Lyda Morehouse's Blog, page 27
September 30, 2014
Tate DOUBLE Tuesday
I have a lot to announce today. As usual, I have updated my work-in-progress on Wattpad. In this installment, the werewolves are getting restless and the demons discuss fate vs. freewill. www.wattpad.com/73575290-unjust-cause-part-24-demons-and-fate
A number of people have been curious about how Wattpad has been working for me. I have to say that it's gotten better. At first, I have to admit to being disappointed by the number of people reading. I'd had higher hopes that Tate's name would draw a bigger initial crowd. But, now that I'm fairly established (this is my 24th installment, which means there's AT LEAST 24,000 words up--I believe there's probably closer to 30,000 or 35,000 because my first few installments ran longer that a thousand words,) I'm pleased with the number of hits I'm getting. People seem to be slowly continuing to find me, too. I've been keeping up better on FB and Twitter and Tate's blog, so I think that's helped when people go looking.
At any rate, I still think that it's not a perfect model. I wish you didn't have to log-in to leave comments or kudos, and I wish more people were willing to critique me, like my colleagues do on AO3 with my fan work. That being said, Wattpad works really well for me and my needs, however. As I've said, what I need most of all is a reason to keep putting words on the page, and Wattpad is making me do it weekly. And I'm getting just enough feedback to make the whole thing seem worthwhile.
So, that's Wattpad...
My other big announcement today is that my friend Rachel and I are launching a website/serial novel WITH ILLUSTRATIONS by artists Mandie Brasington and Alexis Cooke. The main site is here: entertheunseen.com and you can read the first installment here: http://entertheunseen.com/a-very-small-heist-of-epic-implications-01-01/.
So... this is another grand experiment. If you go to the website, you can see that you can follow us on Facebook and Tumblr. We've also put up a tip jar.... something I've never tried before. We're also going to be going on a fairly aggressive publishing schedule: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays--though Saturday may be bonus content like more art or a podcast of the previous chapters.
The story is going to follow four characters, an ensemble cast. Rachel and I wrote a lot of the chapters together, but ostensibly we've divided the characters between us. She had Theo, a thief and a shapeshifter, pictured above with some of the forms she can transform into. She's also got Kitty, a half-demon with mommy issues. I'm writing Gabe, a lost soul who can see things other people can't...
And Erin, a very special demon-spawn who has had an insanely awful life....
Anyway, it's been a very interesting process to work not only with a collaborative writer, but also with artists.
Generally, though, the site is new and probably has some bugs yet. So, if you go there and you see a problem or just have general comments or complaints, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I'd like to make this experience as pleasant and intuitive as possible.
Okay, that's the general news! Have a great Tuesday!
A number of people have been curious about how Wattpad has been working for me. I have to say that it's gotten better. At first, I have to admit to being disappointed by the number of people reading. I'd had higher hopes that Tate's name would draw a bigger initial crowd. But, now that I'm fairly established (this is my 24th installment, which means there's AT LEAST 24,000 words up--I believe there's probably closer to 30,000 or 35,000 because my first few installments ran longer that a thousand words,) I'm pleased with the number of hits I'm getting. People seem to be slowly continuing to find me, too. I've been keeping up better on FB and Twitter and Tate's blog, so I think that's helped when people go looking.
At any rate, I still think that it's not a perfect model. I wish you didn't have to log-in to leave comments or kudos, and I wish more people were willing to critique me, like my colleagues do on AO3 with my fan work. That being said, Wattpad works really well for me and my needs, however. As I've said, what I need most of all is a reason to keep putting words on the page, and Wattpad is making me do it weekly. And I'm getting just enough feedback to make the whole thing seem worthwhile.
So, that's Wattpad...
My other big announcement today is that my friend Rachel and I are launching a website/serial novel WITH ILLUSTRATIONS by artists Mandie Brasington and Alexis Cooke. The main site is here: entertheunseen.com and you can read the first installment here: http://entertheunseen.com/a-very-small-heist-of-epic-implications-01-01/.
