If you're brave enough to fly

I’ve been neglecting this blog again, which I feel bad about.  In general, though, I’ve been neglecting everything online.  My fatigue levels are higher than usual, which has called for some rationing of spoons.  Thus, some things have been sliding.

I’m slowly, slowly getting back into a comfortable writing routine.  I’m trying not to push myself, for that way lies even more fatigue and lots of useless words.  My daily goal at the moment is 1,000 words, though most days I’ve been going over that comfortably.  I’m just writing until I feel my brain start to get weary, and then leaving it and doing something completely different.

Which, at the moment, is involving playing a lot of Bioshock.

I’m not much of a gamer, overall, but when I get sucked into a game, I get sucked in badly.  Fallout 3 did it, and Bioshock has now, too.  I really need to finish Half Life 2 next, and I bought the Orange Box last weekend, so I now have Portal to break my head with.  I’ve also rediscovered enthusiasm for Guild Wars after a couple of decent sessions on the weekend.

Yeah, I’m not much of a gamer.  *cough*

I’ve had a couple of really good writing days, combined with a new interest in White Raven.  I’m at the point where I’m completely rewriting the story, which is really fun.  And the subconscious is still churning away on the other two novels in embryonic form.  All of which combines to make me a happy writer.

I am slowly, slowly catching up on work.  Reviews, mostly, because I am a bad reviewer and tend to take ages to getting around to reading review books and then actually writing up the reviews.

Having contractors around the house* is actually good for me, because I like to actually look like I’m working ;)  I should pretend there are people around all the time.  I often wonder if I’m the kind of person who would work better at a coffee shop or something.  But no one really works at coffee shops here anyway, and the closest one wouldn’t be too amenable to it, I think.  Not to mention that lugging my laptop around would suck.

Discipline.  I used to have it.

I’m still making slow progress on The White Raven.  I’m half thinking that I should go back to posting my word counts, for I tend to be more productive when I actually have to be accountable.  Perhaps.  It would help if the other novel (tentatively entitled Never) would stop taking over my brain.  I’m placating it by working up the characters at the moment, and I might actually venture into some outlining (which is very unusual for me).

* We’re getting new curtains and blinds put into most rooms in the house.  Which means that we have the old curtains and blinds scattered everywhere right now, and the whole house smells like new-things chemicals.  The curtains and blinds look rather awesome, though.

(also known as: an effort to bring some more life into this blog

1.  I just finished reading Jacqueline Carey’s second Kushiel trilogy (Kushiel’s Scion, Kushiel’s Justice and Kushiel’s Mercy.)  I like the first trilogy better, though I did enjoy reading these, especially the third book.  I guess I just like Phedre better as a character than Imriel.  I’m going to be interested to see where Carey goes in the new books.

2.  We have a busy weekend planned.  Seeing friends tomorrow, and then a family lunch on Sunday.  It’s good, though - I need a reason to get away from the computer.

3.  I have a new Charles de Lint book to read (The Mystery of Grace).  This makes me very happy.

4.  I am very, very sad that Battlestar Galactica will end tomorrow.  I have plans to start watching the series again from the beginning, just because I can.  And because I will probably go into Starbuck withdrawals.

5.  I’ve had a vaguely unproductive week in terms of actual forward progress on The White Raven.  However, I have sorted out some important things about the book, which is probably even more progress than words on the page.  It still feels like floundering, though.  But that’s all part of the game.  I know that I can produce words at a rapid pace when I need to.   I just need to keep reminding myself that this is progress too.

It’s the last day of a long weekend here, and I am not writing.

It always feels weird to me when I actually don’t write on a weekday.  But sometimes it’s nice to pretend to be a member of the normal workforce.  Plus it’s nice to actually not be buried in the worlds in my head when the husband is home

New novel idea (tentatively entitled Never) is taking over my brain.  Right now I have my two main characters, and the general premise of the book.  I have a feeling that it’s going to want to be in first person, which isn’t an easy POV for me.  It gives me even more motivation to get these edits on The White Raven finished up so I can get to work in this new playground.

And this isn’t even mentioning Requiem, which is also in early writing stages after a half-arsed attempt at Nanowrimo last year.

I’m not ever complaining about a lack of ideas, I swear.

I’m having one of the weird days I get from time to time, where it’s impossible for me to sit still (think restless legs type stuff, but all over your body) - I attribute it to fibro weirdness, and try to deal with it.  Exercise hasn’t helped much today, and so I accepted the number of words I managed and decided to do something vaguely productive.

And lo!  I did some minor organisation of my books.  Behold my to-be-read shelves:

I think there are more TBR books lurking on other shelves, too.  And a nice little section of books that need to be reviewed.  I really want to order more books, despite the fact that I have so much unread.  It’s a sickness.

Now I am going to expend some more energy cleaning my computer area.  Which is cluttered like a cluttered thing.

While I’m editing, I’ve decided to take a break from the daily wordcount posts.  Their primary purpose is to keep me accountable for what I’m working on, and I’m afraid that they have just become monotonous.  Has anyone actually been reading them?

I spent today editing edits.  I’ve been mulling over some plot points, and I figured out how to make them make more sense.  So I’ve been filling in some stuff at the start of the book, and quite enjoying doing so.  I’d still be writing right now, except I’ve developed a headache that’s just bad enough to break my concentration.  Meh.

I also have a tentative new title for the book - instead of Thought and Memory, it’s now The White Raven.   The companion book is going to be The Black Raven.  It all makes sense in the context of the books.

Now I really need to drag myself away from the computer screen and let this headache go away.

Two things:

1 - Alternative names for shapeshifters/weres?*

2 - Best shapeshifter novels.

Go!

I am completely in love with these animations - Dust Echoes.

The husband and I watched Bloodrayne last night.

My first response - dude, where’s the Nazis?

And second response - did Kristanna Loken ever change her expression from the slack-jawed stunned mullet expression she’s wearing in this photo?  I expect someone thought it looked vaguely feral and hot.  Wrong!  It just looks…well, stupid.

That said, I take perverse pleasure in watching bad movies and mocking them.  I expect that I sometimes enjoy watching bad movies more than I enjoy good ones.  And if I’m honest, I tend to mock even good movies.  I can’t help it.  It’s a sickness.

I really liked the game Bloodrayne.  But the movie?  Uwe Boll cannot direct action (or much else) to save his life, the costuming was hideous, the fighting was laughable and the weapons looked like they were cut from sheet metal.  C’mon, it’s not that difficult to make something look hand forged!

What scares me more is that they made a sequel.

I’ve recently started listening to podcasts (all hail the iPhone) and have only just started exploring writing-related podcasts.

It kind of scares me how many podcasts in the iTunes store are related to Twilight.  Sigh.

Anyway.  The only one I’ve started listening to is I should be writing, which I’ve been enjoying.

Anyone have any other podcast recommendations?