Oh no!

http://www.locusmag.com/News/2009/01/realms-of-fantasy-closing.html

I've been planning to submit a story there for ages, and now it's gone bust! Bloody shame, usually the quality of the stories are brilliant (though the last couple of issues haven't been as good, IMO).

Guess it's back to the drawing board.

The Train

I'm blogging this from the train on my way to Birmingham to see a mate in a play. I'm sitting facing backwards, which will probably mean I'll be feeling sick any minute now. The train is pretty full, and Alex has had to sit next to an elderly chap who spent the last ten minutes talking about one way streets. I'm grateful, cos its usually me who gets to sit next to the chatty people. Anyway we have a packet of chocolate hob nobs, so all its not all bad.
I'm in the middle of writing my revised chapter six for Inter Vivos. Before, chapter six was about one paragraph, so I had to think about what was going to happen, what needed to happen and change to motivate the story. Nox is in hospital, so she isn't going anywhere, so the chapter is more about a mental journey of the character than anything. I've just got to try not to make it boring, is all.

Inaugural Address

What a bloody good speech! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/obama_inauguration/7840646.stm

I've not listened to it yet, but just reading it gave my old optimistic heart goosebumps!

Sleep is Good

For the last couple of weeks I've been trying to get Inter Vivos finished. I know a few months ago I said that the first draft would be completed by June 2008, but that was obviously a very optimistic fib. I had finished writing the story all the way to the end, but I had left quite a few chunks unwritten to get to that ending, and also, the climatic scenes last for approximately 2 pages, which is terrible, if I do say so myself. So I'm finishing it properly now. Am going to finish chapter three tonight. I've set myself another probably unrealistic deadline, but I'm working towards it, so we'll see how it goes.

Work is really busy this year, I've got early starts every morning this week, and for once I have loads of things to do, and interesting things at that. But I'm going to write anyway. This year I am totally going to finish my novel and send it out there. Oh yes I am.

I don't take 6 hours sleep well, and so am going to have to work out a better way to get everything I need to get done and get enough sleep every night. Once I learn the secret, I will let you all know.

The New Doctor

Looking at the new Doctor makes me think, wouldn't it be great if he had a male companion? I don't mean a gay relationship - I think they should stay clear of adding a "love interest" altogether - but two lads, two mates off exploring the galaxy. There was some of that with Donna as his companion, and I think, seeing as the new Doctor is quite young looking, having a bloke companion - maybe a recent graduate, that sort of age - would work really well. If you had someone like Donna again, it would look like the Doctor was travelling with his mum. A male companion would give it a new dimension. Then the show could introduce another couple of companions too, make it like it was in the olden days where the Doctor usually had two or three companions on the go at once.
Anyway, just a thought.

The muse comes a knockin' ... and I'm at work!

All day I've been wanting to write. Crazy, eh? Right from this morning, I've been itching to do some writing. That rarely happens. But instead, I've had to go to work and do office things instead. And I'm betting this latest wind of inspiration won't last until Friday. Hmpf.
Anyho, Chapter Two of Inter Vivos (the rewrite) is almost completed. I'm not sure about the tone in the middle, and there's a bit of language polishing that needs doing, but it's progressing well. Seeing as Chapter One might as well be renamed "God-awful chapter that stalled the writing of this book for seven months, and is still rubbish", the fact that chapter two was easy, and - dare I say it? - fun is great. Perhaps I'll just start at chapter two, to heck with back story. Interesting idea.
I realise that you few people who do read this blog don't have any idea what I'm writing about when I talk of Inter Vivos. Maybe one day if it gets published, we can all come back and read over these sections and go "ah, I see, that's how that happened".
I have a new character in my head at the minute. Well, when I say 'character', really it's more of a name, and a feeling. Jessie. Female. A bit pissed off. She's probably pissed off that she doesn't have a story yet, but there you are! I also have another name too - Raeley/Railey Quinn. Female too. Perhaps fragments will float around inside my head until a story (or at least a few more characteristics) come together to form a plot.
Have been reading Carrie Vaughn's blog today about "Urban Fantasy" (read part one ,two and three). Was amusing that in part two she talks about tattoos on girls on covers and next to this is a photo of her book cover with a girl with a tattoo on the front! Guess it proves the point. Good blog though nonetheless.

Happy Belated New Year!

Urgh. I hate it when it gets cold outside. I have a long thin cut on my hand from goodness knows where, simply because my hands were too numb with cold to feel the damage I tend to inflict upon myself. There was a time when I used to think I was quite graceful. That was clearly the delusions of youth.
Back at work now, Christmas decorations in a box in the attic, and nothing but a slice of Christmas pudding in the fridge left as a reminder that there once was a holiday. I miss it already.
Instead we get snow, first day back, and so my office is even colder than it usually is on the first day back when the university has been closed. Brrr.
Sorry, I didn't blog to complain. Guess I have the "first day back at work" blues.
I've been reading the Twilight series in the break. I need to get the third book now. It's good. *shrugs*. It works because the emotions are very real; by that I mean, the author can get away with the crazy stuff, and even some dodgy dialogue, because the emotions she presents are very identifiable, the characters are real, and empathy is established, creating this very believable, unbelievable world. It's the same sort of thing with Harry Potter - although the Potter books are smarter and have plots - and it's a nice escape. Sort of makes me wish I was seventeen again (though only just!).
I'm going to be working on chapter two of Inter Vivos later today, and I'm sincerely hoping that Meyer's characters are out of my head by then. My head is like a sponge sometimes, and I hope it's all gone before I put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keyboard). Though half of the problem is that I don't want to put them away, I much prefer their world than the personal one that I'm in today, back at work, in the cold, with no one to talk to. How utterly depressing that sounds!