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Sunday 26th January, 2014

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Following today’s post about a new fictional world – or, at least, the new box to put my toys in – I thought I’d share my current list of projects to make up for the times when it looks like I’m doing nothing.

  1. A Pack Of Lies (Novel, Fur-Skins, Elkie 2), 1st draft – beta reading,
  2. Good Form (Practice script based on short story), 1st draft – stewing,
  3. An Invisible Tide (Short, sf), 2nd draft – beta reading,
  4. Untitled (Novella, R&D), 1st draft in progress,
  5. Untitled (Novella, R&D), notes,
  6. Brothers Under The Skin (Novel, Fur-Skins, Elkie 3), notes,
  7. Into The Greenwood / Queen of Fools? (Novel, fantasy), notes,

I’m about three quarters of the way through the first draft of the first R&D “Untitled” on my list. But I really do very little writing. I just peck away at it when I can, which is why things take a while to emerge in final copy.

My “to be rewritten” mountain is a similar length, if I keep it down to the work I’m intending to read through and then make a decision on this year – maybe even redo, time allowing:

You may recognise some of those from when I first got into writing with intent – back in 2007, no less. I suspect some of them count towards the first however many hundred thousand words that are supposed to be total crap. Some chunks of those are total crap but I want to see if there’s anything worth salvaging.

Sunday 21st February, 2010

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My latest piece of smithing work and some writing news.

Dinky Knife

Dinky Knife

If you’re on Facebook (my profile: [External Link]) or Twitter (ditto: [External Link]) you may have already seen other photos of the dinky knife displayed on the left. It isn’t sharp, was never intended to be and is only about 5cm long in real life. I have a thing about the curved handle / tang of the medieval pattern that this and a previous not-knife were based on. Expect to see more of them over time. One day, I will make the perfect knife-shaped pendant!

This one is wrought iron pattern-welded with hardened steel (a farrier’s rasp, in fact). The pattern-welding was probably the most time consuming part taking a couple of hours, not including breaks. The shaping of the tang only took about half an hour and the polishing and final shaping of the blade were maybe an hour. The more practised guys at Cold Hanworth Forge [External Link] can probably do it in an hour and a half.

I confess I had originally intended to work on something more impressive – or at least longer. I hope to one day make my own training blades and need to work on drawing metal out longer and learning more about the suitable kind of metals. But we wimped out and decided to work on one of my other metalworking obsession, instead. (The other one is flowers, by the way, and I should be learning how to make roses on my next visit.)

My writing is actually a lack of update. Specifically, I’ve removed what I had labelled as World: The Virtues [currently tagged as the “Virtuous World” – JT 30/09/2011] from the site, along with the 7 stories I had posted here. That particular set of ideas has been mothballed. It may be resurrected at a later date. I am working on some new flash fiction for the site, though, so expect to see that some time in March.

While I’m mentioning future updates, some of you may also have noticed that promised genealogy updates haven’t appeared. There are some changes to be made to CHARLESWORTH, CUTTS and TABERNER families but I’m taking my time over them. In the main it’s minor additions of individuals and dates so it shouldn’t change the structures much. The updates will appear eventually.

Sunday 12th July, 2009

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A brief diary entry today. Just my latest metalwork and the new story!

Flower on Red Background

Flower Sculpture on Red Background

So that part finished thing I showed you, looks a little something like this, these days. I finished it at Cold Hanworth Forge [External Link] yesterday. It is best described as a (structural) flower sculpture as it’s not intended to look like any real flowers out there!

The fourth and final instalment of the Dwarvish Virtues, is now on the web-site. You can now breathe a sigh of relief!

Sunday 5th July, 2009

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Hey up! I hope the Americans among you had a good Independence Day yesterday.

“So, how did Shelter From The Storm go?” I hear no-one cry. (Just because you’re not curious doesn’t mean I’m not going to bang on about it.) The answer is: very well, I think. I’ve had some good feedback from those who were involved in performing and the people I dragged to see it. A re-draft is now in the offing, of course. I’m new to the “medium of stage” so there were some issues that are simple clumsiness and can be fixed, having seen more about how it works. More news, even if you aren’t interested, as and when.

The third instalment of the Dwarvish Virtues, is now on the web-site. Fourth and final part / story (Truth) should be up next week.

I’ve also updated my HOPKINSON data, so you may want to have a quick browse through that.

Sunday 28th June, 2009

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In terms of web-site updates, just the one piece of news: the addition of new story. The other very important thing is the reminder that Shelter From The Storm is being performed on Friday.

