Despite the nasty weather last night, we felt like going out for a bit. We'd heard about a play area in a nearby mall, so we took Alex there. It was a big area, with little slides and bridges and other structures (Looney Tunes characters) for kids to climb on. Unfortunately, it was also very crowded with lots of bigger, older kids who weren't paying attention to what other kids were doing. (It didn't help that their parents weren't paying attention.) Alex enjoyed going down the slide and exploring oversized marbles, but after he got knocked over a couple of times, we decided it was time to leave.
We went around the mall a bit and came across the Easter Bunny. We hadn't taken Alex to see Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny yet, since we weren't sure how he'd react. We decided to give it a try. It helped that we didn't have to wait very long. I thought about changing his shirt but was afraid he wouldn't cooperate. Alex didn't put up a fuss at being given to the Easter Bunny; he just kept on munching some Cheerios. He didn't cry either, but he didn't really smile. The best we got out of him was a slight smirk. We ordered a few pictures anyway. I don't think we have any digital versions of the picture; otherwise, I'd post it.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
For Want of a Ring...
Whoever is writing my life these days sure knows how to put obstacles in my path.
I have a big project at work for a customer; I'm supposed to analyze their samples for a couple of common chemicals. (I can say no more.) This process involves purifying each sample so I can analyze it via HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography). I have over twenty samples, with duplicates of each, and I'm analyzing each sample, including the duplicate, twice. The purification procedure involves a step where I can only centrifuge four tubes at a time, so it took me two days to finish all of the samples. But Tuesday night, as I loaded the HPLC, I anticipated having all of my data by Wednesday morning.
That was my first mistake.
I came in Wednesday and reviewed my data. Most of my samples had usable data, but some of the runs didn't work. I set up the HPLC to run them again overnight. Again, some of the runs worked, but many didn't.
As I was setting up the HPLC to run the samples a third time, I noticed a problem. I asked a co-worker who has more experience with this machine to help me figure out what was wrong. We found that a white O-ring in the pump was out of round, causing the pump to leak. We didn't have a replacement on hand, so I looked in the manual, found the part, called the company, and faxed in an order to have more O-rings shipped here overnight.
A couple of hours later, I realized I never got a confirmation that the fax went through, so I sent it again. I left without getting an order confirmation from the company, so I wondered if I would get the ring today.
As it turned out, I did get the order. But when I opened the package, the rings I had ordered were much too small to be the right part.
I called the company again, and they put me in touch with a local serviceperson. I had to talk to him twice. The first time, he gave me the part number I'd already ordered. We discussed sending him a picture of the part, but I managed to lose it before we could take the picture. (Has nobody looked in the wash basin?) I had my co-worker describe to the serviceperson exactly where the part was located. We wound up getting a new part number, and the serviceperson said he would e-mail me a picture of it to confirm we have the right part. I'm still waiting for the e-mail. I'd like to order the part ASAP so we have it by Monday, but there's no point in getting another wrong part again.
Anyway, I managed to sneak two movie references (they're from the same movie) into my tale of woe. Kudos to the first person who can identify the movie. If you know my favorite music group, you have a leg up on the competition.
I have a big project at work for a customer; I'm supposed to analyze their samples for a couple of common chemicals. (I can say no more.) This process involves purifying each sample so I can analyze it via HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography). I have over twenty samples, with duplicates of each, and I'm analyzing each sample, including the duplicate, twice. The purification procedure involves a step where I can only centrifuge four tubes at a time, so it took me two days to finish all of the samples. But Tuesday night, as I loaded the HPLC, I anticipated having all of my data by Wednesday morning.
That was my first mistake.
I came in Wednesday and reviewed my data. Most of my samples had usable data, but some of the runs didn't work. I set up the HPLC to run them again overnight. Again, some of the runs worked, but many didn't.
As I was setting up the HPLC to run the samples a third time, I noticed a problem. I asked a co-worker who has more experience with this machine to help me figure out what was wrong. We found that a white O-ring in the pump was out of round, causing the pump to leak. We didn't have a replacement on hand, so I looked in the manual, found the part, called the company, and faxed in an order to have more O-rings shipped here overnight.
A couple of hours later, I realized I never got a confirmation that the fax went through, so I sent it again. I left without getting an order confirmation from the company, so I wondered if I would get the ring today.
As it turned out, I did get the order. But when I opened the package, the rings I had ordered were much too small to be the right part.
I called the company again, and they put me in touch with a local serviceperson. I had to talk to him twice. The first time, he gave me the part number I'd already ordered. We discussed sending him a picture of the part, but I managed to lose it before we could take the picture. (Has nobody looked in the wash basin?) I had my co-worker describe to the serviceperson exactly where the part was located. We wound up getting a new part number, and the serviceperson said he would e-mail me a picture of it to confirm we have the right part. I'm still waiting for the e-mail. I'd like to order the part ASAP so we have it by Monday, but there's no point in getting another wrong part again.
Anyway, I managed to sneak two movie references (they're from the same movie) into my tale of woe. Kudos to the first person who can identify the movie. If you know my favorite music group, you have a leg up on the competition.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Work In Progress Wednesday
I missed last week's Work in Progress Wednesday since I posted about Flogging the Quill. The last couple of weeks have been slow anyway. I know where I need to go with Across Two Universes, but the logistics of getting there are a bit difficult to figure out. I'm tossing out a lot of previously written material to improve the pacing and tension. Here are my current stats:
Currently On: Chapter Six, Page 55 (out of 295)
Word Count: 96,000
At this rate, this will be the shortest novel I've ever written. (grin)
On a positive note, our current blog chain writing challenge inspired me to work on a short story. It's a prequel to the Cupid/Psyche myth. So far it's only about 280 words, but I'd like to keep this one short, perhaps even flash fiction. Of course, first I have to finish the thing. Hopefully I haven't jinxed myself by discussing this project.
Currently On: Chapter Six, Page 55 (out of 295)
Word Count: 96,000
At this rate, this will be the shortest novel I've ever written. (grin)
On a positive note, our current blog chain writing challenge inspired me to work on a short story. It's a prequel to the Cupid/Psyche myth. So far it's only about 280 words, but I'd like to keep this one short, perhaps even flash fiction. Of course, first I have to finish the thing. Hopefully I haven't jinxed myself by discussing this project.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Back on the Blog Chain: Writing Challenge
Since Michelle has already posted her contribution to our latest blog chain, I'll post mine, even though it's a few days early. For this round, Jessica has issued us a writing challenge:
WRITE! I want a short story. (Mine is 250 words. Feel free to write one hundred, three hundred, five hundred...whatever! words) Yesterday's poem was a hint because it had a heart involved and that's the only stipulation I have. Somehow, someway, heart(s) must be involved.
So far, all of the stories have been incredibly polished, as if everyone spent a month on them instead of a couple of days. We've also had some bitter/sad stories about immortal hearts, bitter hearts, and broken hearts. And now for something completely different. That's right; my story is inspired by Monty Python and The Holy Grail/Spamalot. (Eugene and I saw Spamalot in Chicago the night we got engaged.)
Two Knights, One Heart
Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad pulled up in front of the evil sorcerer Knogudnis’s castle. The moat was so fetid their horses were able to walk across, despite their heavy armor. After dispatching the zombies spilling out of the portcullis, the knights entered. Inside, a mat of cobwebs draped the hall from the doorway to the staircase at the other end.
“Who dares trespass here?” a booming voice called from above.
Lancelot started to charge the stairs, but Galahad held him back and replied in a falsetto, “Avon calling!”
“I’m not buying!” A door slammed.
“That wasn’t very knightly.” Lancelot stared at his companion in disbelief.
“We need to learn Knogudis’s weakness before we can engage him in combat.” Galahad pulled a parchment titled The Compleat Idiot’s Guide to Slaying Villains from a slot in his armor. He unrolled about a third of the scroll. “Here we are. In order to kill an evil sorcerer, we have to destroy his heart.”
“No problem.” Lancelot unsheathed his sword. “One stab to his chest should take care of that.”
“It’s not that easy, Lance. Sorcerers often magically remove their hearts and hide them in some strange place, such as in a white hare hidden in a black swan hidden in a red doe...”
“Is that like turducken?” Lance smacked his lips. “That’s good eating!”
“What sort of creature is that?”
“You weren’t at the Christmas feast last year, were you, Gal?”
“Don’t call me that.” Galahad smoothed his blond curls back under his helmet and made a mental note that it was time to brave a visit to the barber. “Anyway, we need to search for the hiding place of Knogudnis’s heart.”
Since no maids, buxom or otherwise, were available, the knights were forced to clean the hall by themselves. The cobwebs were so tough they dulled the swords. Eventually, however, the knights discovered furniture, a fireplace, and tapestries on the walls.
“Hey, Gal – I mean Galahad, look at this.” Lance pointed to one of the tapestries. “That’s writing, isn’t it?”
Galahad squinted. “This looks like a reminder list. ‘Notes to Self: The zombies only eat brains, check if you left your wand in your robe before doing the laundry, and your heart is behind the third brick from the left, fifth row of the fireplace.’” He shook his head. “It can’t be that simple. It can’t be...”
A door creaked open. “Are you still there? Begone before I turn you into toads!”
Lancelot approached the fireplace and began counting, referring frequently to his fingers. “Hey, Gala, which way is left?”
Galahad sighed. “It’s this brick.” He tapped one with his sword.
Lancelot unstrapped a battle-axe from his back and swung mightily at the brick. It crumbled into powder on impact. Something dark and shriveled rolled out from a cavity in the fireplace. Galahad skewered the heart with his sword.
A high-pitched wail assaulted their ears, and an emaciated body with white wild hair and gaudy robes tumbled down the stairs to land at their feet.
Galahad prodded the body with a toe, then rolled up his parchment. “Well, no one ever said Knogudnis was a smart evil sorcerer.”
I hope that was good for a chuckle or two. Head on over to Kat's blog to read her story!
WRITE! I want a short story. (Mine is 250 words. Feel free to write one hundred, three hundred, five hundred...whatever! words) Yesterday's poem was a hint because it had a heart involved and that's the only stipulation I have. Somehow, someway, heart(s) must be involved.
So far, all of the stories have been incredibly polished, as if everyone spent a month on them instead of a couple of days. We've also had some bitter/sad stories about immortal hearts, bitter hearts, and broken hearts. And now for something completely different. That's right; my story is inspired by Monty Python and The Holy Grail/Spamalot. (Eugene and I saw Spamalot in Chicago the night we got engaged.)
Two Knights, One Heart
Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad pulled up in front of the evil sorcerer Knogudnis’s castle. The moat was so fetid their horses were able to walk across, despite their heavy armor. After dispatching the zombies spilling out of the portcullis, the knights entered. Inside, a mat of cobwebs draped the hall from the doorway to the staircase at the other end.
“Who dares trespass here?” a booming voice called from above.
Lancelot started to charge the stairs, but Galahad held him back and replied in a falsetto, “Avon calling!”
“I’m not buying!” A door slammed.
“That wasn’t very knightly.” Lancelot stared at his companion in disbelief.
“We need to learn Knogudis’s weakness before we can engage him in combat.” Galahad pulled a parchment titled The Compleat Idiot’s Guide to Slaying Villains from a slot in his armor. He unrolled about a third of the scroll. “Here we are. In order to kill an evil sorcerer, we have to destroy his heart.”
“No problem.” Lancelot unsheathed his sword. “One stab to his chest should take care of that.”
“It’s not that easy, Lance. Sorcerers often magically remove their hearts and hide them in some strange place, such as in a white hare hidden in a black swan hidden in a red doe...”
“Is that like turducken?” Lance smacked his lips. “That’s good eating!”
“What sort of creature is that?”
“You weren’t at the Christmas feast last year, were you, Gal?”
“Don’t call me that.” Galahad smoothed his blond curls back under his helmet and made a mental note that it was time to brave a visit to the barber. “Anyway, we need to search for the hiding place of Knogudnis’s heart.”
Since no maids, buxom or otherwise, were available, the knights were forced to clean the hall by themselves. The cobwebs were so tough they dulled the swords. Eventually, however, the knights discovered furniture, a fireplace, and tapestries on the walls.
“Hey, Gal – I mean Galahad, look at this.” Lance pointed to one of the tapestries. “That’s writing, isn’t it?”
Galahad squinted. “This looks like a reminder list. ‘Notes to Self: The zombies only eat brains, check if you left your wand in your robe before doing the laundry, and your heart is behind the third brick from the left, fifth row of the fireplace.’” He shook his head. “It can’t be that simple. It can’t be...”
A door creaked open. “Are you still there? Begone before I turn you into toads!”
Lancelot approached the fireplace and began counting, referring frequently to his fingers. “Hey, Gala, which way is left?”
Galahad sighed. “It’s this brick.” He tapped one with his sword.
Lancelot unstrapped a battle-axe from his back and swung mightily at the brick. It crumbled into powder on impact. Something dark and shriveled rolled out from a cavity in the fireplace. Galahad skewered the heart with his sword.
A high-pitched wail assaulted their ears, and an emaciated body with white wild hair and gaudy robes tumbled down the stairs to land at their feet.
Galahad prodded the body with a toe, then rolled up his parchment. “Well, no one ever said Knogudnis was a smart evil sorcerer.”
I hope that was good for a chuckle or two. Head on over to Kat's blog to read her story!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Publically Flogged!
We interrupt this busy work day for an important announcement: a critique of my novel opening is up at Flogging the Quill. For those of you who aren't familar with that blog, the author who runs it looks at the first sixteen lines of your novel (essentially the first page) and offers his opinion as to whether it has enough tension to make him turn the page.
