Rob Vagle

Misc.

r.vagle@att.net — Sat, 8 Dec 07 16:00:00 UT

Check out Ximena's story "Left Behind" now appearing at The Town Drunk. It's full of fluffy-just-out-of-the-dryer goodness!

****************************************************************

My story for the Wordos holiday reading is about finished and the reading is still almost two weeks away. Now I hope to have a story for Christmas Eve.

It's nice to get money in the mail (in the form of a kicker check for the state of Oregon).

Begin Again

r.vagle@att.net — Fri, 30 Nov 07 11:52:00 UT

Had a productive time writing at Allann Brothers coffeehouse this morning. I really needed a good session to knock away the funk that writing inertia can sometimes bring. Sometimes to break a funk I need to change writing spaces. Most of the time I'll move to the kitchen table or the couch, moving only to other places in the apartment. That's what's great about laptops. But sometimes I need to write outside the apartment, far removed from anything that has negative associations, i.e. not being productive/not valuing my writing time. It's all about a mind trick.

So I wrote a thousand words at Allann Brothers this morning and feel balanced again. The words didn't come right away. But once I settled in the words came at a relaxed pace.

Hopefully I can bring that satisfaction back to home writing space after feeling productive at a foreign writing space. It's the same activity, just different places. Just trying to get that writing snowball rolling so it builds mass and speed (no snow here in Eugene, btw).

Turkey Day

r.vagle@att.net — Thu, 22 Nov 07 11:12:00 UT

Soon we'll go over to a friend's house for turkey and we're bringing the pie! It's a Costco pumpkin pie (a large sucker, of course) and a smaller marionberry pie from a local bakery.
I'm more about pie than turkey on Thanksgiving.

I had a dream right before I awoke where I learned I had sold a story by receiving in the mail everything at once--the contract, the check, and the magazine issue with my story published in it. Hey, I know someone that actually happened to.

Happy Turkey Day!

OryCon Report

r.vagle@att.net — Mon, 19 Nov 07 11:32:00 UT

Details in no particular order:

I was on three panels and to my surprise I felt very comfortable on every single one. My reading was 3pm on Sunday, the last hours of the con, which isn't the best time to have a reading, but besides Ximena and Loreen (plus little Beatrix) one stranger showed up (thank you very much!), and I read my story from the current Heliotrope.

Speaking of Heliotrope, I met TOCmate Tina Connolly
and when Jule(Tina's Clarion classmate) came by I had a flashback and realized I had actually met Tina at last year's Orycon.

Saw Barb and JC Hendee briefly (they were there for Saturday only). Talked some with Patrick Swenson, MK Hobson, and KB Lincoln. And many many more.

We handed out many wedding invitations to peeps on our list and some new additions too. Those invitations have been getting rave reviews.

I had my fanboy moment when at the autograph session I had Robert Charles Wilson sign everything I had written by him.

Some pictures:

Here's Ximena with Steve Perry and Nina Hoffman:

And then here's me & X with Robert Charles Wilson, the writer gust of honor:

Note the big fanboy smile on my face.

OryCon

r.vagle@att.net — Mon, 5 Nov 07 13:40:00 UT

OryCon is just around the corner in Portland on November 16-18. The writer Guest of Honor is Robert Charles Wilson, one of my favorite writers. Yay! I don't really read hard science-fiction but Mr. Wilson's stuff works for me on the character and emotional level along with a great sense of wonder. I missed meeting him at World Fantasy in Montreal back in 2001. This time should be different. Ximena expects a fanboy dance but I'm the type to just stare in slack-jawed awe.

Anyhoo, here's my panel schedule. I also have a reading at 3pm on Sunday which isn't listed below. Oh, they said they're fixing the spelling of my name.

Sun Nov 18 1:00:pm Sun Nov 18 2:00:pm Are Writers, Artists, etc., really crazier than 'normal' people?
Mt. Hood
Steven Barnes Todd McCaffrey Rob Vale D&D Freelancer

Sun Nov 18 11:00:am Sun Nov 18 12:00:pm First Novels: the road to the editorâs desk
Medford
Devon Monk Rob Vale Sheila Finch Anondra's Song

Sat Nov 17 2:00:pm Sat Nov 17 3:00:pm How has a writerâs workshop affected my life.
Salon A
Nina Kiriki Hoffman David D. Levine Colleen Anderson John Burridge Rob Vale

Now Appearing

r.vagle@att.net — Sat, 3 Nov 07 12:51:00 UT

It's been way too long and I must get back in the habit of updating the journal. Now that we have a better computer at home with something higher than Windows '95, I'm experimenting with my LiveJournal which is a carbon copy of this. We'll see how long I can stand updating both simultaneously.

