S.E. Woods

Look at this. "Silk and Glass" finally sees press!

I took a look of the artwork, which I'm quite happy with, as it got the most important elements of the story in. Also read the excerpt. Yipes, what a wordy writer I was in 2002! Ah well, glad to see it published at last.

Thanks to ffoeg for giving me the heads-up on this.

I've lived in the money-pit for four years, and have voted in every election. Crickets have been chirping whenever I've gone into our town's single voting location.

This morning I had to wait 10 minutes (I know, not much, but you have to realize my town's population equals Wasilla's, so this is a big deal!) The neatest part was that the people in line were from all walks of life; the lady in front of me had her Dunkin Donuts uniform on, my husband and I had the engineer dress, the guy behind us was in an expensive trench coat and suit. I could go on and on about the different things I saw -- UPS uniforms, etc, etc, but I think you get the idea.

It was wicked cool.

Even though I have been totally defunct in the submitting department the last year and a half, I have a story coming out in Electric Velocipede Issue #14 at Wiscon. It is the all female author issue, in which I share the TOC with two others from my former writing group, affinity8 and jenwrites. Pretty cool, huh?

The story is called "Bull" and is about Tennessee Claflin, a rather obscure historical figure who I find fascinating because she was no lily-white saint. (Her sister, Victoria Woodhull, is more well known due to her brief run for the presidency in 1872.) Despite the timeliness of the story's subject in regards to current events, I'm afraid I have to admit it was written way back in 2002, and that I never expected it to be published. It is completely different from anything I have ever written. I also confess I like it. Hope others do, too.

But the reason I wrote this entry is another publication I've been waiting for. A long time. I wrote it in 2002, submitted it in 2003, and got an acceptance from Black Gate for it in 2004. Black Gate pays at acceptance, which is nice, but four years seems like a long time, doesn't it? What's the longest people have waited for a story to get published? I'm really in no rush, since I'm not producing any new short stories at the moment, but I'm curious. I know you folks have waited for years for such things.

And I am stunned to discover my house is on it! I live nearly 40 miles from Boston! They went down our little cul-de-sac -- you can see our BBQ in the back and everything. Oy. I'm not sure how to react to that.

you spend an afternoon of your vacation at the American Classic Arcade Museum. All the quarter-machines of your youth together (and still just a quarter to play!) in a room pumped with pre-1987 pop-music. I spent an inordinate amount of time at my all-time favorite (Tempest) but also sampled Star Castle, Asteroids, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Galaxia, Q-bert, Tetris, Scramble (D's favorite) and a Star Trek Next Generation pinball machine that was quite entertaining. (When you encountered the Borg, up to four balls started bouncing around at once. "I sense you wish to continue" Troi intoned whenever it prompted me for more tokens. Which, I admit, was fairly often.)

I'm afraid I was never a fan of Frogger, Centipede or Pac-Man, but they were available. Plus countless others that were either not memorable or a big let down. (I forgot how much the submarine one ("Destroyer"?) sucked.) My grand conclusions:

1) It was a lot of fun, but I doubt I'll be back, unless I was accompanying a person my age coming for the first time and could witness their gleeful first hour of running around and crying "Defender! Oh my god, do you know how much money I wasted on that!"
2) Those machines were built for the average height of a young teenage boy. Needless to say, the last time I played one was long before I reached six feet. I felt like a giant hunched over a couple of them.
3) Wow -- those 8-bit graphics are shockingly primitive looking.
4) In relation to that, the games made up for their lack of graphics with cleverness. Many modern video games (and movies for that matter) are so caught up with showing off the effects that they can do, they lose track of making the game (or the story) intriguing.
5) Tempest is still a pretty cool game, but I found Star Castle more fun.
6) Zaxxon, despite bravely venturing into the world of 3-D, was not very good.
7) There was a surprisingly wide demographic of people in attendance (with a male/female ration far less than I expected.) Their one common trait? Their age. I have a feeling anyone born after, say, 1975, would find this place very boring. Or, at the very least, odd.
8) Yes, I know all these games are available online or all bundled into a joystick, etc.,etc. -- but it is not the same!

So, my only New Year resolution was to stop goofing off on the internet so much, which has meant no LJ. (I still read the Times and PhD comics, but that's about it.) It has been rather sobering to realize how much of my LJ posting and reading was dependent on that goof-off time, because I haven't really looked at it at all since my last post. However, hearing through email of sallytuppence's jaw-dropping book deal (which shouldn't surprise anyone who has read her stuff) and that nojojojo is NY-bound, I came back to peek. Congrats to both!

So, before I disappear again, ( a not-so-brief summary of what's up )

My "bright" idea: Stay late at work so I can finish my homework without distractions.

Result: Oh, you're still here? Can you look at this? Mind if this meeting holds over a few minutes? What's you're opinion on using this library for this project? Do you have a moment...

New bright idea: Go home.

End is in sight. Someday soon, I hope, I'll talk about writing here again!

After the gross consumerism-air of my last couple of entries, I feel the need to donate to another charity for Christmas. I really wonder about this journal, sometimes. It makes it sound like all I do is buy stuff, and there is nothing I like less than shopping.

