February 28, 2005
bye-bye baby
The clouds were torn bits of wool spread wide by the long, thin fingers of the sun. Flurries of snow gusted over the landscape, sometimes a light dusting, sometimes a fierce howl, then back to gentle spots of chilly white dancing on the breeze.
Amidst this odd weather -- sun and snow, fierce and gentle -- I put my secondborn book in a box, sealed her up, and placed her in the rough hands of a government employee. Today, she begins a four-day journey east, to a weary city by the sea.
Should she return to me, tattered and tired, covered in red or nothing at all, I will pick her up, put her in my lap, and tell her it's all right -- we learned a lot from this. We'll take what we got from it and build something new. We'll send her forth again, but in the meantime -- life goes on.
But should she leave me a message on my voice mail saying someone loved her just as much as I do, me and my book are going to celebrate. Preferably with fondue. And a full body massage. And a copy of the new Cake album.
Time will tell. I just hope I'm ready for what it has to say when it gets around to the telling.
I'm alternating between wanting to scream, wanting to throw up, and wanting to cry. I haven't done this in nearly a decade. Last time I did, I was proud and young, and assumed the world would bow down before my majesty.
Now I'm older, and I like to think I know better. I remember all the nights I came home after curfew to find my mother awake and waiting for me. She would call out softly to me, make sure I was all right, and then slip back to bed, silent as a mouse.
My own waiting now begins.
Posted by sdshaver at 03:46 PM | TrackBack
February 27, 2005
take to the sky
All printed. Final page count with double spacing -- 750 pages.
It's printed. I'm done for the night. My nerves are shot and I'm starved. Time to eat, relax, and do some knitting.
It'll go out tomorrow at lunch. Any of you who love me and want me to succeed, send some prayers sometime next week toward the publishing houses in New York.
- this house is like russia
with eyes cold and grey
you got me moving in a circle
i dyed my hair red today
Posted by sdshaver at 11:40 PM | TrackBack
...
Heart palpitations in the printer paper aisle of Office Max? Check.
Microsoft Word doing stupid crap? Check.
Book halfway printed? Checkity check check check.
My fear now is that I'll misprint and not notice, or pages will print blank, or...well, you get the idea. With over 600 pages to print, there's a fantastically wide margin of possible error here.
Good thing I'm an obsessive compulsive bitch!
- we were once so close to heaven
peter came out and gave us medals
declaring us the nicest of the damned
Posted by sdshaver at 05:53 PM | TrackBack
argh
Mine eyes canst take no more.
I have about 15 chapters to go. Since I've figured out that the stuff I haven't touched since the copy-edit is more or less solid, I'm focusing on sections that were changed in the last 30 days, which is speeding up the process tremendously.
Should be set to print tomorrow.
I digitized several old CDs tonight, including the Clannad soundtrack to Robin of Sherwood and Enya's Watermark. This is the stuff I used to listen to rather fervently while writing in the early 90s. A little too synth-heavy for me now, but a nice change from Jimmy Eat World, Pain, and Tori.
Bed now.
- Slowly, I look around.
An angry sight for every sound.
We stood with troubles all around.
Posted by sdshaver at 03:18 AM | TrackBack
February 26, 2005
clop clop CLANG CLANG clop clop
- "His hands skimmed over leather belts and metal buckets...."
Because a horse's riding tact really just isn't complete without the metal buckets.
Adventures in manuscript reading.
Posted by sdshaver at 01:13 PM | TrackBack
read through through through
Nine chapters, five hours, eyes bleeding, done for now, will finish tomorrow.
The sections that need the most work are the ones I added recently. Everything I print-edited seems to be fine (quelle shock).
Wrote 1200 words in the outline for the second book. Unintended words. I guess re-reading the first one is making the second one want to be written, and already many of the plot things I didn't know how to do are resolving themselves (will she or nill she).
That's imagicnation for you. I always doubt it, and it always works out. My subconscious is a mysterious, crazy lady.
So -- the squalling child goes away on Monday. "Safe and Sound" seems to be a weekend thing; I expect to finish it on Sunday. I'll outline PotSK during the weekdays. If all goes well on that front, I should be able to start cutting into it with actual pages next week-ish.
Wheeeeeeeeeeee.
Posted by sdshaver at 02:54 AM | TrackBack
February 25, 2005
hey everyone
I hope people out there aren't worrying about me. I realize I complain about being tired a lot, and I'm sorry if that's made some of you think I'm whipping myself to death.
