Yowling Won't Help.

[greygirlbeast]

I've likely said this before, any number of times. But it bears repeating. If only it were possible to run some sort of cable from my brain directly to my laptop, then my dreams would take care of all the writing. I'm not sure anyone could or would read the results, but they would be much truer than any of the watered-down shit I write while awake. Which is to say, bad dreams this morning, worse than usual, and I slept late (almost 11 a.m.), which means they went on a few months longer than usual. I needed that sleep, though. I was awake until at least 3:30 a.m. this morning. But sleep comes at a price. Nothing's free.

Well, except for the air, and you've got to be out of your mind to breath the stuff they call "air" here in Atlanta.

I did finish "Untitled 23" yesterday, which is why Spooky let me sleep in this morning. I'm not yet certain how I feel about the piece. I knew it would be dark, but it came out several shades dimmer than I'd expected. All those people who eschew Fairie as anything but a realm of healing light and positive "energy" or whatever nonsense will do well to stay clear of this piece. This is my Fairie. I think you may have already glimpsed it, from this side of the mirror, in "La Peau Verte", but this time the view is from farther in, deeper down. It is a "fairy tale" in the classical sense, though hardly in the sanitized Victorian sense. I'm a little uneasy about sending this one out into the world. I say that now, knowing that it'll be right there in Sirenia Digest #10 and knowing, too, that most readers probably won't understand what all the fuss is about once they've read it. What frells with me will not necessarily frell with you. Anyway. Anyway. Anyway, yes, we'll read through the whole thing this afternoon, and I might tweak here and there. I do not know if I'm going to ask Vince to illustrate this one. Tomorrow, I'll begin work on the piece that Sonya (sovay) and I will be writing together, also for Sirenia Digest #10. I cannot presently recall whether or not it has a title yet. I think it might. She's written the first bit, and now I'm to write the second bit, and then it goes back to her, and so on and so forth until we find THE END together. I did only 477 words yesterday, but that was quite enough.

I'm not sure what I'll get done today. Already it's 12:31 p.m., and we have to get Hubero to the vet by 5 (just a check up, meet the vet sort of thing). And we have dinner with Byron at 7. And I'm nowhere near awake. If awake were Madagascar, I'd be somewhere in Polynesia just now, with all the Indian Ocean in-between.

Last night, Spooky and I watched Michael Winterbottom's Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story (2005) and found it quite entirely delightful. A fine comment on never getting to the point wrapped within a fine joke about losing one's way. Or something like that.

It has occurred to me that Joey LaFaye might be set in 1975. It's a strange revelation, but not one I'm shying away from. More later...

Postscript: This is frelling brilliant.

Comments

[wishlish.livejournal.com]

I think I lived your nightmare last night- I spent 5 hours driving on New Jersey highways (I was helping my mother move to Wildwood). Hours of driving in the dark on crappy roads at high speeds while avoiding cars going higher speeds. Fun! (At least I'm learning today that Vitamin Water- Energy is a good substitute for Red Bull, with less calories and actual vitamins...)

I'm rambling. I'm tired. And I have to drive all over again on Monday...

[cause-catyljan.livejournal.com]

You're right - it is frelling brilliant...

[http://users.livejournal.com/__hecate__/]

" If only it were possible to run some sort of cable from my brain directly to my laptop"
One of my favorit fantasies!

"I'll begin work on the piece that Sonya (sovay) and I will be writing together"
Can't wait, should be extremely interesting! But with both of you writing in the "flow" style isn't it
hard to find THE END?

"Joey LaFaye might be set in 1975."
Ah, 5th grade (mine) the beginning of innocence lost.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

But with both of you writing in the "flow" style isn't it
hard to find THE END?

We shall see.

"The King of Birds"

[eldritch00.livejournal.com]

Hi, I re-read "The King of Birds" yesterday. This was one of the first works of yours I've read, so it's been around eight years, and I love it even more than I did before. A few questions though:

(1) Now that I read The Five of Cups, I recognize Jacob Banlin. Does he appear again in any of your other works?

(2) I read this in the Del Rey TPB of The Crow: Shattered Lives & Broken Dreams. You've gone on record about how some editor from Del Rey tinkered with the story. What exactly am I missing out on by having read this version instead of the one in From Weird and Distant Shores (which I don't have unfortunately)?

(3) This is a rather odd question, but have you written anything else that's set in the same milieu as the Irish Troubles?

Re: "The King of Birds"

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

(1) Now that I read The Five of Cups, I recognize Jacob Banlin. Does he appear again in any of your other works?


Nope.

I read this in the Del Rey TPB of The Crow: Shattered Lives & Broken Dreams. You've gone on record about how some editor from Del Rey tinkered with the story. What exactly am I missing out on by having read this version instead of the one in From Weird and Distant Shores (which I don't have unfortunately)?

The tpb edition is okay. It was the original hardback that contained the bastardized version of the story. The versions of "The King of Birds" in From Weird and Distant Shores and the tpb are virtually identical.

but have you written anything else that's set in the same milieu as the Irish Troubles?

I haven't. It was an extremely hard piece to write, and I just never went back to that subject. Yet.

Re: "The King of Birds"

[eldritch00.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much, and I'm quite pleased that the TPB edition already had your version of the story. All this time, I wondered whether I was reading a, as you put it, bastardized version.

(I do know that you're not happy with your story in the hardcover edition of Shadows Over Baker Street. Was that ever corrected for the TPB? For what it's worth, I think enough of your strengths shone through in that one that I consider it a highlight of the anthology.)

Finally, thanks. I've recently been delving into Irish history, especially focusing on the Troubles, so I was just wondering. Despite being geographically and culturally distant, from what I've learned, I'm not surprised it was extremely hard for you to write.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Have you seen this?

[sovay]

I say that now, knowing that it'll be right there in Sirenia Digest #10 and knowing, too, that most readers probably won't understand what all the fuss is about once they've read it. What frells with me will not necessarily frell with you.

Maybe, but I am still really looking forward to this piece.