[Wikimedia]
31 March 2010
Entertaining Murder
This is not a well thought out post.
So apologies out of the way, I'll get on with sharing a random thought.
In Leviticus there is describe a Day of Atonement at which time the sins of the community are placed on a goat and the goat sent off into the wilderness. As I read this I thought "what a marvellous method of cleansing the community psyche".
And then I thought the Christian community has a similar cleansing ritual--our sins become Christ's burden and we receive a gift of resurrection, of new beginnings.
But in a secular society, where do we find this washing away of psychic grime (for lack of a better phrase)?
In murder mysteries the sinner (the murderer) is cleansed from the community either through death or imprisonment or some other equally harsh punishment. Does the murderer take with them the community's sins? Is something in us satisfied not simply that justice is done, but that the grime in our community can be and is removed?
Maybe murder mysteries are more than modern morality plays, maybe they're spring cleaning.
So apologies out of the way, I'll get on with sharing a random thought.
In Leviticus there is describe a Day of Atonement at which time the sins of the community are placed on a goat and the goat sent off into the wilderness. As I read this I thought "what a marvellous method of cleansing the community psyche".
And then I thought the Christian community has a similar cleansing ritual--our sins become Christ's burden and we receive a gift of resurrection, of new beginnings.
But in a secular society, where do we find this washing away of psychic grime (for lack of a better phrase)?
In murder mysteries the sinner (the murderer) is cleansed from the community either through death or imprisonment or some other equally harsh punishment. Does the murderer take with them the community's sins? Is something in us satisfied not simply that justice is done, but that the grime in our community can be and is removed?
Maybe murder mysteries are more than modern morality plays, maybe they're spring cleaning.
Winifred Fortescue
As a kid I was lucky enough that Sunset House was one of the books floating around the family. It introduced me to Winifred Fortescue, a woman and writer of great charm, and one of the first English writers to gift us all with the dream of living in Provence.
If you haven't read her books, this page is a great place to start.
If you haven't read her books, this page is a great place to start.
Apologies for lack of reviews
I've been re-reading old favourites, rather than reading and reviewing new books. Selfish but fun!
30 March 2010
eBooks--the Ongoing Industry Shake Up
Jane at Dear Author summarises the current situation better than I can--and the reader comments are enlightening. Are ebooks really "renting" rather than "buying" in the sense that they don't transfer well from one ereader to another?
Technology and Me Fighting Back
Technology might be bashing me around the ears at the moment, but I am scoring some wins. See the short poem posted below? I scheduled it to post today--and it did. Maybe it's a small win, but it's my own.
However, seems life just exists to puncture self-satisfaction. Having won with Blogger, I've lost with Yahoo. It won't include my signature on my Yahoo group posts--possibly because I've set my emails to go through Gmail. So, now I've altered Gmail to include a signature. Do you think that'll work?
And--although this is terribly exciting, the emphasis is on terribly--I now have to learn about LiveMeeting so I can join in a Carina Press author chat. It seems likely that if anything can go wrong, it will, since the chat begins at 6am (my time) and we're asked to be 15 minutes early. Thank goodness they didn't ask us to be awake and coherent--um, is that kind of taken for granted we will be? Coffee! And my stupid Vista-inhabited computer takes forever to wake up. I think I'll be seeing the dark side of dawn.
Oh well, forget technology. The neat part will be meeting the other authors, editors and everyone.
However, seems life just exists to puncture self-satisfaction. Having won with Blogger, I've lost with Yahoo. It won't include my signature on my Yahoo group posts--possibly because I've set my emails to go through Gmail. So, now I've altered Gmail to include a signature. Do you think that'll work?
And--although this is terribly exciting, the emphasis is on terribly--I now have to learn about LiveMeeting so I can join in a Carina Press author chat. It seems likely that if anything can go wrong, it will, since the chat begins at 6am (my time) and we're asked to be 15 minutes early. Thank goodness they didn't ask us to be awake and coherent--um, is that kind of taken for granted we will be? Coffee! And my stupid Vista-inhabited computer takes forever to wake up. I think I'll be seeing the dark side of dawn.
Oh well, forget technology. The neat part will be meeting the other authors, editors and everyone.
Witness
One hangs a poem.
The rope is words,
the knot passion
and swinging into death,
our shared experience.
The rope is words,
the knot passion
and swinging into death,
our shared experience.
29 March 2010
Steampunk and Werewolves, Vampires too
While I 'wait the arrival of Changeless by Gail Carriger, I've added a link to her blog on the sidebar.
The Great Red Dragon and the Lady Clothed with the Sun by William Blake
An unusual dragon (to put it mildly)
[Yorck Project, Wikimedia]
eBooks, Amazon and Living in Interesting Times--Book Clubs
The book world is a'changing. There's a lot of froth and splatter at the moment, but under it there's a powerful current of change. I'm not an industry insider, and so, not informed enough to bet which way the publishing and book selling (linked but not same-same) industries will develop. There are discussions all over the net. This one at Mobylives sparked this post.
Amazon changed millions of people's book buying habits. It benefited from people's new expectations of price, availability and community (reviews and discussions). In fact, it helped develop them. Now the question is whether these expectations have leapt beyond Amazon's control. It has competitors and it has other members of its book supply chain looking to alter the balance of power (and profit).
I said I wasn't going to risk a bet on the future of the book world. I guess I lied. As I wrote this post an idea popped into my head. The next logical step (given that the world is circular) is the return of Book Clubs. A book seller who can leverage customer data to offer tightly focussed book clubs will cash in on the confusing avalanche of available books. If they get the recommendations and community right, people will happily fork over money for a monthly (fortnightly) esend of books.
Amazon changed millions of people's book buying habits. It benefited from people's new expectations of price, availability and community (reviews and discussions). In fact, it helped develop them. Now the question is whether these expectations have leapt beyond Amazon's control. It has competitors and it has other members of its book supply chain looking to alter the balance of power (and profit).
I said I wasn't going to risk a bet on the future of the book world. I guess I lied. As I wrote this post an idea popped into my head. The next logical step (given that the world is circular) is the return of Book Clubs. A book seller who can leverage customer data to offer tightly focussed book clubs will cash in on the confusing avalanche of available books. If they get the recommendations and community right, people will happily fork over money for a monthly (fortnightly) esend of books.
Questions for Heaven
If you could ask just one question of any historical figure, what would it be? Who would you ask? What would you ask? Why?
My puzzle question for the week. I'll get back to you when I've thought of my answer.
My puzzle question for the week. I'll get back to you when I've thought of my answer.
Authors are Magic
Margaret Maron has just posted about Barbara Mertz and Charlotte McLeod. All three of these ladies are among my very favourite mystery writers. Their characters have become my friends. Their excellent plots can be re-read. They are comfort reads beyond price.