Truth is, I sleep in on weekends, take naps when I deem it's prudent, and generally take days off if I feel like utter crap.
Don't worry about me. I know to take care of myself. I'm obsessing a bit over the screaming child right now, but it's because I really, really, really want her to succeed. In three days, she gets kicked out the door. Then I get my life back for a while.
On that note, read through three chapters tonight. Fixed exposition in 37. Qeta is wonderful for getting to the point.
Wasted at least an hour trying to find a way to make Word automate continuous page numbers. If anyone knows, please tell me. I found at least two tutorials and neither worked. Maybe I'm just dumb. Or maybe Word sucks for writing novels.
Sleep now.
Posted by sdshaver at 02:25 AM | TrackBack
February 24, 2005
more reading aloud
Only two chapters again, but I spent time in later chapters supplementing knowledge. Finding insertion points (and yes, that does sound vaguely dirty) was difficult.
Just a gentle reminder to self: OUTLINES GOOD.
Meetings ran late. And then me and mom talked for over a half hour. My intestinal thing continues to be bothersome. If it hasn't made some progress toward better by Sunday, I'm calling the doc.
Making it an early night. Elf need sleep badly.
- we'll run away together
we'll spend some time forever
we'll never feel bad anymore
Posted by sdshaver at 01:49 AM | TrackBack
February 23, 2005
when professionals attack
Found a couple interesting blogs today:
- Polite Dissent: Fact Check of Medicine in Comics and TV
- Suspension of Disbelief: A Fact Check for Comic Books
Fascinatin'.
Heading home to read me some book.
Posted by sdshaver at 08:57 PM | TrackBack
reading aloud
Okay, so that took a little longer than I was expecting. Hmmm. I need a glass of water....
Two chapters tonight, but I started late (was at work until 10 PM -- don't ask) and I didn't bring a glass of water downstairs and I had IMs and email to answer. Tomorrow I'll start earlier, be sure to hydrate, and turn off the distractions.
Posted by sdshaver at 01:35 AM | TrackBack
February 22, 2005
ch. 41
Chapter 41 edits entered.
I'll be spending Tuesday - Friday reading the book aloud in the privacy of my own home (yes...I read it with different voices for different characters; okay, I'm a dork).
BUT at this point I'm done with major story editing. Any first readers who get a hold of it from here on out will either have to be marathon readers or just enjoy the book; not that their input won't be useful. If the book gets rejected, I'm turning to THEM for answers.
And thanks to Mel, Bwi, Donna, Marie, Skippy, and Jeff for their monumental helpfulness in getting the tale to a point where I can feel at least a little comfortable sending her out.
It'll be good to work on something else while SoS is going around. I think that's the only way I'll be able to keep sane.
Yes sir, next five years are gonna be ve-r-r-r-ry interesting.
I really hope it sells. I want so very much to tell the next two installments. Reigning in my imagination on this matter is very difficult. :)
Posted by sdshaver at 02:39 AM | TrackBack
February 21, 2005
dayjob
Intestinal tract still unhappy. It was before the Saturday party; I won't go into graphic description, but meetings would be nearly impossible today.
So I stayed home. And now I'm adding the changes to 41 inbetween the couch and the washroom.
Because the bugger reads like I was half-asleep when I rewrote it...and surprise, I was.
Posted by sdshaver at 03:51 PM | TrackBack
plzturnthevolumedownonthesun
I was sick, sick, sick this weekend. Mostly due to my own stupidity.
And because of my own stupidity, no progress on any stories, aside from some entered changes for 16. I'm such a moron.
So, to recap, one glass of red wine with dinner -- good! Three shots of vodka in a row -- bad!
You may be able to intuit from this that I don't drink often. You would be right. Most of the time I see alcohol as a waste of a) money and b) braincells. I'm not sure what possessed me last night. Whatever it was, it drank a little too much and now I gotta accept the damages. Namely, that my writing schedule is fscked.
Bein' a grown-up sucks.
Posted by sdshaver at 01:07 AM | TrackBack
February 19, 2005
refined
Refining edits done. Thanks to the excellent suggestions of my first readers. I have to go through and read it aloud -- which I'll do most of this week. I also have to enter in hardcopy edits for 16 and 41.
Next week at this time, I'll be printing a double-spaced version, packaging it up, and shipping it off to New York slushpileland.
Yay!
Tomorrow is baking and a party, and I probably won't write anything of major substance.
Sunday -- out loud readings, outline-o-rama, and I suspect I'll finish "Safe and Sound" and start handing it out to the first readers to tell me if it sucks or not.
