Welcome to the website of Barbara J. Webb
Below, please find links to some of my hobbies, projects, and friends.
Kittens, Rainbows, and Unicorns
Kittens, Rainbows, and Unicorns - LiveJournal.com
The art of the possible
Politics these days frustrate me. Humanity at large and how it responds to politics frustrates me.
But my friend Rob just made a very eloquent and well researched statement about lies being thrown out there into the ether. It's worth a read.
Freakangels
If you haven't seen Freakangels yet, and you like graphic novels, it's worth checking out. They just finished their first story arc and are about to put out a paper volume. It's post-apocalyptic fantasy and pretty cool.
The dragon says so.
Rain, rain, go away
The rain continues and is supposed to keep up solid through tomorrow as well. I guess we're on the edge of Hurricane Gustav, which I find fascinating. Strange to be that far south.
Today I discovered Zoe Keating, a cellist who does electronic music looping. It's really an amazing sound. There's a podcast interview with her, after which I went and purchased her album off iTunes. (She's on iTunes plus, so no icky DRM)
Sat on the porch a while this morning, watching the rain and reading. That was pretty cool. This afternoon I must do dishes and laundry. And, of course, write.
Wordcount on Pax continues to tick upwards. Even on the bad days, the numbers go up, so that's something.
And look: dragons!
On my own
So Seth took off today for a conference in Germany. He'll be gone a week and a half.
I'm too new to Arkansas. I don't have a routine, don't have places, don't have people. The apartment is quiet. It feels empty.
It's not like I don't spend all day alone in the house already, but the silence now has a different tone. It's more oppressive. Harder to work through. It's silence that will last till next Thursday, not silence that will disappear around six, so I'd better get my work done because there's going to be distractions in a few hours. It's silence without a deadline.
I go away all the time. I travel by myself. But then I'm the one out doing fun things, not wandering around an empty apartment that only just became home.
If we were still in Lawrence, I'd have any number of people I could call up, drag over to my house or go over to theirs or go out for pizza or movies or coffee.
Blah blah -- I know I'm being whiny. But it is what it is and I am who I am.
It's dark and rainy and I'm alone.
The angels of our better nature
Back to work on Pax after the GenCon interruption. I've settled into the 1000 words a day goal - 1200 was too much. It's not that there won't be days when I write 1200 or more, but on the bad days, I can't push more than 1000 out of my system.
More bad days on Pax than on St. Pete, but then with Pax's structure the beginning/introduction is much longer than it was with St. Pete, and I think I just have more trouble with those. The setup for the book is still a bit rough, with some potential logic flaws, but at least it's on the page now and on the page can be fixed.
I have people looking over my shoulder on this one now, so hopefully a little added guilt will keep me on track. I'd really like to have the first draft done by the end of October so I can enjoy my trip to World Fantasy Con without obsessing over the end.
Rachel is growing as a character -- enough that I'm going to have to seriously rewrite the first few scenes with her because she's just not that person anymore. I like her better now. Cade is going to have to bring the cool to stay ahead in the favorite character race, but he's got a tail, so that's a solid advantage from the start.
16,400 / 100,000
(16.4%)
While I ponder, my dragon army continues to grow.
Will this nightmare ever end?
So we finally found a table for the kitchen, although we had to compromise on the dropleafs. Vacuum also on its way. Art additions from GenCon on the way. How long before we're finally moved in? For real and done? Hopefully not much longer.
In the meanwhile, I leave you with Zifla proclaiming her superiority atop her kitty tower.
Funniest picture ever
At least, if you're as geeky as me.
Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24973901@N04/2762458387/sizes/o/
Home again
And worn out. A Gencon report tomorrow. Tonight, it's brownies and new couch and computer and kitty-cat.
Currently reading: Galen Beckett - The Magicians and Mrs. Quent
Happy panda
Some days, all I aspire to in life is to keep getting pedicures.
Teacher, mother, secret lover....