27 March 2010
_-_The_Old_Mill_(1888).jpg)
Out of control?
Self control is important to any writer. Just keeping butt-in-chair (thanks, Uncle Jim over at Absolute Write water cooler) is a fundamental but difficult task. Doesn't the bathroom need cleaning, re-grouting, maybe new tiles? Procrastination.
But this article suggests self-control is strengthened when we remind ourselves of our core principle--why we're doing something, why it's of value, why we're of value. Read the short post. Self-affirmation is important.
But this article suggests self-control is strengthened when we remind ourselves of our core principle--why we're doing something, why it's of value, why we're of value. Read the short post. Self-affirmation is important.
The Cost of War
One of the costs of war has always been mental health. Doesn't make this article on anti-psychotic medicines given to serving and returned soldiers any less scary.
Literacy funding
I find it almost impossible to imagine living without reading. If you agree, if you're another addict who reads everything--cereal boxes, junk mail catalogues, small print in contracts ;) --check out Better World Books literacy grants. Maybe you know a project that could apply, maybe you'll just vote when the time comes.
eBook readers
There's no disputing that when it comes to technology I'm slow. Still, I was shocked to see how many differnt types of ereaders are out there, common enough to be listed on a book seller's site. Maybe it was seeing them rather than just having their names listed that was the shock?
26 March 2010
Stealing ideas
How else do you fill a blog? ;)
Compton Mackenzie suggested (though I forget where I read this, it was years ago) listing your ten favourite words.
It's not poetry, but it is a kind of poetical exercise. How do words taste? What do they conjure up? How do they look and sound?
weird wilderness marshmallow goblin
fierce clamour curl dirge yesterday rain
Compton Mackenzie suggested (though I forget where I read this, it was years ago) listing your ten favourite words.
It's not poetry, but it is a kind of poetical exercise. How do words taste? What do they conjure up? How do they look and sound?
weird wilderness marshmallow goblin
fierce clamour curl dirge yesterday rain
Exciting, Scary--Being an Author
I remember in my scribbling days (when I never dared submit anything to any editor and only watched authors at a distance, marvelling at these alien critters) I thought all an author had to do was write the damn book (poem, short story, whatever).
::shakes head at this naivety::
Authors have to promote themselves.
I've just joined the Carina Press authors group on Yahoo (yep, that's why I was fighting the techno beast yesterday) and the authors there are amazing. They're enthusiastic, professional and they promote their work.
I have a high standard to crawl towards. Do you think this blog (so seldom read) counts as promotion? What if I tell the person behind me in line at the supermarket about my awesome paranormal romance novella?
::shakes head at this naivety::
Authors have to promote themselves.
I've just joined the Carina Press authors group on Yahoo (yep, that's why I was fighting the techno beast yesterday) and the authors there are amazing. They're enthusiastic, professional and they promote their work.
I have a high standard to crawl towards. Do you think this blog (so seldom read) counts as promotion? What if I tell the person behind me in line at the supermarket about my awesome paranormal romance novella?
25 March 2010
Yahoo is forgiven
The "missing" emails arrived, and the third attempt actually carried my signature. Could it be I've beaten the gremlins? Now I just hope the forwarding of emails to Gmail works.
O what a tangled web we weave, when first we try to receive (Yahoo emails).
O what a tangled web we weave, when first we try to receive (Yahoo emails).
In the beginning...
I'm always fascinated by stories about beginnings. Now there's a suggestion of a new human ancestor. Siberia is a place of secrets, awesome place. Where else can you find frozen mammoth steaks?
Back on topic. My very favourite quote about beginnings comes from Terry Pratchett, I think it's Lords and Ladies, when he opens the novel with ..."In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded."
Back on topic. My very favourite quote about beginnings comes from Terry Pratchett, I think it's Lords and Ladies, when he opens the novel with ..."In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded."
Reading Tournaments
Thanks to Dear Author I knew of DABAWAHA, but there are other support-your-favourite-book votes. Good article from GalleyCat.
Yahoo hates me
Don't think I've reached this conclusion lightly. I have evidence.
It's swallowed my freakin' signature!
Ok...calm...I will do battle in a few minutes. Chase up the two missing emails...stay calm...MISSING emails.
Nope. Not calm.
It's swallowed my freakin' signature!
Ok...calm...I will do battle in a few minutes. Chase up the two missing emails...stay calm...MISSING emails.
Nope. Not calm.
Swearing at Technology
Want to hear some rude words? Ask me about Yahoo. The XXX won't let me add a profile photo. Oh, it pretends to. It makes me sit there while it says it's uploading. And then, wham! Box closes, no photo.
So I look at the help centre. Oh, good. I can pick an avatar instead (gotta love avatars when you're camera shy). But no. On my profile page, the avatar option remains stubbornly away from home.
Bah humbug. I bet Yahoo's punishing me because I've turned on every privacy setting I could find.
Paranoid? Moi?
Just cross.
So I look at the help centre. Oh, good. I can pick an avatar instead (gotta love avatars when you're camera shy). But no. On my profile page, the avatar option remains stubbornly away from home.
Bah humbug. I bet Yahoo's punishing me because I've turned on every privacy setting I could find.
Paranoid? Moi?
Just cross.
24 March 2010
Michael's Garden
I wake early to taste the night's tears
gathered on roses in Michael's garden.
Red roses for passion.
Cold toes curled in regret.
A silk robe
snatched around nakedness.
And the dew drop tastes...of nothing.
A wind spills others to the ground,
silent tears.
The roses shiver and warm to the sun.
Michaels wakes and watches me.
He traces a tear. "Come back."
To bed we go.
So easily does passion surrender and burn,
and the night's tears dry.
gathered on roses in Michael's garden.
Red roses for passion.
Cold toes curled in regret.
A silk robe
snatched around nakedness.
And the dew drop tastes...of nothing.
A wind spills others to the ground,
silent tears.
The roses shiver and warm to the sun.
Michaels wakes and watches me.
He traces a tear. "Come back."
To bed we go.
So easily does passion surrender and burn,
and the night's tears dry.
Reckless Expenditure
I bought three books yesterday:
Murder Out of Commission by R B Dominic (Emma Lathen)
Seeker's Bane by P C Hodgell
The Cape Cod Players by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
It's dangerous to let me loose at Better World Books.
Murder Out of Commission by R B Dominic (Emma Lathen)
Seeker's Bane by P C Hodgell
The Cape Cod Players by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
It's dangerous to let me loose at Better World Books.
The God Stalker Chronicles by P C Hodgell
The God Stalker Chronicles by P C Hodgell includes the first two volumes, God Stalk and Dark of the Moon. They are such a good read. Hodgell's rich fantasy imagination is disciplined to a driving plot. Having finished the final word, I hopped online and ordered the next volume. What more can I say? I'm hooked.
