Helen E. Kourous

NaNoWriMo Blues

2011-02-02T17:33:00.002-04:00

I am SO wishing NaNoWriMo was in February. What is wrong with people -- November is just jam packed with family stuff. February is much... emptier...bleaker...

The sweetness

2010-11-05T23:20:00.002-04:00

This is just.

The Artist's Way

2010-11-05T23:06:00.001-04:00

Many of you have read The Artists Way, or portions of it. One of the highly recommended exercises is "Morning Pages," which you are supposed to do longhand, first thing in the morning, to clear your creative brain of sludge and concerns and stress and cobwebs. I've recently returned to it; not every day, mind you - the work week often becomes a blur of up-lunches-school-commute/ahh/

rejectionism

2010-05-15T00:27:00.000-04:00

More wisdom found by our dear late night companion The Rejectionist. Enjoy. The book is so endlessly complicated by details of reference and information, the interim legends become so much of a nuisance despite their relevance, that the very action of the story seems to be to become hopelessly bogged down and the book, eventually, unreadable. The whole is so dry and airless, so lacking in pace,

Writer's Group Sunday

2010-05-08T23:14:00.000-04:00

We got through a lot of Beth's final push - almost ten chapters! I do learn so much from her journey - the trials of having to re-outline, continuity checks from previous novels, staying true to character's motives, keeping dialogue believable, staying on pace, and most of all telling a good story. So much more than having a brilliant inspiration at 1AM, writing a really cool scene, and then

LunaCon reading

2010-03-19T15:11:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! Nathan Lilly from Everyday Weirdness is going to read my poem "Kobolds Word the Damn this weekend at LunaCon. If you are in the audience I'd love to hear from you - sounds like a great con!

I'm in Marsport without Harry

2010-03-06T23:39:00.000-04:00

So DH is off at a gig... I should turn off the internets and write. Oh, but just one more! This makes me happy too - thanks Neil! OK Go! Now. Onwards. I'd like to finish the beach cave scene...

Gear up for GenCon

2010-03-02T21:43:00.000-04:00

My writer's group bud and spiritual leader, USA Today Bestseller Elizabeth Vaughan is GOH at Gen Con! I know I'm planning on World Fantasy Con (Columbus, October 2010) where I plan to pitch my novel WHICH WILL BE FINISHED, REVISED, EDITED, AND POLISHED BY THEN, WITH A STELLAR QUERY LETTER... but have not committed to Gen Con. This might change things. Congrats Beth! Onward... keep writing.

My strange dream-inspired fantasical poem up on everydayweirdness

2010-01-23T00:13:00.002-04:00

Wow. This odd little poem came to me all at once after some sort of dozing episode in the la-z-boy. (Yes. Spell it right. My hometown.) I blame the kobold. Everyday Weirdness for January 22, 2010 Turnaround time on the market: < 10 days!

Write or Die by Dr Wicked

2009-12-27T14:58:00.001-04:00

I may have to resort to this... Write or Die by Dr Wicked

Do you outline?

2009-12-25T23:40:00.005-04:00

I've read how Neil Gaiman outlines. I've read how Lois McMaster Bujold outlines (via The Vorkosigan Companion) - working things out in her head while doing dishes, "slotting in" scenes ina big notebook in a comfy chair, then finally sitting down at the keyboard. I've read about Rowling's graph paper "mind map" for each chapter.My friend and compatriot Beth Vaughan outlines religiously on legal

I'm Back!

2009-10-20T21:48:00.003-04:00

What a summer. A long hiatus from writing, and longer from blogging. An incredible two weeks in Italy and an incredible summer of working overtime everywhere else.But I'm back!You see, I'm following Beth's advice when she says that the wannabe writers who are doing the most blogging, are doing the least writing.I believe her.Now... without getting too caught up in the HE&* of NaNoWriMo, I've

My Microfic piece is up on Alienskin!