So I'm at my parents for a few days, where the TV is on pretty much every waking hour. This trip, it's tuned to the Olympics, which is fun and cool. I'm certainly enjoying watching the swimmers and gymnasts and cyclists and all the rest.
But I'm reminded why we don't have cable in our own house, or even an antenna to receive broadcast television. It's distracting.
Now, I'm not saying I never watch TV. I take advantage of Netflix, Hulu, and our own never-ending supply of Simpsons and Aaron Sorkin shows. When I'm playing video games, when I'm washing dishes, when I'm trying to calm my brain down for sleeping -- I find entertainment a plenty. But in between, in those many, many hours in a day I'm not doing these things, the house is silent.
I've learned I need the silence. In silence, my brain churns, and stories are born in brain-churn.
Here, it's hard to think. I'm trying to keep my daily wordcount going, but it becomes a challenge. I stopped yesterday's writing at a point I needed to consider what happened next -- I needed to give the story time to steep in my mind. As I take up my computer for today, I realize I haven't done any of the thinking I needed to do. And mostly, I blame the TV.
Tomorrow, at least, I have a hair appointment and a pedicure scheduled. Hopefully, that will offer the thinking-time I require,
Hatchlings!
Woo! My dragons hatched!
Now they just have to grow up.
Hanging out in Columbia. Dinner with Dave last night. Time in the hot tub tonight. Going to get a haircut and a pedicure sometime before we head off to GenCon. Just a nice, relaxing visit.
Lane made me do it!
The brownies I made this afternoon weren't exactly on the diet plan, but I've been craving chocolate and in the middle of tense scenes with Rachel, so I deserved them, dammit. Besides, Lane told me to.
As I prepare to leave for a week, I'm pleased with our living space. We put together a third bookcase tonight which should hold the rest of our books. For now, for a short while at least, every book in this house will have a shelf to live on. Now that I have the Kindle, it's possible we'll even be able to keep up with the shelf-to-book ratio.
The couch should come any day and I am questing the ends of the earth for a kitchen table. Apparently, I have peculiar tastes. I want a round, pedestal table with a natural finish and no drop-leaves. I'd also like it to be between 2 and 3 hundred dollars. I have no trouble finding a table if I leave out any one of these requirements, but am having an impossible time locating something that is exactly what I want. I found one -- ONE! -- but that store wouldn't even think of shipping before 4-6 weeks, and I'd like to be able to eat in our kitchen before 2009.
Ordered some blueberry plants and have my eye on a stacking herb garden and strawberry pots to order once I get back from Gencon. I will have plants!
My keyboard is set up and I'll be able to grab my piano music from Columbia this week. Excited to have that to fiddle around with again. Kitty tower is acquired and has become popular with the feline resident. Still lacking a couple more minor furniture touches, but otherwise, this apartment has evolved into home.
Currently reading: Lane Robins - Kings and Assassins (working title)
Because I bow to peer pressure....
Although I still don't understand exactly how this works. I guess people click on them?
GenCon approaches
It seems I only just got here, and now I'm looking forward to hitting the road again. GenCon is the first of two trips I had planned before I knew I'd be moving (World Fantasy Con being the second), and so travel is a little more awkward than it was originally. But this is a driving trip from Columbia, which is now twice as far away from me as it was in Kansas, so it just means I'll go up a few days earlier so I'm not spending quite as many hours on the road all at once. Seth will take me to Lebanon, MO-- about halfway -- where we'll have lunch with my grandfather and I'll connect with my mother so Seth can keep the car for the week I'll be gone. (And was that more detail than anyone really needed about my travel arrangements?)
It's been several years since I've gotten to GenCon, and I'm excited about it. Tons of people I'll get to see that I haven't in a while. Fun new products, no doubt. I have a pile of 4th ed questions built up I hope to get answered.
