It's official. The geese have replaced the squirrels in the slush pile. Some pandas this week, some sheep (one that thinks it's a goat) and of course the standard number of therapy/rescue dogs. But tons of geese.
Tell me the truth. How many of you are thinking about writing / have recently written a manuscript with geese characters?
Ah ha! Now, I must confess to writing a goose character in a fantasy YA novel I'm currently in the midst of. Now this is not a story about geese, nor is it a story about a goose. My goose is not the main character but is important for mythological reasons.
ReplyDeleteImagine Philip Pullman was an unpublished author intent on finding a home for sublime 'His Dark Materials.' In the same way you say no more squirrel or goose stories, I have heard countless times elsewhere: no more bear stories. Of course Pullman's bears are fierce warriors who wear armour, and not cuddly little creatures by any stretch of the imagination. Likewise my goose is certainly no cuddly little creature. Although admittedly, its is no armoured warrior either.
What I am saying is, I make a distinction between it's been done a zillion times before, and, creating the right character/s for the right role in the right story.
Apologies for the couple of typos above. I typed it in rather a hurry. So please don't slap me on the knuckles!
ReplyDeleteWell, I was attacked by a goose when I tried to deliver a load of Girl Scout cookies(as a kid, I mean). I was a bit traumatized for a while...maybe I still am.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, they never got those cookies.
Between your geese and my squirrels ... we could have a bestseller on our hands!
ReplyDeleteOkay, sorry. Maybe I need to lie down on a couch and place an icebag on my head.
I agree about your Pullman analogy, Qual.
ReplyDeleteAnd you'll notice that I didn't forbid anyone from submitting goose stories--I just wanted to let you guys know that suddenly there seems to be a great many of them. A warning that editors' eyes may be starting to glaze over.
Understood. I went to a workshop once. 18 would-be's attended, with two tutors. Everyone was asked to bring along samples of writing for analysis. 15 of the participants were made up of either puppy or kitten stories! Arrhh!!!
ReplyDeleteNo geese for me (too mean!). But the therapy/rescue dog thing made me laugh. We have a service dog for my daughter (which I guess is a step up from "therapy" and step down from "rescue") and I have told many times "You should write about that!"
ReplyDeleteI haven't, but if I only knew who you were, I could scribble it down and send another for your pile.
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ReplyDeleteQual - not that your goose character isn't wildly original. But have you read Frances Hardinge's Fly By Night? It also features a fierce goose character.
ReplyDeleteJust saying.
I am familiar with the book and that's fine. My goose isn't fierce and is not a main character, but is necessary for the story.
ReplyDeleteAt one point right after college I was the volunteer slush reader for a small press. In one week we got not just one, but TWO unsolicited manuscripts with goats as main characters. One of them was an erotic novel written from the goat's point of view.
ReplyDeleteSo be grateful for geese. I'm just sayin'.