I'm prepping myself to do my character bios for the class and I'm a little nervous about this. I mean, it's one thing to crank out a bio for yourself when you're working on a novel, trying to get into a character's head. I've done this many times before. But usually they're very rough and more for getting the juices flowing rather than a pretty document to refer to later. But for class we have to post these things. Two characters, 1000 words each. That means they have to be less rough and even a little pretty. And knowing myself, anything I hash out now about my characters will change when I start writing.
Other News: Just joined Team Forward Motion on Project Dolphin. Very weird little thing, but I figured since I will be typing a lot, I might as well do my part to help. Let's rack these keystrokes up, baby!
Book Talk: So lately I've been suffering from book boredom. Seems like every book I pick up just doesn't grab me. Though I've been picking through Mindhunter, about the guy who pretty much started criminal profiling as a regular practice, I'm really never happy unless I'm reading a good novel. I started and stopped a few, not necessarily because they were bad, but I just couldn't get into them. I was in a funk, not quite sure what I wanted to read. So I took a trip to my local Borders, figuring I'd pick up a thriller by an author I hadn't tried yet, something so nail-biting I wouldn't be able to put it down. Instead, I found myself in the science fiction section (which happens only rarely these days) eyeing S.L. Viehl's sequel to her most enjoyable Stardoc, titled Beyond Varallan. What the hell, I thought, and picked it up.
I'm so glad I did.
Since starting this novel, what I've come to call my "reader's block" has ended. I'm tearing through it and loving it even more than the first one. (How often does a sequel do that?) What is it about Viehl's novels that just suck you in? She just knows how to tell a story. I think that's the bottom line. She writes the kind of books that make you want to get through your day already so you can curl up in bed and read. She's also the kind of writer that reminds me of why I signed up for this writing gig myself. I want to have that same affect on someone, to pull them so deeply into my story it's all they can do to tear their eyes off the page. And though I don't write SF, I am positive there's a lot to be learned by reading Viehl's work. If you're a writer (or anyone hungry for a damn good book) I'd suggest picking up anything or everything by S.L. (Sheila) Viehl, who also writes romances under the name Gena Hale. If I had the money I'd go out right now and buy the rest of the Stardoc series.
Happy reading! Happy writing!
'Nuf said.