So, did he?
He did.
He said it was close, though. He wasn't fazed by my mention of two universes in the second line, but he did suggest I could cut some lines of dialogue and get straight to the problem (Paul's mom being sick). I think that's a good suggestion and will use it in the rewrite.
Feel free to look at his critique and add your own comments. I'll post my "Work in Progess Wednesday" entry tonight. Now, I have to get back to my experiments.
So, did he?
He did.
He said it was close, though. He wasn't fazed by my mention of two universes in the second line, but he did suggest I could cut some lines of dialogue and get straight to the problem (Paul's mom being sick). I think that's a good suggestion and will use it in the rewrite.
Feel free to look at his critique and add your own comments. I'll post my "Work in Progess Wednesday" entry tonight. Now, I have to get back to my experiments.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Alex at the Childrens' Museum
It's been hard finding time to blog lately. Perhaps that's due to a lack of energy, which is due to more sleeping problems with Alex. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, no one gets any rest. But when he's interested in something, he keeps going even without a nap. Take this last Sunday, when we went to a first birthday party for the daughter of one of Eugene's family friends. They held the party at the Kohl Childrens' Museum. Unfortunately, the time slot they had was from noon to 1:45, right during Alex's normal nap (and I think also for the birthday girl). The party included general admission for all of the guests, so after lunch and cake, we were able to take Alex around the museum. Even though he's not yet two, there were a lot of things he was able to do. Here are some of the pictures:
We didn't notice he had his hand tucked into his overalls until I uploaded the picture to my computer.
Alex loves yellow. Between the yellow interior and yellow balls, we thought we'd never get him out of there!
Looking at the outside.
Steering a boat.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Work In Progress Wednesday
Better brief than nothing....
Currently On: Across Two Universes, Chapter Five, Page 51 (16.8%)
Total Pages: 304
Total Words: About 100,000
I have the Incredible Shrinking Novel on my hands. I feel like the middle needs more tension and increased stakes, so previously written scenes are disappearing. I have some ideas for replacements, but they still have to be refined and organized.
Currently On: Across Two Universes, Chapter Five, Page 51 (16.8%)
Total Pages: 304
Total Words: About 100,000
I have the Incredible Shrinking Novel on my hands. I feel like the middle needs more tension and increased stakes, so previously written scenes are disappearing. I have some ideas for replacements, but they still have to be refined and organized.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Back on the Blog Chain: Marketing Your Novel
It's time for another Blog Chain Post. This round, Heather chose the topic:
What plans do YOU have to market your novel? How will you make sure the public finds your work?
Michelle posted right before me, so be sure to check out her thoughts on this topic.
I think the principle of marketing is pretty simple: you need to identify your target audience and let them know in an enticing way that your product exists. The problem is figuring out the best way of doing that.
I have some experience with marketing my work, since I had a short story published in an anthology last year. Among other things, I announced the anthology on my blog and my website, read from my story at WisCon, and gave author interviews for a blog tour. I would definitely do these same things again to publicize a novel. I'd probably attend more conventions after the book comes out; I'd bring bookmarks to leave on the freebie tables and sign dealers' stock (that way, they can't return the books to the publisher.) I'd send sample copies to reviewers. For other ideas, I'd check out Maria Zannini's blog series about Killer Campaigns. She not only lists ideas for publicizing one's work but also analyzes how effective they are.
Probably the most effective resource a writer has for publicizing herself is the Internet. It's accessible to anyone anywhere at any time. It's also a great way to make connections. Several of the previous posters in this Blog Chain mentioned that as introverts, they're worried about having to appear in public. I'm an introvert too, which is why I find belonging to writer's groups such as BroadUniverse and The Online Writing Workshop useful. They not only help writers meet other writers but also publicize their success stories. In particular, BroadUniverse is dedicated to promoting women writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror; the group puts out an annual list of works by its members. With two e-mails to the mailing lists for BroadUniverse and OWW, I can reach over 2000 people. I also plan to use Facebook; I belong to other writer and reader groups there, so I can post information about my novel to those groups too. Since most writers tend to be readers as well, hopefully some of them will be interested in buying the work of a writer they know or have heard of.
(As a side note, I recommend being active in writer groups as much as possible. It not only increases your reputation or "whuffie," but it's good karma. I've donated time and money to BroadUniverse; I'm also the admin for BroadUniverse's group on Facebook. Although I haven't been able to crit much on the OWW recently, I do buy members' books to support them.)
Writers aren't the only readers I plan to target. My book features a fictional version of John Lennon, so I also plan to let Beatles fans know about my book. I'm involved with a Beatles forum, so I could post about my book there. I'm not sure if I could promote my book at The Fest for Beatles Fans; it depends on who I talk to, I suppose. I could also invite people to enter a trivia quiz about the Beatles for a chance to win an autographed book.
Previous posters in this chain have discussed some really creative ideas, such as making a book trailer or creating a piece of jewelry to give away. I haven't made a book trailer yet, though I may have that done once I sell Across Two Universes. Copyright might be an issue there, especially since it would be tempting to use photos of John Lennon. A gold necklace with a cross plays an important role in my story; I could also hold a contest to give one away. Of course, then I'd have to publicize the contest itself. ;)
One final piece of advice I have for other writers is this: if you want to use your name as an address for your website, secure it as quickly as you can. My late writing teacher, Kathleen Massie-Ferch, was unable to use her name because someone else squatted on the domain name and wanted a high price for it. That's why I set up my site years ago, before I had any sales to promote.
That's all I have for now. Head on over to Kat Harris's blog for her marketing ideas.
What plans do YOU have to market your novel? How will you make sure the public finds your work?
Michelle posted right before me, so be sure to check out her thoughts on this topic.
I think the principle of marketing is pretty simple: you need to identify your target audience and let them know in an enticing way that your product exists. The problem is figuring out the best way of doing that.
I have some experience with marketing my work, since I had a short story published in an anthology last year. Among other things, I announced the anthology on my blog and my website, read from my story at WisCon, and gave author interviews for a blog tour. I would definitely do these same things again to publicize a novel. I'd probably attend more conventions after the book comes out; I'd bring bookmarks to leave on the freebie tables and sign dealers' stock (that way, they can't return the books to the publisher.) I'd send sample copies to reviewers. For other ideas, I'd check out Maria Zannini's blog series about Killer Campaigns. She not only lists ideas for publicizing one's work but also analyzes how effective they are.
Probably the most effective resource a writer has for publicizing herself is the Internet. It's accessible to anyone anywhere at any time. It's also a great way to make connections. Several of the previous posters in this Blog Chain mentioned that as introverts, they're worried about having to appear in public. I'm an introvert too, which is why I find belonging to writer's groups such as BroadUniverse and The Online Writing Workshop useful. They not only help writers meet other writers but also publicize their success stories. In particular, BroadUniverse is dedicated to promoting women writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror; the group puts out an annual list of works by its members. With two e-mails to the mailing lists for BroadUniverse and OWW, I can reach over 2000 people. I also plan to use Facebook; I belong to other writer and reader groups there, so I can post information about my novel to those groups too. Since most writers tend to be readers as well, hopefully some of them will be interested in buying the work of a writer they know or have heard of.
(As a side note, I recommend being active in writer groups as much as possible. It not only increases your reputation or "whuffie," but it's good karma. I've donated time and money to BroadUniverse; I'm also the admin for BroadUniverse's group on Facebook. Although I haven't been able to crit much on the OWW recently, I do buy members' books to support them.)
Writers aren't the only readers I plan to target. My book features a fictional version of John Lennon, so I also plan to let Beatles fans know about my book. I'm involved with a Beatles forum, so I could post about my book there. I'm not sure if I could promote my book at The Fest for Beatles Fans; it depends on who I talk to, I suppose. I could also invite people to enter a trivia quiz about the Beatles for a chance to win an autographed book.
Previous posters in this chain have discussed some really creative ideas, such as making a book trailer or creating a piece of jewelry to give away. I haven't made a book trailer yet, though I may have that done once I sell Across Two Universes. Copyright might be an issue there, especially since it would be tempting to use photos of John Lennon. A gold necklace with a cross plays an important role in my story; I could also hold a contest to give one away. Of course, then I'd have to publicize the contest itself. ;)
One final piece of advice I have for other writers is this: if you want to use your name as an address for your website, secure it as quickly as you can. My late writing teacher, Kathleen Massie-Ferch, was unable to use her name because someone else squatted on the domain name and wanted a high price for it. That's why I set up my site years ago, before I had any sales to promote.
That's all I have for now. Head on over to Kat Harris's blog for her marketing ideas.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Work In Progress Wednesday
Hard to believe it's been a week since my last blog entry. Alex hasn't been sleeping well, so I haven't been sleeping well. Heck, I don't sleep well even when he does. I've either busy or too tired to blog, but updating my status doesn't take too long.
After reading the post on the QueryTracker blog about manuscript formatting, I decided to switch from Courier to Times New Roman for my font. Consequently, the total number of pages in my manuscript shrank dramatically since last week:
Currently On: Chapter Five, page 45
Total Pages: 309
Total Words: About 101,000
(As you can see, I pulled out some text as well, though I put it in a separate file in case I decide to use it after all.)
For comparison, last week I was about 12.7% through the manuscript; now, I'm at 14.6%. Not too bad, given I didn't get much done over the weekend.
My chapter ending did well during Authoress's Drop the Needle crit-fest last week. Most of the suggestions were nits, pointing out some repetition and sentences that could be tightened. Otherwise, almost everyone wanted to read further. I'm pretty pleased, especially since that scene is new.
Time to get back to work; I left Paul after he revealed his secret to his friends. They're reacting differently to different parts of it, so there's lots of potential here for conflict. My latest Blog Chain post will appear by Friday or Saturday, so come back soon!
After reading the post on the QueryTracker blog about manuscript formatting, I decided to switch from Courier to Times New Roman for my font. Consequently, the total number of pages in my manuscript shrank dramatically since last week:
Currently On: Chapter Five, page 45
Total Pages: 309
Total Words: About 101,000
(As you can see, I pulled out some text as well, though I put it in a separate file in case I decide to use it after all.)
For comparison, last week I was about 12.7% through the manuscript; now, I'm at 14.6%. Not too bad, given I didn't get much done over the weekend.
My chapter ending did well during Authoress's Drop the Needle crit-fest last week. Most of the suggestions were nits, pointing out some repetition and sentences that could be tightened. Otherwise, almost everyone wanted to read further. I'm pretty pleased, especially since that scene is new.
Time to get back to work; I left Paul after he revealed his secret to his friends. They're reacting differently to different parts of it, so there's lots of potential here for conflict. My latest Blog Chain post will appear by Friday or Saturday, so come back soon!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Work In Progress Wednesday
Kate's idea of doing a weekly progress report has caught on with other Blog Chain members. Here's a quick summary of where I'm at with Across Two Universes:
Currently on: Chapter Four, page 55-56 (at the end of page 55)
Total pages: 434
Total words: Approximately 104,000
I think I'll finish Chapter Four before the end of the month.
I've sent the first two chapters to two readers for feedback.
I've entered the Drop the Needle critfest on Miss Snark's First Victim. My chapter ending (from Chapter Two) will post tomorrow. It'll be #50 if you want to check it out.
Time to get back to work; I have more chapter endings to crit.
Currently on: Chapter Four, page 55-56 (at the end of page 55)
Total pages: 434
Total words: Approximately 104,000
I think I'll finish Chapter Four before the end of the month.
I've sent the first two chapters to two readers for feedback.
I've entered the Drop the Needle critfest on Miss Snark's First Victim. My chapter ending (from Chapter Two) will post tomorrow. It'll be #50 if you want to check it out.
Time to get back to work; I have more chapter endings to crit.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Back on the Blog Chain: Torture or Tough Love?
Time again for another Blog Chain Post. Leah picked the topic this time, and she's hoping to make us stretch ourselves. Here's her question (or series of questions):
So Blogchain, (and others) show me your dark side...What do you do to amp up the conflict? What pins do you stick in the little voodoo dolls? How do you torture your characters???
(As always, you can go back to Leah's post to follow this chain from the beginning, or you can go back to Michelle's post immediately before mine and follow the chain backwards.)
Leah thinks this topic will make some Blog Chain members squirm since (and I quote), "These girls are nice...sweet...moms and teachers and doctors!" Leah, I assume you're not a parent yet; forgive me if that's wrong. But moms know sometimes you have to let the baby cry himself to sleep, no matter how long it takes, so he learns to fall asleep on his own and sleep through the night; sometimes you have to take your child to the doctor for shots and give them nasty-tasting medicine; and sometimes you have to take away something dangerous or discipline them when they do something wrong.
In short, sometimes you need to practice tough love, even if your kids think it's torture.
When it comes to writing characters, I treat them like children (no wonder they sound younger than they are!) and practice tough love with them. I like my protagonists; I don't want to subject them to waterboarding. My antagonists deserve that. But my protags wouldn't enjoy their Happy Ever After endings so much if they didn't pass through some tough times first. And to be honest, I want to see my characters grow over the course of a novel, but they won't overcome their faults until they make mistakes and learn from them. The wounds that I give them will remake them.
Let me give some examples from my WIP, Across Two Universes. At the beginning of the novel, my hero, Paul Harrison, is a seventeen-year-old actor. He is also literally the product of two universes and has a unique talent because of that. However, he doesn't understand his gift, so when his mother is poisoned, he doesn't understand the warning in time to save her. This guilt will drive some of his most desperate acts later in the story. But I don't stop there. Paul was cloned from a famous musician who lost his mother at seventeen. Paul suspects his mother was killed to make his life similar to the man he was cloned from. The death doesn't unlock his musical talent (he doesn't have any), but it gives him more guilt he has to live with, and the only way he can deal with it is to bring the murderer to justice. Add to that the fact that Paul refused to give his mother a final hug (It was in public; he didn't want to look like a mama's boy. The refusal probably saved his own life, but at the cost of more guilt.), and I have another factor that will affect how Paul treats others in the future.
