Social Scientists
February 27, again
11:58 p.m.
It could've been a productive night, but it didn't turn out that way. After work I printed out novel chapters for critique and took them to Pergolesi. I planned to read the novel, make some notes toward critiquing, and then finish off "Romanticore."
Then Lynne and Scott (and Phil and Alex, other astronomers) showed up and sat down with me. We talked for hours, and my work went by the wayside. Such nice, intellectual, heartfelt talk! Really lovely, the sort of thing I don't do much anymore. We talked about science, and the Ivory Tower of academia, we concocted schemes to get corporate sponsorship for poets (what's wrong with the old patronage system, hmm? And if Intel can pay the Blue Man Group, why can't they pay a starveling wordsmith?), we discussed altruism and charity work and self-worth and "giving back."
It's nice to know smart people. It's nice to know smart people who work in a field totally different from my own, and who are passionate about science.
Besides, I got to show off the new issue of Asimov's to them! Which I had to go to Borders to buy, because the magazine guy at Bookshop is slack. Ah, well. The poem looks really good, and I quite like the full-page illustration. I had a beer tonight in honor of the picture of beer (any excuse, right?)
Hmm. I sorta want to write a little. I have a lot of e-mail I should answer... but my friends would probably prefer I be productive fictionwise, right? I'll tell myself that, anyway. Let me see what I can get done...
12:30 a.m.
So just under a thousand words. Not a banner day, but a far sight better than nothing. My lovers are well along the way to blood and destruction-- just a couple of scenes left to finish "Romanticore." There should be no social scientists to distract me tomorrow. I want to finish this story before the end of the month-- I won't hit 60K, but I'd be happy with 4 stories. Then I can do revisions, and write the Bathtub and the Roommate stories, which will both be short...
Yawn, yawn. I guess I should go to bed.
Total Word Count: 45,308
Today's Word Count: 940
The Daring Darlings: