you have to write like everything you believe depends on it.
Other Lisa says
Public support of arts is a good thing, for culture and for the economy. I saw Peter Sellars (the director, not the actor) speak about this once – he pointed out how investment in the arts in Florence has been paying off for that city since the Medicis. I don’t have the figures handy but IIRC, public support of the arts not only pays for itself but creates profit.
Okay, that’s a record number of comments for me here. Off to RL.
Crimogenic says
Shame that Prop. 8 passed. I still can’t understand why one would want to stop another for being happy. I just don’t get it….
The election was historical in any case. Both candidates gave good speeches…
In personal news, I’m a little down after getting another rejection for my query from a top agent that I respect greatly. Back to the drawing…
R.J. Keller says
This morning, I was trying to write a comforting email to a friend of mine who lives in L.A. who happens to be gay. It was full of words like ‘the day is coming’ and ‘this is just one battle–the war will be won.’ Cliche after stupid, mindless cliche.
It was all b.s. of course. And it’s easy for me to whisper ‘patience’ because it wasn’t my rights that were just crapped all over. Rights already granted to the GLBT community earlier this year were just taken away from them.
This isn’t an abstract, political issue. These are people’s lives we’re talking about. Their most basic need for having a sense of security, for having a family, just suffered a public execution.
clindsay says
It would be interesting to see what a mass exodus of the gay community would do to industry in California. Especially the film industry.
Come on, folks! Bring your money and your businesses and move to Connecticut or Massachusetts or Canada!
Let’s see how long California’s ban on gay marriage lasts then. 🙂
Seriously, though, thrilled as I am about last night’s election results for the presidential race, I am just as appalled by the hate-based propositions that passed in so many of the other states.
Nathan’s right: two steps forward, one step back.
Elyssa Papa says
I’m so happy about the presidential election—I, too, cried when the results were announced. It’s a huge step forward.
I’m utterly dismayed and saddened by Prop 8 passing and other legislation in others doing the same. It does felt like one step forward, two steps backward. Hopefully, these can be overturned.
Shannon says
What’s on my mind:
Is it totally crazy to shelf a work and begin a new one 5 days into Nanowrimo and still expect to finish?
Jeanie W says
That’s a crying shame about Prop 8. I wasn’t any good at marriage myself, but I that doesn’t mean I would want to deny the right to the institution to any couples, straight or gay, who can make it work. I’ve noticed that when a marriage partnership really clicks, the two partners’ mutual support generates a strength that benefits not only themselves but also others with whom they regularly come into contact. Why the hell would we want to deny our society more of that kind of goodness?
Polenth says
I got a new footrest today. And a new fluorescent tube. The footrest is for me and the tube is for the fishes (because they don’t need a footrest). They’ve probably forgotten what light is, after waiting for the tube to arrive.
Ulysses says
Regarding proposition 8:
It may be of no consolation, but I offer this anyway:
Certain things carry with them an air of inevitability. Forty years ago, it was unthinkable that a man or woman would publicly admit their love for another of their gender. Twenty years ago, such relationships were an open secret only among close acquaintences. Today, such love dares speak its name in words heard internationally.
I think Proposition 8 is a relic supported by people who believe the future has come too fast. Lesbian and gay relationships exist. They cannot be denied, they cannot be suppressed or legislated out of existence. They can only be accomodated.
I have no doubt that the drive to support legal same-sex ties will outlast the drive to outlaw them. I do not counsel patience, I merely wish to encourage. As Shakespeare said with greater eloquence: “If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.”
…er… way too political, I suppose. As a Canadian, I feel I must apologize. No reason for it. It’s just what we Canadians do. That and play hockey.
Corked Wine and Cigarettes says
I would imagine Prop 8 will be subject to some due process scrutiny in the form of legal action. I confess that I have not read it, nor do I know about the law that granted the right in the first place, but my spider-lawyer sense tingles when I see rights given and then taken away by a state. Suppose it depends on the language of the original law.
Keep fighting anyway, Cali. Those that hate such things are seeing their numbers diminish by the day.
lotusloq says
I thought I’d step away from the political arena and ask a few things that have been on my mind lately.
Nathan, could you give some specific YA titles that you particularly like? (other than the ones you rep and Anne and May’s that are great).
I’m also curious if you think it would be best to keep YA novels between 60K-80K? (for first timers that is) I know you say that word count isn’t crucial and all–that it’s the writing that counts and the story of course, but for a first time novelist how much harder is it to get a 115K novel published as opposed to a 70K novel? Let’s say that the novels are equally well written and compelling?
Last but not least, how do your tastes compare to Ginger Clark’s or Ginger Knowlton’s or others at Curtis Brown? I want to query you first ’cause I love your blog and think you would be great to work with, but if my writing would be better with them I’d hate to delay it getting to the right person by a couple of months when you wouldn’t be the least bit interested.
Thanks for all you do to help us beginners sort of know what we’re doing!
Nathan Bransford says
lotusloq-
My taste in YA runs all over the map, although I gravitate a bit toward the more literary and the mystical like THE BOOK THIEF, Sherman Alexie, and on the classic side of things, ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. IN THE BREAK by Jack Lopez combines a lot of YA elements that I really love.
The Gingers represent wonderful children’s books for all age levels. I would be hard-pressed to characterize their taste across the board, especially as compared to mine!
Jeanie W says
Nathan-
Do the Gingers handle illustrators or author/illustrators?
spinregina says
Hey, congratulations from Canada. We’ve been watching this election with bated breath, no, seriously, we have (our own was so…mundane in comparison) and offer up congratulations and slaps on the back. http://www.spinregina.blogspot.com for more…(not much more, but more).
lotusloq says
Thanks! Nothing about the length thing?
