Lost in the Infinite Perspective Vortex

[dr_pretentious]

The disastrous wake of Katrina has absorbed nearly all my available attention for the past few days. I can't stop looking. Maybe, in the long run, that will turn out to have been a good thing. Maybe not. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for my safe, mostly happy life, far away from where bad things are happening. Now it's time for me to get up off the goddamn floor and get on with living it.

I'm numb to things I can't afford to be numb to. The fact that my difficulties simply do not rate, at least not when compared to the horror of drowning in raw sewage, does not mean said difficulties will go away if I continue to do nothing but sit at my computer, virtuously reading justifiably outraged blog posts and sending out missives to my elected representatives.

The Shiny Young Agent whose letter was the high point of last week for me has just left the Established Agency where she worked when she requested that I send a full manuscript. I have to find out what her change of affiliation means for me.

Well, it'll probably be easier to find an answer to that question than to find clean drinking water in New Orleans. No complaints here.

Comments

[annathepiper]

*hugs* Yeah, really... a phrase a friend of a friend has sometimes used for times like these comes to mind, because it's really apt: "petty First World problems". I'm with you on feeling the odd discontinuity of sadness and horror--and relief that none of my loved ones are among the displaced along the Gulf Coast.

I sent $25 to the Red Cross tonight, which is about all Dara and I can spare right now. It ain't much. But it's something I can do.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you posted about her response to you (about which, condolences). It was the first I'd heard about her departure. Just this morning, I spent about 45 minutes sweating over an email that I then sent to her address at CMA. Who knows how long I might have gone on trying to follow up with her there before they got around to telling me she was gone? Anyhow, I just checked out the website for her new agency. She takes pains to say that she's not taking fantasy mss at this time, as opposed to all the other stuff she's just plain not taking. Whatever she says about my work now, I still think she'll be one to watch.

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

Luck in buckets with that. Someone posted to Neil Gaiman's blog that when they were hit by Katrina, they spent the night reading American Gods bu torchlight, and said that it was the most comforting thing. Never doubt the power of good fiction to move and comfort. Art is not a luxury.

[annathepiper]

Re: condolences, thanks! I'm not feeling too badly about it, all things considered. I was telling mizkit last night that if I have Luna match Tor for length of time without a rejection letter, any day past that will be a precious, precious gift, and I'll be happy to focus on writing the other book!

And yeah, Nadia seems to be one to keep tabs on! Perhaps she'll be in a better position to accept fantasy or SF later. :)

[calene.livejournal.com]

Bummer about the agent. *hugs*