This is the fun part, watching the old wordcounts start to rise. I'm back into the Blackbeard novel, drafting like a madman, and the story is really starting to flow now.

It helps that I have fun scenes to write like the scenes I worked on today -- had a couple ghosts harass my two main characters, then had them (the guy and girl, not the ghosts) get together later at a local bar to talk about what had happened, and look at the strange images on the photos they took underwater...

A somewhat busy weekend, and lots of good response from the S1ngularity launch. I'm just glad folks are taking the time to read my wacky story, and even better, some folks have been commenting here and at the Dead Cities site and even at my Night Shades message board. I frickin' love the Internet for stuff like that. Instant gratification, and instant communication. Lovely.

The new goal is to have the Blackbeard novel done by May 2nd, when Elizabeth is done with her classwork. On that day we'll both have a lot to celebrate -- she's been working her ass off on her 35 page paper and various 10-15 page papers. She works harder than I do, no doubt about it. All she has is a summer fieldwork, and then she is DONE.

Oh yeah, in the meantime, I want to revise the Shadow Wolf story, try to revamp the Unplugged play/screenplay, and write the All-Nations Team story.

So if you don't hear much from either Lizzie or me, that's why. We're hunched over our computers like hermits, plunking keys at random, hoping something we write sticks. Not stinks. Later!

Now Playing:
"Back Porch Music," WUNC

Now Reading:
S1ngularity

Stories out to Publishers:
20

Today's Words:
3,800

Words for '03:
44,000

Today's Quote:
Ella stared. In the first photo, floating slightly off-center in the flash-lit cavern, was the barest outline of a small figure, quite possibly a person. The figure was tinged in orange, barely an outline of a body. In the other corner of the room, near the chunk of ship, was a small bluish-white speck of light.

In the second picture, the first figure had shrunk, losing almost all of its definition. Ella had the impression that if the figure had arms, they would have been thrown in the air in shock or surprise, or maybe even submission. The speck of light in the corner of the room, meanwhile, had grown to ten times its original size, and it was closer to the mouth of the cavern.

Just off to the side of the blue-white circle of light, Ella could just make out what could have been the frayed end of a rope. The same kind of rope that could have been used, centuries ago, for hangings.