This and that, including my bedside table

[pegkerr]

Upon thinking over what I wrote yesterday, I took back all my books to the library on wildfire management. It's a good idea for a story, but I think it's still missing one critical element, and I'm not ready to write it, and so my back brain is resisting. alexmalfoy said the crucial thing that made me finally make the decision I'd been hemming and hawing over for several weeks: it's not fun. Now I know that sometimes when I'm writing something that is working, I can get temporarily stuck and it's not fun, but I know I just need to barrel on through. This is not one of those times, I think. The key is I'm not excited about it at all; I don't want to write it, at least not now.



I'm leaving open the possibility of getting back to it some day. Sometimes I do that.

Before I forget: a couple of people have asked where I get the Jane Austen icons. I've answered in the comments, but I'll put it here too: I get them at a lovely site called The Republic of Pemberley, which is devoted to Jane. These icons, which they call "FUPs" for "Frequently Used Phrases" can be found here ("I sometimes amuse myself with suggesting and arranging such little elegant phrases as may be adapted to ordinary occasions." You recognize where that comes from, don't you? It's a remark of Mr. Collins, in Pride and Prejudice.) Anyway if you'll go to that link, you'll find links at the top to seven other pages of icons; they have hundreds to choose from.

Out of curiosity, I have decided to archeologically excavate my bedside table. Starting from the top and working my way down:

1. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold. Picked it up at the signing last night.
2. My daily journal. Twenty-eighth year in a series.
3. Growing Up Weightless by John M. Ford. I've finished this; just haven't gotten it back onto the bookshelf.
4. Welcome to my World, Where English is Sometimes Spoken by Shannon Olson. My boss lent it to me; haven't started it yet.
5. The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life by Julie Cameron. A birthday gift from Rob. Dipping into it occasionally.
6. A pack of overlay screens for my palm assistant (haven't figured out where else they should go).
7. Making the Connection by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey. (Hey, I just passed my sixty workout mark since I've begun exercising again! Am starting Cathe Friedrich step videos. Without a step. Go me.)
8. A list I printed out from the Internet entitled "100 reasons to exercise," which I grab to read to convince me to get out of bed when my alarm goes off at 5:35 a.m. so I can get up to do my Cathe Friedrich step videos.
9. The parent comment cards for my two daughters' report cards. Oops. These were supposed to be returned to the school.
10. A print out of Lois McMaster Bujold's novelette (or is a novella? Not sure) "Winterfair Gifts," the story of Miles and Ekaterin's wedding. This one is going to be published in an anthology of sf/fantasy and romance cross over stories. I don't remember what the anthology is going to be called, but I think Catherine Asaro is editing. The story is Way Cool and is told from the p-o-v of Armsman Roic. Sergeant Taura figures prominently. And I mean prominently. All eight feet of her. Go her.
11. A lovely card from Kij.
12. Fiona's spring conference report. Good lord, from February?
13. A handwritten draft of a short story.
14. An early printout from cassieclaire's Very Secret Diaries.
15. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Movie Companion book.
16. A book that Lois lent me on Chinese Eunuchs when I was working on that story treatment idea for a prequel to Emerald House Risingthat never went anywhere. Damn, I forgot to take that with me to the reading to give back to her.
17. A spiral notebook which I was using for morning pages when I was doing Julie Cameron's The Artist's Way. I'm not doing them anymore.
18. Various barrettes, combs and hair twisties.

On the bed itself: cassieclaire's Draco Veritas.

What's on your bedside table?

Cheers,
Peg

Comments

[aome.livejournal.com]

Is *that* where those little icons come from? I was wondering about that. Nifty.

As for bedside tables -- first of all, you are the second person in as many days to describe going through stuff as an archaeological excavation. :) And that's one heck of a bedside table you've got there!

Mine is pretty boring in comparison: My clock/lamp combo, a St. Anne's medal I only recently found in my own excavation (set on the clock/lamp so I won't lose it), Prisoner of Azkaban - Australian(UK) and German versions (I'm American, btw), my old teddy bear, a small container with Vaseline which I use as lip balm, an old washcloth and a small vial of Chinese Curing pills. And some dust. ;)

I'm also impressed with 28 years of journals. I kept a paper journal sporadically from around age 9 to 13, regularly from 14 to 25, then fell off when I got engaged. I wanted to get back into journalling, but no longer have patience to write longhand, so now I do it here.

Debbie

bedside manner

[peacockharpy.livejournal.com]

What's on your bedside table?

Wow... we actually *just* excavated our nightstands a few months ago and replaced them with smaller ones (so as to pile less), so the list is short...

OOPS. we interrupt this message due to encounter with v. large palmetto bug -- the most disgusting creation in the universe. I have vanquished it despite my terror of the horrid things. Go me.

