Overdue
August 24
Noon
I didn't mean to go so long without updating, and as a result several things have piled up, so...
I've written around a thousand words since my last entry, mostly on Rangergirl -- it was not a good week for writing, quantity-wise, though not bad in terms of quality. It's just barely possible I might finish the draft of Rangergirl before Worldcon, but I'm no longer counting on it, since I expected to do more work on the book this week than I did. Should be done soonish, though. It'll be nice to be done with it, though I'm still very much enjoying the writing. I'm itching to write a lot of short stories, too -- I've been making notes toward several stories. So I figure I'll put the novel away for a few weeks after I finish it, write some stories, and then take some vacation time from work and revise the novel. That will be so nice -- sitting in a café for hours, marking up the text, going home and typing changes... oh, it sounds lovely to me, it really does; I hope my whole life can be like that someday, and for now, well, it's something to look forward to.
Something else to look forward to: ConJose! Which is coming up very fast and very soon. Friday afternoon should be especially lovely, since I'm doing a reading! Whee! At 2:00, in the SFF.net suite at the Fairmont, room number TBA. Come and see! I'll read some poetry, and possibly "Annabelle's Alphabet", since it's short. It's going to be an all-afternoon-reading-fest; Greg reads at 1:00, me at 2:00, Ling at 4:00, Heather at 4:30, Mike at 5:00, and Heather again at 9:00 (doing an erotica reading)!
I finally got around to filling out my SFWA application and sending it in, so soon I'll get the secret decoder ring and the key to the executive washroom in Schenectady...
I went to see Wil Wheaton beat up Barney the Dinosaur at the DNA lounge in San Francisco on Thursday -- it was fabulous! Went in the company of Heather, the lovely Susan Marie, and the fabulous Jen Fu! I danced a bit, and actually enjoyed it, which is unusual for me. I wish it had been a weekend night -- I could've stayed out later. As it was, I lamely demanded to go home just after midnight, so I could get up to go to work Friday...
This morning I'm getting stories ready to send out. La. Several things have boomeranged back to me this month, and I've neglected to send them back out promptly, because that's my way. It's not a good way, but it's mine.
Let's see, I'm still reading lots of Pratchett (just reread Carpe Jugulum, and I liked it much better the second time), and a book about parasites (which makes me look at my cheeseburgers askance, I assure you... though, perhaps tellingly, it doesn't stop me from actually eating them), and Chabon's first book, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, which isn't bad. I have to write a review this weekend, but it's a review of a collection, and those are easier to do than reviews of novels, so no worries there.
Last night we watched The Shipping News, which was pretty good, and Gosford Park, which was also good, though I didn't like it as much as I'd expected. Moviefest! Both Heather and I had sort of hard weeks, so last night was for relaxing...
That's about it for happy things, I think... got a rejection from Strange Horizons for one of my stronger stories... very depressing, because they were the last top-tier market that I thought would like the story (well, maybe Interzone, where it'll probably go next). It's a long story, and they have a lot of competition for those, which I knew, but... Sigh. The story is, in many ways, the quintessential Tim Pratt story, and they didn't want it, and I'm sorta bummed. When Gazillion Year Spree is written, I want to be considered a "Strange Horizons author", the way some people were considered New Worlds authors, or Astounding authors, back in the day... but maybe they'll like the next one, which is also one of my best, and much shorter, which I just sent them this morning.
Off to Berkeley, soon, possibly to work out, certainly to drink coffee and write and read and have lunch. Mmm. I like Saturdays. I'd like it better if my whole life were composed of Saturdays. Someday. I'm only 25. I can pay my dues graciously for a while longer yet.
Words written since February 1, 2002: 138,050
Words written since last entry: 1,000 (but I haven't written today, yet)
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