Internal pressures are good, but to keep a reader hooked, it's better to have different types of conflict in a story. As Paul tries to solve his mother's murder and prevent another, he finds other people opposing him, from time travelers, who are trying to protect history, to his friends, who are trying to protect him from himself. Every time he makes progress towards his goals, he complicates the situation further. But these struggles are necessary for him to mature into adulthood and develop his quantum gift. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." (KJV, Luke 12:48) I have grand plans for Paul extending beyond this novel; if anything, his suffering will increase in the sequel. I empathize too much with him to call it torture; I've wept over what happens to him. But the story has to go that way for him to achieve what he must, with humanity's survival at stake.
Anyway, that's more than enough for one post. Leah, I hope I've answered your question. Head on over to Kat's blog for her take on this question!
So Blogchain, (and others) show me your dark side...What do you do to amp up the conflict? What pins do you stick in the little voodoo dolls? How do you torture your characters???
(As always, you can go back to Leah's post to follow this chain from the beginning, or you can go back to Michelle's post immediately before mine and follow the chain backwards.)
Leah thinks this topic will make some Blog Chain members squirm since (and I quote), "These girls are nice...sweet...moms and teachers and doctors!" Leah, I assume you're not a parent yet; forgive me if that's wrong. But moms know sometimes you have to let the baby cry himself to sleep, no matter how long it takes, so he learns to fall asleep on his own and sleep through the night; sometimes you have to take your child to the doctor for shots and give them nasty-tasting medicine; and sometimes you have to take away something dangerous or discipline them when they do something wrong.
In short, sometimes you need to practice tough love, even if your kids think it's torture.
When it comes to writing characters, I treat them like children (no wonder they sound younger than they are!) and practice tough love with them. I like my protagonists; I don't want to subject them to waterboarding. My antagonists deserve that. But my protags wouldn't enjoy their Happy Ever After endings so much if they didn't pass through some tough times first. And to be honest, I want to see my characters grow over the course of a novel, but they won't overcome their faults until they make mistakes and learn from them. The wounds that I give them will remake them.
Let me give some examples from my WIP, Across Two Universes. At the beginning of the novel, my hero, Paul Harrison, is a seventeen-year-old actor. He is also literally the product of two universes and has a unique talent because of that. However, he doesn't understand his gift, so when his mother is poisoned, he doesn't understand the warning in time to save her. This guilt will drive some of his most desperate acts later in the story. But I don't stop there. Paul was cloned from a famous musician who lost his mother at seventeen. Paul suspects his mother was killed to make his life similar to the man he was cloned from. The death doesn't unlock his musical talent (he doesn't have any), but it gives him more guilt he has to live with, and the only way he can deal with it is to bring the murderer to justice. Add to that the fact that Paul refused to give his mother a final hug (It was in public; he didn't want to look like a mama's boy. The refusal probably saved his own life, but at the cost of more guilt.), and I have another factor that will affect how Paul treats others in the future.
Internal pressures are good, but to keep a reader hooked, it's better to have different types of conflict in a story. As Paul tries to solve his mother's murder and prevent another, he finds other people opposing him, from time travelers, who are trying to protect history, to his friends, who are trying to protect him from himself. Every time he makes progress towards his goals, he complicates the situation further. But these struggles are necessary for him to mature into adulthood and develop his quantum gift. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." (KJV, Luke 12:48) I have grand plans for Paul extending beyond this novel; if anything, his suffering will increase in the sequel. I empathize too much with him to call it torture; I've wept over what happens to him. But the story has to go that way for him to achieve what he must, with humanity's survival at stake.
Anyway, that's more than enough for one post. Leah, I hope I've answered your question. Head on over to Kat's blog for her take on this question!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Work In Progress Wednesday
I got the idea for this post from Kate. She plans to report her progress on, well, her work-in-progress, every week. As I've said before, I'm currently revising Across Two Universes. I'm trying to revise/rewrite two chapters each month, working mostly on my lunch hour. I'm rewriting a lot more than I expected--or perhaps I should have expected it, seeing as that's my usual method of revising. I'm currently on the first scene of Chapter Four, which I'm changing. There will be at least one more new scene in this chapter, which may lead to changing another scene and dropping another--I'm not sure yet. I'm not counting words because I'm more interested in chapters at this point. I should search for a chapter count meter, if that exists.
I have an idea for a short story I'd like to enter in a contest next month, but I haven't had much time to work on it.
Anyway, back to writing....
I have an idea for a short story I'd like to enter in a contest next month, but I haven't had much time to work on it.
Anyway, back to writing....
Monday, February 16, 2009
Alex's Half Day
Sometimes three-day weekends are tougher than working.
Alex has been a bit off the last couple of days--not napping a full two hours, developing a fever on Saturday, not eating as much as he normally does, and being congested. Fevers are going around at the daycare center, but I think he's also teething. I hoped he would be better, since we had plans. Both of us were off, so I set up a play date in the morning, and my parents were coming for a visit in the afternoon.
Alex fell asleep briefly (after a cry of protest) on the way to the play date, but he woke up quickly when we arrived. I met three other moms at a local park district with an indoor play area and carousel. (We took Alex there last summer for a birthday party.) The last time we were there, Alex loved the carousel. This time he didn't want to sit on a horse, but he enjoying riding and staring at the lights as long as I held him. He stuck close to me most of the time in the other play area, but he did venture to play by himself a few times. Afterwards, we went to Panera for lunch. I was pleased to see Alex eat bread, chicken from my salad, apple chips, and yogurt. Then we headed home. My parents were already waiting for us. Alex, however, had fallen asleep. I brought him upstairs to his crib, and we waited for him to wake up. My dad planned to babysit Alex while my mom and I went shopping. Alex normally takes a two-hour nap; today, he slept for four. I think he really needed it, as he was less congested and was in a good mood when he woke up. Unfortunately, my parents didn't get to see him awake. Mom and I didn't get to go shopping either, since we didn't want Alex to wake up and be upset Mommy was missing. Ah well, maybe another day will be better. As for me, I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow--it's easier to write during lunch than it is at home!
Alex has been a bit off the last couple of days--not napping a full two hours, developing a fever on Saturday, not eating as much as he normally does, and being congested. Fevers are going around at the daycare center, but I think he's also teething. I hoped he would be better, since we had plans. Both of us were off, so I set up a play date in the morning, and my parents were coming for a visit in the afternoon.
Alex fell asleep briefly (after a cry of protest) on the way to the play date, but he woke up quickly when we arrived. I met three other moms at a local park district with an indoor play area and carousel. (We took Alex there last summer for a birthday party.) The last time we were there, Alex loved the carousel. This time he didn't want to sit on a horse, but he enjoying riding and staring at the lights as long as I held him. He stuck close to me most of the time in the other play area, but he did venture to play by himself a few times. Afterwards, we went to Panera for lunch. I was pleased to see Alex eat bread, chicken from my salad, apple chips, and yogurt. Then we headed home. My parents were already waiting for us. Alex, however, had fallen asleep. I brought him upstairs to his crib, and we waited for him to wake up. My dad planned to babysit Alex while my mom and I went shopping. Alex normally takes a two-hour nap; today, he slept for four. I think he really needed it, as he was less congested and was in a good mood when he woke up. Unfortunately, my parents didn't get to see him awake. Mom and I didn't get to go shopping either, since we didn't want Alex to wake up and be upset Mommy was missing. Ah well, maybe another day will be better. As for me, I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow--it's easier to write during lunch than it is at home!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Dating Disasters
Happy Valentine's Day! Eugene and I celebrated last night since we were able to get babysitting for Alex at his daycare. We went out for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. We like the place a lot, but we haven't been there since before Alex was born.
While we were enjoying some couple time, we reminisced a bit about some of our dates. One of our most memorable dates was our first Sweetest Day together. We were juniors at UW-Madison, and we had dinner at the Ovens of Brittany (now defunct) on State Street. My housefellow was our waitress. She suggested we should go for a horse-drawn carriage ride, and we happened to see a carriage outside when we left. I can't remember the driver's name anymore, but I still remember the horse's name: Bartles. We enjoyed a nice ride through misty downtown Madison, but towards the end of the ride, we overheard some odd comments on the driver's walkie-talkie. It turned out that carriage rides had to be reserved, and we had actually usurped someone else's time. Luckily everyone was very understanding. Then we learned we had to pay in cash, and Eugene didn't have enough with him. He had to leave me as security while he visited the ATM.
We've had plenty of other misadventures since then (I tipped the canoe the first and last time we went canoeing), but that was our worst experience on a date. (Perhaps it doesn't qualify as a disaster, but I adore alliteration.) Does anyone else feel brave enough to share their dating disasters?
While we were enjoying some couple time, we reminisced a bit about some of our dates. One of our most memorable dates was our first Sweetest Day together. We were juniors at UW-Madison, and we had dinner at the Ovens of Brittany (now defunct) on State Street. My housefellow was our waitress. She suggested we should go for a horse-drawn carriage ride, and we happened to see a carriage outside when we left. I can't remember the driver's name anymore, but I still remember the horse's name: Bartles. We enjoyed a nice ride through misty downtown Madison, but towards the end of the ride, we overheard some odd comments on the driver's walkie-talkie. It turned out that carriage rides had to be reserved, and we had actually usurped someone else's time. Luckily everyone was very understanding. Then we learned we had to pay in cash, and Eugene didn't have enough with him. He had to leave me as security while he visited the ATM.
We've had plenty of other misadventures since then (I tipped the canoe the first and last time we went canoeing), but that was our worst experience on a date. (Perhaps it doesn't qualify as a disaster, but I adore alliteration.) Does anyone else feel brave enough to share their dating disasters?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
How Not to Make a Good First Impression
One of the links in my sidebar is to a blog called Flogging the Quill. It's run by a writer/editor, and he critiques the openings (the first sixteen lines, or about what would fit on the first page of a properly formatted manuscript) of novels submitted by writers. I've been following him for a while, and I think he does a good job of pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the submissions. I decided I would submit the first chapter of Across Two Universes once I was satisfied with it.
Before I share my work with others for review, I always make it as good as I can possibly make it on my own. Although I finished Chapter One last month, I held off submitting it to Flogging the Quill so I could tweak the opening. Today during my lunch hour, I decided it was time to send the chapter. I can't access the Internet from my personal laptop at work, so that meant uploading the file to a flash drive, copying text and pasting into a new file, tweaking text again and updating all the files on two different computers...you get the picture. Making this even more fun was having Word on my laptop fail in the middle of this and losing my work from yesterday. (I thought I saved it, honest!) But finally, at the end of my lunch hour, the chapter was ready. I wrote up a short but professional e-mail telling the writer how much I liked his blog, (making sure I addressed the writer by the right name) attached the file, and sent it.
A few minutes later, I realized I had misspelled the name of the website in the subject line.
At this point, all I could do was laugh at myself. I thought about sending a follow-up e-mail to apologize, but I decided that would not only call more attention to the typo but flood the writer's Inbox with unnecessary e-mail. At least he won't be critiquing my e-mail; he'll be reviewing my novel, and that's good. I'll consider it good until he posts it and I see all sorts of issues I should have fixed.
Ah, the thrill of a writer's life never ends, does it?
Before I share my work with others for review, I always make it as good as I can possibly make it on my own. Although I finished Chapter One last month, I held off submitting it to Flogging the Quill so I could tweak the opening. Today during my lunch hour, I decided it was time to send the chapter. I can't access the Internet from my personal laptop at work, so that meant uploading the file to a flash drive, copying text and pasting into a new file, tweaking text again and updating all the files on two different computers...you get the picture. Making this even more fun was having Word on my laptop fail in the middle of this and losing my work from yesterday. (I thought I saved it, honest!) But finally, at the end of my lunch hour, the chapter was ready. I wrote up a short but professional e-mail telling the writer how much I liked his blog, (making sure I addressed the writer by the right name) attached the file, and sent it.
A few minutes later, I realized I had misspelled the name of the website in the subject line.
At this point, all I could do was laugh at myself. I thought about sending a follow-up e-mail to apologize, but I decided that would not only call more attention to the typo but flood the writer's Inbox with unnecessary e-mail. At least he won't be critiquing my e-mail; he'll be reviewing my novel, and that's good. I'll consider it good until he posts it and I see all sorts of issues I should have fixed.
Ah, the thrill of a writer's life never ends, does it?
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Back on the Blog Chain: Terri's Two Questions
I'm back again on the Chain Gang. This round, we welcome two new members to our chain: Kat and Christina. Michelle posted before me, and Kat will be posting after me. Terri started the chain with one question, but since she thought it was too similar to our last topic, she added an alternate question. I'm going to go ahead and answer both, since I don't think I have much to say about the second question.
Question 1: Have you ever had anything cause you to step back from writing? If so, what was the cause and how long did it take you to get back into the swing of things? If not, do you have any advice for other writers about not letting life get in the way of writing?