And the race filled up in 3 hours before I could register. Foo.

I just need to get through these two weeks. Repeat, I just need...

So, after talking to the super-nice folks at an unfinished furniture place in Medway, and realizing that once I stained and finished the desk it was going to be several hundreds dollars over my budget, I went to Ikea. Long story short, I bought pretty much exactly what I needed and had enough money left over for a lamp and a couple of nice dinners with wine. All hail the Swedes.

I don't regret the search. ( Some notes about cool unfinished furniture places in the Boston area )

So, in addition to the other projects-in-progress we have about the house, we have Ikea's stack-o-boxes in one room, waiting to be assembled. I have a lot of homework (this semester has sucked,) and work has heated up enough that I can hardly find the time to check LJ. (The gall!) A couple of people are asking whether I want to sign up for this half-marathon today. It is tempting. I seem to be more disciplined about getting work done when I have a training schedule. The other half of me is screaming "Are you out of your mind? *Everything* is due in May!" (Also note, the two people who want to do this are A) a recently laid off buddy who doesn't have to worry about paying bills, and B) a sister who works three days a week.)

It's still tempting.

Again, I just have to get through the next two weeks. Then a whole week off....

Hi all.

I'm in the market for a desk. For the first time in my life, that does not mean looking out for what's on the curb with a "Free" sign on it. However, since the house this desk is going to sit in still has some work needed, my budget is not limitless. I would like to spend less than $400.

I tend to like sleek contemporary, in wood. (Hey, why are you laughing at my budget?) Metal and cool colored plastics probably won't go with the 1960 atmosphere of our ranch. I hate-hate the bloated suburban styles with lots of carvings and drawers.

And it has to have a drawer for a keyboard.

I'm willing to stain it myself, so unfinished stores are a possibility.

Any suggestions where to look?

(I already tried the moving sale at this place down the street from where I work. A desk I liked was marked down 50% to a mere $1200.) Heh. Nice stuff, though.

I finally forced myself to go to a store yesterday. I hate shopping enough as it is--but it is even more painful these days. WTF is up with the sizing? I was trying on pants yesterday, and had to go down to a size 4 to find anything that fit right. Size 4! I'm a well proportioned six foot tall woman, for pete's sake, not a pixie. I am the same size as I was when I graduated from high school, and back then I was a size 12--maybe a size 10. Are people that neurotic about size numbers that they need to be soothed by this idiocy? And how far can they go? Apparently there are already Size Zeroes or Double Zeroes. Heck, let's just go into negative numbers. I think it would be a fitting symbol of the brain power involved in this practice.

Thankfully, I can still buy guys jeans, which are so much simpler. Here's the measurement and that's it. None of this wild guessing at the rack what could be right size.

Again, this entry has nothing to do with writing. There's a reason for that.

I know I've been quiet. Wish it was for something exciting, or that I've been wrapped up in producing dozens of stories--but alas, I've been busy with pretty boring things. School and the house.

But I do have a question for you all.

We are very close to finishing a room that is likely to become my office. (Just sanded the floors on Saturday. Horrible job. I have new respect for floor buffers--those things are tricky!) I have mixed feelings. The new room is

1) Very pretty
2) Sunny. (But I am never home when the sun is up these days.)
3) Has a door that closes

but

4) Doesn't have the view I have in the much more distracting location the computer sits in right now. (Which is open to three rooms in the house, including the kitchen and the location of the evil cube that plays DVDs.)

So, this is my question to anyone who cares to comment. Actually questions:

1) Do you always write in the same spot? Or a particular setting?
2) If so, is it secluded (a room you can close off) or somewhat open with other things going on?
3) When you decided to shift to this location/setting, did you notice a marked difference in your writing habits?

I'm not asking this in anticipation getting this office is going to help me write more. (That's totally up to me.) I'm just curious about people's habits and how important this is to them.

I had notes to fix the dreck story I had inflicted on my writing group this weekend. ("Hi guys, thanks for having me back! Here's a story with a totally unlikable protagonist and a twist ending. Enjoy!") As usual, they had plenty of good ideas. I'm going to try a quick fix on it, see what D. thinks of it, and either send it out or stuff it back in the drawer. (The drawer being the "Abandoned" file on my computer. A scary place--though parts of it have an air of tragedy. I hate good ideas that go nowhere.)

But, as I was saying, I was all ready to tackle this story (because I want to get it over with and start another one that's brewing) when D. pulled out Firefly. He had borrowed it from my sister because he wanted to watch it again. Oh, the will is so weak. Plopped myself right down next to him and watched it til way past my bedtime. I tell you, no discipline. And this is an easy week!

I've been LJ-post happy these last 24 hours, haven't I?

But I just heard that polls open at 7 AM tomorrow, so I can vote before getting on the train. Yes! Tuesday are often a busy day from me, and sometimes I'm stuck on the evening train that is due at my station at 7:30 but *stops* just before the platform to wait for another train to pass it. So now I don't have to nervously watch the time, wondering if I can make it before polls closes at 8 PM. (Actually, the train usually only stops for 60 seconds, not a half hour. But it is so annoying! I could walk home from the spot it waits at, but they don't let people off except at the station.)

