![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Stupid cold.
Feb. 23rd, 2007 07:02 pm2000 words written in the novel revision, so I suppose that means I'm feeling better. Granted, it was exposition-heavy and lumpy in places, but I'll have another revision before I send it to anyone, so it'll do. (Besides, it's part of the How It All Went To Hell bit of the story. Tough to avoid exposition there.)
I think the main thing I hate about being sick -- other than the way my body tried to produce enough mucus for the next year all at once -- is how much of a waste it is. I feel that if I'm taking the day off from work, I should be doing something useful with it (like writing), rather than lying in bed going "glaaaah." I should be getting laundry and dishes and useful chores done, not discovering that thanks to the cold medicine, I no longer have an attention span long enough to handle more than a comics page at once. (A page of text was right out.) I should be remembering and celebrating birthdays like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
2h2o's and ethicsgradient's, not taking half an hour to eat a goddamned piece of toast.
So yeah, I rather resent losing this last week. At least now I'm up and thinking, and can take care ofthomascantor if he catches what I had. Time to go get more chicken soup.
I think the main thing I hate about being sick -- other than the way my body tried to produce enough mucus for the next year all at once -- is how much of a waste it is. I feel that if I'm taking the day off from work, I should be doing something useful with it (like writing), rather than lying in bed going "glaaaah." I should be getting laundry and dishes and useful chores done, not discovering that thanks to the cold medicine, I no longer have an attention span long enough to handle more than a comics page at once. (A page of text was right out.) I should be remembering and celebrating birthdays like
2h2o's and ethicsgradient's, not taking half an hour to eat a goddamned piece of toast.So yeah, I rather resent losing this last week. At least now I'm up and thinking, and can take care of
thomascantor if he catches what I had. Time to go get more chicken soup.
Scatterbrained=scattered update.
Jan. 23rd, 2007 11:33 pm- The Toon game went very well. In fact, it went better than it had any right to, given that I haven't run a game in, oh, more than five years at least. I was very happy with the legion of polar bears deciding one character was their deity and the gingerbread enlargement ray (which made characters large and gingerbread), among many other wonderful moments.
- Arisia in general was excellent (yes, this is way too late for a con round-up, but I'm slow like that). I got to see a lot of people, meet several new and interesting people (and not in the bad sense of "interesting"), and got plenty of exercise on the stairs.
- Revision continues, and I think it's producing good results. This draft won't be quite ready for reading, but it'll be close enough that a cleanup revision should be all that's needed. After that . . . well. We'll have to see.
- Why is it that I always come up with the cool short story ideas when I'm revising some big project and thus have no time to work on them? Not that that's stopping me.
- Working out twice a week means that that's two evenings when I have legs like noodles and all the energy of bread pudding. Still, it doesn't take much physical energy to sit in front of the computer. Mental discipline is another matter.
- Arisia in general was excellent (yes, this is way too late for a con round-up, but I'm slow like that). I got to see a lot of people, meet several new and interesting people (and not in the bad sense of "interesting"), and got plenty of exercise on the stairs.
- Revision continues, and I think it's producing good results. This draft won't be quite ready for reading, but it'll be close enough that a cleanup revision should be all that's needed. After that . . . well. We'll have to see.
- Why is it that I always come up with the cool short story ideas when I'm revising some big project and thus have no time to work on them? Not that that's stopping me.
- Working out twice a week means that that's two evenings when I have legs like noodles and all the energy of bread pudding. Still, it doesn't take much physical energy to sit in front of the computer. Mental discipline is another matter.
Also, add more custard.
Oct. 23rd, 2006 01:25 amLesson learned from today's crit of my story: If you're writing a story cobbled together from a cool idea and some interesting lines, make sure you know what you are writing about. You are not yet good enough to totally bullshit your way through. It's another matter entirely whether being good enough to bullshit one's way through is an appropriate personal goal.
Also, next time take more than a couple of days to think through the story. *goes to reread crits and wonder what the hell I was thinking*
Also, next time take more than a couple of days to think through the story. *goes to reread crits and wonder what the hell I was thinking*
What is this "work" you speak of?
Sep. 14th, 2006 10:25 pmThanks to minyan, I've found a new way to vacuum the cat while pretending to be productive. You may already be familiar with the iTunes Oracle, but this truly combines the uselessness of that meme with the illusion of actually doing work. I give you:
( The iTunes Plot Generator! ) (And yes, I did manage to get some work done today.)
minyan, I've found a new way to vacuum the cat while pretending to be productive. You may already be familiar with the iTunes Oracle, but this truly combines the uselessness of that meme with the illusion of actually doing work. I give you:( The iTunes Plot Generator! ) (And yes, I did manage to get some work done today.)