My priorities have changed since becoming a wife and mother. When I was single, I could get on the computer as soon as I came home from work and be there until bedtime. I wasn't always productive, but I had time to goof off and still get things done. I can't do that anymore now that I have Alex. He's under two, and he still requires a lot of attention. He goes to bed late for a toddler, around 9:00. He mostly sleeps through the night, but he occasionally wakes up early. I've never been a great sleeper, but it's been worse since I became a mother; I think I subconsciously listen for Alex. While I wouldn't give him up for anything, all of these factors have reduced the time and energy I have for writing. I've also cut back on critiquing, reading, and attending conventions. Add to that the fact that I'm working full time and still have to cook and clean, and there's very little time left for writing--or much else.
One thing that helped me get back into writing is doing NaNoWriMo in 2007. If I was going to have any chance of completing it, I had to make writing a priority and find time for it. I started bringing my laptop to work so I can write on my lunch hour. It's still my most productive writing time. I also think it helps to have multiple projects going, so if you get stuck with one, you can switch to another. Finally, it helps to set goals for yourself. NaNoWriMo was a crazy goal for me; I generally can't manage 500 words a day, let alone 1660. I had to push myself and allow myself to write a real rough draft instead of obsessing over perfect sentences. It's not the best way for me to work, but it was useful for me to do, even if I didn't quite finish the novel. (I did somehow manage to get to 50,000 words, though.) As I've mentioned elsewhere, my current goal is to edit two chapters of Across Two Universes each month. So far I think I'm on target, and this version seems stronger to me. It does need some critting before it's ready to query, though. I have some side projects I also want to work on if time permits.
I do want to echo what others have said about living a full life so you have something to write about. Is it hard being a working and writing mother? Yes; that's a lot of hats to wear, and you can't wear them all at once. Things always have to be shifted around. Luckily I have a fantastic partner in Eugene. He understands that chores have to be done, and we work as a team. He has interests of his own that are also time-intensive, so I support him with them just as he supports me with my writing. Ultimately each different role brings something else into my life and makes me more of a well-rounded person. Except for sleeping and beauty primping, that is.
Question 2: Alternative question: Do you brainstorm with a friend when you are plotting, or do you prefer to be the only one who knows what your characters are going to do?
I work by myself. I mull my plots over in my head when I can, or sometimes the plotting comes as I'm writing. I don't chat online with my writing buddies on a daily basis anymore because I have to focus during my writing time now. It would be nice to brainstorm with someone else--maybe it would help me get the plot right on the first draft instead of tossing out a novel draft and starting over. But it doesn't matter so much how you arrive at a good final draft as long as you have a method that works for you.
That's all for now. Head on over to Kat's blog to see which question she'll answer and what her response will be!
Question 1: Have you ever had anything cause you to step back from writing? If so, what was the cause and how long did it take you to get back into the swing of things? If not, do you have any advice for other writers about not letting life get in the way of writing?
My priorities have changed since becoming a wife and mother. When I was single, I could get on the computer as soon as I came home from work and be there until bedtime. I wasn't always productive, but I had time to goof off and still get things done. I can't do that anymore now that I have Alex. He's under two, and he still requires a lot of attention. He goes to bed late for a toddler, around 9:00. He mostly sleeps through the night, but he occasionally wakes up early. I've never been a great sleeper, but it's been worse since I became a mother; I think I subconsciously listen for Alex. While I wouldn't give him up for anything, all of these factors have reduced the time and energy I have for writing. I've also cut back on critiquing, reading, and attending conventions. Add to that the fact that I'm working full time and still have to cook and clean, and there's very little time left for writing--or much else.
One thing that helped me get back into writing is doing NaNoWriMo in 2007. If I was going to have any chance of completing it, I had to make writing a priority and find time for it. I started bringing my laptop to work so I can write on my lunch hour. It's still my most productive writing time. I also think it helps to have multiple projects going, so if you get stuck with one, you can switch to another. Finally, it helps to set goals for yourself. NaNoWriMo was a crazy goal for me; I generally can't manage 500 words a day, let alone 1660. I had to push myself and allow myself to write a real rough draft instead of obsessing over perfect sentences. It's not the best way for me to work, but it was useful for me to do, even if I didn't quite finish the novel. (I did somehow manage to get to 50,000 words, though.) As I've mentioned elsewhere, my current goal is to edit two chapters of Across Two Universes each month. So far I think I'm on target, and this version seems stronger to me. It does need some critting before it's ready to query, though. I have some side projects I also want to work on if time permits.
I do want to echo what others have said about living a full life so you have something to write about. Is it hard being a working and writing mother? Yes; that's a lot of hats to wear, and you can't wear them all at once. Things always have to be shifted around. Luckily I have a fantastic partner in Eugene. He understands that chores have to be done, and we work as a team. He has interests of his own that are also time-intensive, so I support him with them just as he supports me with my writing. Ultimately each different role brings something else into my life and makes me more of a well-rounded person. Except for sleeping and beauty primping, that is.
Question 2: Alternative question: Do you brainstorm with a friend when you are plotting, or do you prefer to be the only one who knows what your characters are going to do?
I work by myself. I mull my plots over in my head when I can, or sometimes the plotting comes as I'm writing. I don't chat online with my writing buddies on a daily basis anymore because I have to focus during my writing time now. It would be nice to brainstorm with someone else--maybe it would help me get the plot right on the first draft instead of tossing out a novel draft and starting over. But it doesn't matter so much how you arrive at a good final draft as long as you have a method that works for you.
That's all for now. Head on over to Kat's blog to see which question she'll answer and what her response will be!
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Alex and the Cell Phone
After I returned to work from maternity leave, I started keeping my cell phone in my back pocket. Since I move around the lab a lot during a typical day, it made sense to keep my phone on my person instead of at my desk or even on the lab bench--I might forget where I'd put it. Well, it turned out not to be one of my most brilliant ideas. The screen on the front cracked, and my phone takes a long time to boot up. Eugene and I have discussed getting a new phone for me, but we're not at a good point in our contract to do so. (And of course we don't have phone insurance.) So we borrowed a very old phone for me to use as backup and talked about buying a temporary phone off of eBay.
Enter Alex. He loves electronics, especially phones. I swear he tried to say "cell phone" on Sunday. Figuring my phone was done for, I let him play with it this morning in the car. I took it away when we got to daycare, since he can't bring in objects like that. To my surprise, the display on the front was working. Not only that, the phone stayed on throughout the day; I was even able to make and receive calls on it. I'm not quite sure what he did; he may have pressed on the display, since the cracks seem less obvious now. (For all I know, he called India and got through to tech support.) If I'm lucky, I can make this phone last until October. It all depends on keeping the phone away from Alex so he can't undo whatever he did!
Enter Alex. He loves electronics, especially phones. I swear he tried to say "cell phone" on Sunday. Figuring my phone was done for, I let him play with it this morning in the car. I took it away when we got to daycare, since he can't bring in objects like that. To my surprise, the display on the front was working. Not only that, the phone stayed on throughout the day; I was even able to make and receive calls on it. I'm not quite sure what he did; he may have pressed on the display, since the cracks seem less obvious now. (For all I know, he called India and got through to tech support.) If I'm lucky, I can make this phone last until October. It all depends on keeping the phone away from Alex so he can't undo whatever he did!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Two and Two...
My goal this year is to edit two chapters of Across Two Universes each month. I'm a couple of days late, but I just finished Chapter Two. I've revised the first two chapters extensively, not only rewriting and writing new scenes but deleting big chunks. (I removed an entire chapter, actually.) Only eighteen more chapters to go! I hope they won't require so much revision, but I know myself too well.
Anyway, that's enough for one night. Off to a bath and bed.
Anyway, that's enough for one night. Off to a bath and bed.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Gone--But Not Forgotten--Realms
I just found out through one of my writing groups that Realms of Fantasy is closing down after April's issue. Here's the full story:
Realms of Fantasy closing
By Ian Randal Strock
January 27, 2009
Breaking news: Realms of Fantasy is closing down following publication of its April 2009 issue. Managing Editor Laura Cleveland told SFScope the news came very suddenly, indeed, even Editor Shawna McCarthy (currently on vacation in Italy) hadn't been informed yet. The only reason we got the story is that rumors broke through the blogosphere today.
Cleveland said the April issue is currently at the printer, and will be published. The reasons she was given for the closure were plummeting newsstand sales. "Subscriptions are good, and advertising, until very recently, was fine." She blamed the economic downturn and newsstand distribution for the closure.
Publisher Sovereign Media first got into sf magazine publishing with Science Fiction Age, which Scott Edelman edited through its eight-year life. SFAge was closed while still profitable to make room for an even more profitable wrestling magazine. Realms of Fantasy has been with us for fifteen years and "was coming up on its 100th issue," Cleveland said. "We were excited about the special Halloween issue we'd been planning, which would have been our first."
The staff is obviously harried by the news, and that it's become public so quickly. Cleveland had been hoping to tell the authors and artists the news before it broke publicly. The magazine wasn't carrying a large inventory, she said, although she did note that they'd recently purchased a number of stories which now won't be published.
More news as we learn it.
I'm saddened to hear this news. I'm a subscriber because I enjoy their stories, even though they can have sad endings sometimes. (A recent issue had one story about a woman who lost her son and husband and another story about a child stolen by a trickster; that's too much for a mother to take. "Sonnets Made of Wood," by Leah Bobet, one of my fellow OWWers, was also quite agonizing to read.) I submitted a couple of my short stories to them, but they were all rejected. What a shame to lose another professional market for genre short stories. I hope that after the economy recovers--we must keep faith the economy will improve--this magazine will be reborn. Or is that another fantasy?
Realms of Fantasy closing
By Ian Randal Strock
January 27, 2009
Breaking news: Realms of Fantasy is closing down following publication of its April 2009 issue. Managing Editor Laura Cleveland told SFScope the news came very suddenly, indeed, even Editor Shawna McCarthy (currently on vacation in Italy) hadn't been informed yet. The only reason we got the story is that rumors broke through the blogosphere today.
Cleveland said the April issue is currently at the printer, and will be published. The reasons she was given for the closure were plummeting newsstand sales. "Subscriptions are good, and advertising, until very recently, was fine." She blamed the economic downturn and newsstand distribution for the closure.
Publisher Sovereign Media first got into sf magazine publishing with Science Fiction Age, which Scott Edelman edited through its eight-year life. SFAge was closed while still profitable to make room for an even more profitable wrestling magazine. Realms of Fantasy has been with us for fifteen years and "was coming up on its 100th issue," Cleveland said. "We were excited about the special Halloween issue we'd been planning, which would have been our first."
The staff is obviously harried by the news, and that it's become public so quickly. Cleveland had been hoping to tell the authors and artists the news before it broke publicly. The magazine wasn't carrying a large inventory, she said, although she did note that they'd recently purchased a number of stories which now won't be published.
More news as we learn it.
I'm saddened to hear this news. I'm a subscriber because I enjoy their stories, even though they can have sad endings sometimes. (A recent issue had one story about a woman who lost her son and husband and another story about a child stolen by a trickster; that's too much for a mother to take. "Sonnets Made of Wood," by Leah Bobet, one of my fellow OWWers, was also quite agonizing to read.) I submitted a couple of my short stories to them, but they were all rejected. What a shame to lose another professional market for genre short stories. I hope that after the economy recovers--we must keep faith the economy will improve--this magazine will be reborn. Or is that another fantasy?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Back on the Blog Chain: Writing Funk
As promised, I'm back once again for another Blog Chain Pooooost! Michelle posted right before me, and Abi will finish off this round. Elana picked the topic for this round; it consists of two parts:
1. When you're in a pool of writing funk, how do you get out?
2. I want your favorite funny and/or thing that makes you happy.
Elana is very specific about what makes up the pool of funk: Not sure what the Pool of Writing Funk is? Maybe you've heard of the Lake of Self-Doubt. No? The Ocean of What-the-heck-am-I-doing? Or maybe each rain drop in your life seems to whisper, "You're not good enough." These all contribute to the pool.
After re-reading these words last night, it struck me that this topic was similar in some ways to the one we did in October on confidence. In the last few years, I've encountered other people, mostly women, who lack confidence in themselves. I wonder if this is a gender thing. After all, not only are we women juggling more roles than ever before, we're constantly assaulted by ads saying we're worthless if we don't have long enough eyelashes or don't wear a size zero or fail in any way to live up to impossible standards. (I'm so glad I don't see those kinds of ads in Scientific American.) It's in the beauty industry's interest to make us feel insecure so we buy their products. But perhaps this would be a better topic for a WisCon panel than for our current blog chain.
Anyway, like Mary, I try to avoid swimming in the pool of writing funk/lack of self-confidence. I mentioned in my post in October that I regard myself as a student of writing, always improving my skills. So yesterday, when I was editing a long paragraph from Across Two Universes, I was happy when I saw how I could cut out some unnecessary information and speed up the pace. I didn't cuss myself out for writing a slow scene in the first place, because I've learned more about pacing and what's really necessary to include in a scene since then.
But what do you do if you are swimming in the funky pool? You need to rebuild your gumption. Gumption, as Robert M. Pirsig says in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, "is the psychic gasoline that keeps the whole thing going." (If you haven't read this book, I recommend it whole-heartily. On one level, it's the story of a man and his son on a cross-country motorcycle trip, but at the same time, the man is trying to reconnect with his past as a failed-scientist-turned-English-composition-teacher-turned-philosopher-turned-madman. Along the way, he discusses philosophy, especially as it applies to science and Quality. It's not a simple read, but the concepts are explained clearly.) Pirsig discusses gumption in the context of fixing a motorcycle, but it can be applied to anything you do. Like confidence, gumption is not fixed but can fluctuate during the process. Things that drain gumption are called gumption traps. One trap that might pertain to writers is value rigidity, or being so committed to what you think you know that you disregard what's actually in front of you. When this happens, it's time to sit back and re-evaluate what's in front of you. Both too much ego or too much anxiety can become gumption traps:
I was going to say that the machine doesn't respond to your personality, but it does respond to your personality. It's just that the personality that it responds to is your real personality, the one that genuinely feels and reasons and acts, rather than any false, blown-up personality images your ego may conjure up. These false images are deflated so rapidly and completely you're bound to be very discouraged very soon if you've derived your gumption from ego rather than Quality.
