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Down the (Killer) Rabbit Research Hole: In the Steps of Sherlock Holmes
You know how it goes when you look up one thing and it takes you off on an entirely different tangent. This week's tangent has been looking at part of the considerable London stomping grounds of Sherlock Holmes. I'm starting at the pub, which is where one should start (or end) an adventure.
This is a vacation snap of the Sh...
9/12/2023 10:22:08 AM
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Plodding and Plotting
Yes, I am plodding on a plot!
I have a couple of very stalled novels. I get an epiphany on one, work on it, then the well goes dry. Or more to the point, something happens that needs my attention. Now.
We're not talking ADHD. We're talking about my life of jumping from one crisis to the next. I have responsibilities, and there are people who abdicate theirs and drop them in my lap. And when there are things like contractual obligations involved, ...
11/4/2022 9:41:58 AM
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Writing Progress
Yes, I'm still working on the novel, but it's slow. One of my biggest problems was getting my main character into an investigation. It was reading like a bad Mary Sue. You know the type: She shows up, bats her long, luscious lashes (all the better to show off her unique shade of violet eyes) at the man in charge, and she's instantly put in command.
To be honest, it wasn't that bad, but without going into details, there was a distinct lack of motivation, or solid r...
7/22/2020 9:48:56 AM
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Pay The Writer. And The Artist. And The Freelancer...
I'm killing some time until I the current batch of coasters can be moved indoors to finish drying. So, a rant, of sorts.
Harlan Ellison famously ranted about paying the writer. He was not wrong. You should pay the writer. Or the artist.
When you see someone at a table at a con drawing complex sketches with seemingly little effort, you don't see what got them there. Study. Practice. Enough wadded up bits of paper to recycle into a couple of r...
1/28/2019 3:48:19 PM
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Bad Dreams Are Made Of Win - Sometimes
Last night I had what I call the "horror movie" nightmare. I'll spare you the scenario, but I was with three people and I left two of them in a safe spot in order to rescue someone who had been removed from the group. We were on our way back and were surrounded.
No way out.
This is the moment when I woke up with my heart pounding and my lungs working overtime. It was one of those situations where I couldn't shake off the dream and kept trying t...
1/6/2019 12:12:36 PM
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Look! Writing Musings!
Been a while, hasn't it?
I'm presently (yes, still) plotting out a novel. One of the problems I'm facing is how is the main character going to defend herself? She probably will end up with a small gun, but allow me to walk you through my thought process. (Please note that this has absolutely nothing to do with current politics or attitudes about firearms. *)
Weapons = power. So what happens when a person gets so good at defending themselves with a natu...
6/19/2018 10:12:09 AM
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Hey, Look! A Story Publication!
Well, this has been on Amazon for a while, but since the press release has hit the virtual street I guess I can officially announce that I will have a story in The Further Crossovers of Sherlock Holmes&n...
4/17/2017 9:16:42 AM
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And The Door Starts To Open
Well, this is interesting. Two nights ago I got about six hours of uninterrupted sleep with no responsibility dreams that I can remember. I'll take that after many nights in a row of waking up every hour or two, sometimes in a panic over a particularly vivid responsibility dream, Those who know what I've been going through lately can guess the nature of the dreams.
Last night I had a dream, but it was low-key as far as responsibility dreams go. And instead of waking up in a pa...
12/28/2016 11:52:33 AM
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On The Hugo Kerfuffle
 Hugonaut, by Vincent Villafranca
That is the closest I'll probably ever get to having my own Hugo Award. Above is Vincent Villafranca's Hugonaut, a lovely little bronze that is based on a piece of the Hugo base he created for LoneStarCon 3 in 2013. I purchased that at a convention art show. If it seems I'm whining that I'll ...
4/9/2015 8:05:34 AM
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Publishing Myths Series, Updated
About once a year I try to go back and update my Publishing Myths series. I'm kind of surprised at how well things have held up since 2009. (2011 update) (2014 update)
I've gone through and added a few updates plus rechecked and updated broken links.
There are some major trends I've noticed in the last few years:
<...
3/12/2015 10:50:53 AM
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