Anne Stuart's Blog, page 4

The Traumas of Sister Krissie

So I've been hurting. A lot. First the doctors just said it was the result of my depression, and I bought that. After all, massive depression grabs you by the -- what? I don't have balls, and I don't have ovaries any more. Anyway, it grabs you someplace essential and life-defining and twists and squeezes, and pain and weeping ensue.

But it turns out I'm overdue for my hundred thousand mile tune-up. My knees have gotten so bad I can barely walk, I have a rotator cuff screw up resulting bursitis...

Copy Editors

I'm having the strangest time going through my older books, getting them ready for re-issues. The first batch went out without revision because we were in some kind of rush, but I've discovered there's nothing better than fixing old stuff and making it shiny and new again.

One of the most surprising things I've noticed is how lax the copy editing was, and back in the day we used to bitch like crazy about the copy editors, feeling they were incredibly intrusive and calling them (whispering) cop...

The big d (DEPRESSION, NOT DALLAS)

Good morning, children. Je suis Charlie. No, I'm not going to talk about France -- so many people have been more eloquent than I could be. I just felt it necessary to say something.

Got a helluva week ahead of me. Dentist appointment, speech in the big city, shrink appointment, writing, cleaning, sewing. I think I'll just go back to bed.

No, I can't. Let me tell you about my depression. People don't like to talk about depression, about any form of emotional and mental illness.

I have a history...

Friday

So yesterday I got up and looked at the thermometer. -27.6 (or -26.7 : there's not a whole lot of difference). But I had to see my rheumatologist, so I layered and layered and it was only -14 when I went out to the car, an improvement if it weren't for the damned wind. And off I went to the big city.

First I should tell you that I wrote on Wednesday. And yesterday the ideas were flowing (driving and swimming are the two best ways for me to brainstorm). First I went to the outlets to buy clothe...

IDID IT!

Yes, that was meant to be shouted from the rooftops. I started the new book, and I wanted to kick myself. What was my big problem? I wrote a page and a half, did some laundry and filled the wood stove, then came back and wrote another two and a half. So 1,250 words or so first time out of the gate, and the story just started flowing. I should have had faith and trusted. The stories just come, they always have, and writer's block isn't an issue. It's more a readiness block.

And oh my. it took...

Oh, God, it's Monday

Well, I got the proofs off via email, and now I have no more excuses. I have to work on the new Ice/Fire book. And I'm scared. I've been fighting the depression so long (and then gracefully sinking into it for a while) that now that I'm climbing out I'm terrified.

Partly it's because the first book of the new series was such a fabulous book to write. I actually celebrated when I had time to write (I wrote a lot of it while I was in a play which was totally exhausting). And it's so good. I was...

Dumb-Ass of the Year Award

Well, I've been under the weather, so to speak. Suffering from the megrims. A full month ago my editor sent me the proofs (I guess they can't be called page proofs since they're not on the page) with a request to get it to her by the 23rd. Proofs are easy peasy fast work, but I was too depressed to even think about it. Suddenly it was the 22ndand I panicked. Said could I have three more days. Instead the saintly woman gave me till January 5th. So yesterday I decided to bite the bullet and do...

Today I Work

It would amaze you how many days I don't write. Well, the key word is write. I'm working all the time. Everything I see, hear, taste and smell inspires me - and in the back of my brain I tend to have ideas percolating like some rich primordial stew ...

WAIT A MINUTE! I just saw The Grand Budapest Hotel and the hysterically funny, self-congratulatory writer seems to be creeping into my vocabulary. Of course, like all the other characters in the movie, there's more to him than that -- just witne...

BRAVE NEW WORLD

You know, that's one of my favorite lines. Oh, Brave new world that has such people in't. Or something like that. I don't want you to think I'm that good with Shakespeare that my quotes are perfect. I remember starting out a talk at RWA with ... er, I don't remember. But I attributed it to TS Eliot instead of Thoreau, put on tape for all to hear. It's just good I don't have a strong sense of embarrassment or shame. Everyone fucks up. (Yes, you will hear the F bomb here).

I decided running two...

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day, my children. Life is changing, and this blog is going to morph into Sister Krissie Explains it All (thanks, Clarissa). In the last three years we've (Jenny Crusie, Lani Diane Rich, Toni Causey, Barbara Samuel, and more) have banded together in the noble causing of reclaiming our fabulousness, which had gotten somewhat tarnished over the years. Being fabulous is an ongoing endeavor, but it's not a task or a battle. It's a joy.

This will still be my blog, but the others will ha...