Debbie Daughetee

World Con & Armadillo Con

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:56:45 GMT

This was my first Worldcon and it was a blast. Bob Angell flew into Albuquerque and we drove a Preis (sp???) up to Denver. The scenery, the car, the company -- all wonderful.

Worldcon was amazing and I got so much work done that I had to make a list of things to do when I got home.

1) Send the first 50 pages of my novel to Ginjer Buchanan!
2) Finish rewrite on Dragon story and sent it to Cat Rambo!!
3) Finish rewrite on Shadow story and send it to Sheila Williams.
4) Send rough draft of short film to Wade, Cat's husband, who is going to present it to his company for possible sponsorship!!!
5) E-mail Ellen Datlow. She's agreed to let me submit to her closed anthologies!!!!

I got to hang with a lot of my new Albuquerque friends: Pati Nagle and Chris, Patricia Rogers and Scott Dennison, and Joan Saberhagan.

I also got to reconnect with Jim Kelly (YAY! Especially since I no longer get to see him at Stonecoast every sememster). And got to talk to John Kessel for the first time since Clarion West. And, of course, Bob and I had dinner with Leslie -- our Clarion West Director, friend and all-round good and fun person!

Deb Taber was there in the form of a shrimp avatar aquired during one of Bob's and my 3 (or was it 4) trips to Bubba Gumps. It was really good.

Also very special was getting to spend a little time with Mary Robinette Kowal. For those of you who don't know, she won the Campbell award for best new writer! Whoo hoo. Mary is also the art director for Shimmer and she gave me my 2 contributors copies. It's very exciting to see my story in print. And, for the first time, my name is on the cover. Of course everyone's is, but so what. My name is on the cover!

I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but that's enough for now. Bob and I drove back and Bob hung out until Thursday. Early Saturday morning I took off for Armadillo con. For the last two years they have invited me as a guest. It's a great con. I've met so many great people there. This year it was Susan Wade. She's published in almost ever one of Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling's Fairy Tale anthologies. She also has a novel out -- I forget the name shame on me -- that I'm going to track down and read.

We were on a panel together. At the end, we turned to each other and both basically said, "I think you're really smart and would like to get to know you better." Isn't it great when things like that happen?!

So now I'm back. I have lots of work to do and I'm exhausted, out of pain pills (ouch) and really in a great mood. Cons are so inspiring. If you haven't been to one, GO! Nothing gets you back to the computer (or pad and pencil) than spending a weekend with a bunch of talented writers.

Write-a-thon

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:56:49 GMT

Well, the Claion West Write-a-thon is over and I didn't quite make my goal. I got one short story revised, and am within a week of finishing my novel. Actually less than a week. So if the write-a-thon had been 7 weeks long I would have done better. So if you wanted to sponsor me, please do so even though I'm a short story short. It's for a good cause. And this the week to get your tax-deductible donation in. Go to the Clarion West website at http://clarionwest.org/events/writeathon/DLynnSmith and click on Pay Pal. Even $5 helps. Of, if you don't want to support a loser :(, chose another writer and sponsor them.

I blame it on shingles -- it's really hard to work while you are in pain and on mega pain medication. As a matter of fact my last submission to plotbusters, my critique group, was, shall we say, interesting. My group said that yes, they could tell it had been written under the influence. The story is still working fortunately, but there were a lot of typos, missing words and convoluted sentences. I consider that a victory. At least I got words down on the page.

I know there are a lot of people who don't like workshopping, or who think that being in a workshop turns out a kind of homogeneous type of writing. I so disagree. I really value my group. Not only do I get good notes as they point out things that I just hadn't seen myself, but they are a great support and encouragement to keep me going.

The puppy has also been a distraction, but I can't really blame anything on him. He's too cute. He likes to sleep in my lap and occasionally reach up and type something with his nose. We're negotiating getting him his own computer. If he can learn to write, and double my productivity, I'll get him any kind of screensaver he wants.

Tomorrow Bob Angell arrives (YAY) and Wednesday we drive up to Denvention (YAY). Bob, Greer Woodward (another CW2004 littermate) and I are part of the Rising Stars Reception. I'm not sure when it is. I'm so scattered. But if your around, stop by. We may be reading and could use the company.

