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Jan. 5th, 2010 @ 05:49 pm hmmmm....
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[info]christymarx
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I was amused watching a crow this morning. He/she was perched on the birdbath. We have a couple of volcanic rocks in the birdbath as decoration. The smaller red rock is rounded and the crow was using his beak to roll the rock around and around the bird bath. Once in a while, we find small rocks added to the birdbath and we were pretty sure it was the crows.

Another crow brought his peanut over to the birdbath and gave it a washing before he ate it. Now we know how the peanut shells sometimes get into the water.

The other day, the crows ganged up on a raven that was trying to invade the territory. One crow led the raven on a merry chase in tight circles around a pine tree until the raven gave up. The crows are more agile than the larger ravens, who are better suited to soaring.

We've finally had some goldfinches show up at the birdfeeder. I'd seen them in our tree out front, but never in the back. We added some thistle seed to the mix, so that's probably what finally lured them around. Beautiful little birds they are. I like seeing the red finches, goldfinches and bluejays together, spattering the yard with color.

I spotted an unusual finch or maybe even a couple of them. They look exactly like the red finches (technically Purple Finches, though actually rose red in color), but are a variant of golden-orange rather than red. Lovely birds!
Jan. 5th, 2010 @ 11:42 am Adventures in 2010
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[info]grrm
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Life is magical... but full of pain.

The Jets are in the playoffs. Who woulda thunk it, a couple of weeks ago? The game against the Bengals was certainly impressive. Can they do it again, though? We'll see.

The Giants didn't play. I don't know who those guys in their unis were, but they sure were inept.

Goodbye, Bill Sheridan. A good guy, by all reports, but a horrendous defensive coordinator.

I meant to post yesterday on the weekend's games, but got busy writing instead, and finished a Tyrion chapter that I've been struggling with for six months. Nibbling away at that knot. We'll see if the finished chapter holds up to reread and polish today.
Jan. 5th, 2010 @ 10:34 am Normal Schedule
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[info]ramblin_phyl
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Current Music: Yanni Snow Fall
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Slowly life is returning to normal. I actually woke up at 6:50 this morning ready to get up. That's about right for my pre-holiday schedule. The sun isn't up yet at that time but it's getting closer.

I'm actually getting things done. 2 guest blog gigs coming up and I've written both. 1 still needs editing though. I'll post more when I have actual URLs.

A couple of anthology possibilities came in the email this morning.

The collaboration project is done and going out later today.

I dance again tomorrow!

About 900 words achieved on a sekrit project, really rough words and not even sure this is chapter 1 or a prologue or maybe not in the proposal at all, but necessary for me to know. Something happened that I hadn't planned at all and suddenly I have action and a theme and oh, I need to get back to it.

See Ya
Jan. 5th, 2010 @ 01:25 pm Snow
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[info]mevennen
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We'd made an arrangement that if it started snowing, I'd come back into town and collect Trevor. Out in the orchard, a few flakes started coming down, so I kept an eye on it, messengered him and set out - by the time I got out of the back door, the snow had increased but there was still a thin line of wintry blue-green sky over the Tor. By the time we'd got out of the shop and on the road, it was as though someone had emptied an eiderdown over the landscape.

Just in time for Twelfth Night, which is either tonight or tomorrow, depending on how you count (I treat it as the 6th). So I have said a sad goodbye to the Christmas tree, taken down the decorations and cleaned the house. Not a bad day to treat the snow as an excuse and hole up with various pieces of work and, for a break, THE NINE TAILORS, set in a similar landscape across the country and partly at this time of year.
Jan. 5th, 2010 @ 09:46 am This is a proud, proud day
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[info]mevennen
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I am in Thog's Masterclass:

http://news.ansible.co.uk/a270.html

(In the New Year extra).

