Category Archives: Writing

Book Progress

As of this afternoon’s writing jam, the spellcrafting manuscript word count stands at 16,423. That means it’s just under one-fifth complete (or, if you’re Ceri, one over 4.871217).

The day’s total stands at 2,955 words, which is the best so far on this project. (It’s not a personal best; I hit 5K one day while working on a November novel.) I almost want to sit down and write forty-five words just so I can say I hit 3K, but I did that already to hit 2.5K, and frankly, I’m tired of thinking about spellcrafting this afternoon. I think I’ll finish the new Caroline Stevermer while waiting for HRH to get home instead.

Catechism For A Witch’s Child


When they ask to see your gods
your book of prayers
show them lines
drawn delicately with veins
on the underside of a bird’s wing
tell them you believe
in giant sycamores mottled
and stark against a winter sky
and in nights so frozen
stars crack open spilling streams
of molten ice to earth
and tell them how you drank
the holy wine of honeysuckle
on a warm spring day
and of the softness
of your mother
who never taught you
death was life’s reward
but who believed in the earth
and the sun
and a million, million light years
of being.

– J.L. Stanley

(found via Margie’s Brigid’s Hearth: Pagan Parenting page)

– Read more of J.L. Stanley’s Labyrinth Poems

Plagiarism

For everyone who’s outraged in general, and worried about the extent of the plagiarism in the rituals book in particular, including Bev and Margie (what a lovely surprise to hear from you, Margie!): in-house editors are indeed further combing the manuscript for suspicious material other than the chunk I caught. The author may have plagiarised from his own work, but one never knows about the rest.

I poked about the fabric district with Ceri this afternoon. So many ideas, so little time and money. Besides, I had to buy a motherboard instead of a new sewing machine.

I’m off to orchestra. I might have a new computer when I get back. I’m not counting my chicks, but I’m being optimistic.

Book Update

Today’s word count: 2,472
Total word count: 13,516

Evidently I had a lot to say about the topic of ethics. This was a terrific day, and I’m not even counting the bibliography listings I added (which would have bumped me over the 2.5K mark, but which would have been ethically questionable).

It’s hard to believe that I’m just over one-sixth done.

Tuesday, right?

I’m all messed up week-wise. All morning I’ve been thinking it’s Wednesday, because I went into the bookstore yesterday instead of today on Tuesday, my usual day. However, the writing jam has been switched from Thursday to Tuesday (possibly temporarily due to yet more schedule changes), which is today – or so my calendar tells me. My brain is struggling to maintain the Wednesday-day-after-work truth simultaneously with the Thursday-writing-jam-day truth, along with the Tuesday-according-to-the-calendar truth. It’s very sad, but I think I’m getting a headache from trying to figure out what day it is.

The solution is probably to stop thinking altogether and go check on the laundry.