I'm in the 8th week of my two Effective Essay Writing classes that I'm teaching for University of Phoenix. I've enjoyed it, but find that the closer to the end of the 9 week class we get, the more time it takes. Some of the students are really good writers. Some, well, grading their papers take a lot more work. Still, it's absolutely wonderful to be teaching on-line in my pjs rather than having to dress for regular class hours. Mad Max appreciates it as well. We're also working on him grading the papers so I can take on more classes.

Novel and Puppy

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:13:46 GMT

I'm so, so, so close to finishing my novel. I'm so excited about it. I think I have three chapters left -- and one of those is partly written since I wrote it as a short story.

The puppy's name is Mad Max The Wild Thing. Did I tell you that already? He's fun; he's tiring. I find that I have to adapt my writing time to his nap time. It's like having a toddler -- from what I understand.

Fish, Writing and all that jazz

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:36:05 GMT

First, the fish. As some of you already know, when Paul and I moved into our rented house, we were shocked to discover there were 41 goldfish in the small, backyard pond. They'd survived being abandoned for 2 months (the property manager had no idea). We cleaned the pond, fed them, then let the pond freeze over for winter under the assurance that the fish would be fine. They were.

But, there were way too many fish for the pond and Paul started making fertilizer comments. So thanks to several friends of mine in Albuquerque, I found good homes for 34 of them. Paul wanted to only keep the 4 big ones but I insisted we keep a few more because I liked their color -- 2 olive green, one orange with olive markings that made it look like Groucho. And one just decided he wasn't going so he got to stay because he was so spunky.

So, what happens? The two olive fish have turned orange. One has turned completely. The other still has just a little olive on its back. Groucho is turning white. His whole face is white right now. I'm crazed.

The writing is going well. I'm having so much fun finishing up my novel. I do, however, find myself a little reluctant to do so and I find that very curious. Is it because I am having such a good time? Am I afraid I have to move on to the next phase, i.e. sending it out? Am I afraid I'll have to start a new one from scratch? I don't really know what it is. Once I sit down and work, it's great fun. Everything seems to be coming together quite nicely. So why am I reluctant to finish. Curious. I've never felt this before.

I have also rewritten one of the stories that was part of my write-a-thon goals. It was actually one of my Clarion West stories so it's been waiting a long time. I'm taking a break from it for a day or two so I can go back and do the polish.

So I'm meeting my CW goals.

Tomorrow, Paul and I are becoming parents! Yep, Paul went out and got us a Jack Russel Terrior puppy. He comes to live with us tomorrow. He's 13 weeks old. I'm so excited. So you'll probably be hearing puppy stories ad nausium after today.

Jim Kelly

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:14:48 GMT

I just received an e-mail from a friend of mine at Stonecoast that Jim Kelly ended up in the hospital with a kidney stone. I guess he's home now and under treatment. Best wishes to Jim for a speedy recovery. When I went into the hospital they thought my pain was due to Kidney stones so I can so empathize right now.

Lost Writing

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:12:49 GMT

So today I'm happily working on my novel. I'm closing in on the end and I'm totally excited and inspired. I have a character who is surprising me everytime I come back to her. I thought she was more of a device than she ended up wanting to be. She's literally (in the novel) transforming into a new and unique being. So I'm really into this, her pain, her changing thought process, her memories, her loyalities -- and the computer turns off. OFF!

Now I'm on battery back up so this IS NOT supposed to happen. I later discovered (thanks to Paul) that the breaker on the back-up blew. Can that happen? Should that happen?

So I know I've saved some of it. I save regularly -- but I was really hot so I'm not sure how much I saved.

Now the pain pills must be really mellowing me out, because instead of panicking, I simply go downstairs and get on my laptop and start writing. But I don't want to go back to that part that I was writing because I knew I saved some of it and I would have slipped into frustrated anger if I tried to recreate it.

Then I remember something Paul told me about writing software. Programmers simply don't write code in a linear fashion. They write pieces then fit them together later.

Well, this works for me right now because I while I know what is going to happen (kinda) in these last chapters, I'm not sure of the order. So when I turn on my laptop, I start a new file and start a different scene from a different POV. And guess what? I really got into it and had a great time! Because I didn't pressure myself or stress myself out to a) recreate what I'd just lost or b) figure out what happens next.

So it's been a very good writing day. When Paul came home and fixed the computer for me, I discovered I only lost one page of writing. That sounds like a lot -- but for me its rather minor. The most difficult part about starting a new chapter is, well, getting started. Since I have that out of the way, tomorrow I can go back to that scene, read what I have, and drop right back into the chapter.

