In one of those spooky coinkidink situations not only was there the start of a new series on Queen Elizabeth (I) but a programme on prime numbers on BBC 4 this week.
The prime programme was interesting, if so full of juvenile analogy that the science was lost. I mean suddenly we're taling about Riemann and a landscape, no explanation of where this landscape came from (I assume, right now, that it is some geometric function). Then at the 'sea level' of zero points all the prime numbers appear in a straight line. So I can find prime numbers on the coast of Scottish sea lochs, can I? Bloody Slartibartfart was a cunning soul.
It was fascinating to find that primes group together rather like the energy levels in heavy atoms like Uranium. You know explosive elements like Uranium. Prime numbers, the fundamental building blocks of the mathematical universe are like explosive atom energy levels. Boom. I laughed for hours.
Now I'm seeing prime's everywhere. Even Hal Duncan was having rpoblems with a TV game show and for a few minutes I thought the supposed answer was a prime. This is getting a bit like one of those Lovecraft stories with a solitary scholar and non-Euclidian geometry. (I guess if it can create landscapes with prime sea levels...)
Friday, September 30, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Focus
I learned, later yesterday, that all it takes is focus. I put up an umbrella to shield me from the raining memes - No, it wasn't a tin foil hat. Remember, I know where you live - and got down to some work.
Instead of trying to multitask, I worked on Herne's Brigade (The WWII/pagan script). Started to look at character histories. Man, it's all very well saying that X was in WWI, but do you know what regiment, where did it see action? Which then means you need to decide where they where born, rather than it be a vague thing.
For instance the specific Riding in Yorkshire determines if it was the Queens' Own Dragoons, or the King's Own Light Infantry. That's the easy bit. Were they a regular or a volunteer, so which battalion where they in, and where did they see service before the war. Only a brave man with Google and Wikipedia in hand wades into that fray lightly.
Thankfully, I know people who know far more about this than I ever will, especially from browsing. But the story seeds from arbitrarily deciding someone was from York and thus probably saw service in Mesopotamia...delicious.
I love it when a plot comes together.
Instead of trying to multitask, I worked on Herne's Brigade (The WWII/pagan script). Started to look at character histories. Man, it's all very well saying that X was in WWI, but do you know what regiment, where did it see action? Which then means you need to decide where they where born, rather than it be a vague thing.
For instance the specific Riding in Yorkshire determines if it was the Queens' Own Dragoons, or the King's Own Light Infantry. That's the easy bit. Were they a regular or a volunteer, so which battalion where they in, and where did they see service before the war. Only a brave man with Google and Wikipedia in hand wades into that fray lightly.
Thankfully, I know people who know far more about this than I ever will, especially from browsing. But the story seeds from arbitrarily deciding someone was from York and thus probably saw service in Mesopotamia...delicious.
I love it when a plot comes together.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Primero!
Still lost in the quagmire of no job. However, I do have ideas, millions of them, bombarding me like rays from some superhero-generating freak experiment gone wrong.
The downside of this is the sublime torture of taking them and turning them into something useful. This is why I stopped trying to write SF - I had the Idea, but the resulting story was just Idea and little stick figures worshipping it in dark Cthonic meaningless gibberish chant.
For a real writer it isn't the having Ideas, it is doing something worthwhile with them, that is the measure. This is where sitting with other human beings (preferably in a warm pub) comes in handy. I haven't seen another human being since last Tuesday. Anyway...
So I have the Idea for a book Primed, the one with Dee and Prime numbers and golems and World War II and I discovered that there is even a game I can use in my opening Dr No pastiche called...Primero! I love how these things come together - but then I just am stuck on a plot for the next 100K words.
I have an Idea for a World War II set TV series (always handy to use the same research twice I think), a Robin of Sherwood meets Secret War type thing. Got the top level arc, and even some of the smaller plot details. I sit down to do an outline for episode 3 (it is, so the received wisdom goes, better to pitch a mid episode than a pilot) and >bang< it all goes blank.
I decide to start work on a kind of prequel short story to Enoch's Vault called Clatty Pat's Needle, which is about my detective Alex McEwan looking into a shooting next to an obelisk in Glasgow*, and how the obelisk is actually sovereign territory for an African state...And I can do all that, but there's no plot...argghh.
That's before I even start on investigating the bottle of Nelson's Blood rum...which, you know, isn't sitting in a cupboard in my flat.
Its not so much writer's block and writer's white noise.
