I said December was “Me Trying to Submit Frostbite” month.

That was before I realized how many stamps I’d need.

I need a lot of stamps.

Like, over 100.

I don’t have that many stamps. I don’t even have 30 stamps.

So I think we’ll try this again in January. With stamps.

When you want to know more about their work.

• What genre do you write? Genre will tell you a lot about the writer and what he or she is interested in. Romance novelists don’t usually have the same interests and hobbies as horror writers, so this question is a goldmine of information and can lead deeper into the writer’s psyche. And everyone likes talking about their own psyche.
• What is your story about? Though many writers prefer to keep their plots to themselves until published or the kinks are worked out, showing interest in the story always gratifies, especially if it’s something you might like to read.

When you’ve written something.

• If you want to exchange stories and give each other feedback, I’d like that. Usually don’t offer this unless you’re actually willing to give a critique. Whether you’re the more experienced writer or they are, two writers offering help to each other can be immensely useful. If one story is longer than the other, agree to a set word count based on the shorter story so that one of you isn’t stuck with a 500 page novel and the other has a four page vignette.
• What should I do with my story now? Usually people ask “How do I get published?” which is the same thing. Lots of writers feel comfortable helping out a friend who honestly doesn’t know what to do, but the answer will almost always be: “Edit, edit, edit, edit, edit, submit to publisher, submit to another publisher, edit, edit, edit, submit, submit, submit, submit, submit times infinity.” It’s a long string of 1) you making the work good enough to publish and 2) sending it out until you find someone who wants it.

When you want them to hate you.

• Writing is such an easy job. So is your face.
  
• Yeah, I read your book. I didn’t like/get it. I said something similar to this during high school when I saw the shortest guy from my old junior high, and he hadn’t gotten any taller. I told him, “Hey! Still short?” then compounded it with, “You should grow.” Because I didn’t know what else to say. I’m sure he still hates me. Like, a lot. Like, top of his “List of People I Need to Kill.”

.

.

Can you think of anything to add to these lists? ^_^

So my library is really awesome and has a manga (Japanese comic) section. And while it doesn’t have such dietary staples as the full run of Sailor Moon, like my personal bookshelf does, it does have Tsubasa, a series I’ve been dying to read.

CLAMP is an all-woman manga team that has produced several series, such as Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, and Magic Knights Rayearth. The draw of Tsubasa is that it takes characters from CLAMP’s established works and puts them into an “alternate universe” with a new storyline and sometimes even altered personalities.

Tsubasa stars the much-loved (and one of my favorite couples ever) Syaoran and Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura. They’re older in Tsubasa, teenagers instead of just kids, and Sakura is princess of the Clow Kingdom, where her brother rules as king. Syaoran is the son of an archaeologist, fulfilling his late father’s dream of digging up Clow’s ruins, and is Sakura’s best friend.

Sakura loses her memory and will die if Syaoran doesn’t go on a long quest to many other worlds to gather the missing, and magical, pieces for her. The only way he can go on this journey, though, is to give up his most precious thing to a powerful witch (Yuuko from xxxHOLIC) — any chance that Sakura will remember him or their dear friendship.

Before any of that mess started, they were already in love but hadn’t told each other yet. And this interrupts any romance. But once Sakura wakes up, they get along just fine, and each of her restored memories gives us a sweet glimpse into their past — her with a befuddling emptiness where Syaoran should be, and him with the complete version of the memory. And, obviously, Sakura doesn’t know what he gave up to save her.

It has so much potential for awesome sweetness, I can hardly stand still. Unfortunately, the library is missing issues 5&6 (the books are marked as in but aren’t on the shelf or in the back), and I just finished 4 and have 7-11 waiting for me to pounce. But I want to give the library book-finders a week or so, at least until we have to leave for Christmas. Then the new issues are fair game.

If you want to try this manga series, I strongly suggest saving up your money, because many of the books have cliffhangers, and you’ll want to gorge on them all at once. Also, even if you don’t know CLOW’s other stories, there’s a guide in the back of the book, telling you where each character comes from and their role in their original story. And though not all references are noted (the guardians from Magic Knights Rayearth definitely make an appearance in book 2, but aren’t noted in the back), they aren’t necessary to enjoy the books.

These books gave me a physical emotional reaction, and I even cried and didn’t mind. They’re so good! How can I wait a week? *le sigh* Pray the library finds them quickly, or I’ll go crazy! ^_^

NaNoWriMo: Write 50,000 words from November 1-30.
Story: Deathlock (Super Hero series, Book 2)
Final Word Count: 18,648 — AKA 37 pages, single-spaced

This month (December) is “Me trying to submit Frostbite” month.