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Right. So I’ve revised chapter seven. I’m all ready to go into chapter eight.

Or I was. Bryon suggested to me today on the way to the surgeons that there are lots of ways Sara and Amanda could be folded into one character, and I agree.

So, goodbye to Sara Wolf. Amanda Welkin will take her role in the story, and still be a corner, magical, all that. That means I’m going to have to go through the Esme’s Trial part of the book and make that happen. It’ll make the book better though, I can see that. I will do it as quickly as possible, breeze through chapter eight, and move into the Errol’s Trial section, which will require much more direction and polishing.

Meanwhile, it’s gall bladder surgery on the 9th or the 11th, and A WEEK off after. I’m supposed to walk and relax. I wonder if there will be writing time? I wonder if I will feel like it? If so, it’ll be a great opportunity to catch up to where I want to be.

Happy writing, all!

Catherine

Today was a little more website tweaking, and a little organizing for a reading group at Wiscon. We have a big shindig at Chez Stump tomorrow, so had to do some cooking and prepping for that. I have A LOT of work to do on the website, but I will finish the rewrite first. That’s the way it’s gotta be.

It is my plan to write tomorrow morning before I take off for town to go to see the surgeon. So there should be progress to report then.

The best, brightest, and shiniest of New Year’s to you!

Catherine

This is me, checking out my new ability to post from Writer Tamago to my live journal. You can comment at Writer Tamago, or here. With the able bodied help of my friend Mark, we’re working on making Writer Tamago more writerly.

Tamago is a Japanese word. It means egg. A piece of useful Japanese slang: if you are a “fill in the blank” egg, it means you are a new or beginning “fill in the blank.” I figured there would be very few Writer Tamago sites out there in name, although plenty in deed.

Today, the first thing to show off are my new writer pictures, which will be peppered here and there about the site. Here’s how you get to that gallery:

http://pics.livejournal.com/awelkin/gallery/00036gxa

Let me know which ones you like! Thanks to afore mentioned able bodied friend Mark for taking these pictures.

And, by the way, I registered https://www.cathschaffstump.com today, so as soon as we get all the nice new stuff ready to go, we’ll get it switched over to there.

La, la, la really am rewriting Substance of Shadows first.

Catherine

You wouldn’t know it from the amount that isn’t being written about here.

Until Mark and I get together and give this baybee an overhaul, which should happen before Christmas, especially more important as soon as I start shopping Substance of Shadows to agents, which will probably happen sooner than I know, most of what I’m up to is over at

Cath Schaff-Stump at livejournal

Eventually we will get that site to talk to this site.

Why the switch? I find that I can build a peer community at the lj site, and easily read agent, editor, and author logs. A site like this one exists to be read, but I want my site to help me network, and I want to know what’s going on in the writing life of others too. Vive la friend’s list!

At any rate, this is where you can now get the lowdown on what’s cooking, who’s got what, and what I’m doing. I’m making SERIOUS concerted effort to climb the mountain of publication, and I’m learning a lot as I research, write, and read.

SO, come over, friend me there.

Expect an overhaul of the site before Christmas.

Follow various links to other writing buddies.

And that’s all.

Catherine

I’ve decided to pull down the Klarion Scroll.

I had the idea that it would be a place where people would talk about writing, but there are lots of places like that out there, and a lot of my friends look elsewhere for information about me. With that in mind, I decided that since its primary purpose was spam magnet, it had to go.

Mark and I are going to be revamping the site soon–updating, changing the blog back into something readable, and giving myself a more professional sheen, especially once that I get Substancecirculating. I have been writing a lot, and I’m a little over half way through revising and reformulating the Substancemanuscript and beginning the great agent hunt.

It’s the next great mountain to climb. I know you all think I’m good, and you’re rooting for me. I’m not as intimidated at convincing strangers I’m good after the last Wiscon, and that’s the reason for the flurry of activity.

At any rate, after school gets going again, after a string of vacations and conventions, things will look different here. I’ll be trying to correlate this blog and a live journal site I have for writing which allows me to look at other writers journals more readily.

Thanks, all, for sticking with me. I know my internet legions have dwindled down to an army of what, 10, but we are mighty! However, I didn’t see the need for the Scroll anymore, and I’m sure you won’t miss it.

Catherine

It’s like someone lit a fire. Here’s where we’re at:

1. Blood Submission at Delirium.
2. A revision of two short stories for a Gothic anthology from Cat Scratch Press. (in progress)
3. A READY TO GO book treatment and submission for Substance. (looking for targets now)
4. A READY TO GO Abby and Vince story at Strangehorizons.com
5. Research into writing organizations
6. Research into agents.

We’ll be doing this thoroughly.

Catherine

Substance is still seeking a publisher. Bloodis still out there.

That is all.

Catherine

Delirium Press invited me to submit a couple of books proposals to them. The sample chapters, outline, and notes for Substance of Shadows went out to the very kind assistant editor who scouted me at Wiscon. Apparently, that kind of thing does happen on occasion!

At any rate, now we wait. David says he’ll look at it at the end of this month, so I’m just going to play it cool, get the next book proposal, Blood is Thicker than Wateraround, and try not to be a writer egg on pins and needles.

Nah. Come on. I’m a Ph freakin’ D polished professional. I can do this. Sure.

🙂 🙂 🙂

Catherine

So, the thing is Jools and I have been putting together Crystal’s anthology, so I’ve been working, not dead.

Are you interested in helping our friend Crystal? She has breast cancer, and you can support her by buying this volume of fiction from our writing group. Where can you find it? Well, I’m glad you asked!

http://www.cafepress.com/crystalsvision

Twenty dollars, and it’s yours. My kid vampire hunter story is in it, as well as stories, art works, and poems from authors of my acquaintance. Who knows? If any of these authors make it big, this could be a collector’s item in future years!

Meanwhile, I’ll soon begin working with a friend who did the cover art of Crystal Vision on something faerie like, and I’ll be looking into the world of artists cooperatives and small press. More to come!

Catherine

Last night I finished putting in the vampire story for the anthology. Tonight will be tightening it up and cutting it down to anthology size. Most of the remaining work on this will be with editing, printing, etc. Our goal is to have some to sell at Wiscon.

Alas, for a little bit, my writing time must belong to Dr. Catherine, as she needs to get an article submission put together for second language writing journals. But then, I’ll be right back at it, slogging along on something creative.

A friend who is an artist and I have decided to go to Faerie Con in Philadelphia in October, and I’d like to have something ready for that with her powers of illustration, so I’ll slide that up in the cue, and alternate Empty Horizon with it until it’s done. Then it’s back to the business plan.

Hope you’re all doing well out there. Rest assured, I won’t bore you with snippets of Dr. Catherine’s research.

Catherine