Free at last

And for those of you who pay attention to such things ... four months later ... I have finally, FINALLY finished moving all my junk from West Virginia to my new house in Kentucky.

Of course not all of it's been put away yet. And there's still tons of stuff in boxes. But hey, you gotta start somewhere.

--grumble, grumble--

When have you made it?

I read several writing blogs on a daily basis, sometimes more than just once a day. Most of those blogs are listed to the left here. But there are another half dozen blogs I check out every once in a while, and then there are times I spend an hour or so gazing around the Web for new blogs by writers, editors, wannabees, what have you.

One thing I've noticed in most of the blogs by writers is that they always have goals, they are always reaching for the next level. Some beginners are just trying to get that first short story published. Other authors are trying to get that first book deal. Still others are published but trying to be able to quite their day job. And Stephen King is working toward his next million.

It just seems as if it's never enough. Don't misunderstand me, because I'm saying this is a good thing (though I can see downsides). There always should be a next level for a writer to reach for, another mountain to climb, another ocean to swim. It's part of the greatness of being a writer, part of the fun. What's my next project? How will I tell this tale? What kind of different story can I come up with?

But ... when have you made it as a writer? When your first book is published? When you get an agent? When Hollywood comes calling?

I have my own goals, some for the near future and others for waaaaay down the road, but I'll know when I've made it. My major goal: To be able to write full time without having to hold down another job.

That's just me, how I feel. Anyone else want to share their opinion?

Two interesting Web pages

While perusing the Web recently I came across a couple of unusual Web sites I thought I'd pass on to others:

Predictions about the year 2000
These are 29 predictions about the year 2000 made in the year 1900. The list originally came from the December 1900 issues of "The Ladies Home Journal." Some of these predictions are pretty close to reality, but the majority were waaaaay off base. The world wars alone changed so much, there is no way they could have predicted some things. Anyway, have fun.

How much is your blog worth?
This fun little site lets you know what your blog is worth in U.S. dollars. Check out the html logo thingy below for my site's current worth. It's also interesting to check out your friends' blogs to see what they are worth; Steve Goble's site is worth a good bit more than mine, and mystery writer J.A. Konrath's Web site is worth really big bucks.

My blog is worth $1,129.08.
How much is your blog worth?

No. 13 -- The Sign of the Moonbow

by Andrew J. Offutt

Started: April 22
Finished: May 2

Notes: This novel uses characters from the works of Robert E. Howard, especially Cormac Mac Art and Thulsa Doom. I'm a fan of Offutt's, and Howard's, so this short little novel is a natural.

Mini review: About the only thing bad I can say about this book is that it jars you with too many characters right at the beginning, and it thrusts you right into a situation. So, it takes a few chapters to kind of figure out what is going on. Other than that, there's plenty of great action here for you sword & sorcery fans. And for you history buffs, you can learn a lot in this book about ancient Ireland.

No. 12 -- The Knight of the Swords

by Michael Moorcock

Started: April 18

Finished: April 22

Notes: Been a long time since I've read any Moorcock, and thought I'd pick up this one to get me in the mood to write some action fantasy, or Sword & Sorcery. Only cost me a buck.

Mini review: A bit dated as far as writing style is concerned, but that's a good thing in my opinion. Not over-the-top sword and sorcery, like Howard or Leiber, but a fun read. Moorcock tends to be more magic-oriented than most S&S writers, but that's intentional.

Passing of an icon

Maybe I've been living in a bubble the last few days, but I just discovered Kurt Vonnegut passed away on April 11.

This shook me up a little. I'm not a huge Vonnegut fan, having only read a couple of his books, though I did see him speak once years ago when I was in college.

I feel like the last of the "real" writers has been lost to the world. Not that there aren't plenty of writers and novelists out there churning out books today, but the day of the novelist as god are over. Capote is gone. Hemingway is long gone. Salinger has had his head in the sand so long he might as well be gone.

I mean no insult to modern novelists. Heck, I'm trying to be one. But novelists, or at least the way Hollywood often portrays novelists in movies, used to be respected, unique. They used to be word smiths. Now we're often asked to just be page smiths.

I'm not a great writer. I don't pretend that I will ever be a great writer. I can write decently enough, as well as many novels I see on today's bookstore shelves. But ... but ...

I don't know. The publishing industry has lost something. We, as writers, have lost something. America has lost something. The world has lost something.

We've lost Kurt Vonnegut.

Damn it.

Second Life for writers

I mentioned here recently that I sometimes hang out online in a place called Second Life. The best way I can think of to describe Second Life is, not as a game, but as a three-dimensional version of the Internet in which you are represented by an avatar of your own making. Now, Second Life has only been around for a few years, so it reminds me much of how the Internet was in the early-to-mid 1990s (for those of you who are old enough to remember that); there is a lot of information on Second Life, including business Web sites and chat and more, but there is still much room to grow.

I bring all this up again here because publishers are beginning to have a presence on Second Life. There have been a few small-press and UK publishers on Second Life for a while, but Bantam Dell has recently opened a shop on Second Life, with no other than Dean Koontz doing an online session with readers.

So, there might be a reason to check out Second Life. I'm predicting other publishers will start to make a move onto Second Life over the next year.

I'll keep a watch on Second Life for any other writer-related news. If you should go, there are also a number of bookstores to check out. Just use the search tool and you should have no problem findng them.