Just goes to show. This one got past everyone.
Jan. 5th, 2010 @ 03:02 am From Twitter 01-04-2010
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[info]kristine_smith
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  • 00:02:51: Day is done. Put away the holiday decorations. Watched the 'hawks win. Got sucked into RotK again. It's now technically Monday morning. Noo!
  • 00:05:43: The Blackhawks are starting to scare me. Tied with the Sharks for most points in the league.
  • 00:06:34: Must stop waiting for other shoe to drop. Maybe they'll be 90's-era Bullish, not everlasting Cubbish.

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Jan. 5th, 2010 @ 12:04 am Nuke them from orbit, as Cloud would say....
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[info]alfreda89
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Current Location: Quarter Box Central
Current Mood: grumpy
Current Music: jazz
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Is this Cedar killing anyone else? I am so exhausted I can barely move! And it's screwing with my brain -- lots of stupid, time-consuming errors, and one dangerous one.

Guess it's finally time to start taking Claritin again, after a long lull. Sheesh. I hate meds.

AND we will have a nasty cold snap this week. Pray for rain, people of the Hill Country!
Jan. 4th, 2010 @ 03:58 pm And so it goes...
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[info]blitheringpooks
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Sometimes I think I spent too many years with screenwriters. I have lost my sense of what is appropriate, and too often insert the gag (especially if it's a bit crude) when I should keep my mouth shut.  But damn, we had a lot of fun in chat, in forums, in person.

In other news, I have somehow been blessed with a friend who read the whole shitload of material I sent her yesterday and has already given me the feedback I needed to keep going.

Now, if I weren't so sleepy I couldn't hold my eyes open.  I need to rewrite a couple of scenes, or at least add some nuances to them that aren't there now, but other than that, I'm pretty solid.

Yay. 
Jan. 4th, 2010 @ 06:52 pm Monday
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[info]mevennen
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Not exactly back to work, as we have been working all week and most of the weekend. It is very cold here - I saw a string of wild swans flying into a clear red sunset this evening, one of the moments where I realise just how beautiful this region is. There are peewits on the water meadows and this morning T and I saw a heron perched on someone's gable, and a small white egret in one of the rhynes.

We also have a small sparkly horse. True to his Shetland origins, Snowy hates it when it's hot, but despite having a perfectly adequate barn to go into, prefers to stand out in the cold and on Saturday was covered in glittering frost.

Sid has been off his food for the last day or so and I noticed that only one of his fangs seemed to be in evidence. We just checked and though the fang is still fine, the gum isn't. So I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow, always a joy as Sid hates, hates, hates going in the car. Meanwhile Cass went out last night and met the badger and there was a lot of disgusted snorting and grumbling. Lily still won't go out at all after dark.
Jan. 4th, 2010 @ 07:27 am Location, location, location
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[info]lrcutter
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Am about to start in with the writing this morning, and ended up trying to decide where I wanted to write. I've always known that it's important to me to write in different locations. I have several: my chair, the chaise lounge, the couch, my bed, and myriad coffee shops around here.

I don't mix all day job and writing locations. I have a desk for the day job, and three chairs that I switch out for the desk. I never write at the desk, and I never do day job on my bed. The chair, chaise lounge and couch can all be used for each. As well as coffee shops.

One of the things I realized while at my brother's was that writing in different locations is actually part of my writing process. I only had two places I would write at his place, my bed and the couch. But the one morning I found I couldn't write in my bed -- had written there for at least two days -- as soon as I moved to the couch inspiration struck and I could do my 2500 words for the day. Then I deliberately switched every day, and found I had no more problems.

So how about you? Do you find that you need to write in different locations all the time? Or do you need to write in the same place every day?
Jan. 4th, 2010 @ 12:08 pm Creative Writing Tutoring
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[info]mevennen
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Creative writing tutoring

As some of you know, I have been working for Adventures in Fiction, a creative writing mentoring programme based in London, which takes a limited number of apprentices each year for various genres. I will now be offering this service privately, and hope to be able to offer it both online and in person (I met my previous student on a regular basis, but this is dependent on geographical location!).

