Random updates not all about me
I had a few delays this week due to general life-type chores. I’ve missed my walks in the woods for several days (which I have discovered makes me sorta cranky).  But I’m back in the saddle, and typing away… and the weekend is nearly upon us.
I had the fun of sending out a serious chunk of prose to the Fabulous Genrettes, my writer’s group, for analysis and dissection at our next meeting. Naturally, I just want them to tell me how brilliant I am! But, being a pro, I’m willing to be told that I’m only mostly brilliant, and that the prose (ahem) desperately needs some loving care, attention, and bringing-to-heel (AKA rewrites).
Other than that there is, at the moment, little to report on the writing front — largely because I don’t generally blog about the content of what I’m working on, and I don’t post word counts (as explained in this ancient entry from before I had an office and while I still had a day job). But I am at it, and looking forward to the weekend, which is prime writing time for me, when I have the entire building to myself.
I’m still currently reading Ada Palmer’s Too Like the Lightning, but I always do have trouble reading fiction when I’m also writing fiction, so I have paused for the moment. Ada’s book both deserves and requires attention; I don’t want to read it sloppily, and I realized that I was doing so — so I stopped. I’ll get back to it in a bit, when I’m at a good pause-for-a-breather point in my own work.
I’ve also picked up Neil Gaiman’s The View from the Cheap Seats, which, being non-fiction, doesn’t hijack my fiction-processing faculties. It includes the text to the famous “Make Good Art” speech, always an inspiration to me.
Meanwhile, Google alerted me that E.C.Ambrose mentioned the Steerswoman series in a blog post on maps… and that reminded me of Ambrose’s own books, and the fact that that her blog is great resource for people interested in the writing process.  There’s all sorts of excellent advice on many subjects relating to writing, like: The uses of location, of detail, suspense, and more. She knows whereof she speaks and expresses it well. And she’s taught at the Odyssey Writing Workshop. All good reasons to check out both her blog and her books.
Lastly: Do not forget about the Con or Bust fundraising auction!  Bidding closes on Sunday at 4PM Eastern time, and there are lots of SF/F- related books objects and memorabilia available, and jewelry and handicrafts. Like a steampunk guitar pick-guard! Seriously, where else are you going to find one of those?