Tantalising
I've just seen the cover for The Price of Freedom and it's stunning. Thrills down the spine stunning.
Only, I can't share it yet.
It's like giving a kid a brand new bike for Christmas and telling her to keep it in the garage a few days instead of riding it down the street.
I shall be lurking over at Carina Press. Once the cover's released on their blog, I can post it here. Scream and shout a bit, too, probably.
It is an incredibly cool cover.
Only, I can't share it yet.
It's like giving a kid a brand new bike for Christmas and telling her to keep it in the garage a few days instead of riding it down the street.
I shall be lurking over at Carina Press. Once the cover's released on their blog, I can post it here. Scream and shout a bit, too, probably.
It is an incredibly cool cover.
23 March 2010
Shamans
Whenever we visit a happening from a world different to our own, we tend to see the happening through the lens of our own desires and fears.
Shamans have been seen as religious/spiritual operatives, protectors/interpreters of the natural world, healers, death dealers, law makers, judges, many things.
But when I look at them, I see storytellers.
Shamans interpret the chaos of their world and give it meaning. Their stories give people a way of understanding their world and acting in it.
The problem in our world is we've split this story telling into component parts. The lawyer tells the justice story, the doctor the medical story, the priest the religious story. People are left to try and blend these competing stories together into a meta-story in which they can understand their world and act in it.
Is it any wonder we're all confused?
Writers are one of the few people (entertainers, fools) with a role that allows them to pick up the shamanic tradition. We write our worlds, structuring for coherence, guiding characters on a journey. We can provide a framework for people to look at the world anew.
I'm still thinking about this idea. So this is a preliminary post. Way back when I started this blog I intended to reflect on the numinous in urban fantasy. I think that ties into this concept of writers as shamans.
Writers help people encounter the numinous.
Shamans have been seen as religious/spiritual operatives, protectors/interpreters of the natural world, healers, death dealers, law makers, judges, many things.
But when I look at them, I see storytellers.
Shamans interpret the chaos of their world and give it meaning. Their stories give people a way of understanding their world and acting in it.
The problem in our world is we've split this story telling into component parts. The lawyer tells the justice story, the doctor the medical story, the priest the religious story. People are left to try and blend these competing stories together into a meta-story in which they can understand their world and act in it.
Is it any wonder we're all confused?
Writers are one of the few people (entertainers, fools) with a role that allows them to pick up the shamanic tradition. We write our worlds, structuring for coherence, guiding characters on a journey. We can provide a framework for people to look at the world anew.
I'm still thinking about this idea. So this is a preliminary post. Way back when I started this blog I intended to reflect on the numinous in urban fantasy. I think that ties into this concept of writers as shamans.
Writers help people encounter the numinous.
Killing your characters
I'm one of those wussy readers who can't bear to "see" anyone die. Weird, I know, since I read a ton of murder mysteries. Still, if I'm reading fantasy or some sort of quest story and I follow a character (not the villain. Handled right, I can deal with the villain's well deserved death), feeling their part in the band of heroes, watching them chase their desire, grow and change. Well, if I've been on their journey, for it to end in death makes me wince--and think twice about reading further books by that author.
However, the high stakes fantasy adventures often need a death. It enforces the price of whatever the quest seeks.
So which character can the author kill off, and how can they make it seem right?
I think I'm willing to accept a character who can accept themselves. In a sense, they've reached the point of their journey. Now they need the new challenge, even if it's going to be "off-stage", in death.
But there are also characters whom the author introduces and keeps in the readers' eyes, but doesn't allow to grow. They are one trick ponies the whole way through. Generally decent according to their moral code, but not engaging us in their desire. Being two dimensional, the pain of their death isn't as great. They've moved around the story, but they aren't at the heart of it. Even in death, they remain only a plot enabler for the hero.
Killing off a character who has engaged the reader's emotions without allowing the character to reach the end of their journey might be tragic (I can think of examples where their death highlights a moral point), but I don't like it. I concede other readers aren't so wussy. Still, the crafting of a character the reader will watch die is tough. Thank heaven for the numerous writers out there who respect squeamish readers and keep their characters breathing.
However, the high stakes fantasy adventures often need a death. It enforces the price of whatever the quest seeks.
So which character can the author kill off, and how can they make it seem right?
I think I'm willing to accept a character who can accept themselves. In a sense, they've reached the point of their journey. Now they need the new challenge, even if it's going to be "off-stage", in death.
But there are also characters whom the author introduces and keeps in the readers' eyes, but doesn't allow to grow. They are one trick ponies the whole way through. Generally decent according to their moral code, but not engaging us in their desire. Being two dimensional, the pain of their death isn't as great. They've moved around the story, but they aren't at the heart of it. Even in death, they remain only a plot enabler for the hero.
Killing off a character who has engaged the reader's emotions without allowing the character to reach the end of their journey might be tragic (I can think of examples where their death highlights a moral point), but I don't like it. I concede other readers aren't so wussy. Still, the crafting of a character the reader will watch die is tough. Thank heaven for the numerous writers out there who respect squeamish readers and keep their characters breathing.
22 March 2010
Trust your demon
Patricia Wrede offers awesome advice and insight into a writer's life.
My novella has been driving me nuts because I keep writing away and then having to abandon the pages because something undefined and undefinable is wrong.
Now I know the demon baiting me is not evil. It's my backbrain whimpering at my plot issues. If I tough it out, slog through, REWRITE, the story will be stronger, better than I originally saw it.
It's true. I can feel the novella growing in emotional intensity. It's challenging me to dare just a little more.
My novella has been driving me nuts because I keep writing away and then having to abandon the pages because something undefined and undefinable is wrong.
Now I know the demon baiting me is not evil. It's my backbrain whimpering at my plot issues. If I tough it out, slog through, REWRITE, the story will be stronger, better than I originally saw it.
It's true. I can feel the novella growing in emotional intensity. It's challenging me to dare just a little more.
Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
So if you're like me and May seems a humungously long time to wait for your next Kate Daniels novel, be happy. Ilona's posting a Kate story over at her blog. Part One is here. Very cool.
Come in by the Fire
If you walk the borders
the winds will rip your soul.
The tears of loss and loneliness
won't heal.
the winds will rip your soul.
The tears of loss and loneliness
won't heal.
Own your own Gothic Cathedral
Built in minutes, not centuries.
I know I've blogged earlier about 3D printing. The whole idea is awesome. Some artists are going to make gorgeous models--design on screen, print anywhere.
BoingBoing, to return to the promise of the post title, has a photo and link to your very own gothic cathedral.
I know I've blogged earlier about 3D printing. The whole idea is awesome. Some artists are going to make gorgeous models--design on screen, print anywhere.