And now I have two chapters already started and that's a great psychological advantage for me.

Writing update & More

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:45:27 GMT

This week I turned in 3 more chapters of my novel to Plotbusters, my novel writing group. It will be very interesting to see what they have to say since a) it's raw first draft -- hasn't even been read over and 2) was written under the influence of pain killers. Whoo hoo. Could make for an interesting read.

This takes me up to the point where Vicki meets her father (remember they guy who called me an idiot!). I'm thinking I have about 5 more chapters to finish, but you never know with characters like mine that are so strong-willed. And, of course, I'm still on pain killers. So, we'll see.

In holding with the Clarion tradition, I also read and commented on a friends screenplay and another friends novel. Both were excellent, so it was easy to get my reading done this week.

Some producers here in New Mexico contacted me with a television show idea so I also ended up writing a 2-page, single-spaced pitch this week. That was actually a lot of fun, since this is the kind of show I've never worked on. Heck, I never THOUGHT I'd work on. But now, as my life changes, I'd really like to do. More on that when/if anything happens.

So I'm still suffering with pain, had signed up a month or so ago to speak at the local Science Fiction Club about my movie and my writing. Paul took me last night and played techie so that we could show my rough rough rough cut on a big screen.

This group of people were really great and I had a wonderful time. They responded well to my movie and several people knew CGI people to whom they are willing to introduce me. Whoo hoo.

But the best part is that at least half the people there were Dark Shadows fans. So after I did my presentation and asked for questoins, we spent a lot of time talking about what it was like working for Dan Curtis, the actors (Lara Parker narrates my film), and the future (Johnny Depp would like to play Barnabas Collins). I had so much fun.

Also, my friends and fellow plotbusters Sally Gwylan and Pati Nagle with her husband Chris came to support me. It was so great to have people I actually knew in the audience.

My only regret is that I totally faded and was feeling quite ill by the end of the evening and was unable to accompany them out for coffee afterward. Ah well, Bubonicon is only 6 weeks away so I'll get a second chance to see/meet all those people again.

So, a good week even though I'm still dealing with pain, fatigue and some nausea.

This week I don't have any reading to do -- so I'm planning on forging ahead on the novel. I also discovered I don't seem to have the short story I want to rewrite on my computer. I know it's backed up somewhere, but I remember something Pat Murphy told us during my Clarion West -- She talked about the days before computers (which I remember well) and how when you were revising a story, you had to type the entire draft again. When doing that, you didn't feel like typing in stuff that doesn't really add anything to the story. So this week I also plan on typing in the story to prepare it for rewriting. Of course, what writer can resist rewriting while typing in a draft?

Characters that talk back

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:49:52 GMT

I really hate it when one of my characters calls me an idiot.

I'm working on the climax of my novel. Vicki is going to meet her father, who she thought was dead and who happens to be the villian of the book, for the first time. He's taken up residence in a defunct movie theatre. He's kidnapped her aunt to get her to come.

So I have this great big movie screen and Vicki walking down the aisle and I think, wouldn't it be cool to have a film of her aunt bound and gagged on the screen as she walks to the front. Cool visual. Then she walks up and her shadow blocks the image as she turns to yell up at the projection room. But her father isn't there. He's in the wings. And he says...

And he says...

I'm get stuck here. What does he say?

Well, actually he has a lot to say about how I'm such an idiot. He's meeting his daughter for the first time. He wants to convince her he's not really a villian. He wants her to share his vision of the 'philosophers stone' (did I mention he's an alchemist). He wants her to love him. He really wants to be her father.

"So, idiot, why would I play a movie of her aunt bound and gagged as she walks into the theatre?"

"But it's such a cool visual and great metaphor for Vicki about how ropes and tape can't kill her spirit and.."

"So I do something so stupid that reinforces her feelings that I'm evil. You're truly an idiot."

Okay. I'm an idiot. The visual is out. Dad wins. This is why I hate daily word counts. I write. The characters throw it out. Sigh.

Happy New Moon

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:56:38 GMT

Thanks, everybody, for your well wishes. I'm having good days, and bad days when I just hurt, hurt, hurt! Yuck.

BUT, I'm back to my writing. Though with the pain and pain medication I find I'm writing fewer words than usual.

