Well, Obviously!

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

Quite obviously the promo post will be tomorrow. Sorry.

Thing is, you see, there’s this book. It’s 212 thousand words. I … It might be the weirdest thing I ever wrote, and it has kidnapped my mind for the last several months.

This morning, when I woke up, I thought I was fifty pages from the end. It was just about fifty pages from the end. I just finished … an hour ago. So maybe now I can go back and finish Witch’s Daughter and Winter’s Prince. Maybe even during the time in Portugal. (Yes, while getting the wedding ready to go and all, because, why not?)

Posting here will be irregular and all over the place (more than this) while I’m in Portugal. And instapundit posting will also be weird, the first 2 weeks of October, because we’ll be in Portugal.

However, this too shall pass and posting and book writing will resume.

And the promo post will be tomorrow, yes.

Again sorry. I had to finish the book. It’s a monster, in case you wonder what took me so long. It weighs in at 212000 words and change.

And now to revise. So my editor can get it.

86 thoughts on “Well, Obviously!”

  2. I look forward to reading that “Monster” and to reading the Promos.

    Hope you survived this wedding. [Very Big Grin]

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      1. Congrats on the book, and all the best for the wedding! I assume you’ll be back home before the election? Given the possibilities no matter who wins, I wouldn’t want to be en route then.

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            1. Almost certainly, since almost everyone is. But it’s still a good idea to maintain situational awareness, including having a good exit route where that’s possible (obviously not from an airplane😉).

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              2. Yup, and somehow I suspect she more needs the “you will be fine” than yet another how-to prepper fix. (grin)

                I would assume she already has “cane goes anywhere”.

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              1. “Dont make me come over there!” (kzin grin)

                Oh, would that not make an epic book? A bunch of SciFi fans go rescue their author from some fanatic assholes, while said author introduces their captors to “The Ransom of Red Chief”.

                Kind of an “M-Day” mashup with “Red Chief”.

                hmmmm

                (kzin grin)

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            1. Probably referring to her husband’s “gun,” which is technically hers, since she’s the alpha in the relationship.

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          3. I seriously doubt The Cackler has so much as a hot glue gun.

            She doesn’t seem like an arts and crafts type.

            And she certainly has people to handle her security. But that’s not to say she wouldn’t order someone shot if she felt threatened.

            So you could say really she does actually have a gun. She just doesn’t personally need to wield it anymore than she has to clean her own kitchen.

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  4. Congratulations!!

    We’re hardly going to complain that you were writing to entertain us later instead of writing to entertain us now. Yay for finishing the first draft!

    Whether or not you write another word during the whole arduous wedding adventure, (possibly a peregrination?), that’s awesome, to be able to go into this without having to juggle world in front of your eyes and a demanding world (and its story) behind your eyes!

    Although if you decide, instead of an After-Action Report, to give us the trials and tribble-ations of Dyce Dare’s wedding as a way of complaining about the real one, I cannot promise I won’t leak giggles for almost the entire time reading it…

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  5. my goodness! What are you saying in all those words? I struggle to get down 80,000 on a book and think I’ve drawn it out too long! I mean, I’m no Heinlassimov or anything but after so many scrapes and sudden reversals of fortune aren’t you like, dang! Get on with it?

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    1. Eh, my last was 98K. Generally, adding another POV character’s good for 10K words, and any subplot is about 10K… and even with only two POV characters, they were part of a team. The more you flesh out the rest of the team, the more you lean into that POV/subplot increase, whether you intend to or not, because they’re people with their own backstories, wants, needs, decisions to make, and actions to take.

      That’s before we even get into the many-POV multi-threaded plots that are epic fantasy / epic SF… or the world-building necessary when you have multiple cultures / lands / worlds / planes / species. Because in many stories, the country / planet / spaceship is a character in its own right.

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    3. She’s melting down, so far, because she doesn’t want to have folks expect that for all the rest of the world.

      But…she’s introducing a new world.

      (At least three, actually, and technically several more.)

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  7. I am reading The Witch’s Daughter just about as irregularly as you’ve been writing it, so it really feels perfectly paced in delivery. I’m just happy that you’re creating stuff that I can read whenever you put it out to be consumed.

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      1. It seems to me that the difference between an editor and a freelance editor is that the first is primarily concerned about whether the book is marketable and the latter is focused on you writing the book you meant to write.

        I mean, I don’t expect the freelance is going to demand “enlightened” characters nor gratuitous sex scenary. So you can just leave all the wokery-pokery out.

        ~

        Rgrds

        RES

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        3. As to this forum, I suspect your assistants can post “open threads” or “today’s theme is Fizzbin” as needed while you create works and attend to family.

          Write!

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      2. I stumbled across a site called “fiverr.” Do you have any thoughts on it? It seems to be a site for freelance editor/writer types. Not quite ready for that with any of my works, but maybe a good starting point for those of us finishing our first books and having little to no money to hire a professional, or seasoned amateur?

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  13. Not going to complain either. Moving book promo to tomorrow is a good thing for me right now.

    Just got back home from a long outdoor event. Pulled into the driveway, ran inside to take care of some stuff. Went back out to get the mileage for our records and the van wouldn’t start. Wouldn’t even turn over. We just had a new serpentine belt put on, right before we left for the trip.

    It might be the alternator (although I don’t remember the gauge looking low, but I was tired), or the starter. Battery is only a couple of years old — but sometimes batteries go bad prematurely. It’s also a damp, rainy day. Just hoping it’s an easy fix, because I need to turn over the merchandise for an sf convention we’re doing next week.

