Stuff I babble while I’m in the middle of a project, which generally means I’m making progress.
::whew:: I have now finished the first draft of The Kingdom of Gods. Deep breath taken; celebratory drink with friends accomplished; happy tears shed. There will be more revisions, of course — lots more; “writing is revising”, as they say. Having done this process twice now, here’s how it usually goes:
Reflections on finishing the Inheritance Trilogy KEEP READING
Apologies for the relative silence, ya’ll. Been seriously motoring on book 3, which is threatening to become a doorstopper. ::ulp:: I’m planning to chop it ruthlessly when I get into the editing phase because I just don’t believe a fantasy novel should be heavy enough to punch a hole in the fabric of existence, but for the time being Sieh is being a demanding little brat, and I’d better do what he wants or he’ll replace all my coffee with Taster’s Choice or something. So I’m just getting around to addressing this now. Last week there was a little confusion
Book Covers Explained KEEP READING
…in San Jose tomorrow, though I’ve learned that thanks to flight changes it’ll be a 9 hour trip instead of 6 hours. Looking forward to that about as much as a root canal. But I will survive. As a reminder to any who will be there and want to say hello, offer gifts, punch me in the nose (note, though: I punch back!), etc., the one event I’ll definitely be at is my own reading, currently scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday. Come hear the first 2 chapters of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms! (Note: those of you who came to
Been awhile since I posted here, so now I’ve got “diarrhea of the mouth”, as my grandmother used to say. Here’s what I’ve been up to lately: Received the copyedited version of Book 1 last week and have been steadily working my way through it, checking to make sure all my i’s are dotted and t’s crossed. I’ve never seen something professionally copyedited before, so it’s fascinating to see how someone who really knows their English has interpreted my sometimes loosey-goosey language. I’ve learned two things from this: a) that I overuse commas and hyphenated compounds like no tomorrow, and
Copyediting and Agents and Gardens, oh my! KEEP READING
So, back in August when I quit my dayjob and dedicated myself to The Writer Life ™, I set up this anal little program to try and keep myself on track, because I feared my ability to do so without official work hours and a commute, etc., to frame my day. I’m a Virgo; I need structure. The plan basically went like this: Rise by 9 a.m. every day. Breakfast. Bike to gym, work out at least 45 minutes. Bike to coffee shop; write for several hours. Daily wordcount should be at least 1500, but will aim for 2000. Aim
I am utterly in love with this video by Janelle Monae, which has been blowing up my friends’ lists all over the blogosphere: I bought the album, which you should do too if you like this song. The whole thing kicks ass. The cyberpunkish theme continues throughout the album, with nods to Philip K. Dick, Asimov’s Laws of Robotics, anime, and more. I also love the way she weaves in the old stuff — James Brown and Little Richard most obviously, but Parliament Funkadelic, The Brother From Another Planet, and Sun-Ra too. Also, that “doo doo doo” thing she does?
In which Nora fangirls; Revisipalooza; SFWA Bulletin interview KEEP READING
I just broke 100,000 words on Book 2. WOO HOO!! …but I’m not done yet. Crap. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it, and a belated Happy Hannukah, Joyous Noel/Yule, etc., to those who celebrate otherwise. Hope you’re all enjoying yourselves with friends and family, like I am. =) Addendum: Just realized I have been meme-tagged by Mary Robinette Kowal! For the next 8 days I have to list things that make me happy, then tag 8 other people. OK, then I will list 1 thing and tag 1 person per day. Things that make me happy today: being up
Little gift to myself… KEEP READING
In the home stretch in Noraville lately — I’m determined to finish Book 2 before Christmas. That’s looking pretty likely at this point given that I’m at 88,000 words thus far, and have been averaging 2K words per day. But all work and no play makes Nora a dull girl, so here’s some of what else I’ve been doing in my spare time: -Advance warning for anyone reading who doesn’t already know: I’m very liberal, politically speaking. But it isn’t solely due to ideology that I find the shoe incident and this followup hysterically funny. I do plan to send