#litrachur smitrachur

[lilithsaintcrow]

"Melville meant himself. You want to be careful what you wish for. Inspiration means breathing. Fish breathe by drowning."

[lilithsaintcrow]

The Devil and Motorcycle Hamlet

I worked through most of the weekend–proof pages, so many proof pages–but I did have time to start reading a book on Charles Sobrhaj, which, whew. I think there’s about 200 pages left and I can’t look away. During some (rather resentfully taken) downtime, the algorithm decided to send me a bunch of Sons of Anarchy clips. I missed the show while it was popular, though for a while it was rather…

[lilithsaintcrow]

Rhythm and Assignment

Summer’s long fever has finally, irretrievably broken. It’s grey and quite a reasonable temperature, which means it’s time for serious work again. Not so much on the page–I am most productive when it’s raining, and the sky hasn’t seen fit to grace us with that yet–but with fiddly stuff like copyedits and proofs and sales and home repair and a new walking route for Boxnoggin and easy, gentle runs…

[lilithsaintcrow]

Harrison's Biggest Fan

I have had occasion this morning to think about the creative writing “teacher” (my community college days were few but wild, y’all) who hated everything I attempted because–and he literally said this in class as well as wrote variations on returned assignments–he believed Jim Harrison was the perfect writer, that everyone should write just like Jim Harrison, and anyone who didn’t write like Jim…

[lilithsaintcrow]

Bog Will Have To Wait

Another weekend, another double work-hangover. This one is a result of getting the Hell’s Acre revisions done and doing the last proof run on a paper copy of Chained Knight. I ought to take a few days to let my brain and body recover. Don’t know if that can happen. My writing partner sent a link to an extremely intriguing article on Dr Strange & Mr Norrell, of which the Tolkien sections were…

[lilithsaintcrow]

Spy Game Weekend

It was a tremendously restorative weekend. Big changes are afoot for me professionally, and I got the revisions for Gamble out the door Friday afternoon so there was not much to do but wait, and read. While the former is not my favourite, the latter most definitely is. I polished off two Trevanians (Eiger Sanction and Loo Sanction), and decided that while I was there I might as well try some Ian…

[lilithsaintcrow]

Barrel of Literary Carrots

The rains have moved back in, or at least the clouds. This pleases me. I was reading yesterday about theories that the sun is conscious and while that makes as much sense as anything else in the universe does, it also makes the big yellow ball fit the description of an Elder God and that’s hardly comforting. Of course the blessed thing powers all life on this whirling rock, so I suppose one can’t…

[lilithsaintcrow]

“This kicks a real hole in the idea that children’s books should be or are prescriptive, and thus need to be regulated by vigilantes at public library storytime…Once you attune your eyes to the adult baggage, you can see stories sagging under its weight everywhere.”

[lilithsaintcrow]

Preference, Edged Laughter

The backyard crows–Carl and Sandra, with occasional visits from poor Jerry and a few more kin–have been very vocal the past few days, mostly because there’s a hawk in the vicinity. I’ve seen their acrobatics as they attempt to drive the other predator off; both the hawk’s wings have a bright spot in the middle. I’m sure it dives for the feral rabbits who have been working their way up from the…

[lilithsaintcrow]

Moss, Rust, Poetry

Obsessed with moss lately. I’ve been obsessed with the #Mosstodon hashtag lately. It helps that I live in the PNW, where moss is…well, let’s just call it a given. It’s everywhere, what with all the rain. Trees wear it, rocks wear it, bare earth and concrete wear it, even houses can develop a green coat if left to themselves long enough. In summer it’s dry loofah, in winter it’s juicy…