Lilith Saintcrow

I’m a bit scattered–a week full of releases, both the free serial and otherwise, will do that to you. (By the way, it’s Friday, so a new chapter of Selene is up.) It’s been a little bit since I sat down and did a coherent post, and here it is Friday–which means a writing post.

And me with my brain all cleaned out.

Before I get started, though, a few links. Here’s a slideshow of “ugly” supermodels, which is food for thought. (And for stories.) And Mitzi Szereto talks about “precious” writers. Since we all know how I start frothing at the mouth when I talk about it, just read Ms. Szereto, and I’ll change the subject.

Actually, I really am so scattered today, I should probably just bullet two or three things in a list and call it good.

* The Selkie and I were talking the other day about plot and characterization. “Which one is more important?” I asked.

“Character,” she answered without missing a beat. “Plot is just people doing things. Without caring about those people, you’ve just got a technical manual. Of course…” And we went on to name a few offenders, giggling all the while.

I happen to agree with her wholeheartedly. The plot will happen as a result of the characters and the pressures on them. Character may save a book, but just plain plot devices pall after a while. You are writing for human beings, and human beings are endlessly interested in…human beings like themselves. The most successful hat-trick an author ever pulls off is seducing the Reader into identifying with a character, be that character “evil” or “good”.

* This is not to say plot structure isn’t important. But it is easier to fix plot structure than it is to fix weak or cardboard characterization.

* Speaking of structure, I find myself using Wordle lately. It helps to map out who is most important in the book (sometimes according to the protagonist) and it also helps to find “crutch” words–those words you rely on when you’re motoring along, not thinking very much and trying to force the story out. (Relax, it happens even to the best of us.) I find myself using “like” a lot in the current book–which I will do a search-and-delete Easter egg hunt for after I finish Draft Zero.

* But unfortunately, I am also checking my email far too much lately. It’s getting so bad I have to go turn the wireless router completely off so I have no choice but to work on the WIP. Yes, dear fellow writers, even I feel the seductive siren song of timesuck beckoning me. Oh, alas, alas. Part of it is premiering the serial this week, another part of it is the recent website redesign. And part of it is that it’s so easy to get sucked into the Internet even when there’s nothing new–clicking and reading seems like actual work.

Time to get out that old trusty kitchen timer, nail my bum in the chair, and get some writing done. I’m going to turn off the router–if I have to walk all the way out there to turn it back on, there are more chances for me to reconsider and go back to work.

Yes, I really do have to treat myself like a three-year-old sometimes. *sigh* And here I thought I was all grown up because I had bills to pay and a weblog. Heh.

Catch you on the flip side.

…to keep in one place.

So, a LIST!

* So the serial is up and live, with another chapter premiering tomorrow.

* You can listen to the ComiCon podcast interview I did with Adventures in SciFi Publishing here. My interview starts about thirty-nine and a half/forty minutes in. Shaun Farrell and I talk about writing, plotting and pantsing, and we almost get mugged by a Death Star Roomba. Shaun was a darling and helped me overcome my fear of the microphone.

* GOOD magazine traces great journeys. As soon as I finish this I’m going to waste some serious time there following Kerouac’s On The Road.

* The circus book keeps going apace. I am really hoping I don’t have to read some of the earlier Kismet books to fuel this one. Please, Muse, can I has one book that isn’t a completely horrible emotional odyssey? KTHXBAI.

* Why We Deserve Better Villains. Heh. We all deserve better villains. Cruddy villains in fiction make cruddy unbelievable heroes. Which kind of gives me an idea…hmm. Wild plot bunny.

Yeah. Like I need MORE projects. I can’t juggle the ones I have NOW.

* ETA: Oh, and there’s an Orbit prize pack giveaway here. You can win all sorts of cool stuff, including some Saintcrow, Jennifer Rardin, and Iain Banks books. Nudge nudge. Wink wink.

All right. I’m off for coffee. Happy Thursday, everyone–tomorrow is another chapter of Selene!

Not that I’m, like, beating on that drum or anything. Course not.

Psst! Wanna read a free serial novel?

Readers of the Dante Valentine series will remember their favorite Nichtvren duo, Selene and Nikolai. Plenty of you wrote in wanting to know more about them. Well, back when I was writing for AnotherChapter.com, I did write a book about the deadly duo, illustrated by the awesome Andrzej Karwacki.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, Orbit and I are offering the book for free in serial form. Chapters will be posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And did I mention it’s free?

Selene

Life isn’t easy for a sexwitch. Even your own body betrays you. It’s bad enough that Selene is part slave to Nikolai, the Prime Power of Saint City, but she’s got her brother Danny and she’s got her job at the college. In the postwar wreckage of an uncertain world, it’s pretty much all she’s ever allowed herself to want.

Enjoy! Comments on the chapters are turned off for obvious reasons, but there’s always the Saint City Street Fair, which has a forum just for Selene.

Enjoy!

I’m guest-blogging over at Paranormality today, with 10 Things About Worldbuilding. You have a chance to win a copy of Hunter’s Prayer by popping over there and commenting.

Stay tuned for an announcement about a free serial novel. It DOES feel like the book that just will not release, but I’m told Wednesday is our new unveiling day. Srsly, I’m really hoping it goes this time…

I think–now I’m not absolutely sure, but I think Barnes & Noble is shipping Hunter’s Prayer now. It’s odd, but usually Amazon is the first to start shipping.

If you can verify whether or not BN’s shipping the book, can you let me know? I’m just curious.

Yeah. Nail-biting curious. That’s all. I’m not, you know, ATTACHED to knowing or anything. Course not. Me? No way.

*grin*

ETA: My local indie bookstore tells me the distributor’s got it. They also say that they’ll be happy to mail signed copies for cover cost plus reasonable postage. This is the bookstore I volunteer at, so they can have me in to personalize books too, if you’ve got a hankerin’. Come to think of it, they stock pretty much all my books except for the Anna Beguines; so you can probably get a signed copy of just about all my books.