BoingBoing, to return to the promise of the post title, has a photo and link to your very own gothic cathedral.
Why socialising via internet is easier
The article doesn't make this huge leap--modestly, I must admit I'm the one flinging myself over the whitewater--but it does suggest that people aware and fearful of disease keep other people at a distance. If it's true, the internet should remove that fear and enable them to be extrovert.
Hmm.
Will we see a new set of disease fears arise? People afraid of the virus-like spread of ideas, prejudices and misinformation?
Hmm.
Will we see a new set of disease fears arise? People afraid of the virus-like spread of ideas, prejudices and misinformation?
20 March 2010
I am half sick of shadows, The Lady of Shallot, by John William Waterhouse
Like the Lady of Shallot, I'm stepping away from the screen (computer, not needlework). Rest eyes and brain. Happy weekend :)
[Wikimedia]
Well, I was wrong
The local post office is open Saturday mornings. So I could find out postage to Canada for two contracts ($6.30) and send them on their way.
And on the shaky logic that good fortune begets good fortune, I bought a lotto ticket in the newsagency next door and rewarded myself with a Guardian newspaper.
And on the shaky logic that good fortune begets good fortune, I bought a lotto ticket in the newsagency next door and rewarded myself with a Guardian newspaper.
Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind, John Everett Millais
Not desolation, but the stubborn human insistence on survival.
[Wikimedia]
Solution
If you click on the photo below and view it large, there's a bee in the top right corner. The photo, taken for the flower colour, ended by reminding me of those "Where's Wally?" books when I spotted the busy bee.
The Ink Lasted
Wild celebrations. The printing went smoothly. Contract signed, enveloped, and on Monday I'll drive down to the post office and send it winging off to Canada. Happy days.
What does your character want?
Over at GalleyCat they have a chat with Laura Miller on book reviews, but the point that interested me was her comment on how literary authors can try to engage readers--make their characters desire something.
Maybe a character motivated by desire is pretty damn obvious, but sometimes someone has to state the obvious. Quest stories function so well because they focus on this desire, its frustration, its success. Maybe a romance novel is a quest? everyone, even the reader, is pursuing the tantalising prospect of a happy ending.
Maybe a character motivated by desire is pretty damn obvious, but sometimes someone has to state the obvious. Quest stories function so well because they focus on this desire, its frustration, its success. Maybe a romance novel is a quest? everyone, even the reader, is pursuing the tantalising prospect of a happy ending.
Contracts are daunting
I've just received the contract from Carina Press for "The Price of Freedom". Legal documents are so daunting. And then there's the whole issue of printing it. I so seldom print anything I have to go set up the printer and I have a nasty suspicion it might be contemplating running out of ink.
But the contract definitely makes things real.
But the contract definitely makes things real.
19 March 2010
The moon is made of cheese
Having been taught there's no water on the moon, I now discover that's exactly wrong. There is water on the moon. Okay. If the impossible is possible, then I'm holding out for cheese. It doesn't have to be crater-sized Swiss. I'm quite partial to ricotta.
Seriously, how does this change dreams of space colonisation?
Seriously, how does this change dreams of space colonisation?
PS Anyone want a villain?
I'm cutting Sorli from my djinni novella:
A golden haired demon stood in the hallway a few metres in front of them. He could have been Puck, danced out of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He was slim and muscled, fair and fey. He radiated his own light field and a lusty sexiness. Tight fawn trousers were an explicit statement of virility and his white shirt was unbuttoned to reveal his lean, hairless chest.
And with Sorli goes a delicious plot thread of sibling rivalry.
I regret the loss, but the story needs a tighter focus.
A golden haired demon stood in the hallway a few metres in front of them. He could have been Puck, danced out of A Midsummer Night's Dream. He was slim and muscled, fair and fey. He radiated his own light field and a lusty sexiness. Tight fawn trousers were an explicit statement of virility and his white shirt was unbuttoned to reveal his lean, hairless chest.
And with Sorli goes a delicious plot thread of sibling rivalry.
I regret the loss, but the story needs a tighter focus.
Stewing
I've discovered I'm very definitely not an outline and voila sort of writer. I had a rough outline of the Australian djinni novella I'm writing. I knew the main characters, their motivations, the conflict, the black moment, the resolution--but for the last few days, being halfway through, I've been stewing over the feeling it's wrong.
Turns out, as I write, I get a stronger sense of the story--all good, except that I also see the weaknesses.
Have you ever heard the story of the mystery writer who every time tension flagged, added a corpse? I've been adding villains, and that's more than a tad confusing. The story remained coherent, but superficial.
So, today is the day I kill off a villain. The story will be rewritten. It will be tighter and tenser. But damn I wish I could draft a solid outline and stick to it.
Ah, well. Better I stew and correct problems now rather than read rubbish at the end.
Turns out, as I write, I get a stronger sense of the story--all good, except that I also see the weaknesses.
Have you ever heard the story of the mystery writer who every time tension flagged, added a corpse? I've been adding villains, and that's more than a tad confusing. The story remained coherent, but superficial.
So, today is the day I kill off a villain. The story will be rewritten. It will be tighter and tenser. But damn I wish I could draft a solid outline and stick to it.
Ah, well. Better I stew and correct problems now rather than read rubbish at the end.
18 March 2010
Bruges by Charles Warren Eaton
Borrow some serenity--I've used this image as my profile photo on Goodreads. Just beautiful.
[Wikimedia]
Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum
Thanks to the Guardian there's a brief slideshow. The second slide, of dragon goblets, is amazing.
Keeping the Internet as Paper
Over at Galleycat they talk about keeping mementos of internet-based activities by printing them to paper. So will paper become an indicator of what we prize? Just as we can bronze a baby's first shoe, do we preserve in paper a favourite ebook?
Beyond the old paper versus electronic discussion, there's the issue of mementos. How many resources should we expend on something that when you get right down to it is only a trigger, a point of access for past feelings and imperfectly recollected information?
Beyond the old paper versus electronic discussion, there's the issue of mementos. How many resources should we expend on something that when you get right down to it is only a trigger, a point of access for past feelings and imperfectly recollected information?
What's on your mind?
I hate the self-revelation of Facebook. I'm not talking about being sociable or having your privacy invaded, I'm focused on that annoying question on the Profile page, "What's on your mind?"
Nothing.
Again and again, fingers poised over the keyboard, suckered into believing I should answer, I realise there's nothing on my mind but trivia--stuff that shouldn't decently be shared. Stuff like "ick, morning breath tastes awful".
But if I think of Facebook as a conversation, then I understand that "what's on your mind?" is a meaningless greeting, like a salesperson's "can I help you?" It's just there to reassure me I have a place in this space.
Meantime, listening is an equal part of a conversation. Until my brain moves on from its trivia stage, I think the world should be grateful for my Facebook silence.