This year, I'm leaving my schedule open, not signing up in advance for anything. I expect to spend the majority of my days in the dealer room, looking around and reconnecting with artist friends on the floor. I'll probably sneak off to a panel or three to cheer on my writer friends. And somewhere in there, I will eat sushi. Plus, I imagine there will be drinking.
It's good to have these regular reminders of other people in the world. I don't know anyone here in Fayetteville yet, so easy to become a hermit.
Currently reading: Stephen King - Wolves of the Calla (on Kindle)
Jennifer Pelland - Unwelcome Bodies (on paper)
On Writing
COMMANDMENT was a chewy book, a difficult book, and my first book. Or at least, the first book I completed (not counting fan-fic). I wrote half-heartedly on it forever, picking at the edges. Once I was halfway in, I took a week off work, secluded myself at my grandparents' house, and wrote the last half in a blur. After it was done, I took a few days to feel good about it being done, then I realized it wasn't good. In fact, not only was it not good, it was not one book. So I ripped it in half, focused on the plotline involving my beloved gay lizard samurai's, and took it to workshop. After the feedback, over the course of the following few months, I completely rewrote it. Throughout this process, it continued to be difficult. COMMANDMENT was full of DEEP! IMPORTANT! themes. And angst. It was exhausting.
ST. PETERSBURG was a fluff book. Fun to write and (hopefully) fun to read. The words flowed from my fingers. I raced through it. I thought -- aha! I have conquered this novel beast.
PAX ANGELORUM is back to chewy. More DEEP! IMPORTANT! themes (in fact, possibly the exact same themes from COMMANDMENT, just with fewer tails). And I'm back to struggling. I'm still early in, still working on the beginning. In fact, because of the structure of this book, there are two beginnings, really (what the hell was I thinking?). I'm still driving this book -- it hasn't begun to drive me.
St. Pete was slow to start as well, but I settled into the characters very fast and things were off and rolling. The Pax characters and I are still getting to know each other. Still tentative around each other. But now I wonder if, once we're all settled in, this is going to be another easy one like St. Pete or a hard one like the lizards.
Newsfeed display by CaRP
Kittens, Rainbows, and Unicorns - LiveJournal.com
The art of the possible
Politics these days frustrate me. Humanity at large and how it responds to politics frustrates me.
But my friend Rob just made a very eloquent and well researched statement about lies being thrown out there into the ether. It's worth a read.
Freakangels
If you haven't seen Freakangels yet, and you like graphic novels, it's worth checking out. They just finished their first story arc and are about to put out a paper volume. It's post-apocalyptic fantasy and pretty cool.
The dragon says so.
Rain, rain, go away
The rain continues and is supposed to keep up solid through tomorrow as well. I guess we're on the edge of Hurricane Gustav, which I find fascinating. Strange to be that far south.
Today I discovered Zoe Keating, a cellist who does electronic music looping. It's really an amazing sound. There's a podcast interview with her, after which I went and purchased her album off iTunes. (She's on iTunes plus, so no icky DRM)
Sat on the porch a while this morning, watching the rain and reading. That was pretty cool. This afternoon I must do dishes and laundry. And, of course, write.
Wordcount on Pax continues to tick upwards. Even on the bad days, the numbers go up, so that's something.
And look: dragons!
On my own
So Seth took off today for a conference in Germany. He'll be gone a week and a half.
I'm too new to Arkansas. I don't have a routine, don't have places, don't have people. The apartment is quiet. It feels empty.
It's not like I don't spend all day alone in the house already, but the silence now has a different tone. It's more oppressive. Harder to work through. It's silence that will last till next Thursday, not silence that will disappear around six, so I'd better get my work done because there's going to be distractions in a few hours. It's silence without a deadline.
I go away all the time. I travel by myself. But then I'm the one out doing fun things, not wandering around an empty apartment that only just became home.
If we were still in Lawrence, I'd have any number of people I could call up, drag over to my house or go over to theirs or go out for pizza or movies or coffee.
