First of all, go look at Roxanne Cooke’s new Web site. If you came back here afterward, I’d be surprised. It’s that pretty.
I took her old design out back, loaded two shells into the shotgun, shed a tear, and *KABLAMO* it was Ol’ Yeller time. Despite the death that heralded its incarnation, the new design rose like a phoenix and carries a strong bouquet of that new-site smell.
As of the time I’m writing this, Roxanne hasn’t yet finished putting up all of her content. She still has several hundred photos to upload and many blog posts to write. Still, you can marvel at the fantastic design.
So, get on over there, sign up for user accounts, and constantly harangue her for more blog posts and photo uploads!
I’ve read in a couple places that there are three new fantasy authors that form what I call the New Guard. Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss, and Joe Abercrombie have all made impressive fantasy debut series [apparently, like deer the word series is both the singular and plural form]. They all three write with familiar styles, characters, and plots, but they equally avoid the clichés. Their writings could also be considered fairly literary, as opposed to much of the fantasy I’ve been exposed to.
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I’ve long held a bias against movies filmed before 1990. Now that’s just a rough guideline. There were some films in the ’70s & ’80s that were ahead of their time and some in the ’90s past their time. Overall, the premise holds true.
When I watch a movie, I tend to get immersed in it, much as I read a novel. I tend to forget that I’m observing a artificial medium and I experience the story. That’s largely the reason I need characters I can connect with, otherwise my immersion isn’t enjoyable.
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I haven’t been writing here much (not that I do otherwise) because I’ve been furiously penning fiction for NaNoWriMo. I’d love to post some of it here, but it’s a raw first draft. Some will be posted soon, I promise.
But for now I have a bit of a motivation problem. It’s starting to feel like one of those big papers I had to write in order to pass a class. I didn’t care about those. This I care about because it’s mine. It’s what I want to write. I have had these ideas ready to ink for ages and now I’ve actually begun.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not behind or anything. I’ve written just over 21,000 words, well over the minimum required for this time (16,000+ for the record). But most of it is what I considered the easy part. My initial idea for the book concerned essentially what I’ve now written. I always had the idea of how to start, but struggled with figuring out where and how to end it. I keep jumping from character to character, writing until I hit a block.
Now I’ve somewhat run out of the fun stuff to write and I’m delaying. I’ve written the bare minimum for the last four days, even though yesterday and today I’ve had plenty of time grind it out. I’ve even tried tricks to get myself going (like the wickedly wonderful Write or Die tool on kamikaze mode), but they’re temporary fixes at best.
So this is blog post is a catharsis of sorts. It’s admitting to myself (and the world) that I need to get going with this, fun or no.
I’m looking forward to the editing process. I’ve always been good at that. It’s this beginning part I suck at. Wish me luck! I mean it.
My ten-year high school reunion is this weekend. And no, I’m not going.
It’s not the typical “my life blows” rationale either, at least I don’t think I’m rationalizing that. Rather, I saw the list of attendees and there were only a couple people with whom I wished to reminisce. Those few I can do so on an individual basis.
But it has made me think of and encounter those awkward greetings after extended interims apart. You know the ones, those “how have things been since the time I saw you last” exchanges. They never much get any where. Plenty of “things are great”s and “I started a new job”s but never any meaty, meaningful admissions.
Anywho, that led me to a different sort of extended-separation correspondence. Without further ado, here is an Ian update, headline-style:
Kayak industry falters, makers peddle on
New couch decorates den
Girlfriend now wins bread, brings home bacon
Death creeps closer as birthday passes
With truck acquisition white trash ranks swell
Discovery Channel appearance explodes ego
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