I like getting up early, even if it's the weekend, but only if I have something worth getting up early for. Today, it was to write, and that's always a worthwhile reason to be sleep-deprived.

I finished up a couple more chapters, getting all that ooky love stuff outta the way so I can focus on the mystery and ghosties. It's coming along nicely, and things are well on their way toward the final scene.

I like the ending of this novel, and it's really going to rock, I think. For whatever reason, I think the endings to my novels work much better than the endings to my stories. I guess because I've had more time to think about them. A lot of times my stories just seem to stop instead of end.

But I'm working on it. I think they've gotten better. I quite like the ending to the collabs I've done with Tim, Derek, Greg, and Aaron this year, and the cockroach story I did had a nifty "classic-horror" ending. And I still really dig the last line of my surfing zombie story... Heh.

Now that I've gotten my writing done for the weekend -- almost 8,000 words, all-told, getting me almost up to the 60,000 words I was shooting for (I'm at 56,700 for those keeping score at home) -- I plan on doing some serious reading for the rest of day. Soon as I cut the grass and drive over to Chapel Hill with Lizzie -- she's doing research for the few remaining papers she has left, and I plan on reading my buddy Mark's novel and a bunch of Polyphony stories as well. And I'm sure I'll come up with some more novel ideas in the process for the Nebulous Novel Number Five.

Speaking of Nebulous, I was sorry to hear that my bud Tim Pratt didn't win the Nebula Award for his wonderful tale, "Little Gods," but I'm still damn proud of him. He'll be back, at many more awards ceremonies to come. And I hope to be competing with him some day. Along with lots of my other writing friends. Later!

Now Playing:
"Riot Act," Pearl Jam

Now Reading:
Polyphony. Dragon, Mark Siegel

Stories out to Publishers:
17

Today's Words:
4,300

Words for '03:
74,000

Today's Quote:
“I’m digging as best I can,” Ella said, speaking out loud instead of simply thinking her thoughts. “But I’m missing something. You haven’t told me everything, Caroline.”

“What more do you need to know? Prove that Bonnet killed me out of spite, leaving me trapped in his prison to drown like a rat.” Caroline’s eyes opened wide with fear and something else, something the Ella couldn’t see clearly. “You found the locket he gave me, and his chain? Have you been talking to him?”

“We’ve met a few times,” Ella said, gazing at the almost-transparent girl’s dress. “And I’m none the worse for it. Tell me, Caroline, why you’re wearing that lovely dress? It looks like a wedding gown.”

Caroline reached down to touch the lace of her bodice. Her face seemed to flush, if such a thing could happen to ghosts.