So if your interested in sponsoring me for the write-a-thon, here's the link:

http://www.clarionwest.org/events/writeathon

Click on D. Lynn Smith. My goals are there. I'm behind a week because of the whole hospital thing. But I'm back on track -- I think.

Anyway, click on paypal to make a donation. It's tax deductable.

Thanks

Debbie

Hospital Stay

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:43:38 GMT

Sorry I've been so absent from my blog. Last week I ended up in the hospital with a mysterious pain (appendicitis? kidney stone? ovarian cyst?) But it ended up being a painful viral infection. Good news is no cutting or chemo. Bad news is it hurts like a sob.

So I'm behind on my writing goals for the write-a-thon. But I'm home now and started writing yesterday. I polished a story that wasn't part of my goal (but what what I could handle doing) and sent it out. So I'm feeling pretty good about that.

While in the hospital on an IV drip and no food, I couldn't read or write. Not surprising. But what is surprising is that I suddenly came up with a complete restructuring of a screenplay I wrote a year ago and have set aside. I haven't been thinking about it or anything. And suddenly I wake up understanding the mistake I made and how I want to completely restructure the thing.

So I ask you, when is a writer NOT working? Ever?

Write-a-thon and When do you write

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:41:05 GMT

Yes, I, too, am doing the Clarion Write-a-thon this year. Kate blackmailed me into sending in a picture. I'll post the website address when I get it.

My goal this years is to finish my novel, The Dead of Winters. I'm currently at 61,000 words. I'm hoping to hit at least 80,000.

I also plan on revising 2 short stories and submitting them. I think it's always a good plan during a write-a-thon to actually get work ready to send out. Otherwise, without that goal, it may languish for another 6 months!

So I'm looking for sponsors. I'll keep you up to date here and on the Clarion West Forums. Last year I didn't do much blogging because of school. But now that I'm an official MFA, I have more time. Except that I'm teaching two classes in Effective Essay Writing for the University of Phoenix online. And I still have two clients for whom I need to write and submit. But I promise to blog this year.

Okay, now with that out of the way, it's time for Debbie's philosophical thoughts on writing.

As most of you know, I've been struggling with setting writing goals. Should it be daily, weekly. Should I be writing 3000 words a day or a week? What? So I settled on a New Moon goal and that is working pretty well for me.

Now I want to attack thoughts about having a disciplined time you sit down an write. I see the reasoning behind that and pretty much adhere to it. But not always.

When I lived in Santa Fe I used to walk in this pretty little area where I could see squirrels, rabbits, prarie dogs, birds, even a coyote once in a while. And the flowers were so beautiful in Spring and Fall. I tried to walk early morning because that's when all the critters were out. If I waited too long, it'd just be me and the juniper and pinion.

But now I live in Albuquerque and the nearest walk is Kinny Dam. I've walked there several times in the early morning. I've been disappointed because it's not that pretty, there's trash and plastic bags and no animals except for birds. Not even lizards.

But yesterday I had a slow start, and went for my walk after 10:00. As I descended into the now dry dammed area, I was taken back by the beauty. All the bushes had little white, lavender and purple flowers on them. Now I know I saw these flowers before. Were there more of them? Or was I looking at it through different eyes? (I love these kind of questions)

So I contined to walk, pondering why things seemed so different. When I startled two huge jackrabbits. Then there was a third. A fourth. And latter in the walk, a fifth.

There were lizards scuttling into the underbrush as I passed and humming birds flitting among the flowers. It was like a different place. All because I walked a little later than usual.

My assumption that Albuquerque would be like Santa Fe was wrong -- even thought it's the terrain looks similar and the animals are the same kind. But there is a 1000 foot difference in elevation.

What, you may be asking, does this have to do with writing? I started thinking, as I continued my walk and discovering even more bushes with white, trumpet flowers, that maybe sitting down at the same time everyday to write was limiting. I wonder if we're missing something by not varying when we write -- at least sometimes -- just to bust any wrong assumptions we may be harboring. I wonder if a certian character may not be a morning person and has more to say in the afternoon or evening. I wonder if a writer would look at his work with different eyes, and see beauty where yesterday there was only trash.

Personally, I spend a lot of time letting things stew in the primordial ooze of my mind. I write in the mornings and early afternoons. But when I'm chewing on a problem, I sit down anytime and just freeflow write about the plot or from the POV of a certain character. It works for me. I suddenly startle the jackrabbits of an idea. I see the beauty of what I've accidently laid down in earlier chapters.

