Here to Create » Notes

Scaling Back a Bit

C.S. Swarts — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:36:33 +0000

Soooooo almost exactly a month ago I said I was committing to writing 1000 words a day. I had been writing that much pretty regularly and didn’t think it would be hard to keep going. But it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. When I’m really moving on a piece, I can write 1000 words in half an hour or less. But I’ve discovered that when I’m editing one story and revising another and don’t know what to work on next, my free-writing tends to peter out around 600 words. Hmm. So instead of giving up and calling myself a failure, I’m just scaling back a little. I can do 500 words a day. Really. And if my word count keeps dropping, surely I can do 250 words a day. But I hope it doesn’t come to that.

Chronicles of Amber! With Boris Vallejo Covers!

C.S. Swarts — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:57:47 +0000

I can be pretty ruthless about books when I have to; I just took about a hundred or so to Half-Price Books so I could actually see the rest of them on my shelves. But I’m also sentimental about old favorites.

One of the series that I read over and over as a kid was the first half of The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. It’s had a significant impact on my writing and probably far too great an impact on my general life outlook, considering the cynicism of Corwin, the main character. But I had never owned a copy, always checking them out from my hometown library, a precarious situation indeed. So I was elated when I found The Great Book of Amber on Amazon, then horrified when it started falling apart almost immediately.

But finally, I have my very own copy of the first five books in two volumes, with the covers done by Boris Vallejo. This is the edition I first found in my small-town library, the edition I fell in love with.

True, I never liked the cover when I first read the books. The figure doesn’t look at all how I envision Corwin, though the lack of shirt is nice. Also, Corwin wore black and silver rather than blue jeans and red. And that largish knife is not how his sword, Grayswandir, is supposed to look. But that’s ok. Nostalgia is seldom about accuracy.

Thankfully, I like the books nearly as much as I did when I was a kid. I was a little worried, as I’ve reread other old favorites and been saddened by cliched plots, poor characterization, and awkward writing. But I still love the odd blend of high court language and seventies slang that is Corwin’s unique voice. The typos are kind of painful, but I can cope.

Now all I have to find is good clean copies of the second set of five books, about Corwin’s son Merlin, and my life will be complete.

Briefly: Taking a Little Blogging Vacation

C.S. Swarts — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:13:39 +0000

I’ll be taking a little break from blogging this week while I tie up some loose ends for the current semester. I’ll see you next week!

Briefly: Lists Group Writing Project Entries

C.S. Swarts — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:00:07 +0000

Recently, I entered my post 15 Tips to Prevent Repetitive Strain Injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the Lists Group Writing Project at Litemind. The entries below are my favorites from the other submissions.

Enjoy!

Briefly: Update on Tutorial Contest

C.S. Swarts — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:00:32 +0000

I just found out that I won second place for Simple Photo Editing Using GIMP at the Writer’s Manifesto Tutorial Group Writing Project. Thanks to Monika for hosting a fun contest!

I like participating in these contests because it gives me an excuse to stretch and grow, as well as a way to meet other bloggers. I would encourage anyone who wants the challenge of expanding their usual writing topics and style to participate in blog contests.