Today, I took my son to the San Francisco Zoo. When he was little and we were living in the City, the babysitter used to take him all the time. We even went with the family we shared the babysitter with. But he doesn't remember. So today was his first time at the Zoo. We had a great time, but I'm exhausted. Plus there was driving involved which I hate. Google Maps had crappy directions, the zoo's directions were great. I didn't even get lost! I don't get lost much in the City, though, I lived there too long and have been lost so many places there I can get myself just about anywhere with a minimum of fuss.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/30/2006 09:54:00 PM Permalink
Today, I finished the draft of DX. All the chapters are now written, including the ending. I'm so close to 20,000 words that it doesn't matter. A couple of chapters need work, but now the torture is over and the agony of editing begins. I'm going to try a couple of new editing tips I've heard about. I will report back on the success. Or not.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/29/2006 05:26:00 PM Permalink
Yesterday was the world's most boring blog post (not to mention the world's most obscure comment. Spammish, I'm afraid.) Today, well, the bar is very low. So, let's see if I can haul myself out of the basement of boring and at least onto the ground floor.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/27/2006 07:24:00 PM Permalink
Rawhide! Thats what my fingers feel like. 17K on DX with two scenes to finish. I'll be doing some serious pruning, I think. I have paper copy to read. It's late, of course. Got to go get the laundry then read, if I can.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/26/2006 10:28:00 PM Permalink
So is this actual plagiarism? What is meant by "Mirroring"?? Words? Structuire? Tone of voice? Are they implying she's such a good writer that when she read McCafferty's works and then sat down to write on her own she inadvertently did some sort of perfect imitation? Or is it the much worse thing from the title? Given how "packaged" she was, this whole thing is sounding really fishy to me. Are they worried because this happened when she was in High School and presumably a minor? I'd really like the whole story. Can the woman write or not?
posted by Carolyn @ 4/25/2006 11:12:00 AM Permalink
Early Edition! I'm posting now because I'm t i r e d and not sure how long I can keep my eyes open. It's totally my fault. I was reading last night and couldn't get to a good place to stop. Damn authors and their exciting plots! Got to 15K plus on DX, and I have one chapter to mostly rewrite and two scenes to write and then I'll be done and in the massively rewriting phase. I made some small but crucial tweaks in my heroine and that's made all the difference. Before, she was BORING and now she's not. Plus it turns out my hero is a terrible driver with a lead foot. So, actually, I'm kind of having fun right now.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/24/2006 06:51:00 PM Permalink
Please do help this writer recently diagnosed with breast cancer. If you are in need of a crtique for your work, here's a thought: bid on a critique from some really fabulous writers, hey, bid on a couple, the more feedback the better...
Some of the fundraising items are critiques and autographed books, some are handcrafts, and I think there are some "goody bags" some people have put together. Jenny Crusie also offered up the signed galleys of DLD. The ebay auction is live today, and if you are interested here is the link to the listings:
http://tinyurl.com/rrts
(Or type in a search for "CherriesTMF" on ebay.)
For more information about Michele, the woman the fundraiser is for, follow this link:
The Michele Fund
There is also a link on the above which can allow you to make a direct donation to Michele, if you are interested. Note from Carolyn: not a bad idea, in case your bids don't win...
Please feel free to spread this news far and wide wherever you feel it might be appropriate.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/23/2006 10:47:00 AM Permalink
Worked away on DX today. Things went well. Did a read through and hmm. OK. It's flat. And just now I thought, Hmm. Maybe if I completely redo the style and write in the first person, that would be very interesting. I have about 13,000 words, which means that essentially the story is done, the rest of the word count should come with the conclusion plus filling in stuff. So, I think I have time to try. It's risky, though. I'd have to send it out way early, including probably to my editor, in case he hates it.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/22/2006 10:59:00 PM Permalink
Worked on DX. Hit target + 7. I'm about half way done. Theoretically, should I maintain this pace, I will be done in 9 more days. But, of course, it won't be done. I'll be rewritting it and moving and changing and praying it doesn't suck too bad and trying to figure how to make that happen.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/21/2006 10:24:00 PM Permalink
Bruce Schneier is a prominent Security analyst and he has a great blog. He's running a Movie-Plot Threat Contest and I just think, who better to end up winning the contest but an author? I'm on deadline so we'll see if I have time to pull something good together, but what about you? Come on!