Christine N. says
Been following your blog daily all summer long, but first time posting! Thank you Nathan, for all that you do and for all your valuable advice.
To answer your “You Tell Me,” I am a mix of emotions today – joy, respect, confusion, sadness. Obama is a refreshing breath of air after you’ve been underwater for a couple seconds too long. Finally! An African-American family in the White House! But… I’m baffled. How is it that California can elect Obama and vote yes on 8 at the same time? Also, Michael Crichton passed away and that’s really sad news for the book world.
Nathan Bransford says
Oh, sorry. I’m not a stickler for word count.
Nathan Bransford says
re: illustrators, Ginger Knowlton does, Ginger Clark does not.
Ello says
I’m so proud to be an American. I keep tearing up. Can’t stop. I’m right outside of Washington DC so as you can imagine, we are out of our minds with happiness!
Ryan Field says
“It would be interesting to see what a mass exodus of the gay community would do to industry in California. Especially the film industry.”
Not to mention Santa Monica Blvd 🙂
However, it’s just a setback, and it’s not over by any means because we’re not going away.
lotusloq says
Hey, are you a fan of paranormal or supernatural stuff in YA? or not so much?
Nathan Bransford says
lotusloq-
Try me. I read everything and always say that I don’t know what I’m going to like until I see it.
Heidi Quist says
Just a post to throw this thread into less unbalance. HOORAY that Prop 8 passed! There is still a majority of wise people in California who can study an issue through and through and not see things so black and white. HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY!
Anonymous says
I’m so tired from staying up late and watching the returns and Obama’s speech, but I’m on cloud 9 because of the election.
Nathan, I’m writing a historical fiction/thriller. I’m curious as to what the market is like for that type of work right now.
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
The market for pretty much everything is difficult right now, but books are still getting published, so it all depends on the particular project.
Marilyn Peake says
I love that we’re allowed to post about any topic here today.
On Monday night, I attended a huge presidential rally. Gates opened five hours before the event started, six hours before the presidential candidate appeared, and people lined up hours before the gates even opened. On the national news today, we heard that there were 90,000 people in the audience! We were right up front, shook hands and took photographs. We met people from lots of different places, even an intern from Canada who’s studying U.S. politics. The experience in the crowd was incredible. It was truly wall-to-wall people, with no room to move, for hours and hours, listening to music over the loudspeakers. Someone even had a baby carriage next to us, and little kids asleep on the ground. But there was no pushing or shoving or yelling, just an amazing sense of peacefulness, awe, and waiting. It is something I will never forget. I wish that I could have made it to the big Chicago rally last night as well, but that would have been very difficult especially considering how tired we were after standing for so many hours on Monday night. Today, we looked at the amazing photographs we took at the Monday night rally, and feel very lucky to have been present at such an historical moment.
Right before we left for the rally, I noticed that you had opened up your blog to the first three query letters for critique. I was so disappointed that I didn’t have time to submit. Will you be doing that again, Nathan? Do you ever open up your blog to submissions of novel excerpts for critique?
Nathan Bransford says
Marilyn-
Yes, I’ll do query critiques in the future. I’m not sure about manuscript critiques though because it’s really tough to judge manuscripts after just a page or two.
Anonymous says
Nobody’s mentioned that President Elect Obama opposes same-sex marriage. Does this make him one of the haters?
JES says
Like most (all?) of you, I am bowled over with happiness today for the general results of the last 24 hours.
But here in FL, we’ve got our own version of Prop 8 — Amendment 2 — and I pray that Corked Wine’s spider-lawyer sense is right on. What an embarrassment.
I did notice that as the state-by-state results crawled across the screen throughout the evening, in a lot of states there were huge Dem majorities for gubernatorial and senatorial candidates… and very narrow majorities for Obama, or even outright rejections. Kept thinking Eh? What’s up with that? And then I’d have a little jolt of cynicism about why that might be…
But the cynicism didn’t “take.” I’ll never forget Election Day ’08.
Anonymous says
Thank for taking questions Nathan! I’m writing a novel that I envision as the first in a series. When I do a query letter do I say that? Or will the agent think “oh, somebody is being over ambitious?” (I secretly want to be the next Elizabeth Peters.)
Anonymous says
^ That should have been “Thank you” Doh!
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
Check out the FAQs (post on the right side of the blog). I have a post on how to handle series.
moonrat says
thank you!!!!
Not The Rockefellers says
What’s on my mind right now 4:14 PM?
How do I cut up enough little squares of colored tissue paper for tomorrow’s lesson on “The Legend of The Indian’s Paintbrush” by Tomie de Paola, without getting carpal tunnel syndrome. I know that has nothing to do with anything political or literary here but, seeing as you asked..
Peace – Rene
Jeanie W says
Nathan,
Thanks for all you do to encourage and develop writers. You are every bit as wonderful as Moonrat. I notice it’s too late to wish you a happy second blogiversary, but I notice you’re approaching two and a half years at this. So happy 2.5!
Marilyn Peake says
Thanks so much for answering my question, Nathan. I look forward to future query critiques on your blog.
lotusloq says
Thanks for being open to whatev! I’ll be sending along a query whenever I get this novel thing worked out. I’ve got some serious editing to do. It’s going to be a regular blood bath. Hopefully it will bleed light.
Juliette Dominguez says
I went to bed last night feeling proud to be an American — not something I’ve felt in the longest time. WooHoo President Obama!