Sunday of next week -- I start the story of the girl with a sword.
Posted by sdshaver at 03:44 AM | TrackBack
February 18, 2005
fuuuuuuuuuuuudge
Did I mention Myr's world is also sneaky?
I made the changes to the fight in 40/41. Much stronger and better and Myr said something that reminded me of why I Love Her, and also set up stuff for next book.
this is utterly useless info to you. the spastic tom trying to take over my keyboard says: neeeeeeed bed.
Posted by sdshaver at 03:10 AM | TrackBack
scene-by-scene
Making it an early night tonight. I wanted to write, but between aikido and dinner and finding a mold monster hiding in my pantry, I'm exhausted.
However, while I got nothing done on SoS today, I did three pages of outline on that other book I've been kicking around since my forced vacation on Saturday.
Explain, woman!
In my spare time, I've been jotting down a scene-by-scene for the other, non-Myr book. I'm calling it "path of the sun king", but I guarantee that won't be its name by the time I finish. (Also, it has nothing to do with Louis XIV).
I've never written a scene-by-scene before, but I have a very good idea of where the story's beginning, middle, and end is, what the major conflict is, and what the four characters are like. I'm six pages in. It's a good exercise, and one I wanted to do with something non-Myr first.
All that said, I hope to start on it in March, while also working on scene-by-scenes for the next two Myr books and biting my nails off waiting for the publishers to hate my second book. Ain't writing anything more in Myr's world, though, unless someone decides they want more of her.
Because of the relative simplicity of the story (simple compared to the web of secrets, lies, and mysterious dealings going on in Myr's world) I project that if I was allowed to just write it, I could do so in three months.
(Deep breath.)
Yes. I said three months.
So anyway, that's the plan as it stands, man.
I'm off to watch Bleach. and then bed.
Posted by sdshaver at 12:51 AM | TrackBack
February 17, 2005
jenga 2
Chapter 16 scene updated with a merging of the best of the last write. About 1,000 words added.
The only thing I'll miss is Erim getting slammed face-first into the ground because he's an overconfident bastard. And I can't use it in the next book because by then he'll...oh wait, no, he'll still be an overconfident bastard. Nevermind.
Printing the changes. Time to examine. Will fix 39 and 40 tomorrow night (maybe). Since those are the tail end of the book, I can go jenga-crazy with it. Just so long as it fits everything that comes before it (and it most definitely will), it'll be fine.
Oh man. In 11 days I print the monstrosity and send her off to be kicked to the curb. I already know what I'm writing next. Life is weird!
Posted by sdshaver at 12:25 AM | TrackBack
February 16, 2005
sanctuary, SANCTUARY! (rings bell)
The Thieves' World series got revived? Where was I when THAT snowball made the transit safely through hell?
I loved that series as a young 'un. I'd kill to write a story for a TW anthology. (And when it comes to Sanctuary, the murderous route to achieve any goal is not completely unexpected.)
Posted by sdshaver at 07:14 PM | TrackBack
jenga jam
Well, so much for that schedule. I rewrote one of the scenes, and it promptly disemboweled acres of setup across the board. Jenga!
So, with a hearty RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! I will spend tomorrow night backpedaling, incorporating what I can, and ditching most of the change. The pacing was good. I can keep that.
I liked the new fight sequence, too. Ah well. Maybe for another book.
Posted by sdshaver at 02:06 AM | TrackBack
epic, baby
Just reading the table of contents of the reader-created Wheel of Time FAQ makes me feel tiny.
Thassalotta story.
Posted by sdshaver at 12:12 AM | TrackBack
February 15, 2005
focus, Pinky, focus!
It's days like this that makes it hard to focus on the terribly exciting dayjob.
And this from someone who actually does not dislike her dayjob. In fact, I like it a great deal (she said, adjusting the Mind Control Helmet). But today, there's way too much cool stuff going on inside my head.
Posted by sdshaver at 06:47 PM | TrackBack
ch. 33 updated
Updated chapter 33 with some clarifications and a much more dramatic "reveal". Updates to 1 and 7, as well.
Tomorrow: One of the big scene rewrites.
Weds: The other big scene rewrite.
Thurs: Any stray threads I've missed. Start out-loud reading.
Sunday: Finish "Safe and Sound", maybe start next outline?
That leaves Friday and Saturday for seeing The Great and Mighty Amy and going to Dear Friend Ann's birthday party.
My name is Stephanie Shaver, Valentine's Day is dead for another year, and I'm going to bed.
