The blog formerly known as...
...Wadorf to Your Astoria is done. Through. Finished.
This will be the final post here.
But fear not! If you go over to my brand-spankin' new website, billkonigsberg.com, you will see that I am still blogging over there.
To Recap...
Just four more days in 2012... Hard to believe how quickly --
Who the hell am I kidding?
This was the slowest year in the history of man. I don't mean that in a bad way. It just went slowly. To me, last December seems like years ago.
It was a great, slow year:
1.
Finding the perfect partner
People often ask me: Bill, how did you find the perfect man?
Okay, no one outside of my head has ever asked me that.
Now Me vs. Later Me
About four months ago, I took a home test and found that my blood sugar was in the "pre-diabetes" range.
I can't say I was shocked, because it wasn't the first time I'd had that result. But I was horrified, because it was rising from the last time I'd had it checked.
The Shoulds
Tomorrow is the first day of NaNoWriMo, also known as National Novel Writing Month. Every November, all sorts of writers take on the challenge of trying to write a draft of a novel in a month.
DON'T De-Friend Me
I'll tell you what, people who plan to vote for Mitt Romney:
I disagree with you, and not just a little. Your support of the Romney/Ryan ticket feels like a kick to the stomach, because as a gay man, this stuff is personal to me.
But you know what? Don't de-friend me.
The Gay Jackie Robinson?
What would happen at an all-boys boarding school in Massachusetts if an athlete came out as gay?
This is NOT the subject of my upcoming novel, Openly Straight. In fact, it is the setting for that novel, but it is the plot of my first novel, Out of the Pocket.
Openly Straight - The Cover
Here it is, boys and girls! The cover of my forthcoming novel "Openly Straight."
Like it? I love it!
I love that it is a visual representation of the story. Given a choice of all the labels my main character, Seamus Rafael Goldberg, can choose, he chooses the most innocuous one.
Using Songs in Novels
Today I've decided to be one of those helpful authors and let you know what happens when you attempt to use copywritten song lyrics in your novel.
1Vacation, all I ever wanted...
We are back from our first full-fledged vacation in about three years!
Chuck, Mabel and I went to Northern California for two weeks, and what can I say? Paradise!
We had such an amazing time doing nothing and loving it.
Who's That Girl?
We took Mabel to get groomed last week. We take her about once every other month, because the shaggy look really suits her personality.
This time, we didn't really specify that much about what to do, besides saying she needed a trim.
Openly Straight - First Pass
So yesterday, I received the "First Pass" of Openly Straight in the mail!
While it is still in "manuscript form" rather than "book form," it appears as it will in the book in terms of font, pages, etc. That was exciting to see. It's always different when you see your words in this form.
7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People
I have been a highly effective person at times in my life. You don't become successful in a creative field without working diligently. It simply doesn't happen. Likewise, it's about impossible to succeed in any endeavor without concerted effort. I don't mean to brag, but when I'm on, I'm really on.
Against Type
I woke up this morning thinking about the novel I am working on, BEST OF BIPOLAR DISORDER. There is a fantasy element in the novel. It's the first time I am working with an element of the fantastic in a novel.
This makes me nervous.
Carrie, a decade later
So I had a HUGE treat yesterday... I got to have lunch with the former student who served as the inspiration for the character "Carrie" in OUT OF THE POCKET!
I hadn't seen her in nine years.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
So I'm writing a lot about God these days. Stuff like, what do I really think God is? Do I believe in God? If I do, what do I believe God to be?
You see, I have such a wide range of friends.
Guilt, Shame, and Chicken
I've been thinking about this whole "Chick-fil-A" debacle a lot recently. As a lot of you know, I like to be thoughtful in my reactions to things.
4Openly Straight: Sold!
I have a new book deal!
I've wanted to scream it from the top of a mountain for the entire world to hear for the past couple months, but I couldn't -- not until the deal was signed and official. Well, it is now signed and official.
Pride!
Chuck said something yesterday that really struck me. It was a comment about how things have changed in his lifetime, especially for gay people.
3Writing Authentic "Not Me" Characters
The novel I am currently working on involves a journey taken by two best friends: Duffy and Aisha.
Duffy is 17, straight-but-different, and bipolar. He has lived his entire life in Billings, Montana.
Aisha is 19, a lesbian, and black.
Listen Up!
I admit it: I've been Halien-ized. Not since my utter obsession with the new wave group Missing Persons and perhaps my fascination with Aimee Mann in the late 90s/early 00s have I been quite like this about a singer/group.
"The Kids These Days"
Contrary to the title, this posting is not about how I used to trudge four miles to school through the snow, and how "The Kids These Days" don't know how good they have it.
Instead, I want to focus on something that I feel "The Kids These Days" don't have.
Hypnotist
I saw a show last night where a guy named "Dr. Mort" hypnotized people.
I've always wanted to see a show like that. I find the idea of hypnotism intriguing.
I have to say, the show was an odd experience for me. Like most of the audience, I found it entertaining. But I also left feeling a bit ...
Writing to Music
I love to let songs not just inspire me to write, but inspire the direction in which I take characters.
I've done this on three novels thus far. In Out of the Pocket, I used the Mika song "Any Other World" to define for me some of the pain that my protagonist, Bobby Framingham, was going through.
