Working on critiques and catching up with things. Actually I'm writing out notes on the one novel I finished so I won't forget all the critiquing parts. Just a little while ago one of the tree in back snapped in half. It happens when you have a small woods out your back door. The top that fell had last year's leaves on it, so it's been dead for a bit.
The wild and wacky Jeff VanderMeer has finished his book on writing. From the TOC it looks like a winner.
Reclusive Camille is off somewhere in the wilds of Vermont writing. She must be in some primitive cabin on the non-skiable side of a mountain, cut off from all of life's modern conveniences and existing on hard-tack, salted pork, and water she draws from a nearby stream.
New insta-family dad Tobias Buckell gives us a link to Lynne Viehl's blog where she talks about the first royalty statement for her NYT (MM) Bestseller. Sobering is, I believe, the word you're looking for. I'm sure this is of great interest to Tobias who also is a NYT Bestselling author (Cole Protocol). While reading the numbers it is good to keep in mind that a first time (published, fiction) author typically sees an advance of $5000 or less with a print run less than 10,000 (10M in printer speak, hey, gotta keep my cred going). Um, why am I doing this again?
My own personal Goblin Hero Jim Hines outlines his Writer as Martial Artist idea. Huhn, I'm a Blue Belt ready to take the test for Red, go figure. Just as a hint, Jim's dojo of writing is not one of social promotion (::cough:: S.H. Kim's in Canton ::cough::), it's one of skill and accomplishment. I could go on about many "martial artists" I've met through life who've obtained "Black Belt" status (and Jim's description is correct, that's why there are Degrees - or Levels - of Black Belt) and just couldn't do much in a real fight (and this was in disciplines that are hard-contact fighting styles). Then there are those Purple Belts who've kicked ass. It all depends on the school.
I'm sure there's more out there, but I have to get back to actual critiquing instead of cat-waxing via internet. Take another deep breath, and fall beneath the waves for a third time.
5 comments:
Is Kim's even still open down here?
My son's MA instructor went to another local school to judge a blackbelt test and came back furious about the lack of skill and endurance the school taught. He doubled down on our students after that. I wonder if he judged there?
Cassie
Cassie, Kim has been out of business now for almost a decade, but his building is still there. With all the other stores around there having been remodeled, it's kinda strange that it's still there.
I didn't think it was open. But it's moved around a lot over the years and I thought it had moved again.
Cassie
I'm back! But so much to catch up with...and then I have to re-acclimate to tap water after drinking all that fresh mountain stream crap.
Cassie, yes they did move around a lot. Their final store was across from Belden Village (now Westgate Mall) up on Everhard. The place is still there, you can see the weathered ghosts of the logo and type on the front of the building. But Kim was a Korean War Vet, and he wasn't quite young then (in case anybody was wondering, Mr. Kim learned his karate in the Marines, not because he was a Korean-American).
Camille, it's good to see you back. Just take it slow. Fresh tap water is an acquired taste.
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