IvanEwert.com

Shamefall:

New words: 1,069
Manuscript wordcount: 3,097 / 50,000
Deadline: May 31
Reason for stopping: Quota, got to get ready for work tomorrow.

Darling du jour: Eyfreid stood as well, towering over the young dwarf. The tallow candles flickered as he stood, casting more yellowish light into his eyes and teeth, increasing the feral appearance of the man. “He’s the one I could keep your secret from, if you keep your own head. There’s no need for him to know … after all, he’s kept more than enough from you.”

Jury-rigging: Eyfried actually mocks Syndri into the biggest blunder of his life. Didn’t expect that when I started writing.
There’s always one more quirk in the character: Syndri’s blushes begin at chest level.

Today’s words Word doesn’t know: Somesuch, Moreso
Sustenance: Water.
Mean Things: Eyfreid’s not a bad manipulator, for a blacksmith.
Other goal-related work: Journaling this.  Lots of work on the Triskele Moon site.

Exercise: Tabata routine for back and traps.
Wild Wild Life: Canada geese, hawks.
Community: Jane stopped by, call from mom, nice email from Kurt (which I need to remember to reply to.)

The Internet is Full of Things: L told me this happened when she was a child, but I didn’t know people were still allowed to do it – coloring chicks for Easter. At least it’s not dipping them in dye …

Shamefall:

New words: 1,083
Manuscript wordcount: 2,027 / 50,000
Deadline: May 31
Reason for stopping: Quota, got to get ready for work tomorrow.

Darling du jour: “No wonder he can’t avoid it,” said Syndri, and suddenly he felt very young again, very small; for spying on the one place his uncle claimed as his own. It had been a foolish whim, he thought, one which could easily have been mastered – but it was too late now.

Jury-rigging: Rural taverns don’t have signs or names, they’re just known for the owners.
There’s always one more quirk in the character: Syndri actually does think twice when obstacles arise.

Today’s words Word doesn’t know: n/a
Sustenance: Water, popcorn, Vosages haut chocolat.
Mean Things: The unfamiliar racial epithet.
Other goal-related work: Journaling this.  Triskele Moon site and photos.

Exercise: Tabata technique for chest, serious abs routine. Plank is up to 75 seconds.
Wild Wild Life: Crows, robins, Pee-nut the neighbor’s shih tzu.
Community: Russ and Pee-nut (briefly).

The Internet is Full of Things: Not tonight, it isn’t.

Format stolen from the shamelessly talented Elizabeth Bear, modified for my interests and purposes.

Progress notes for 12 April 2009

Shamefall:

New words: 924
Manuscript wordcount: 924 / 50,000
Deadline: May 31
Reason for stopping: Quota, hungry, sunshiny day outside.

Darling du jour: “Aye, we’d show our teeth, old hound – you and I together.” He looked back to the roofs, cast his eyes to the west where the sun’s edge caressed the ridge of the mountains, and nodded slowly. “We’d show our teeth, if Uncle shows his belly.”

Jury-rigging: Came up with the whole idea on a walk today. Challenging myself.
There’s always one more quirk in the character: He makes up ugly names for himself before others get a chance.

Today’s words Word doesn’t know: woodsmoke
Sustenance: Green tea infused with brown rice, Vosages haut chocolat.
Mean Things: The crookleg, the false promises.
Other goal-related work: Preparing to get the GenCon game characters burned. Journaling this. Called family. Postcard work for Coach Diane in return for 1 hour fencing lessons (7 hours to go).

Exercise: 4 mile walk in the woods.
Wild Wild Life: Spring peepers, one snake, one crane, redwing blackbirds.
Community: Aaron and Jen left around noon. Jane may stop in for ham and wine.

The Internet is Full of Things: GenCon Event catalog went live today.

I’ve written a monthly serial for the online speculative fiction magazine The Edge of Propinquity for three years now.  The original story, Vorare, wrapped up in December, and I’ve launched a new series called Solstice. These stories are published on the 15th of every month and are due from the writers on the 5th.