2009-06-04T13:20:00.003-04:00

I've been waiting for the June / July edition of Alien Skin Magazine to come online. It's my microfiction debut! Check out their fun Fibonacci Poetry while you're there.In other news, R. I. P. David Eddings. Another Golden Age pioneer.Yet other news, that NPR story, along with weirdly enough a Boston Legal episode, have inspired a new short story that my WG loved and I have high hopes for. It

Sources of Inspiration

2009-05-11T22:56:00.004-04:00

What inspires you?This week for me: NPR story, Science Daily RSS feed, song by Paul Revere and the Raiders, and a photo of a tree... sorry, original source lost.Freaky tree.Stay tuned for a flash peice.WIP: 200 pages novel, 200 pages urbanfic.

Writer's Group Sunday. Always good.

2009-04-19T22:20:00.005-04:00

I arrive, bringing my 0.7 0z. stack to set down next to Beth's 5 lbs, always excited to talk to my fellow writers about what's going on in our creative lives, our Day Jobs (even Beth still has her Day Job!), our families.Then, coffees, teas, scones: it's time to round-robin the chapters. That little thrill of fear and anticipation as they rustle out their printouts from my late night Thursday

WiP Wednesday

2009-04-08T12:26:00.001-04:00

OK, it's Thursday, but I'm new at this. WIP Wednesday, I mean.Thank you , Shellyfish!But because of blogger post-time magic, I'm sending this WIP post into the past....Well, I'm Stuck in the Middle, and swashbucklingly outlining my way out (thanks Nancy Kress). So I've got a bunch of scenes sloshing around randomly in a really long document (*sigh* need to get using MindMapper), a good bit of

humans as opportunists

2009-04-02T12:06:00.004-04:00

A visit to my favorite local produce market, run by two adorable Italian brothers, complete with adventurous spelling for my own personal amusement on otherwise boring shopping trips-- and I found this.Hardly needs comment, but my mind is sparked to think of the myriad ways humanity just jumps on board any coat-tailing opportunity....And I've found a new word for my Word Bible: "Stimulous."

geek news roundup

2009-04-02T11:59:00.014-04:00

...A sometimes occurrence. Happens when I spend too much time surfing blogs instead of writing.I had no idea they were re-making Forbidden Planet. In addition to being of of my all-time favorite archetypal Sci Fi movies, complete with the debut of Robbie the Robot and a very dashing Leslie Neilsen, I saw a smashing, brilliant musical version in 1991 in London - and have the poster to prove it.

micro flash!

2009-03-24T09:07:00.004-04:00

I just got an acceptance letter."What's this," you say in surprise, "an acceptance letter? Is it from your mortgage re-negotiator?""No," I explain patiently. "It's from Alien Skin!""Alien, kin?" pregnant pause. "You have an illegal cousin?"Set teeth. "No, Alien Skin magazine. They publish SF."Piecing it together. "Oh! So you sold a story?""Well, yes, no, not exactly. It's a microfiction

carving time

2009-02-18T22:19:00.003-04:00

6:07AM. Oops, gotta check work email, get breakfast for the kid, jump in the shower...12:03PM Better grab a lunch and run my errands then need to finish this powerpoint...3:17PM Oops time to go pick up at school...7:27PM.. I hope I'm in time to sign in for pilates...10:32PM... gotta quit revising this MATLAB script and go make lunches..Carving out the time. To Sit. Butt. In. Chair. And.

creativity comes from the void

2009-01-16T19:16:00.007-04:00

In my college years I read some Carlos Castaneda. A lot of stuff about shamanism, lucid dreaming, separate realities...(No, I didn't do any peyote.)I have moved on, and recognized many internal inconsistencies in the Castaneda canon, but I can't deny that many ideas resonated with me.One that still reverberates today, and surfaces occasionally:"True creativity comes only from the void."[

networking

2008-11-13T23:11:00.004-04:00

Getting ready for the writer's group trip to Windycon. Gads, I have nothing to weh-ah for the Masquerade, or whatever it is. I'm just in it for the panel discussions.Something is turning my posts into Arabic.

word count: 1110

2008-10-10T22:46:00.002-04:00

name pen

2008-10-09T10:17:00.002-04:00

Well. There's pen names, and there's pen names. 'nuff said.I've decided to let my characters duke some things out in my blog. Here goes.It seems Thorimo has not one rival but two. The wimpy priest-boy,and now, the rough and tumble pirate topsider. Loatia wants Thorimo, offers herself, but she raves in fever, and will be oh-so-embarrassed at her wonton writhings and pleadings when she wakes up..