I wonder what other writers think about this? Do you write at one time of the day? Would you experiment with other times?

Writing Goals

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:20:05 GMT

Yesterday I went to First Firday -- a meeting of professional writers from all genres here in Albuquerque. It's a fun place to just talk about what you're working or discussion questions/problems that have arisen with agents/publishers/writing. I really enjoy these meetings.

Jane Linsdkold mentioned writing goals -- daily and weekly. So I commented on the fact that I'm trying a new goal of new moon to new moon. There were several comments around the table about this as no one had ever heard of this kind of goal setting. The Jane said it makes sense because it covers the 28 day hormonal cycle.

Aha! That's it. The moon cycle factors in good days and days when I just want to throw the computer out the window for simply existing and reminding me I should be working. It accounts for the days when I write for 6 hours straight, producing 3000 words, and the days when I write for 6 hours straight and produce 300 words. It accounts for the times Paul whisks me off to a really violent movie so that violence won't be manifested at home. And it accounts for the days I am so grateful to have the life I have and the inspiration that makes me create.

Okay, so some of you may be saying, "Duh". But I'm saying "Aha" and am very pleased with myself.

Also, Paul and I went to see "Kung Fu Panda" yesterday with a theatre full of kids. It was absolutely charming and laugh out loud funny. Interesting point, I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids. And there is a heartwarming reward for sitting through the credits. I'm just sayin'...

Happy New Moon

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:54:43 GMT

Today is new moon and it's time to see how I did on my writing goal. You may (or may not) remember that I set a goal to write 15000 words last new moon. I'm sorry to say I didn't hit my goal. I'm just a little over 11,000 words. I blame Wiscon. I so admire writers like Charles de Lint who are disciplined enough to write no matter where they are. I just can't do it. Especially not when I'm rooming with my buds Deb and Bob, who I usually only get to see once a year.

I did do some critique writing and rewriting as well, but I'm not counting any of that. So, I'm setting the same goal this New Moon. 15,000 words by next New Moon. I don't have any conventions or travel that I know of so maybe I can even go over this time. All I know is this kind of goal is working for me. Even though I didn't meet the goal this last moon, I did get a good bit of new writing done. So I'm pleased.

But no rewards until I actually hit my goal.

So Happy New Moon, all. Remember, new moon is a time to set goals and full moon is a time to make a gratitude list as well as listing your complishments for that month.

Nalo Hopkinson

Fri, 30 May 2008 03:11:56 GMT

I just finished reading Nalo Hopkinson's THE NEW MOON'S ARMS. I absolutely loved this book.

The protagonist, Calamity, is a woman who must face the death of her father while entering menopause. This is a perfect setup for transformation -- and transformation never comes easily. Especially when hot flashes are accompanied by uncontrollable surges of magic which drop things from her past, from a toy truck to a grove a cashew nut trees, into the middle of her conflicted life.

At times you love Calamity, at times you just want to slap her. She's a real person trying to navigate through her losses, her prejudices and her pain.

Many times when I read a book like this I'm left less than satisfied with the ending. The ending of THE NEW MOON"S ARMS left me fully satisified. It was with a smile and a sigh that I finally closed the the book.

I'm sending it to my friend January to read. I know she'll love it.

Wiscon

Wed, 28 May 2008 02:54:51 GMT

I'm back from Wiscon and glad to be home, getting back into my routine.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the hell out of Wiscon. Highlights:

1. Bob Angell coming into the room at 2:00 AM Monday morning and keeping me and Deb Taber in stitches for about an hour, until I ordered him to bed.

2. Talking to David Durham for long intervals on three different occasions, one being in the airport since we both ended up on the same flight to Denver.

3. My panel on the Appropriated Magic User. My fellow panelists were anthrolopologists -- I was the only writer. I learned so much from them and hope they learned a few things from me. The big thing -- they think Mircea Eliade was a hack armchair anthropologist who got it all wrong and who actually made up the word "shaman". This rocked my world since I've held this man up as the utmost authority on the shaman. I didn't get the same things they did from his book and we all ended up at the same conclusions, so his work didn't steer me in too wrong a direction. They gave me other reading which I can't wait to dive into. The discussion was fun and interesting.

