Mercury Rising

Ahhhhhhhhhh.

For the first time in what seems like forever the temperature has moved to the happy side of zero.  It's 3 degrees Celsius right now and the forecast promises to hover around the freezing point for the next week or so.  You know it has been a long, cold winter when dancing around the freezing point is something to look forward to.

I gave Root of Evil a day to stew and have been going through it looking for typos and opportunities to make the flow and cadence run a little more naturally.  Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the result.  A little more clean-up and I'll send it out into the world.

I've now written two scary stories in the last little while and I have been looking toward the British markets.  Not only does the UK seem to grasp horror stories more readily but they tend to pay more.  Short horror stories in North America tend to get a price from anywhere from about 1/2 cent per word up to as high a 8 or 10 cents a word.  The UK pays about the same per word but here's the thing - their pennies are worth twice as much.  I haven't decided where I'll be sending Root of Evil but Britain certainly has its advantages.

Next up is rxpanding Patriot to novel length- to start, anyway.  I'll try alternating between The Witch and Patriot but I'm dubious how successful that will be.  We'll see.

Brass Monkey Weather...Over?

As my father used to say, the last week or so has been real "brass monkey weather" but it looks as if the worst is over for now.  

After several days of missing her, the kids at my childrens' school were overjoyed that Willow accompanied us today.  Most of last week we drove to school - the windchill was just too much for a couple of young children (and to be honest, too much for the guy typing this post).  The dog seemed pretty happy to be the recepient of all that attention, too.

Root of Evil is coming along nicely.  I have written some of the most gruesome discriptive passages I've ever seen, but that's as it should be.  I have also learned a great deal about dentistry in general and learning new things is always a blast.  I hope to finish Root of Evil today or tomorrow.

Back at it...

The Big Chill

It is cold outside - the coldest it's been this year (granted, the year is only 14 days old).  The little gadget in the corner of my screen tells me it's -13 Celsius in Guelph but having just walked the dog I just know it's colder - windchill and all that, I'm sure.

I have fired off my application for the MFA program and now I wait to see how I'm spending my days come September.  Thanks to those who vouched for me.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Root of Evil is open on the other screen just waiting to be worked on but Patriot keeps catching my eye and I find myself reviewing select parts of it to scope out places for improvement.  I thought the original manuscript was pretty damn good but the perspective I've gained from letting it sit for a while has really shown me how much better it can be.  

I also need to pass along my secret, guilt pleasure.  I love Stephen King - not everything - he's written some real dogs, but I am always impressed by the storytelling, if not always the story.  He has written an excellent book, On Writing, which I recommend to anyone.  For Christmas I received his latest soft cover, Duma Key and I find it engaging.  Duma Key has been eating up my writing time but no more - I'll finish it tonight!

Must get back to work...

 

I'm going to get back to Root of Evil and see if I can put it to bed.