Depression and writing

I live successfully with unipolar depression after a long exploration through challenges to recovery – or a state in which I have learned to manage my condition well.  But this is not a post about depression or my story in that sense.

There has existed the romantic view of writers being the tortured souls, the often depressed often manic, borderline crazies who use their alternate spin on reality to craft beauty and art.  I do think that good writers have the ability to see things from multiple angles, different strands and divergent vectors, but I have often though about the relationship with depression and writing.

Does one need to be a depressive to be a good writer?  Absolutely not.

I think when one emerges from the black hole of depression to recovery it can (I say can) lend one a better understanding of emotions and, hence, the human condition.  Depression can offer a unique objectivity when one is able to live with it – when it turns off the ability to emote, you can see emotions clinically and coldly.  While this may not be, to put it mildly, pleasant, I think it can be useful after the event to bring such an understanding to ones writing.

In essence, I am saying that when you rec over from depression, it can offer useful insight into oneself and objective observation of the human emotive state.  If one has a tendency and ability to write, this can serve to infuse the writing with another angle – it can, in short, be another tool to add to the toolbox all writers have.  A better tool? Not at all.  A different tool?  Perhaps, but in a mater os state rather than scale.

Now that I am in a place of acceptance with my depression, I can see a positive use for my experiences through depression in my writing.  I am not saying it has made me a better writer – actually or relatively – but I feel it has given me an insight that I might not have otherwise had.

I wonder is this true of other writers who happen to have depression?

Still querying

Well, it turns out that seeking an agent ism, for me, a combination of fear-driven procrastination, avoidance and sporadic work.  And it is work.  It id going through lists upon lists, making judgement calls based on websites, recommendations and warning form other authors of notice boards.  Finally, one is left with a refined (?) list of agents to send the stuff to.  Then the varying submission guidelines, the selection of text for those that want you to select rather than submitting the first three chapters and then the emails or posting hard copy.  I must say, I do prefer posting hard copy.  Something more inky and tactile and old-world about sending a submission by snail mail.

 The challenge, for me, is to not being doing anything creative in this time - but using my "writing time" for hunt-and-peck research.  I have small projects to tide me over and got another idea for a novel the other day (yay), but I really want to sink my teeth into my next novel.  However, I have promised myself that I will not start until I have submitted "Valen" to the big bad wolf infested publishing world.  If I launched into the new one, the hard work of querying would never be done.

It is not exciting.  It is not even pretty.  But it must be done.  And will be done.

What I have learned in my infancy regarding this process, is:

1. Do not trust agents that charge a reading fee.
2. Text only websites or email only contact scream amateurism and are a big warning sign
3. Agents that are an umbrella contact for lots og agents worry me
4. As do agents that use too much flash or fancy web footwork, but have no list of authors.
5. I need to trust my instinct in this search.

I am sure I have more to learn.  Much more.  But if "Valen" is the fire through which I am to be tempered, then burn , bay burn!

Agents and Science Fiction/ Fantasy

Despite the fact that I have a niggling feeling that my current novel (my 3rd full novel) will probably be a better book to send out, I have begun the query stage with my first novel "Valen".  I guess one may always feel that one's current novel is better due to greater emotional attachment and a vague sense of shame at one's completed works.  I must explore that further at some point.

But the focus now is compiling a list of agents which appear suitable and attractive.  I was initially amazed at how many agents specify that they will not receive science fiction or fantasy. On further reflection, I can see how agents who would welcome such genres would be suffocated in queries and submissions.  It strikes me that readers of these genres would somehow be more inclined to write.  I base this purely on the fact that such genres are often linked to more bookish (note, not necessarily academic) audiences with possibly more sednetary time on their hands.  This is not a value judgement, merely an observation.

However, reading through lists of agents and clocking more websites of an evening that I have ever done before, it is quite disheartening to have one's chosen genre rejected before even the query stage.  "Valen" is, in essence, a fantasy novel, but told from the experience of one main character who tends to miss things and doesn't get the full story.  Something which may not work, but I want to see if it does.  And like everything, I am sure it has been done before.

But, back to the point - it is difficult to keep researching when the genre is not universally appealing.  With a wry smile I tell myself that it is good training for the forest of rejection slips that will be forthcoming and I plod on. 

The key is striking a balance between plodding for an agent and starting number three - the latter would be more pleasant and be entered into with gusto; the former represents a significant commitment to becoming the published author I so earnestly desire to be.  Call me Plod. Tonight anyway.

Dipping a toe in the Big Publishing Pond

As many of my friends know, I am a writer.  Part of the reason I moved from Dublin to Kerry was in order to get the headspace to commit to writing. I read Stephen King's "On Writing" at the correct time for it to influence me in a positive way and I finished my first novella and my first two novels using it's model of 1,000 words a night.  I took weekends off for sanity and to spend some time with J.

And now that I have the confidence to embark upon my third novel, and have had some positive feedback from readers who I deemed would be objective and critical, I think I might see what the publishing world would say.

Thus I am querying.

With huge thanks from Paul Anthony Shortt (check out his blog for new of his first published novel  "Locked Within" being launched on 6th November in Hughes & Hughes, Dundrum http://paulanthonyshortt.blogspot.ie/).  Paul has waded throguh the quagmire of querying and has not only blazed a trail, but guided me through the pitfalls and provided me with enthusiasm and tools to combat the fear of this exposure.

Now, I am not of of these "auteurs" who believes in the sanctity of his work.  I want to get published.  Hell, I am crass enough to say that I want to make money writing, enough (as the dream is) to be able to write full time.  To this end, the initial text is mine, but thereafter becomes a collaboration by editors and publishing houses to polish into a retail-able gem - or at least passable cut glass. 

So my blog is born and I shall keep what readers tune in apprised and appraised of my journey, my thought, mt trials and tribulations about embarking on the wild ocean to seek the shores of publication.  I will try to keep the minutiae of my life from this and dedicate it to this journey, if only to create a record of the wrong turns I will take and the happy fortune I hope to have.

Thank you for reading

Colm