Update Feb 10 PS

Another short one


Another story is being critted, and my writing is less because I am critting stories for WotF and three that aren't for that. I've sent two back so I have five more to go. Four are shortees and one can wait a week or two.


With the new Wizard of Oz movie I remembered another idea I had a few months ago. So I have two stories to finish and two to do quickly, I hope so I can start that revising.

I do have Q3 for WotF done already so that saves time. I may send it out to one place first though. And I need to get another story ready to send out this weekend. Since Monday is a holiday maybe I can type up one or two stories on paper, most are shorts.

Still working on all five human senses every two pages thing. I do it at times but not always.

Update Feb 10

This will be a short one.


My story for WotF Q2 is done, and being nitpicked. Writing probably needs help but I don't want to spend hours fixing it and I'm working on going along with Dean Wesley Smith's admonition to only look for nitpicks and stupid mistakes.  I do end up with some revising as I go over a story again-I can't help it-but I cut that down.

I have found some stories I forgot I had. Which makes it somewhere around eleven to twenty stories I need to go over again to get them ready to send out--look at the last sentence in the above paragraph--spell check and proofreader check etc.

I found those stories while looking for another one. I just finished a story with a certain MC. It's the third one with him. I'm sure I did a second story but can't find it, it might be hand written on note paper.


Haven't started revising my NaNo novel--I keep letting myself be distracted by short stories.

And that novel does need some revising, I have four chapters I need to plug in somewhere, I need to add certain things earlier in the story that I thought up later. I want to write one more story, finish another and then hopefully just concentrate on the novel. Maybe  two novels.

I have a bunch of stories that I recently finished, I seem to be on an idea binge.

Seanan McGuire--"Ashes Of Honor"

Started "Ashes Of Honor" by Seanan McGuire 


It's part of the October "Toby" Daye series. UF with a half human half far female MC. She can do some magic and has interesting friends. And always goes through the ringer. 

Very well done--great writing. She's one of my top favorite newer writers. One of two I want to be like.(no, if you have read my last post the other one isn't Gilman as much as I love her writing) I say that every time but it's still true. She just has a turn of phrase and sets up the scenes so well that I can keep reading even when not much is happening. That includes the opening of this book, took a little bit to set up the action but I couldn't put it down. And the opening action scene sets up something else dealing with Toby herself. Not sure if any of the bad guys in it will make a comeback but I wouldn't be surprised. 


Very Highly recommended. Even though I'm not sure about those cover pics. The face of Toby never is quiet right. The rest of it isn't bad though.

laura anne gilman--"Dragon Justice"

"Dragon Justice"
is the next and sounds like last one in the P.U.P.I. series by Gilman.  Or that is the paranormal investigators novels or the Bonnie books. 

She seems to like to do shorter series. 

This one is a UF series set in a world where some people have Talent where they can use a force much like electricity to do "magic". It's the second series set in that universe. The first one was the "Retrievers" series. I think that one is a much better series but this one is great also. I've said it before and most probably will again. I think the "Retrievers" or Wren books are partially responsible for this current rage in UF books. It seems to have become a permanent rage with its own sub-genres but Jim Butcher was a major force in the beginning and as I said Gilman was a lesser force.  


If you like UF and/or Mysteries you will like this series. A nice set up with side stories and a good resolution. Well, good in the writing and well thought out but that's all I will say about that.

 

However, I do have one criticism of Gilman's writing in this book. This series takes place in the same universe, city and time period as "Retrievers". Different events though. Mostly that is. In this book the MC references a major event that took place in a "Retrievers" book. But the MC doesn't explain her part in the event nor even half way describes it. In other words if you haven't read the book where it happened you have no idea what went on. Of course it's not a major part of "Dragon Justice" so it may not be important but still...