If modesty doesn't come easily or naturally to you, one way out of this trap is to fake the attitude of modesty anyway. If you just deliberately assume you're not much good, the your gumption gets a boost when the facts prove this assumption is correct. This way you can keep going until the time comes when the facts prove this assumption is incorrect. (Pirsig, 1974, p. 283-284)
Pirsig goes on to say that if you're anxious, afraid you'll do everything wrong, the way out of that trap is to learn and realize everyone messes up once in a while. When it happens to you, you can learn from the experience. "You should remember that it's peace of mind you're after and not just a fixed machine" (or story, for us writers).
There are other gumption traps discussed in the book, but those seem to be the most relevant for this topic. So I'm going to move on to the second part of Elana's topic: something funny or something that makes me happy. Well, my family makes me happy. Even when my son wakes up from his nap crying (as he did about an hour ago), he never fails to entertain, especially when he puts his boots on all by himself:
But for Elana, I'm going to recommend that she listen to some blues. Specifically, the legendary black Scottish bluesman Wet Biscuit McGlee:
That's enough for one post. Head on over to Abi's blog to see how she deals with writing funk!
1. When you're in a pool of writing funk, how do you get out?
2. I want your favorite funny and/or thing that makes you happy.
Elana is very specific about what makes up the pool of funk: Not sure what the Pool of Writing Funk is? Maybe you've heard of the Lake of Self-Doubt. No? The Ocean of What-the-heck-am-I-doing? Or maybe each rain drop in your life seems to whisper, "You're not good enough." These all contribute to the pool.
After re-reading these words last night, it struck me that this topic was similar in some ways to the one we did in October on confidence. In the last few years, I've encountered other people, mostly women, who lack confidence in themselves. I wonder if this is a gender thing. After all, not only are we women juggling more roles than ever before, we're constantly assaulted by ads saying we're worthless if we don't have long enough eyelashes or don't wear a size zero or fail in any way to live up to impossible standards. (I'm so glad I don't see those kinds of ads in Scientific American.) It's in the beauty industry's interest to make us feel insecure so we buy their products. But perhaps this would be a better topic for a WisCon panel than for our current blog chain.
Anyway, like Mary, I try to avoid swimming in the pool of writing funk/lack of self-confidence. I mentioned in my post in October that I regard myself as a student of writing, always improving my skills. So yesterday, when I was editing a long paragraph from Across Two Universes, I was happy when I saw how I could cut out some unnecessary information and speed up the pace. I didn't cuss myself out for writing a slow scene in the first place, because I've learned more about pacing and what's really necessary to include in a scene since then.
But what do you do if you are swimming in the funky pool? You need to rebuild your gumption. Gumption, as Robert M. Pirsig says in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, "is the psychic gasoline that keeps the whole thing going." (If you haven't read this book, I recommend it whole-heartily. On one level, it's the story of a man and his son on a cross-country motorcycle trip, but at the same time, the man is trying to reconnect with his past as a failed-scientist-turned-English-composition-teacher-turned-philosopher-turned-madman. Along the way, he discusses philosophy, especially as it applies to science and Quality. It's not a simple read, but the concepts are explained clearly.) Pirsig discusses gumption in the context of fixing a motorcycle, but it can be applied to anything you do. Like confidence, gumption is not fixed but can fluctuate during the process. Things that drain gumption are called gumption traps. One trap that might pertain to writers is value rigidity, or being so committed to what you think you know that you disregard what's actually in front of you. When this happens, it's time to sit back and re-evaluate what's in front of you. Both too much ego or too much anxiety can become gumption traps:
I was going to say that the machine doesn't respond to your personality, but it does respond to your personality. It's just that the personality that it responds to is your real personality, the one that genuinely feels and reasons and acts, rather than any false, blown-up personality images your ego may conjure up. These false images are deflated so rapidly and completely you're bound to be very discouraged very soon if you've derived your gumption from ego rather than Quality.
If modesty doesn't come easily or naturally to you, one way out of this trap is to fake the attitude of modesty anyway. If you just deliberately assume you're not much good, the your gumption gets a boost when the facts prove this assumption is correct. This way you can keep going until the time comes when the facts prove this assumption is incorrect. (Pirsig, 1974, p. 283-284)
Pirsig goes on to say that if you're anxious, afraid you'll do everything wrong, the way out of that trap is to learn and realize everyone messes up once in a while. When it happens to you, you can learn from the experience. "You should remember that it's peace of mind you're after and not just a fixed machine" (or story, for us writers).
There are other gumption traps discussed in the book, but those seem to be the most relevant for this topic. So I'm going to move on to the second part of Elana's topic: something funny or something that makes me happy. Well, my family makes me happy. Even when my son wakes up from his nap crying (as he did about an hour ago), he never fails to entertain, especially when he puts his boots on all by himself:
But for Elana, I'm going to recommend that she listen to some blues. Specifically, the legendary black Scottish bluesman Wet Biscuit McGlee:
That's enough for one post. Head on over to Abi's blog to see how she deals with writing funk!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Week in Review
The owner of our company (it's part of a Japanese company that's been in the same family for over a century) came in today for our annual update. We get a free lunch when he comes in; today we had both sushi and pizza. The downside to the "free lunch" is that I don't get to use my lunchtime to write. I did manage to sneak away long enough to update my blog. Between trying to recover from a lingering cold/sore throat (it's been so bad at times I've gotten up in the middle of the night for a lozenge) and not sleeping well, I haven't blogged in a few days.
MLK Day: I was lucky enough to have a holiday from work while the daycare was still open. After dropping Alex off, I came home, intending to do some chores, when Eugene called me. He had left his keys for the clinic at home, and he had a client coming in in an hour. We wound up meeting at a bookstore halfway between the clinic and home so I could bring him the keys. After buying a few books, I returned home, did the dishes, vacuumed the house, went to the doctor's office for a blood draw, ran a couple of errands, tidied up my office, and even worked on Across Two Universes for a bit before getting Alex. I had planned to give myself a mini-facial or a manicure, but it didn't work out, as usual.
The Inauguration: I didn't get to watch it live. I tried watching the feed on CNN.com, but it froze partway through Aretha Franklin's song. How aggravating! At least we recorded it, so I was able to watch it Tuesday night. It's exciting to have a new president, even in these tough times. I wish Obama and his family lots of luck in the next four years.
Alex: Alex seems to be over his cold, but he's started waking up in the middle of the night again. I had to get up at midnight once, and Eugene had to get up last night around three; it took him over an hour to soothe Alex back to sleep. But he's starting to hug us now, so that makes it all worthwhile. Lately Alex insists on touring the basement several times a day, asking for "seesee."
Writing: I finished writing a speech for my father-in-law last night and sent to him. I'm currently revising/editing the second chapter of ATU. Ideally, I'd like to finish two chapters a month. Since I completely rewrote the first chapter, I really need to find a couple of reviewers to comment on it. I don't feel like posting it on the Online Writing Workshop. (I've put several versions of the book there already, and I've been inactive for a while, so I may need to establish some new crit relationships.) I'll post it on RallyStorm tonight.
The lunch hour is almost up, so I need to grab some leftover pizza before it disappears. I'll be back on Sunday with another Blog Chain post!
MLK Day: I was lucky enough to have a holiday from work while the daycare was still open. After dropping Alex off, I came home, intending to do some chores, when Eugene called me. He had left his keys for the clinic at home, and he had a client coming in in an hour. We wound up meeting at a bookstore halfway between the clinic and home so I could bring him the keys. After buying a few books, I returned home, did the dishes, vacuumed the house, went to the doctor's office for a blood draw, ran a couple of errands, tidied up my office, and even worked on Across Two Universes for a bit before getting Alex. I had planned to give myself a mini-facial or a manicure, but it didn't work out, as usual.
The Inauguration: I didn't get to watch it live. I tried watching the feed on CNN.com, but it froze partway through Aretha Franklin's song. How aggravating! At least we recorded it, so I was able to watch it Tuesday night. It's exciting to have a new president, even in these tough times. I wish Obama and his family lots of luck in the next four years.
Alex: Alex seems to be over his cold, but he's started waking up in the middle of the night again. I had to get up at midnight once, and Eugene had to get up last night around three; it took him over an hour to soothe Alex back to sleep. But he's starting to hug us now, so that makes it all worthwhile. Lately Alex insists on touring the basement several times a day, asking for "seesee."
Writing: I finished writing a speech for my father-in-law last night and sent to him. I'm currently revising/editing the second chapter of ATU. Ideally, I'd like to finish two chapters a month. Since I completely rewrote the first chapter, I really need to find a couple of reviewers to comment on it. I don't feel like posting it on the Online Writing Workshop. (I've put several versions of the book there already, and I've been inactive for a while, so I may need to establish some new crit relationships.) I'll post it on RallyStorm tonight.
The lunch hour is almost up, so I need to grab some leftover pizza before it disappears. I'll be back on Sunday with another Blog Chain post!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Finding What You Need
Last night, Eugene and I had a friend over for dinner. (She's a professional photographer; she took the family portrait I have on the blog.) Eugene had mentioned to her that I make homemade pizza, so she requested to have some. It's been a long time since I made pizza, but luckily I already had some dough that just needed to be thawed and rolled out. I bought the rest of the ingredients earlier in the week.
After Eugene came home and took charge of Alex, I preheated the oven and let the dough come to room temperature. Then I looked for the pizza pan. I checked where we normally keep the baking pans, but I couldn't find it. I checked the other cabinets, the dining room, and the basement, but I still couldn't find it. I asked Eugene if he knew where it was; he suggested I check the places I'd already checked. There wasn't enough time to go to the store, so I decided to use a regular baking pan instead.
As I was rolling out the dough, I heard a crash from one of the cabinets. It turned out to be the pizza pan falling out of the cabinet. (We found out this morning that one of our measuring cups broke; we assume the pan did it.) Talk about good timing! I don't know how I overlooked it before. Anyway, the pizza turned out well. For dessert, I made the brownie-in-a-coffee-cup recipe I posted last time. We had a good time seeing our friend and look forward to her next visit.
After Eugene came home and took charge of Alex, I preheated the oven and let the dough come to room temperature. Then I looked for the pizza pan. I checked where we normally keep the baking pans, but I couldn't find it. I checked the other cabinets, the dining room, and the basement, but I still couldn't find it. I asked Eugene if he knew where it was; he suggested I check the places I'd already checked. There wasn't enough time to go to the store, so I decided to use a regular baking pan instead.
As I was rolling out the dough, I heard a crash from one of the cabinets. It turned out to be the pizza pan falling out of the cabinet. (We found out this morning that one of our measuring cups broke; we assume the pan did it.) Talk about good timing! I don't know how I overlooked it before. Anyway, the pizza turned out well. For dessert, I made the brownie-in-a-coffee-cup recipe I posted last time. We had a good time seeing our friend and look forward to her next visit.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
This Could Be Deadly...
Deadly good, and deadly for any hope I have of losing weight, that is.
I saw this recipe posted in the Chicago Tribune today. It's for a brownie you can mix and microwave in a mug. The original source is actually here, though I see they omit the vanilla. Here's the Trib's version:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
dash of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Combine the dry ingredients in a mug and mix. Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. (I used a mini whisk for the first step, but a spoon works better when adding the oil, water, and vanilla. Make sure to dig into the bottom edge of the mug to mix in all of the flour.) Microwave for about a minute or so; the center should still be moist. Allow to cool and enjoy; I recommend adding a scoop of ice cream if available.
Now all I need to do is figure out how to make it at work. I could easily premix the dry ingredients in a sandwich baggie; figuring out how to bring in the oil and vanilla may be a little harder. I could always buy some to keep at work.
I saw this recipe posted in the Chicago Tribune today. It's for a brownie you can mix and microwave in a mug. The original source is actually here, though I see they omit the vanilla. Here's the Trib's version:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
dash of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Combine the dry ingredients in a mug and mix. Add the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. (I used a mini whisk for the first step, but a spoon works better when adding the oil, water, and vanilla. Make sure to dig into the bottom edge of the mug to mix in all of the flour.) Microwave for about a minute or so; the center should still be moist. Allow to cool and enjoy; I recommend adding a scoop of ice cream if available.
Now all I need to do is figure out how to make it at work. I could easily premix the dry ingredients in a sandwich baggie; figuring out how to bring in the oil and vanilla may be a little harder. I could always buy some to keep at work.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Back on the Blog Chain: Four Questions
It's time once again for another Blog Chain Post. Since I picked the topic for our last normal chain, I'm at the end of this one. Abi picked the topic for this chain, so please start with her blog if you want to read through the topic in order. Michelle posted right before me.
Abi asked us four questions:
1. What writing-related things have you done in the past? I could probably write an entire post just on this. Sure, there was the play I wrote in German when I was in middle school for the Foreign Language Fair (it was very short and was never performed) and all the poetry I wrote in high school and college; some of it is still posted on my website, actually. Then there was the first novel I wrote shortly after grad school. Thankfully, any copies I have of that are no longer readable. (They were on floppies--remember those?) My Master's degree is in Technical and Scientific Communication, and I've had jobs as a technical writer and a copy editor for local newspapers.
