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As promised!
Jan. 27th, 2012 03:15 pmTwo more chapters of The Hellion Prince have been posted! For those of you new to the blog, The Hellion Prince is a dark fantasy novel in progress -- I jokingly call it a Regency romance -- about politics, treachery, magic, the fey, and unresolved sexual tension. Er, maybe it isn't actually about the last of those, but there's plenty there. Viewable on request, but I post it under a filter because I actually want to get it published when it's done. The only caveat for being on the filter is you're expected to leave feedback. Not concrit, necessarily -- "I read this," "I liked this," "this was boring and not for me," would all be fine. But if I'm letting you view my baby, please let me know you're there.
I'm now more than 50% done with the book. Considerably more, actually, but now more than 50% of the chapters have been posted.
I am having a weird formatting problem, though. Horizontal lines keep showing up in the text, often between paragraphs, and they cannot be directly moved or deleted or manipulated in any rational fashion. Anyone have any idea what the heck that's all about?
Expect two more chapters within the next ten days.
I'm now more than 50% done with the book. Considerably more, actually, but now more than 50% of the chapters have been posted.
I am having a weird formatting problem, though. Horizontal lines keep showing up in the text, often between paragraphs, and they cannot be directly moved or deleted or manipulated in any rational fashion. Anyone have any idea what the heck that's all about?
Expect two more chapters within the next ten days.
Book Tracking, belatedly.
Jan. 26th, 2012 11:25 pmHad a weird couple of weeks.
Um, in terms of actual factual novels, only two since my last post -- A Letter of Mary and O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King. More Holmes & Russell mysteries, one taking on a murder investigation, the other set in a lacuna during Beekeeper's Apprentice. The books continue to have a rich sense of world and a keen Sherlockian voice, but the characterization of the main character is still a bit uneven -- though the first book cast Russell as Holmes' equal, these volumes kept shunting her back to sidekick, arranging matters so that Holmes puts all the crucial details together and Russell isn't quite as keen. Disappointing. A Letter of Mary had a particularly strange section where the two of them split up to investigate things, and in the end all the relevant work is done offstage, by Holmes, while Russell's investigation dead-ends because the person she's investigating is 100% innocent. A very baffling way to construct a novel. Still, partway through that otherwise frustrating section, ( Awesome Spoiler )
O Jerusalem deals with WW1-era espionage in Israel, and is fascinating because of it, but it also meandered some.
I'm continuing the series, but the current volume I'm reading is as dreary and disappointing so far as the Baskervillian Moor upon which it is set.
That seems like not very much reading for me, but don't be deceived -- I have read well over one million words in the last week and a half. It's just that most of it was fanfic. Kyon: Big Damn Hero is an epic, ongoing piece of Haruhi Suzumiya fic which crosses its canon with TV Tropes. This is as cracky and delightful as it might sound, very appropriate to the source material, and a rousing, complex plot combined with a dead-on narrative voice for Kyon make this possibly the best piece of fan-fiction I have ever read. There's also some material that crosses over with Higurashi, but as I had never even heard of Higurashi before reading this, all I can say is that it works things in pretty seamlessly. The author has a lot of other work in the same fandom, most of it just as good, and also writes a lot of Ranma fic. If anyone thinks this sounds interesting, here's his website.
My other epic fanfic binge was Nobody Dies, an equally epic Neon Genesis Evangelion fic springing from a single point of departure: what if Yui Ikari hadn't died? The ramifications are wide-ranging and well-considered, and the author alternates cracktastic comedy sequences, classic Big Robot Fights, and psychodrama as dark and disturbing as the source material. Sometimes, arguably, moreso. The prose quality is sometimes uneven, and there are a lot of uncorrected typos, but if you enjoy NGE and absurdist comedy, as weird a fit as those two may seem, this story will entertain you. If you decide to read it, be sure to check out the list of side stories here, because later on in the main fic several of them are folded into canon.
Next on my reading list: the rest of the next Russell & Holmes novel, then The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Um, in terms of actual factual novels, only two since my last post -- A Letter of Mary and O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King. More Holmes & Russell mysteries, one taking on a murder investigation, the other set in a lacuna during Beekeeper's Apprentice. The books continue to have a rich sense of world and a keen Sherlockian voice, but the characterization of the main character is still a bit uneven -- though the first book cast Russell as Holmes' equal, these volumes kept shunting her back to sidekick, arranging matters so that Holmes puts all the crucial details together and Russell isn't quite as keen. Disappointing. A Letter of Mary had a particularly strange section where the two of them split up to investigate things, and in the end all the relevant work is done offstage, by Holmes, while Russell's investigation dead-ends because the person she's investigating is 100% innocent. A very baffling way to construct a novel. Still, partway through that otherwise frustrating section, ( Awesome Spoiler )
O Jerusalem deals with WW1-era espionage in Israel, and is fascinating because of it, but it also meandered some.
I'm continuing the series, but the current volume I'm reading is as dreary and disappointing so far as the Baskervillian Moor upon which it is set.
