Twenty Palaces

Online much?

Not really. Pizza Week has been a single-parent experience, and I don’t have a lot of time to hang out online. I’m trying to keep up with my email and LJ friends list, but even that’s a struggle.

Anyway, I spoke with my agent about Project Number Next last Monday. The story idea came from this discussion, and although at first I wasn’t sure I wanted to tackle something like that, eventually the idea started taking over my brain. I had a character I wanted to write about. I had a take on the standard urban fantasy setting that I really, really liked. All through the rewrites of Man Bites World, I was thinking of a handful of confrontations in the new project.

But I fucked it up. I wrote 44 pages with very little dramatic tension–there was no villain, no serious obstacle, just a story question that spins out without resolution. In fact, I did something I pretty much never do: I liked a character so much that I just went along for the ride in her day without a solid narrative. A character died off the page, yeah, and there’s a “Who killed the jerk?” story line, but overall it didn’t work.

Worse, the project as it stands feels very whole and solid to me. It needs to be rethought, but I’m going to need some distance before I have another go at it again. I’m too close right now.

Which means that, as I wait for a second round of notes on Man Bites World (or maybe a check instead!), I’ve gone back to The Buried King, the second-world fantasy I was writing while I was querying for Child of Fire. I abandoned it when Caitlin offered to represent me (and told me to start work on Game of Cages.) I’ve gone back to the goof and discovered I hadn’t really solved the plot yet. So, it needs a little more pre-writing planning, and then I’ll be jumping back into a new book.

And now I’ve spent too much of my writing day on this post, and it’s past time to wake my son. Have a great Friday, everyone.

Forgot to add: my back is almost back to normal today.

Randomness for 4/30

1) The seven species of robots. TED Talk via Ezra Klein

2) Williams Syndrome: the disease of trust. Audio report and transcript.

3) 25 Beautiful photos of spiral staircases.

4) Do not try to bring your gay dog to this restaurant!.

5) Twetiquette vigilantes! aka People With A Brain Disorder.

6) Mass market supercar competition begins.

7) And, to round things off: Cute dancing robots

What’s the proper way to dress a pizza?

Sauce first, then cheese, then toppings on the very top? Sauce, toppings, cheese? Put on the sauce last, so the cheese doesn’t brown so much? Or does it vary according to the cheeses, sauce and toppings you choose?

First full day

The first full day of Pizza Week (aka, my wife is out of town) was troubled. The fruit pizza (with sweetened cream cheese) did not go over well. At all. The more traditional pepperoni pizza I made for dinner (with the good pepp) also did not go over well. My son got me to make him a mini-pizza at the end of the day and I put all his usual boring toppings on them.

As for the rest of the day, I’m a single parent so I’m not getting online all that much. I did have a productive conversation with my agent yesterday, and I plan to talk a little about that when it’s not so late. Bedtime has passed, so I must pass out.

Weird day

Not ten seconds ago, heavy winds out of the south have started shaking the trees on my block. It’s like a dance party out there.

A few hours ago, my back went out for no reason I can see. I’m hobbling around the apartment, trying to straighten up the place and straighten up my posture, using ice, isometrics, dishwasher, stretching, but not the vacuum. Ow. Also, ow.

My wife flies to the east coast tonight. I need to load up her iPod with TED talks before she goes In fact, I’m going to do that now, then get down on the floor and work on my core muscles.

You guys look at http://epicwinftw.com/ right?

Because this is awesome.

Something I didn’t know

I dropped in at my neighborhood bookstore yesterday, where they had just placed their orders for September books from Random House. Even though I didn’t buy anything (they didn’t have the cars issue of Consumer Reports) they were nice enough to let me take the catalog with me.

Not only was I able to see how many copies of Game of Cages they’d ordered (answer: 10), but I had a chance to look at the way RH designs their mailed catalogs. It was mostly just what you’d expect, except for one thing that surprised me (but shouldn’t have): Most of the books had a line for Story Locale and another for Author Residence.

It surprised me, but it makes perfect sense when I think about it: if the story is set in Portland, Powell’s might carry it as local interest. Same for authors.

Randomness for 4/24

1) Can YOU crack the Zodiac Killer’s cipher? The original documents are now available online.

2) Pop quiz: Comic book character or wrestling move?

3) Novelist’s ex-boyfriend steals her private papers, sells her love letters to him, blabs about her private life, and spends decades writing vicious reviews of her books. What a prince.

4) I hope I hope I never get a book cover like these. via genreville

5) This book on hoarding sounds fascinating!

6) Take a look at the 15th, 20th and 24th pictures. (Not to mention all the nice happy people).

7) An incredible, amazing, fantastic Lego video.

I solved the last scene of Man Bites World yesterday

Revised it, cleaned up the manuscript this morning, and just now emailed it to my editor.

Phew!

Now I whip up a list of reviewers who need ARCs and try to come up with a selling title for it.

Suddenly very sick

Heading home early.