| (no subject) |
[Nov. 23rd, 2009|12:06 am] |
|
I have completely fallen in love with the name Ianto. I'm thinking of changing the name of one of the male characters in my team book to this. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|11:48 am] |
I'm sorry, but I saw this and it made me laugh out loud.
see more Epic Fails |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|03:42 pm] |
I have done a massive amount of writing today. I had plans, but I ditched them because it was raining, and raining is prime writing weather. I can do everything tomorrow, and I like to write when I'm really in the mood to write.
Except I've come to a screeching halt - really, I could practically hear it in my head - smack in the middle of an argument. It's an important argument. Of course, I don't generally throw in arguments, or anything else, just for the hell of it, but this is like a series-significant argument, and I need it to be right. When I'm this stuck I tend to write the scene from Taro's POV first, but I already know what Taro's thoughts are. I'm just having trouble expressing everything without getting repetitious.
Of course, there's no wine in the house. That could be part of the problem.
And speaking of Taro's POV, I'm working on another scene from the books from Taro's POV for the purpose of putting it in the blog. I have seen some interpretations of Taro's behaviour that completely stunned me, because it wasn't what I intended at all. It's the result, I think, of my knowing everything that's going on while Lee, of course, doesn't. I've tried to put in hints describing what Taro has been doing, but clearly I was not as deft with them as I would have liked. I hope that by showing this particular scene from Taro's perspective, something will be explained.
I'm probably making this all sound much more interesting than it actually is.
Anyway, I'm writing about it today in the hopes that by making it public I will actually finish the thing.
Happy Hallowe'en to those who celebrate it, and Happy Birthday, Script. I hope it was a grand one. |
|
|
| Ten Petty Things That Drive Me Crazy |
[Oct. 23rd, 2009|02:27 pm] |
1. Elections when they happen less than three years apart.
2. People who nudge me in the ribs when they think they've said something funny. I'm much more likely to laugh if you don't invade my personal space for no good reason.
3. Computers.
4. Cancelling my favourite show despite good ratings because you want a younger demographic.
5. People who are allergic to their indicators.
6. Being unable to buy a single seat at Cirque du Soleil because apparently no one ever does anything alone.
7. Authors who ruin a perfectly good book with a horrific epilogue. And I'm not talking about Harry Potter 7, which I haven't read. There are others. That's a dangerous thing to say, as I've used an epilogue myself, but I stand by it.
8. Loud music in restaurants.
9. The fact that coffee stains are so hard to get out. (I spill my coffee /a lot/.)
10. Bell Canada. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Oct. 16th, 2009|12:25 pm] |
So I'm going along, writing book six, following the outline - for the most part - when suddenly an idea pops into my head that will take the story ninety degrees from where I planned. That hasn't happened to me since I started writing outlines for my books. And I'm going to do it.
It may not work at all, as I haven't planned for it, and it may take me somewhere so left field that I can't come back from it and will have to scrap it. But it may just work out. And one of the reasons I used to like writing, back before I wrote outlines, was that I just followed whatever impulses struck me and I would end up somewhere unexpected, but interesting. I kind of miss that.
A wonderful person (from Sweden!) commented on my last post about the actors she imagined playing the parts of Lee and Taro. I remember doing that for books I enjoyed reading. I'm thrilled that someone is doing that for my books. It makes me smile. |
|
|
| Meme taken from Starcat_Jewel, because I love these things |
[Oct. 7th, 2009|06:09 pm] |
1. What is your name as it appears on your birth certificate?
Moira Jean Moore
2. Does anyone ever misspell your name?
All the frikkin time. Especially as a kid. Lots of people spelled it Moria. (Those are the dwarf caves in LOTR, right?) That's how a lot of people pronounced it, too.
3. Has anyone ever made fun of your last name?
Not really. Moore is pretty common. The combination of Moira and Moore is unfortunate,though. I had a teacher who insisted on calling me MoMo whom I desperately wanted to kill.