So... this is another grand experiment. If you go to the website, you can see that you can follow us on Facebook and Tumblr. We've also put up a tip jar.... something I've never tried before. We're also going to be going on a fairly aggressive publishing schedule: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays--though Saturday may be bonus content like more art or a podcast of the previous chapters.
The story is going to follow four characters, an ensemble cast. Rachel and I wrote a lot of the chapters together, but ostensibly we've divided the characters between us. She had Theo, a thief and a shapeshifter, pictured above with some of the forms she can transform into. She's also got Kitty, a half-demon with mommy issues. I'm writing Gabe, a lost soul who can see things other people can't...
And Erin, a very special demon-spawn who has had an insanely awful life....
Anyway, it's been a very interesting process to work not only with a collaborative writer, but also with artists.
Generally, though, the site is new and probably has some bugs yet. So, if you go there and you see a problem or just have general comments or complaints, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I'd like to make this experience as pleasant and intuitive as possible.
Okay, that's the general news! Have a great Tuesday!
September 27, 2014
Neighbors and Fences
For those of you who have been following the story thus far, you know I've been painting our fence. This is the fence that goes between our house and the house to the south of us, which is a Section 8 rental. We've been passing acquaintances with one of the families that lives in that house because they have kids Mason's age and are, by chance, also lesbians. Today, while I was finishing up their side of the fence, Ebony (who may be genderqueer/trans because the kids call her 'dad,' though the partner uses 'she' to describe Ebony.) Regardless, Ebony and I exchange a few words about the fence and my work and how I'm mostly painting myself. Then, we have this very... interesting conversation.
Ebony: (somewhat angrily) "You like not working?"
Me: (confused, because WTF, I have a paint brush in my hand. I am clearly working), "What?"
Ebony: "I said, you *like* not working?"
Me: "I have no idea what you're talking about. I have a job at the library, I'm a sub. You might not know that because I work odd hours."
Ebony: "I ain't getting up in your business, but she [meaning Shawn] makes the money, right?"
Me: "Uh... that kind *is* my business."
Ebony: "Yeah, I guess it is. So, you're like the stud?"
Me: "THE WHAT?"
Ebony: "You know, like, the stud."
Me: "The stud? You're hilarious. I wish." [Because at this point, given the context of this very odd conversation, I'm thinking, 'are you thinking Shawn's my sugar mama or something?]
We say a few more random, though friendlier things to each other, and Ebony goes back in the house and I go back to painting, laughing at the idea of being Shawn's 'stud.'
Later it occurs to me that maybe Ebony meant 'butch,'* since s/he's no doubt seen me doing odd jobs around the house. It also dawns on me, while I'm retelling this story to Shawn that maybe the issue is that I also had a very short interaction with Don, Ebony's landlord, earlier. He came by for some reason and--though I tried really hard not to--I overheard Ebony tell Don that they were short on rent and that they'd have to make arrangements to pay him later. Thinking about this, I figure MAYBE Ebony really came over to harass me for my perceived status as 'richer.'
Which I guess, from Ebony's perspective, we are.
I mean, we don't rent, we own. We can very clearly afford groceries on a regular basis. I *do* actually get to stay home more often than not--though if I could find a full-time job that would accommodate Mason's schedule, I'd probably take it (though I do love the library a LOT.)
So, maybe she was just mad about her situation and poverty in general and thought to harass me, because it seems like I'm doing so much better--and, you know, we are. No mistake. But it's a matter of degrees, and the distance between Ebony and Nicole and Shawn and I is not nearly so great as it is on the OTHER side of our OTHER fence, with Catherine and James--James also stays home, because Catherine is a college prof at Hamline and they own not only that house, but rent their upstairs AND own properties in Philadelphia. They regularly travel to Africa and just sent Mali, their daughter, to a college out East for a summer writing program. They might actually be middle class (it's so hard to tell in America, these days.)
I also get anger as a response to this. I've felt it in much less dire situations.
It was still, possibly, one of the weirdest conversations I've had with ANYONE in a long, long time....
---
Edited to add: 'stud'--d'uh, I should have gone right to the urban dictionary. Stud is, in point of fact, a word that means butch lesbian. I am Shawn's stud. So, as a bonus, we got to be completely crossed-wired despite both speaking the same language and ostensibly from the same culture (lesbian.)
