Plans

At today's Moxie meeting, I was able to figure out the next step in the first of two novellas, so that was extremely helpful. And I've decided where to send the science fiction story next. We'll see what happens. I love it when we bounce ideas off each other and help each other figure out where to go next with a storyline. It really is true that no one writes in a vacuum.

Val's first ebook, Blade's Edge, went to #3 on the Samhain bestseller list after it came out earlier this month, so that's very cool. Go, Val! That's Blade's Edge by Val Roberts, for those who want to read a good sci-fi romance. Now it seems we three Moxie ladies are all working on novels and novellas at the same time, and then there's my nonfiction project still going forward, so it's busy on the writing front. Now it just needs to get busy on the publishing front, and then things will be...busy all around. Bring it on.

Follower Followup

Apparently, the problem with the followers widget is a known issue, and Blogger is collecting data to see whether they can find out what's causing the problem. So for now, we sit tight. At least, even if I can't see you, you can still see the blog.

Blank Space

For those who signed up to follow this blog--I'm not sure why the widget isn't working right now. Whenever I refresh the page, the followers section tries to load and then just shows up blank. It was fine earlier today, and now suddenly it's not. I'm sorry about that; if it isn't working again within the next few days, I'll email Blogger about it and see what they can find out.

Prolific

New story alert. That's, what...two short stories in about two weeks? I don't plan to keep up this pace, but what happened is that I had one short story idea that had been percolating since spring, and then a new one burst upon the scene before I'd finished the earlier one. The result is that I have one short story still in consideration at a magazine, one that isn't at a magazine right now, and this new science fiction that I just finished writing.

The science fiction is a first for me. I usually don't do bolts and rivets, but this story was such an intriguing premise that I just had to give it a go. It's not set in space, but it is on another planet, and it does require technology in order for the plot to work. It was extremely fun and easy to write; once I got started on the body of it, I didn't want to stop. It came in under 4,000 words, so that's also a plus. And it does have an element of magic in it, just like I said it would.

Whenever Val tries to write fantasy, one of her characters is sure to pull out a blaster. Whenever I try to write science fiction, one of my characters is sure to pull out a wand. That's just a fact of existence in the Moxie. Stef...I'm not sure. She'd probably come up with a character who pulled out a wand that converted into a blaster.

The Voice of Experience

Terry Brooks was in town today (Saturday the 12th) to do a book signing and reading. He's doing the last few days of his book tour for The Princess of Landover. It was fun actually having a well-known Fantasy author in town. Seems like very few people bother to come to Boise, so when someone does, it's a rare treat. The line for the book signing was pretty long, and a lot of people were excited to hear that he was in town. The advertising for the event wasn't all that good, unfortunately. I decided not to go say hi after the reading, since I couldn't afford to buy a book for him to sign, and of course I left all my other copies of his books at home. I've met him several times at the PNWA conference in Seattle, and taken classes from him.

The funny thing today was that someone asked him how he outlines, and he mentioned that he doesn't outline as completely today as he used to do before about 1998. I thought that was funny, as it was about then that I went to my first writers' conference, and I can remember him mock-pounding on the table, saying "Outline, outline, outline!" (He was adamant back then that detailed outlining was crucial, but since then he's backed off that idea a bit.) But I have a file on my computer with the outline for my first Oantra book (the epic fantasy series that is still looking for a publisher.) That file's title is "Outline, Outline, Outline!" Interesting that Mr. Brooks' experiences since that time have led him to change his tune about the need to plan things to such an extent before writing the book.

2 Short

I finished a new short story, ran it by Val today and did the last fixes. Now it can go on the market. Since I seem to be on a roll, I think I'll go ahead and write the next one. Here's a shocker: my new idea is sci-fi. Not fantasy. But if you're reading this and you know me well, you'll also know that I must put a little magic in there somewhere. Heh.