rejectomancy

2008-01-28T15:05:00.000-04:00

Goal: Submit in the "Warrior Woman" anthology opening.Rejections: Electric Spec. Apparently I made final round. *sigh*I submitted my cetacean story to Nature. Who knew!I've read the back issues and wow, fantastic.What an overlooked market/read.

past blast fast cast

2008-01-01T23:30:00.001-04:00

Er, hum. A hiatus while teaching underexposed undergraduates HR diagrams, Newton, Kepler, eclipses, black holes, black dwarfs, dark matter, dark energy (a theme emerges??), quintessence, stellar evolution, meteoroid/meteor/meteorite, and the Drake Equation.. phew.Done, for now.Some creative background-bubbling....missed Windycon, drat. TOO much going on in the home front. Will re prioritize next

drips and drops

2007-09-24T14:57:00.001-04:00

Goodness.Working 2 jobs does take its toll on writing.And blogging about writing.But I'm still at it.(THANKS WRITER'S GROUP)Going to wg truly inspires me and keeps my energy up. My writer's notebook is overflowing with creative ideas... there will be a tipping point soon.Listening to A Writer's Almanac... a poem can change my whole day.Feel like the top of my head was taken off, as Emily

whip it good

2007-07-26T00:32:00.000-04:00

Got 3 rejections in the space of about 10 days.Uh, GOOD. I can now whip these stories around for the next market...40-Day rejection, Abyss & Apex25-Day rejection, Strange Horizons65-Day rejection, Machine of Death AnthologyPlugging at novel.Why did the summer before Liz kindergarten and I start 2 jobs have to be the busiest in recent history... Sara moving...Best friend's baby ....Great

Novel words.

2007-06-07T23:56:00.001-04:00

I need to update my ticker. Word count: 16, 225. That's 53 pages, baby.

rejection tally

2007-06-07T23:34:00.001-04:00

shortStory.rejects++Fast turnaround though. (Strange Horizons.)Will resubmit. Because I KNOW "Donkey Rider" has a home.Somewhere.Novel words last night: 100.Novel words tonight: 200 so far. It's only 11:30. I only want to get up early to exercise before the Dr. appt... sigh...Onward!Helen

flash flash

2007-05-30T22:05:00.001-04:00

I'm stoked - a flash piece of SF that was really just a orphan story stub has found a home. Check out 365 tomorrows! Yay! More googles for me. I will try this again.In other news- working on the novel. I have backed off on my forward momentum to do a lot of really valuable exercises I got from Michael A. Stackpole's cool podcast, The Secrets - find it atwww.stormwolf.com.I'm thinking about

Machine of Death Machine of Death

2007-04-14T23:11:00.001-04:00

So.It's been sparse, I know.I got a job!! I teach Astronomy!I'm really enjoying it, but my writing is suffering as I'm swotting up on everything and re-opening the parts of my brain that took so many astronomy courses.But I am submitting for the Death Machine anthology. I'm 90% there. I have the killer ending and everything. And it's been resting for a couple weeks... so if I can *sigh* get the

monsters from the id

2007-02-28T01:23:00.001-04:00

This I know.My subconscious CPU is always running. In fact, sometimes my daily life is in "thrash" mode because I'm paging too many files to disk, juggling a novel and novella and several shorts.... and Supercamp and the preschool and kindergarten and taxes and laundry and meal planning...OK for the non geeks, when my creative side is primed by semi regular writing, I know my subconscious mind is