Ebony: (somewhat angrily) "You like not working?"
Me: (confused, because WTF, I have a paint brush in my hand. I am clearly working), "What?"
Ebony: "I said, you *like* not working?"
Me: "I have no idea what you're talking about. I have a job at the library, I'm a sub. You might not know that because I work odd hours."
Ebony: "I ain't getting up in your business, but she [meaning Shawn] makes the money, right?"
Me: "Uh... that kind *is* my business."
Ebony: "Yeah, I guess it is. So, you're like the stud?"
Me: "THE WHAT?"
Ebony: "You know, like, the stud."
Me: "The stud? You're hilarious. I wish." [Because at this point, given the context of this very odd conversation, I'm thinking, 'are you thinking Shawn's my sugar mama or something?]
We say a few more random, though friendlier things to each other, and Ebony goes back in the house and I go back to painting, laughing at the idea of being Shawn's 'stud.'
Later it occurs to me that maybe Ebony meant 'butch,'* since s/he's no doubt seen me doing odd jobs around the house. It also dawns on me, while I'm retelling this story to Shawn that maybe the issue is that I also had a very short interaction with Don, Ebony's landlord, earlier. He came by for some reason and--though I tried really hard not to--I overheard Ebony tell Don that they were short on rent and that they'd have to make arrangements to pay him later. Thinking about this, I figure MAYBE Ebony really came over to harass me for my perceived status as 'richer.'
Which I guess, from Ebony's perspective, we are.
I mean, we don't rent, we own. We can very clearly afford groceries on a regular basis. I *do* actually get to stay home more often than not--though if I could find a full-time job that would accommodate Mason's schedule, I'd probably take it (though I do love the library a LOT.)
So, maybe she was just mad about her situation and poverty in general and thought to harass me, because it seems like I'm doing so much better--and, you know, we are. No mistake. But it's a matter of degrees, and the distance between Ebony and Nicole and Shawn and I is not nearly so great as it is on the OTHER side of our OTHER fence, with Catherine and James--James also stays home, because Catherine is a college prof at Hamline and they own not only that house, but rent their upstairs AND own properties in Philadelphia. They regularly travel to Africa and just sent Mali, their daughter, to a college out East for a summer writing program. They might actually be middle class (it's so hard to tell in America, these days.)
I also get anger as a response to this. I've felt it in much less dire situations.
It was still, possibly, one of the weirdest conversations I've had with ANYONE in a long, long time....
---
Edited to add: 'stud'--d'uh, I should have gone right to the urban dictionary. Stud is, in point of fact, a word that means butch lesbian. I am Shawn's stud. So, as a bonus, we got to be completely crossed-wired despite both speaking the same language and ostensibly from the same culture (lesbian.)
September 26, 2014
Fences and Fic
The fence got a bit of paint. I really only had an hour, so I did one panel out of, I don't know, a dozen? So.... it's getting done.
That's not really the news I wanted to share. I just happened to go looking at the Loft page to see if there was a class that Eleanor wanted to take, and I noticed that the winter catalogue is now up and registration is open.
Which means.... My fan fic writing class is now open for registration! Come, get your geek on with Rachel and me:
www.loft.org/classes/detail/ USING FAN FIC TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
Whether you write fanfic purely for fun or are working on original work as well, fanfic is a wonderful training ground that allows you to work on elements of craft in a playful setting. In this class, we’ll use fanfic to improve your ability to write dialogue, craft sentences and paragraph, come up with exciting plot twists, and play with point of view. We’ll explore the way that fanfic allows us to open up our creative process and write with joy—and how to maintain that over time. Fanfic is also an access to understanding how to write for online readers, and we’ll look at how computers are changing the way we write, how to be successful in the online world, interacting with fan communities, and opportunities to sell fanfiction or turn your fanfiction loves into an original manuscript.
Sound interesting? Sign-up! Make my fan writing legit! :-)
That's not really the news I wanted to share. I just happened to go looking at the Loft page to see if there was a class that Eleanor wanted to take, and I noticed that the winter catalogue is now up and registration is open.
