I’ve finally loaded my first podcast on my iPod Nano, even though I’ve been downloading podcasts for several months now. I made some room on my Nano by removing some music I don’t listen to very often, and then added Cory Doctorow’s podcast. I’m working on catching up on Cory’s reading of Bruce Sterling’s The Hacker Crackdown. I just finished listening to part two of the series today. So far, it’s an interesting and sometimes amusing rehash of the history behind the telephone. I’ve always heard the generic story of how Alexander Graham Bell was the first person to communicate a voice message through a telephone, but I’d never heard the story from there. Sterling does a fabulous job of describing the sequence of events that follow that event, and Cory reads the story with enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to hearing more about the Hacker Crackdown of 1990 and then, afterward, hearing Cory read some of his own writing. Hopefully by then, I’ll have my 80GB iPod, and I won’t have to worry about space limitations anymore.
Things To Do
Geez, I have a lot of things on my non-work-related to-do list:
- Finish writing the two blog drafts currently waiting in the queue
- Write up the handful of new entries that are sitting in my head
- Update my other blog
- Read issues 9 and 10 of Apex Digest (yes, I’m a bit behind on things)
- Read issue 5 of IGMS
- Read Damned Nation
- Read Goodbye, Darwin (courtesy of Cavan Terrill) and write up a little review
- Write a story for a flash challenge at Liberty Hall to get back into the swing of things
- Work on my fantasy short story and finish it up
And that’s just the short list. Of course, I’ll be going back to work for a half day on Monday to see how I do and will be slowly working regular daily activities and physical therapy into my routine, as well. Not to mention copious amounts of sleep, since I’m sure all this ‘new’ activity will wear me right out for awhile until I get back up to regular strength again. Looks like the ‘busy’ just found its way back into my life again. Should be fun.
Back to Writing - Maybe
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve written any fiction, but lately I’ve been feeling the itch to write again, especially now that we’ve started to get some of my medical issues sorted out. Between a sleep disorder, thyroid condition, and back problems, I just really haven’t felt up to doing much in the creative realm until just in the last week or two.
I’d like to get involved over at Liberty Hall again, so that will probably be how I get myself warmed back up to writing again. I also have a story from a past LH flash challenge that I’d started fleshing out but never finished. So, I may try to finish that story and then see if I can get someone to buy it. I’d still like to get something I’ve written into IGMS and Apex Digest, so I’ve got goals.
A lot rides on how long I can sit at my desk to write, since I’m still recuperating from back surgery, but I’m hoping that as I heal I’ll be able to get back into some sort of writing rhythm. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see how things work out.
250 Words
Jason Evans is running another of his quarterly writing contests this week, which ends up being bad timing for me since I’m going in for back surgery tomorrow. It’s unlikely I’m going to feel up to much of anything but resting between now and the deadline, but everyone else should definitely go check it out and participate. His contests are always a lot of fun, and he puts up some pretty decent prizes for the top five places. Go, write, and enjoy.
Ficlets
I’ve started playing a bit with Ficlets, since I can’t do much else right now. It’s actually kind of nice to be restricted to 1024 characters or less and fun to see if, and how, anyone builds on it. My first Ficlet is an elaboration on a snippet I posted a while back. My first Ficlet is called Dead Gods. If you want to take a stab at elaborating on it, go for it. I can’t wait to see what someone does with it.
Writing Gig
I’ve just picked up my first paid writing gig – Mark over at Weblog Tools Collection posted a brief note a couple of days ago indicating he was looking for someone to take over the daily theme and plugin release entries. Well, I’ve relied on those for a long time as my best source for new utilities for WordPress, and I’ve been disappointed recently that they’ve been inconsistent, and I’ve always wanted to start making a little money doing something I love – so I jumped on that and contacted Mark to express my interest. Today, my first entries have appeared, which I’m very, very excited about. I’m not certain about the exact readership statistics at this point, but I know that the feed shows over 5500 subscribers, which is the largest readership I’ve ever written for. It’s a bit intimidating, really, but I think it’s also going to be a lot of fun. It’s just nice to finally be putting my writing skills to good use. Granted, right now it’s simply making lists, but hey, a guy’s gotta start somewhere, right?
Busy as a Beaver
I’ve been neglecting my blog lately. Heck, I’ve been neglecting almost everything that isn’t related to my job or the farm lately. Life is just keeping me busy of late. I even have story ideas I’d like to work on, one of them a short story idea inspired by Orson Scott Card himself. Oh, I’m sure he doesn’t know it, but it’s an idea I read in one of his how-to-write books that’s been niggling at the back of my brain for a few years now. I think I’d like to give the idea a shot and see if I can make something work. I just haven’t had the time to sit down and pen something, and I’m not sure I see time opening up in the foreseeable future. Such is life, right?
Self-Publishing
Fred over at The Truth About Writing has written his opinion on the merits of self-publishing – and he raises a good point. Here’s my take on the subject:
The biggest detractor I’ve heard about self-publishing is the fact that 90% of self-published authors are hacks – folks who really don’t know how to write to save their lives. The rubber really meets the road when a lot of these authors are some of the most arrogant folks you’ll ever meet who think their novel is the best thing since sliced bread – and who will ridicule and berate you for not agreeing.
Personally, I’ve always been pretty split on self-publishing. On the one hand, it’s true that a lot of folks who probably shouldn’t be published because they actually can’t write go this route, making for a lot of terrible books to weed through. But on the other hand, I don’t see why self-publishing can’t be used as a viable alternative to getting books published, if you can write something that’s quality and that readers will actually enjoy. In those cases, the biggest advantage to going through a “traditional” publishing house is that they do all the publishing and promotion legwork for you. But if you don’t mind do a lot of your own sweat-work, then self-publishing certainly seems like a viable alternative.
What are your thoughts on the topic?
Dead Gods
“Our gods are dead. We have killed them, and now we don’t know what to do with the bodies.”
Endless Hour
Before I forget again and the deadline passes by completely, Jason Evans is running another of his really short fiction contests over on his blog. This one is called The Endless Hour and follows the same rules as all his others – 250 words based on the picture he’s provided. Deadline is this Wednesday by midnight, I believe, so run over there and write something for him. Looks like his participation numbers are down this time around, so add yours to the list of contributors. I don’t think I’m going to get anything written for this one – I’ve had much time for writing lately. Jason runs a fun little contest, though, so make sure you check it out.