While I don’t think I’ve been the worst offender against deadlines in the world, there have been several months when I’ve had to call my lovely and extremely talented editor to beg a few extra days to tighten up prose or get photographs taken to accompany the stories. It’s something I always disliked doing, not only as a people pleaser but as someone who wished to be taken seriously as a writer.

The only way to stop requesting extensions, of course, is to stop missing the damned deadlines. That’s the key reason for adding it as one of my 101 Things. I made a point in January to finish my drafts and editing well ahead of schedule. The photo … well, that one was admittedly down to the wire, but I still had plenty of time to take about twenty shots in different lighting, manipulate the images and send the final choice off.

This month I intend to have March’s story and photo done by the 25th – 19 days from now.

I used to read voraciously. There was nothing I liked better than whiling away a sunny afternoon or chilly evening with a book in my hand, the bigger and more obscure the better. Pynchon was crack to me in those days, and I tore through his books like a wildfire. Once I met my wife, though, I cut down on the freetime reading – not due to any request of hers, simply because I preferred spending time with her to spending time with the books.

Instead I made a point of continuing to read while commuting to work, since I was (at the time) looking at about an hour and a half in both directions via bus, elevated train, and train lines.  I read a lot of good history and classic literature  in that way, from the history of the Mediterranean and Tacitus to the French Revolution and Dumas. Those were excellent days, and even waiting for the train was made easier by access to these other worlds.

When we moved out of the city proper, though, the reading more or less stopped cold. Lack of public transportation and less time free at the house added up to a lot of difficulty in making the time for my old friends, the books. That’s why reading constitutes a decent portion of the 1001 Nights for me – these are all books I’ve desperately wanted to read since moving out, and (due to their weight and the time commitment) have not been able to.

Last night I started on Egil’s Saga, from the Complete Sagas of the Icelanders.  I see now how accurate the Monty Python sketch, Njorl’s Saga, seems to be – I’m on page 36 and so far I haven’t even met Egil yet. But then, starting out with a list of names and accomplishments also works to spin me back into the very place I want to be.  It’s a recognized convention from the heroic past of literature which makes me more aware than before that I’m embarking on something out of the ordinary with this task.

I also went ahead and ordered Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow, Ted Hughes’ homage to my favorite animal. The poems I’ve read from this selection so far disturb and thrill me, which is another very good thing. I want to feel this one, not just peruse it. I figure it should be in my hands by March, which gives me a good amount of time to devote to the Icelanders for a while.

In two days I embark on my 1001 Nights project. The fact that I’m now updating the blog is a good sign, as it means I’ve kept my focus on this idea for more than a single week.

I’m aware that some of my tasks seem fairly minor – setting up RSS feeders, donating old shoes, identify 100 things that make me happy. The reasoning behind these are twofold: First, having some relatively simple milestones to hit keeps me jazzed about the work I’m doing. If I can reach these small goals while moving toward the larger ones, I’ll be more likely to keep my attention on said larger goals.

Secondly, the fact is … if they’re on the list, then they’re not minor or trivial to me. The goal of this project isn’t to impress people (though I do hope to inspire some) but to get these things done. If it’s on the list, it’s been on my mind for more than a month over the past dozen years or so. What’s simple for one person might be a real trial for another.

There are other tasks that are, for me, extremely ambitious. Two novels when I’ve barely scratched a chapter of one? Sixteen pieces published when my record stands at three? A thirty-three mile bike ride? These tasks will take preparation and planning, not just rolling up my sleeves and diving into them, and that’s what I’m anticipating the most difficulty with.

Historically, I’m good at just knuckling down and getting good work done just under the wire, while preparation hasn’t been a strength of mine. That may really be the hundred and second task … getting myself accustomed to long-term planning.

I’m planning to choose two of those long-term projects to focus sharply on for February through May. Three months should give me a good feeling for how quickly I can work and turn things around, as well as how many of the shorter-term projects can be knocked out of the park.

Such is the plan. As always, good luck with your projects – wish me luck on mine!