As far as science fiction/fantasy writing goes, I've completed first drafts of four novels, two in my Season Lord trilogy (fantasy) and two science fiction novels about Paul Harrison. (I'm still revising the first Paul Harrison novel, which is currently titled Across Two Universes.) I sent out queries for Day of All Seasons, the first novel in my Season Lord trilogy; I got a couple requests for partials from agents that didn't go any farther. An editor at Tor requested the full, but he never got back to me with his suggestions and is no longer with that house. Someday I'd like to rewrite that novel and try it again. I've also written a bunch of short stories; some are trunked, some have been published on the Beatles fan fiction site Rooftop Sessions, and one of them is in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons.
I've done a fair amount of reviewing. I've reviewed 776 chapters and/or short stories on the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Assuming 25 chapters per novel, that's over 30 complete novels! That doesn't count reviews I've given in workshops or through e-mail or snail mail, so it's probably no exaggeration to say I've done a thousand reviews. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to review much since my son was born.
I've been to several cons, including WindyCon, OddCon, ChiCon 2000 (the 58th World Science Fiction Convention), World Fantasy (twice), and WisCon (since 1998 or 1999--though I missed 2007 since it was too close to my due date). I've gone to lots of panels on writing (and been on a few) and participated in readings. I'm a founding member of BroadUniverse, an organization devoted to promoting women writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror.You can find links to some of the conventions and to BroadUniverse in the sidebar.
There's probably something else I'm forgetting, but I think I've posted more than enough on this topic. If I may make one final point, though, everything you do--working, talking to other people, even doing chores that let your mind wander--can be writing-related if you use it as an opportunity to observe.
2. What WIPs are you working on now? I'm currently revising/editing Across Two Universes -- again. Yes, I've been working on this novel for years, but it's still not ready. I think it's close, though. Then there's my NaMoWriMo novel from 2007, which needs a complete rewrite. That's more than enough to keep me busy for now.
3. Do you have anything brewing for the future? If there were interest, I could probably turn both my Season Lord and my Paul Harrison trilogies into multi-generational sagas. However, I also have ideas for an unrelated fantasy novel and a science fiction novel. I'd rather not talk too much about those ideas, as they still need a long simmer and may change before I put them down in pixels.
4. Are you setting any writing goals or resolutions for 2009? Ideally, I'd like to finish two chapters of ATU each month and get it out of the door by the end of the year. Paul Harrison is a great character, but he monopolizes my headspace and makes it difficult to work on anything else. Actors are such prima donnas! We'll see how this goes.
Please return to Abi's blog for a wrap-up of this chain. I'll be back soon, posting on a different topic!
Abi asked us four questions:
1. What writing-related things have you done in the past? I could probably write an entire post just on this. Sure, there was the play I wrote in German when I was in middle school for the Foreign Language Fair (it was very short and was never performed) and all the poetry I wrote in high school and college; some of it is still posted on my website, actually. Then there was the first novel I wrote shortly after grad school. Thankfully, any copies I have of that are no longer readable. (They were on floppies--remember those?) My Master's degree is in Technical and Scientific Communication, and I've had jobs as a technical writer and a copy editor for local newspapers.
As far as science fiction/fantasy writing goes, I've completed first drafts of four novels, two in my Season Lord trilogy (fantasy) and two science fiction novels about Paul Harrison. (I'm still revising the first Paul Harrison novel, which is currently titled Across Two Universes.) I sent out queries for Day of All Seasons, the first novel in my Season Lord trilogy; I got a couple requests for partials from agents that didn't go any farther. An editor at Tor requested the full, but he never got back to me with his suggestions and is no longer with that house. Someday I'd like to rewrite that novel and try it again. I've also written a bunch of short stories; some are trunked, some have been published on the Beatles fan fiction site Rooftop Sessions, and one of them is in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons.
I've done a fair amount of reviewing. I've reviewed 776 chapters and/or short stories on the Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Assuming 25 chapters per novel, that's over 30 complete novels! That doesn't count reviews I've given in workshops or through e-mail or snail mail, so it's probably no exaggeration to say I've done a thousand reviews. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to review much since my son was born.
I've been to several cons, including WindyCon, OddCon, ChiCon 2000 (the 58th World Science Fiction Convention), World Fantasy (twice), and WisCon (since 1998 or 1999--though I missed 2007 since it was too close to my due date). I've gone to lots of panels on writing (and been on a few) and participated in readings. I'm a founding member of BroadUniverse, an organization devoted to promoting women writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror.You can find links to some of the conventions and to BroadUniverse in the sidebar.
There's probably something else I'm forgetting, but I think I've posted more than enough on this topic. If I may make one final point, though, everything you do--working, talking to other people, even doing chores that let your mind wander--can be writing-related if you use it as an opportunity to observe.
2. What WIPs are you working on now? I'm currently revising/editing Across Two Universes -- again. Yes, I've been working on this novel for years, but it's still not ready. I think it's close, though. Then there's my NaMoWriMo novel from 2007, which needs a complete rewrite. That's more than enough to keep me busy for now.
3. Do you have anything brewing for the future? If there were interest, I could probably turn both my Season Lord and my Paul Harrison trilogies into multi-generational sagas. However, I also have ideas for an unrelated fantasy novel and a science fiction novel. I'd rather not talk too much about those ideas, as they still need a long simmer and may change before I put them down in pixels.
4. Are you setting any writing goals or resolutions for 2009? Ideally, I'd like to finish two chapters of ATU each month and get it out of the door by the end of the year. Paul Harrison is a great character, but he monopolizes my headspace and makes it difficult to work on anything else. Actors are such prima donnas! We'll see how this goes.
Please return to Abi's blog for a wrap-up of this chain. I'll be back soon, posting on a different topic!
Sunday, January 04, 2009
"My" Time
A mother's job is 24/7, so it's nice once in a while to have some time to take care of myself. I got a haircut today, my first one in about five months. I've had some trouble making appointments at my usual salon (and I didn't feel they really listened to what I wanted when they styled my hair), so I went to a new place closer to where I live. I think they did a good job, but I won't be able to tell until I do my hair myself tomorrow. (And sorry, I didn't take any pictures.)
After running a couple of errands, I came out of the store and realized one of my tires had gone flat. It seems like this happens to me a lot; I'm not sure why, though it might have something to do with all the potholes on the roads. I went to Sears to get it fixed. I had to wait about 90 minutes before they got to my car, and then it turned out two of my tires were bald, so I wound up buying two new ones and waiting another hour. At least I stopped at home on the way there and picked up my laptop, so I was able to get some writing done. I wrote over 500 words, which is really good for me. Meanwhile, Eugene stayed home with Alex for the afternoon. But we all got to have fun together tonight before bedtime, when we played "Throw the stuffed animals in and out of the crib" with Alex. He was also very talkative before he fell asleep. I wonder what he would blog about?
After running a couple of errands, I came out of the store and realized one of my tires had gone flat. It seems like this happens to me a lot; I'm not sure why, though it might have something to do with all the potholes on the roads. I went to Sears to get it fixed. I had to wait about 90 minutes before they got to my car, and then it turned out two of my tires were bald, so I wound up buying two new ones and waiting another hour. At least I stopped at home on the way there and picked up my laptop, so I was able to get some writing done. I wrote over 500 words, which is really good for me. Meanwhile, Eugene stayed home with Alex for the afternoon. But we all got to have fun together tonight before bedtime, when we played "Throw the stuffed animals in and out of the crib" with Alex. He was also very talkative before he fell asleep. I wonder what he would blog about?
Thursday, January 01, 2009
New Year's Day
Another video appropriate for the day, this one by U2. As before, there's no embedding allowed, so you can find the video here.
We start the new year with January because Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and endings, looking backward and forward. Still, from a naturalistic perspective, it seems odd to start the new year at the beginning of winter. In my Season Lord trilogy, the country of Challen starts the new year with the first day of spring. Still, I did some extra cleaning around the house, worked out, and read a page from my 365 Tao book to get the new year started on the right note.
Many writers make a list of the projects they'd like to accomplish at the beginning of each year. Some of the projects on my list, such as getting Across Two Universes (formerly Lennon's Line) have been on there for far too long. It would be a big relief to get that one out the door to agents so I can move on to other projects.
On that note, I think I should finish this post and get back to doing something more productive. Have a happy 2009, everybody!
We start the new year with January because Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and endings, looking backward and forward. Still, from a naturalistic perspective, it seems odd to start the new year at the beginning of winter. In my Season Lord trilogy, the country of Challen starts the new year with the first day of spring. Still, I did some extra cleaning around the house, worked out, and read a page from my 365 Tao book to get the new year started on the right note.
Many writers make a list of the projects they'd like to accomplish at the beginning of each year. Some of the projects on my list, such as getting Across Two Universes (formerly Lennon's Line) have been on there for far too long. It would be a big relief to get that one out the door to agents so I can move on to other projects.
On that note, I think I should finish this post and get back to doing something more productive. Have a happy 2009, everybody!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
A Long December...
I thought this song (by Counting Crows) would be appropiate for today. Embedding has been disabled for this video, but you can watch it here.
And the lyrics:
A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leaving
Oh the days go by so fast
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven
I wish you would
(Na na na, etc. yeah)
The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls
All at once you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California
I think you should
(Na na na, etc. yeah)
Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after 2 a.m.
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower
Makes you talk a little lower
About the things you could not show her
And it's been a long December
and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass
And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean
I guess I should
(Na na na, etc. yeah)
Here's hoping that for all of us, next year will be better than this one. (Not that it's been a bad one for me, but the state of the economy and other current events have been disturbing, to say the least.)
And the lyrics:
A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leaving
Oh the days go by so fast
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think that I could be forgiven
I wish you would
(Na na na, etc. yeah)
The smell of hospitals in winter
And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls
All at once you look across a crowded room
To see the way that light attaches to a girl
And it's one more day up in the canyons
And it's one more night in Hollywood
If you think you might come to California
I think you should
(Na na na, etc. yeah)
Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after 2 a.m.
And talked a little while about the year
I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower
Makes you talk a little lower
About the things you could not show her
And it's been a long December
and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass
And it's one more day up in the canyon
And it's one more night in Hollywood
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean
I guess I should
(Na na na, etc. yeah)
Here's hoping that for all of us, next year will be better than this one. (Not that it's been a bad one for me, but the state of the economy and other current events have been disturbing, to say the least.)
Friday, December 26, 2008
Jingle Bell Chain: My Wish List for Characters
We Blog Chain members are celebrating the holiday season with a special Jingle Bell Chain. (sings, "Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell chain, I don't like the snow, but we don't need the rain...") We are posting whenever we want, linking to different people (I'll be linking to Elana and Terri), and choosing our own topics. The blog chain starts with Mary, if you'd like to read through the chain in order. So for my topic, I thought I'd discuss what I like to see in protagonists when I read.
1. I want a character I can relate to. In practice, this means I would rather read about a woman than a man, though I don't mind reading about men. I also prefer reading about characters close to my age, even though I enjoyed the Harry Potter series; Hermione was my favorite character. But the main reason I started reading Madelyn Alt's Bewitching Mysteries series is the heroine. Having lived in a small town, I can understand what it's like there. I also know what it was like being a single thirty-something woman, the way Maggie is, and I can empathize more with someone who buys her clothes at Walmart (though I prefer Target) than with a chick-lit heroine who buys designer labels I never even heard of before.
2. I want a competent character. While I like to see a character grow psychologically over the course of a novel, I also want her to have a core skill set and be good at what she does. A lot of urban fantasy these days features kick-ass heroines, as in, they are combative. I'm all for tough women, but I like variety in my reading. I'd like to see women who have unusual talents. I recently read a book called Clockwork Heart, which features a woman who is an icarus, a messenger who flies with wings made from lighter-than-air metal. Her flying skills are crucial to the plot, and when she confronts the villains, she defends herself in a way true to her character.
Going along with this, I also want a character who doesn't make dumb mistakes just to advance the plot. It can be hard to be patient with a character when you realize something fifty pages before she does or if she doesn't use common sense.
3. I want a likable character. This may seem to go along with Wish #1, but here I'm concerned about personality. While reading about a perfect character would be boring, I find it hard to root for a character whose flaws outweigh her virtues. I read a book last year (I won't mention the title or author here) which featured a lead female magician who apparently believed the ends justified the means. However, early in the book, there was a scene where she did something not nice (I don't remember exactly what) to her assistant. I lost any sympathy I had for the character at that point. I did finish the book since it had some interesting ideas. The protagonist did eventually come to the aid of her assistant (after first sending him off on a tough mission with a magic item that could hurt him as well as help him), but I was never able to get past that first impression of her. I haven't bought any of the sequels, and I probably won't, despite the interesting ideas this author brings to urban fantasy.
These rules aren't set in stone, even for my own works. One of my books features a male character, and another WIP has a character who's a bit of a ditz (to contrast with her stronger sister). I tend to emphasize my characters' flaws at the beginning of a book to set up an arc of character growth, but sometimes this approach makes readers dislike them. But these rules are a place to start, both in my reading and in my writing.
Have a happy 2009, everybody! We'll be back to the regular blog chain next year!
1. I want a character I can relate to. In practice, this means I would rather read about a woman than a man, though I don't mind reading about men. I also prefer reading about characters close to my age, even though I enjoyed the Harry Potter series; Hermione was my favorite character. But the main reason I started reading Madelyn Alt's Bewitching Mysteries series is the heroine. Having lived in a small town, I can understand what it's like there. I also know what it was like being a single thirty-something woman, the way Maggie is, and I can empathize more with someone who buys her clothes at Walmart (though I prefer Target) than with a chick-lit heroine who buys designer labels I never even heard of before.