Suzy Charnas was in the audience, and after the panel she and I were joined by Deb Taber and continued our talk. Fascinating insights. Suzy is really one smart woman. And she lives here in Albuquerque so I hope to continue communicating with her.

4. The Shadows Reading. Everyone had great stories. Sarah started out with a construction story, Bob followed with his Interzone Story (which is isn the current issue to pick it up, you won't be sorry. It's GREAT). I followed and realized some stories just weren't meant to be read allowed. Then Deb with an incredible story that absolutely blew me a way. Then Charlie wrapped things up, as she does, with a humorous story that left us all smiling.

5. Seeing all my friends I only get to see at cons. The conversations (thank you Tempest for that honest conversation in the Governor's Club) and the just plain socializing.

6. I talked to Sharyn November from Random House about the validity of my idea of turning my short film into a picture book with a DVD in back. She told me a) they get lots and lots of pitches with CD and DVDs (who knew?), b) they throw out my artist and get their own c) Random House would be interested and I should go to an Independent and d) Picture books aren't selling. Then she apologized for being so negative. I told her not to be. This was just one of my ideas and her honesty lets me put it aside and work on the others. I really appreciated her time and her expertise. That's why I asked her about it. I'll just wait to do the picture book after I win the academy award! :)

It was a great con.

Wiscon

Fri, 23 May 2008 15:40:33 GMT

It's so great to see the people I only get to see once a year. I'm once again sharing a room with Bob Angell and Deb Taber. It's our tradition. We had dinner with Nisi and Sarah -- Sarah is reading with us this year. Charlie is still working on her Shadow story for the reading -- which is what Charlie does. And she's always great!

The most exciting thing to date is that I discovered that David Anthony Durham is here! Whoo hoo. I was really bummed that he was going back to Stonecoast right after I graduated. So I'm happy to get to see him here. And if you haven't read Acacia -- you are really missing out on a great read. Great epic fantasy in the tradition of George R. R. Martin.

Also saw Kelly (who is also teaching at Stonecoast) and Gavin, Pat Murphy and a host of other people to numerous to mention.

Programming really starts tonight, so I think I'm going to take a nap. Bob, Deb and I were up until 2:22 am( I love that number) drinking wine, talking and eating garlic bread.

Suppressed History Archives of Women

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:55:02 GMT

As some of you know, I have a long history in attending a mystery school on Feminine Spirituality. Basically our goal is to uncover the myth and the power of the feminie and bring it back into the world.

I was just information on the imazing DVD -- The Suppressed HIstory Archives: Women in the Global Perspective. This is from Max Dashu's wesite:

aims to uncover the realities of women's lives, internationally and across time, asking questions about patriarchy and slavery, conquest and aboriginality. About mother-right, goddess veneration, animist spirituality and shamanic arts -- and the historical chemistry of their repression. Even more important, their role in resisting oppression.

A global perspective on women’s history offers fresh and diverse conceptions of women's power, as well as of men and gender borders. It overturns stereotypes of race and class, and the structures of domination that hold them up. It digs under the usual story of lords and rulers, looking for hidden strands, and reweaves knowledge from the divided fields of history, archaeology, linguistics and folk tradition.

So we cast a wide arc, looking for patterns and gaps and contradictions which, where vested power interests are at stake, are often trigger points for controversy. Some of the flashpoints are neolithic female figurines; women's power; goddess reverence; gender-egalitarian mother-right cultures; the origins of patriarchy; witch-hunts; and the rise and fall of empires, with all their doctrines of supremacy and inferiority.

The website has many more clips on varying subjects. While I wish each woman was covered in more detail, it's an amazing chronical of women's contrubutions to the struggle for freedom and equality in an increasingly abusive world.

I've heard many editors talk about how they'd like to see stories from other cultures other than the anglo world. Think of the stories that could come out of these simple histories -- out of the great deeds of these women.

The website is: http://www.suppressedhistories.net/ And for those of you wondering, Max is a woman. Check it out. It's amazing stuff.

Debbie

Dark vs. Light

Thu, 15 May 2008 02:57:36 GMT

Today I had lunch with a woman who is putting together the Metaphysical Film Festival in Santa Fe in September. She's an interesting woman and is currently on her way to India.

