Lilith Saintcrow's Blog, page 209

Two speeds. One I use way more than the other.

Good morning! It's a rainy, windy day here. I like wind and I like rain, especially if I'm snuggled up nice and safe inside. My writing location has shifted to an office chair and a tiny laptop holder situated where I can see out my front windows. The street is endlessly interesting, and I can see a good chunk of sky and trees. Most of this move has been made necessary by some hip irritation I've been experiencing. For some reason, losing seventy pounds through diet and exercise has...

Link Salad, And Some Advice

Most of the Dames are at RT this week. (You can see some fun pics here and here and here.) I, however, am at home. (Well, mostly.) I am actually engaging on a mini-vacation before my drop-dead date hits.

A "drop-dead date" is the date I set myself when I'm looking at publication schedules and figuring out how much time I need to produce a certain novel. I have to carefully look at what else I'm under deadline for during that time; turning in 18-hour days are no fun. Well, they're fun, but...

I'm Not The Jerk In E-book Pricing, And Trunk Novels

I've been getting a lot of questions about some things, so I might as well do a blog post.

* Every time I say "trunk novel", someone asks what that is. A trunk novel is a term for a novel that won't ever escape the inside of a trunk. It's a piece a writer works on solely for his/her own gratification, one that stands little chance of every being published, mostly because the writer understands it's horrible. It's the writing version of junk food. I love my trunk novels. (Yes. That's plural....

Serenity In Rain

Today has been productive. Errands run, a short story proofed, and the afternoon settling into a groove. When will I learn that trying to take days off makes me cranky and slightly depressed? I just don't feel right unless I work. It may be a coping mechanism, but at least it's a coping mechanism that benefits me and doesn't suck.

The rain is coming through in sweeps today, and in between each brisk broom-flick of straight up-and-down falling water is a mini-sunbreak. It's spring weather, and ...

A Ramble About Shelves

When Monday morning is a relief, you know your weekend was borked.

It wasn't all bad. I did, for example, get three bookcases put together. Now I have a whole reference bookcase, instead of my reference books scattered all over the house in uneven lumps. A book collection is like oatmeal–you want some clumps, but easy ones. Anyway, my Tanith Lee collection is sharing a much bigger case with my Latin books now, and my working metaphysical library has been taken from my altar and placed in my...

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut…

The Friday writing posts will return next week, on April 30th. Until then, you can find all my previous Friday posts here. Take heart–this will only be a brief hiatus.

Sometimes life just sits up and starts acting crazy, just when you thought you had everything strapped down and gagged…

Related posts:No Choice
Random Friday
Short Break

Simple Link Soup

Today is Take Your Middle-Schooler To Work Day. Since I work at home…yeah, there was pleading. The Princess is usually so good, and she's worked so hard, that I am allowing her to "come to work" with me today. Which basically means running errands with me, and hanging around the house while I bonk my head against revisions. The lucky little chickadee.

I'm deep in the wilds of revision and making a final push today, plus I have a ton of people who really need answers and correspondence from...

Worry Well

I've received a lot of very good advice in the last six months. Some of it I can't keep in my head because too much has been swirling around. The remainder I repeat to myself daily. Like this:

If you must worry, don't worry in quantity. Worry in quality. Worry well.

I am a champion worrier. Apparently a key component of my makeup is the phrase, "why be happy when you can brood?" I wouldn't even hesitate to call my propensity for worry downright Olympian. Or even pathological.

Part of the...

Harumph.

I feel like a cranky old granny today. "All you kids get off my lawn!" As I rattle my cane and glare balefully.

The weekend was busy. Fortunately, a huge personal disappointment isn't throwing me into the slough of despond; I think I've reached the point where I'm actively expecting to be treated well. And when that doesn't happen, I'm cutting my losses sooner. I used to think that if you just loved someone hard enough, everything else would work out. Now I'm slowly learning that loving...

Different Effort

Good morning, dear ones. Welcome to the regular Friday post, written on a new MacBook Pro that is, no doubt, smarter than I am. (But I'm learning. If I can figure out how to jump to the top and end of a MSWord for Mac document on a keyboard that has no "home" or "end" key, I think I'll be all set.) A new laptop always makes my brain hurt during the transition period, and I don't think i was particularly smart to switch over to a whole new operating system as well while I am struggling with a ...