more in-depth sundries than previously intended

[rm]

I'm listening to a CD I made up of all the british/celtic folk-ish stuff that peopel have sent me over the last couple of days. I'm trying not to giggle and think of it as "songs of the drunken potato rebellion" which was Michael's amusing derisive for such music, which he's always loathed.

Regardless, aside from the fucking book thing, I've had this probably novelette thing kicking around for a while that I had thought was historical fiction, certainly it could be written that way, and then realized listening to this the other day, that if I combined the ideas in that with the novel or at least decided they took place in the same world, then the novel would now have a lot of active, as opposed to just mental, drama (as it stands now it's unpleasantly claustrophobic. I'm not sure anything happens outside in it, ever). All of which makes it a harder (and longer, gods help me) book to write, but probably a much easier one to sell in a mainstream sort of way. I can't tell if this is a discovery I'm happy about or one I'm miserable about truth be told. It also helps clarify the somewhat nuanced supernatural element of the world by unifying them. As now the world has magic that's about three steps to left the steampunk tech, and myth that's probably closest in tone to the way I describe The Usual Suspects as a horror film -- it's not, but the sense of terror and dread and pervades everyone dealing with what may or may not be myth is very real, and I've an embodiment of something similar, but more chaotic neutral, as the center of the novelette. Unifying them clarifies a lot. The question becomes where: the novellet has a main girl, and the novel has three important female characters. Does it get a fourth, or is the girl of the novelette in fact the backstory of one of the women in the novel? This is probably not cogent to any of you, except possibly the people who have heard very detailed ranting on both projects, which I'm not actually sure is anyone at all.

Meanwhile, what does it say that my religion column is getting a lot more comments than my romance one? Especially since most of the relgion comments arent' even agrny people yelling at me (which is what I was sort of hoping for, perversely, since on top of a flat fee, I get traffic-based money)?

I am not working on The Bourne Supremacy today, somewhat to my annoyance, but it's outdoors, so not that much to my annoyance.

When I finally managed to wake up enough to get up today I stretched for a really along time and felt like eventhough I recognized my body, it entirely didn't register as my own. It shows a purpose now, and at least to anyone with the same sort of weird observational habits as me (which might be no one) a potentially unsettling one. Hello. This is useful in a lot of ways. At least to my heart.

I really need new pictures.

One of the weird things about fencing is how it makes me feel a part of something, but also very removed from a lot of other things, sometimes, even it. But then, I suppose that's always the sort of place I am looking for, because I do go best there.

A lot of things in my life that maybe haven't felt normal ever suddenly are. I have a lot of power and weight and stillness, just rather abruptly.

Meanwhile, I can do all this cool stuff lately, and the tendons in my legs are still so tight I can't touch my toes. This is stupid. And must be remedied.

So anyway, off to work and then work shortly.

Comments

[phaenix-ash.livejournal.com]

sounds like your character has something she can't escape even when she tries running from it. :)

So how's your project going?

not horrible. i've found i have a good plot, good characters, and a weakish world so i'm working on developing that a bit more now.

I want my world to be in a similar culture moment, although there's a unity of magic and tech, such that both are commonplace to most people except in how they are suddenly changing everyone's lives

i was also reading yesterday about how today India is in a similar place, where magic is still considered real and commonplace but the technology of cell phones and computers side by side with real belief in spirits and gods is culturally shocking. there was a story about politcal rivals accusing one another of witchcraft...really surreal times there.

you'll find a break out of the circling eventually. i'm beginning to suspect i just need to let these things happen on their own, rather than stress about them...

[rm.livejournal.com]

For me the problem is plot, in terms of it having tension and not just being the story of a compelling life. I've got the whole structure of it, but I just have to find the places and ways to sort of punch it up, if that makes sense.

The world is coming. And the characters have been there from the beginning. That, at least and predictably, is never the problem.

[phaenix-ash.livejournal.com]

nope. the characters are very seldom an issue, though i do at times despair of analyzing them properly.

i know you and kali write together often, but do you otherwise have a writing group or a critique group? (or do you have any interest in either?) the local writer's group is mostly made up of journalistic types and i'm kind of interested in sharing the whole process issue with other people. it's such long and daunting work sometimes. i literally look at everything i've written and see how far i have to go and i have like a mini anxiety attack. i don't know how i'll ever get to the end (what i thought was going to be a trilogy has now decided it needs - absolutely NEEDS - to be FIVE books. and i have a feeling there's more where that came from.

[rm.livejournal.com]

BTW, if you didn't see this comment, here's some more music that might work for your thought process:

http://rm.livejournal.com/959961.html?thread=4899545#t4899545

[phaenix-ash.livejournal.com]

oooh! thank you! these are artists i've not heard of either :)

[rm.livejournal.com]

They're modern-ish (and sometimes rather American sounding) takes on these things, but worth listening to. Fenario is great, and I've found the Tam Lin will sneak up on you entirely. Because I was board and listening to it as background music and then somewhere around minute 3 I sat straight up and it had all my attention.

[phaenix-ash.livejournal.com]

i see what you mean about it sneaking up on you.

you might also want to check out this podcast: http://www.celticmusicpodcast.com/