Good and bad things

[vilakins]

I've had two days at my new contract.

Good: The people are very friendly and they have an espresso machine, plus my favourite brand of lemon and ginger tea.
Bad: The guy next to me has a very loud voice and just never shuts up. How does he get any work done, I ask myself?

Good: There's a mall nearby and a library just by the tennis courts.
Bad: Doesn't anyone write standalone SF novels any more? I browsed at lunchtime and finally found a book that looked really good and didn't have 'part n of the x series' on the cover (back or front). It did on the inside when I opened it to read during my break though. Grrr. Now I have to see if I can find the preceding two books as it looks good--a nice meaty hard SF read.

Good: The office is surrounded by trees and there's a big park on one side.
Bad: There are too few carparks so if you're not early enough, you have to park at the mall next door.
Bad: I parked at the mall next door and a little old lady backed into my car and stove in my so-called bumper.
Good: She left a note under my wiper and I rang her; she's very nice and extremely upset.
Bad: I have to get it fixed which means I have to find a panel-beater who'll give me a loan car because I can't get to work any other way.

Bad: I still haven't finished the story I'm writing for a fic party this weekend. It got plottier than I'd planned. I hope I have time to get the thing beta-read... [goes off to write more]

Comments

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

What's the book?

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

'Transvergence' by Charles Sheffield. Book 3 of the heritage universe, sod it.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Heh. I did the exact same thing with that book! Then I went out and got the first two, read the first one, thought it was boring, and never finished the series. Sigh. Dunno, you might like it better than I did, though.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I read some random pages in it (a not always reliable test I put books through) and it looked good. Maybe he improved with experience. I haven't had time to do a search for the others yet (still writing).

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Boo!

The good parts sound permanent - the environment, and the people. So that sounds positive? And you seemed to think last week that the work itself would be ok? I do hope it goes well.

As for the parking, how early is 'early enough'? I hope you can make it in by that time, now that you know. I have something similar here: the University has a policy of issuing 1.8 parking permits for every 1 parking space...

Good luck with sorting out the car. It's nice that she left you a note, but I know that the arrangements for fixing it cause as much hassle as the damage itself.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

how early is 'early enough'?

I get there at 8:20 yesterday and there were about 5 left. I'll just have to try to leave before 8.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Hardly written any of my story either. And so far today I'm feeling too ill to come up with anything.

Gina

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'm up to page 16 of mine, but I suppose that would count as 'hardly' with someone of your impressive output. ;-) I have a couple of pages to go I think.

I'm just not sure whether I should put the planned ending on it or not. I hope I've got time to pass it by the SADist and HEXer I hope will be kind enough to beta it.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

I've literaly done A Page of mine, because I've had other deadlines to write to as well. Plus research for the novel currently feels fresher and more interesting than writing B7.

Gina

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I've noticed. :-) I'd ask you what happens in the big PGP but my own's stalled half-way through part 2 due to other commitments so I know how it is. I'm still writing B7 though, with lots of stories eagerly queued up.

I have some original novels simmering away in the background too which I might have the courage to start one day.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

I'll go back to writing B7 again at some point, I'm sure. I may even add to the big PG, although my writing style's moved on since I last wrote it. Putting Marianne and Dariel back into their original universe after playing with them in others could be fun though.

Original fiction's my first love, I just needed to get enthused about getting the background right before I tried to do anything this ambitious.

Gina

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

That's what puts me off writing my present-day one (set in London). SF's easier; you can make it up as long as you're consistent.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'd disagree. I like the science in my science fiction to make sense and I find getting a background consistent and non-cliched to be much harder when starting from scratch.

Gina

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I meant make up the background (not the science) and consistency is extremely important there; also logic. And, having a physics degree, I like to get the science right too--or at least not blatantly wrong.

Of course I'll go along with the science (such as it is) of existing universes like B7, but I still try to plug holes there.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Of course I'll go along with the science (such as it is) of existing universes like B7, but I still try to plug holes there.

Same here, as you probably noticed.

Gina

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Maybe the little old lady will turn out to be a really interesting person with a life story dying to be turned into fiction.

I suspect Labor Day will find a lot of lj-ers ficced out. I've just about got mine done but it's shamefully short, really.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Nothing shameful about short. One-liners welcome.

I was really pleased with myself for working out my story on holiday in July, and wrote about 300 words when I got back, which was probably a record early start for me. Then left it for a few weeks... Think I should get there just in time, it won't be much over 1,500 anyway.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Eek. I'm up to 6000 and still going. I started late because I didn't think of anything till a about a week ago.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Just checked... my longest-ever story was 3,600 words, and that took about six years... there's a reason why I don't write.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

PS

I know what you mean about series - publishers love them but they do take up so much reader time. I haven't really fallen in love with a standalone SF novel since Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle back in my childhood!

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

How do you feel about novels that are more or less standalone, but take place in the same universe? I have enough ideas for at least two novels with different main characters (some of whom may have supporting roles in each others' stories), plus an idea for something set in the Cambridge equivalent of my slightly-alternate Oxford.

Gina

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Hell, must be hard doing slightly-alternate Oxford without tripping over Pullman's territory. I quite like interdependent novels and universes, as opposed to series.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Me too. I'm happy to read books set in the same universe as others I haven't, but not when there's an arc which requires that I know the people and what they did earlier.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

No plans at present for a big story arc, just a set of novels about different characters. And as the main POV characters are going to be different, any facts about the others will be those that the POV character knows, which may not be the same from story to story.

Gina

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Still not read Pullman -- listened to the BBC adaptations but they didn't enthuse me that much. Are you going to Connotations? because the novel's an expansion of my story for the Conzine,

Gina

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Mine will make up for it. It's up to page 16 already. If it's not done in time, I can post the 'Orac's Vacation' thing I wrote for Betty as an pre-dinner snack. I only thought mine up about a week ago after watching the relevant ep. The plotholes were so big they provided lots of room to play in.

I haven't done the weekly challenge or TM essay yet. Sigh.

And I know lots of really interesting people but little of their lives really suit SF. I had a bit of a chat though. The poor dear said she'd never hit anything before and was shaking with the shock afterwards. I said I hoped she had a cup of tea and a sit down (sorry, couldn't resist, glitterboy1) and she said she hadn't been able to eat since. She hit my car at 10:30am and this was 6pm. :-( Apparently she trod on the accelerator instead of the brake while straightening up in her par opposite.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I finished, I finished! Weighed in at 2,200 words which is probably the longest I've ever done for a party piece. Just got to reread it a couple of hundred times trying to think of a title and a better last line now.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I've finished too! 7000 words. It had to be that long so it wasn't too plotty. [worries]

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I'm feeling a bit depressed now. Longest party piece I've ever done, and I really don't feel engaged with it. Got a possible title, but the last line still feels off.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't worry. I've found that what I think of a story and what readers think often bear little relation to each other.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Mine's a drabble. *hangs head*

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Seeing you're a mod, what's the maximum size of an FC post? I want to know if I have to post my story in two parts.