For a while now, I have been writing about our penchant for "movie-plot" threats: terrorist fears based on very specific attack scenarios. Terrorists with crop dusters, terrorists exploding baby carriages in subways, terrorists filling school buses with explosives -- these are all movie-plot threats. They're good for scaring people, but it's just silly to build national security policy around them.
But if we're going to worry about unlikely attacks, why can't they be exciting and innovative ones? If Americans are going to be scared, shouldn't they be scared of things that are really scary? "Blowing up the Super Bowl" is a movie plot to be sure, but it's not a very good movie. Let's kick this up a notch.
It is in this spirit I announce the (possibly First) Movie-Plot Threat Contest. Entrants are invited to submit the most unlikely, yet still plausible, terrorist attack scenarios they can come up with.
Your goal: cause terror. Make the American people notice. Inflict lasting damage on the U.S. economy. Change the political landscape, or the culture. The more grandiose the goal, the better.
Assume an attacker profile on the order of 9/11: 20 to 30 unskilled people, and about $500,000 with which to buy skills, equipment, etc.
Judging will be by me, swayed by popular acclaim in the blog comments section. The prize will be an autographed copy of Beyond Fear. And if I can swing it, a phone call with a real live movie producer.
Entries close at the end of the month -- April 30.
This is not an April Fool's joke, although it's in the spirit of the season. The purpose of this contest is absurd humor, but I hope it also makes a point. Terrorism is a real threat, but we're not any safer through security measures that require us to correctly guess what the terrorists are going to do next.
Good luck.
Post your entries, and read the others, here:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/04/announcing_movi.html
Movie-plot threats:
http://www.schneier.com/essay-087.html
posted by Carolyn @ 4/21/2006 06:17:00 PM Permalink
I've been working on DX. At the gym today I figured out where the story was going and made some small but crucial tweaks that really tightens things up. I had to go over the other chapters to make those changes tonight. That way when I start the next chapter I'll be prepared. I'm about to go start that now. I'll have a good jumping off point for the weekend.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/20/2006 10:19:00 PM Permalink
posted by Carolyn @ 4/20/2006 06:17:00 AM Permalink
I had to go to work for what was supposed to be a very short time tonight, but it wasn't as short as hoped. Damn misbehaving servers! So I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but I still slightly exceeded the minimum for DX. I have 9306 words with 20K the target, so I'm good there. I'm not used to working in this short a format so I'm freaking about the usual stuff plus worrying that I have too much plot or not enough. What else? Nothing new. Tired.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/19/2006 10:56:00 PM Permalink
posted by Carolyn @ 4/19/2006 05:16:00 PM Permalink
'Nuff said. Except casual day is that much closer.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/18/2006 09:59:00 PM Permalink
Since my son's day care was closed today, I had today off from work. His cousin spent the night last night and they slept until 11:15 this morning. My nieces came over and drew pictures while they waited for the boys to wake up. Then the kids played outside most of the day because it's sunny today. They went down to the creek and when they came back, they were covered in mud. I hosed off my son's clothes so they'd be clean enough to put in the wash. In between mediating a few disputes I got some writing done. I've hit the minimum for D.X so that's good. Torture but good.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/17/2006 04:57:00 PM Permalink
So, today I worked on The Rake, I think it's going well. I'll get some outside opinion and then it (hopefully) goes off to my agent again. I also worked on D.X. It's going OK. I'm in uncharted waters here since I have my solid as sand idea that rocks and then the writing that goes like this write write write [pretend that's actual writing] Then, Hey! I didn't know that! Like, my heroine had a past relationship with the vampire who's going to try to kill her. Like, my hero is Native American. Anyway, I have that oh-so-convenient sense of panic.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/15/2006 10:16:00 PM Permalink
