So, today I finished my new novel and by lucky chance reached the 50,000 mark of NaNoWriMo (50,100 to be exact). I've enjoyed banging away, more or less in the public eye. This is the first time I've ever posted my daily totals. If you're interested, they're below the cut.

( words words words )

Today is day two of NaNoWriMo. Yesterday I wrote 1600 words of my novel before being driven to write a new short story instead, only my second for this year (123rd all up). The day before that, I wrote 4000 words, which don't count to my total. I know it's not a race or anything, but ... well ... typical.

It's nice to be moving again. I've spent too ( Read more... )

Well, The Force Unleashed hit the stores in the US today, and I'm excited by that, even though it might be a while before I see it on the shelves here. I half-joke that it's the book that gave me RSI--true, I had to write it in four weeks, and true also that I'd written at that speed in the past to no ill effect--but we sometimes make similarly ( Read more... )

"This is where I heal my hurts." (thanks, Faithless)

Actually, it's just my study, revealed in all its glory. Kinda. Enjoy!

(to paraphrase the excellent Jason Nahrung)

They say that collaborations should result in work neither author could have produced, as though a third author is formed that is a blend of the two.  If that's the case, then here's what the author of Evergence, Geodesica, Orphans and the Force Heretic Trilogy would have looked like, courtesy of the sharp ( Read more... )

Provoked by this inspired Clarion fundraiser, here lies my toothless old keyboard, along with the detritus of sixteen novels, four short stories and four novellas--around a million words worth of crumbs, bitten nails, and cells sloughed off my hard-working fingers.


( Read more... )

While I'm immensely flattered at My Elves Are Different implying that I'm a "Science Fiction Master", I must report that this isn't the means by which I come up with character names, in Astropolis or any other series.

It is, in fact, a carefully-crafted system of mythological references, obscure words, friends, and in-jokes impossible to explain, ( Read more... )

What do these phrases have in common?

“the children alone”
“kachu in line”
“to live alone”
“God to/got to/coach to/attitude end of line”

“X from asthma”
“excavation/exhalation/commissioner/information/eggs question mark”

They’re how my Dragon voice-recognition program interprets two common phrases (“go to end of line” and “exclamation mark”) ( Read more... )

A quick note to apologise to anyone waiting for an e-mail from me, or for something of substace to appear in this particular forum.  For once it's not a case of deadlines, although they have contributed to the problem.  I'm suffering RSI and undergoing treatment for the same, and therefore exploring a variety of options like fancy keyboards and ( Read more... )

Meanwhile, Charlie Jane Anders over at io9 asked the question: "Your awesome novel is firing on all thrusters... except one. A major character, who's important to the story, isn't clicking. She's dull, or he doesn't play well with others." What to do?

Eileen Gunn, Rachel Pollack, Kelley Eskridge and I answered. (Hint: it has nothing to do with ( Read more... )