Nomen Omen

"The name is an omen."
     -ancient Roman proverb

I've been giving serious thought to choosing a pen name for my fiction writing efforts. It's been pointed out that distinguishing my novels from my nonfiction commentary would help to narrow and target interest in each area. Sounds reasonable.

Any thoughts on whether adopting a pen name is a good idea? If so, I'm taking suggestions on potential names. Diego T. Iglesias is my current favorite (major points to anyone who guesses why).

Besides, compared to Jason Pargin I don't think it's too much of a stretch. I'm not of Latin-American descent, but I do have a fondness for Latin.

What do you think?

January 2013 Update

I heard back from Donald Maass. His client list is full. I appreciated the relatively quick turnaround time on my query, though. There are still two other agents I'm waiting to hear back from.

Nick Enlowe's annual Novel Push Initiative is over. All three participants acquitted themselves admirably this time. I captured the coveted Highest Words Written Total thanks to a sudden fit of fevered inspiration on the final day, but this is one contest in which all of the contestants can truly be called winners.

December Update

Just a bit of necessary blog maintenance:

-Agents queried: 4
-Replies to queries: 2
-Rejected queries: 2
-Form rejections: 2

Also, I've submitted a pitch/synopsis/first 40 pages to Tor. With any luck, my submission packet is in their slush pile as I write this sentence.

This week the agent hunt continues, as does my ongoing revision of Souldancer. As of this writing, I'm on chapter ten.

In closing, here is sage advice from John C. Wright.

Nethereal Final

I'm pleased to say that the final version of my Nethereal manuscript is done. The final draft is far leaner and smoother than the others, weighing in at 541 pages (compare that figure to 720 for the original). That's without deleting any chapters or scenes; just making smarter word choices and using more concise phrasing. The shift to third person variable perspective also helped to weed out excessive description and exposition while adding dialogue.

I don't plan on making any further changes unless a professional editor orders them, so the next step is to start querying agents. I'll keep everyone apprised of how my search goes.

Beta Geminorum Featured at Drunken Zombie

First a quick update: the most recent Nethereal manuscript revision is fast drawing to a close. I've had some slumps in productivity but should be able to make my end of the month goal if I stay disciplined. When the manuscript is done, I plan to start querying agents.

Of more immediate interest, the fine folks over at Drunken Zombie have graciously featured my first short story "Beta Geminorum" in their 31 Days of Halloween short story series. Zombie inebriate in chief Bryan Wolford has assembled an impressive catalog of shocking tales both classic and contemporary, and it's an honor to be included in his list among luminaries like Ambrose Bierce and H.G. Wells.

Also, be sure to check out Bryan's gripping short story "The Incident at Bowling Ball Tree". It's a macabre coming of age tale in the tradition of Stephen King's "The Body" and is well worth your time.

Submission Update

I just heard back from Pyr, who have opted to pass on the Nethereal manuscript. I was hoping for a little feedback, but as mentioned on their submissions page they didn't have time to give details.

Still, the turnaround time of only six weeks for a slush pile submission is pretty impressive. I'd prepared myself to wait for months. Now I can safely shop the book around without fear of simultaneous submissions.

The latest revision has reached chapter 28. It shouldn't be long before the manuscript is ready to be sent out again. I'll keep you posted as always. 

Third Person Variable

I haven't been resting on my laurels since submitting my manuscript. On Nick's advice, I've decided to switch my novel's viewpoint from third person omniscient to variable third person limited.

The first reason I'm overhauling the manuscript's narrative mode is the original version's tendency--pointed out by Nick--to stray toward third person limited. Secondly, the story derives much of its effect from suspense. It's difficult to justify withholding the kind of information that proper tension-building requires when the narrator knows everything.

The experiment is working out well so far. The narrative flow feels much tighter and more streamlined, and describing the observations and thoughts of only one character at a time helps the reader identify with each POV character more strongly.