That seems like not very much reading for me, but don't be deceived -- I have read well over one million words in the last week and a half. It's just that most of it was fanfic. Kyon: Big Damn Hero is an epic, ongoing piece of Haruhi Suzumiya fic which crosses its canon with TV Tropes. This is as cracky and delightful as it might sound, very appropriate to the source material, and a rousing, complex plot combined with a dead-on narrative voice for Kyon make this possibly the best piece of fan-fiction I have ever read. There's also some material that crosses over with Higurashi, but as I had never even heard of Higurashi before reading this, all I can say is that it works things in pretty seamlessly. The author has a lot of other work in the same fandom, most of it just as good, and also writes a lot of Ranma fic. If anyone thinks this sounds interesting, here's his website.
My other epic fanfic binge was Nobody Dies, an equally epic Neon Genesis Evangelion fic springing from a single point of departure: what if Yui Ikari hadn't died? The ramifications are wide-ranging and well-considered, and the author alternates cracktastic comedy sequences, classic Big Robot Fights, and psychodrama as dark and disturbing as the source material. Sometimes, arguably, moreso. The prose quality is sometimes uneven, and there are a lot of uncorrected typos, but if you enjoy NGE and absurdist comedy, as weird a fit as those two may seem, this story will entertain you. If you decide to read it, be sure to check out the list of side stories here, because later on in the main fic several of them are folded into canon.
Next on my reading list: the rest of the next Russell & Holmes novel, then The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
Anticipation.
Jan. 26th, 2012 05:25 pmToday's count is 1004 words on The Hellion Prince, which means that as soon as Megan has time to do a final editing pass, I'll have two more chapters posted.
These are the first words I've written on The Hellion Prince in two months, but I think the hiatus has very much refreshed my brain -- if I didn't have other plans for the evening I've half a chapter resting in my brain, ready to be exorcised onto the page. It's good to be back at it.
These are the first words I've written on The Hellion Prince in two months, but I think the hiatus has very much refreshed my brain -- if I didn't have other plans for the evening I've half a chapter resting in my brain, ready to be exorcised onto the page. It's good to be back at it.
Last night, I actually had some! More than four hours, even! And it was good.
Weird, weird dreams, though. Megan and I were living in rural Wisconsin, and my family was visiting. There was something about a secret family legacy and a plan to win money drag racing that are sort of confused and unmemorable. And earlier in the night, I remember that I woke up mumbling in distress about a dream in which Megan and I had been arguing or fighting. So of course the real Megan snuggled me until I was reassured and dropped back off to sleep.
I wouldn't bother recording these fragments, but it's by recording them that I tend to establish the mental habits which allow me to remember more. So hopefully, watch this space for more interesting summaries in upcoming days.
Now for coffee and wordcount.
Weird, weird dreams, though. Megan and I were living in rural Wisconsin, and my family was visiting. There was something about a secret family legacy and a plan to win money drag racing that are sort of confused and unmemorable. And earlier in the night, I remember that I woke up mumbling in distress about a dream in which Megan and I had been arguing or fighting. So of course the real Megan snuggled me until I was reassured and dropped back off to sleep.
I wouldn't bother recording these fragments, but it's by recording them that I tend to establish the mental habits which allow me to remember more. So hopefully, watch this space for more interesting summaries in upcoming days.
Now for coffee and wordcount.
Computer: apparently healthy again.
Jan. 25th, 2012 07:31 amThanks to SuperAntiSpyware, MalwareBytes, and CCleaner, in that order, it looks like I wiped out everything evil on the laptop. Still, going to be paranoid for a day or two. Thanks for the recommendations, my fiends -- couldn't have done this nearly as quickly or thoroughly without you!
I think what alarms me most is that all the top google results for how to get rid of the first piece of malware appeared to be reputable recommendations for the second piece of malware. Incredibly annoying.
I think what alarms me most is that all the top google results for how to get rid of the first piece of malware appeared to be reputable recommendations for the second piece of malware. Incredibly annoying.
ANY OTHER KEY.
Jan. 25th, 2012 05:38 amGot my writing done for the day -- 632 words of Any Other Key, an AU story for The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
If you're familiar with the movie or the book, you should recognize the beginning -- the point of divergence -- as the scene late in the movie when everyone has been re-assembled in the clubroom, and Kyon is staring at the computer.
( Spoilers )
So, here's the Introduction and Chapter One of the story. I can't decide whether it should be in past or present tense, or if I ought to post it anywhere else. Tell me what you think.
( Any Other Key -- 1296 words )
If you're familiar with the movie or the book, you should recognize the beginning -- the point of divergence -- as the scene late in the movie when everyone has been re-assembled in the clubroom, and Kyon is staring at the computer.
( Spoilers )
So, here's the Introduction and Chapter One of the story. I can't decide whether it should be in past or present tense, or if I ought to post it anywhere else. Tell me what you think.
( Any Other Key -- 1296 words )
Nuisances.