2. I want a competent character. While I like to see a character grow psychologically over the course of a novel, I also want her to have a core skill set and be good at what she does. A lot of urban fantasy these days features kick-ass heroines, as in, they are combative. I'm all for tough women, but I like variety in my reading. I'd like to see women who have unusual talents. I recently read a book called Clockwork Heart, which features a woman who is an icarus, a messenger who flies with wings made from lighter-than-air metal. Her flying skills are crucial to the plot, and when she confronts the villains, she defends herself in a way true to her character.
Going along with this, I also want a character who doesn't make dumb mistakes just to advance the plot. It can be hard to be patient with a character when you realize something fifty pages before she does or if she doesn't use common sense.
3. I want a likable character. This may seem to go along with Wish #1, but here I'm concerned about personality. While reading about a perfect character would be boring, I find it hard to root for a character whose flaws outweigh her virtues. I read a book last year (I won't mention the title or author here) which featured a lead female magician who apparently believed the ends justified the means. However, early in the book, there was a scene where she did something not nice (I don't remember exactly what) to her assistant. I lost any sympathy I had for the character at that point. I did finish the book since it had some interesting ideas. The protagonist did eventually come to the aid of her assistant (after first sending him off on a tough mission with a magic item that could hurt him as well as help him), but I was never able to get past that first impression of her. I haven't bought any of the sequels, and I probably won't, despite the interesting ideas this author brings to urban fantasy.
These rules aren't set in stone, even for my own works. One of my books features a male character, and another WIP has a character who's a bit of a ditz (to contrast with her stronger sister). I tend to emphasize my characters' flaws at the beginning of a book to set up an arc of character growth, but sometimes this approach makes readers dislike them. But these rules are a place to start, both in my reading and in my writing.
Have a happy 2009, everybody! We'll be back to the regular blog chain next year!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
I Took Vacation for This?
A couple of days ago, we had a terrible snowstorm here. The roads were so bad it took me over an hour to get to Alex's daycare; I arrived ten minutes before closing, the latest I've ever been. Although Alex wasn't fazed by my tardiness or the crawl home, I didn't want to repeat that drive any time soon. So when I learned we were supposed to get an ice storm this afternoon, I decided to take the day off. Even with all of Alex's illnesses this year, I had enough vacation time remaining to do so. (In fact, I think I have to use up some of it since I can't roll all of it over for next year.) I also took tomorrow morning off so I could attend Alex's winter concert at daycare (which was supposed to be tonight but was rescheduled due to the weather).
The morning started out OK. I took Alex to the library for a playdate. After an hour or so, he seemed hungry, so we had lunch in the library's cafe. Alex had been a little off this week: not eating dinner, coughing a lot, appearing to be teething, and worst of all, a blowout. (You don't want that described in detail.) But he had a good appetite at noon. I ordered things I thought he'd like, such as cheese pizza and peach yogurt. He ate both of them heartily--and then threw up. Luckily, I had an extra outfit for him in his diaper bag. But I have a feeling we should avoid the cafe for a while; I hope their carpet isn't ruined!
I still have a couple packages to send, so I wanted to go to the post office after the library. By the time I got there, Alex was asleep, so I drove home. He woke up when I tried putting him in his crib, so we went back in the car and drove to the grocery store so I could pick up my prescription and a few other things. He was still awake when we returned home, so I drove back to the post office. Yes, he fell asleep again, so I never had a chance to mail the packages. At least he stayed asleep the second time I transferred him to the crib.
I didn't get much done today; I never do with a toddler. Alex did do better after his nap. As for the snow and ice, it still hasn't arrived yet, but it's supposed to overnight. How ironic that after rescheduling things to avoid the storm, I might still be affected by it tomorrow. I may even stay home all day tomorrow with Alex, even if that means missing his concert. At least I have next Tuesday off. I plan to drop Alex off at daycare and spend my day cleaning and cooking for Christmas Eve. Do I know how to use my vacation time or what?
The morning started out OK. I took Alex to the library for a playdate. After an hour or so, he seemed hungry, so we had lunch in the library's cafe. Alex had been a little off this week: not eating dinner, coughing a lot, appearing to be teething, and worst of all, a blowout. (You don't want that described in detail.) But he had a good appetite at noon. I ordered things I thought he'd like, such as cheese pizza and peach yogurt. He ate both of them heartily--and then threw up. Luckily, I had an extra outfit for him in his diaper bag. But I have a feeling we should avoid the cafe for a while; I hope their carpet isn't ruined!
I still have a couple packages to send, so I wanted to go to the post office after the library. By the time I got there, Alex was asleep, so I drove home. He woke up when I tried putting him in his crib, so we went back in the car and drove to the grocery store so I could pick up my prescription and a few other things. He was still awake when we returned home, so I drove back to the post office. Yes, he fell asleep again, so I never had a chance to mail the packages. At least he stayed asleep the second time I transferred him to the crib.
I didn't get much done today; I never do with a toddler. Alex did do better after his nap. As for the snow and ice, it still hasn't arrived yet, but it's supposed to overnight. How ironic that after rescheduling things to avoid the storm, I might still be affected by it tomorrow. I may even stay home all day tomorrow with Alex, even if that means missing his concert. At least I have next Tuesday off. I plan to drop Alex off at daycare and spend my day cleaning and cooking for Christmas Eve. Do I know how to use my vacation time or what?
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Back on the Blog Chain: Topic Wrap-Up
Almost two weeks ago, I started a blog chain on wish fulfillment in fiction. As promised, I'm here to wrap up the topic.
I started out by discussing how our secret (or not-so-secret) desires influence what we choose to read or write.
Abi was next, and she agreed wish fulfillment was behind all fiction. She also wanted to get lost in the stories she read, a desire of many of the people in the blog chain.
Elana mentioned that she wanted to escape her real life.
Terri wants her readers to feel transported to a different place and time--one where men do housework! (Ok, not quite, but that does tie into her post.)
Heather talked about how writing gave her a sense of control over her fictional world.
Although Mary doesn't believe writing is completely about wish fulfillment, she did discuss how wish fulfillment ties into Freud and dreams.
Kate provided some famous examples of writers who wrote because they couldn't find the stories they wanted to read.
Archetype had a very simple wish: to be published.
Finally, Michelle talked about how her characters had parts of herself in them. Although she doesn't want to experience what they do, their stories provide excitement for her and her readers.
I'm sure there's much more that could be said on this topic; I think it would make a great panel at WisCon next year. Perhaps I should make it my Christmas wish, since I can't wish for a better family than the one I have.
With the holidays fast approaching, we Blog Chain members are taking a bit of a break from our traditonal chain to do a Jingle Bell Chain next. We will be linking to different people, and we will each get to choose our own topic (if I understand this correctly, that is). I haven't picked my next topic yet, but hopefully it will be something people will enjoy. We'll be back with a regular chain next year!
I started out by discussing how our secret (or not-so-secret) desires influence what we choose to read or write.
Abi was next, and she agreed wish fulfillment was behind all fiction. She also wanted to get lost in the stories she read, a desire of many of the people in the blog chain.
Elana mentioned that she wanted to escape her real life.
Terri wants her readers to feel transported to a different place and time--one where men do housework! (Ok, not quite, but that does tie into her post.)
Heather talked about how writing gave her a sense of control over her fictional world.
Although Mary doesn't believe writing is completely about wish fulfillment, she did discuss how wish fulfillment ties into Freud and dreams.
Kate provided some famous examples of writers who wrote because they couldn't find the stories they wanted to read.
Archetype had a very simple wish: to be published.
Finally, Michelle talked about how her characters had parts of herself in them. Although she doesn't want to experience what they do, their stories provide excitement for her and her readers.
I'm sure there's much more that could be said on this topic; I think it would make a great panel at WisCon next year. Perhaps I should make it my Christmas wish, since I can't wish for a better family than the one I have.
With the holidays fast approaching, we Blog Chain members are taking a bit of a break from our traditonal chain to do a Jingle Bell Chain next. We will be linking to different people, and we will each get to choose our own topic (if I understand this correctly, that is). I haven't picked my next topic yet, but hopefully it will be something people will enjoy. We'll be back with a regular chain next year!
Party Weekend
This weekend, we had two company parties to attend, and we wound up bringing Alex to both of them. It was a little rough, but we all survived.
The first one was Friday evening, and it was for my mother-in-law's party. Alex needed some time to warm up to the new surroundings, and he started crying a few times when it got too loud, but he knew other people there, which made it easier. We also got to see some friends of ours who had a littler girl earlier this year. It was the first time we'd seen her. It was good seeing our friends again; hopefully we can have them over sometime.
Last night was my company's holiday party at a restaurant downtown. Unfortunately, our reservation was lost, so we weren't able to order from the private menu we had selected. At least I got couscous with my entree; that's one of Alex's favorite foods. Again, he had some issues with noise, so Eugene had to go around with him at times. We also had a gift card drawing; I got a Nordstrom one (not the Barnes and Noble one I'd been hoping for, but I'll still get some use out of it), and Eugene got a gas card.
We spent the night at a hotel. Eugene probably got the most sleep out of all of us. Alex had a super-late bedtime, took only a few sips of milk, and woke up at 3:00 a.m. to finish his sippy. It was my night to put him down, so I took care of it. Alex woke up early, but Eugene got up to hold him while I stayed in bed a little longer. We tried to have breakfast at the Walnut Room in Macy's, but the wait was too long. Instead, we went to a deli we've gone to before. We were going to take Alex to Navy Pier, but he fell asleep on the way there, so we just went home. I have to admit I'm glad I'll be able to stay home tonight, cozy in sweats and slippers, drinking tea and packaging cookies, instead of being outside in this windstorm. I just hope the driving isn't too bad tomorrow.
The first one was Friday evening, and it was for my mother-in-law's party. Alex needed some time to warm up to the new surroundings, and he started crying a few times when it got too loud, but he knew other people there, which made it easier. We also got to see some friends of ours who had a littler girl earlier this year. It was the first time we'd seen her. It was good seeing our friends again; hopefully we can have them over sometime.
Last night was my company's holiday party at a restaurant downtown. Unfortunately, our reservation was lost, so we weren't able to order from the private menu we had selected. At least I got couscous with my entree; that's one of Alex's favorite foods. Again, he had some issues with noise, so Eugene had to go around with him at times. We also had a gift card drawing; I got a Nordstrom one (not the Barnes and Noble one I'd been hoping for, but I'll still get some use out of it), and Eugene got a gas card.
We spent the night at a hotel. Eugene probably got the most sleep out of all of us. Alex had a super-late bedtime, took only a few sips of milk, and woke up at 3:00 a.m. to finish his sippy. It was my night to put him down, so I took care of it. Alex woke up early, but Eugene got up to hold him while I stayed in bed a little longer. We tried to have breakfast at the Walnut Room in Macy's, but the wait was too long. Instead, we went to a deli we've gone to before. We were going to take Alex to Navy Pier, but he fell asleep on the way there, so we just went home. I have to admit I'm glad I'll be able to stay home tonight, cozy in sweats and slippers, drinking tea and packaging cookies, instead of being outside in this windstorm. I just hope the driving isn't too bad tomorrow.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
We Have a Winner!
As the final moments of the contest ticked down, Heather snuck onto my blog and posted this:
It's an odd argument... that if there is a genetic benefit that is more relevant to daughters than to sons, the drift will result in more daughters born than sons (and therefore that attractiveness is more important to pass on to daughters than to son).However, this argument makes an awful lot of assumptions:... that attractive parents will have attractive children... that attractiveness is not valuable for boys... that a phenotypic benefit automatically results in genotypic changes
Ding ding ding! That's what the authors of Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters (no, I am not typing out the rest of that long title) claim: traits that are more beneficial to one gender over another tend to be linked to having more children of that gender. (I left the book at home, so that's a paraphrase.) Let's face it; youth and beauty generally make a woman more attractive to men. It's not PC to say so, but our genes evolved long before we even had the letters "P" and "C." On the other hand, women tend to want high-status males (i.e., rich and powerful) as mates. This isn't to say that women are unappreciative of a man's appearance, but it's not as important to them. (And yes, Heather, the authors of this book do specifically say men in general are less attractive than women.) So it does make sense for beautiful people to pass on that trait to daughters, not sons, or for tall people to pass that on to sons instead of daughters. Of course, life isn't always this neat and determined, and the environment affects how these traits develop. (For example, a women with genes for clear skin may contract a disfiguring disease, or malnourishment may stunt a child's growth.) But as a science fiction writer, I find it fascinating to think about evolutionary psychology. It gives me ideas for developing aliens who are just as affected by their biology as we are by ours.
Thanks to Heather and Russ for playing! Heather, please send me your address; I'd like to package up some cookies tonight. Russ, don't worry; we'll put extra cookies in your box too. And I guess the next time I run a contest, I'll have to choose a topic with greater general interest.
It's an odd argument... that if there is a genetic benefit that is more relevant to daughters than to sons, the drift will result in more daughters born than sons (and therefore that attractiveness is more important to pass on to daughters than to son).However, this argument makes an awful lot of assumptions:... that attractive parents will have attractive children... that attractiveness is not valuable for boys... that a phenotypic benefit automatically results in genotypic changes
Ding ding ding! That's what the authors of Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters (no, I am not typing out the rest of that long title) claim: traits that are more beneficial to one gender over another tend to be linked to having more children of that gender. (I left the book at home, so that's a paraphrase.) Let's face it; youth and beauty generally make a woman more attractive to men. It's not PC to say so, but our genes evolved long before we even had the letters "P" and "C." On the other hand, women tend to want high-status males (i.e., rich and powerful) as mates. This isn't to say that women are unappreciative of a man's appearance, but it's not as important to them. (And yes, Heather, the authors of this book do specifically say men in general are less attractive than women.) So it does make sense for beautiful people to pass on that trait to daughters, not sons, or for tall people to pass that on to sons instead of daughters. Of course, life isn't always this neat and determined, and the environment affects how these traits develop. (For example, a women with genes for clear skin may contract a disfiguring disease, or malnourishment may stunt a child's growth.) But as a science fiction writer, I find it fascinating to think about evolutionary psychology. It gives me ideas for developing aliens who are just as affected by their biology as we are by ours.