I will only be dealing with SF, Fantasy and Horror, or any related sub-genres, and will be offering:

- manuscript proposal appraisal (first three chapters and synopsis)
- full manuscript appraisal (novels and short fiction)
- submission package assessment

I can also offer tailor-made packages, depending on your needs and requirements. If you want an assessment of your initial three chapters, to see whether a manuscript is worth continuing, we can look at this. If you have a whole novel, and would like it taken up to the point where you are ready to submit to an agent, I can structure a timetable for you and take you through a chapter-by-chapter assessment. This process is likely to take about a year (unless you’re a very quick writer!) and I will make you rewrite if I think it’s necessary.

You can start at any point. I am very thorough – this is aimed at the serious writer who is aiming at a professional career. We start with an appraisal, and if I think your expectations are unrealistic and that you would not benefit at this point from a full appraisal program, I will tell you. However, I am solution-oriented and my criticism will always be constructive!

The aim of this process, like the workshop itself, is to prepare work for publication. Obviously. I cannot guarantee that, although I would note that my last student has just had her first novel published as part of a 3 book-deal. I can put you in touch with former students if you wish. For other genres, including detective fiction, post-colonial fiction and literary fiction, let me know if you would like details and I will pass you on to Adventures in Fiction.

Please email me at liz(at)arkady(dot)org for further information, including a full breakdown of costs.

Online writing workshop

I will also be offering an online version of my current genre writing workshop, which will run for 4 months. I am intending to hold further (offline) workshops in London and Glastonbury this year. Again, please contact me if you would like further details.
Jan. 4th, 2010 @ 03:02 am From Twitter 01-03-2010
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[info]kristine_smith
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  • 15:53:52: Holidays are past. Today was like any other Sunday. Laundry, and getting ready for the upcoming work week. Darn.

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Jan. 3rd, 2010 @ 09:58 pm 2010
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[info]ellen_datlow
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Here's a post to welcome in the new year. My ONE resolution (and one I believe I can achieve) is to clean all the books out of my kitchen so that I can throw a dinner party or two this year. That means that the books in cartons and piled in the kitchen have to be moved and so do the ones on the kitchen table. The process will require more cleaning out of my storage lockers, moving books from my apt INTO the lockers (I'd also like to get rid of one of the lockers to save money).


What I did over the weekend. Watched DVDs: the French movie The Beat that My Heart Skipped about a young thug who works getting squatters out (by any means necessary) of illegally purchased buildings. He was a promising pianist as a child but after his mother died, his father (a thug) wouldn't let him take lessons. Now, at 28, he meets his mothers' booking agent who gives him his card and tells him to call for an audition. Depressing through a good chunk of it and with a protagonist I thoroughly disliked. Good movie that I did not enjoy.

Also saw X-Men:Origins Wolverine, which I did enjoy--more than I was led to expect. I thought it was fine and that Liev Schreiber was terrific as Wolverine's brother. I had no expectations (other than that it would be bad) so I liked it.

And I started the second season of Angel--and discovered that "Darla" is "Rita" from Dexter, which really surprised me as Rita (to me) is so annoying and unsexy and Darla is the opposite. Good acting, I guess.

Last movie of the weekend was A Single Man, clothing designer Tom Ford's first movie, based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood. It's in the early 60s, and a middle-aged English professor grieves for his long time male partner. I found the film making itself a little pretentious, but the acting was brilliant throughout. Colin Firth should get an Oscar nomination for his performance and Julianna Moore as his friend deserves a supporting actor nomination.

( Read more... )
Jan. 3rd, 2010 @ 08:10 pm Holiday Memories:
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[info]alfreda89
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Favorite Thanksgiving memory: Seeing M3 try real whipped cream for the first time. Our intrepid hostess had bought organic heavy cream to make her annual topping. M3 had brought a container of dairy whipping, having never had the real thing.