Jan. 25th, 2012 04:38 amThe laptop has a double dose of malware at the moment. An irritating and obvious program called System Check showed up and started mucking around, and so I went to Google the most effective ways to get rid of it. The program most broadly recommended by several seemingly reputable sites was called Spy Hunter.
Spy Hunter, I discovered post-installation, is also malware.
Neither responds properly to standard attempts to uninstall, and until I have cast a broader net, I refuse to download some other program and be the old lady who swallowed the fly.
Tell me, oh wise and terrible fiendslist: how to I cleanse my poor machine of this b.s.?
Bah, humbug!
ETA 1: Okay. Super AntiSpyware seems to have allowed me to uninstall SpyHunter, but the Internet warns me it is probably still buried in my registry. Is there an easier way to get it out than inviting one of my tech-savvier friends over and making him get rid of it? Also, System Check has had some of its files pruned, but it's still hiding folders and parts of my start menu from me, is still visible on my bottom toolbar whatsis, and alas still invisible to the Control Panel's uninstall listings.
Any suggestions for a second step?
Spy Hunter, I discovered post-installation, is also malware.
Neither responds properly to standard attempts to uninstall, and until I have cast a broader net, I refuse to download some other program and be the old lady who swallowed the fly.
Tell me, oh wise and terrible fiendslist: how to I cleanse my poor machine of this b.s.?
Bah, humbug!
ETA 1: Okay. Super AntiSpyware seems to have allowed me to uninstall SpyHunter, but the Internet warns me it is probably still buried in my registry. Is there an easier way to get it out than inviting one of my tech-savvier friends over and making him get rid of it? Also, System Check has had some of its files pruned, but it's still hiding folders and parts of my start menu from me, is still visible on my bottom toolbar whatsis, and alas still invisible to the Control Panel's uninstall listings.
Any suggestions for a second step?
Well-plied with stimulants...
Jan. 23rd, 2012 12:17 pm.... already got my morning chores done. Usually it's a good forty minutes before I even start them.
I really wish I could say with any certainty whether it's ADD, depression, or something else that messes with my brain chemistry and productivity. But, whatever, it's under control at the moment, and that's the important thing. I'm hitting writing goals again -- haven't hit today's yet, but that's my next project.
Last night, God only knows why, I wrote 710 words of A Stain Upon His Hands. So I may have my creativity back, but my focus is still somewhere out there.
Thanks for all the links to violin pieces the other day -- some really great listening, and a much more distinct idea of a character I'm playing in an RP.
I get very immersive and Method when it comes to RP. To the point of sometimes thinking in-character thoughts. But then, that's part of the appeal.
I really wish I could say with any certainty whether it's ADD, depression, or something else that messes with my brain chemistry and productivity. But, whatever, it's under control at the moment, and that's the important thing. I'm hitting writing goals again -- haven't hit today's yet, but that's my next project.
Last night, God only knows why, I wrote 710 words of A Stain Upon His Hands. So I may have my creativity back, but my focus is still somewhere out there.
Thanks for all the links to violin pieces the other day -- some really great listening, and a much more distinct idea of a character I'm playing in an RP.
I get very immersive and Method when it comes to RP. To the point of sometimes thinking in-character thoughts. But then, that's part of the appeal.
Apropos of nothing...
Jan. 20th, 2012 09:30 pm...can anyone name some really good violin solos? Classical would be preferred, but modern ins fine too.
I can write calmly about it.
Jan. 19th, 2012 10:51 pmBut at the moment, financial stress has me depressed, withdrawn, desperate, and at my wits' end. I truly do not know what to do in the next eleven days to get the money I need for this month's bills, let alone next months. I'd offer writing commissions again, but even if multiple people took me up on it it might not be enough, and the stress has hit the point where it's cramping my ability to think and react creatively. It's a mess.
I'm applying for jobs -- well over a dozen, in a variety of fields and levels of pay and experience. But I won't get a paycheck in time even if I get one of them. I would, at this point, set pride aside and ask someone for a loan, but I don't think I know anyone with the money to spare, and I've no idea how long it would take me to pay them back.
I do not know what to do.
Expect blogging to be erratic until I do.
I'm applying for jobs -- well over a dozen, in a variety of fields and levels of pay and experience. But I won't get a paycheck in time even if I get one of them. I would, at this point, set pride aside and ask someone for a loan, but I don't think I know anyone with the money to spare, and I've no idea how long it would take me to pay them back.
I do not know what to do.
Expect blogging to be erratic until I do.
What it says on the tin. If you're not interested in hearing me talk about how I pray and why and et cetera, don't click on the cut tag. This may take me a while. Though I'll note that despite the fact that I address my prayers to a deity I believe in; the reasons I pray are largely unrelated to religious conviction.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
So, two obsessions right now.
Jan. 17th, 2012 08:17 pmIs anyone A) a fan of the Haruhi Suzumiya books or anime, or B) interested in journal-based RPGs? It seems like these things are all I am interested in discussing this week.