Okay, nightstand. It has... my alarm clock. Glasses case and cleaner. Orson Scott Card's How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. Dorothy L. Sayers' Busman's Honeymoon. Paint color cards from Home Depot (some of which are actually taped on the wall as "test runs" for color). And my journal, which is less of a reporting thing and more of a daily thematic wrap-up. It's been neglected a bit since I got the LJ.

Oh, and my big hair clip would be there if I weren't wearing it. :)

[thegraybook.livejournal.com]

"On the bed itself: cassieclaire's Draco Veritas."

Aw! *schnoogles Peg*

I have the flu, so my bedside table is currently covered in tissues, benadryl, and ice packs. Wah!

[trinker.livejournal.com]

8. A list I printed out from the Internet entitled "100 reasons to exercise," which I grab to read to convince me to get out of bed when my alarm goes off at 5:35 a.m. so I can get up to do my Cathe Friedrich step videos.

Hey, do you have a copy handy? Do you happen to know where you got it (URL)?

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Sure. It's from the book Fitness for Dummies, and you can see some sample pages here at Amazon. The pages I spoke of are in Chapter 1.

Hope they help you. They helped me!

P.S., if you like exercising to videos, I recommend the site Video Fitness

My sympathies

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

So sorry to hear. Get plenty of rest, and read some good books. I hope you have someone available to fuss over you until you get better.

Peg

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

What do you think about the practice of putting sample book pages on Amazon? I remember when they wanted to do this with my books; I was very leery. In the end, I think it's a good idea--one of the things I like about buying books at a bookstore is the ability to look at pages--but there are risks and abuses.

B

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

"What's on your bedside table?"

Less than you might expect. A pillow and a clock. At night, a cat on the pillow.

I never got in the habit of doing things like reading in bed, so I never have books or papers at my bedside.

The cat gets her own pillow so she doesn't steal Karen's. It's one of the ways we keep peace during the night.

B

Sample pages

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

I've not had sample pages of my work posted on Amazon. I have had the first chapter of my second novel posted at Warner's website (quibble: it annoys me a little that they skipped the prologue, which is where Elias's story starts). I haven't had anyone specifically tell me that they've bought my book because they read that sample chapter, but perhaps someone has. I'll keep asking. I know that Lois has had a very good experience in having some of her sample chapters posted at the Baen website--she thinks it helped the sales of A Civil Campaign enormously. I wonder if that's more true for fiction than non-fiction.

I do think that I'm more likely to buy a book if I've been able to leaf through it first, whether an actual copy or a virtual version.

Cheers,
Peg

[slightlights.livejournal.com]

First off—thanks for sharing your decision about the wildfire story! For what it's worth, what an author herself is enthused about often seems innately more enjoyable for me to read. (Of course, an excellent writer can make just about anything enjoyable—but why should she put herself through the work instead of writing something more enjoyable for her to write, if she has that option?) I also appreciate the distinction between a temporary setback and a deeper concern with the story.

As for the bedside table... here's what I have.

[(Anonymous)]

What's on your bedside table?

Am being bad and not working on Lord of the Flies essay, so have decided to answer this.
1.) White cube alarm clock that I absolutely love, because it has a huge snooze button
2.)purple retainer case with retainer that I don't wear
3.)Box of tissues
4.)Electric razor
5.)Box of hair clips
6.)Cute blue beanie baby bear with snowflakes on him.
7.)Stack of various cassette tapes
8.)CD player
9.)Stack of various CD's, on top are RENT and Vinegar Hill.
10.)Dragon figurine collection
11.)Conch shell (gack, LotF paper)
12.)Ocean water with shells from Florida
13.)Box of hair ties, two advil and a five dollar bill

I think that's it at the moment. My book is currently sitting by the computer, but normally it's by my bed (had to retrieve it to read while computer is being slow). Currently it's Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. Okay, now I really should work on my paper. Grrness.
~Corinne

Re: Sample pages

[lcohen]

i think that reading a little of jo walton's book the king's peace on her website was part of why i decided to buy that book (the other part was liking her writing on rasfw and rasff). once i've read a book or two by an author, i don't think i'd bother with sample pages, but when it's someone whose work i'm unfamiliar with, it can be useful. of course the downside is, it might convince me not to buy the book!

pet peeve: when the first chapter of the next book is at the end of the book you're reading. two primary reasons: 1) as you're reading and you see how far you have to go, if you think there's a bunch left, you might not take another book for when you're finished and then you're stuck without reading matter if you don't read that chapter which i usually don't because 2) usually i have another book lined up so i'm not going to rush right out and read that next book right now anyway, even if it's available which often it isn't. i don't want to start something right this second when i'm not intending to finish it until weeks or months in the future. this won't make me not buy that next book if i like the author and want to read more by her, but it sure doesn't sell any books to me and it irks me.