Words Lost and Then Chopped

A few weeks back, I had a program crash. It was quiet, quick and quite painful. I lost thousands of words, about two weeks’ worth. I know, I know, you are supposed to back up. I do, I did, but not for the past two weeks. I thought there would be time for that later. (Otherwise I would have lost more than two weeks!)

I remember what I wrote. But not the exact words, the exact phrase, the details I used. So I couldn’t recreate it exactly the same. But I have finished recreating it and it is mostly the same. I think. I don’t believe I left anything out.

But it is shorter! I lost words along the way, but I don’t think I lost any details. I rearranged the scenes, yes, couldn’t help myself. I also did not have written a few pages worth of dialogue – dialogue I would deleted later anyway. (I realized a few scenes afterward that the dialogue wasn’t necessary.)

But it was only a few pages. I am astonished at how shorter the whole thing is now. It’s like I only recreated ¾ of the work I lost. It’s a puzzling.

N is for Necessity’s Child (Teaser Tuesday)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Yes, I chose to start Necessity’s Child yesterday exactly because the title starts with N and I needed an N post. Also, this book has been on my TBR list for a couple of weeks now and I figure it’s time to move the book to the top of the pile. It’s Liaden Universe book, which are usually fun.

The first two lines are:

Inside the duct, it was hot and wet – nothing new there, thought Kezzi, shifting her weight carefully. The metal snapped in complaint, and she made herself be still.

-  Necessity’s Child by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

This is a Baen book and the first nine chapters are available on Baen’s website.

H is for Hard Fantasy

I may be behind the times, but I never heard of hard fantasy before. In fact, I only discovered this sub-genre on a Goodreads discussion forum. (One of those where people try to figure out what the difference is between science fiction and fantasy.)

The person provided quite a few links, including a wiki article. Wikipedia says the Recluce Saga, a Song of Ice and Fire and Magic, Inc. are examples of hard fantasy. Looking through Goodreads and LibraryThing shelves, people have also tagged Lord of the Rings, the Farseer trilogy and The Family Trade as hard fantasy.

There is an article that was posted in 2008, but I’ve never heard of hard fantasy until now. Well, shows what I know, huh?

From what I understand, hard fantasy is the fantasy where magic has rules. Truthfully, I am stunned there is even a sub-genre for this.

Though, yeah, the magical rules of most fantasy don’t have scientific rigor. Some books do treat magic just like it was a science, have schools and everything. Though truthfully, of the books I’ve listed here, only the Recluce Saga comes close to doing that. The others? I don’t know.

I haven’t read a lot of hard science fiction. Maybe that’s where my own disconnect is coming from. But most science fiction don’t have a lot of a scientific rigor, either.

But since people have tagged them as hard fantasy, I don’t think I understand what makes a book hard fantasy at all.

G is for GoodReads

Goodreads is a social networking website for readers. I’ve been a member for years. I love the groups, the discussions, the monthly reads and the reviews. Also, it’s a great way to keep a catalog of every book I’ve ever read.

Amazon bought Goodreads. I don’t know how much they paid. Some people are saying 150 million, but neither Amazon nor Goodreads have released any details. I suppose this is a good move for Amazon. They get direct access to 16 million readers.

I don’t know how I feel about it. The Goodreads blog post says they are going to have greater integration with the kindle. That’s good for kindle users, but I have a nook. So nothing for the nook users? I feel kind of left out. Not that it matters that much. I have the Goodreads phone app. Helps me keep up with the group discussions.

I know what I want:

• I want Goodreads to remain the same vibrant community it is now
• I don’t want Amazon’s books (and buy links) to be favored above other places. Other places like the Big 6 publishers and all the small ones, who I have found through looking for excerpts and such.
• I don’t want Goodreads to turn into a book seller
• I don’t want Goodreads to turn into just another marketing channel for Amazon (or any other publisher).

At the same time, I have to say, I would only leave if Goodreads turns into a horrible experience. I mean, if I feel like it’s not a books focused social-networking site anymore. Than . . . yeah. I am gone.

That’s a key feature of Goodreads. I doubt, I seriously doubt, that Amazon would be stupid enough to mess with that. I mean, that’s why they bought Goodreads, isn’t it? So yeah. Amazon will just collect the data and use it to better market books (possibly acquire books, too. Wonder if they’ll provide any of the data to the authors?).

It’s disturbing, but no different from Google or Facebook or any other big site. It’s too much to hope for Goodreads to be different. I am thinking this is a result of a living in a world with Big Data.

If I had to leave Goodreads for any reason, I would probably move to LibraryThing. I already have an account there. Or Shelfari. But I like LibraryThing better and it predates Goodreads anyway.