Blah blah -- I know I'm being whiny. But it is what it is and I am who I am.
It's dark and rainy and I'm alone.
The angels of our better nature
Back to work on Pax after the GenCon interruption. I've settled into the 1000 words a day goal - 1200 was too much. It's not that there won't be days when I write 1200 or more, but on the bad days, I can't push more than 1000 out of my system.
More bad days on Pax than on St. Pete, but then with Pax's structure the beginning/introduction is much longer than it was with St. Pete, and I think I just have more trouble with those. The setup for the book is still a bit rough, with some potential logic flaws, but at least it's on the page now and on the page can be fixed.
I have people looking over my shoulder on this one now, so hopefully a little added guilt will keep me on track. I'd really like to have the first draft done by the end of October so I can enjoy my trip to World Fantasy Con without obsessing over the end.
Rachel is growing as a character -- enough that I'm going to have to seriously rewrite the first few scenes with her because she's just not that person anymore. I like her better now. Cade is going to have to bring the cool to stay ahead in the favorite character race, but he's got a tail, so that's a solid advantage from the start.
16,400 / 100,000
(16.4%)
While I ponder, my dragon army continues to grow.
Will this nightmare ever end?
So we finally found a table for the kitchen, although we had to compromise on the dropleafs. Vacuum also on its way. Art additions from GenCon on the way. How long before we're finally moved in? For real and done? Hopefully not much longer.
In the meanwhile, I leave you with Zifla proclaiming her superiority atop her kitty tower.
Funniest picture ever
At least, if you're as geeky as me.
Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24973901@N04/2762458387/sizes/o/
Home again
And worn out. A Gencon report tomorrow. Tonight, it's brownies and new couch and computer and kitty-cat.
Currently reading: Galen Beckett - The Magicians and Mrs. Quent
Happy panda
Some days, all I aspire to in life is to keep getting pedicures.
Teacher, mother, secret lover....
So I'm at my parents for a few days, where the TV is on pretty much every waking hour. This trip, it's tuned to the Olympics, which is fun and cool. I'm certainly enjoying watching the swimmers and gymnasts and cyclists and all the rest.
But I'm reminded why we don't have cable in our own house, or even an antenna to receive broadcast television. It's distracting.
Now, I'm not saying I never watch TV. I take advantage of Netflix, Hulu, and our own never-ending supply of Simpsons and Aaron Sorkin shows. When I'm playing video games, when I'm washing dishes, when I'm trying to calm my brain down for sleeping -- I find entertainment a plenty. But in between, in those many, many hours in a day I'm not doing these things, the house is silent.
I've learned I need the silence. In silence, my brain churns, and stories are born in brain-churn.
Here, it's hard to think. I'm trying to keep my daily wordcount going, but it becomes a challenge. I stopped yesterday's writing at a point I needed to consider what happened next -- I needed to give the story time to steep in my mind. As I take up my computer for today, I realize I haven't done any of the thinking I needed to do. And mostly, I blame the TV.
Tomorrow, at least, I have a hair appointment and a pedicure scheduled. Hopefully, that will offer the thinking-time I require,
Hatchlings!
Woo! My dragons hatched!
Now they just have to grow up.
Hanging out in Columbia. Dinner with Dave last night. Time in the hot tub tonight. Going to get a haircut and a pedicure sometime before we head off to GenCon. Just a nice, relaxing visit.
Lane made me do it!
The brownies I made this afternoon weren't exactly on the diet plan, but I've been craving chocolate and in the middle of tense scenes with Rachel, so I deserved them, dammit. Besides, Lane told me to.
As I prepare to leave for a week, I'm pleased with our living space. We put together a third bookcase tonight which should hold the rest of our books. For now, for a short while at least, every book in this house will have a shelf to live on. Now that I have the Kindle, it's possible we'll even be able to keep up with the shelf-to-book ratio.