4. Relationship status?
Blissfully single.
5. How old are you?
38, which is mind boggling. I'm so immature.
6. What city were you born in?
Gloucester, Ontario, but I always say Ottawa, because no one's heard of Gloucester, and it's been amalgamated into Ottawa anyway.
7. How did you celebrate your last birthday?
I had a few little celebrations all spread out, but I did, finally, get the chance to spend some of it with my parents and my sisters and their partners. I live in a different city, I was born in February (during one of the worst storms on record) and the weather always sucks and the driving an exercise in mortality, so I don't often get a chance to be with my family on my birthday. And I like hanging out with my family.
8. Name the last 5 cities you have lived in:
Cities I have lived in include Gloucester ON, Ottawa ON, Yokohama Japan, and Kingston ON. My favourite is Kingston. I'm not currently living in any of them.
9. What is your heritage?
Irish. My parents are from Ireland. I love Ireland.
10. What does your voice sound like?
Exactly like my older sister's - I was living in a dorm situation, and someone once came to me and said "Someone who sounds exactly like you is on the phone for you" - but not my younger sister's, which I find weird.
11. What is your style?
Simple, in everything. Whatever the circumstances are, the less amount of effort I can expend, the better.
12. What do you spend most of your money on?
For nonessentials, restaurants, wine, chocolate. I'm really a food person.
13. Describe your...
HAIR: Brown with a lot of gray in it
EYES: Blue
BODY SHAPE: In desperate need of a diet.
FINGERNAILS: I keep them short. I can't type with long nails.
14. What shampoo and conditioner do you use?
When I can get it, H20 spa, which is stupidly expensive, but feels wonderful, and I have short hair so it lasts a long time.
15. Do you enjoy bubble baths?
I do, but it's rare that I can find a tub big enough. I'm kinda tall.
16. What shower gel or soap do you use?
H20 spa.
17. What kind of shoes do you wear?
Sneakers, mostly. When I have to wear dress shoes, anything that's plain, black and with a low heel. And that's hard to find in my size.
18. What do you sleep in?
A large t-shirt.
19. What is your favorite cosmetic brand?
blah
20. Describe your weirdest hobby.
I don't have any weird hobbies. Seriously, I'm not that interesting.
21. What are your favorite TV shows?
Currently, Dexter. And Merlin, to my everlasting shame. (My god, that show's so bad.)
22. What was the last album you listened to?
Probably something by Great Big Sea.
23. What was the last DVD you watched?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
24. What are you reading at the moment?
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.
25. Where do you work?
law firm
26. What do you want to do as a career?
Careers suck. I want to be one of the idle rich.
27. Do you listen to a wide range of music or one particular kind?
Hm. Don't know if I would call it wide. I enjoy some classical, Irish folk, country, 80's stuff and some soundtracks. Hate opera (and yes, I've been exposed to it, four damn years listening to it with the score across my lap) and rap.
28. What CD do you listen to most?
I don't listen to CDs a lot. Just whatever's on the radio.
29. What is your favorite film?
Currently, The Queen.
30. Have you ever stolen a street sign?
Nope.
31. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Nope.
32. What is your favorite food?
I don't have just one, but whenever I go to a restaurant I order steak.
33. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
I belonged to something called the Explorers and then CGIT, which I didn't know until years later stood for Christian Girls In Training. They were both run by our local church, but any religious training went clear over my head.
34. Would you ever pose nude in a magazine?
Nope. It's been done to death.
35. Can you change the oil in a car?
Nope.
36. Where would you like to get married?
Marriage, ick.
37. Ever fired a gun?
No, though I wouldn't mind trying.
38. Do you think musicals are cheesy?
Not cheesy, but I do find - a stupid complaint - that they have too much singing in them. I like some singing, but they go overboard.