Short update, with BIG promise of more to come: wedding invitations are coming along with the help of a new printer (this is related to us having a better, stronger computer), I've had some long stretches of days writing every day, and Heliotrope's new issue is now out with my story "He Angles, She Refracts." You can find that HERE.

It's good to be published. And I am now disqualified (with four published stories) from entering Writers Of The Future. It's good to be disqualified. :-) It certainly doesn't hurt.

Long Weekend

r.vagle@att.net — Sun, 27 May 07 21:18:00 UT

Our long weekend will end with a trip to the coast tomorrow where we will visit the aquarium. What's the exhibit this year? Squids! Before some readers get excited I should note there will be no actual squids on display, just pictures, videos, and interactive thingys. Really, I hope we're mistaken and we find a squid capable of crushing my Toyota Tercel.

Of course there's always the cute otters. And the octopus, if it should feel like entertaining the visitors.

Have a good, long weekend!

Never give up! Never surrender!

r.vagle@att.net — Tue, 15 May 07 16:26:00 UT

I awoke to good news this morning. Heliotrope wants to buy my story "He angles, she refracts." The cool thing is that this story has been hitting the markets for almost ten years and earned over twenty rejections. I've always liked this story, a story with a world of narcissists and a stranger courting the protagonist's reflections away. I knew I could find a home for it. Someday! Today!

And Ximena had come up with a much better title for it. The title used to be "Shattered."

Hey, persistence does pay off.

Datlow Weekend

r.vagle@att.net — Tue, 1 May 07 12:05:00 UT

It was a busy weekend with the Datlow workshop and me working four hours early morning both Saturday and Sunday. Not much sleep! We workshopped from nine to four each day and on Saturday night there was a dinner. We critiqued fourteen stories (including mine).

Highlights:

Elmore Leonard's dialog. Ellen mentioned how different each of his characters talk. A good writer to read for dialog.

In fact, dialog was a big issue during the workshop. Most stories critiqued had characters that all talked in the same way, including mine.

Leslie What's Box O' Fun. A swell surprise in every sealed wrapper! Leslie passed a sealed wrapper to each author for every story critiqued. My swell surprise was three miniature people: a doctor, a miner, and a female saluting soldier. Odd mix, but I'll take it.

Dinner at Adam's Place on Saturday night included chicken piccatta milanesse and strawberry rhubarb crisp.

My breakfast at the workshop each morning consisted of two banana nut muffins and lots and lots of coffee.

Lunch consisted of sandwiches. And more coffee. We were well fed the entire weekend.

My critiqued story has similar themes to Terry Bisson's "Macs." Ellen suggested I read it. And I've already found it.

Final Thoughts About The Weekend: I don't workshop much anymore. In other words, I've been workshop-light. But it was nice to spend a weekend critiquing and talking about writing and I learned a few things about my story and writing in general. Onward and upward!

One more day until Ellen

r.vagle@att.net — Thu, 26 Apr 07 19:34:00 UT

We'll have Ellen Datlow in town for the weekend and it's almost upon us. I've read all the stories (thirteen, not counting mine) and I'm still writing up the critiques.

I'll try to give reports during the weekend. Alas, it's my work weekend and I have to work four hours each morning before workshops. So busy-busy-busy but I'l try to update.

Meanwhile, here's a picture I've been meaning to post. It's a picture of the view outside our bedroom window. That's Spencer's Butte you're looking at. It's one of my favorite subjects for pictures, during various seasons and lighting.

As I drink a glass of shiraz

r.vagle@att.net — Sun, 22 Apr 07 21:23:00 UT

One week away until the Ellen Datlow Write-O-Rama. I have some reading and critiquing to do.

It's been an odd week with news events and personal issues dragging me down. Hopefully this next week will be better.

We've recently received the DVD of the TNT mini-series of Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes. Damn, we've watched over half of the episodes and their really well done.

