The End. The Beginning.

I reached the end of Felling Abberfaun. Huzzah!

Photo by Gilderic - Gah! That's beautiful.

Or at least I have reached the end of the story for book 1. Yes, I love Epic Fantasy, what can I say? This story will continue, it will expand, increase its reach and grow.

With each ending there starts a whole new beginning. Like a circle, there is no end to the writing. I may have reached the end, but I have copious notes on other files, on my phone, voice notes, paper notes, all conspiring to throw me back into the writing to truly finish the first draft. But in a way, the first draft is done. And for that I will celebrate.

At 115,000 words, it is more than I was expecting, but, then the story is richer, more complicated and spans more viewpoints than Veil of a Warrior. So I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Still I was hoping for that perfect middle ground of 100,000 words. I'm left to wonder (still) how some do it. How they can say, with all authority, "This story will be exactly 105,000 words. Not one single word less or more."

Ok, perhaps, no one says that, but it seems like other writers are better able to gauge than I. Is this a matter of some gift? Years of additional skill? Or just pure, silly luck?

I'm sure it matters little in the broad reach of things. I tell the story until it is over...

The End

Let the People Decide...

...Who to vote for!

Yes, that's right, I got nominated to be a featured writing blog on eCollegeFinder.org. Which is a resource for finding online education for the time impaired. I've never used the service, but it looks interesting.

Online Colleges

Weigh in and make your voice heard, and don't forget to vote for me! :-) I'm giving you my most winsome smile right now.

You can vote as much as you want, so keep-on-a-clicking!

Poem: Wireless Obsession

A random poem that sprang to mind. I was amused, and thus I share. Do not expect this to be a regular kind of thing.

*************

Photo by Cote

My fingers run across the keys,
spiteful intent.

A free-range mouse,
gripped close,
my bidding is done.

Hurry, before it is too late.
Do not delay.
The end is near.

Click

Click
Click
Clickety-Click
Click

The cursor is still.
Starkly cast pixels glare,
silent, unmoving.

Two more batteries,
lost to my wireless obsession.

A curse upon the environment and upon my growing conscience.

 *************

© 2012 Clifton Hill, all rights reserved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Cheery, aren't I?

Book Review: Feed, by Mira Grant (a.k.a. Seanan McGuire)

(This is a repost, of my review that appeared on SF Signal recently - reposted here for posterity)

Mass Market Paperback: 608 pages
Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (May 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0316081051
ISBN-13: 978-0316081054

In a world where we are all, quite literally, zombies—just waiting for a bad day to shuffle away, seeking a hot meal—bloggers rule the news, social fear is taken to new levels and politics are (as always) the true evil. As a blogger vying for the big leagues, Georgia Mason tells the news the way it should be: full of fact and clean of bias. Shaun is her reckless brother, more interested making the news, than living life in something resembling a sane fashion. Together they take a ride that flies them higher than their wildest hopes and plummets them worse than their deepest fears.

2012: Looking Forward

I’m trying to look at my goals for 2011, compare them to the results and make a more realistic 2012 set that is achievable, but challenging. In all, I am little concerned either way. I am more interested in pushing forward, no matter the challenge, and taking whatever I can from the experience.

Photo by Jill Clardy

In writing, I plan to finish the Felling Abberfaun first draft by the end of January. I will finally return to Veil of a Warrior and do a final revision before I send it for consideration and put some serious thought and time into prepping it for self publish. Some may say that I am rushing forward, but anything gained in the process of getting it ready to publish is a gain, whether I end up going traditional or not.

I also want to do a revision to Felling Abberfaun, work on the Hammerblood sequel and a couple other projects that I’m kicking around.