Today’s updates…

SSS:

I can’t keep up with Tony. The guy just keeps putting out great podcasts. Go check out StarShipSofa: Aural Delights #104.

WFC:

Thanks to John of mindonfire.com for a great link to Writing Excuses and their episode on not making an ass of yourself at conventions. I took the wardrobe advice seriously and fortified my nearly all jeans-and-t-shirts collection to include some stuff that a grown-up might wear. Additional advice on what not to say and when not to say it is very useful (though again I am terrified of sliming the authors and it will likely be a miracle if I manage to engage any in conversation.)

I’ve become aware of a couple of other non-pros going. Anyone up for an Amateurs Tweetup during the con?

NaNoWriMo:

Criminy, we’re less than two weeks away. I’ve been thinking about everything except my November novel. I’m happy to see people I know joining up, and equally happy to see other people I know draw the line and say this isn’t for them this year.

Google Wave:

Dude – I got an invitation to Google Wave. I logged in, noted that I have a few contacts but nobody I really chat with (except one member of my writers group.) I’m kind of stumped on what to do with it. If you have Google Wave and want to add me please do: christie.yant [at] googlewave [dot] com.

Writing:

Progress on “They Are Living Still” proceeds apace. Other stories are getting kicked around in my head a lot, and during that process I think I’ve identified my biggest fricking problem right now. It’s not the writing, not right now – which is not to say that it doesn’t need years more practice and improvement. I think it’s marginally competent, but pedestrian. Needs a lot of work – I need to work on metaphor and simile (still,) I need to tighten and increase my use of active verbs, and work on a variety of other things, but none of those are my biggest problem.

My biggest problem (I think) is a very weak grasp of story. That may be why I like TALS as much as I do – it is a real story, where people want things, and make decisions, and there are consequences. The right people (I think) are empowered, and the problems are interesting (to me, at least. Again, my fellow writers will shortly bleed all over it and I’ll think differently.)

But that’s unusual for me. It’s hard. I have a lot of ideas, images, and scenes in my head, but I have a very hard time shaping them into stories.

Fortunately, there are resources. Like this one, and this one, and this one over here. And many more.

I’m very excited about this realization, because now I can try to fix it.