Nothing.
Again and again, fingers poised over the keyboard, suckered into believing I should answer, I realise there's nothing on my mind but trivia--stuff that shouldn't decently be shared. Stuff like "ick, morning breath tastes awful".
But if I think of Facebook as a conversation, then I understand that "what's on your mind?" is a meaningless greeting, like a salesperson's "can I help you?" It's just there to reassure me I have a place in this space.
Meantime, listening is an equal part of a conversation. Until my brain moves on from its trivia stage, I think the world should be grateful for my Facebook silence.
17 March 2010
Query Letters
Don't ask me--read Angela James' advice over at Carina Press. Query letters are your first contact with editors/agents. I guess getting them right is like putting on deoderant before you go to a job interview.
I cringed when I read Angela's first do-not: Don't start with a rhetorical question.
Buuu-uuut, I wail. I love rhetorical questions. Apparently, editors don't.
Wisdom: Give editors/agents what they want, not what you want them to want.
I cringed when I read Angela's first do-not: Don't start with a rhetorical question.
Buuu-uuut, I wail. I love rhetorical questions. Apparently, editors don't.
Wisdom: Give editors/agents what they want, not what you want them to want.
Goodreads
I've finally joined Goodreads and I'm so looking forward to recommendations based on my book ratings. Cosy mysteries, light hearted romance, fantasies,...Heaven. I've added a badge linking to my Goodreads page. It's way down the bottom of the page.
16 March 2010
Politically Correct Language
Everyone can point to occasions when under the guise of "political correctness" weird stuff has happened. It's still worth respecting the concept.
I remember studying sociology years ago and trying to come to grips with the gender bias of language--and the way academics were attempting to highlight and tackle it. Herstory for History (which I find clever). But more clumsy was the contraction s/he. Or all the times we went plural, they/them. In the end a lot of authors resolved the issue (to their own and editors' satisfaction, at any rate) by switching genders. "He" for a while, then an equally anonymous "She".
But the important point was that authors and readers considered the gender, racial, class and other biases embedded in language. We became aware of prejudices and preconceptions. We learned that language conveyed more than the information we wanted to communicate. Word choice carried and revealed assumptions of how the world/society worked.
As a writer (and here I'm including blogging) political correctness is a useful tool. Through it you can see your work with different eyes, even challenge some of the assumptions embedded in its language--does your market share them? Are you revealed as the person you want to be?
Having said all that, I don't obsess about political correctness. I suspect there are many times when my casual rambling transgresses what someone else would perceive as the line in the sand. For those times, I apologise.
See, the important point of political correctness for me is that it's a tool that blunts the cutting edge of language.
When we read, we put things into the words the author wrote. Sometimes we read things the author never intended. We can be hurt by words. Words are clumsy. Communication is fraught with risk.
By respecting political correctness, by using its language, I blunt the capacity for my words to hurt. Politically correct language is a tool I'm grateful for.
I remember studying sociology years ago and trying to come to grips with the gender bias of language--and the way academics were attempting to highlight and tackle it. Herstory for History (which I find clever). But more clumsy was the contraction s/he. Or all the times we went plural, they/them. In the end a lot of authors resolved the issue (to their own and editors' satisfaction, at any rate) by switching genders. "He" for a while, then an equally anonymous "She".
But the important point was that authors and readers considered the gender, racial, class and other biases embedded in language. We became aware of prejudices and preconceptions. We learned that language conveyed more than the information we wanted to communicate. Word choice carried and revealed assumptions of how the world/society worked.
As a writer (and here I'm including blogging) political correctness is a useful tool. Through it you can see your work with different eyes, even challenge some of the assumptions embedded in its language--does your market share them? Are you revealed as the person you want to be?
Having said all that, I don't obsess about political correctness. I suspect there are many times when my casual rambling transgresses what someone else would perceive as the line in the sand. For those times, I apologise.
See, the important point of political correctness for me is that it's a tool that blunts the cutting edge of language.
When we read, we put things into the words the author wrote. Sometimes we read things the author never intended. We can be hurt by words. Words are clumsy. Communication is fraught with risk.
By respecting political correctness, by using its language, I blunt the capacity for my words to hurt. Politically correct language is a tool I'm grateful for.
Navigating the eReader Confusion
Wired provides a quick rundown on ereaders, rating them and giving snappy advice. Being in Australia, I'm not sure Kindle's that great for me, so I'll continue to wait. Having bought Microsoft Vista soon after it launched, I'm totally burnt about buying anything until lots of people have bought, used and called a new technology product awesome (which no one's ever likely to do for Vista).
15 March 2010
The Pottery Mug
The mug is blue glazed
with a thumbprint on the handle
and the slight wobble of a learner's touch.
I drink from it every day,
coffee sweet with memories:
the shy smile of the creator's gifting
and my answering, joyous hug.
I could buy mass-produced perfection,
but I'd rather live with love.
with a thumbprint on the handle
and the slight wobble of a learner's touch.
I drink from it every day,
coffee sweet with memories:
the shy smile of the creator's gifting
and my answering, joyous hug.
I could buy mass-produced perfection,
but I'd rather live with love.
Bookstore Heaven
You absolutely have to look at BoingBoing to understand when I say, heaven is an opera house with books. And once you're there, click through the Guardian link. There are amazing bookstores.
Syria by Warwick Ball
Syria by Warwick Ball is one of those rare books that delivers what it promises: a historical and architectural guide to Syria. It is written with good humour, enthusiasm and clarity, and includes photos of sites mentioned.
It's also one of the reasons I haven't had books to review, here. I've been working my way through Syria, trying to visualise and mentally map the journey across time and space.
The book is not about contemporary political and social Syria. It is the bleached bones of history, the country's architectural skeleton. It invites the reader to share the romance that can be woven over the remnants.
It's also one of the reasons I haven't had books to review, here. I've been working my way through Syria, trying to visualise and mentally map the journey across time and space.
The book is not about contemporary political and social Syria. It is the bleached bones of history, the country's architectural skeleton. It invites the reader to share the romance that can be woven over the remnants.
13 March 2010
Ludwig Schongauer, Elephant Engraving, 15th century
.jpg)
Re-interpreting the unknown to make it familiar and human-sized. Cow, horse, elephant. Makes me wonder where our twenty first century vision is distorted by ignorance.
[Wikimedia]
"Centauri Calling" published at Every Day Fiction
It's a joy to write a story that you still find funny on the seventeenth read through. "Centauri Calling", at Every Day Fiction, is one.
Writers' Block
Some people argue writers' block doesn't exist, that it's an excuse and you should tough things out. Sound familiar? A bit like exercise in the gym?
I think writers' block is like pain. It's a warning sign.