Keep digging, Watson!
Jun. 15th, 2006 10:55 pm( Writing dilemma, and some headthwackery. )
(Judging by my recent posts, I tend to ask for advice a lot. Since the distilled wisdom of LiveJournal probably consists of one insightful thought, two pages of in-jokes, and a meme, this may be problematic.)
(And now I want a t-shirt that says "If I Did Everything LiveJournal Told Me To Do, I'd Be Bald, Homeless And Sterile By Now.")
(Judging by my recent posts, I tend to ask for advice a lot. Since the distilled wisdom of LiveJournal probably consists of one insightful thought, two pages of in-jokes, and a meme, this may be problematic.)
(And now I want a t-shirt that says "If I Did Everything LiveJournal Told Me To Do, I'd Be Bald, Homeless And Sterile By Now.")
Notes from the last week or so
May. 26th, 2006 08:46 am- Either we have a very incontinent ghost, or our toilet is possessed. The damn thing starts to flush every ten or so minutes, then stops as if remembering that it's not supposed to do that. thomascantor is talking to the management folks; I'll stock up on holy water.
- It turns out the cure for the slow grinding pace of work on the new novel was to jump ahead half a chapter to the asskicking and to the scenes I'd envisioned when I began this book. I've finished a third of the first draft, and maybe a quarter of that will survive the second draft. Still, it's on paper, and now I'm writing the cool stuff and finding out a little more about the characters than I'd planned. (What do you mean, one of my two main characters is a total coward? Oh...I guess he is.)
- GORILLA DETECTOR! gorilla detector gorilla detector! This makes me happy in so many ways.
- I know this has been posted on several friends' pages, but if you're interested in either literary agents or internet legalities, take a look at what's going on with Barbara Bauer and Absolute Write. The gist of the story is this: she's a scammer, got added to the list of the Twenty Worst Agents, and when this was posted on Absolute Write, threatened their web host with legal action and got it to shut down. (If I have details wrong, please let me know.) The Absolute Write folks are doing their best to resurrect it, and Bauer's now got a lot of free publicity, all bad.
thomascantor is talking to the management folks; I'll stock up on holy water.- It turns out the cure for the slow grinding pace of work on the new novel was to jump ahead half a chapter to the asskicking and to the scenes I'd envisioned when I began this book. I've finished a third of the first draft, and maybe a quarter of that will survive the second draft. Still, it's on paper, and now I'm writing the cool stuff and finding out a little more about the characters than I'd planned. (What do you mean, one of my two main characters is a total coward? Oh...I guess he is.)
- GORILLA DETECTOR! gorilla detector gorilla detector! This makes me happy in so many ways.
- I know this has been posted on several friends' pages, but if you're interested in either literary agents or internet legalities, take a look at what's going on with Barbara Bauer and Absolute Write. The gist of the story is this: she's a scammer, got added to the list of the Twenty Worst Agents, and when this was posted on Absolute Write, threatened their web host with legal action and got it to shut down. (If I have details wrong, please let me know.) The Absolute Write folks are doing their best to resurrect it, and Bauer's now got a lot of free publicity, all bad.
sigerson rules. Why? Well, on top of all the other reasons, she had a hardcopy of my polished synopsis, which she has donated in the name of Keeping Her Sister Relatively Sane.
The freakout has been postponed. Carry on.
7:15 PM - Arrive home, intending to 1) prepare several packets to send out to agents, 2) revise the two short stories that are almost ready to go out, 3) start in on new chapter, and 4) drink port and eat cheese.
7:25 - Finish checking email, etc.
7:30 - Go through agent list, work on queries.
7:50 - Check submission guidelines. Note down relevant facts. Set up printer for chapters, etc.
7:55 - Open up novel, nod approvingly. Open up synopsis.
7:58 - Realize synopsis is old, far-too-wordy version. Check other files in folder. Fail to locate updated synopsis.
8:05 - Reason that since one can remember carefully paring down and polishing synopsis, it must be on hard drive somewhere.
8:10 - Search through all old computer files for updated synopsis.
8:20 - Freak out.
8:35 - Calm down somewhat. Decide that spazzing for the rest of the evening will do no good. Prepare queries that can be sent without synopses, print out old synopsis.
