Weekly Writing and Reading Update

[die_traumerei]

Good heavens, I feel like poo. Here’s hoping that this afternoon I wake up a bit and my brain starts working again. (Or that I find peace in lying on my sofa reading.)

Writing:

Of Angels and Knights: Two chapters up! I’ve polished this a bit, but need to sit down and finish chapter 4 sooner rather than later. Chapter three, post-editing, will go up this week.

(A moment of vulnerability: I’m trying to detach myself from paying attention to kudos, let along comments, but it’s disappointing that this story I love so very much doesn’t seem to be attracting much love from other people. It’s not going to keep me from writing or posting it, but I want to acknowledge this regret.)

Yet Needed Most I Bring: Uh. So the chapter is at 7k words and I’m...maybe...halfway through? Maybe a scotch more? What I’m saying is that this will probably be two, maybe three chapters. Also that I’m afraid of the editing before me. On the plus side, it is 100% self-indulgent joy to write, so.

That’s it for this week! I have a few ideas floating around but, to be honest...I’m tired. And I have these two giant meaty stories to dig into. I’m probably not going to start anything new for a little bit yet.

Reading:

Burned through City of Gold and Shadows and Death to the Landlords!, both by Ellis Peters. I had not previously known she’d written non-Cadfael mysteries. They’re fine. I started City of Gold and Shadows because even though she’s moved the location to be in England, I would swear up, down and sideways that it’s based on Caerwent. It feels like Caerwent, though I guess a load of border Roman outposts kind of feel the same. (It was, one might say, a bit of a Roman Thing. I might also be conflating it with other Romano-British towns; then again, Peters probably conflated a bunch to create her setting, so maybe we’re both right.)

(Huh. I wanted to check when excavations started at Caerwent, if Peters would have known about them when writing, and wikipedia informs me that part of The First Avenger filmed quite nearby. I think I’d known they’d filmed in Wales, but I just assumed they were in Upper Boat, where there’s a good-sized studio where everyone else films. I’m pretty sure I know where they were, based on the wiki entry, but if anyone can confirm for sure, that would be awesome!)

Anyway, they’re both fine. I mostly read Death to the Landlords! because I figured out whodunit about the time it was dun, and was determined to be acknowledged as correct. It wasn’t bad or anything, and was pleasantly not-racist when it so very easily could have been. But, uh. Not to spoil anything, but Ellis Peters has issues with blonde women. It’s kind of weird.