By the time this posts, it will be the ides of April. Have I nailed the proposal chapters for The Novel That Would not End? Maybe. I think so. Pending outside opinion. Still needs some work, but I'm happy. Until tomorrow, when probably I'll hate it.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/15/2006 12:00:00 AM Permalink
I worked all this morning on The Book That Will Not End. It went OK. Then I went out to do some Easter shopping. I people watched while I was spending money. The plump lady in the See's Candy shop was wearing cute bunny ears. The very young man behind the counter at Deaf Dog was wearing eye makeup: mascara, some discreet liner and grey eye shadow. His eyes looked really nice but it was distracting in a Jack Sparrow kind of way. Very cute, but WTF? The even younger young man slumped on the chair behind me had a ring through his lower lip and looked so sullen I wanted to tell him that maybe some eye makeup would cheer him up. As I was walking back to the car, I passed a man who, I realized, was dressed EXACTLY like Bill Gates. Dockers and a nerdy sweater. Oh, geeky face, too, but I thought, hey, he looks nice (and rich?). Wonder if he's C# or Ajax? C# I bet. I saw a trim white-bearded man with a black standard poodle. He did not look like a poodle man.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/14/2006 01:57:00 PM Permalink
Today, we had sunshine. Blue skies, warm air, a very few fluffy white clouds. After so many days of nothing but rain, it was wonderful! Version 10 bazillion of the novel I'm getting frustrated with is going OK. I guess. The thing is that these changes materially affect everything else and well, whatever. Today has been a strange day. Teeter-totterish, I'd say. A few examples? OK.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/13/2006 09:15:00 PM Permalink
I don't know about you, but I archive every day's version of writing. Each book/project has a daily zip file named by date so that I can always revert to a previous version. Oh, you're thinking you'd like an example? OK, like if you were to discover that the massive changes you made in your MS, after a week's worth of work in which the words "shredded to pieces" would not be inappropriate, are a complete and utter failure and the chapters are beyond saving. Like that. If something like that were to happen to you, you'd be grateful for those zip files because you could put your MS back the way it was and proceed to Plan 9 From Outer Space.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/11/2006 08:20:00 PM Permalink
Oh, hey, I forgot to mention that at The Celebrate Romance conference last weekend I won, among many other goodies in the bag, an ARC of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Side of the Moon. It's a Dark Hunter novel. I read it Saturday, as soon as I got my hands on it. (I didn't check luggage, but Candice Hern was there and she was driving, and she was kind enough to drive my loot back.) Yes. I read the entire thing in one afternoon. There was a moment when, since I'd promised my son we'd go to the movies, that I actually put it down, but we were headed out the door when he remembered he had work to do on his Science Project. Yes! Reprieve! I managed to look disappointed but I may have nearly knocked him over on my way back to my room to finish it. I really enjoyed it. So, if you were on the fence about it, get off. I wish it had been longer.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/10/2006 07:33:00 PM Permalink
posted by Carolyn @ 4/10/2006 07:11:00 AM Permalink
Ok, it's way too late. It's been a busy day, only not for writing. My son has a science project due tomorrow so I was helping him out with the display and trying to explain to him why taking shortcuts is a bad idea. Then grocery shopping and the like. I bought him a Weekly World News at the checkout stand because anything that gets him to read is good. Boy Thinks Out Loud -- For Real. Rodent Rodeo! Mermaid Cemetary Found! And then there were dinosours and the primordial soup. So, he's having fun with that. All this plus laundry means I had about 20 minutes to write.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/09/2006 10:47:00 PM Permalink
So, my new chapter one is now 18 pages. That is too long. I'm going to have to chop it in half. Plus there is a motivation issue I need to deal with. About half way through, it just doesn't feel right emotionally. Yet. Still, my heroine is shaping up nicely. I did the computer edit, paper-read, computer edit, paper-read thing 3 times yesterday. More today I suspect.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/09/2006 09:40:00 AM Permalink
