Author: Elaine

home for lunch – an absolutely gorgeous day. I’m so glad we brought the computer down to the kitchen. now I can look out on the lovely (if unmowed) backyard from my computer. while I eat my lunch…nice multitasking, eh?

feeling re-energized. solving a coding problem seems to break all those other creative blocks, and vice versa, which is why I did nothing more last night than read more of Musashi.

what a bizarre & fascinating book. Japanese historical novel, set in early 1600s, written as a serial in the mid-1930s. great rollicking story, remarkably gory tho. a fictionalization of the real life Musashi, who wrote The Book of Five Rings, which I gather is all about swordsmanship and life – the way of the sword & all that. given the time it was written, and the emphasis on the Way of the Samurai/Way of the Sword, I wonder how it fits into the political world of its day (pre-WWII Japanese imperialism, etc.). I find myself wanting to read more about the history of Japan, which I know only glancingly, despite my class in Asian Lit in college. I seem to remember that the period of puppet theater that I wrote my big paper on is about the same time as the setting of the novel. hmmm.

gonna go work on some new jewelry…..

yay! the survey works, and is all elegant & stuff. I’d link, but it’s only for Pierce College faculty. 🙂

ugh. tried to post about the frustrations of my current project, and now it won’t post. definitely need to go home!

helloooo? publish?

helloooo? publish?

sampled from an email to Q:

grrr. why do otherwise interesting people/writers have such a block about scifi? I really wanted to read what Sunshine was writing.

heavy sigh.

okay, I need to rant for a moment….

what the fuck is it with this “I don’t do scifi” thing?! yes, you were the same way, Matt. and Sharon did that too – I still remember…”oh, I can’t critique this” blah blah fucking blah. it’s just writing, for god’s sake. it’s not like it’s writing in a foreign language. yeah, it has its own history & conventions – so does young adult fiction, so does autobiography, hell, so does modern “literary fiction”! is it not literary enough? is it the made-up words & imaginary stuff? you’re telling a story. if you can handle the suspension of disbelief in reading any other work of fiction (or fact), then why is scifi so damn different?

there are ABSOLUTELY things that an informed reader of scifi can give to a writer of scifi – because people who love the genre can feel when it’s derivitive – or can recommend works that might be inspirational. but I really believe that’s true of any genre…and that well-written scifi can appeal to people who love other good writing. because if you’re doing it right, then you’re telling an interesting story. and THOSE elements are the same, no matter what the tale: technically solid writing, creative use of language, compelling characters, meaningful plot motion.

maybe I’m just a weirdo…I jump all over the place, both in reading & in writing. and I that cross-genre experience informs ALL of my writing. heck, the Japanese historical novel I’m reading right now is giving me inspiration for Aila – and is reminding me of a favorite high fantasy series.

<deep breath>

okay, I’m better. but I am curious if s/he is making this call just based on the stuff that Bruce & I sent out or what. I am resisting sending out an email with a gentler version of my rant.

<another deep breath, climbing off soapbox>

what the fuck. I guess there are some things I just don’t understand.

I’m angry, angry, angry at our stupid, stupid, stupid president. We are the fattest, laziest, most wasteful people on the face of the earth, and it’s a blessing?!

wow. I feel really good. today was my last physical therapy appointment – the therapist says I’ve done really well. (even tho I’ve been horribly lazy with my exercises.) and today he had me do some new exercises, and then 10 minutes on the stationary bike. I almost made it – got to about 7 before I was winded & my butt hurt.

now I feel all energetic from the exercise, and the blood going to my brain. yay!

however…had a long chat with Chad on the way home, about writing and publishing. <sigh> I’m just not doing what I need to do – not writing enough, not doing anything about getting published. need to spend some time every day – start with finishing the Paren’s Tale – which I got too frustrated with after going thru rounds and rounds of critique – continue onward with Aila – start on some new stories.

maybe I should use the old d&d world as a setting for some tales. I did spend a lot of time thinking about the content of that world, and I love that map, too. I could do something like Verduria, and then use it for stories. (if I can manage to avoid getting overly involved in the building – focus only on what I need to tell my tales.)

‘kay, there we go. let’s see what happens when I get home.

is something happening at sweethomes? I haven’t been able to publish my blog, and now Chad says he can’t get online. 🙁