Thursday, October 27, 2005

100 Pages!

The sequel to Small Magics (published by Dragon Moon Press, on shelves 2007) has reached 100 pages. This, of course, does not even represent one quarter of the book, but it's nice to hit that milestone. It reminds you that you are writing a novel and not short fiction.

The website is also progressing well, and I'm hoping to see it up shortly. The end of the month is seeming less likely, as I have some details to work out on my workshops page, still, I will hold out hope.

Yes, I do offer workshops. To see in what, wait for the website.

Also, I need to put together some links for my Links Page. Now, if there is anyone out there who actually reads this blog (which I'm thinking that there are precious few, right now), give me your suggestions for links. I will take them under advisement.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

It works! It works!

It is nice to find out that you've done something that momentarily removes the stigma of complete incompetence from you.

I've just done a test run on my website, and all the links work. A major victory.

The website is still not finished, as I have several pages left to build and have to consult with my editor on some things, but it is moving along on schedule. With a little luck and a fair bit of work, it will be up and ready to go by the end of the month.

Yay! Score one for the good guys!

Speaking of good guys, if you haven't seen Serenity (Josh Whedon's latest offering) I highly recoomend it. Smartly written, good action, good characters, and you don't have to have watched the TV series to understand it.

So, back to work.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

An anecdote (possibly apocryphal) and an update

A reclusive and very famous writer who had been asked to give a lecture on the craft at a local university. After many requests, he agreed to do so. When he arrived, the auditorium was packed with young, eager, want-to-be writers, ready to hear the words of the master.

He stepped up to the podium, looked at them all, said, "Why aren't you are home, writing?" and left.


Meanwhile, the website work is coming along. Only a few pages left to design and a bunch of images to scan in, after which I will email in all my files and hopefully get the thing up and running. Unfortunately, I have been ill this week (head-cold) as has my baby (she gave it to me) and my poor wife has been exhausted (getting up with the baby while I sleep the sleep of the drugged), so the website progress has been slowed (the time I usually work at it, I am looking after my baby so my wife can have well-deserved naps). I have still managed to get my writing in, though not at the rate I was previously. As my health picks up, so will the pace.

And could that paragraph have more parentheses in it?

Despite the slow-down, I have reached the half-way point on the fourth draft of the playscript I am adapting from a classical novel, and the work on Cold Magics is coming along nicely. I am hoping to have the first draft done sometime in the new year, say about March or so.

Of course, everytime I set myself such deadlines I invariably over-run them, so don't anyone hold their breath. It's strange, really. When I am working for deadlines outside of my own, I am usually on top of them.

Back to the writing. More later.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Friends in Good Places

A note of thanks to The Green Knight who has added me to his list of Darn Good Blogs. Having been a long-time visitor to his Blog, I will hope to be up the standard. For those of you who don't know him, I suggest you have a look. He has very good insight into politics, religion, human behaviour, and the art of obfuscation as practiced by governments, corporations, and others who don't want you to know what's going on.

I will be putting my own list of websites and Blogs up at some point, but right now I've got to finish my own website first. Rest assured, though, that the Green Knight will be on the list.

And now, having done very little this weekend, I want to get a couple of pages written before part two of Farscape: the Peacekeeper Wars comes on (Yes, I am a geek; look at what I write).

More later.

Monday, October 03, 2005

Website Work

Right now I am building the website to promote my book (soon to be books, I hope). It will have a link to this blog, because the cost of having a blog on your website is more than I'm willing to pay before I start making some actual money off the whole publishing thing.

Building the website has been fun. I had to teach myself Dreamweaver, which I highly recommend. The tutorial is good, the system pretty easy to use. My website's still a fair way from being ready, but I'm hoping to have it up in a month.

The next step will be learning HTML code, which I will also apply to prettifying this blog. Nice as it is, it could use some personal touches.

Meanwhile, it's late, and I have some writing to do before I sleep.

I'll write again soon.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Welcome to the Broken Quill

This is the Blog of fantasy writer Erik Buchanan (hence the URL). My first novel, Small Magics, is soon to be released by Dragon Moon Press.

The name "The Broken Quill" is a reference to a student tavern in the city of Hawksmouth, where part of the action of Small Magics takes place.

There will be more posting in the near future as I discuss the launch of my website--soon to be found at www.erikbuchanan.ca (it's not up yet, so don't bother looking), the development of other books and projects, and, of course, the release party for Small Magics.

I'll write again soon.

Free Blog Counter