Posted by sdshaver at 01:19 AM | TrackBack
February 14, 2005
"v" is for "vendetta"
I remind myself yearly that someday, I won't dread Valentine's Day.
Not to be a drama queen about it, but I can count on my right hand the number of "good" Valentine's Days I've had. It's super happy love-love day for some people. For me, it's the day my ex-boyfriends decide to haunt my sorry ass.
Instead of moping, I'm going to try and rewrite one of the scenes what needs rewritin'. I'm actually looking forward to the day when I print out the monster and jettison it off into the ether.
That'll be the day I start the outline for what I'm tentatively calling THAT BOOK ABOUT THE GIRLS AND THE SUN KING.
For now, though, I rewrite. And listen to Matthew Sweet.
- cuz you need to
get back in the arms of a good friend
Posted by sdshaver at 11:31 PM | TrackBack
heralds and bards
I went through and rewrote half of the story, added an extra 1000 words after I decided 5000 just wasn't enough to tell what I wanted to tell. I also trimmed out three characters and finally gave the dead Herald a name....
...after a coworker who died two years ago, and who is still missed by our little gaming community. Makes sense to immortalize her in a Valdemar story. She was that kind of person. (I miss you, Suz.)
Wrote steadily from 7 to midnight. Am finishing now so I can watch TV and go to bed. I slept twelve hours today, dreamed of going back to SFSU, and woke up to cats on my chest.
I tried to cheat last night, I admit it, but I had a terrible case of vertigo. Made it impossible to sit up and write, so I sat with my notepad and doodled and put down miscellaneous outline thoughts.
I am better today. As for vertigo, I don't recommend it. Not one little bit.
- But in the sky stars smiled upon us...
You are always playing games at night --
We will sew some wings onto each other,
And I will fly and you will fly.
Posted by sdshaver at 12:33 AM | TrackBack
February 12, 2005
idle hands
I.
Am.
So.
Totally.
BORED.
Self-imposed vacations suck. I think I'll go throw myself into the fires of Mount Doom or something.
Posted by sdshaver at 05:01 PM | TrackBack
February 11, 2005
"but, but...."
"Oh, for chrissakes. You're taking two nights off! Stop whimpering!"
My brain doesn't want to take two nights off. My will currently has her foot on my brain's throat and is threatening to kneecap her if she doesn't knock it off.
Sidenote: This is why no one invites me to parties.
Notes made. Minor edits to 8 and 3. I'm going to bed and my self-imposed 48 hour break.
Posted by sdshaver at 02:13 AM | TrackBack
pushy
The creative wires in my brain are crossing in bad ways.
I'm pushy by nature. I curtail it on others, not so much on my own self. That can be good, and it can be teh suck. I'd rather it stay in the good zone, and I can recognize when I'm starting to fray at the edges. So -- self-imposed break to keep form going crazygonuts.
I'll be back Sunday.
Posted by sdshaver at 12:07 AM | TrackBack
February 10, 2005
two more
Two more first readers have finished and weighed in, bringing the grand total to three in less than two weeks.
I finished the character overhauls last night, left myself a note on what I still have to do, wrote a self-pitying post, deleted it.
I'm going to force myself to focus on Lelia in the next week, or outline another book, or (gasp) read someone else's work.
Who knows. Maybe I'll even make a batch of soap.
Posted by sdshaver at 12:07 PM | TrackBack
February 09, 2005
nervous and thin
No rest for the wicked.
Since he's in 28 of 42 chapters, and since it's going to take some time, I'm going to start tonight with reforming Sensen into something more interesting, and less like Qeta's complimentary handpuppet. Though, a handpuppet WOULD be way awesome, especially if I made the two of them like the old guys on the balcony in the Muppet Show...
My laundry is draining again due to a trip to Lowe's and a minor miracle. All praise Saint Lowe's!
- they will see us waving
from such great heights
"come down now," they'll say
Posted by sdshaver at 10:54 PM | TrackBack
the allure of text
Entered a ton of revision notes and updated the known issues page. The bigger problems -- tightening up my fights, doing more with Sensen and one of the other tertiary characters -- are waiting for the weekend since they'll take more concentration and focus.
Also, last night when I said I was going to bed? Nah. Looked at the damn short story. When I looked away again, it was 2:30 AM.
Tonight, though...tonight I go to bed now.
For tomorrow...I face dentistry.
Posted by sdshaver at 01:29 AM | TrackBack
February 08, 2005
commentary
I have six pages of suggestions, commentary, and errors to attend to. Yay! I'll input the ones that are simple errors tomorrow. If I start now, I won't get to bed until 3.