When my novel freezes on me and I'm sitting at the computer typing s-l-o-w-l-y, and then, deleting, the chances are I've written myself into a blind alley. Usually (because I have problems being nasty to my characters) the issue is I've skipped over or avoided a conflict that I should have developed and explored. Create and harvest tension. When things are dragging, I get writers' block. It's my pain signal--probably designed to save the reader from boredom :)
One final point. Writers' block can be a sign your energy is going somewhere else--into fighting an illness, dealing with personal issues, taking up a cause. Although I wish otherwise, our energy has limits. If you want to write, you have to prioritise your writing. Sometimes there is good reason your writing comes second, but then, you can't beat yourself up about writers' block.
I think writers' block is like pain. It's a warning sign.
When my novel freezes on me and I'm sitting at the computer typing s-l-o-w-l-y, and then, deleting, the chances are I've written myself into a blind alley. Usually (because I have problems being nasty to my characters) the issue is I've skipped over or avoided a conflict that I should have developed and explored. Create and harvest tension. When things are dragging, I get writers' block. It's my pain signal--probably designed to save the reader from boredom :)
One final point. Writers' block can be a sign your energy is going somewhere else--into fighting an illness, dealing with personal issues, taking up a cause. Although I wish otherwise, our energy has limits. If you want to write, you have to prioritise your writing. Sometimes there is good reason your writing comes second, but then, you can't beat yourself up about writers' block.
Parasite at the Wheel
Very cool article raising the question of just who is driving our bodies. Parasites can alter host bodies and behaviour, even against the host's interests. Lots of SF possibilities here.
[link via Mind Hacks]
[link via Mind Hacks]
Combustible Ice
Just the phrase "combustible ice" is worth clicking through to Phys Org. The photo is freaky. Can you really hold fire in your hands?
12 March 2010
Is there an original idea in my head?
Yes, I know all my posts, today, are links. This could be because
a) everyone else is smarter and funnier than me--true
b) the night was horrendously hot, the day will be worse, and my brain is boiling, but not with plot ideas--unfortunately true
a) everyone else is smarter and funnier than me--true
b) the night was horrendously hot, the day will be worse, and my brain is boiling, but not with plot ideas--unfortunately true
A blog for writers
There's a lot of advice (and encouragement) out there for writers. Deb Salisbury does a great job of collecting the links in digestible bundles. Adding to my "Great Sites, Wonderful People" list.
Writers paid by page view
The article's at GalleyCat about Gawker.
As a writer, is being paid by page view terrifying or liberating?
As a reader, will the policy cause an increase or decrease in quality? Tabloids prove trash sells. But there is a loyalty issue which I'd suspect comes from quality--and perhaps from the previous post's message--sustain a community. It's the online challenge.
As a writer, is being paid by page view terrifying or liberating?
As a reader, will the policy cause an increase or decrease in quality? Tabloids prove trash sells. But there is a loyalty issue which I'd suspect comes from quality--and perhaps from the previous post's message--sustain a community. It's the online challenge.
Moderating and Sustaining an Online Community
Teresa Nielsen Hayden and John Scalzi are experts at moderating their communities. Thoughtful discussion.
Computers as an Extension of Ourselves
Interesting idea that tools become an extension of ourselves. Over at Wired they discuss a study of computer blips and human cognitive response.
I know when I scrape a tyre on a curb (I'm not really a bad driver), I wince and cringe as if my body's been struck, and it's always the part of the body closest to the rogue tyre.
I know when I scrape a tyre on a curb (I'm not really a bad driver), I wince and cringe as if my body's been struck, and it's always the part of the body closest to the rogue tyre.
11 March 2010
Steampunk and Corsets
Steampunk is being asked for from an increasing number of romance publishers. So when I saw Gail Carriger's post I straight away thought, "link it, then you'll have it saved". Why is steampunk sexy? I think it's all about possibilities (technological and fantastical) and going back to an era where you can have the heroine deliciously constrained by social convention (and costume) and breaking free.
Why was I over at Gail's blog? Because Changeless is coming out soon and I have it on pre-order, and I want it now!
Why was I over at Gail's blog? Because Changeless is coming out soon and I have it on pre-order, and I want it now!
The Twa Corbies by Arthur Rackham
[Illustration for Some British Ballads, Wikimedia]
I know it's a bit gruesome if you think about the details, but it's a gorgeous illustration. Hunched glee.
Farmville?
I've only just joined Facebook, looked at and abandoned Twitter as hyperactive, and now, here's something called Farmville. Is this like Secondlife? and if it is, is this what the Mind Hacks article I linked to in a previous article was talking about as a place for enemy agents to infiltrate and sabotage minds? When is a virtual cow not a virtual cow? When it's a saboteur.
GalleyCat raised the subject of Farmville, giving impressive user stats.
I wish the real world would stop being so complicated/bizarre--publishers chasing readers through an Alice in Wonderland virtual landscape. I think I've gone down the rabbit hole, and I really need to emerge and write before the day heats up to boiling point. Can't someone tell the weather it's no longer summer?
GalleyCat raised the subject of Farmville, giving impressive user stats.
I wish the real world would stop being so complicated/bizarre--publishers chasing readers through an Alice in Wonderland virtual landscape. I think I've gone down the rabbit hole, and I really need to emerge and write before the day heats up to boiling point. Can't someone tell the weather it's no longer summer?
Looking for relevant statistics?
Okay, so The Onion's stats mightn't be mainstream topics, but they're made up, just like everyone else's. Plus, they're funny. I love the one giving property protection strategies.
"Naked Memory" comments
Over at Every Day Poets people have commented on "Naked Memory", gifting me with their response to it, and their kindness is life affirming. That old line, "dependent on the kindness of stranger" has never struck me as despairing or pathetic. In journeying, strangers are a delight.
10 March 2010
Giggle
Always check the ads blogger puts beside a successful post notification. They're unintentionally hilarious. Apparently "pooing" in the poetry post below can only apply to babies. I got a ton of baby ads. Silverfish in nappies, anyone?
They Ate Jane Austen
No curse could be as damning
as the naming
silverfish.
Mindless masticators
slithering through decay.
Feeding on the current moment,
pooing out the past.
[Silverfish ate a beautiful copy of Persuasion. I still haven't forgiven them.]
as the naming
silverfish.
Mindless masticators
slithering through decay.
Feeding on the current moment,
pooing out the past.
[Silverfish ate a beautiful copy of Persuasion. I still haven't forgiven them.]
Apocalyptic Agriculture
Thanks to BoingBoing I considered the whole survivalist food issue. Why bother with seed sowing when you can eat weeds--that's weeds plural, not weed.
"Naked Memory" published at Every Day Poets
"Naked Memory" is one of those poems that presented with the first couple of lines and the feeling, and then I had to slave over it. I'm pleased, though, with how it turned out. Sharing the experience of how when we look back we see possibilities we didn't have the life experience to see before.