My Recent Documents

2007-02-19T23:32:00.000-04:00

I've determined that if my novel segment - yes all in one document, currently titled (NOT entitled, thank you Miss Snark) NaNoWriMo_full.odt - does not appear in the dang WinXP "My Recent Documents" list... it's been too darn long. No good reason for the mini-hiatus. A little loss of momentum; a birthday party, a weekend house guest, TAXES golldarnit, and a recent spate of cookbook frenzy (yes,

guttering torches

2007-01-24T01:08:00.001-04:00

Words: 280 I've sort of pushed through the block I've had for several days. When I sit down to WRITE, I have instead paid bills online cleared the clutter of the computer hutch -egads! (Denny calls it my "nest") written to my blog (ulp) looked up and reserved tons of cool books and cd's and kids stuff on the library website bought Barack Obama bumper stickers worked on other people's websites

incommunicado

2007-01-21T00:10:00.001-04:00

Hmm. Otherwise welcome guests have left me bereft of my little computer nest for over a week, but for quick furtive trips to check the account balance or dash off an email. I know. That's no excuse not to write. (After all, Beth writes first drafts on her yellow legal pads.) But what with visiting, then staying up one night with a sick child - visceral warning - poor kid, throwing up ketchup

I did not write today. But.

2007-01-07T23:10:00.000-04:00

It was strep throat. Finally gave in and went to the Dr. and am on the d***ble antibiotics. Anyhoo. Hopefully I can start staying up past 9pm again and get some writing done! I have been able to spend some time here and there this past week researching a few markets, finding some homes for lost little stories wandering around in my dead letter drawer. And I have been backing off on the novel

Warprize, networking, worldbuilding... and some writing.

2006-12-29T01:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Terry Hickman's page on www.speculations.com, I've got more links for my Marketing list. Did some networking; some worldbuilding; worked on Elizabeth Vaughan's author page; and it's 12:13 am and I have a goal of 500 words. Onward!Copied here thanks to Terry:The ScriptoriumMichael Engen's Science Fiction and Fantasy Market EngineRalan.comBluejack's Quintamid Market DatabasePaula

words vs martini

2006-12-27T01:56:00.001-04:00

Words tonight: 640Good words: 640Wine: 3 good glassesNow if I can keep this up.Gotta get the child back on the early to bed/ early to rise thing...

snog, snort, cough

2006-12-20T23:00:00.001-04:00

Well, the Christmas Tree Trimming Open House was a success - as usual- despite my horrible cold and being totally doped up on benadryl (the dayquil catches up with me and a) stops working to stem the nasal faucet and b) keeps me up nights jittering). I don't know how I remained vertical. But I got out the ham, baklava, wings, chocolate strawberries, kept the punch full, and on up to the

Sending, Market research...

2006-12-12T01:55:00.000-04:00

Sent a draft of Captain Said to Don Bingle - the same draft I submitted to Windycon workshop, so I know it needs a lot of work. Did some market research for Ripped and Donkey Rider. Stuck on NaNo chapter. Just stared at screen. Need larger blok to get back in swing. Meanwhile this week, massive xmas party prep, etc... do piecemeal fixups, format and send pending stories, work on world bible.

words vs. baklava

2006-12-10T01:36:00.000-04:00

OK. Last night it was Seafoam Divinity.This morning, peanut brittle. Then errands, and a wedding reception.It's midnight and I just put my baklava in the oven.Words: 0Baklava: 13 (kicked my *ss)BUT. I have 50 minutes while it's in the oven, BEFORE I have to make the syrup, to add 500 words to my novel.Note to self: Check the Mars water reports and the Discovery launchpix LATER...Who do I think I

words vs. cards

2006-12-08T01:38:00.000-04:00

Word count goal: 0Christmas cards: 1(actual word count tonight=220; actual Christmas cards addressed=28)

Forced Conversion

2006-12-06T20:15:00.000-04:00

I just got my autographed copy of "Forced Conversion" by a friend ofBeth's I met at Windycon, Donald J. Bingle.Wow! I've been consuming his short stories in some anthologies (Sol's Children, Renaissance Faire) and am truly impressed! Keep an eye on this guy. And if you're an agent... you really want his latest novel!Check out www.orphyte.comI've also added a link to my current holiday project (

world canon

2006-12-05T01:41:00.000-04:00

Worked on Bible, half hour tops; character interview for Loatia and Thorimo.Hmm. Now I know what his voice sounds like; why she is driven; and how smart Thorimo is without ever showing it.Good.sigh... had to clean up house for playgroup...type up supercamp meeting minutes... more tomorrow night, except the only show Den and I watch, for some, uh, together in the same room time, Boston Legal will

words.