39. What age do you plan to have children?
130
40. If you could go anywhere...
Kinsale, Ireland |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Oct. 1st, 2009|01:09 pm] |
First lines of a book are hard for me. (So are last lines.) The first line of a first draft is never what ends up being the first line of a finished product. Mostly because the first draft of anything tends to be an exercise of just throwing stuff on the page and cleaning it up later. I know people who say they can't really write because they can't get out of the ditch of constantly correcting/improving the grammar/vocabulary/what-have-you as they write, and maybe there are people who get it right the first time, a la Mozart. Clearly, I belong in neither of those camps. So I just start for the sake of starting, and then spend a great deal of effort trying to come up with the perfect first line to start the series. I don't usually succeed, not to my satisfaction, but I do the best I can.
While wading through tv tropes - yes, I'm still addicted - I came up with what I feel is the perfect first line for what will be the first team book. The one I haven't started yet beyond a rough outline. I am, as soon as I can, going to buy a notebook just so I can write down that one line - though I doubt I'll forget it - and then put the notebook away for a year while I finish Lee and Taro six. I have to confess that other ideas have since started percolating, such as why in the very beginning the super skilled fighting machine needs a brief rescue/bailing out by the huge guy with the mysterious past she'd never met before, with whom she will /not/ have a romantic relationship. (And I have the reason for it, and how that will draw a third character who would normally never hang out with the first two.) Really, I'm kind of excited about it all. I really wish I were better at working on two different projects at once. |
|
|
| Death of a Laptop and stuff |
[Sep. 29th, 2009|09:41 am] |
Yeah, killed another one. I had it for only two years, but the woman from whom I buy them - who I trust implicitly because I know her and she's awesome - says I've got about five years worth of wear on it. Is it not normal to wear off the letters? I got the black screen of death early Friday morning and dropped the infernal machine off at my friend's, who predicted having it fixed by the end of Monday. Monday morning I get the call that the computer, she is dead, and my friend could resurrect it but apparently it has two major things wrong with it. (I forget which right now, because, being a technological idiot, all that stuff flies right over my head.) And apparently those two things rarely fall apart at the same time, but, you know, I'm special that way. Plus, five years worth of wear. So I decided to get another one.
The really bad thing? I NEVER BACK UP FILES EVER. I know, I know. But I hate the way stuff gets saved on discs. Every time I want to save something, I save a new version on the disc. That means, if I save only once a chapter, there'll be close to thirty versions saved on a disc. (At least, that's how I think it works. Feel free to tell me if I'm wrong. Can I replace the version that's already on the disc?) And that would be a major PITA. And my friend, who in the past was able to rescue unsaved work, apparently can't manage it this time. So, in theory, I've lost the manuscript for book five, the one I've sent to the publisher for revisions, and the typed work I've done on book six, which is about 150 pages. (Not that bad, except I've made a lot of changes from the handwritten draft that I haven't noted anywhere else. I know, really stupid.) I did send the manuscript for book five via email, so it's in my sent file on yahoo. When I get my new computer I should be able to save that. And I've sent the hard drive to a data recovery company, so hopefully I'll be able to get everything else. And from now on I'll save everything. I promise.
I've discovered how seriously addicted to the internet I am. It's kind of scary. I did get a lot of writing done over the weekend though. The laptop I'm currently using is a loner from my friend, who took pity on my frazzled state yesterday and lent me a computer, as my shiny new laptop won't be available until the end of the day on Thursday. She doesn't keep computers in stock, she orders in the exact computer the customer wants, and uploads (or whatever) all the programs, which is something I really appreciate.
I saw the season premiere of Dexter last night. I really don't know why I like that show. I can't believe they've managed to get me to root for a serial killer, even if everyone he kills is a bad guy. Anyway, very cringe-worthy episode, what with Dexter being exhausted and making so many mistakes and having another cop yell at him on several occasions because Dexter messed up so badly on the stand. Luckily, Dexter is a sociopath and doesn't get upset too easily. The best part of it for me was the re-enactment of the opening title sequence where he misses and gets everything wrong and things are stained and broken because he's exhausted. I love little moments like that. They're clever.
