More bits and bobs
If I lose friends and acquaintances over the next few months, my WIP will be to blame. Right now I'm channeling a character (which I have been known to do at other times, unintentionally) and the intellect of this character is weighed down by emotions and most of those emotions are variants of snark. I have this character under restraint in public, but it's still already caused me trouble on Facebook. Check out my today's comment on FB (concerning TV) and the reactions to it if you feel like being amused. What interests me is one particular reaction. I still don't get it. I've seen it many, many times from many people and I still don't get it. I was unintentionally in character when I argued back and so things are a bit confusing and alas, I am still amused. In fact, I'm more amused.
I've decided that this novel will have one wildly unreliable snarkish strand. It's going to echo things in the plot and show them from a different angle. And finally, I've worked out how I can tackle gender (one of the ways, there will be other ways for other novels). And menopause. I am being very, very evil in this novel. Aliens, menopause, silencing, gender. And that's before I even start on the plotting and most of the characters! I'm focussing on Ms Snark for a little, and getting the echo and inner bits done. Then I'll write the book. Or I'll leave it for a while until I finish the other and write the main strands later. My timing depends on money. I'll do this one character, though, and about 30,000 words of the novel alongside it.
I like the idea of a reliable narrator who is painfully honest who is seen as unreliable the minute the novel moves from first to third person and that the unreliablity isn't anything to do with personality but is everything to do with gendering and menopause. And that the deep reason for not trusting this person is only really visible (at least for a while) in the parts of the narrative where the character is a reliable narrator.
It's confusing to explain, but not that hard to write. This is because it's normal experience for a whole segment of our society. Evil, I tell you. That's what I am.
None of this is where the novel will end up. It's just where it begins, for me. What a fun place for it to begin, though.
In other almost-news I've done some walking. Yesterday it was miles (not many, but at least it was in the plural) and today it was a single mile. My left foot now doesn't like me and I got a lift home and will be getting some help with messages tomorrow. Yesterday and today, however, I achieved my 6000 minimum steps (yesterday with many above that) and I am tired but can feel the difference. This means I am improving and will be able to walk normally again, sooner or later.
How is this possible? My chiropractor sorted the spine. Or is sorting it. I can catch buses and do messages and, most importantly, I can now actually sleep at night. My body is learning about rest and recuperation and focussed attention all over again. The immediate result is fatigue, because obviously I'm using more energy, but it will all work out well. Already I'm less anxious, even though I am still a bit plagued by overwork.
I have to remind myself that when I think it's overwork I am not being a drama queen. Before dinner I have 3 blogposts to write and an interview to answer. I will finish Chapter Eight of the NF tonight, I hope, and then will be up to the last run-through before I rewrite the intro and write the conclusion. I will also do some work with Katrin on the shared blogging for our small tour.
I need to finish the critical apparatus for the current NF. I'm edging closer and closer, but life happens and it isn't quite there yet. A full day at the desk would do it, if I could find the full day. I need to have finished it all around the end of the month. That includes editing and formatting - the lot. This is not something, therefore, that is on the list for today.
My blog tour spots for October are going to add up to nearly 2 dozen posts that I write, between one book and another. I'm having a lot of fun with them and would do more if more were needed, but also thinking thank goodness for Katrin. She's very organised and keeps track and writers her share: these things are all important. A batch of posts are due tomorrow, and after that thing will be a bit easier.
I've got two sets of teaching proposals (complex ones) to do by the end of the month. One really should be done earlier. I've got a brand new course (with brand new handouts!) that starts on Tuesday. It's the Heroes one and there are places still available. I don't have to have everything done for that until Monday morning. I shall laze my days away.
And I have a booklaunch! Next week. All welcome. Tea and 15th century coffee provided. I'm getting a nice feeling from the early reactions to The Time of the Ghosts. No-one has reacted negatively to me having elderly characters who are central and have agency and some readers are wildly enthusiastic about it.
And my Wednesday students are lovely, as ever. Twelve of them this morning. It's perfectly possible to teach creative writing in groups of twelve with wildly different abilities and interests in the group, if the class is as lovely as mine.
I've decided that this novel will have one wildly unreliable snarkish strand. It's going to echo things in the plot and show them from a different angle. And finally, I've worked out how I can tackle gender (one of the ways, there will be other ways for other novels). And menopause. I am being very, very evil in this novel. Aliens, menopause, silencing, gender. And that's before I even start on the plotting and most of the characters! I'm focussing on Ms Snark for a little, and getting the echo and inner bits done. Then I'll write the book. Or I'll leave it for a while until I finish the other and write the main strands later. My timing depends on money. I'll do this one character, though, and about 30,000 words of the novel alongside it.
I like the idea of a reliable narrator who is painfully honest who is seen as unreliable the minute the novel moves from first to third person and that the unreliablity isn't anything to do with personality but is everything to do with gendering and menopause. And that the deep reason for not trusting this person is only really visible (at least for a while) in the parts of the narrative where the character is a reliable narrator.
It's confusing to explain, but not that hard to write. This is because it's normal experience for a whole segment of our society. Evil, I tell you. That's what I am.
None of this is where the novel will end up. It's just where it begins, for me. What a fun place for it to begin, though.
In other almost-news I've done some walking. Yesterday it was miles (not many, but at least it was in the plural) and today it was a single mile. My left foot now doesn't like me and I got a lift home and will be getting some help with messages tomorrow. Yesterday and today, however, I achieved my 6000 minimum steps (yesterday with many above that) and I am tired but can feel the difference. This means I am improving and will be able to walk normally again, sooner or later.
How is this possible? My chiropractor sorted the spine. Or is sorting it. I can catch buses and do messages and, most importantly, I can now actually sleep at night. My body is learning about rest and recuperation and focussed attention all over again. The immediate result is fatigue, because obviously I'm using more energy, but it will all work out well. Already I'm less anxious, even though I am still a bit plagued by overwork.
I have to remind myself that when I think it's overwork I am not being a drama queen. Before dinner I have 3 blogposts to write and an interview to answer. I will finish Chapter Eight of the NF tonight, I hope, and then will be up to the last run-through before I rewrite the intro and write the conclusion. I will also do some work with Katrin on the shared blogging for our small tour.
I need to finish the critical apparatus for the current NF. I'm edging closer and closer, but life happens and it isn't quite there yet. A full day at the desk would do it, if I could find the full day. I need to have finished it all around the end of the month. That includes editing and formatting - the lot. This is not something, therefore, that is on the list for today.
My blog tour spots for October are going to add up to nearly 2 dozen posts that I write, between one book and another. I'm having a lot of fun with them and would do more if more were needed, but also thinking thank goodness for Katrin. She's very organised and keeps track and writers her share: these things are all important. A batch of posts are due tomorrow, and after that thing will be a bit easier.
I've got two sets of teaching proposals (complex ones) to do by the end of the month. One really should be done earlier. I've got a brand new course (with brand new handouts!) that starts on Tuesday. It's the Heroes one and there are places still available. I don't have to have everything done for that until Monday morning. I shall laze my days away.
And I have a booklaunch! Next week. All welcome. Tea and 15th century coffee provided. I'm getting a nice feeling from the early reactions to The Time of the Ghosts. No-one has reacted negatively to me having elderly characters who are central and have agency and some readers are wildly enthusiastic about it.
And my Wednesday students are lovely, as ever. Twelve of them this morning. It's perfectly possible to teach creative writing in groups of twelve with wildly different abilities and interests in the group, if the class is as lovely as mine.
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