Which means.... My fan fic writing class is now open for registration! Come, get your geek on with Rachel and me:
www.loft.org/classes/detail/ USING FAN FIC TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
Whether you write fanfic purely for fun or are working on original work as well, fanfic is a wonderful training ground that allows you to work on elements of craft in a playful setting. In this class, we’ll use fanfic to improve your ability to write dialogue, craft sentences and paragraph, come up with exciting plot twists, and play with point of view. We’ll explore the way that fanfic allows us to open up our creative process and write with joy—and how to maintain that over time. Fanfic is also an access to understanding how to write for online readers, and we’ll look at how computers are changing the way we write, how to be successful in the online world, interacting with fan communities, and opportunities to sell fanfiction or turn your fanfiction loves into an original manuscript.
Sound interesting? Sign-up! Make my fan writing legit! :-)
Mending Fences
In a minute I'm going to change into my painting clothes and go paint our fence. It's already green, so I'm re-painting it green...which may seem like an odd choice. I can't quite remember why we thought this was a good idea in the first place. I do remember painting it the very first time many, many moons ago and our next door neighbor saying from her second story porch (just loud enough for me to hear), "Tsk, those Micks will paint anything green."
This is not as random as it may seem.
She apparently thought we were Irish due to the bumper sticker on my car at the time which read, "26 + 6 = 1" (which is a reference to the partition of Ireland and my personal politics.) And you know, we painted our porch green too... so she might have had cause to think we had some kind of weird love of the color green. And, god knows, I might have been blasting Irish music while painting, too, so... not as odd an assumption as you might think, given that I'm Czech and Polish and German.
When I was talking to Naomi about this last night at Wyrdsmiths, we stopped to wonder what a Czech or Polish or German person might paint a thing if they were feeling particularly patriotic. Turns out, red would work for all of them. But, I'm not painting everything red. I mean, it DOES still kind of suit my politics, but you know., then the neighbors would have to be all, "Tsk, those Commies will paint anything red!"
In un-related news, I was going to see if I could find a Japanese language 'tape' to listen to while outside painting. I may just have to listen to music (oh noz!) but it would be nice to reinforce my Japanese.... because, damn, I feel far too old to be starting a new language. Though, as a bonus, I've been listening to my "John Learner" tapes in the car again. What is funny is that, of course, what I remember best is the English and I find myself, not so much listening to learn the language, as making up crazy stories about the life and adventures of John Learner.
This is what I mean about too old. The Japanese just bounces off me and I'm off in my imaginary world with fictitious John Learner.
Sads.
Speaking of things Japanese, though, I signed Mason and I up for Anime Detour. We are now officially attending together! That should be great fun. I'm really looking forward to it.
Okay, I should stop stalling. There is a fence to paint!
This is not as random as it may seem.
She apparently thought we were Irish due to the bumper sticker on my car at the time which read, "26 + 6 = 1" (which is a reference to the partition of Ireland and my personal politics.) And you know, we painted our porch green too... so she might have had cause to think we had some kind of weird love of the color green. And, god knows, I might have been blasting Irish music while painting, too, so... not as odd an assumption as you might think, given that I'm Czech and Polish and German.
When I was talking to Naomi about this last night at Wyrdsmiths, we stopped to wonder what a Czech or Polish or German person might paint a thing if they were feeling particularly patriotic. Turns out, red would work for all of them. But, I'm not painting everything red. I mean, it DOES still kind of suit my politics, but you know., then the neighbors would have to be all, "Tsk, those Commies will paint anything red!"
In un-related news, I was going to see if I could find a Japanese language 'tape' to listen to while outside painting. I may just have to listen to music (oh noz!) but it would be nice to reinforce my Japanese.... because, damn, I feel far too old to be starting a new language. Though, as a bonus, I've been listening to my "John Learner" tapes in the car again. What is funny is that, of course, what I remember best is the English and I find myself, not so much listening to learn the language, as making up crazy stories about the life and adventures of John Learner.
