Paksworld

Story #2, of the new Paksworld stories, the “lightning strikes” post,  is one of those “out of the blue/accidental hits” stories.   Here’s the article I found that started it all:   “The Ghost Cavalry of Gondole.”  Right off the bat, the title begs for a story.   Reading the article and bring up all the pictures…skin-tingling stuff.  It belonged in Paksworld.  It felt right for Paksworld.  But right as background does not make a story…a big fancy gravesite (a real one) is a fact, not a story.

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Did I, or did I not, within the past two years, post a picture or two of my messy office?

If I did, and if anyone knows where it is, I’d appreciate the reference.

Thanks.

Yesterday afternoon, the mother of a good friend died.  This afternoon, the husband of another friend died.    I had met the friend’s mother several times, but not the other friend’s husband.  Nonetheless…I’m in need of a little distance and silence.   I won’t be around for a day; my heart is with my grieving friends.

…or the iron is hot, or preferably both, the writer leaps into action and neglects everything but very firm bodily demands.

Of the two things started yesterday, one petered out pretty quickly…it will take a lot of thought to bring it to life. The other, which I thought had nowhere particular to go, has taken over the day, especially this afternoon/evening.  Read the rest of this entry »

In the gap between sending off the revisions and hearing reactions to them,  I thought I’d discuss a few more things about Paksworld and the series you’ve been reading.  Still no spoilers for Crown of Renewal, though, I hope.

As I mentioned in a comment yesterday,  the series shifted from my original plan for a long story about Kieri Phelan to a consideration of how forced change affects people in midlife.   I began it after we’d had one, and as friends had lost or  were losing their jobs (again!, and several years after they’d just begun a recovery from the previous downturn, at a lower level)  in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.   So I had a lot of direct knowledge of how forced change–even good forced change (because that happens to some)–plays out in real peoples’ lives.   But at the same time, the invented universe I now call “Paksworld”  has its own set of rules and logic–and stories do too.  Read the rest of this entry »

A terrible pun, true.   But also true that revisions consist of more than pulling out the Chainsaw of Correction.   Sometimes revision means noticing that the arm of the statue is on at the wrong angle…and remodeling, molding it, until it looks right.  Both Agent and Editor found things to say about Crown of Renewal that pointed to the need for more remolding than chainsawing and clipping (though those did occur.)

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Well, it’s been an interesting 4 1/2 days, during which a lot of email has gone unanswered, not to mention comments on various venues.  You might think I had used the time saved to d0 useful things like reorganize, straighten up, clean…but you know me better than that.  I kept tinkering with Crown of Renewal.   After all, I couldn’t email it to Editor or Agent…so I began the nose-to-the-floor crawl for clues.

Nit-picking.  Again.    Proving once again that no matter how many times you go through a manuscript, there is always something to fix, improve, re-phrase.     On Saturday (day 3)  I drove into the city to my web-guru’s house and begged the use of her computer to email that version of Crown to my agent, with a note to send it on to Editor if I hadn’t regained internet access by Sunday night.   Which I did, but after midnight his time.    So the finicky changing of words and phrases between about 1 pm on Saturday and now will need to be sent tomorrow morning, if we have a connection then.

Also did some knitting.  The second pair of “short socks” is onto the heel flap of both.   Also did some bike riding in very hot temperatures.   Not ideal, but the mileage continues to grow as the physical therapy has reduced the pain.

I have no reason to over-trust our ISP  and though there are four little lights on our DSL modem (as there should be) now, the four cheerful estimates of time-until-repair that were missed have me a bit twitchy.    I have hundreds of emails to comb through for important business stuff, so another actual post about the book will be delayed even more.  Apologies.

Just a heads-up to everyone, that Elizabeth lost Internet access over 24 hours ago. The techs at her ISP are working on restoring service, but have not  yet succeeded.

Ruta, Webmistress

In the first book of all–Sheepfarmer’s Daughter–there is a comment about the colors worn by Sofi Ganarrion’s cavalry troop and by Vladi’s polearms company.   I can’t find it.   I thought it was in this chapter…then in that chapter…it’s just a casual mention, but…where?   I know it’s there, but I have conflicting notes from another time…and I’m writing a side-story from Crown of Renewal that involves a cohort of Ganarrion’s people, and need the colors.  (If the editor likes it, that story will be in an anthology called Shattered Shields, coming out from Baen.)

So I’d very much appreciate it if someone who’s got the time could  answer that.

In the meantime, revisions are almost done (somewhat slowed by needing to get this story out of its snit and finished.   I’ll post about its intransigent nature later.)

This will be the last post for awhile because a) deadlines and b) medical stuff–appointments, tests, all that, all taking time out of the writing day.    So I decided to hint at some things coming up in Crown of Renewal, along with the background research that went into them.   I hope this will tide you over for a couple of weeks, while I finish the revisions and the shorter work due for an anthology. Read the rest of this entry »