Thanks to Heather and Russ for playing! Heather, please send me your address; I'd like to package up some cookies tonight. Russ, don't worry; we'll put extra cookies in your box too. And I guess the next time I run a contest, I'll have to choose a topic with greater general interest.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Don't Forget!
The contest mentioned in this post ends tonight at midnight! Why do you think beautiful people have more daughters? Let us know! Right now, there's only one entry, and let's be honest; Russ is on the cookie list anyway (though we presume you'll share them with Dora if her Mami permits, right?)
Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion....
Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion....
Monday, December 08, 2008
Sunday, December 07, 2008
So...Why Do Beautiful People Have More Daughters? (CONTEST!)
If you read my previous post, which is about a book called Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire-- Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain Why We Do What We Do, then you might be wondering about the title. According to the authors (Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa), yes, beautiful people have more daughters, and there is an explanation for that. But can you figure out what it is?
"Well, why should I?" you might ask.
Would you do it for two dozen homemade cookies?
That's right, I'm running my first contest on this blog. The first person who posts in the Comments section of this post the reason according to the book why beautiful people have more daughters will win an assortment of two dozen homemade cookies cheerfully shipped to you. If no one gets the exact answer, then the winning answer will be the one I find funniest or most clever. Feel free to go to the bookstore to look up the answer. If you do, please buy a book while you're there--if not this book, then another one. The publishing industry needs you! (See the new "Don't Panic" graphic I added to this blog, courtesy of H.L. Dyer.)
Other rules:
You may answer more than once. Feel free to answer the question seriously or humorously.
Please answer by midnight (CST) Wednesday, December 10. I will announce the winner on Thursday, December 11, at which time I will privately ask the winner for a shipping address. Alex permitting, I will try to get the cookies shipped by Saturday, December 13.
The cookies will come out of the cookie inventory we have on hand by that day; the winner may request a certain type of cookie if we have it, but I'm not planning to make any more cookies this week. (So please don't ask for something I would have to make.)
Some of our cookies came from our Cookie Exchange yesterday; I will not take responsibility for the taste, freshness, or integrity of these cookies.
If you have any questions, please ask. And please participate! If this contest is successful, I may do it again sometime.
"Well, why should I?" you might ask.
Would you do it for two dozen homemade cookies?
That's right, I'm running my first contest on this blog. The first person who posts in the Comments section of this post the reason according to the book why beautiful people have more daughters will win an assortment of two dozen homemade cookies cheerfully shipped to you. If no one gets the exact answer, then the winning answer will be the one I find funniest or most clever. Feel free to go to the bookstore to look up the answer. If you do, please buy a book while you're there--if not this book, then another one. The publishing industry needs you! (See the new "Don't Panic" graphic I added to this blog, courtesy of H.L. Dyer.)
Other rules:
You may answer more than once. Feel free to answer the question seriously or humorously.
Please answer by midnight (CST) Wednesday, December 10. I will announce the winner on Thursday, December 11, at which time I will privately ask the winner for a shipping address. Alex permitting, I will try to get the cookies shipped by Saturday, December 13.
The cookies will come out of the cookie inventory we have on hand by that day; the winner may request a certain type of cookie if we have it, but I'm not planning to make any more cookies this week. (So please don't ask for something I would have to make.)
Some of our cookies came from our Cookie Exchange yesterday; I will not take responsibility for the taste, freshness, or integrity of these cookies.
If you have any questions, please ask. And please participate! If this contest is successful, I may do it again sometime.
The Age-Genius Curve
I recently finished reading Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire-- Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain Why We Do What We Do, by Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa. It's a short book (though it is longer than the title) explaining why our drive to reproduce is behind everything we do. Apparently, even our desire to create is fueled by the need to procreate; the authors speculate that the need to impress women is behind both creative and criminal behavior. To support this claim, they point to the age-genius curve in men. In many endeavors, men peak in their early twenties and start losing their edge after they marry and have a child. Of course, taking care of a child is very time-consuming, but the authors suggest that once a man has succeeded at reproducing, he doesn't need to compete so intensively anymore.
As a woman, I was disappointed that they didn't discuss achievement in women to the same extent that they do for men. The only thing they did say was that women don't peak the same way men do; their age-genius curve is broader and flatter. I guess that's good news that my best work isn't necessarily behind me. And while there may be some truth to what these authors suggest, I think there are more factors here that they aren't considering. Life experiences, including success, may affect one's creativity. After all, once you've reached the mountain top, where else can you go? Sometimes you just have to find a new mountain so you can have the thrill of challenge all over again. That's one good thing about writing--every new book is a different challenge.
As a woman, I was disappointed that they didn't discuss achievement in women to the same extent that they do for men. The only thing they did say was that women don't peak the same way men do; their age-genius curve is broader and flatter. I guess that's good news that my best work isn't necessarily behind me. And while there may be some truth to what these authors suggest, I think there are more factors here that they aren't considering. Life experiences, including success, may affect one's creativity. After all, once you've reached the mountain top, where else can you go? Sometimes you just have to find a new mountain so you can have the thrill of challenge all over again. That's one good thing about writing--every new book is a different challenge.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Cookie Exchange
This year, Eugene and I added something different to our annual bakefest. We invited some of our friends to exchange cookies at our house. We started our baking last week, over Thanksgiving weekend. We asked the participants to send us their recipes ahead of time so we could print them out on cards. We then mounted those cards on colored backings and stamped them with a gingerbread cookie stamp. We prepared over 100 of these cards last night, along with doing laundry and cleaning. Actually, I did some of that earlier yesterday, since I was home with Alex. (He woke up with a fever, and he had vomited in the crib. I brought him to Urgent Care, and he had an ear infection. Surprise, surprise.) We were but late, but Alex woke up early today. Eugene got up with him. Although Alex is taking antibiotics, it's going to take a few doses before he gets better. In the meantime, he had a fussy day and didn't even want to nap. We did get him to nap briefly in the car, but every time we tried to move him into his crib, he woke up. We still had to finish cleaning, shop, decorate, and cook some hot food. Alex clung to Eugene more than he did to me, so we divided the tasks accordingly.
We had about twenty people over for the cookie exchange, since people brought their husbands and children. Another friend of ours also sent in some cookies. It took a while for the party to get started, and Alex was very cranky and kept crying/screaming. But I think people had a good time anyway. There were all types of cookies--shortbread, sugar cookies, buckeyes/snowdrops, and a decadent cookie topped with a Recees (sp?) Pieces. I was too busy to take pictures, sorry. We wound up with plenty of extra cookies left over. As for Alex, we finally got him to sleep early. I just hope he doesn't get up early too!
We had about twenty people over for the cookie exchange, since people brought their husbands and children. Another friend of ours also sent in some cookies. It took a while for the party to get started, and Alex was very cranky and kept crying/screaming. But I think people had a good time anyway. There were all types of cookies--shortbread, sugar cookies, buckeyes/snowdrops, and a decadent cookie topped with a Recees (sp?) Pieces. I was too busy to take pictures, sorry. We wound up with plenty of extra cookies left over. As for Alex, we finally got him to sleep early. I just hope he doesn't get up early too!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Back on the Blog Chain: Wish Fulfillment
Well, as promised, here I am to start the latest Blog Chain! Here's the teaser video I used to give the other Blog Chain members a hint to the latest topic:
That's right; this blog chain topic is about wishes, or wish fulfillment. What is the role of wish fulfillment in fiction? What personal wishes do you want your stories to fulfill? Are they the same ones you want to read about? How do our fictitious wishes affect our everyday dreams?
(Note to the Blog Chain members: feel free to answer to answer just one of these questions or as many "as you wish." My intent here is to make this topic broad enough for everyone to address, not to stress anyone out. The holiday season can be stressful enough as it is!)
First, a quick definition. When I say "wish fulfillment," I'm talking about the secret wishes that drive us to read one type of book over another. For instance, people may want to have some supernatural power, such as the ability to do magic or live forever. It could also be something more down-to-earth, such as the chance to achieve justice by identifying criminals or fighting evil, to travel to exotic locations, or to find true love (or just hot sex).
Some of my wishes come out in my fiction. For instance, I tend to be a solitary person, but I desire close friendships with people who understand me. This is expressed in my earlier novels. My Season Lord series is about a quartet of young women magicians who must work together to save their land. Their relationships with each other drive the plot just as much as external events do. In Across Two Universes, my hero, Paul Harrison, is very close to three other teenagers (his best friend, his girlfriend, and his sister) who grew up with him on the spaceship Sagan. They have shared experiences no one living on Earth could understand, so they stand by each other no matter what. My current novel is about sisters, not friends, but although they are opposite in many ways, they are still close, even though one of them is several years older than the other.
I think the ability to fulfill a reader's desires is the key to making readers become ardent fans of an author and her world. When I first really got into science fiction and fantasy, one of my favorite authors was Mercedes Lackey. I think she does a good job of understanding what teenagers want and giving it to them. (Of course, now that I'm much closer to middle age than I am to adolescence, her books don't speak to me the way they once did.) Worldbuilding is also important. Although we authors are encouraged to make life as hard as possible for our characters, the worlds I most enjoy are the ones that are comfortable. For instance, who wouldn't want to live in a Hawkbrothers' Vale, with the beauty of nature carefully tended to, weather control (I'd be very happy to do without snow!), hot springs for soaking, and intelligent lizard-like creatures who anticipate your needs? Hogwarts also has a great deal of charm, despite Snape and Voldemort.
Although successful books give us the wishes we desire, are these wishes the ones that will make us happy? For example, many of the urban fantasies I read these days feature a strong heroine who has several hot men lusting after her. And although I haven't read the Twilight series, I hear Edward is supposed to be the perfect boyfriend. But do perfect boyfriends and sex partners make good husbands? Maybe, or maybe not. Personally, I've been in a relationship with the same person for so long that I am more interested in reading about long-term relationships, not short-term ones. In that respect, I found The Time-Traveler's Wife more fulfilling than some of the other books I've mentioned.
I could go on, but that's enough for one post. I'm more interested in hearing what Abi and our other Blog Chain members have to say. I'll be back in a couple of weeks to wrap up this chain.
That's right; this blog chain topic is about wishes, or wish fulfillment. What is the role of wish fulfillment in fiction? What personal wishes do you want your stories to fulfill? Are they the same ones you want to read about? How do our fictitious wishes affect our everyday dreams?
(Note to the Blog Chain members: feel free to answer to answer just one of these questions or as many "as you wish." My intent here is to make this topic broad enough for everyone to address, not to stress anyone out. The holiday season can be stressful enough as it is!)
First, a quick definition. When I say "wish fulfillment," I'm talking about the secret wishes that drive us to read one type of book over another. For instance, people may want to have some supernatural power, such as the ability to do magic or live forever. It could also be something more down-to-earth, such as the chance to achieve justice by identifying criminals or fighting evil, to travel to exotic locations, or to find true love (or just hot sex).
Some of my wishes come out in my fiction. For instance, I tend to be a solitary person, but I desire close friendships with people who understand me. This is expressed in my earlier novels. My Season Lord series is about a quartet of young women magicians who must work together to save their land. Their relationships with each other drive the plot just as much as external events do. In Across Two Universes, my hero, Paul Harrison, is very close to three other teenagers (his best friend, his girlfriend, and his sister) who grew up with him on the spaceship Sagan. They have shared experiences no one living on Earth could understand, so they stand by each other no matter what. My current novel is about sisters, not friends, but although they are opposite in many ways, they are still close, even though one of them is several years older than the other.
I think the ability to fulfill a reader's desires is the key to making readers become ardent fans of an author and her world. When I first really got into science fiction and fantasy, one of my favorite authors was Mercedes Lackey. I think she does a good job of understanding what teenagers want and giving it to them. (Of course, now that I'm much closer to middle age than I am to adolescence, her books don't speak to me the way they once did.) Worldbuilding is also important. Although we authors are encouraged to make life as hard as possible for our characters, the worlds I most enjoy are the ones that are comfortable. For instance, who wouldn't want to live in a Hawkbrothers' Vale, with the beauty of nature carefully tended to, weather control (I'd be very happy to do without snow!), hot springs for soaking, and intelligent lizard-like creatures who anticipate your needs? Hogwarts also has a great deal of charm, despite Snape and Voldemort.
Although successful books give us the wishes we desire, are these wishes the ones that will make us happy? For example, many of the urban fantasies I read these days feature a strong heroine who has several hot men lusting after her. And although I haven't read the Twilight series, I hear Edward is supposed to be the perfect boyfriend. But do perfect boyfriends and sex partners make good husbands? Maybe, or maybe not. Personally, I've been in a relationship with the same person for so long that I am more interested in reading about long-term relationships, not short-term ones. In that respect, I found The Time-Traveler's Wife more fulfilling than some of the other books I've mentioned.
I could go on, but that's enough for one post. I'm more interested in hearing what Abi and our other Blog Chain members have to say. I'll be back in a couple of weeks to wrap up this chain.
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