Monthly Archives: November 2006
On Quitting Writing; Magic vs Science
Links:
•Last week there was some discussion over the 101 Reasons to Stop Writing blog. For those of you who may have missed them, here are ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
jaylake‘s post and arcaedia‘s post.
Also, don’t miss jimvanpelt‘s Signs that you need help quitting writing.
I don’t have any thoughts to add: basically, I don’t see the point in quitting writing, or telling other people to quit writing. If it’s something I enjoy, why would I quit just because I’m unsuccessful? (Or 10k words behind on Nanowrimo…)
•Someone found my website last week by searching for “free printouts cooked chicken”. I hope they were looking for recipes.
•Via sartorias, swan_tower on Magic vs Science in fantasy.
If you remove that personal element, making the procedure something anyone can do, then you have science, not magic. Even if it doesn’t obey the laws of science as we know them, it’s imaginary or invented science, not magic.
Very interesting essay; also useful to me in terms of clarifying what I can do to strengthen my distinction between magic and science in Shadow Play (and in the rest of the books in that world, but it’s less confusing there).
Goals for the week:
Do not fall further behind on Nanowrimo Oops
5 days of exercise Nope
Friday night my parents arrived for a short visit. First time they’d seen this apartment so it’s good that the boxes have nearly all been taken care of. 
I’ll see them again next weekend but it was fun to show them where we live.
They left mid-afternoon and I had a couple hours to spend with the laundry pile before the boyfriend arrived home from a day-long work thing. This meant I was not subjected to The Game until the very end. (Though I had the tv on (and muted) to keep an eye on things in case the city started on fire or something.)
This morning we had breakfast with some of the boyfriend’s cousins (who were in town for the game).
With any luck people will stop talking and writing about football now. We can hope.
Writing Summary:
Current stats (last week)
Total words: 20028 (12555)
Behind by: 9972 (5778)
Average: 1113 (1141)
Rate needed to finish on time: 2498 (1971)
Pretty clear I’m not going to make it.
The book is in good shape. The plot has gotten nice and twisty, which doesn’t help me write any faster since I’m not quite sure what’s going on. So many politicians playing games with each other…
Sunday: 1023
Monday: 1450
Tuesday: 1830
Wednesday: 1100
Thursday: 530
Friday: 940
Saturday: 600
Exercise Summary:
Sunday: none, driving
Monday: walk, 50 min
Tuesday: walk, 40 min
Wednesday: ?
Thursday: none, busy
Friday: none, busy
Saturday: walk, 1 hr
This week:
Exercise 2 days (I know, but the holiday messes things up)
Do not fall farther behind on Nanowrimo.
Continue reading
Research: The Art of Travel
Links:
Found The Art of Travel, Sir Francis Galton, 1855, a book of advice based on his experiences in southwest Africa. I was looking up different kinds of pack/riding animals (“Now, it is to be noticed that men attach themselves to horses and asses, and in a lesser degree to mules and oxen, but they rarely make friends of camels.”), but was also amused by the figure showing a knot that you must never tie.
(table of contents)
Goals for the week:
5 days of exercise should have looked at the calendar first
1667 words/day for nanowrimo Ha!
Writing Summary:
Nanowrimo total so far: 12,555.
Behind by: 5778
Daily rate needed to finish on time: 1971
This is going more slowly than the last time I did Nanowrimo (2004), partly because I’m busier at work and have a longer commute, and partly because I’m trying to get the plot to turn out half-decently so I can perhaps not rewrite this book completely from scratch.
Unfortunately, this is one of those books where I’ve got Group A in one city and Group B travelling, and the times have to match up perfectly because their actions affect each other, which means I have to work out how long it takes to get from city to city on my world. (Or at least, how long it should take, if the bridge hadn’t been washed out in the spring floods and they weren’t about to get washed down a small cliff by a mudslide, and other indignities to be inflicted later.)
Sunday: not nearly enough (260) on Diplomacy of Mages (nanowrimo book), and some plotting/background research
Monday: 910 words, and more plotting
Tuesday: 790 words, more plotting.
Wednesday: 690 words
Thursday: 1020 words
Friday: 2040 words, more plotting
Saturday: research, 1200 words
Exercise Summary:
Sunday: walk, ~1 hr
Monday: none, lazy, but got off the bus early
Tuesday: none, walked to/from polling place then sat around watching results.