The first two episodes of the new season of Merlin are on youtube, but I refuse to watch them. From what I've read on various sites on the internet, Arthur is extra jerky and treats Merlin like crap, and Merlin just /takes/ it. I can't admire doormats. According to the recaps, Arthur mounts a horse by stepping on Merlin's back and Merlin not only lets him, but expects it. Arthur's personality reverts back to the first episode when he was throwing knives at a servant for fun, and Merlin's spine, which he had from day one, was ripped out. I think it's time Merlin stopped hiding the magic and fried Arthur, just a little, just to let the pompous prince know what he's dealing with and maybe he should show a little respect. Anyway, I'm going to wait until I hear that situation has been rectified, and then I'll just pretend these two episodes never happened. If that situation doesn't change, I'll never watch another episode again, which is disappointing. There are few shows I like to watch. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Sep. 10th, 2009|10:12 pm] |
Tonight I participated in the Berkley Jove author chat. (Due to the wonders of corporate merging I am considered one of their authors as well as Ace and Penguin.) It's the first one I've participated in. I got an invite for the first three books but never went, because I didn't expect any questions. But tonight I decided, what the hell?, so I went, and one of the chatters had read all my books and had a few questions for me. And a few general questions were asked, such as how much input we had into the covers. (My answer: none.) And where we came up with our characters' names. Stuff like that. The hour went by very quickly.
And can I say how much I hate the fact that my picture is out there? Someone scooped it from my law firms website and it's popped up in other places in connection with my books. I don't look like that anymore. And I always hated that picture.
I'm working on book six. I'd done a lot of work on it already, before having to finish book five to get it in to the publisher on time. I'm having a little fun with this one.
After book six is finished and handed in, which won't be until next year, I'll be returning to my team book world. I'm really excited about doing more work in that world. I love the characters, and it'll be nice to do something different. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Sep. 2nd, 2009|07:32 am] |
Thanks to Rachel, I am aware that my books are 3 of the 800 that have been nominated for Ink & Paper and A Bibliophile's Bookshelf best 101 fantasy books. The nominations cover several decades, including Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz, and I truly thrilled to be included.
Voting takes place until September 14, 2009.
http://101fantasybooks.wordpress.com/vote-for-101-fantasy/ |
|
|
| Heroes At Risk Spoiler Post |
[Aug. 27th, 2009|05:44 pm] |
Heroes At Risk came out on Tuesday, though I know it was available earlier in some locations. The release was celebrated with champagne. I'm a nut for champagne.
It has been requested that I have a post where people can write what they thought of the book. I've got to get a website with a forum one of these days. Anyway, please feel free to discuss the book here, and be aware that there will be spoilers.
I won't be responding to any comments here, so don't worry about being honest. I won't be getting defencive and I won't be deleting anything. |
|
|
| A whole lot about tv tropes and Merlin |
[Aug. 15th, 2009|09:53 am] |
Book five is done and ready to send in. Yay!
The website tv tropes has eaten my brain. For those who don't know it, it is a website dedicated to certain common themes in books, movies and tv shows, describing them and giving examples. Some pages deal with a particular show or whatever and list the tropes within them. Other pages provide the description of the trope, and give examples of them. There are thousand of themes, it seems, and some of the descriptions are hilarious. The following is for the trope Bullying the Dragon, and it's my favourite:
"See that guy over there? The one that can make Your Head Asplode with his Psychic Powers? What a weirdo. Let's throw rocks at him!
This is the suicidal tendency of characters to bully, persecute, or in some other way provoke people or things they really shouldn't be messing with. That weird loner who sits in a corner reading? Fine. That sweet girl who can heal people? If you're that much of an asshole, go for it. The blind kid that somehow knows what you're about to do and is powerless to stop you? Yeah, jackass, whatever floats your boat. But the kid who can warp the fabric of reality who just wants to be left alone? Bad idea."