2006-12-04T11:09:00.000-04:00

world building; about an hour yesterday working on my Bible. Thanks Mur!Did about another 500 words in the Bible today. Realized I DO need to head-hop. WG convinced me.I will have large scenes, 2 or 3 per chapter (unless in my "expand from tell to show in revision" makes each scene its own chapter; at this rate probably so), alternating between Loatia's POV and that of her Guardian (who it's

I should be writing, and post-apocalyptic flooding maps.

2006-12-03T00:55:00.000-04:00

OK. I'm trying not to let online activities eat up my writing time, but I've discovered a few cool things doing research on anthologies, markets, communities, and the like. The question-begging podcast (I'm a podcast addict, ok? It's how I get my NPR, SlashDotReview, Barak Obama, and Diane Rehm fix when I'm on the treadmill when my daughter's in preschool...) "I should be writing" led me to Mur's

what's your word count

2006-11-29T00:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I've come to the place where I realize that NaNoWriMo just won't work for me - November of all months. I just cannot tell the rest of my life to go away for a month. However! The online word count gadgets, community, and forums (fora) (did not do too much looking there; i figured if my *ss was in the chair, I'd better be writing), did sort of kick my butt in gear on the novel project. So

word count

2006-11-27T01:30:00.001-04:00

couple hundred good words in tonight. UP TO 7800good.also restructured the outline preceding chapters to alter POV between hero and heroine, instead of all in his head. i think this will straighten out some of the wg issues, and keep the interest level higher early on. some major rewrites will be in order, plus a chapter/segment insertion or two, but not YETFORWARD MOMENTUMthe huge crisis is

all kinds of writing

2006-11-27T00:58:00.000-04:00

another writing blog - All Kinds of Writing.(Why are we blogging when we should be writing?) with some links to Vogt's "The Hero's Journey" formula and some variations.

words written yesterday

2006-11-26T14:41:00.001-04:00

zero.did tons of yardwork - warm weather - took out that garbage tree growing up the back of our garage that has been bothering Den for 5 years. Then watched Da Vinci Code in eve w/ Den; his 1 week off is drawing to a close. i can buckle down next week.but i did get a couple pages of my granparents' scrapbook done.. .because I can't stand to just sit there in front of a tv and do nothing...h

turkey

2006-11-25T12:53:00.001-04:00

You know, November is a terrible month for NaNoWriMo. Thanksgivingcomes along, loved ones take time off, kids are off school, and thenthere's the whole Christmas thing that I'm trying to get a jump on -to keep December from getting out of hand!I'm going to lobby for January.Sure, you're going to the health club more than you did all year, butthere's really nothing else going on. A perfect time

words written yesterday

2006-11-22T22:26:00.000-04:00

1030 added to NaNoWriMo novel yesterday. It's noly 9:25 - just need to pay some bills, do some online xmas shopping, and move some stocks around, and do digital pix, ETC. Sigh. DISTRACTIONS.Big blok ahead of me to write though. Onward. FORWARD MOMENTUM!Had a blasted great idea for a story in the car.It's like a dream now. I have completely forgotten it. But it's like The Artist's Way ... the

NaNoWriMo

2006-11-18T23:29:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm not up to quota. But what this exercise has done is really kicked my butt in gear to just DUMP this novel idea, complete with world, middle, ending, sex scenes, and all, fairly flying out my fingertips.I'll not make the 50,000 words this month.But I may by March....

more kav please

2006-11-18T19:49:00.000-04:00

Just got back from writer's group. Energized about [unnamed nanowrimo novel].

windycon

2006-11-16T01:41:00.000-04:00

Just got back and still buzzed on windycon. I found out I'm not asgeeky as I thought I was...I'm only 2 sigma out there. And I learnedThere But For A Lucky Break [greatly helped by increased submissionstats] Go I.I could do without the masquerade and dr. who room parties, otherthan as anthropological experiments, but i really grooved on meetingauthors, editors, and other wanna-bes. And the