She was walking from the kitchen to the sitting area (a few steps only) and literally stopped -- walking, talking -- in a fashion that caused us to raise our heads and say "M3?" in case something was wrong (horrors! Dairy allergy?!) Nope -- just astonishment at the glory of real whipped cream.

We have corrupted another, heh-heh-heh....

Favorite Christmas break memories: I managed to see immediate family, as well as several cousins and their families (including the ex-wife of a cousin -- if we like you, we keep you) and also writer Mel Tatum and her husband Chris, who relocated to Tucson last Christmas. They've finally found a great house, work is settling down, and Mel is writing music lyrics. AND they have introduced house parties to the city, which are taking off. Much fun all around, with good food and good talks.

Favorite New Year's memory: Going to Fogo de Chao for dinner with a friend, and saving room for the flan and the creme brulee. We've decided we like light crust creme brulee as opposed to heavy crust -- other than that, very tasty. The restaurant did a good business this week -- all their ripe plantains were gone, so the fried plantains weren't quite as good as usual. But oh, the filet!
Jan. 3rd, 2010 @ 07:49 pm I'm feeling a bit stalled.
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[info]blitheringpooks
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I was hitting a good pace, moving forward, but had a niggling suspicion that I'd taken a wrong turn, that my voice was wrong, that my character was missing something....

And a reader confirmed my fear, or at least gave me more reason to fear.

So I'm waiting for more feedback, and not willing to keep writing forward until I'm confident I'm going in the right direction, and hoping like anything that she has time to read the material asap so I can either redo the chapters I just wrote, or keep moving forward.

However, on any night that the Cowboys have just won the NFC East, I must smile and say, "It will all work out."  It's too nice a night to fret about things I can't change (right now). 

ETA:  This entry makes me a tiny bit nervous because there are two people who are reading stuff for me, and neither of them is at all likely to stumble across this entry, but I keep thinking, they may, and then feel pressured, and that's not my intent.  Both have real life commitments and such, and are doing me a favor.  I just feel the need to whine.
Jan. 3rd, 2010 @ 02:14 pm hmmmm....
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[info]christymarx
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Found via [info]sfmarty:

The writer in question is one of my students at the Afghan Women's Writing Project. Please read the piece, comment, circulate as widely as you can. As Masha says, perhaps a solution will come from a wide circulation and a pooling of ideas.

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Masha Hamilton <masha@mashahamilton.com>
To: Masha Hamilton <masha@mashahamilton.com>
Sent: Sun, January 3, 2010 5:22:45 AM
Subject: AWWP Writer facing forced marriage

Hi guys,

Just alerting you to a new piece up on the blog about one of our writers who is facing forced marriage; up to 80 percent of all Afghan marriages are forced on the women, according to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. We are hoping a solution might result from wide circulation of her blog piece and would be grateful if you would consider commenting, sending this link to friends or posting on social networks.

http://awwproject.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/i-am-for-sale-who-will-buy-me/

THANK YOU, and Happy New Year! Warmly, Masha

Masha Hamilton
www.mashahamilton.com
31 Hours Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAYogDeD3ik
Afghan Women's Writing Project: www.awwproject.wordpress.com
Jan. 3rd, 2010 @ 01:51 pm the weight of goals
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[info]lrcutter
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I have a good life. I have a lot of things to look forward to in the next year.

However, when people were asking me about how I felt 2010 was going to be, I was hesitant. Unwilling to be excited. Unwilling to comment on things.

All this changed when I finished the novel, and got a handle on the rewrites. Suddenly, I was really looking forward to the new year, I was really excited about my life again. I had no idea that not finishing the novel was weighing so heavily on me. I'd recognized I was depressed, yes, and so I did something about it. That the not finishing had such far reaching consequences was a surprise to me.