Related articles

• My Future with Goodreads (cheapthrillsbookblog.wordpress.com)
• Is LibraryThing an Alternative to Goodreads? (debsanswers.wordpress.com)

F is for Fan Girl

I am a fan. I am a fan of lots of things – Beyonce, The Gates, Spiderman. Nail Polish.

But I only go fan-girl crazy for some books, some characters. You know. When you countdown to the release date, read all the excerpts, all the snippets, and then get it the day it comes out? (Or when the library gets it when pockets are lean.)

Than, you spend all night reading and are completely, utterly exhausted in the morning because you got no sleep. Also, you cannot wait for next year, because the book was so short you finished it in one reading.

So you reread and reread, over and over again for at least a week. Maybe more.

Yeah, there are books I like that way. There aren’t that many, maybe have a dozen. In no particular order, they include:

1. Cut & Run series by Abigail Roux
2. Black Jewel series by Anne Bishop
3. Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold
4. In Death series by JD Robb aka Nora Roberts
5. Mercy Thompson series by  Patricia Briggs
6. World of the Lupi series by Eileen Wilks

What do you go fan-girl over?

Related articles

• Touch & Geaux By: Abigail Roux (Review by DP Amanda) (drunkenpervycreepers.wordpress.com)

Teaser Tuesday: Magic’s Price

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Stefen groaned and covered his eyes. “Kernos’ codpiece, don’t remind me. My bed is as you see it. Virtuously empty.”

- Magic’s Price by Mercedes Lackey

Shapes of Stories Infographic

Just saw this breakdown of the different types of stories by Kurt Vonnegut. Someone called Maya Eilam actually created. I’ve never read any of his stories, but it’s interesting. I am trying to decide which shape my WiP fits. Man in Hole? Boy Meets Girl? Boy Meets Girl doesn’t have to romance, I don’t think. I am tempted to graphic it. LOL

In any case, I am going to go look for his rejected thesis. It’s an interesting idea.

Does knowing the ending ruin a story?

I am reading a story and these two guys are out on a date and they are arguing about   whether or not knowing the ending ruins a story.

I am reading this and thinking: not! But, maybe yes.

Then I ask myself: when was the last time knowing the ending put me off a story?

Answer: pretty much never.

I mean, when I don’t like the ending, that’s different. Sometimes I don’t want to finish (reading the book, watching the TV show/movie). But that doesn’t happen a lot.

I rarely go looking for the ending, but I usually don’t put any effort into avoiding finding out what the ending is either. Other people do. They’ll ask me not to tell them the ending of the next movie they haven’t seen. Or, when I ask, they’ll stop at a certain point because they don’t want to ruin the ending for me. Which is nice, except knowing rarely ruins anything for me.

Maybe I am odd that way. Maybe I am not. If I am odd this way, why do television studios play reruns of the same show over and over and over again. And then when the show is canceled, it goes to a different station.  If people didn’t watch the reruns, why air them at all? So I am thinking enough people must watch again to make it worth their while.

And I reread books a lot too so . . . okay so a lot of people don’t reread books, so maybe I am odd.

The ending is only one part of a story. The other parts are just as nice and worth revisiting. More people ought to get that.

 

Teaser Tuesday: The Road

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Still reading The Road. It’s good, but it’s taking longer than I thought.

Inside the barn three bodies hanging from the rafters, dried and dusty among the wan slats of light. There could be something here, the boy said. There could be some corn or something.

- The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Related articles

• Teaser Tuesday: The Road (storytreasury.wordpress.com)
• Teaser Tuesday: The Road (storytreasury.wordpress.com)
• Teaser Tuesday: The Eyre Affair (Jasper Fforde) (myjourneywithdepression.wordpress.com)

 

Friday Flash: Without Me

This Friday flash is inspired by this image from Wiki Commons:

A soft, warm wind stirred his hair and he looked around, grateful anew for his luck. Lush green growth provided fresh food all year around. He would not leave it.

His brother cleared his throat and he turned toward the canal. His brother, poor sod, wore a fine woolen tunic. The boy was too proud to wear more appropriate clothing.

“The first summer caravan leaves in the morning. You’ll go with it.”

“Father said -”

“I don’t care what Father says. If you want to live, you won’t either.”

The boy shook his long, blond hair. Northern men didn’t cut their hair. Another tradition he’d broken.

“I won’t leave without you.” Stubborn conviction rang in his voice, as hard the mountains buried under mounds of snow ever year.

“Father is murdering, conniving coward. He killed our mother. I won’t ever serve him, brother.”

“Not him. The village, the reason our mother sacrificed herself. The omens -”

“-are wrong.”

No belief in the boy’s eyes. He only stared like a wolf with his prey in sight.

Shivering at the image, he turned and walked to the house. “You leave tomorrow. Without me.”