*It should be noted that there isn't actually an obelisk like this in Glasgow (that I know of), which is kinda part of the point of the story.
The downside of this is the sublime torture of taking them and turning them into something useful. This is why I stopped trying to write SF - I had the Idea, but the resulting story was just Idea and little stick figures worshipping it in dark Cthonic meaningless gibberish chant.
For a real writer it isn't the having Ideas, it is doing something worthwhile with them, that is the measure. This is where sitting with other human beings (preferably in a warm pub) comes in handy. I haven't seen another human being since last Tuesday. Anyway...
So I have the Idea for a book Primed, the one with Dee and Prime numbers and golems and World War II and I discovered that there is even a game I can use in my opening Dr No pastiche called...Primero! I love how these things come together - but then I just am stuck on a plot for the next 100K words.
I have an Idea for a World War II set TV series (always handy to use the same research twice I think), a Robin of Sherwood meets Secret War type thing. Got the top level arc, and even some of the smaller plot details. I sit down to do an outline for episode 3 (it is, so the received wisdom goes, better to pitch a mid episode than a pilot) and >bang< it all goes blank.
I decide to start work on a kind of prequel short story to Enoch's Vault called Clatty Pat's Needle, which is about my detective Alex McEwan looking into a shooting next to an obelisk in Glasgow*, and how the obelisk is actually sovereign territory for an African state...And I can do all that, but there's no plot...argghh.
That's before I even start on investigating the bottle of Nelson's Blood rum...which, you know, isn't sitting in a cupboard in my flat.
Its not so much writer's block and writer's white noise.
*It should be noted that there isn't actually an obelisk like this in Glasgow (that I know of), which is kinda part of the point of the story.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
A slight case of progress
After four months of 'employment' ie I was chained to a company but not being paid, I have finally been made redundant, after I begged for it. Yep, four months of worse than slavery (a slave at least gets shelter and food in return for their labour). I can now claim on my insurances and get benefit from the government while I seek a new job.
I have been witholding my labour for about 2 of those months. But really I could no longer afford to go to work on my own savings. This would have been so much easier to bear if I had been on the dole for four months, as I would have had some income and the insurance and my savings. But I've exhausted my contingency money just getting here. I can only thank the people who have supported me this far - even if it was just a coke down the pub - it's made a difference, believe me.
Now all I need is a new job, very very soon. Last time I was unemployed was exactly, down to the day, two years ago. It lasted about six weeks. I had only just come close to recovering from that; the not being paid for the three months that followed me being 'employed' and the year of half-time and reduced pay I'd been through before that. It occured to me that in my whole working career I have only worked for one company that was making money - Guinness, my first proper job, seven years ago.
Still I did have time to finish a re-draft.
I have been witholding my labour for about 2 of those months. But really I could no longer afford to go to work on my own savings. This would have been so much easier to bear if I had been on the dole for four months, as I would have had some income and the insurance and my savings. But I've exhausted my contingency money just getting here. I can only thank the people who have supported me this far - even if it was just a coke down the pub - it's made a difference, believe me.
Now all I need is a new job, very very soon. Last time I was unemployed was exactly, down to the day, two years ago. It lasted about six weeks. I had only just come close to recovering from that; the not being paid for the three months that followed me being 'employed' and the year of half-time and reduced pay I'd been through before that. It occured to me that in my whole working career I have only worked for one company that was making money - Guinness, my first proper job, seven years ago.
Still I did have time to finish a re-draft.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Alternative ending
I just finished the latest draft, within my deadline. I put on a big push over the last couple of days. Of course I realise now you never truly _finish_ a book, merely stop working on it.
I made it to 91,000 words. About 11K short of what I wanted, but I'm much happier with this draft than the last one. I still need to read through the third section. Make those edits and then read through the whole thing.
Then I think I'll see what the GSFWC make of it. Poor souls. Who knows what I'll do after that. My main problem right now is a lack of a laser printer. A 400 page novel on ink-jet printing - it'll take a week and about a gallon of ink ;-)
I made it to 91,000 words. About 11K short of what I wanted, but I'm much happier with this draft than the last one. I still need to read through the third section. Make those edits and then read through the whole thing.
Then I think I'll see what the GSFWC make of it. Poor souls. Who knows what I'll do after that. My main problem right now is a lack of a laser printer. A 400 page novel on ink-jet printing - it'll take a week and about a gallon of ink ;-)
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