A couple weeks ago I started blabbing about an anthology of crime stories inspired by the music of The Replacements.
Best band on earth, yadda yadda, go back and read what I had to say if you need to know why I love 'em so much. I'll quote this bit, though;
In industry terms, The Replacements failed. They didn't get the big hit. They didn't sell a bajillion records. They didn't care if the door opened when they threw themselves at it, as long as it rattled. They sang about the disaffected and the lonely. About losers and rebels. They failed by insisting on being themselves to the bitter end, and is there anything better than that? They just played, drank, laughed, toured and set about waiting to be forgotten.That last line is important. It takes a lyric from the song Bastards Of Young, and I loved the line so much that I'm making it the title.
Waiting To Be Forgotten: Stories of Crime and Heartbreak inspired by The Replacements.
So what am I looking for in the stories? Well, I don't really want to tell you what the band and their music should mean to you. I'm not telling writers what inspiration they should take. I want stories with heart, with hopes and failures, with crimes and passions and challenges and people who said 'I Will Dare,' regardless of whether they meant it or succeeded. The quote above shows the spirit that I love about the band, and the title gives an idea of where the stories should be headed, but the route ahead is wide open for each writer to chart their own path.
Word count? No minimum. Maximum around three thousand words.
Who can submit stories? Well, this is where you come in. It wouldn't really be honouring the spirit and legacy of The 'Mats if I started laying down too many rules. I want to see a wide variety of people. Over the past two weeks I've already spoken with writers and artists who want in, and they've not all been crime writers. The three rules are; you've got to be serious about it, you've got to be able to finish what you start, and, you've got to be willing to dare.
I want to hear from you. Here, facebook, twitter, even my email address eejutATmac.com. Seek me out, grab me, ask which song titles are available. Fifteen have been taken so far, and not necessarily the ones you'd think.
And do it soon. We're going to work with writers over deadlines for the stories -we're going to play fair and give people as much time as we can- but I need to hear from you within the next two weeks to know that you're in, and which title you're after.
Ready...Set....GO.
9 comments:
Do you have a publisher and is there payment involved>
I'm working with the guys at Gutter Books, and it's the same idea as the Springsteen one from last year, money going to the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
Okay, thanks for the information.
Is "I'll Be You" available?
It is indeed. drop me an email eejitATmac.com
Email sent.
A few general questions:
How closely should the stories be related to their eponymous songs?
Do the stories need to be genre crime stories, or is it pretty much free-form?
Will the writers retain all rights (reprint, derivative works, etc.) after first publication?
The Bob Woodruff Foundation is a great thing. Best of luck!
Still hope to be part of this, but I'll need those details about rights before I can submit.
Sorry for the double post; I mistakenly thought the first one didn't go through. Now I sound like a crank.
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