Nerine Dorman's Blog, page 114

That darn cat...

It's been an event-filled weekend thus far. Right now I'm revelling in having my very own pint-sized 'puter and it's an absolute treat that I can carry it with me wherever I go. Working on such a small keyboard is surprisingly comfortable even though the screen is so very small.

Currently I'm proofing a galley of the surprise... Which I still can't confirm because the contract is (it can be hoped) somewhere between Cape Town and New York. And that's as much as I'll say right now.

We had a petit...

Only two more sleeps

So, finally, it is happening. I am finally purchasing my own computer and will no longer be fighting the husband for control of the Mac at home, nor sneaking about on the PC at work... or having to sneak about the spare computer at the husband's work. How I've coped up until now is beyond me.

Today I signed a contract. I'm posting it tomorrow, but I shan't tell anyone what it's for until its receipt is confirmed. That's unless you're already in the know, that is. **grins**

Cover art for Khepera...

On self-editing and a current writing project

Today I was moved to continue my ramblings on The Things Authors Do to Annoy Editors, and I blogged a bit over at Frightening Journeys:
http://paranormalwriters.blogspot.com/2010/02/word-on-self-editing.html

So, if you consider yourself a worker with words, that one may be of interest to you, as these constitute the latest (and not so greatest) issues I've got with authors who, erm, "do stuff" to the English language.

Today, me and HJ met with K, a friend of ours and the first subject of what wi...

Rhubarb, fishpaste... mudhut

Well, I've survived another crazy week, which has reminded me why I do not wish to subject myself to working with so-called "blue chip" clients. Suffice to say, they disregard deadlines purely because they know I'll bend over backwards to accommodate them. (Someone pass the vaseline, please?)

On the writing side, I'm very excited because... well, something really cool happened but I'll only be able to tell y'all once I've signed the contract. **wink**

On the editing side, I'm very glad that I'm...

Grammar 101: Affect vs. Effect

Today this common grammatical error is driving me bugshit. Perhaps I have an innate sense generally to tell the difference because I've had it beaten into me at the newspaper, I no longer struggle with this one like I used to before I started editing for a living. And, trust me, when you have the editor of a department or a NEWSPAPER looking at you like you've got half a braincell 'cos you got it wrong, you learn pretty quickly to NOT get it wrong.

So, for the sake of education authors today, ...

Chicken feet

I've had this strange idea. I'm going to be making "dragon claws" from chicken feet. Lucky dragon claws. I'm sure I can find chicken feet somewhere. This is Africa, after all. And some folks have been giving me good ideas to dry them then preserve them. A touch of Egypt there, eh?

Anyhoo... I published a short fic I wrote set in the Khepera Rising milieu. Question: If an author writes a piece of fanfic set in her own world is it still fanfiction?

If you've got time and you want to read, it's no...

Saturday wibbles

Plainly put... I'm feeling lazy as all hell. I did work today. I started formatting a new MS to start edits on, but this afternoon Thomas hogged the 'puter and it was so warm and just... balmy, that I took my Storm Constantine novel (The Crown of Silence) opened the balcony door leading to the bedroom, and promptly snoozed for an hour or so.

That's until Thomas stomped into the bedroom to wake me, demanding his supper.

But it was nice to just be chilled. Yesterday was hectic. We had to help out...

The Ironclad Fleet

</div></a>3635 / 80000 words. 5% done!</div>

Well... that's the latest from The Ironclad Fleet. I have the skellington down in hard copy but I've managed a little more today. Going to chill for a while and get ready to go out to Uncle Ronnie's haus for a braai... Maybe attack a little more writing after I've played my piano accordion and wait for Mr T to get home.

I'm feeling much better now that I've worked on my own writing for a bit. It's good to know I've got it in me after not having writt...

New year niggles.

Looking back over 2009 I can definitely say it's been an eventful year with loads of events. I've learnt that I really enjoy editing fiction and would like to make that my day-job as opposed to working at the newspapers. Of course until such time as the fiction actually begins to pay out, that is unlikely.

Khepera Rising has hit electronic bookstores and even though I never thought this would ever happen to a first novel which has, admittedly, some flaws in its structure, I'm glad to see that ...

On road trips

Every year Thomas and I have this yen to enjoy a road trip. We've done Namibia twice already and this past year we drove up to Johannesburg. And each time I swear on my nelly I'm not doing it again, only to have the memory of the pain wear off. I expect in about six months' time I'll have forgotten schlep and will reach for the atlas and start planning the next drive.

There's something to be said for driving through those small, obscure rural half-donkey towns and wondering about the people wh...