Tate Hallaway's Blog, page 43
March 18, 2010
Support Groups for Writers
Every Wednesday, I get together with some women writer friends to, well, write. Although, to be honest, we tend to spend a lot of the time talking. Often we talk about our families or politics or funny YouTube videos, but sometimes we chat about the industry, writing process, and our own sense of what it means to "be" a writer.
Yesterday the theme was career arcs. Each of us is in a very different place. One of the women is "established." She wouldn't say so, but she's a NAME in science...
March 17, 2010
Smart Things
March 16, 2010
Mythbusters, the Novel Edition
Jim C. Hines published the first part of his novel survey results over on LJ: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/496760.html. Check it out, it's fascinating stuff. I was surprised/not surprised how perfectly I fit the survey results. (I published exactly 1 short story before professionally selling my novel, submitted through an agent, etc.) Though it seems more people have sold fantasy, and more recently than me.... but all and all, very interesting.
March 12, 2010
A Cat and A Window
Over at Wyrdsmiths, Eleanor Arnason asked if there were things you, as a writer, feel comforted by or "need" to write. I thought about this question while I avoided writing (cleaned the dining room floor, changed the fish tank's water,) and I decided that what I need to write is a window.
As I noted in the comments, I've worked really hard over the last several years (particularly when I made the switch to becoming a full-time, stay-at-home writer,) to not NEED any talisman to write. I've...
March 11, 2010
Why Do You Hate Verbs, Artist?*
Last night I couldn't find the paperback novel I've been reading, so I picked up a book that I'd taken out of the library. It's by someone I consider a colleague and happens to be on the Nebula ballot this year.
I started reading it. Then I threw it down in disgust.
The plot sounds awesome. The prose is beautiful. But there is a distinct lack of verbs.
Why? For the love of God, why, I ask you, do people feel that it's artistic or atmospheric to have sentences (no, technically FRAGMENTS...
March 10, 2010
To Do List
I feel much better after my brief bout of food poisioning, thank you. And now that the smoke has cleared, as it were, and Mason's vacation is over, I should probably take a moment to figure out what's on my to-do list.
1. Go over CEM of ALMOST TO DIE FOR, which is due March 16 on my editor's desk.
2. Review and comment on Kelly's proposal (chapters and synopsis) for Wyrdsmiths on Thursday night.
3. Finally make .pdfs of all my recent novels, as requested by my agent, as well as make .pdfs...
March 9, 2010
CEM ALMOST
Of course, today, when I'm sick as a dog, I get the note from my editor's assistant that they're sending along the copy edited manuscript of ALMOST TO DIE FOR, which needs to be back on their desk on March 16.
The problem (and plus) of having so many books coming out in one year is that there's a lot of stuff that needs to get done -- all of it, right now. I spent much of the day in bed, but then, after I saw the note, I had to pull myself out of bed and try to be upright for a while -- at...
March 5, 2010
What I Should Be Doing...
What I should be doing is starting work on either a proposal (of a darker variety) for my editor or beginning the sequel to ALMOST TO DIE FOR. Instead, I've been goofing around on a short story.
Remember how I said that it's a bad idea to write to market? But that I also understand the impulse because I tend to get caught up in anthology descriptions? Well, I was looking for a home for a short story of mine that I wrote some years ago at Ralan.com, and as I often do, I started wandering...
March 4, 2010
Getting Desperate
Yesterday, in the middle of the afternoon, I was hit by a craving. Was it for chocolate? No. Was it for Doritos? No. Was it for a trashy novel? No.
All I wanted to do was write.
But, alas, Mason is still off school for another couple of days. And, wouldn't you know it, my usually fairly self-sufficent child had one of those days when he really just wanted to hang with his ima. I held off until late night, and then... had no energy. I wrote a paragraph and then completely pooped out.
Luc...
March 3, 2010
What I Did On Winter Vacation
This is Mason peeking out of the gigantic snow fort we built in our backyard over Mason's winter intersession break. (For those of you just tuning in, my son goes to a year round school, and doesn't have traditional summer vacation, but, instead, gets months off in different times of the year [inclucing summer, just not all three months.:])