So, to all those in Massachusetts (or Washington); vote tomorrow! And if you aren't registered, go do it so you can vote in November, when it really counts. (Yeah, I know--elections aren't exactly competitive in MA, but do it anyway. Learning about your local politics can be very enlightening.)

So, the writing group is okay with me coming back, so it is back to action on Sunday. Yay! Now, I need to get crackin on a new story. I have three ideas in notes form. Two are typical Sharon ideas--all setting and no plot. The third is a mystery, something I've been jonesing to try for awhile. I only worry it will get long. I'll have to give each a try and see which one clicks.

So, in one of my classes, we had to sign up to be discussion leader on certain pieces of literature. The teacher looked me right in the eye and said "Sharon! Why don't you sign up for October 28th? Great subject." With no syllabus in front of me (I hardly print anything out these days) I shrugged and said sure. Later, I found out the reading for that class. Antigone. Groan. I don't recall caring for that story. Hopefully, like many things I had to read in high school, I'll like it a lot better as an adult.

( Writing news. Short. )

The plaster turned white. It looks nice. Now we have to figure out what color to paint it.

We watched a snake climb up the bark of one of our oak trees today. Pretty facinating. We have lots of cool mushrooms in the yard, too. D. pointed out which ones are edible, but neither of us have worked up the nerve to try it yet. Mushroom poisoning sounds pretty brutal according to the books--takes days. Cut up a batch with some packaged spinach, perhaps?

This is a pretty silly entry. I better sign off.

Wet plaster smells like sodden paper towels. It also is the color of said sodden towels, not the pretty white I was daydreaming I'd come home from work to. No, the only thing white was the bill.

The plasterer said it would turn white when it dries. (Which takes a few days.) Here's to hoping.

In the meantime, the house smells, and is humid to boot because this stuff is drying. Wah.

I finished a revision draft tonight. (Good girl.) Only I managed to add another thousand words to a story that was already too long. (Bad girl.) I'm very tired, but pleased. The story finally works, in my mind, and now it is a matter of dressing the trimmings. Since I get up at 5 or 5:30, I usually don't stay up this late. It has been a long time since writing has kept me up. Feels good.

But, as I said, I am very tired. Good night.

I have a story that isn't horror, but definetely is dark, and have no idea where to send it next. It is another one of my no-magic fantasy stories. (A style I seem to be gravitating to a lot lately.) I was going to send it to Chizine, but honestly, I don't think it would be a good fit. (Not dark enough.) Any suggestions? Zines you've liked working with? I'm cool with the semi-pro $20-$50 per story market right now. (This is the mine story, if anyone remembers--though it has been heavily rewritten since I showed it to BASF.)

rudi sent me an email yesterday giving the heads up the Datlow/Gavin/Link edited Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthology was out, and that dbraum's editorial debut Spirits Unwrapped had done quite well. Three of the four stories were listed as Honorable Mentions, including "Follow Me, Flood." Follow Me, Flood! I am so pleased. Although I had a lot of fun writing it and was very fond of it, I was never really sure if anyone noted it. I re-read it last night just to remember it.

This is my first time getting an invite to the Honorable Mentions party. I was so tickled by the idea that my name was in the book store, I took a coffee break from work to go over and check. And, whoa, I was listed twice! "Harps of the Titans" got an Honorable Mention as well. Wow, 100% of my publications last year got HM's. One more kick in the pants to remind me I don't suck. And now I have something else to put in my query letters for novels. Squee!

So, to all my cool friends who have already graced this list, did you buy the anthology when you appeared in it the first time? I haven't yet, but I'm sorely tempted to. "Harps" was the story that convinced me I could write, way back when I wrote in January of 2002. I used to always joke the HM's were a ploy to get some more sales, but really, I can't help it. I'm proud of both those stories.

I didn't have much time to peruse the list, but congrats are due to affinity8, rudi and catherine_holm, and many others I surely missed flipping through the pages. dbraum also made it into the introductory overview, where Spirits Unwrapped was mentioned as an entertaining read with the theme of mummies. (BTW, you can still buy a copy of Spirits Unwrapped at Project Pulp. Check it out!)

So, whiny post two days ago worked. I am back on the rewrite. And in the first scene, troublesome protagonist is already a little different. Less passive. Maybe that's the key to getting this done; tackling the central problem from the get-go.

Also--news flash--writing is just like exercise. You can get soooo out of shape. Gasp.

And on the side, I started to the other novel idea. I am keeping it totally on a flash drive I keep in my pocket at work, and making it purely a "I have a free moment, let's have some fun" endeavor. So far I've only written 500 words--but that took me less than a half hour. I have no idea how it will go, but I think I naturally like having an open-ended project on hand while I work on a very structured one.

And no, I'm still not done with the short story revision. But I'm getting there. Just had a thought this week while working on the train how I can knock out a good 500-1000 words, thus getting it under 6000 words.

Oh, and my laptop is acting weird. I'm trying not to get twitchy...I really don't want to buy a new computer right now.