Probably I spelled that wrong, but anyway, I had a laundry issue, and had to put my clothes through another spin cycle so I made myself sit in front of The Rake (Villain) and work on it and my darn heroine kept saying this stuff that just was amusing and a bit flippant and I kept saying, no heroine! Plainly you do not understand what you're supposed to be like. And then I got tired of fighting it and let her have her way.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/07/2006 09:05:00 PM Permalink
I'm going to try to go to bed extra early tonight. I can barely keep my eyes open. I had to leave work early yesterday to see my prof, so when I came in this am worried because the oil light was on, I checked email and saw that casual Friday was cancelled. Oops. So I had to go home and change, but first I stopped at the gas station to get some oil and figure out how to open the hood. Got back to work and things were pleasantly hosed up. "Hey, there's a database error, can you fix that?" Well, yeah, actually, I can, if you'll look at your code and tell me what server and database you're trying to hit. "How do I do that?" Argh! Of all the problems, only one was actually database related. These are the perils of being the early bird. All problems are by default mine to solve. I have access to the server room, so I spent my morning freezing in there (it's cold on purpose). Ick. Then someone wanted a trigger on a table to fire off an email on an insert, to happen upon some data entry that DOES NOT include a row insert on the table in question. "Uhm, you see, the database can't do anything in response to an event that hasn't happened. You'll have to change your business process if you really need to do this."
posted by Carolyn @ 4/07/2006 07:13:00 PM Permalink
So, I've completely redone chapters 1-3 of The Rake [Note to self: still need new title]. The previous chapter one is gone with parts layered into the new chapter 1. And it's still not right. It sucks. It's horrible and awful and boring. Shoot. Why did I do this? Because I was asked to make it sexier, that's why. And when I re-read it, I realized the late chapter 1 wasn't very good at all. Ick. I do not have much time to fix this because I have this other thing to deal with.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/06/2006 09:47:00 PM Permalink
posted by Carolyn @ 4/06/2006 06:25:00 AM Permalink
I got very little sleep last weekend and I'm still trying to catch up. I'm crashing really early in the evenings and I can feel it coming on now. Monday and Tuesday both I was up too late trying to catch up on other stuff. I'm blogging now because later, I know I'll be too tired. Getting some work done. Sort of.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/05/2006 07:57:00 PM Permalink
Now that my son is in bed, and I'm this close to crashing, I wanted to talk about the Moroccan Restaurant. Good food, yes. Great company. Jade Lee, Candice Hern and I went ahead to the restaurant because we were told they could take our party of 17 earlier if we arrived in 45 minutes. We get there about 7:30 or so, are seated and are eating appetizers (fabulous food!) when the waiter apologizes and says there was a mix up, we have to leave our table and wait until 9pm. He did let us finish our delicious appetizers, first, though. After some discussion and phone calls, we decide to wait. Candice, Jade and I are waiting in the entrance and chatting with a couple, Rudy and Linda, who are also waiting. It was Linda's birthday. They discovered (how did that happen!) we were writers. They confessed they do not read Romance. We passed out bookmarks etc and we talked about Romance. The rest of our group arrives, but we are no longer 17, there are now only eight, some of us are writers, some of us are readers. We wait.... and wait. We sing Happy Birthday to Linda.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/02/2006 09:24:00 PM Permalink
I'm back from Celebrate Romance. It was lots of fun. I'm kind of tired so maybe I'll have a more coherent blog tomorrow. Turns out Marjorie Liu was in Long Beach for the Authors at Sea thing so Jade Lee and I went along with a bunch of others to the signing and got to say hi to Marjorie and congrats on her RITA nomination.
posted by Carolyn @ 4/02/2006 08:36:00 PM Permalink
Liz Maverick
Jennifer Ashley
Sandy Schawb
Patti O'Shea
Marjorie M. Liu
Megan Frampton
Kristin Nelson
Miss Snark
Dystel & Goderich
The Rejecter
Evil Editor