Anyway, it's 1 AM, and I'm wide awake and alert. Was dead tired at 10:30 PM. Going to force myself to bed. Gotta get some sleep so I can get through the workday tomorrow.
Posted by sdshaver at 01:16 AM | TrackBack
February 07, 2005
disquieting
It is intensely weird to be sitting in a car with people who are discussing your characters and which ones they think are cool.
I'm pondering the 5,000 words I wrote yesterday. It wasn't a "good night" or a "bad night". Honestly, until I started reading other writers' blogs, I didn't even notice wordcount, just whether I wrote.
Obviously, outlines are good. I had a clear idea where Lelia was going, what she was going to do, how she was going to get there. So as much as I WANT to jump into the next book, I know better. Outline. Outline. Outline.
Also, I woke up last night convinced that Karsite snipers had drilled a hole in the ceiling and were aiming crossbows at me. I successfully evaded them by throwing my comforter in the air and yelling, "SHIT!" loud enough to wake the dead.
Thus, my exciting nightlife continues.
Posted by sdshaver at 02:58 PM | TrackBack
five hours
Five hours of steady writing, just shy of 5,000 words. The basic story is laid out. I have one scene to write, which I can easily do tomorrow.
After tomorrow I'll give the short story -- which I'm tentatively calling "Safe and Sound" -- a rest for a week so I can re-read it with fresh eyes. I'm about on schedule, too. W00t.
It's odd to write a whole short story in a day. Last year I would have muddled and messed with it. I guess "finishing" 140,000 words makes 5,000 seem like child's play.
In the world of SWORD OF SHADES: My first readers are very awesome. I am getting great feedback. YAY YAY YAY.
I'm also very happy when I see a reader go from reading one chapter to ten. Like they're ADDICTED or something. BWAHAHAHAHA.
Man, if I can work that magic on an editor I am going to be one happy camper.
I'm hoping I don't sound too big-headed about the monstrosity. It really is nice to finish a book, but it doesn't count for much unless it sells. So here's hoping it does sell. And if it doesn't...there's always the next book.
Posted by sdshaver at 12:25 AM | TrackBack
February 06, 2005
commit the words
More first reader comments coming in. One finished reading today, and disliked one aspect of the conclusion, then suggested something I hadn't even thought of, but should have. I'm terribly disappointed in my normally devious and cynical self that I didn't.
Switching gears from revisions to the short story is going to be difficult, but not impossible. I had lunch with the Jeff to try and sort out where I'm going with Lelia, and I think I came up with something. Now I just have to commit the words.
Posted by sdshaver at 06:48 PM | TrackBack
necromancer
Conversations whilst tinkering with the book-thing and trying to fix Lelia's problems....
Is X reading the novel? Has he gotten to his namesake yet?
I almost snorted water through my nose at that.
No, he hasn't gotten there.
He wants me to write a whole book about him, though ;)
The ego on that guy. Not satisfied with a drop-in.
"What about the dashing necromancer?"
"The dashing necromancer gets two pages."
"He deserves a whole book. WRITE IT."
<blink> Dashing? NECROMANCER??
He DOES know what a necromancer is, doesn't he?
An amorous vampire. You know, a neck romancer.
That was BAAAAAAD
I am bad :)
Posted by sdshaver at 01:43 AM | TrackBack
February 05, 2005
outlines
As it turns out, I stayed at a friend's house talking politics, religion, and the supernatural until 12:30 AM. Methinks the outline will have to wait either for tomorrow night, or Sunday morning.
I did write about a page's worth of thoughts on the characters, the situation, and what I hope the story will achieve, plus about ten paragraphs of what could be story. All this about thirty minutes after my workday officially ended.
For a brief period of time, Lelia was one of triplets, but on the drive to my dinner-avec-friends I decided to ditch it.
The triplets, that is. Not the dinner.
First reader comments keep rolling in. I should address those now, so I can sleep. Otherwise, I Will Obsess.
I think I found the opening for the next book. A book that is part of a trilogy that has not been bought, and may never be.
Go me.
- you say there's not a lot of me
left anymore, just leave it alone
but if you're by, and you have the time
tell the northern lights to keep shining
Posted by sdshaver at 01:28 AM | TrackBack
February 04, 2005
bruise haiku
This is just silly. Why am I up to 2:15 again???? It's done! DONE!