09 March 2010
Will ebooks be more than books?
GalleyCat raises the question of reviewing enhanced ebooks. Do you review the text or the whole experience? And what an experience. The comments hint at some of the changes ebooks could hit plain text with. Good or bad? Depends what experience you're looking for.
Neuro-sabotage through the Net
I can be naive at times, and I know war is, by definition, violent but "degrading" people's neurological and physiological systems is horrifying. And there's talk of embedding negative effects in online activities. Will this save lives and suffering, or is it camoflage for torturing the enemy? I don't have the expertise to judge, but I can be appalled.
Link at Mind Hacks.
Link at Mind Hacks.
Mammoth Mistake
The mammoth stayed in frozen death
as they drove it from the tundra.
And still in ice it sailed
far off to Mexico.
The drug lords thought to use it
to spice their killing trade.
"Mammoth shock" and "Mammoth awe".
But they'd forgotten 'bout the sun.
The mammoth melted.
The mammoth rotted.
The mammoth stunk to heaven.
They pushed that mammoth from the ice lab
and splashed it in the sea.
The pity is they overlooked
the bug that melted right along
with good old Mammoth B.
That bug that melted into life
and now infects
the drug lord barony.
[Clumsy, unrhymed, I know, but about mammoths.]
as they drove it from the tundra.
And still in ice it sailed
far off to Mexico.
The drug lords thought to use it
to spice their killing trade.
"Mammoth shock" and "Mammoth awe".
But they'd forgotten 'bout the sun.
The mammoth melted.
The mammoth rotted.
The mammoth stunk to heaven.
They pushed that mammoth from the ice lab
and splashed it in the sea.
The pity is they overlooked
the bug that melted right along
with good old Mammoth B.
That bug that melted into life
and now infects
the drug lord barony.
[Clumsy, unrhymed, I know, but about mammoths.]
Mammoths
Mammoths and Mastodons has just opened at the field museum. I wish I could believe the show would make it to Perth. Australia has giant fossils, but mammoths stir the imagination because we have human rock art of them and their frozen bodies can be found in Siberia. They are almost of our age. Fearsome.
08 March 2010
Wodehouse Contest
If you're a Wodehouse fanatic you can't miss this contest from the Book Depository.
I've joined Facebook
I've dipped a toe into the waters of social networking and joined Facebook, even managing to introduce the badge to this blog page (a matter of a couple of mouse clicks, but I take my wins where I can when the issue is technology and me). Will Facebook be fun, fearful or irrelevant? Definitely a challenge for a natural introvert.
Backlists
Over at Dear Author Jane asked what people would like to say to publishers. Well, actually she asked readers what they'd like to say. If you ask writers, the answer is always "publish my book".
The post and comments are interesting reading. What caught my eye was how much dedicated readers want access to backlists. Speaking as a reader, it's not that we become obsessive when we discover a favourite author (honestly, not obsessive), but the promise of renewing our involvement in a wonderful book adventure is too much to resist. We want backlists. We chase them through libraries, book stores and sales. Some of us even have sad little lists of desired titles.
If I was to put money on changes wrought by ebooks, I'd say "backlists are coming".
The post and comments are interesting reading. What caught my eye was how much dedicated readers want access to backlists. Speaking as a reader, it's not that we become obsessive when we discover a favourite author (honestly, not obsessive), but the promise of renewing our involvement in a wonderful book adventure is too much to resist. We want backlists. We chase them through libraries, book stores and sales. Some of us even have sad little lists of desired titles.
If I was to put money on changes wrought by ebooks, I'd say "backlists are coming".
Data Visualisation
Writing a book can be a great excuse to be nosy about things that interest you. My urban fantasy novel creates a hidden world of magic co-existing but invisible to contemporary life. One aspect, the aspect that touches Lyn (the heroine) most closely, is travel in the Between. Linked to the New York portal, she sees patterns in the Between's synaesthetic environment. I've enjoyed describing the Between, but I'm aware the descriptions lack a real world frame. I suspect the amazing grows in strength if the reader can pin it to a real world base, no matter how much it spins and changes from there. I'm hoping that as I learn a bit more about data visualisation, its models and patterns of data and story telling will help to ground the bizarre, mind-stretching but conceivable experience of the Between.
06 March 2010
Writing Reviews is Difficult
Since I allow myself the luxury of not summarising a book's plot/premise in my reviews, I thought the process of reviewing would be fun and easy. Well, it is fun, but it's not always easy.
The trouble is spoilers. They just creep in. Often there is just a smal niggle with a book, but if I mention it...there goes a spoiler. So what's a reviewer to do? Ignore the niggle (that's generally my choice), highlight "spoiler alert" as a warning and go ahead, or spell out the niggle without any warning (not fair at all, in my opinion).
If you don't mention the niggles in your review, is the review unbalanced and unfair to readers?
Pretty much if I review a book on this blog, I think it's worth reading. So are the niggles I identify something that would be useful highlighting if I was a beta reader (pre-publication) but otherwise best left unshared?
The trouble is spoilers. They just creep in. Often there is just a smal niggle with a book, but if I mention it...there goes a spoiler. So what's a reviewer to do? Ignore the niggle (that's generally my choice), highlight "spoiler alert" as a warning and go ahead, or spell out the niggle without any warning (not fair at all, in my opinion).
If you don't mention the niggles in your review, is the review unbalanced and unfair to readers?
Pretty much if I review a book on this blog, I think it's worth reading. So are the niggles I identify something that would be useful highlighting if I was a beta reader (pre-publication) but otherwise best left unshared?
Dragon flying is like riding a bike
For a short sharp explanation of why there are limits to the rule "write what you know", read Patricia Wrede's recent post. Very funny. Good advice, too.
The Price of Freedom--Cover Art Creation
Have you seen the great covers coming out of Carina Press, and they haven't even launched? A quick scroll through their blog will show you why I was thrilled to receive a copy of their art fact sheet this morning. One step closer to a cover for The Price of Freedom.
As a writer, seeing my work illustrated is like cream cheese icing on carrot cake--almost better than the cake itself. A great cover is literally thrilling. I'm in awe of the artists who can take words and create engaging visions. I wonder if they have any idea the gift they give writers?
As a writer, seeing my work illustrated is like cream cheese icing on carrot cake--almost better than the cake itself. A great cover is literally thrilling. I'm in awe of the artists who can take words and create engaging visions. I wonder if they have any idea the gift they give writers?
Ebooks and Advertising
There is talk around the Net that ebooks might in future be sold with advertising. More proof there's nothing new under the sun. I have old copies of British novels published cheaply in the 1930s and they come with pages of advertising at the back. And although I'm 80 years too late to buy the products, I often glance at the ads. If ads keep publishing viable, and they're not embedded in the story, why not?
