News:

Anybody interested in joining a behind the scenes critique group, please PM Ed :smiley:

Main Menu

The good morning, good night thread

Started by Ed, October 22, 2007, 03:49:05 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Caz

Quote from: delboy on March 22, 2010, 04:02:59 PM
Did you see that Lightning on Wonders Of The Solar System (BBC) yesterday?



I've got Wonders of the Solar System recorded and haven't had a chance to watch it yet, looking forward to seeing it though. I would've watched it last night but there was a double bill of Flash Forward on.  :shocked: :shocked: The plot thickens.
Some may say slaughtered is too strong a word...but I like the sound of it.

Woody

.
#1651
mustn't have my stuff here, ed keeps it.
___________________________________________________________
Writers Anonymous(http://www.writersanonymous.org.uk)-a source of sinister anthologies
Perception is nine tenths of the look. Brave Dave the Feather in Caribbean Conspiracy

Geoff_N

I saw a very early flight of Concord near Bristol (I was at Filton Airport) in 1969. A school friend of mine worked on the Rolls Royce engines. I was both in awe of its beauty and power, yet ashamed of the twin plumes of dirty smoke. I was told by my friend that the dirty exhaust would improve by the production model, but it didn't much.

Geoff

Ed

Yeah, I don't know why Concord seems to have such a place in the heart of the British public, but I feel sad that it's no longer flying and there's nothing else like it in service. In common with the vast majority of its fans, I've never flown on the thing, and would have balked at the cost, even if given the chance. It was something of a folly, really - half French and the sole preserve of the rich and famous, dirty, polluting in both noise and exhaust fumes. Why do we like it so much? :scratch:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Grillmeat

Ahh.... a new week. Tried to put the finishing touches on a short piece and instead found myself staring at the computer screen for about two hours.... Guess that is a sign of some kind. On a brighter note I did finish rough editing on two other pieces and sent them off for a prelim. crit. Fingers are crossed that I finally have some stuff to work with after a few months of nothing..........
OMG!! Soylent Green is people!!!

Geoff_N

Rejections so far for The Future and Up One, - F&SF, Analog, Interzone. Now sent off to Asimovs. All insist on non multiple submissions so it can take months between sending it off again. All those insist on paper postage, not email. So that's a fiver (around 8 USD) for each postage including SAE. None of the rejections included reasons - just the form reject soft-soap 'not for us this time'. Does that mean if I send it another time it will be for them? Interzone sent a form pleading with me to read their mag. This in spite of my cover note that pointed out I've read every single issue - in fact I've been mentioned in a couple because of my Exit book. It always seems so rude to me. Stanley Schmidt at Analog, Andy Cox at Interzone, Stephen Mazur at F&SF must know how much effort and time is put into all the stories sent to them and yet they put virtually zero effort into why they reject. I have been in their chair - still am, as subs editor at Escape Velocity mag. True I only have hundreds of subs to get through each year and we have a closed window at present (to focus on another project) but I wrote a paragraph on why we reject to all those rejected stories. Maybe you have to be rejected enough to gain the empathy.

Sorry to sound glum - I should say I appreciate my acceptances too. They include stories critted here on CD so we must be doing something right.

Geoff

Rev. Austin

I feel like I've been sat on my hands lately, because I haven't submitted anything in a couple of weeks.  Mind you, I have been working on like a million stories so it's not like I'm being lazy  ;) I'm also in that annoying frame of mind where I found a cool antho but can't think of a solid decent idea arghh
facebook.com/waynegoodchildishaunted
Stay in touch! I don't mean that in a pervy way.

Caz

Quote from: Ed on March 23, 2010, 07:16:23 PM
Why do we like it so much? :scratch:

Concord was a marvel of its time, ahead of its time in some ways. When it died I think that for many a vision of a bright future died with it. The world seems to be going backwards. The shuttle's been scrapped, the moonbase cancelled and all the things I thought would come to pass in my lifetime will probably not.

Where has all that drive gone that brought us the likes of the Vulcan, Blue Streak, Saturn Five and the TV remote control? The way its going the human race will just end up sitting on this rock waiting for the lights to go out.
Some may say slaughtered is too strong a word...but I like the sound of it.

Geoff_N

There are ongoing developments, Caz, that were in my science fiction reading as a kid. Cloaking devices, levitation, matter transfer and time travel - fair enough the latter two are at quantum level but watch this space / time.

Re-evaluatoin at NASA and ESA of the Moon landings have highlighted how lucky those astronauts were to have avoided fatal accidents. The barren nature of our Moon makes the expense of more exploration there less attractive than, say, Titan  or even Venus. Manned exploration of those places and of some large asteroids is likely IMO but probably 20+ years from now.

Geoff

delboy

I have a copy of The Right Stuff on my shelf awaiting reading. Bought it from Amazon just a few weeks ago. From what I hear it's a great read about the early days of the space race. Can't wait!!

In other news, this evening's session highlighted everything that I love about writing.

I wrote myself into a bit of a corner last week - deviating from my (very) rough outline in the interests of drama, but then not really knowing how to proceed with the tale. I spent a few days pondering on how my hero could still achieve what he needed to, and came up with a revised plan. But it would mean bypassing a couple of key scenes, including one that I really wanted to include for a number of reasons. Anyway, the last few days have been really tough - forcing myself to write when I wasn't in the mood, still not happy with the revised plan, suddenly finding the whole thing a chore.

I had no desire to write tonight either. Been a busy and quite stressful few days at work and I could have happily put my feet up and watched the footie or cycling on TV. But I sat myself down, told myself off, and started writing.

And the magic happened.

Almost immediately I slipped through that doorway into another world. Met a character I had no idea I was going to meet. He showed me something I had no idea he was going to show me, and lo and behold we're back on track! I wrote 1300 words without even trying, and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's session (I'm doing a Hemingway and leaving the writing at a point where I know what's going to happen next).

I'm lovin' it  :dance:

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Ed

I'm kicking back at home for the last time this week - off to the WHC tomorrow, in Brighton. Not sure what to expect, but I hope it's enjoyable. It's cost quite a lot of money all told, when I take into account lost earnings, travel costs, hotel for three nights, plus spending money.

Not quite sure what to expect, really, but I'll take it as it comes :smiley:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

delboy

Have a great time, Ed. Be sure to check out David Case and feed back on any pearls of wisdom he imparts!

Regards,

Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Geoff_N

I was tempted by WHC  but Brighton's a long way from Chester. Only found out that my mate Jon Courteney Grimwood was gonna be there, and now Ed! Too late now.

Del, great feeling isn't it when a character just comes along and steals the scene?

Geoff

Ed

Well, I'm here at WHC, and frankly feeling like a bit of a spare dick at a wedding. I don't know anybody, so it's kinda hard to mix in. Saw and spoke to Michael Knost last night, who was waiting to go into a reading room where Ramsay Campbell was about to read ghost stories, but all the time we were talking people were streaming between us, so it wasn't quite the same as a relaxed chat over a pint, which would have been better - I'll hopefully catch up with him at the bar sometime, though.

Quite a few people are moaning about their rooms. Mostly about noise on the street outside. That's not a problem in my room - I'm in the freaking basement, FFS, but I swear I hear somebody tunneling above me. When I first let myself into my room I had to check the door didn't say 'janitor' on the outside. Thank god I didn't order a single room. :grin:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Geoff_N

Being in a room with someone tunnelling above you? Intriguing subplot...

If you get a chance, Ed, bug Ramsey for not glancing at my Xaghra's Revenge for an endorsement.

Geoff