Critique partners, book binges, and what I've been up to recently

Blog Post | August 4, 2024

✎ Gathering critique partners for Vaguely Human Figures

I sent my fourth draft of Vaguely Human Figures to preliminary critique partners on July 20th, and I expect to have it back by August 15th. Two of my CPs are college friends who have had my back since the drafting stage and have read my shitty high school writing. The other one is my sister, who is my favorite person in the world. After I implement my readers’ feedback, I may seek a couple more people to run it by, though the challenge with this is finding people I truly feel comfortable around.

Also, I finally came up with a one-sentence description for VHF! Behold: Vaguely Human Figures is a 1980s Chicago inspired novel about musicians, parties, paranormal activity, and self estrangement. Boom. Slayed the house down boots. 

The issue with VHF is that it’s exceptionally difficult to label. Whenever people ask me what genre it is, I panic, and it doesn't help that it's technically two stories woven together. Today a friend asked me what it's about, and I said, word for word, “I don’t know. There’s not really a genre. I guess it’s, like, a book.” Don’t ask me about its tropes or—heaven forbid—comp titles, because I'll start screaming and crying and throwing up. 

Writing a concise description for VHF is high on my to-do list, because social media marketing is all about using familiar terms. I’m not thrilled about that, but social media is unfortunately the big daddy (for lack of a better term) of book promo. One who is dragged into the circus might as well try to be the best clown. 

I’ve been through a roller coaster of emotions when it comes to editing VHF. In the beginning, I hated it and thought I was the worst writer to plague the planet. Now, I’m feeling okay about it. I like it, even. After a few more rounds of edits, I'll feel way more confident. Writing is all about growth, and I already feel like I’ve grown immensely in the two months I’ve spent revising it. 

✎ Books I read in July + my August TBR

I read seven books in July. I’m going to review each in 25 words or less, because, let’s face it, ain’t nobody reading my long-ass reviews. 

The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis - This is exactly what I expected this book to be. Drugs, parties, simultaneous homosexuality and homophobia. I feel bad for Paul. Sean is gross. 

Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis - I loved Ellis’ Less Than Zero, so I thought I’d also love the sequel. This book just felt like extra fluff he cut off the end of LTZ. It didn’t suck, though.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari - I felt like an alien learning about the human race for the first time, and I loved every second of it. I feel smart AF after reading this.

Girls Against God by Jenny Hval - This was my second time reading this book, and I’m obsessed with everything Hval writes. I love hateful female characters. Norwegian black metal is an amazing touch. Aspic is nasty.  

Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar - The only groundbreaking thing I got out of this was that happiness comes from having both a long-term purpose and experiencing short-term pleasures. I’ve always sacrificed one for the other.

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney - I jokingly said this is The Bell Jar but for men and less depressed people. This is very VHF coded. I enjoyed every second of it. Easy five stars.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Where do I even start? Extremely clever. Flynn literally came up with Amy’s plan, Amy’s other plan, and Amy’s cover-up for that plan. Brilliant. 

July was a fantastic reading month for me. I plan on reading a lot in August, too. I read Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye on the plane a few days ago which was excellent. I plan to read more of Morrison’s books. I also finally got my hands on Blood Meridian, and I’m also going to re-read My Year of Rest and Relaxation because I think I missed a couple of things the first time. 

✎ My other project

Remember the novella I mentioned in my last update post? It is now a full-blown project. I am, once again, working on a genre-less, setting-less novel (?) that has no real structure. I’m using a bulletin board to organize it, so you know it’s serious. 

I’m going to keep my mouth relatively shut about this project until I finish at least the first few drafts, which I plan to accomplish before I return to school in late September. I wrote the first 20,000 words in a week because I’m obsessed with it. I’m starting to slow down, but I’m still managing to get in ~2k words a day. I fear this might be the best idea I’ve had in my entire life. I don’t know what I'll do with it once it’s done, but I’ll worry about that later.

Here’s a quote from my first draft. I rarely post quotes because I'm scared of the internet, but I'd like to share a bit with those who were kind enough to click on this post.

Sheldon wore a tie shaped like a fish. It was a pike, he said. You could tell by its trapezoidal fins and the chevrons across its back. He rotated his shirts between starched polos and gray button-downs, but the fish was consistent, flapping across his skinny torso every time he bent over his workbench.

Who is Sheldon? What’s he working on? The only way you'll find out is by sticking around. 

✎ Goofy life updates

Nobody wants to hire me, which is kind of hilarious. I’m enjoying my unemployment (I'm self employed, I whisper to myself, as I get ghosted by the 2812937th fast food chain hiring manager) by writing a ton and working on another business idea.

I’m excited to move into my apartment next year with some friends. Even though my university is notorious for being boring and making people study 24/7, I think fun exists wherever you look for it. I’ve made it my mission to enjoy everything that happens to me. Despite my efforts, it's not easy being positive, especially as someone who has a genetic predisposition for misery. 

That’s not a good note to end on, so let me try to think of something positive for the last paragraph. 

I’m in New York! It’s hot and humid and my makeup starts to melt and marinate every time I step outside. Nevertheless, I'm enjoying the whole crowded-streets-and-nasty-smells vibe. In another life, I’m a New York transplant who goes to NYU or FIT and wears Canada Goose in 50 degree weather. I guess that's it for now.