Though I'm not sure, I think I came across it through a reference to Taro, under Urban Legend Love Life, which is a guy who is rumoured to have women by the score, but you never actually see it "on screen", so is it really true. The page for my books - and hey, yeah, I have a page - includes tropes such as aristocrats are evil, emotions vs. stoicism, inadequate heir, perpetual poverty, and she cleans up nicely. As well, sometimes Lee and Taro are used as examples other tropes. For example, Heroes Adrift is used as an example of With This Herring (a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail,) another favourite of mine:
"So, you're a hero of destiny, summoned before the mighty king of this pastiche Tolkienesque fantasy kingdom and charged with saving the world from the terrible evil that has befallen it before it's The End Of The World As We Know It, we know you can pull it off. Because Destiny Says So.
Oh, did we mention that you've got five bucks and a butter knife to your name?"
That cracked me up.
Anyway, after finding this site, I, of course, had to search through every book, movie and tv show I've ever liked, and it's taken days out of my life. I'm such a loser.
On to other things:
Another thing that has eaten my brain is the show Merlin. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. And I have no idea why. It's a British show that, in theory, is about Merlin and Arthur and Camelot and all that, only it takes all the accepted ideas about Arthurian legend and stomps all over them. With glee. In this version, Merlin and Arthur are both young men, Arthur a prince and Merlin a young hick from a tiny village who knows he's got magic but has no training and does it all by instinct. Camelot already exists, having been established before Arthur's father, Uther (played by GILES from Buffy the Vampire Slayer,)took it over. Uther has outlawed magic, and goes completely mental whenever the faintest suspicion of magic is raised, and executes anyone who is suspected of using magic. Or breathes the same air as someone suspected of using magic. Which causes some problems for Merlin.
Not being familiar with Arthurian legend myself, I'm not aware of all the ways the writers twist the legends. I do know that Guinivere isn't supposed to be a servant, and Lancelot isn't supposed to be a peasant. Arthur isn't supposed to be a jerk and Merlin isn't supposed to be his (incompetent) manservant. Merlin, apparently, is supposed to live backwards - how does that even work? And the dragon that lives under the castle was completely made up by the shows writers.
There are anachronisms by the score. A story that takes place in the Dark Ages is filmed in a fifteenth century castle. People eat tomatos and sandwiches. They all understand the concept of contagious diseases. One of the older characters wears glasses.
The servants are all pretty snippy with their bosses and don't get beaten for it.
I don't care about all of that. And I don't care about the bad CGI. It's not an American show, they don't have the same kind of budget. As long as I don't actually see the strings and the tennis balls, I'm happy.
My complaints are about the writing. Plot holes galore, oh my god. One enemy wants to get Merlin to drink poison, and goes about it in a ridiculously convoluted fashion that could go wrong in about a dozen different ways. Merlin, who's supposed to keep his magic a secret, talks about it and performs it in front of a slew of different people without getting caught. (Though now he might be covered after confessing to be a sorcerer to protect a friend and, ultimately, no one believed him.) And the show, perhaps because they only had 13 episodes and no knowledge whether there would be a second season, rushed the relationships.
Merlin and Arthur aren't supposed to like each other in the beginning, and are supposed to learn to trust each other over time. Yet in the second episode, Arthur believes an accusation Merlin makes against a knight despite all the reasons not to - like a servant's word doesn't mean much and the accusation sounds ridiculous if you don't know all the circumstances. In the forth episode, Merlin drinks poison he thinks is meant for Arthur, and Arthur goes against his father's orders and risks his life to get the antidote. Gaius, Merlin's mentor, calls Merlin "the son I never had" pretty quickly after meeting him for the first time. There is virtually no screen time between Arthur and Guinivere until the last few episodes, and it feels like the writers all of sudden looked at each other and said, "Oh yeah, aren't these two supposed to get married some time in the future?"