05 March 2010
March is looking good
I'm to have two of my poems published this month, "Naked Memory" at Every Day Poets and "Hate Circles the City" in Paper Crow. Following on from being part of Star*line, I think that's pretty good. In fact, I'm distinctly happy.
04 March 2010
How to sell your book to an agent
Over at Galleycat they have some great advice from Allison Pang, a debut urban fantasy author, on how she secured an agent.
Know your market (ie, read what's out there and make sure you're pitching to the right people and that your vision is fresh).
Agents are not beta-readers. The manuscript that lands in an agent's inbox has to be the best it can be. Critically attack and improve your novel before you send it out.
Be positive. If you've prepared your MS and researched and polished your submission proposal to the nth degree, then you should have confidence in it and yourself. If you don't, why should an agent?
Know your market (ie, read what's out there and make sure you're pitching to the right people and that your vision is fresh).
Agents are not beta-readers. The manuscript that lands in an agent's inbox has to be the best it can be. Critically attack and improve your novel before you send it out.
Be positive. If you've prepared your MS and researched and polished your submission proposal to the nth degree, then you should have confidence in it and yourself. If you don't, why should an agent?
Moringa amazing
Imagine a cheap, local water purification method, and it comes from a tree, moringa oleifera. Two links, Phys Org for the water purification method and Wikipedia for a general rundown on a very useful plant.
I love to see science re-revealing the world to us. Looking at the world in new ways is one of the pleasures of science fiction reading and writing, but our imaginations are seldom as weird as the things scientists show to be real.
I love to see science re-revealing the world to us. Looking at the world in new ways is one of the pleasures of science fiction reading and writing, but our imaginations are seldom as weird as the things scientists show to be real.
Rossetti's La Ghirlandata
[Wikimedia]
My angel archivist heroine in "Stolen Knowledge" (working title) bears a passing resemblance to La Ghirlandata. But Sara would hit someone with a harp, not pluck it. She's a very busy angel, saving lives and dealing with a devious, attractive, devastatingly Australian djinni.
Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley
When I finished Chocolate Wishes by Trisha Ashley I felt as contented as a cat basking in the sun. The story is an appealing mix of village life, friendship and family spiced with angels and other worldly intrigue. It provides a happy ending for every character who wants happiness--snobs and money-chasers are left to stew in their own juice. For all its light alternative characters, the phrase "morality play" kept returning to me.
I could share a couple of minor quibbles, but they didn't affect my enjoyment, and they'd be spoilers.
It was lovely to meet characters from A Winter's Tale, like Hebe Winter.
The cover is simply gorgeous.
A delightful book, and I'm happy to confess I ate chocolate while I read it.
I could share a couple of minor quibbles, but they didn't affect my enjoyment, and they'd be spoilers.
It was lovely to meet characters from A Winter's Tale, like Hebe Winter.
The cover is simply gorgeous.
A delightful book, and I'm happy to confess I ate chocolate while I read it.
Ace/Roc Preview and Giveaway, Spring 2010
Anne Soward's popped in at Dear Author with a list of about to be released books from Ace/Roc and a chance to win copies. I've already pre-ordered Silver Borne and Bewitched and Betrayed. Now I'm wondering if I can afford to buy any others--I never win web giveaways and have accepted this fact of life. Happy reading.
03 March 2010
Mosque in Bourke Cemetery, NSW
I came across this picture of a heritage building while researching Afghan cameleers in Australia. [Thanks to the people who posted it on Wikimedia] Poignant.
Butterflies in the Tummy
I just sent an email where I joked about the thousand butterflies in my tum when I submit a story to an editor. Turns out I wasn't joking. Our guts are our "second brain" and far more complicated and mood-influencing than we realise.
How many people buy books they'll never read?
Very occasionally I'll pick up a one or two dollar secondhand book that I never get around to reading. Generally it's because I recognise the author and think I should taste their work.
However, I never buy a new book that I don't immediately gobble up. I have an intense reading habit.
This post is in the nature of peering over the fence at alien beings, people who buy a book so they can play a part in conversations about the book. Do such people exist or are they an urban myth? Do people really buy books by fashion, uncaring of what's between the covers?
However, I never buy a new book that I don't immediately gobble up. I have an intense reading habit.
This post is in the nature of peering over the fence at alien beings, people who buy a book so they can play a part in conversations about the book. Do such people exist or are they an urban myth? Do people really buy books by fashion, uncaring of what's between the covers?
02 March 2010
Juno Books Submissions Open
Urban Fantasy and a strong female protagonist. Why o why haven't I finished my novel? It's exactly right for the Juno guidelines--except it's not finished. Cry rivers of tears, then type faster.
The Old Silent by Martha Grimes
The Old Silent by Martha Grimes is one of her Inspector Richard Jury mystery series. As they all are, it's an atypical mystery, more interested in then journey than the resolution. It is elegantly odd, each character retreating into their own preoccupation. It is rather like watching shadows. Only Macalvie is definite, but then, his retreat is his police work. For the rest, even the children, readers remain bemused outsiders, exiled from the characters' inner lives, aware those lives are strong.
Does all this sound daunting? It's not. The novel is more than elegantly odd. It is elusively seductive.
Does all this sound daunting? It's not. The novel is more than elegantly odd. It is elusively seductive.
Thistles by Ted Hughes
Just because I haven't been raving about it, doesn't mean I haven't been reading the Oxford Book of Short Poems. "Thistles" by Ted Hughes is stunning. I can't pick a favourite line because the short, sharp poem builds on itself with utter perfection. This is the standard to measure poetry by.
The Dragon Bride
Short Story Me has published my story, "The Dragon Bride". I had a great time writing this funny fantasy. I hope others enjoy reading it.
01 March 2010
Afghan cameleers
I warned you I'd be boring on about a djinni arriving in Australia and being part of a camel train. Here's the beginning of the research.
Reader Expectations
My tip of the day: always check the copyright date in the front pages. For a novel (unless it's historical or speculative) that gives you a sense of the setting. Otherwise you're left wondering why the stupid characters didn't use their cell phones to get organised, or google for data. Contemporaries aren't always contemporary.
Tools of Change Conference
For all of us who didn't attend the Tools of Change Conference, Jane at Dear Author provides a great overview (and the discussion in comments is interesting, too).
Ariana Huffington, at the conference, suggested book reviews should be conversation starters, not enders.
It makes me wonder if I'm being overly self-indulgent posting my reviews here. I should be over at other people's sites being part of a conversation. **wail** but I'm shy!
Ariana Huffington, at the conference, suggested book reviews should be conversation starters, not enders.
It makes me wonder if I'm being overly self-indulgent posting my reviews here. I should be over at other people's sites being part of a conversation. **wail** but I'm shy!
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