Work In Progress

Work In Progress

I’ve been at Cold Hanworth Forge [External Link] again this Saturday and I’m part way through making this (see picture). I’ll admit to what it is when I’m finished. Assuming it looks like it’s supposed to. Back to web-site news, though.

Temperance, the second Dwarvish Virtue, part of the Virtuous world, is now on the web-site. Story the Third (Courage) should be up next week.

I’m still doing a few genealogy tweaks, but I hope to have a few updates next week, by the way.

And, finally, the important bit! Shelter From The Storm is being performed on Friday 3rd July at Hull Truck Theatre [External Link] as part of the inaugural Find Your Voice night. Information on how to get tickets (if you’re in the Hull area and interested) can be found on their web-site. Shelter From The Storm is part of my New Dryas world.

Sunday 26th April, 2009

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The final part of my The Elvish Virtues trilogy is now up and running. Once again, Charity is about 7 000 words or 31 pages long, so you may want to print it out if you don’t like reading from a screen. You can breathe easy now, no more fantasy will be inflicted on you until I’ve de-fleaed and wormed the dwarves. (In about a month’s time, I guess.)

And another bit of news: Yahoo will be closing down Geocities – or, at least, the free part – some time this year. So the web-site is moving in the next few months. It all depends on how quickly I can put in the design tweaks I’m working on. I may just give in and go blog. The new site will be at www.journeymouse.net [External Link]. There’s a place holder there at the moment.

Sunday 19th April, 2009

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As promised, Hope (The Elvish Virtues, part 2). As with Faith, it’s about 7 000 words or 31 pages long, so you may want to print it out if you don’t like reading from a screen. Charity, the last of the three, will be up next week. The dwarves will eventually be following suite, but I’ll be giving you some time off for good behaviour in between.

Sunday 12th April, 2009

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Two bits of writing news today. First off, I’ve finally got round to putting my elf stories on-line. Or, at least, I’ve put the first of the three up. Faith is about 7 000 words or 31 pages long, so you may want to print it out if you don’t like reading from a screen. Hope will be up next week. (Poor you!)

Secondly, I’ve had the opportunity to read through a proof / draft of Straying From the Path (the anthology from Drollerie Press [External Link] that contains my story The Big, Bad Wolf). I don’t have a firm date, but I think we can expect it very soon.

Sunday 22nd February, 2009

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Not a lot to report this week, but I guess I ought to give you a quick run-down of the various writing projects. So:

The Big, Bad Wolf / Straying From the Path is still missing in action (and removed from the Soon to be Published list). Hopefully, I’ll be able to let you know a definite publication date soon.

No news on submitted projects. No news is good news, with luck!

Iron Hand is more-or-less on hold while I consider what to do with the “prequel” White Heart. I’m wondering if, once White Heart has had a bit more care, I should leave the rest of the trilogy until I’ve re-homed or got some advice. They’re intended to be fairly complete in themselves, so it’s not like my characters are in limbo or the story half-told.

City of Dreams is limping along, mainly due to the distractions of real life. I’m about 7 chapters through what will probably be a 15 chapter novella. I hope to get chapter 8 written today. Not as hard as it sounds as the chapters are all about 2,000 words. But what am I going to do with it when I’ve finished it? Can anyone recommend a good home for an (about) 30,000 word story?

And two new projects that will eventually find their way onto the Available from this Site list have insisted on being started this week: Friday Night / Saturday Morning and Simulacrum as they are currently known.

Sunday 10th August, 2008

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Just the usual. And a note.

Something that didn’t make it on to the Writing: Projects page last week was my brief attempt at re-homing Elvish Virtues: Faith. The story was sent out mid-week and was back in the kennel by Saturday. As the editor helpfully pointed out, re-homing elves can be hard work as they’re a bit common these days. Which means that writers have to prove that (with links that may explain this all):

But you know what? I’m lazy. And my elves, although somewhat evil and therefore second category, are not so well written that I’m going to have an easy time rehoming them. So I have a cunning plan. And this is your advance warning.

Once the last of the Elvish Virtues (Charity) has made it through the Critters’ [External Link] queue, my pets will be unleashed on this web-site. This should be in the next six months or so. The dwarves may eventually follow them. Yes, I know it goes against my more normal pursuit of the “almighty dollar” – or at least recognition – but hey, it’s all basically background material for the main Hound of Kern trilogy. In fact, they did start out as me hammering out “historic” Elvish characters and some back story. You have been warned!