What’s Up Wednesday? Lecture crazness…

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What I’m reading:

Umm… a Buffyverse graphic novel, Elizabeth Moon’s “Command Decision”, an Escape Pod podcast, and some more Analog stories via the library and Zinio on my tablet.

What I’m writing:

Reached 10k for July Camp Nanowrimo, didn’t quite finish the  Brain transplant story. Haven’t written in a few days, because I’m busy with other stuff… Maybe I’ll finish the story while I’m at the workshop.

What inspires me right now:

Character growth and transformation! I’m finally digging into this lecture I need to have ready for TNEO, two days before I leave, and it’s great stuff, even if I’m a little frazzled.

What else I’ve been up to:

Catching up on some Vampire Diaries and Revenge. I’ve got a replacement credit card already, and the scam charges will probably get straightened out in due time. And I’ve been getting ready to leave for New Hampshire, though I still have packing to do…

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Weekend Writing Warriors – The Gnomes are Missing 9

Welcome friends, followers, and Weekend Writing Warriors!

I’ve decided to switch to something new and share snippets that I wrote during April for Camp Nanowrimo, from the first draft of “The Gnomes are Missing.” I hope you enjoy them. I’m skipping ahead a little bit, out of the Clan Hall scene, to show Kinwer and Trish preparing for their quest.

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The porter pounded on their door much too early, but that was probably because no morning light made it into the Clanhold. “If you’re going on a quest, you have to get used to early starts in the darkness,” he grunted, and led them to an alcove off a large round stone cavern. Somewhere out of sight, Kinwer could hear and smell a bustling kitchen, but as the porter left them, another dwarf gestured to some pieces of flat bread on the stone table. Kinwer picked one up, bit off a piece, and regretted it; the thing was stale and almost tasteless.

“On his majesties orders’, I’ve done my best to anticipate the needs of your quest,” the dwarf official said slowly. “If there’s anything else you think makes sense, please let me know. ” He briefly ran over the supplies, all standard sounding stuff to begin with. The water flask Kinwer had taken up into the mountains was empty, but the dwarf filled it up from a large tank and told him that there would be underground rivers on the way to the goblin’s lair, so there was no need to carry any more.

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What’s Up Wednesday? Odysseys on my mind…

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What I’m reading:

Let’s see. I already finished the latest Iron Druid book I borrowed from the library, “Hunted”, and I’m on hold for the most recent one as soon as the library ebook is available. Loving those stories! I’m still reading stories off my Zinio copies of Analog, and I got back to the Elizabeth Moon Vatta’s war series recently.

And I’m still listening to podcasts a lot, but I did get to a nice PodCastle story in my playlist the other day: “Gazing into the Carnauba Wax Eyes of the Future”, by fellow Codexian Keffy R.M. Kehrli.

What I’m writing:

Finished the Neural Rewiring story, and started another idea from my April A-Z challenge: Brain transplants!

What inspires me right now:

Well, it just occurred to me today that this is the last week of Odyssey 2014, and I wonder how the new class of Odfellows are feeling at this point and what I’d say to them if I had the chance. I’m going to be leaving for “The Never-Ending Odyssey” workshop in a little over a week, and I’m really excited about that. Also, Storywonk podcasts, Star Trek Into Darkness, and the Vampire Diaries.

What else I’ve been up to:

Dealing with a scam on my credit card, (I’m on hold with the bank disputed charge hotline as I type this,) and hanging out with my family over the weekend. Also, exchanging critiques with my Team Ambitious buddies for the first time since April or so, whoo-hoo!

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Weekend Writing Warriors – The Gnomes are Missing 8

Welcome friends, followers, and Weekend Writing Warriors!

I’ve decided to switch to something new and share snippets that I wrote during April for Camp Nanowrimo, from the first draft of “The Gnomes are Missing.” I hope you enjoy them. Kinwer and his pixie friend Trish are in the feast hall of the dwarfs’ Clan King.

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“Patience, sire,” another of the advisers said. “All may not be as it seems–perhaps some other enemy has taken these simple mound folk from near the Morwi river, and left the badge to cover their crimes. You know that such things have happened in the tales.”