This is what I mean about too old. The Japanese just bounces off me and I'm off in my imaginary world with fictitious John Learner.
Sads.
Speaking of things Japanese, though, I signed Mason and I up for Anime Detour. We are now officially attending together! That should be great fun. I'm really looking forward to it.
Okay, I should stop stalling. There is a fence to paint!
September 25, 2014
Gah, Has it Really Been a Week Already?
Dang it.
Sorry that I haven't kept up with my blogging. Here is another MangaKast, though, if you're interested in Mason and my thoughts about the latest Bleach, Toriko, and Fairy Tail: mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/09/25/26-mason-and-lydas-inter-directional-adventures/
I think the problem has been work. Something happened at Roseville (someone quit unexpectedly? Got ill?) and they needed a reliable sub for two weeks running. I worked last Monday through Thursday, and this Tuesday through Thursday. PLUS, I had a pre-scheduled gig on Saturday for EIGHT hours at a different library (North Saint Paul.) So, I've been working a lot.
And then, today, John, the big circulation boss, says there's been a lot of mis-shelved books so he wants to quiz me. Would I please do a cart of fiction and non-fiction and set the books on their sides so he can check my work? No problem I say. I get nearly all the fiction right (one policy one I blew because I wasn't sure if all articles were skipped or just "the" so I mis-shelved a book that started "a".) Then came non-fiction... yeah, to be fair, out of fifty some books I only got five wrong, but that's kind of a lot for a library. What can I say? In my defense I normally don't try to shelve nearly as fast as I did today. I was feeling the pressure because I knew another person was covering my time on the desk and I felt responsible to get back as quickly as possible. So, you know... but *sigh* I'm not in any real trouble, but I still feel like a dope. I got a reminder of how things worked and I'm going to have to put little bookmarks in my work for a while so they can make sure I'm not messing up.
On the other hand, I work exactly once at a totally different library (Maplewood) in the entire month of October.
So, you know, not a lot of opportunity to screw up! Bonus!
But, you know, while I have to admit I messed up, I kind of doubt that the mis-shelving was down to me. I didn't actually do a whole lot of shelving the whole two weeks I worked there. Most of my time was on the desk or the phones. The first week I was there I did some new things like interlibrary loans and new book shelving, so...
Thing is, I like this job. I don't want to lose it.
But, so that's one major thing that's been happening: a whole lot of work. I nearly worked 40 hours this week, and I have to tell you, failed quizzes aside, I'm not terribly fond of the whole daily grind thing any more. Nothing I do at the library is terribly hard (with the exception of non-fiction, apparently), but you know, the ever day thing... yeah, I don't know how you people do it. It's... tiring. Also, I really, really need to paint our fence (which I "fixed" the other day), so I'd much rather be doing that. The fixed bit is in quotes because I very much did a "There I Fixed It" kind of solution. I just didn't want to have to go to Menards, so I made do with stuff we had around home. This meant making a "butt joint" with two shorter pieces for the spacer. I guess butt joints are a thing, but mine is... interesting. Still that whole fence is going to need to be replaced at some point so, really, this works for now.
Tonight is Wyrdsmiths, so I'm headed out in a bit. I also had a bunch of evening gigs this week, starting Monday--when I did the "Hobbit: Book v. Movie" panel at Common Good books. That was a small, intimate gathering, as we like to say, but lively none-the-less. I met another author who does a podcast with his kid, only his is a dad/daughter show called Generations Geek.
Then, on Tuesday night I had my first of many Japanese language classes through the Community Education program. It's going to be... interesting. I'm feeling a bit old to be learning a new language, though I am motivated by... otaku. I told Shawn that since my teacher said that I need to study for an hour a day that CLEARLY means I need to watch at least an hour of anime daily, right? I'm pretty sure that's what it means....
Anyway, okay, I'm off to my writers' group. I feel like a loser writer, though, too, because thanks to work and my Japanese class i managed to miss a week of writing my Tate project.
*sighs*
Today is a day of *sigh* apparently.
But the podcast is fun. Go listen to that.
