Deadlines. Everyone has them. I had one for Eye of Heaven and I ran late. But the book is done, it has been turned in, and revisions will begin in a day or so. The book needs a lot of work, but at least the structure is there. So let this be a lesson to all of you: Do Not Paralyze Yourself When Writing!!! You have to keep some kind of inner critic turned on – but don’t let it consume you and turn into EveryWordIsBad Girl, who really deserves her own voodoo doll or something to poke with a sharp object when the story grinds to screeching halt.
Anyway, I rewarded myself with an oven full of hot creamy sweet potatoes. And books. Lots of books:
“Blood and Iron : A Novel of the Promethean Age” by Elizabeth Bear
“Danse Macabre” by Laurell K. Hamilton
“Dangerous Tides” by Christine Feehan
“Broken Trail” by Alan Geoffrion
“Crossfire Trail” by Louis L’Amour
“The Virtu” by Sarah Monette
“Kushiel’s Scion” by Jacqueline Carey
“The Lies of Locke Lamora” by Scott Lynch
“Covenants : A Borderlands Novel by Lorna Freeman
There’s some other stuff, too. Stephen King, Kasey Michaels, Karen Ranney, and so on (not including the music). I’m in such trouble. Amazon.com is an addiction. As is Petsmart. I just realized I can buy all those heavy bags of Science Diet online and have them shipped directly to the house! Why didn’t I think of that before?
Alison Kent’s last two blog entries on voice and storytelling have been fantastic. So go read.