MY HANDPRINT

By Dennis Lantz The process of writing a story seems speedy compared to what comes after. A first time novelist, which is what I am, must answer some basic, but important questions and resolve specific details in order to be properly prepared. Obviously the most significant factor is that the manuscript needs to be complete and in a state as close to publishable as possible. When I started My Handprint, I believed my mutation story was ready. I was wrong. It was a lengthy 171,000 words which would probably dissuade an agent or publisher from taking a closer look. Now it is revised, refined and still a robust 145,700 words. But it is so much better for the loss. Self-publishing or finding an agent and publisher? I am not averse to self-publishing in general. As I said before, I may take that road for Zander’s Tale . But I want to establish myself as a writer and the best way to do that, I believe, is to find an agent who can sell my work to a publisher. The process is not...

Do you remember how we lived before social media sites became such an integral part of our lives? Instead of broadcasting our daily details via our smart phones, wifi-glasses, Dick Tracy watches and other devices of which I am blissfully unaware, we went on computer forums to seek out those with similar interests. As best as I can recollect, these were called chat rooms. I didn’t go into chat rooms. I was primitive. I was more into ancient technology like atlatls and flint knapping than all the modern stuff. Tanner reflected those thoughts in his articles. The following was written in 2005, not long after meeting my awesome future wife. For the record, we did not meet in a chat room, but we did email a considerable amount. If you don't remember email, watch the movie You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. This will explain everything.     I Have A Big Cranium by Tanner Z. Landsight (Oct. 2005) I like a sense of the absurd. I enjoy putting two or m...