September 2005

INDEX

um... what was I going to blog about?

Sorely tempted...

Keeping up the pace

Writing here, writing there...

Another OWW Marathon!

Getting stuck.

What I Sold This Month

I've got about half an hour until I've gotta get the sproglets up, fed, dressed and off to daycare (which they love) before I go to work. It's school break, so the Library is quiet. There's probably just maintenance to do, which suits me fine. I've got an optometrist appt later and I've got to get my presentation tgr for the big Stake Relief Society bash tomorrow. I get to speak on "Singing the Blues Away". It's actually a very fascinating topic. Maybe I'll work on that instead.

I'll have you know I was sorely tempted to sign up for LiveJournal today. Many of my friends and peers are on LiveJournal, and I've seen them manage some spectacular content that could have great career-building potential. Until a few days ago, I had two or three LJs I browsed whenever I had a lull moment at the computer. But then the OWW created a private RSS feed, and I ended up browsing the LJ OWW list. The writerly bunch at OWW are fascinating people! Seeing that they were all doing so well with LJ and using it as a great way to maintain professional and personal contact, I must admit I was sorely tempted.

But then I got distracted by a quiz Elizabeth Bear had on her LJ ("What cute little animal are you?" Surprise, she's a bear.) and I safely avoided the LJ trap so many people have fallen into.

(My addiction to quizzes goes on: quiz2.html)

LJ would be bad for me. I'd end up reading and posting there, and I just don't have the time at the moment. I'm too busy writing commercial stuff and working on my novel. And as you all know, paying gigs trump every time.

But since I've got this niggle to blog, I'm here. Maybe someday when the Ladies Sprog are in school, I might have time to LJ... if my commercial assignments will let me.

25 September 2005
Getting Stuck

So I'm cruising along in Of The Dark, doing pretty good when Bam! I hit a transitional chapter (chapter fourteen, I believe). I know what I have to do there, I know where I'm going, but I haven't a clue as to how to credibly write the stupid thing!

What has to happen in this chapter: Show the social disintegration in the village of Sacred Spring, due to misplaced suspicion. Oh-kaaay... easier said than done.

So, any recommendations?

Didn't think so.

I thought I'd pull up concrete examples (ie, a fight between Marta and Sheelagh), but I can't seem to give it the oomph it needs. I need it to be live and credible. Thought I'd introduce some more with the refugees from Crossroads, but I'm falling a little flat there as well.

I need to show the angst! It's just not angsty enough, or it doesn't go anywhere... possibly because I don't have any consequenses for the actions that happen within these scenes. I dislike writing scenes that don't offer anything substantial to something that's happening later on.

Now, I know refugees have their own stresses and whatelse, but for this story, it just doesn't stick the way it would in real life. Why? Because in this story, their struggles have little value.

Hmm... maybe I need to make them have some value. But how?

23 September 2005
Another OWW Marathon!

Our irrepresible E! has declared another OWW writing Marathon for October. Now, some folks may cringe, becuase this is the month before NaNoWriMo. But I think it makes a good lead-in. Those who are in the habit of writing every day will do well for NaNoWriMo.

Last Marathon in June I could only manage a few thousand words a week. This time I've upped the ante. I plan on writing ten thousand words per week. Since I've been cranking out nearly that much for hte past few months, I think this is doable.

We'll see.

9 September 2005
Writing here, writing there...

So I'm thinking... maybe I should get a real blog. After having a look at Elizabeth Bear's blog, I wonder if I should get one. She uses it as such a wonderful promotional tool.

I borrowed this idea from her:

40,000 / 110,000 (36.0%)

This is how far along I am in writing Of The Dark - Book One. Impressive, n'est ce pas?

So yeah, I've been writing and working. I need to pitch more articles, now that I've cleared my To Do list. It's amazing how easily I can sell non-fic. I'm getting somewhat of a modest reputation. IROSF used my name in a form of promotion:

Once again a new month brings the latest Internet Review of Science Fiction to your screen. It's hard to be jocular at the moment, but we do have a solid line-up I would like to introduce.
Heidi Kneale returns with an interview exploration of the popular SF writing workshops. Robert Bee leads us through some early Disch, and Andrew Zimmerman Jones dissects alternate histories. Remember playing Laser Tag? We were never as organized as Jack Mangan's team Supremacy, but his memoir brings it all back. A suite of reviews and our regular columnists complete the slate.
http://www.irosf.com/

I'm quite proud of this article, since it took a lot of work and some global changes from my original idea. Thanks to Charles Coleman Finlay, Robert Hoge, Bren MacDibble and Simon Haynes for their contributions by way of interviews.

Most of my writing is for my current WIP, "Of The Dark". It's writing itself, pretty much. I got stuck around the 35K mark, but that's normal. Everything is flowing nicely. If you're on the Online Writing Workhsop, you can crit chapters. Come have a read.

And now I'm going to go write.

You know, if this was on Livejournal or Blogger, this would be up already for you to read. As it is, and I'm manually FTPing these pages up, you probably won't see them for another week or so. I keep forgetting to install a working FTP program.

1 September 2005
Keeping up the Pace

I should blog more, despite my sporacity. I should keep a personal journal too, but that more for the benefit of Lady Rose and Lady Frances.

It is Spring here in Australia, and I can't wait for warmer weather. Now that we have new tiles on the floor, the house is much colder than it has ever been. I don't like the cold. I would rather it be a little too hot than a little too cold.

Something completely unrelated: a friend of mine got pretty much what can be considered his dream job. However, it meant moving states (in other words, back to where he grew up). I don't know if I could move back to the States. Life in Australia is just too good. Only drawback: Perth is too far away from the rest of the world. I miss the convention circuit.

Here's to hoping I've got more time to write more later.

Recent Publications
It's only the first of September! I've got nothing to report yet. Patience, my pretties... It would be a sad day if I couldn't report any sales this month.

End of September
What I Sold This Month

I sold a fiction short story (about time I sold one of those!) entitled "A Life in the Day of a Cat" to "Twisted Cat Tales", edited by Esther Schrader. It's out from Coscom Entertainment in Feb 2006.