Day 182: Fiction Feedback

I saran wrapped my window and got the space heater during our lunch break. The saran wrap works in two ways. It lets all the people I’m rooming with know I’m insane and it also will keep cold air from pouring on my head all night.

I had such shit sleep last night. Today we had to pitch our novels. I was 3rd. The agent looked baffled. The retreat runner was saying it’s got the making of being a high octane thriller and then compared it to Face Off.

Let me tell you about Face Off.

I watched it in my late teens at my (now) brother-in-laws house with my sister. I don’t think they were dating yet. The movie pissed me off so bad that I ended up having to take laps around the house. My sister was like, “dude, chill”. I couldn’t. The negative energy towards the film that I felt was like nothing I had before or have since.

Oddly enough, yesterday when I was frantically rushing around getting ready for the retreat Face Off came to mind. I can’t trace the thought back, or even remember the last time I thought of that movie, but I remember my thought immediately after thinking about the movie was, “God that movie sucked.”.

For that comp to follow directly … after … my … pitch.

It literally felt like the universe was tickling me. Not in the funny haha way... but like, I want you to know that I have power over you and I want you to think it’s fun. The universe forgot that you hate people tickling or touching you.

Sooo, that’s what I got. I spoke with some of the writers after and they didn’t think the feedback was that brutal (RSD can be a real bitch). I ended up reading what I originally wrote by hand in January when the novel came to mind and it’s actually really good. And not at all what was presented. I mean, some of it was but I grabbed onto one set of characters and thought the whole thing was about them. It isn’t.

This is weird.

Coming may have happened prematurely but I’d rather be here too early than way too late. That’s what one of the writers said to me last night when we arrived. He wished he’d attended something like this when he was developing his story. Now it’s complete and it’s been difficult getting feedback and opinions and all that.

So I am grateful but I’m also confused as to how to do the homework. I’m going to go to sleep now and do the homework when I wake up. Hopefully sleep will come easy and be rejuvenating. Can’t believe there’s still 3 full days left!