Onward and upward

Another Birthday

r.vagle@att.net — Fri, 13 Apr 07 19:32:00 UT

Yesterday (April 12) was Ximena's birthday. We went to Mcgrath's Fish House. She had stuffed trout (which made me think of the name Kilgore Trout by Vonnegut) and I had coconut prawns. For dessert we had Fish House Coffee, which included a fair amount of liquor and whipped cream. All very splendid.

Afterwards, it was too early to go to Studio B for the practica, so for a time killer we stopped at Jo Feds to have, well, more spiked coffee drinks.

Actually, I only had straight, black coffee because I was driving. Who needs a DUI, let alone a potential head-decapitating car wreck? Not me.

The bartender looked like a white Woody Strode--he was a black actor who had small roles in westerns (like Once Upon A Time In The West), usually playing a badass. And a handsome man to boot. When I told the bartender it was Ximena's birthday, he gave us our drinks for free.

That was unexpected. It was so kind, I wanted to tip, but I had no cash. So we ordered another round of drinks (good thing I was drinking straight coffee) and we were, of course, going to pay for those. I used my debit card and gave a generous tip.

So then we went to tango at Studio B. Good crowd. And we stayed for almost two hours. We danced. I didn't do anything too crazy, but I did experiment a little. She said I was marvelous.

It was a fine evening out. Happy birthday, hon!

Next year we'll be married on April 10th. Which means, my birthday on the 8th, our wedding anniversary on the 10th, and her birthday on the 12th. Shoud be a fun second week in April every year!

Ketchup

r.vagle@att.net — Sun, 8 Apr 07 20:13:00 UT

Or catch up, rather.

Saturday felt productive since I sent out six stories (three by post office and three electronically) that shouldn't have been sitting on my desk. That was the first mailing I've done in a very long time.

Wedding plans have been progressing. I got myself a tux and we've found a place where I can get a narrow rimmed fedora. I wonder how often James Bond comes up in conversations between customers and store clerks in The Men's Warehouse. Often, I would suspect. And the store clerk brought JB up before we did.

Hopefully soon we'll get our picture taken for the wedding invitations and then we'll get them out the door.

I sent my story in for the critique at Write-O-Rama. What's Write-O-Rama you ask? Once again, the Wordos have invited Ellen Datlow to Eugene. She'll critique stories with us and there will be talk and dinners and such. Should be a good time at the end of the month.

Today is my birthday. This morning I told Ximena I wanted to go out for breakfast. We rarely go out for breakfast. She isn't hungry in the morning usually, but I'm always famished in the morning, thus I fend for myself. But this morning (just because it was my birthday) we headed out to the Original Pancake House and I had myself some pumpkin pancakes. A perfect, delicious start to my birhday. Ximena had mandarin crepes and she found them to be quite good, too. Pancakes have been one of my favorite foods since childhood.

Daylight

r.vagle@att.net — Sat, 10 Mar 07 21:00:00 UT

Already ten days into March! I'm feeling spring coming, which is good. Daylight Savings Time comes early this year. It'll be great to have daylight later in the day.

I'm working full time again. And when not working, I've been working on a short story and the novel. I'm going to have post a progress meter for that novel or at least report word counts. Pictures of a Word document filled with words next to an empty coffee cup? Then there's the suggestion Ximena made: a picture of a diminishing jar of rubble as I work my way to finishing the novel and getting that engraved brick at the Newport aquarium.

As for the short story I'm working on, I'm planning on having it critiqued with Ellen Datlow. The Wordos have organized and she'll be coming to Eugene at the end of April. Always nice to see her.

I'm currently drinking some shiraz.

I probably should mention

r.vagle@att.net — Tue, 27 Feb 07 22:08:00 UT

The editors of Talebones, Patrick & Honna Swenson, have put together a writers retreat called Rainforest Writers Village. It's in western Washington and by all indications it should be a blast. Very much like our Rockaway weekends around here. Check it out. I was impressed with just the list of attendees. It includes Louise Marley, Susan R Matthews, David Levine, Eric Nylund, and Syne Mitchell. Then there are the guest writers, Jay Lake of, well, Jay Lake fame. And Barb & JC Hendee, two working writers from Boulder, Colorado.

Rainforest Writers Village takes place March 22-25. There aren't many opens spots left, so act now!

I've already become a confirmed attendee and I'm looking forward to it!