"Hey, Capa. We're only stardust."

[greygirlbeast]

Today marks the fourth anniversary of my having begun keeping this LiveJournal on 15 April 2004. You can see that entry here, if you're interested. Since that day, I have made 1,706 entries in the journal, received 19,503 comments, and made 5,484 comments of my own. When it began, I was waiting for Murder of Angels to be released and had not yet begun writing Daughter of Hounds. We were living in a loft over in the old Kirkwood school. Of course, this journal, sensu lato, actually goes back to 24 November 2001, when I was just beginning to write Low Red Moon, and Neil talked me into keeping a blog. You can read the very first entry, on Blogger, here.

This line from Danielewski's House of Leaves:

We all create stories to protect ourselves.

I think it's going to end up being an epigraph for The Red Tree. Speaking of which, I spent an hour or so talking over the narrative structure with Spooky yesterday, first person and the problems thereof, the ins and outs of an epistolary narration, and a bit about my protagonist, Sarah Crowe. I already knew that the novel would be set in rural west-central Rhode Island, and after talking with Spooky, I spent an hour or so with Google Earth, tracking down just the right spot. I found it off Barb's Hill Road, north of Coventry, southwest of Foster and Moosup Valley. Unlike all my previous novels, this one shall come close to observing Aristotle's rule regarding "unity of place" in drama. Almost all the story's action will occur on the old farm where Sarah is living. The house standing there now was built around 1850, I think, though it was built on the foundation of a house that was erected on the spot in the late 1700s. After all the talk and Google Earth, I wrote what I hope will prove to be the first 705 words of Chapter One. So, work yesterday.

Having done the Beowulf novelization last year, I'm getting some curious sorts of offers. I've just passed on doing a Guild Wars novel. I will not go tumbling down the slippery slope of media tie-ins.

The postman brought me cover flaps for the mass-market paperback of Daughter of Hounds, which will be released on September 2nd, 2008. It looks good. Also, the signed contracts and IRS forms for the German translations of Threshold and Low Red Moon went into the mail.

Once again, I did not leave the house yesterday. I have to make myself go outside today, as it has now been...almost five days. Spooky spent much of yesterday packing. Yes, the packing has begun. It makes me antsy.

Last night, I watched two episodes of How It's Made on TLC, which I find very oddly soothing. I watched part of an episode of Spongebob Squarepants (which I just find odd). And the rest of the evening went to some rather intense rp with the Omegas in Toxian City (Second Life). Nareth took out her straight razor and gave a...demonstration...in control, and in anatomy, and also in self denial. Her thrall, Nicholette, having committed a rather grave insult against her, was the canvas. It might actually make a nice piece for Sirenia Digest, with just the right sort of tweaking. But, still, I was in bed by 2:30 ayem.

I think I need to read Le Fanu's "Carmilla" again...

Comments

[sclerotic-rings.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I think you made the right decision about staying away from the media tie-ins. I can't tell you exactly why, but I have a really bad feeling about the state of the market in the next two years or so, and I suspect that the tie-in market is going to be one of the biggest casualties.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I can't tell you exactly why, but I have a really bad feeling about the state of the market in the next two years or so, and I suspect that the tie-in market is going to be one of the biggest casualties.

Well, my agent agrees with you.

[sclerotic-rings.livejournal.com]

Huh. So I was right? On days like these, it's always good to know that even a blind pig can find an acorn now and then.

[coppervale.livejournal.com]

The Danielewski line reminds me of something Bissette said - that it's impossible to create stories when your own story is broken.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

that it's impossible to create stories when your own story is broken.

That's quite nice, though I'm still trying to figure out if I agree with it.

[coppervale.livejournal.com]

It was about when he was going through a lot of personal crises...and so an understandable point of view. I don't necessarily agree with it either (while acknowledging the pov). In my own times of personal crisis, I've tried to channel the emotion into BETTER story - to use it, rather than be used up by it.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

It was about when he was going through a lot of personal crises...and so an understandable point of view. I don't necessarily agree with it either (while acknowledging the pov). In my own times of personal crisis, I've tried to channel the emotion into BETTER story - to use it, rather than be used up by it.

Yeah. I've pretty much had to keep writing through recent and not-so-recent personal upheavals, and have to say some of my best writing was done during those times.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

I've noticed the same thing, and many others have, too. Dave Sim said something like 'You could sit for six hours and turn out crap, and then one day you've got a raging toothache and the phone's ringing off the hook and your relationship is imploding and you sit down and knock out a perfect page. That's when you know it's not coming from you — it's coming through you.'

[mardott.livejournal.com]

Congrats on your blog's longevity! Keep it up.

I have the same problem about leaving the house and yesterday was particularly bad. I couldn't even make myself call the vet to order more medicine for the dog. I wish I could make those days GO AWAY.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I have the same problem about leaving the house and yesterday was particularly bad. I couldn't even make myself call the vet to order more medicine for the dog. I wish I could make those days GO AWAY.

It's an old problem for me (assuming it is actually a problem). To date, I think my record is eleven days without going outside.

[sfmarty.livejournal.com]

And I remember when you would post on GEnie.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

And I remember when you would post on GEnie.

I guess that was 1994-1996 or so. I do wish I had all those posts.

[octoberland.livejournal.com]

Funny, I was just talking about Carmilla the other day. One of the panel ideas I have for Pi-Con is about gender roles in vampire fiction.

Also, good luck in the apartment hunting and I did vote for you yesterday in the Locus poll. :)

[reverendcrofoot.livejournal.com]

Ghouls are better than Vampires.

That is the Truth.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

'I've just passed on doing a Guild Wars novel.'

That's Owl's favorite PC game, so when I told her about this, she said 'ME! ME! GIVE IT TO MEEEE!'

[gallifreyangoth]

Congrats on the LJ anniversary...though it's a bit surreal to realize I've been reading your blog posts for around six years now...


I was wandering around Toxia last night, and overheard a bit of your RP -- really excellent stuff.