Today I split my time between the two next books in the Craft Sequence. All morning I drafted the third novel, which is taking shaky shape, and in the afternoon, after a brief period of recovery, I dove back into reviewing my publisher’s copy edits for Two Serpents. I don’t want the copy edit review process to slow down proper writing, and it hasn’t so far. I wrote as much as usual today, and edited as much as I needed to, and I hope I can keep up that pace. We Shall See. One day is hardly a pattern.
I’ve been avoiding reading fiction for the last week or so as I get deeper into the new book, which is an interesting experience, and might not be helpful. I find myself salivating for new worlds. I linger over descriptions of books, and run my hands down spines as I pass them. Sometimes I peek, just a little line from somewhere in the middle. I already have my Christmas reading list, which I plan to dive into once I put the next book to bed for the holidays. Shall I share?
- Hannu Rajaniemi’s The Fractal Prince
- Felix Gilman’s The Rise of Ransom City
- David Foster Wallace’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again
Wallace isn’t fiction, sure, but he has such a strong voice I’m wary of reading his essays during the first-drafting process. That’s what edits are for, I guess—belt-sanding away everyone else’s words from mine.
I noticed that the Wallace book has an essay on David Lynch. I hope he’ll talk about the Dune movie. I’m not all that optimistic, but who knows? The spice may flow!