A Bit of a Change (Feb 2024)
I've been pondering a bit of a change with my newsletters now that I am on Buttondown: a little more information on what I'm reading, viewing, and doing, and 'news-only' editions as needed.
My friend, Cindy Pon (WANT, SERPENTINE, SILVER PHOENIX), is visiting for a week's writer retreat. We work our regular schedule, play Pokemon Go, pet Finn, and eat. One of the benefits of writer retreats with like-minded folks is the quiet sense of accountability and solidarity. If people are on the same page for what they want to accomplish (in this case writing rather than, say, sightseeing or partying), it’s a great way to find focus, in a way similar to the evergreen advice to people who want to exercise more regularly that they should find an exercise buddy and schedule a daily walk, or trip to the gym, or bike or hike, or what have you.
Today, after a 10 mile morning outrigger practice, I eschewed work and instead baked a cinnamon apple cake as well as a loaf of buttermilk bread.
At the beginning of the year, Sun 3 stood at about 50,000 words. As of February 1, the draft has reached 75,000 words. That's a good month's progress, especially since I had to get back up to speed after not working on the novel for a while. As for percentages, I’d venture that 75K represents about one quarter of the book. There is in fact no commercial utility (for me, at any rate) in writing books this long, yet here we are.
I’m still waiting for my edit letter for the as-yet-unannounced fantasy duology. Hoping that comes sooner rather than later.
Poking at various backburner projects continues as I feel the urge, or when the need to procrastinate strikes.
What of last month’s reading and viewing?
Over December and January, I read three forthcoming 2024 fantasy novels: Samantha Mills’ THE WINGS UPON HER BACK; John Wiswell’s SOMEONE TO BUILD A NEST IN; and Jenn Lyons’ THE SKY ON FIRE. Check them out; they are all good, each in their different way.
I recently finished Eugene Rogan’s THE FALL OF THE OTTOMANS, a history of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War and how the events of the war led ultimately to the final downfall of that great and long-lived empire. It was a readable history which takes into account people from all sides of the conflict, and I learned a number of things I hadn’t known, so I’d call it a success.
I also finished THE MAKING OF THE ENGLISH LANDSCAPE by Nicholas Crane, an interesting book that examines 10,000 years of British history through human effects on the landscape. It made me want to seek out books about other regions and their landscapes, if such books exist.
“The Sword and the Brocade” is a Chinese historical drama whose plot revolves around the women’s quarter of a marquis’s household during the Ming Dynasty. At 45 episodes, it is a considerable investment of time to watch. Overall I enjoyed the show. The two leads are quite good, the secondaries work well, and the plot is entertaining (if occasionally repetitive and with some issues of moving too fast toward the end imo). The costumes are really good, and the set design and the framing of people within the set design was particularly appealing to me.
It’s not the tour de force that “Nirvana in Fire” is, but I would rate NiF as one of the five best shows I’ve ever seen on television, so that is a high bar to surpass and Sword/Brocade doesn’t have either the degree of narrative impact or plot intricacy. It’s also not a fair comparison, because Sword/Brocade is ultimately a melodrama of the “she wins against all odds” type, whereas NiF is a story about the cost of justice and revenge. Still, Sword/Brocade is definitely worth checking out. You’ll figure out pretty quickly whether it is the kind of thing you can enjoy.
I also started watching “GyeongSeong Creature”, a grim and brutal K-drama set in the waning days of World War 2 around the activities inside a medical experimental hospital in Korea run by the occupying Japanese. It’s really good, but when I say grim, I mean grim. Korean shows don’t shy away from the very real hardships, cruelties, and tragedies that the war brought to them. I’ve only seen 4 episodes because, for me, it’s not bingable; I have to watch more slowly to allow myself a few days to absorb and watch something less brutal in-between. One of the most fascinating narrative aspects is that the main plot is quite dark, but the love story is being played, in contrast, as a comedy (at least for now; who knows what the future of it will bring).
Finn says hi. For some reason my Finn photos are too large, and I don't know how to make them smaller, so with the HUGEST apologies, no Finn photo today.
As always, thank you. I could not do this without you.
Kate Elliott