The couch should come any day and I am questing the ends of the earth for a kitchen table. Apparently, I have peculiar tastes. I want a round, pedestal table with a natural finish and no drop-leaves. I'd also like it to be between 2 and 3 hundred dollars. I have no trouble finding a table if I leave out any one of these requirements, but am having an impossible time locating something that is exactly what I want. I found one -- ONE! -- but that store wouldn't even think of shipping before 4-6 weeks, and I'd like to be able to eat in our kitchen before 2009.
Ordered some blueberry plants and have my eye on a stacking herb garden and strawberry pots to order once I get back from Gencon. I will have plants!
My keyboard is set up and I'll be able to grab my piano music from Columbia this week. Excited to have that to fiddle around with again. Kitty tower is acquired and has become popular with the feline resident. Still lacking a couple more minor furniture touches, but otherwise, this apartment has evolved into home.
Currently reading: Lane Robins - Kings and Assassins (working title)
Because I bow to peer pressure....
Although I still don't understand exactly how this works. I guess people click on them?
GenCon approaches
It seems I only just got here, and now I'm looking forward to hitting the road again. GenCon is the first of two trips I had planned before I knew I'd be moving (World Fantasy Con being the second), and so travel is a little more awkward than it was originally. But this is a driving trip from Columbia, which is now twice as far away from me as it was in Kansas, so it just means I'll go up a few days earlier so I'm not spending quite as many hours on the road all at once. Seth will take me to Lebanon, MO-- about halfway -- where we'll have lunch with my grandfather and I'll connect with my mother so Seth can keep the car for the week I'll be gone. (And was that more detail than anyone really needed about my travel arrangements?)
It's been several years since I've gotten to GenCon, and I'm excited about it. Tons of people I'll get to see that I haven't in a while. Fun new products, no doubt. I have a pile of 4th ed questions built up I hope to get answered.
This year, I'm leaving my schedule open, not signing up in advance for anything. I expect to spend the majority of my days in the dealer room, looking around and reconnecting with artist friends on the floor. I'll probably sneak off to a panel or three to cheer on my writer friends. And somewhere in there, I will eat sushi. Plus, I imagine there will be drinking.
It's good to have these regular reminders of other people in the world. I don't know anyone here in Fayetteville yet, so easy to become a hermit.
Currently reading: Stephen King - Wolves of the Calla (on Kindle)
Jennifer Pelland - Unwelcome Bodies (on paper)
On Writing
COMMANDMENT was a chewy book, a difficult book, and my first book. Or at least, the first book I completed (not counting fan-fic). I wrote half-heartedly on it forever, picking at the edges. Once I was halfway in, I took a week off work, secluded myself at my grandparents' house, and wrote the last half in a blur. After it was done, I took a few days to feel good about it being done, then I realized it wasn't good. In fact, not only was it not good, it was not one book. So I ripped it in half, focused on the plotline involving my beloved gay lizard samurai's, and took it to workshop. After the feedback, over the course of the following few months, I completely rewrote it. Throughout this process, it continued to be difficult. COMMANDMENT was full of DEEP! IMPORTANT! themes. And angst. It was exhausting.
ST. PETERSBURG was a fluff book. Fun to write and (hopefully) fun to read. The words flowed from my fingers. I raced through it. I thought -- aha! I have conquered this novel beast.
PAX ANGELORUM is back to chewy. More DEEP! IMPORTANT! themes (in fact, possibly the exact same themes from COMMANDMENT, just with fewer tails). And I'm back to struggling. I'm still early in, still working on the beginning. In fact, because of the structure of this book, there are two beginnings, really (what the hell was I thinking?). I'm still driving this book -- it hasn't begun to drive me.
St. Pete was slow to start as well, but I settled into the characters very fast and things were off and rolling. The Pax characters and I are still getting to know each other. Still tentative around each other. But now I wonder if, once we're all settled in, this is going to be another easy one like St. Pete or a hard one like the lizards.
Newsfeed display by CaRP