after he drunkenly worked the spell he yelled obscenities at his friends.

So. I just finished reading Collegiate Harry Potter Goes To Narnia Only Instead Of The Kids From Harry Potter We Used The Cast From RENT.

AKA The Magicians, by Lev Grossman.

HOLY GOD.

I am not going to know whether I liked this book or not until I get my hands on the sequel.

Thus endeth the review. Please to discuss in the comment threads, por favor.

Well.

Not entirely sure if yesterday's words should count. I wrote 560 words of Hellion Prince, but, er, I had resolved to my satisfaction that I was going to be cutting to the next scene before any of the characters had sex, which means that this scene, as soon as it is written, is a victim of editing.

Still, once I've posted the chapter in which it occurs, I might post it separately, if people wanted to see the unrated DVD extras. And it's useful from a psychological, knowing-more-about-my-characters point of view.

302 words so far today.

And all of it on Spirit of the Season / Gift of the Magus. Still not sure which title I prefer. Opinions, anyone? Mi patron?

I have the beginning, I have the end, I know the shape of the middle. Roughly 3 notebook pages to go to finish the first draft, and then some knitting around the edges and polish here and there to make it fit tighter. Any more beta volunteers?

Anyway, I expect to have the first draft done before the weekend is out, and the final draft before December turns up.

The Yuletide story may take a little longer, because what seemed at first to me to be a whimsical request is in fact the result of a deep and geeky abiding interest of my recipient, so they deserve a story that's more than just whimsically tossed off. Still, if I can keep it short I'll have it done by, say, the 10th, and can be on to Pinch-Hitting.