Anyway, she asked me if I would be interested in being on a panel that talks about how horror can be spiritual -- how the dark is just as important as the light. This came from a conversation where I mention that writing horror was just the flip side of writing Touched By An Angel. In touched we approached a subject from the light side. In horror I approach the same subject from the dark side. In the end, the moral is the same.

So many people think of horror as splatter with no substance. Even splatterpunks like David Schow have real substance and messages to their work. But people who don't really read horror have so many misconceptions about what horror is.

So, it will be interesting to be at a metaphysical film festival proposing that the dark can be good too.

Oh, and Shirley McClane is supposed to be there as well. Think she'll be on that panel?

Good Writing Day

Tue, 13 May 2008 03:18:58 GMT

Another good writing day today. This afternoon I took my laptop out on the patio and wrote outside. My music was the bubbling of the fountain in our pond and the melodic song of the red-headed male house finch. Our roses are all popping and the royal purple irises are huge and glorious. You'd think this might be a bit distracting, but instead I found the warmth of the sun and the fragrant breeze quite inspiring. My novel is moving quite along. I'm happy.

I also got the galleys for the Spring issue of Shimmer. I was surprised to see that I'd turned in not much in the way of a bio, I must have been terrible distracted when I turned it in. But the cover is really quite lovely and I can't wait to see The Girl Who Lost Her Way in print.

Unexpected surprise

Sun, 11 May 2008 01:28:23 GMT

So I go to the mailbox today -- and there's a royalty check for Dark Delicacies! Three years later the anthology is not only still in print, it's paying it's contributors royalties. Okay, it was only $38.00. But what a cool way to make $38.00!

In other news, I had a great day writing today. It was one of those days where words just flowed out of my fingers onto the page -- and I really liked them. I hope whatever or whoever I was channeling comes back tomorrow. And the next day, and the next, but writing was really, really fun today.

So my new moon goal is 15,000 words. I'm 5,000 in. I think it's a doable goal. Wouldn't it be fun if I beat it?

Good News

Fri, 09 May 2008 22:41:59 GMT

After all the hospital drama of the last 3 weeks, things are much, much better. That's good in itself. But the really good news is that I sold my story Bone Whisperer to Dark Distortions! Yippee.

While Bone Whisperer isn't officially one of my Clarion West stories I still consider it a product of Clarion West. My littermate Ernie read it during that 6 weeks, and Jim Kelly and John Kessel agreed to read it during their week with us and gave me some great notes. I think my littermate Deb Taber also read it not long after Clarion.

Anyway, bottom line is I've sold another story. Line edits don't begin until next month. And I don't actually get a contract until after the edits. Editors want to make sure they can work with you before the legally commit to your story I guess. But hey, I'm from television. I'm used to rewriting on demand.

So - Happy Snoopy Dance going on at my house.

Busting Assumptions

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:53:49 GMT

Paul and I went to see Ironman yesterday. It was awesome. Robert Downey Jr. was really terrific and the effects were amazing. Stan Winston did the actual working parts of the suit so you know they're great. Be sure to sit through the credits. There's a little surprise at the end.

Anyway, we got to the movie theater a little early so I took advantage of the opportunity to talk story with Paul. He's my secret weapon, actually. It's so good to have a significant other who likes to talk story and is good at it.

So I'm telling him about this scene I have coming up where my alchemist has to capture a priestess of the godess in a hospital. Both are human characters but have magical abilities fitting their professions. My problem was how does he capture her. She's a very powerful priestess and she's defeated him once before. So I was coming up with all these elaborate things like a magical lasso (yeah, we haven't seen THAT before) or some kind of chemical concoction he's developed in his lab.

Then Paul says, "I think you overthinking this. Why don't you just have him sneak up behind her and stab her with a hypodermic needle with a kickass sedative in it."

Well Duh.

And that's why I love what I consider to be collaberation. Without realizing it I made the assumption I had to use magic in this scene. But my novel is grounded in our world and magic isn't the first order of business. So Paul busted that assumption and brought me back to the truth of my story.

I love the writing life!