Wednesday: none, busy
Thursday: walk, 1 hr
Friday: none, drove
Saturday: none
This week:
Do not fall further behind on Nanowrimo
5 days of exercise Continue reading
Beef Stew with Poblanos, Tomatillos, and Potatoes
I’m behind on food posts (again). Recent weeks have seen tuna/salmon noodle cassarole, chicken pot pie (twice), chicken cutlets with maple dill sauce (Cooking Light, Dec. 2006, too sweet, not going to make it again), and Beef Stew with Poblanos, Tomatillos, and Potatoes (also the most recent issue of CL), which I have now made twice and am going to be making again next weekend (in the crockpot next time).
We’ve been doing a lot of cooking on weekends and eating leftovers during the week. So much easier than cooking after work. Continue reading
Fantasy vs SF; Joy of Cooking
Links:
• sartorias on kids preferring fantasy to sf (specifically the YA versions). Her theory sounds pretty reasonable to me (though there’s a difference between science fiction that focuses on the science and sf that focuses on the story, and I definitely prefer the latter), and also explains why I like fantasy better (though I always liked sf too): science was fascinating, sure, but it was also mundane and normal, the sort of thing that people did for a career – a large proportion of the adults I knew as I kid worked in the space industry, so the idea of people going up in spaceships was not very far-fetched. Magic, on the other hand, was completely exotic.
• The NYTimes reviews the 75th-anniversary edition of the Joy of Cooking, which came out last week (article dated Nov. 1 and hopefully still available):
The bad news is that this new version forces a decision. Which “Joy” do we want? Do we keep our mother’s vintage copy from the ’60s? The reliable and popular version from 1975? The smart, chef-driven 1997 book? Or do we clean house, get with the times and buy the new book, which has much more reference material along with a cloying coat of nostalgia?
[...]
All that being said, the new version is the most complete and current “Joy” you can buy. If I didn’t have my trusty 1975 version, I would shell out $30. But for the number of times I actually dip into “Joy,” the ’75 will suffice. After all, a meringue is a meringue and cuts of beef don’t really change.
Still, cooking is a highly personal thing, and the book that fits best depends on your demographic, your kitchen skill and your existing cookbook collection. Those who want a book that reminds them of their mothers and includes the pecan-laden angel slices they remember from childhood might prefer a vintage edition from the 1950s, or the 1963 revision.
My brother, the best cook in the family and someone who prefers not to mix sentimentality with information, is the kind of cook who would appreciate the smarter tone, multicultural depth and thorough exploration of technique in the 1997 book.
My household is a three-Joy household: My parents gave me the 1997 version (which I use for all my basic recipes) and a two-volume paperback from 1964, which I should investigate more thoroughly. My boyfriend has the 1975 version, which has a better pancake recipe than the 1997. I have annotated my 1997 pancake recipe with the 1975 ingredients.
I was amused that the writer mentioned the tuna casserole recipes in each edition, since I made the 1997 version last weekend. It calls for making a butter/flour/milk/cheese sauce, while the 1975 and 2006 versions use cream of mushroom soup. I’ll stick with my 1997 book, thanks.
Goals for the week:
5 days of exercise 4Add Isri’s scenes to the synopsis of Shadow Play
Nanowrimo behind by 1022 words
Writing Summary:
Nanowrimo is off to a good but slow start. After about 3200 words I got to the scene that will probably be the beginning, and I also figured out what the plot is. By next weekend I want to be a little bit ahead.
Sunday: plotting on shadow play
Monday: ditto
Tuesday: plotting on seliveon’s book
Wednesday: 1810 words, sel’s book
Thursday: 1710 words, sel’s book
Friday: 1000 words + plotting
Saturday: 1125 words + plotting
Exercise Summary:
Sunday: walk, 1 hr
Monday: walk, 45 min
Tuesday: none, lazy (got off two bus stops early though)
Wednesday: aerobics, ~30 min
Thursday: none, lazy
Friday: walk, ~1 hr
Saturday: none, lazy (and just busy)
This week:
5 days of exercise
1667 words/day for nanowrimo Continue reading