8:40 - Realize blood pressure is still spiking when old synopsis is even glanced at.
8:45 - Watch part of Spirited Away in order to find much-needed serenity. Drink port. Eat cheese. Heave very long sigh and regain some perspective.
9:15 - Revise longer of two short stories.
10:20 - Ambushthomascantor and demand hug. Decide plan for tomorrow morning will involve rewriting synopsis from fragments of old one. Can make it much better.
11:00 - Post about all this to LiveJournal. Begin revision of second nearly-ready short story.
7:25 - Finish checking email, etc.
7:30 - Go through agent list, work on queries.
7:50 - Check submission guidelines. Note down relevant facts. Set up printer for chapters, etc.
7:55 - Open up novel, nod approvingly. Open up synopsis.
7:58 - Realize synopsis is old, far-too-wordy version. Check other files in folder. Fail to locate updated synopsis.
8:05 - Reason that since one can remember carefully paring down and polishing synopsis, it must be on hard drive somewhere.
8:10 - Search through all old computer files for updated synopsis.
8:20 - Freak out.
8:35 - Calm down somewhat. Decide that spazzing for the rest of the evening will do no good. Prepare queries that can be sent without synopses, print out old synopsis.
8:40 - Realize blood pressure is still spiking when old synopsis is even glanced at.
8:45 - Watch part of Spirited Away in order to find much-needed serenity. Drink port. Eat cheese. Heave very long sigh and regain some perspective.
9:15 - Revise longer of two short stories.
10:20 - Ambush
thomascantor and demand hug. Decide plan for tomorrow morning will involve rewriting synopsis from fragments of old one. Can make it much better. 11:00 - Post about all this to LiveJournal. Begin revision of second nearly-ready short story.
grrriinnnnd...
Sep. 7th, 2005 10:08 pmChapter 6 is done. I've got a start on Chapter 7.
Yes, that's a big gap in productivity since my last update. It was a busy August.
I also seem to have really increased the sexual tension just by having both of the characters involved get rained on prior to their conversation. Instant tension: Just add water!
ConHugeCo has said they'll know by Monday. I may not have fingernails by Monday.
And I wrote out a brief outline for a short (I've got outlines building up. Once this draft is done, I'm going to treat myself by writing the football graveyard story, the figured bass story, and the redo of the underneath Boston story). This is probably the first idea that's come solely from a title, and it's the most mainstream idea I've had of late. Which is odd, because the title that inspired the idea was "Pre-Apocalypse Sale on Cheese!"
And my sister is a dork. But a 1337 dork.
Yes, that's a big gap in productivity since my last update. It was a busy August.
I also seem to have really increased the sexual tension just by having both of the characters involved get rained on prior to their conversation. Instant tension: Just add water!
ConHugeCo has said they'll know by Monday. I may not have fingernails by Monday.
And I wrote out a brief outline for a short (I've got outlines building up. Once this draft is done, I'm going to treat myself by writing the football graveyard story, the figured bass story, and the redo of the underneath Boston story). This is probably the first idea that's come solely from a title, and it's the most mainstream idea I've had of late. Which is odd, because the title that inspired the idea was "Pre-Apocalypse Sale on Cheese!"
And my sister is a dork. But a 1337 dork.
taking refuge in memes
Nov. 5th, 2004 02:14 pmThere's a meme making the rounds (I've seen it on sanj's and yhlee's journals) in which you post one sentence from each of the current works in progress you currently have up. I can't think of a meme better suited for my own little writing narcissism; I love giving teasers to stories.
( So here's some things in the works. )
sanj's and yhlee's journals) in which you post one sentence from each of the current works in progress you currently have up. I can't think of a meme better suited for my own little writing narcissism; I love giving teasers to stories. ( So here's some things in the works. )
suspense! adventure! trousers!
May. 27th, 2004 06:14 pmWell, one outta three ain’t bad. ( In which I ramble about queries and response times and suchlike. )
It's likely that a lot of my journal entries will be from Thursday afternoons and evenings, like this one. My work schedule means that while I'm at work laaaate on Thursdays, there are long stretches in which I have little to do. Like this one. About all I can do is stew and wait for the editor to get her act together.
Mmm…stew…
It's likely that a lot of my journal entries will be from Thursday afternoons and evenings, like this one. My work schedule means that while I'm at work laaaate on Thursdays, there are long stretches in which I have little to do. Like this one. About all I can do is stew and wait for the editor to get her act together.
Mmm…stew…
