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Word Counts
Now that I'm sending queries to publishers, short stories to magazines, etc. word count has reared its not so ugly head again. I'm putting this here so I can find it again. Some advice is to use the old 250 word rule, others (including editors and agents, who should know) say use the MS wordcount feature. No one can agree. I'm going to ask at ( Read more... ) -
Walking Speed
The topic about how fast a person can walk has come up from time to time among writers, RPG gamers and in other situations. From the internet (wikipedia and the like) I find the average is 3 mph or 5 km/h. However, what can a determined person do (walking, not race walking)? As part of a fitness campaign by our city, I've taken to 30 minutes of ( Read more... ) -
Another book finished: A Voice For Princess
Have just finished A Voice For Princess by John Morressy. It's a strange one: no complicating/inciting event and no climax. Certainly there's an initiating event, but it affects Kedrigern only incidentally, apart from him becoming "retired". Perhaps finding Princess is the inciting event, but even that part of the plot never really wraps up. It ( Read more... ) -
Another book read: Her Majesty's Wizard
Just finished reading Her Majesty's Wizard by Christopher Stasheff. An enjoyable light read, with plenty of tongue in cheek humour. I also found it to be an interesting take on a fantasy world which works the way medieval humans thought it did, or more accurately the way modern North Americans think the medievals thought it did. Witness the ( Read more... ) -
Thoughts about Emotions in Fiction
Emotions, difficult things they are in real life and in fiction. I was reading one of my trilogy books and realized I could add a lot more impact. It was a scene where a character realizes that his brother has betrayed his family,but also that a beloved daughter is not dead, and that the character will be executed. So there's lots of emotion. ( Read more... ) -
Recent Readings : Smoke series
Just finished reading "Smoke and Mirrors" and "Smoke and Shadows" by Tanya Huff. The books were recommended by friends. Interesting characters and multi-layered setting. Vampires and magic behind a TV show that portrays a vampire detective. The author is poking fun at the genre at the same time she's using it. That level of almost sarcastic wit ( Read more... ) -
Volume of News and Consequence
"If you want to make people accepting of the status quo, give them no news at all, or give them so much they'll drown in it. Then, nothing will ever have to change." -- Alain de Botton ( Read more... ) -
Comments about Pride and Prejudice movie and TV miniseries
Being Valentines Day on Friday, we watched Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 movie. Now that I have seen both that and the TV miniseries that came out in 1995, I can say that I preferred the latter. I have no complaints about the casting for either. They both used well known skilled actors ( Read more... ) -
Truth in Advertising
This isn't so much about writing as something that caught my attention ( Read more... ) -
New Look for Web Site
I've just uploaded the files for my web site. For the technical and hobby pages, not much has changed, but for the creative pages, the whole look is different. It's still at the same site: http://members.shaw.ca/jessopc