I've always been careful about setting goals, generally giving myself an "out". (Like I've always told myself that if I finished the novel by the end of January that still counted as finishing by the end of 2009.) I guess this is why.

( Talking about goals in 2010 )
Jan. 3rd, 2010 @ 02:54 pm January Book Sale
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[info]mevennen
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To everyone who has enquired - I'll be working out the postage tomorrow and will get back to you all as soon as I know what it is likely to be.

If anyone else missed the original post and would like signed copies of my books, please email me at liz(at)arkady(dot)org and I will send you full details.
Jan. 3rd, 2010 @ 06:08 am Me and my Kindle
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[info]blitheringpooks
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Current Location: on my kindle
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Current Music: bbc radio 4
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 I've had an audible.com for so many years that when I first got it, I had the free device they gave you, the... why can't I think of its name? Not the Oscar.  But it was an odd name, and is supposedly in the Smithsonian as being the first, erm, yes.  Well, whatever.

And I learned quickly to carefully measure out my listening pleasure because I loved listening to audiobooks so much (and am in the car driving so much) that I could easily run my credit card up to the cumulonimbus clouds if I wasn't careful, just buying more audiobooks.  So I've been very careful.

My Amazon account, I've kept very careful watch on by having it hooked to my checking account rather than my credit card, so I always have to be sure I have cash on hand to pay for my books, again, to protect my credit card balance.

But when I bought the Kindle, I shifted the amazon account over to my credit card so I could make the purchase, with full intent of shifting it back immediately.  Only... I didn't.

So far, I've limited my downloads to lots and lots of sample chapters with the very wise attitude that I won't actually buy the book until I've read the first chapter and am ready to keep reading that very minute.  I won't make the mistake I've made with audible and, because I had a number of credits piled up, went through and downloaded stuff I knew I would listen to eventually (and haven't).  I won't make the mistake I made with amazon and buy books that I know I want to read, but they arrive, and I don't.  They are piled around me, waiting.  Some, because I bought an entire series after reading the first book, and then got bogged down in the second and have never kept going.  Others because... well, I thought I needed to read them for one reason or another, but haven't.  Or was jonesing to read them when I ordered them but when they came and I actually had them in hand, the jones had passed.

No, the one wonderful thing about Kindle is that I don't have to make either of those mistakes.  I can purchase in the moment when I actually want to read, want to keep reading NOW.  And not a moment earlier. Which means I'm much less likely to buy books and not read them, and feel guilty.

This has me very excited.

Except.

There's the problem with the audible account issue-balancing my desire with the reality of the credit card balance.  

Or the amazon issue, shifting it back to my checking account so I have no choice but to be careful.

And...

I don't wanna.

I know, I need to pull up my big girl panties and get over it.  But right now?  New toy, and I want to read from it all the time. I have books waiting to be read that I now regret buying because damn, I'd rather read them on the Kindle.  I have books I want to read that I can't buy for Kindle and I'm frustrated.

How did this happen to me?  And why am I suddenly so Kindle-oriented?  I don't know.  I need to mull this over.

In the meantime, I need to get back to what I'm reading right now, the ubiquitous Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which everybody and their dog has already read. I know, I know, I'm slow.  I knew it would be quaint and charming and just wasn't in the mood, and now that I'm actually reading it, it's so much more than quaint and charming, and I am totally absorbed which means...

Laters, peeps.  I'm off to read and see how it ends.

And then let my finger hover over the "buy now" button as I decide what to do about my next purchase (which realistically, should not be right now, because I have Christmas to recover from, all that money spent, but my will is weak....)
Jan. 2nd, 2010 @ 02:34 pm Help me Create an Alien
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Current Location: office busily typing
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Current Music: Sarah Brightman Gloomy Sunday
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I had a brain storm today.

So, Your Mission, should you choose to accept: Help me create an alien.

To read the rest of the request go to:

http://blog.bookviewcafe.com/2010/01/02/help-me-create-an-alien/#more-6080

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