Sorry that I haven't kept up with my blogging. Here is another MangaKast, though, if you're interested in Mason and my thoughts about the latest Bleach, Toriko, and Fairy Tail: mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/09/25/26-mason-and-lydas-inter-directional-adventures/
I think the problem has been work. Something happened at Roseville (someone quit unexpectedly? Got ill?) and they needed a reliable sub for two weeks running. I worked last Monday through Thursday, and this Tuesday through Thursday. PLUS, I had a pre-scheduled gig on Saturday for EIGHT hours at a different library (North Saint Paul.) So, I've been working a lot.
And then, today, John, the big circulation boss, says there's been a lot of mis-shelved books so he wants to quiz me. Would I please do a cart of fiction and non-fiction and set the books on their sides so he can check my work? No problem I say. I get nearly all the fiction right (one policy one I blew because I wasn't sure if all articles were skipped or just "the" so I mis-shelved a book that started "a".) Then came non-fiction... yeah, to be fair, out of fifty some books I only got five wrong, but that's kind of a lot for a library. What can I say? In my defense I normally don't try to shelve nearly as fast as I did today. I was feeling the pressure because I knew another person was covering my time on the desk and I felt responsible to get back as quickly as possible. So, you know... but *sigh* I'm not in any real trouble, but I still feel like a dope. I got a reminder of how things worked and I'm going to have to put little bookmarks in my work for a while so they can make sure I'm not messing up.
On the other hand, I work exactly once at a totally different library (Maplewood) in the entire month of October.
So, you know, not a lot of opportunity to screw up! Bonus!
But, you know, while I have to admit I messed up, I kind of doubt that the mis-shelving was down to me. I didn't actually do a whole lot of shelving the whole two weeks I worked there. Most of my time was on the desk or the phones. The first week I was there I did some new things like interlibrary loans and new book shelving, so...
Thing is, I like this job. I don't want to lose it.
But, so that's one major thing that's been happening: a whole lot of work. I nearly worked 40 hours this week, and I have to tell you, failed quizzes aside, I'm not terribly fond of the whole daily grind thing any more. Nothing I do at the library is terribly hard (with the exception of non-fiction, apparently), but you know, the ever day thing... yeah, I don't know how you people do it. It's... tiring. Also, I really, really need to paint our fence (which I "fixed" the other day), so I'd much rather be doing that. The fixed bit is in quotes because I very much did a "There I Fixed It" kind of solution. I just didn't want to have to go to Menards, so I made do with stuff we had around home. This meant making a "butt joint" with two shorter pieces for the spacer. I guess butt joints are a thing, but mine is... interesting. Still that whole fence is going to need to be replaced at some point so, really, this works for now.
Tonight is Wyrdsmiths, so I'm headed out in a bit. I also had a bunch of evening gigs this week, starting Monday--when I did the "Hobbit: Book v. Movie" panel at Common Good books. That was a small, intimate gathering, as we like to say, but lively none-the-less. I met another author who does a podcast with his kid, only his is a dad/daughter show called Generations Geek.
Then, on Tuesday night I had my first of many Japanese language classes through the Community Education program. It's going to be... interesting. I'm feeling a bit old to be learning a new language, though I am motivated by... otaku. I told Shawn that since my teacher said that I need to study for an hour a day that CLEARLY means I need to watch at least an hour of anime daily, right? I'm pretty sure that's what it means....
Anyway, okay, I'm off to my writers' group. I feel like a loser writer, though, too, because thanks to work and my Japanese class i managed to miss a week of writing my Tate project.
*sighs*
Today is a day of *sigh* apparently.
But the podcast is fun. Go listen to that.
September 18, 2014
Thursday Evening MangaKast
Yep, because I KNOW you've all been waiting... mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/25-barrel-of-monkeys
It's been a long week around the Morehouse/Rounds house. There's been a lot of struggle over Algebra (made harder tonight by the absence of Mama) and me, working every day Monday through Friday. Since they're in the process of a replacement for a position, I'm going to be doing it again next week Tuesday through Thursday.
Such is the working life!
It's been a long week around the Morehouse/Rounds house. There's been a lot of struggle over Algebra (made harder tonight by the absence of Mama) and me, working every day Monday through Friday. Since they're in the process of a replacement for a position, I'm going to be doing it again next week Tuesday through Thursday.