Wiscon Programming

Tue, 06 May 2008 09:38:35 GMT

So here are is my final Wiscon Programming Schedule:

Title: The Dead Have No Shadow

Sunday, 8:30-9:45 A.M.
Conference2

R. R. Angell
Debbie Smith Daughetee
Deb Taber
Sarah Brandel
Charlie Allery

Title: Hot Flashes and Power Surges

"In The New Moon's Arms, Nalo Hopkinson gave us a protagonist whose menopausal hot flashes create magic. Carol Emshwiller, Ursula Le Guin, and Terry Pratchett, among others, have also written with force, wit, and creativity about women who have moved into the third stage of their lives. In this panel, crones and those of us currently making the transition discuss the emotional and physical changes of menopause, as well as the ways those around us respond to our changing bodies. Where can we find models for the kind of women we want to be when we grow up? How do we mourn our fertility -- especially those of us who have no children? And how can we be visible, strong, and powerful in a culture where women disappear with the first chin hair? "
Sunday, 10:00-11:15 A.M.
Senate B

M: Janice Eisen
Debbie Smith Daughetee
Karen Moore
Elissa Malcohn
Jamie Feldman .

Title: The Appropriated Magic User

" Shamans appear frequently in recent fantasy, horror and even science fiction, many of them not at all representative of the root cultures from which they are drawn and often to serve in roles once filled by 'wizards,' 'sorcerors,' 'witches,' and so on. As the image of the fictional shaman becomes stereotyped in entertainment media, does it have repercussions for cultures in which shamans still practice? Or is it simply a different take on magic users in general? And if the latter, how is the shaman/ness, different from an enchanter/ress, sorcerer/ess, witch or wizard and the cultures from which they were long ago drawn and stereotyped? "
Sunday, 10:00-11:15 P.M.
Senate B

M: Meg Turville-
Debbie Smith Daughetee
Keridwen Luis
Elise Matthesen

I'm happy with the panels I'm on, but very disappointed I didn't get on the WGA panel discussing the strike issues. I found at Stonecoast there were some real misconceptions over what were were striking for -- misconceptions that made the writers look rather unreasonable until I explained what was really happening. Ah well. I hope they got WGA members for the panel.

So come by -- especially to our Shadow reading. It's a bit early, but guaranteed to start your day off with a chill or two.

Back at the Keyboard

Mon, 05 May 2008 01:51:47 GMT

Ask me what I did today? Come on, ask me.

I wrote! Yippee. I actually typed words into my computer and a new chapter of my novel emerged. It's time for the snoopy dance.

And I'm going to write more tonight. Not the kind of writing that will actually make it in the book. But I'm at a point where I know what the character needs to do, but I don't know how or the underlying feelings about what he's doing. So I'm going to just let him talk to me a while and let him tell me what's going on in that screwed up head of his. This is the fun part, you know. No editor sitting on my shoulder telling me I mispelled that word or that sentence sucks or that I'm a terrible writer and what ever made me think I could do this anyway. I actually have a list of answer to those editor comments hanging on my bulletin board. The what makes me think I could be a writer? Ah, 15 years writing for television gives me a little bit of a clue.

All this means Paul is doing very well and my stress factor has dropped drastically.

So besides writing, I also had to do some work for my client. Now this is interesting. Sixteen months ago he submitted one of his science fiction novels to Baen through their submission form. He forwarded an e-mail to me from Baen saying that they couldn't open his file and could he resubmit it. He's on the reading list for this month! Yikes. Sixteen months and they're just now getting to it.

So I updated his letter and synopsis and resubmitted through their form. This particular novel is my favorite of his so maybe they'll like it. Unlike Tor (Patrick requested a partial from him at a signing here in New Mexico), Baen wants the entire manuscript. So we'll see. Still -- 16 months!

Well, the alchemist is wanting to talk to me so I'm off...

In Praise of Meds

Thu, 01 May 2008 20:20:57 GMT

Paul is home! YAY. And he's doing quite well, though I still have to give him shots twice a day.

So I've been so stressed and I could feel myself circling the drain. I've always saw myself as a very strong person who could take anyting thing thrown at her. I mean come on, I worked in television!

But this was so different. I went to the doctor for an upper respiratory infection and the doctor took one look at me and asked, "Would you like something for anxiety?" Yes, please.

This is the first time I've ever taken anything. That night I slept for the first time in over 2 weeks. The next morning I got up and felt -- normal. I was back to my positive, energetic self. OMG. I needed drugs (well, half a pill anyway) to get me feeling normal again.

The best part, now that Paul is home, is I'm back to work. Hooray! And I feel good. And we're going to see Forbidden Kingdom. And life is back on track. Except for the shots twice a day.

Paul and I did come up with a great horror story set in the hospital. I think we scared the nurse that night.