    (At least this happened after we got home, rather than when we started it up at the campground. That would’ve been awkward.

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    2. Check the battery voltage. If it’s under 12.5V, charge the battery. If you turn the key and nothing happens, that’s the most likely cause. Or, could be a loose or dirty terminal clamp.

      If you can get the engine running, check the battery voltage; it should be over 13.5V if the alternator and voltage regulator are working.

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      1. All good info. Additionally, listen for a click (starter solenoid engaging) when you turn to “Start”. If nothing, probably a connection issue (somewhere; lots of possibilities😒); could also be a fried solenoid. If you do hear a click, it may be the starter motor or solenoid main contacts. In my experience (several of these over the past 50 years), a click with no turn over usually has meant a dead spot on the starter motor if the battery and connections are OK.

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        1. I have had three batteries in a row, different brands, fail at about expected end of life, with one slow start then kaput. Did they change the designs or something? Previous batteries gave plenty of warning something was wrong.

          ruhruhruhROOM! “odd, will get that checked tonight”. Later, stop for gas. Try to start. (sound of nothing – lights seem dim) “Ah poop. Where is a parts store?”

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          1. Yeah, had that happen a couple of times. “Sudden Battery Failure Syndrome” is fairly common here in the desert south of Phoenix, especially in the summer; the heat is murder on batteries. It’s the main reason we still have AAA membership when most of our road traveling is in the rearview mirror. But I haven’t noticed any major increase in battery problems.

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      1. The household has acquired a cat (Ginger, Female, about 8 months if we can believe the vet) on the condition I have no responsibility for its care and only minimal for its feeding (as in I give it tribute as the price of quiet while I brush my teeths.) She is quite emphatic about our having only today so she must reeive her pets and treats MeoW!

        ~

        Rgrds

        RES

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    2. The Tomorrows have been arriving on time for Eons. Mind you the Author may change His mind tomorrow but that is not our issue.

      “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (NT:6:34 NET translation)

      “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

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  16. Congratulations on finishing the book. And given it is a book I very much want to read I’m totally fine with the promo post being bumped to a Monday for it to get done and off to the editor.

    After reading the bits posted so far, I am very looking forward to reading the final product.

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    1. Well, he’s been nagging asking for it, so he gets it good and hard.

      And congratulations on finishing the book!

      Product development axiom from 19xx: “New product projects are never finished, they’re just shipped.” [Narrator voice: And that’s a good thing. Usually. :) ]

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      1. “New product projects are never finished, they’re just shipped.”Still not an excuse for doing your bug testing in production!

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        1. Agreed, though for the hardware I was doing, the bugs tended to be fatal, thus easily found in development. My job was to characterize the new part and find the bugs in integrated circuits, ranging from a single resistor (really!) to complex high speed datacom circuits.

          The company killed the division (sold the business and laid everybody off) before we got very far with the latter parts, but the worst problem for medium scale chips was the designer’s idea of creeping featurism, or in one guy’s mind: “If we spend several weeks, we can save X percent of chip area.” At projected volumes, payback would have been years, not to mention falling behind competitors.

          After that job, I was doing software. Got the bugs out (at least on our end; the hardware we were supporting had issues) but the client died due to a mix of Dot-com bust (circa 2002) and edifice complex. Protip for top management: don’t build a shiny new factory when the recession is looking awful. At least we got to check out Bavaria’s rural Bierstuben (the client was SE of Munich, near the Cheimsee).

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    1. <snort> The puff on that would be relatively small. Its tiny compared to any of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive (smallest Way of Kings at 383,124, Last entry Rythm of War was 462,134, Next is alleged at ~491,000). Of course those are Tor editors so honestly they deserve it.

      For comparison Dune is 187,124 , Lord of the Rings (all three volumes and appendices) 564,187, Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged english) 464.162 (not sure translation used) and War and Peace is 560,000-587,000 (english depending on translation, 460,000-470,000 in Russian). Amazing what 5 minutes on the internet can find for you…

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  25. Congratulatins Dear Hostess. Safe travels for you and you family and we’ll see what we can do to keep the idiots on the other side of the aisle from wrecking the joint before you return. They are persistent though and seem to be getting very desperate. Heck they pushed Kamala into their lead spot and chose a VP that made John Kerry look like an exemplar of military rectitude that is pretty feckin’ desperate. Either that or they’re just thumbing their noses at us.

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    1. As people are noting, the PTB kept the Nashville shooter’s “manifesto,” under wraps for nearly a year, and didn’t release it voluntarily then. But Assassin #2’s note, with an offer of $150K to anyone who, “finishes the job,” comes out today. Of course, does this guy *have* that sort of money is another question.

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      1. Welp, his reported income is $3000 a month, so $150K isn’t likely coming from his pocket. I’m guessing his handlers are trying to outsource the job. Choosing likely parties will be left as an exercise for the student.

        And according to the 700+ “national security professionals”, it certainly won’t come from a three-letter agency. (If they paid up…) [Checks to see if the undercouch got cleaned before rolling my eyes.]

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  28. I will be missing the blog for about that same period. My wife and I will be aboard a ship, and then in Hawaii for a couple days. MIGHT be able to do a bit of catch up once we are on land, but I am NOT paying exorbitant fees for poor internet while at sea.

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  29. Sarah, congrats on finishing the book!  May the trip and the wedding all go as planned or at least reasonably close to that. Stay safe, all of you, and may you come back home refreshed and ready to write.

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