Such is the working life!
September 16, 2014
Ms. Marvel #8
Because my friend Naomi is made of awesome, she loaned me the most recent Ms. Marvel (#8)
As I said in my previous post, I was a little leery of the introduction of this big guy, Lockjaw. But, I have to say, I thought he was handled deftly (insomuch as anyone can "handle" Lockjaw, as it were.) In this issue, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel is still searching for clues about her arch-enemy "The Inventor." Things that I can say that are non-spoilery are that Kamala seems to be settling into the sort of regular business of superhero-ing. There isn't much about her family or her ethnicity or her religion in this one, and that's just fine with me. I think it would be a mistake if this were a title all about those things all the time. Kamala is starting, IMHO, to feel like Peter Parker--which is to say a person doing living and superhero-ing in that way a lot of Marvel character do it (by which, I mean messily, which reads as very 'real life'/plausible.)
I'm also really digging her guy pal (Bruno?) who works at the corner mart. He has some really funny lines in this one, including what I can only assume is a dig at all the dudes feeling left out of girl-centric comic books. (At one point when he's stuck taking out the garbage at the corner mart and Kamala and Lockjaw teleport out to do superhero stuff, he mutters, "Not feeling emasculated or anything, nope.")
Which made me smile, in a wicked sort of way. Here, he just wants "a refund on life." Weirdly, he's the guy I relate to the most, even though he was kind of a jerk in the first few issues having snitched on Kamala to her folks, and sort of representing the guy who can get away with what a girl can't.
A Front Row Seat to WRITING PROCESS
And... it's a bit messy.
This is my way of saying that I've had some epiphanies about my work-in-progress, but since I'm writing this 'out loud' I'm having to wrestle the plot back under control in a very public way. Still, I think this whole thing is kind of valuable. I mean, how often do you, as a reader, get a chance to watch a writer figuring a novel out as she goes along?
I feel like this is clunky, but it will be interesting to see what my regular readers make of it. Because, maybe, it's not as obvious as I feel it is. It's hard to say. Go see what you think, if you'd like.
I will admit that I nearly named this chapter, "Part 23: In which things come to a head and a decision is made..." a very A. A. Milnes kind of chapter title, but I decided instead to call it "Part 23: Word Up."
I have to dash off to work... but I'm pleased to have managed this, warts and all! :-)
This is my way of saying that I've had some epiphanies about my work-in-progress, but since I'm writing this 'out loud' I'm having to wrestle the plot back under control in a very public way. Still, I think this whole thing is kind of valuable. I mean, how often do you, as a reader, get a chance to watch a writer figuring a novel out as she goes along?
I feel like this is clunky, but it will be interesting to see what my regular readers make of it. Because, maybe, it's not as obvious as I feel it is. It's hard to say. Go see what you think, if you'd like.
I will admit that I nearly named this chapter, "Part 23: In which things come to a head and a decision is made..." a very A. A. Milnes kind of chapter title, but I decided instead to call it "Part 23: Word Up."
I have to dash off to work... but I'm pleased to have managed this, warts and all! :-)
September 15, 2014
Monday, Monday...
I'm working this whole week at the Roseville Library from 9am to 1pm... which is kind of both awesome and a bummer.
Obviously, the money is awesome and, honestly, Roseville is one of my favorite libraries to work at. I like the people and it's always busy enough to keep me hopping and the time flying by. The bummer is that this is the week that my collaborator Rachel had off to work on our joint project, I'm pretty much going to be unavailable to help get things launch-ready except in the evenings. But, I try to remind myself I used to work like that all the time before I was lucky enough to stay home and write. In other words, suck it up, Lyda.
I've been reading a lot lately. I'm still trying to find a fun new weekly manga to review for our podcast and I keep reading full runs of things. This latest one is a shojo manga: mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/tora-to-ookami-review/. It's another one I don't quite know why I ended up getting so sucked into it. I try to figure that out in the review. (The answer seems to be that I'm a sucker for manga about writing, art, and food, and this one has elements of all three.)