Well, not really. Some good advice on Chapter 1 came in, and I went in and tinkered with it. I think I have a much stronger piece now, and that's vital if what I've read about the ol' publisher's market is true.
Painful bruise on my hand. No idea where it came from. There's a haiku in there somewhere....
- Bruise on my left hand
Mysterious origin
Oh! please don't poke it
Also, nachos made with drained and rinsed black beans and goat cheese is marvelous. Destroying one of your only casserole dishes making it, however, is not. C'est la vie (I needed a new casserole dish anyway).
Edit: Ah, yes, and I still have to outline a short story tomorrow night. Hmmmm. Yes. This was probably a good plan, after all. I've exorcised the Chapter 1 demon for now, I can get back to vivacious Lelia.
Posted by sdshaver at 02:16 AM | TrackBack
February 03, 2005
stew
I'm having a day when I'm antsy. Checking email, hard to focus, nothing to really DO, but feeling like I should be doing things.
Nevermind I got more done this morning than I have in forever. I think I'm feeling weird about not having written anything in days. Well, except for this stuff. But that's work-related. I love Elanthia, but it's not mine; it's a world I'm paid to write in. And I enjoy that, but it's still not mine. If someone tells me the Gearsmiths have to wear pink mithril tutus...well, saddle up, boys, cuz it's going to be a drafty ride.
Also, a counter-argument to the old "Stew" debate, as presented originally by Diana Wynne Jones in her excellent The Tough Guide to Fantasyland.
In said book, Mme. Jones decries the use of stew as a common inn and heroic staple. Why make stew, she asks, when -- saaaay -- a steak is faster?
First, we will address "Stew at an Inn". As a cook with a passion for the victuals of yore, I must emphatically say that while on an individual basis, yes, a steak is faster, on a mass basis a stew makes more sense. A stew you can set over a cookfire, leave your nephew's cousin's deranged godson to tend to (and possibly slip poisoned mushrooms into -- ah ha! Stew Plot Point!), and you're guaranteed to have something at least edible in a few hours.
Start offering steaks, though, and suddenly you have to hire chefs, and then soux-chefs, prep chefs, and then someone to look after the sauces, and good heavens! What if the bearnaise breaks? What if there aren't any bears for the bearnaise? What then?
As well, the people of antiquity "enjoyed" a diet high in vegetables, forageables, and grains, with very little meat. Cows were for milking and m'lord's supper, not for snacking. And when m'lord of the Shire or the Barony or the Floating Island in the Middle of a Sea of Chaos did deign to give them a scrap or two, it was usually the tough, gristley bits (or the cured, dried, and smoked bits) no one could eat without soaking, smothering in seasonings, and boiling for at least an hour.
There's an additional reason for Inn stew. When you get a steak, you know exactly what you're getting. The only question you might have is what critter the chop you're masticating may have been cut from. In stew, you can hide things. In stew, you can bulk up with all sorts of items -- potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sawdust, the afore-mentioned Fungi of Doom. Stew is sneaky.
So then we come to "Stew on the Run". Alas, a steak is just not going to keep in your saddlebags (unless, of course, you have managed to fit a mini-fridge in there, or your sword is known for its Searingly Cold Aura, or you are Mongol). Cured and salted meat, however, is. And since you're probably going to have a Roaring Blaze going by nightfall anyway to tell the Abominable Ringwraiths your precise location, you may as well bubble up a pot of stew while you're at it.
The food of choice for my characters-on-the-ride is gruel. Milled grains with bits of dried fruits and nuts boiled into them. I expect that this meal from start to finish probably takes about 40 minutes (30 if one of the characters has some sort of magical fire-starting ability) and it satisfies both nutritional and hunger needs. Steaks are good, but carbs transport more easily and are filling.
And that, friends, is what happens when I dwell on things a bit too much.
Posted by sdshaver at 05:07 PM | TrackBack
February 01, 2005
ngghhhh
Please allow me a moment of silence as I realize I have just sent out the monstrosity no one but me has seen to its first readers.
Ngrrhhhhhhhrrrr.
Okay. I'm done.
...and I still don't have a name for the damn thing.
Posted by sdshaver at 02:47 AM | TrackBack
first draft done
Rewrote Epilogue completely. 830 words added, 1200 scrapped. Total: 140k words. That might be bad or might not. I have no idea.
First draft finished, first readers notified. If I asked you to be a first reader and you don't have a copy in your inbox, you know where to contact me.
Time for bed. No writing for a few nights. And on Friday night, I'll outline the Valdemar story.
See you Friday!