Mom and I were planning to go to DragonCon together this Labor Day. We have our passes and the hotel room booked. Mom, however, doesn't want to try to go--she gets tired easily now and would be so worn out from the drive down that she thinks she wouldn't be able to enjoy the con. But she wants me to go by myself.
I'm hesitant about that, but she insists she'll be okay. And she is getting around much better now and doesn't need me hovering over her. She'll also have both her sisters around to make sure she takes her meds on time and gets decent meals and so forth. I don't need to worry. But, of course, I will.
In fact, I'm so worried that I'm dreading leaving rather than looking forward to the con. I'll only be gone two nights and one full day, plus two partial days--I'm leaving Friday afternoon and will ideally arrive home by around noon on Sunday. That's not long. But Mom has a doctor's appointment Thursday and her next chemo Tuesday, and on Wednesday--ugh ugh ugh--I have to return to work. And we're still packing up to move house. I just don't have time to take off for a weekend.
But, you know, I think it will be good for me.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
I posted!
The days are rolling along so fast I can't keep up. I didn't even realize I hadn't posted for weeks.
I got a new laptop, too, so I have no excuse. I liked my little Asus eee PC netbook so much, but it was starting to really tear up--garbage screens occasionally, the second keyboard is going out again, etc. It was time for another one, and I decided to go for another Asus netbook, but a bigger one. The timing was perfect, since I got royalties from DDP that came close to paying for it a few weeks ago.
Speaking of Double Dragon Press, I went ahead and sent them Evil Outfitters, Ltd, and they accepted it already. I don't have time to self-publish anything right now, and I'm doing very well with that publisher.
I still haven't heard from Angry Robot about Bell-Men. From what I hear, only about 25 manuscripts were moved up to editorial, so I'm in a rare group. But they can't accept all 25--they may not accept any, who knows?--and I expect to be rejected in the fullness of time. Since I can't interest an agent even at this stage, it's possible DDP will get Bell-Men eventually.
I got a new laptop, too, so I have no excuse. I liked my little Asus eee PC netbook so much, but it was starting to really tear up--garbage screens occasionally, the second keyboard is going out again, etc. It was time for another one, and I decided to go for another Asus netbook, but a bigger one. The timing was perfect, since I got royalties from DDP that came close to paying for it a few weeks ago.
Speaking of Double Dragon Press, I went ahead and sent them Evil Outfitters, Ltd, and they accepted it already. I don't have time to self-publish anything right now, and I'm doing very well with that publisher.
I still haven't heard from Angry Robot about Bell-Men. From what I hear, only about 25 manuscripts were moved up to editorial, so I'm in a rare group. But they can't accept all 25--they may not accept any, who knows?--and I expect to be rejected in the fullness of time. Since I can't interest an agent even at this stage, it's possible DDP will get Bell-Men eventually.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Misfits
I finished Misfits tonight. It's just under 86,000 words. That's a lot more than I intended, but I'm sure I can cut 5,000 words easily and probably 10,000 words if necessary.
I like it. It's not perfect, and I want to set it aside for a while to ripen while I work on other things, but I like it. And it's done. I've written 86k words in about two months. Not NaNoWriMo speed, but not bad--especially considering most of it was written while I sat by my mom's hospital bed.
Next I have to finish Bloodhound, although I've got edits still pending that have got to be done first. The problem with edits is that I have to do them at my desktop, and I don't have a lot of desktop time under ordinary circumstances. I'll just have to grab half an hour here and there instead of trying to work on the edits in big chunks of time. Maybe that'll make them easier, actually.
I like it. It's not perfect, and I want to set it aside for a while to ripen while I work on other things, but I like it. And it's done. I've written 86k words in about two months. Not NaNoWriMo speed, but not bad--especially considering most of it was written while I sat by my mom's hospital bed.
Next I have to finish Bloodhound, although I've got edits still pending that have got to be done first. The problem with edits is that I have to do them at my desktop, and I don't have a lot of desktop time under ordinary circumstances. I'll just have to grab half an hour here and there instead of trying to work on the edits in big chunks of time. Maybe that'll make them easier, actually.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
It's the little things that get you down.
The situation:
1. The house Mom and I rent together has stairs, and after her stroke she has a lot of trouble with stairs.
2. We're staying with her sister, my aunt, until we can buy/rent a house all on one level.
3. I have keys to my aunt's house.
4. I forgot those keys today.
5. At about noon today I discovered we were locked out.
6. We are now spending the afternoon at our old house, which is fine for me since I have no trouble with stairs. Mom is less thrilled, although she's lying on the couch watching a movie and drinking a Gatorade, so I don't feel quite as guilty as I did.
But now I feel guilty for being upstairs at my computer while Mom's stuck downstairs. A few months ago that was the norm--not Mom stuck downstairs, but Mom preferring to hang out in the living room while I'm on my computer. It feels normal to me right now that I'm blogging and I can hear the Lord of the Rings music downstairs. Then I realize I need to check on Mom to make sure she doesn't need anything. Then I feel bad for feeling so content at having a chunk of computer time.
Anyway, I'm at 72,000 words on Misfits and closing in on the end. All I have left to write is the main character's date with his new girlfriend and the big scene where a friend of his needs his help, then a scene of reconciliation between two estranged friends. Hmm, that sounds like more than I thought. It'll probably go over 75,000 words, but then again it's not like I need to keep the wordcount low.
I'm not sure about Misfits. I really like it, and I think it's a good book, but I've also stopped believing I'm ever going to get an agent or sell a book to a big publisher. Misfits is a YA book with no speculative elements at all, with a central theme of the bonds of friendship--but it's got strong LGBT themes, which means it's destined for a small publisher no matter how good it is. And I don't know anymore how good a writer I am. Last week I started rereading The Taste of Magic, a book I only wrote a few years ago and which was just published last month, and I couldn't even finish it. I didn't like my own writing style. I don't know what to make of that.
1. The house Mom and I rent together has stairs, and after her stroke she has a lot of trouble with stairs.
2. We're staying with her sister, my aunt, until we can buy/rent a house all on one level.
3. I have keys to my aunt's house.
4. I forgot those keys today.
5. At about noon today I discovered we were locked out.
6. We are now spending the afternoon at our old house, which is fine for me since I have no trouble with stairs. Mom is less thrilled, although she's lying on the couch watching a movie and drinking a Gatorade, so I don't feel quite as guilty as I did.
But now I feel guilty for being upstairs at my computer while Mom's stuck downstairs. A few months ago that was the norm--not Mom stuck downstairs, but Mom preferring to hang out in the living room while I'm on my computer. It feels normal to me right now that I'm blogging and I can hear the Lord of the Rings music downstairs. Then I realize I need to check on Mom to make sure she doesn't need anything. Then I feel bad for feeling so content at having a chunk of computer time.
Anyway, I'm at 72,000 words on Misfits and closing in on the end. All I have left to write is the main character's date with his new girlfriend and the big scene where a friend of his needs his help, then a scene of reconciliation between two estranged friends. Hmm, that sounds like more than I thought. It'll probably go over 75,000 words, but then again it's not like I need to keep the wordcount low.
I'm not sure about Misfits. I really like it, and I think it's a good book, but I've also stopped believing I'm ever going to get an agent or sell a book to a big publisher. Misfits is a YA book with no speculative elements at all, with a central theme of the bonds of friendship--but it's got strong LGBT themes, which means it's destined for a small publisher no matter how good it is. And I don't know anymore how good a writer I am. Last week I started rereading The Taste of Magic, a book I only wrote a few years ago and which was just published last month, and I couldn't even finish it. I didn't like my own writing style. I don't know what to make of that.
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