[Caitlin]

Well, we're back from our month-long odyssey to the east coast of Canada. The real, true east coast: Newfoundland, which is nearly equidistant between mainland Canada and Ireland. It was a fine trip for the first 3.75 weeks: we spotted whales, jellyfish, collected stones from the beach, saw seals and brightly coloured starfish. And visited with the kids' paternal grandparents. Then, a week ago today, my elder daughter Emma (who's nearly 6) was bitten on the face by her grandfather's dog - a sweet, corpulent, 10-year-old black lab who happened to be sleeping when Emma tried to pet her. Emma ended up with puncture wounds to chin, cheek and neck; her upper lip was split to just beneath her nose; and two teeth (baby teeth, thank god) were knocked out. Two more teeth will likely follow any day now. Her stitches came out two days ago: the swelling's down, she can speak and eat and drink again, etc. I think I'm the one with the post traumatic stress issues.

So. Here I am at home, attempting to shift from freak-out to normal modes. Part of that shift will, I think, be accomplished on this forum (but no pressure! ;)). I really, really need to return to writing, and thinking about writing, and writing about writing.

I wanted to thank those who've visited my forum while I've been away, too. Particular mentions to Miriamele and Duanawitch for their reviews/comments, and to KatG for her wonderful mini-review of Telling on the Fantasy board. Warms my heart!

So now back to our regularly scheduled program. I'm going to apply myself to, um, thinking about thinking about writing. Or something. And hopefully post a pithy comment or query sometime soon!

[Miriamele]

Sounds like you and the family had an absolutely lovely vacation, up until your daughter's being bitten. If that had been my daughter I would have freaked out. Things like that are probably worse for the parents than the child!

I sincerely hope Emma is feeling well again. Kids are amazing in how quickly they bounce back from stuff like that--unlike us old fogeys who never get over our injuries. :)

Anyway, glad to see you back Caitlin!

[alison]

Hi Caitlin - sounds like an interesting holiday - ! Yes, freaking is usually the province of the parent... I'm back too, after six weeks mainlining poetry in the UK. I had a fantastic time, and am still jetlagged after the interminable flight home - so happy to be back, but sorry to leave all that fun behind!

[Caitlin]

I'm back too, after six weeks mainlining poetry in the UK.
I didn't think that was legal in the UK! ;)

Where did these nefarious poetic activities occur? Nowhere near the London Underground, I assume...

Glad you had such a good time, Alison. Welcome back, us!

And Miriamele: I very much did freak out, at the moment of. It's an interesting cycle, though: as an parent, you freak out initially, then pull it together quite quickly for the sake of the child, who of course is going to follow your lead. Then, days later, the child has pulled it together and you're desperately trying to follow her lead. Yup: very interesting.

I'm still thinking of a pithy new thread to start. I'll accept help with this. Anyone? Anyone?

[Hobbit]

Pithy new thread?

Well, I was going to suggest that traditional new-start essay, 'What I Did on my Holidays'; but you seem to have covered that one. ;)

If it helps it's been my experience that kids readjust themselves much more to events like the horrendous one you describe usually faster than the grown ups - commiserations to all though.

How about 'thinking of writing'. Whilst aware that there may be works in the pipeline, Is there anything you would really like to try writing that you haven't so far?

Hobbit

[alison]

Where did these nefarious poetic activities occur? Nowhere near the London Underground, I assume...



I was in Cork when the bombings happened, but those are all the parts of London I know and love well. I was at Kings Cross last week, when they were laying the wreaths. I've never seen so many policemen in one place...

The poetry was in Cork and Cambridge mostly, though there were drunken sightings in Sheffield and London as well. If you are reaalllly nice I'll give you the url to some truly dreadful candid shots of the degenerate goings on in Cork, which was a week-long fest of solid poetry and serious drinking, an amazing line up of top contemporary innovative poets from all over the place... What a week! (Respectable shots here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ktuma/page7/)). Also an amazing week at a symposium at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, which involved 40 writers from all over the place - Estonia, Kurdistan, Hungary, Barbados, Israel, Palestine - fantastic stuff. Now back to my desk, thinking about all the work I have to do - an ms from Candlewick with the copy edit for The Riddle, which I have to go through carefully, and then the rewrite of The Crow...and then there are all the poems I want to write...

But I am egocentrically talking about me. Must be the jetlag. :(

[Caitlin]

If you are reaalllly nice I'll give you the url to some truly dreadful candid shots of the degenerate goings on in Cork, which was a week-long fest of solid poetry and serious drinking
OK - I've seen the respectable shots (the one of Trevor's kitchen, with its mass of beer cans, does evoke a sense of the carouse - but a wan, morning-after kind of sense). Now it's time to be reaallly nice. How, exactly, shall I go about this? Perhaps I could download a winsome, eye-batting emoticon?

I must say, at this point, that the convergence of Cork, poets, and alcohol seems highly unlikely. ;)

But I am egocentrically talking about me. Must be the jetlag. :(
Come now! I requested information; you gave it; it was interesting information; you expanded upon it. Exactly what was called for. (This is more me being super nice.)

Hobbit: I'm processing your question and will try to answer it before my bedtime.

[Caitlin]

I'm on a roll! Look out!

Is there anything you would really like to try writing that you haven't so far?A short story. Not a whole bunch: just one would do. I haven't read that many genre short stories, but I've been immensely impressed by the ones I have read. It's such a rite of passage for the sf/f writer, honing the short story form - and it's something I've never, ever done. I always seem to think in novel-sized chunks. Several people have told me that writing short stories based on a novel that's in development can often help with said novel development. I haven't seen any need to experiment with this idea, until now. I think I'm going to need to do some serious exploring of my next book's setting before I sit down to actually start the book, and I think the short story is the way to do this. (I also had a sort-of commission for a short story awhile ago. It would be nice not to feel totally useless when faced with such a request.)

Anyone else out there use short stories as an entree into the world of a novel? Anyone else as feeble as myself in the short story arena? Any and all advice will be appreciated!

[Hobbit]

Thank you for the prompt reply, Caitlin. That's an interesting idea. Though I'm not an expert, I have heard it said that writers are warned that short stories use up ideas fast: though there is less depth, you need to entertain in less space - the difficulties in writing are to do that in a limited space and yet still to get your idea/s across. As a stylistic challenge, they can be a breath of fresh air to a writer who is normally accustomed to novels.

Ted Chiang (Sf writer) is one of the few who seems to come across well in a short story form but hasn't yet made it in a novel sized piece - the alternate view is much more common.

They are less popular than they used to be, I think, though I have (as a reader) used them to try new places - off the top of my head, the Legends I and II books (edited by Robert Silverberg) have been sold as that, to some extent - primers for readers then to go and try other places.

So would you go for somewhere / something completely new, or something that would fill the gaps in your present books?

Hobbit

[KatG]

Usually, the spin-offs come after the writing of the novel when the author has a definite chunk that can stand separate from the rest. Especially if you're likely to be changing a lot of stuff in the novel later. A short story is an idea that then sticks to that idea and doesn't go meandering, which can be hard to pull out of a novel.

Another approach is to do a short story in the world of your novel that is not part of the actual novel. You may or may not use characters from the novel, but you use the setting or some aspect of it. This might help you figure out some things about the setting without having to worry about its place in the novel.

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and Realms of Fantasy if it's still around are good ones to look at for doing short fantasy fiction.