My friend Kyell Gold was in town over the weekend for Furry Migration, so I caught up with him and my buddies from SofaWolf Press. Kyell and the SofaWolf guys are always a tremendous amount of awesome, plus I dragged Naomi Kritzer along and so we talked Marvel movies, Furry cons, writing, and all the things. The guys at SofaWolf encouraged me to consider writing a story for them, so I'm in the process of ruminating about what that might be.... Hmmm... time to put the thinking cap on.
That's kind of all the news I have at the moment. Tomorrow's Tate installment will be late, thanks to my work schedule. Note to self: I'm going to have to buckled down and write tonight so that I can have it ready to go for the AM tomorrow. And, yes, if you ever wondered if I write right up the last moment... *NODS FURIOUSLY*
Obviously, the money is awesome and, honestly, Roseville is one of my favorite libraries to work at. I like the people and it's always busy enough to keep me hopping and the time flying by. The bummer is that this is the week that my collaborator Rachel had off to work on our joint project, I'm pretty much going to be unavailable to help get things launch-ready except in the evenings. But, I try to remind myself I used to work like that all the time before I was lucky enough to stay home and write. In other words, suck it up, Lyda.
I've been reading a lot lately. I'm still trying to find a fun new weekly manga to review for our podcast and I keep reading full runs of things. This latest one is a shojo manga: mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/tora-to-ookami-review/. It's another one I don't quite know why I ended up getting so sucked into it. I try to figure that out in the review. (The answer seems to be that I'm a sucker for manga about writing, art, and food, and this one has elements of all three.)
My friend Kyell Gold was in town over the weekend for Furry Migration, so I caught up with him and my buddies from SofaWolf Press. Kyell and the SofaWolf guys are always a tremendous amount of awesome, plus I dragged Naomi Kritzer along and so we talked Marvel movies, Furry cons, writing, and all the things. The guys at SofaWolf encouraged me to consider writing a story for them, so I'm in the process of ruminating about what that might be.... Hmmm... time to put the thinking cap on.
That's kind of all the news I have at the moment. Tomorrow's Tate installment will be late, thanks to my work schedule. Note to self: I'm going to have to buckled down and write tonight so that I can have it ready to go for the AM tomorrow. And, yes, if you ever wondered if I write right up the last moment... *NODS FURIOUSLY*
September 13, 2014
More Manga Review
In my quest to find a new weekly manga to review for our podcast, I keep stumbling into EVEN MORE monthly manga that I enjoy. The latest one is a futuristic, action-adventure manga called Hitogatana. My review is posted here: http://mangakast.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/hitogatana-chapters-1-21-a-review/
The short of it is that I liked it... A LOT.
There are a couple of really cool female characters and I love the premise of fighting teams with mech, "katana," that they download their consciousness into.
Weirdly, the next one I stumbled into that I seem to be reading? A shojo (girls') manga called Tora to Ookami. I've only ever read an enjoyed one other shojo before and that was Absolute Boyfriend. Tora to Ookami has no science fiction going for it, so I'm not sure what the appeal is so far. There are only 12 chapters and it's complete, but I think part of why I got sucked in is that thing that sometimes hooks me... slice-of-life about food.
If I finish it, I'll let you know what I think of it. Also, Naomi loaned me the latest Ms. Marvel, so I get to find out how I feel about the introduction of Lockjaw....
The short of it is that I liked it... A LOT.
There are a couple of really cool female characters and I love the premise of fighting teams with mech, "katana," that they download their consciousness into.
Weirdly, the next one I stumbled into that I seem to be reading? A shojo (girls') manga called Tora to Ookami. I've only ever read an enjoyed one other shojo before and that was Absolute Boyfriend. Tora to Ookami has no science fiction going for it, so I'm not sure what the appeal is so far. There are only 12 chapters and it's complete, but I think part of why I got sucked in is that thing that sometimes hooks me... slice-of-life about food.
If I finish it, I'll let you know what I think of it. Also, Naomi loaned me the latest Ms. Marvel, so I get to find out how I feel about the introduction of Lockjaw....
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