Paksworld

Book three just dropped a plot bomb on me.   And boy, is it going to have repercussions if it turns out to be a real one.

And no, I can’t tell you anything about it.

There’s a lot of chilly weather around, including down here in the middle of Texas…before the front hit, early yesterday morning, we were having a fairly balmy 50-something-degree F. night.   By dawn, we were down some degrees, and by early afternoon, when I was trying to hang out laundry in a cold wind, the laundry was freezing to the clothesline with amazing speed.  (Smelled really good when I brought it in, though!)  Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, yes, I’m neglecting this blog.  Yes, I posted to the 80 Acres site in between posts to this one.   (I found cochineal scale all over one prickly pear–if you’ve ever wondered where the gorgeous natural red dye that once made the “redcoats” of the British Army came from, take a look.)   So Monday was basically a rest day, except for a little work on music–which “rest” involved not so much rest as catching up on non-book work.  Tuesday was voice lesson and choir rehearsal, plus a long chat with our lawyer about guardianship changes we might make for our son.    Wednesday was music work (the rehearsal Tuesday having shown up problems) for the evening’s Epiphany service, plus (in between) more non-book work.    Read the rest of this entry »

Having shipped off Book II late last night,  I’m now shifting to Book III until Editor comments on II.   The transition from the end of II to the start of III is fairly seamless, leaving aside what two certain people did for a few hours.  Imagination is your friend in the wilderness.   (It wasn’t wilderness, but oh well.)

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For the alpha readers…a comment below the cut.  For the rest of you, spoiler below the cut.

I’m still 2000 words over my own self-imposed limit–2206, to be precise–but almost-nearly-everything is done.  The giant awful chapter has been neatly split up into logical chapter-like units (it’s not just the size, it’s the structural integrity) and looking at one comment of Agent’s….no, there’s a reason someone expresses sadness at someone else’s death repeatedly.    It would be unrealistic for that character not to be reminded and have it cross his awareness.  Editor will have to weigh in for me to change it. Read the rest of this entry »

Been at this all morning and of course found something that needed massive amounts of work.   Had to print out another 40-something pages, to check for repeated points in multiple conversations…the sort of thing that real people do, but that (so I’ve been told for year) annoys readers no end.   “He said that already!”   (As if we didn’t all say the same things over and over…but fiction isn’t reality, and this is one of the ways.)

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Progress indeed, despite another attack of headache in the afternoon–not only some smoothing, but about 4000 words of the necessary cuts (admittedly, part of  that was finding a fossil duplicate chapter hiding out two chapters away from where it belonged…how did it sneak over there??)    Read the rest of this entry »

All the detached chapters and sections are back in the main file, and everything’s renumbered.   (This doesn’t mean I’ve renumbered everything correctly, judging by past experience!)   I’m now at least 9000 words over my planned  length, so the afternoon (of a beautiful day, alas) will be spent in both patching and cutting.   Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I had more input from Agent about the last part of the book.   As this call came just as I was heading outdoors to clear my head, I’m glad he also put comments in email.   Some  comments have already been dealt with by changes made since his first call, some will mean further changes, and some…hmmm… Read the rest of this entry »

So, today,  I faced the need for another chapter.   Yes, another chapter must be included.    And I think the previous chapter needs to be split (for story-logical reasons) so that its latter part becomes the first part of the new chapter (which presently rejoices in the designation of Chap-18a.)   Some research in Oath of Gold reminded me of specific persons the right age to know the relevant bits of history who were still alive then…and thus should still be alive now and able to recall said bits. Read the rest of this entry »