(no subject)

[lenora_rose]

Just got back from the usual New Year's Cabin retreat. This year, it involved a slightly shorter visit, but much pleasance, more board games than Wii games, weather too miserable for any but the die-hards to go out in, a newly announced engagement (which the male of the couple started to tell his parents by saying, "L___ and I have decided to stop dating" - for which his mother's sound of genuine distress was probably highly reassuring), hungover parents, and a lot of fun.

Also I just finished Sherwood Smith's Once a Princess, which caused me to quietly curse my mother for getting me the first in a two-book series (And myself for choosing to read that before Coronets and Steel or I shall Wear Midnight, the other Christmas goodies), and to go and make an Amazon order.

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A quick evaluation of how I did writing wise the last year.

I sold one short story, which, when I sent out two whole submissions, is a better record than it sounds (especially as the other was recent enough to still be out under consideration). Since it was a rewrite request.

Said story (It Shall Come To Pass On a Summer's Day) appeared in ideomancer in September, and seemed to get mostly the right sort of reactions. (Even if I did recognize at least one of the commentors by name...)

I finished Serpent Prince, with only a strong buffing of the last quarter still needed to call it truly done. I also finished enough of the query matter to get it out the door to the first few agents in December. One partial request so far, one rejection.

I buffed Bird of Dusk to a fine shine -- especially as it also got pretty decently critiqued. Unfortunately, some of the rewrites actually over took a couple of readers (And somewhere in there, i need to apologize to Vilashna for never getting her more of the book. OTOH, wedding...)

I probably got more new words written this year than last year, since I was spending less time (in spite of what it looks like) rewriting and editing. But there's a noticeable problem with those words; they alternated between five or six different projects. (The four listed here, but also the rather dark project that prompted my comments on different kinds of first person, and the PWP that grew a plot -- and had several characters change genders between the last actual text written and my current mental notes, which is, um, complicated, in something that began with sex scenes.)

Right now, it's back to Labyrinth, which is being a lot of fun. I admit, I skipped a whole section that was the cause of my jamming up, and I need at least 15K worth of stuff happening between the opening I had and the current sections, and only some thin ideas what those will be. My next step is going to be brainstorming that same gap, since just letting it simmer on the backburner didn't produce anything yet.

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I notice that some books are still on my to-read list from last year. This is the current to-read list, though:

Cherie Priest - Boneshaker
Mindy Klasky - A Girl's Guide to Witchcraft
Terry Pratchett - I shall Wear Midnight
Sherwood Smith - Twice a Prince
Sherwood Smith - Coronets and Steel
P.C. Hodgell - Godstalk
Leslie Marmon Silko - Ceremony
Amanda Downum - The Drowning City
Elizabeth Bear - Undertow
Octavia Butler - Parable of the Talents
Tamara Siler Jones - Ghosts in the Snow
Marsha Canham - Swept Away
Julia Quinn - What Happens in London
Carol Severance - Demon Drums
Joshua Palmetier - The Skewed Throne
Nalo Hopkinson - The New Moon's Arms (Of the things left for far far too long, this one kind of shames me the most)
Violette Malan - The Sleeping God
Melissa Scott - Dreamships
Maureen Ash - The Alehouse Murders
Laura Joh Rowland - Perfumed Sleeve
Dorothy sayers - Whichever of the four I have comes to hand when I decide I'm in the mood. Of course, having begun with Gaudy Night, Busman's Honeymoon, Whose Body? and Murder Must Advertise, and seen a play version of Strong Poison, I suspect I am liable to disappointment.
Velma Demerson - Incorrigible
Margaret Mead - Form the South Seas (Again, one on my to-read list from 2010)
The Science of Discworld III - Darwin's Watch.

I predict also - much online reading, mostly of highly recommended fanfiction, rereads of at least one and more likely two or three Diana Wynne Jones, A Terry Pratchett, and some other as yet unforeseen author of whom I'm fond.

Also, I really should Finish Red Seas Under Red Skies at some point.

Books not yet owned by me or read by me will be read before ones on this list, again. This is not a horrible thing so long as, through the year, MY TO-READ PILE DECREASES.

I'm also putting myself under another buying moratorium (Barring gifts for others), from tomorrow until my anniversary in May.

Because as well as books, after Christmas I have enough new music that when I finish my current run through the MP3 player's COMPLETE playlist (I've been at this a while, I'm in the 1700's of just over 2000 songs), my plan is to Wipe all but the true essentials off the player and reload from scratch.

Comments

[vilashna.livejournal.com]

I hope I can help in future. I'm not likely to ever get anything of mine out there but I'd like to help someone succeed even if i can't.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Hope you like the books!

I hope this year you net that agent.