“Yes,” the king grumbled. “And even if they were not the perpetrators, the goblins would not likely be polite if we sent them a message. It will take cunning to discover the truth without mis-stepping.”

“I realize that, your Majesty,” Trish said. “I had hoped to travel the tunnels fashioned by your people until I found the goblins, and scout out their lairs to discover if they were indeed holding prisoners.”

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What’s Up Wednesday? Convenient Subspace Highways…

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What I’m reading:

Well, I finished “Skin Game” and “Trapped”, and today I started the next Iron Druid book in e-book format from the library, “Hunted.” Also reading a bunch of graphic novels; Buffy season 9 “Guarded”, and the entire run of “Scott Pilgrim!”

Haven’t been listening to any audiobooks since finishing Skin Game, as I’ve been catching up on podcasts like Storywonk, Quirks & Quarks, and Laugh Out Loud.

What I’m writing:

Still working on the Neural Rewiring story, that’s about it. Hopefully I’ll finish the draft around the weekend, if not sooner.

What inspires me right now:

Scott Pilgrim! I finally watched the movie a few weeks ago, really enjoyed it, but I think I like the graphic novels even more. As surreal and hilarious as either version of the franchise is, they share this kind of emotional honesty about finding yourself, learning how to be responsible, how to look for love and treat somebody in a relationship, that really spoke to me. And a really cool, self-deprecating Canadian sensibility, of course. It’s gotten me thinking about what I would want to say if I wrote something that gutsy and true to myself, and who the characters in that story would be.

Also Missy Higgins, “Where I stood”, and “The Nine Lives of Chloe King”, which I’ve just started watching the pilot for.

What else I’ve been up to:

I made it to the Toronto Browncoats screening this weekend, met some new really cool people, and made it to one of my Nanowrimo friends’ place for a potluck the other night. Still trying to prepare for my TNEO lecture, in fact I need to get a handout emailed off tonight, yikes!

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Weekend Writing Warriors – The Gnomes are Missing 7

Welcome friends, followers, and Weekend Writing Warriors!

I’ve decided to switch to something new and share snippets that I wrote during April for Camp Nanowrimo, from the first draft of “The Gnomes are Missing.” I hope you enjoy them. Kinwer and his pixie friend Trish are in the feast hall of the dwarfs’ Clan King.

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“None saw the villains who attacked the mound,” Trish declaired, “and no living gnomes, nor even dead bodies, were left within the mound by morning. In the signs of the struggle, there was only one token left to show who had perpetrated such an act.”

An expectant hush fell on the Great Hall, and Trish buzzed close to his head. “Kinwer, show them the badge.”

Oh right. Kinwer fetched the black armband out of his pocket and held it high, with the red insignia facing the Clan King.

“Yes, I know that mark,” the King rumbled, legs kicking against the air. For a second Kinwer thought he would sit up, but he kicked out his fury for a moment.

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What’s Up Wednesday? Canada Day!

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What I’m reading:

Still enjoying “Iron Druid: Trapped”, finished “I’ve got your number” and got it back to the library, and getting close to the end of “Skin Game.” Also read another Angel/Faith Season 9 Graphic Novel, “Daddy Issues”, and read another few stories from Analog on my tablet Zinio. Which is frustrating because the Zinio format of these magazines doesn’t seem to reflow as it resizes, you’ve just got a picture of the magazine page that you can zoom in or out on. But hey, it’s free from the library!

What I’m writing:

Finished the first draft of “Magic Milkshake”, and started the Neural Rewiring story for Camp Nanowrimo’s July session!

What inspires me right now:

Well, I’m going to be coy about the spoiler, but there’s a moment in ‘Skin Game’ where a secret code is revealed that bears on a bunch of conversations from earlier in the story, giving them a second meaning. I’m really looking forward to reviewing all those moments and seeing what was really being said in the second layer.

What else I’ve been up to:

Hanging out with the family for Canada Day, trying to keep cool even though my kitchen air conditioner (the big one in the window) has been acting up a bit, and… I guess that’s it. For now. Oh, and more ‘Angry Birds Epic’, including my own systematic attempt to map out the island and figure out where I can earn coins the fastest!

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