I'm not quite sure how I managed to miss posting entirely last week, but I suppose that means I didn't have anything pressing to say ... not that I'm ever busting at the seams with unique and incomparable insights, but cut me a little slack.
This week, however, I've finally finished what (for now) is my final edit of Scylla and Charybdis, coming in just a bit under 145,000 words. The first chapters have seen critiques in multiple stages ... and now, with a finished novel lurking ominously on my hard drive, I have my eye on the dreaded synopses (long and short ... or in my case, longest and a-little-less-long) and a query letter.
I'm a bit nervous about this one - as a science fiction novel, it's outside of my usual writing zone. I have it in mind to emphasize the social and worldbuilding aspects of the novel ... and, of course, I won't be looking at publishers or agents that don't also cover fantasy. I realize there's some risk in this genre hopping, but if nothing else, it was worth writing for my own growth ... and it seems silly just to let it molder. I certainly would appreciate any advice anyone has as far as the subgenre box-hopping involved, though.
Next up! I probably will dabble in a few short stories and poetry before moving along to ... more editing. Who Wants To Be A Hero? has been sitting far too long. Yes, I am two novels back (one now). It ain't pretty.
About Me
- Lindsey Duncan
- I'm a professional harp performer, chef / pastry chef, and speculative fiction writer from Cincinnati, Ohio. My contemporary fantasy novel Flow is available from Double Dragon Publishing, and my science fiction novel Scylla and Charybdis is now out from Grimbold Books. I've also sold a number of short stories and a few pieces of speculative poetry. I write predominantly fantasy, usually epic and/or humorous, with some soft science fiction. I play the traditional lever harp with a specialty in Celtic music - but I also perform modern and Renaissance tunes. And yes, you read that right - I have a diploma in Baking and Pastry and an Associates in Culinary Arts and am currently working in the catering field at Kate's Catering and Personal Chef Services (Dayton, KY). I am a CPC (Certified Pastry Culinarian) and CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine).
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Thursday, July 04, 2013
Thursday Thoughts
Happy Fourth of July!
(It may only be Independence Day in the United States, but it's July 4th everywhere. ;-))
I've always been fascinated with the (US) Revolutionary War period - from pre-colonial to those first few decades after, which were filled with more turmoil than most people think about. And it wasn't lofty ideals and political principles. When you think about the fuss of taxation without representation, it seems to me that there was a significant percentage that was more concerned with the "taxation" part ... and looking at the reasons England was turning to its colonies for funds, they may have had a point, even if the way they went about it turned out high-handed and incendiary.
I love the movie / musical 1776 for its portrayal of the warts of the whole process, and of course the music itself is brilliant. This quote from John Adams (the character, not the actual historical figure), I think, comes in some ways frighteningly close to the way the Revolutionary War has sometimes been perceived:
"It doesn't matter. I won't be in the history books anyway, only you. Franklin did this and Franklin did that and Franklin did some other damn thing. Franklin smote the ground and out sprang George Washington, fully grown and on his horse. Franklin then electrified him with his miraculous lightning rod and the three of them - Franklin, Washington, and the horse - conducted the entire revolution by themselves."
And then there's my favorite political quote ever, sung by Adams:
"A second flood, a simple famine, plagues of locusts everywhere, or a cataclysmic earthquake I'd accept with some despair ... but no, you sent us Congress! Good God, sir, was that fair?"
Happy holiday, everyone.
(It may only be Independence Day in the United States, but it's July 4th everywhere. ;-))
I've always been fascinated with the (US) Revolutionary War period - from pre-colonial to those first few decades after, which were filled with more turmoil than most people think about. And it wasn't lofty ideals and political principles. When you think about the fuss of taxation without representation, it seems to me that there was a significant percentage that was more concerned with the "taxation" part ... and looking at the reasons England was turning to its colonies for funds, they may have had a point, even if the way they went about it turned out high-handed and incendiary.
I love the movie / musical 1776 for its portrayal of the warts of the whole process, and of course the music itself is brilliant. This quote from John Adams (the character, not the actual historical figure), I think, comes in some ways frighteningly close to the way the Revolutionary War has sometimes been perceived:
"It doesn't matter. I won't be in the history books anyway, only you. Franklin did this and Franklin did that and Franklin did some other damn thing. Franklin smote the ground and out sprang George Washington, fully grown and on his horse. Franklin then electrified him with his miraculous lightning rod and the three of them - Franklin, Washington, and the horse - conducted the entire revolution by themselves."
And then there's my favorite political quote ever, sung by Adams:
"A second flood, a simple famine, plagues of locusts everywhere, or a cataclysmic earthquake I'd accept with some despair ... but no, you sent us Congress! Good God, sir, was that fair?"
Happy holiday, everyone.
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