Some of the acting is a little dodgy. Anthony Head (Giles) is of course a glorious actor, but he's not given a lot to work with. Uther is, in most episodes, a pretty one-note character. And the actress playing Morgana, yikes. She was clearly chosen for her looks. The guy who plays Merlin varies from episode to episode.
So why do I like watching the show? It's hard to say. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that fans are calling Arthur Lois Lane. How dumb is he? Merlin's done magic right in front of him but he still hasn't got a clue. So I want to see when/how he catches on and what his reaction will be. I like the idea that the show probably won't get to the point where everything goes to hell, it probably won't last that long, so it'll stay a happy little fantasy. I do like the occasional digs at the original (or however you want to say it) legend. For example, Lancelot shows up for an episode, and is of course gorgeous. Merlin asks Guinivere which she would choose, if she had to pick, Arthur or Lancelot. (Because Arthur is considered gorgeous, too, and they're both knights, blah blah blah.) And Guinivere says something to the effect that she'll never have to choose.
I love watching the behind the scenes videos on youtube, especially the ones dealing with buying strawberries for 15 pounds (only to go to another shop and find them significantly cheaper) and catching a spider that's gotten into the bathtub of one of the actors. It really appeals to me that while Arthur is impatient and a bit of a jerk and Merlin is always smiling and pretty laid back, the actor who plays Arthur is playful and seems to be always laughing and the actor who plays Merlin is reserved and takes a while to warm up to people.
So yeah, I like this show mostly because of what is happening behind the scenes. That's kind of weird.
Also, I love this:
Arthur: I've been trained to kill since birth.
Merlin: How long have you been training to be a prat?
Arthur: You can't address me like that.
Merlin: Sorry. How long have you been training to be a prat, my lord? |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[Jun. 14th, 2009|11:07 am] |
On Thursday I got the contract for Heroes 5 and 6, which I have signed and mailed back. So those books are a go. I tell you, with the economic times being what they are, and the fact that my numbers aren't stellar, I was really concerned ACE wouldn't want the next installments. But there was a question asked of my editor if I was working on anything else, and I told him about books 5 and 6. Oh, and the team book, but that's not ready to be seen by anyone yet. And then there was a question about when I could hand in books 5 and 6. And then there was the discussion of certain particulars of the contract. But I couldn't feel confident about anything until I saw it in writing. Which I have, so I'm relieved.
I also feel good about the fact that ACE was asking about new work before At Risk even came out.
So I'm working on book five, getting it ready to send to the agent, and I've just come across an appalling sentence. I'll be the first to admit that I play fast and loose with the rules of grammar. That was a deliberate choice, because everything happens inside Lee's head, and I, for one, don't think to myself according to the rules of grammar. But this sentence was so garbled I have no idea what I meant or what I was thinking.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really admire people who can knock out the finished product in a draft or two. I don't think I'll ever be able to do that. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[May. 24th, 2009|02:49 pm] |
A good friend has given me some brilliant feedback for book five. I haven't received all of it, because we were chatting, and I wanted to get the critique all at once in an email. But what she told me blew me away and really forced me to look at things in a different manner. I'm so glad I asked her to do this.
As well, she delivered her criticism in such a gentle manner, there was no chance of me getting my back up over what she was saying. She was brilliant.
Thank you so much, Melissa. You're a gem. |
|
|
| (no subject) |
[May. 15th, 2009|11:24 am] |
|
Thanks to everyone who replied to my request for music suggestions. Now I have some place to start. |
|
|
| Asking for Input |
[May. 11th, 2009|12:57 pm] |
I now have an Ipod. It was a bit of an impulse gift from my sister. The last ambulatory music system I had was when walkmans took cassettes. So I have no idea how to use this thing.
It's pretty, though.
Anyway, I am looking for music that'll help motivate me when I exercise. My usual forms of exercise are walking and the elliptical. I don't like rap, but if anyone has any other suggestions, I'd be grateful to get them. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
moiraj's journal