End of Month Roundup

[temporus]

Okay, this month more or less made up for last.

One new short story.  Title still up in the air, as of this writing.  And wow, it came in at only 4000 words on the first draft.  A miracle.  I can write something that doesn't run into novella length again. 

Three submissions this month.  Two rejections on the old submissions.  Two submissions outstanding.

Completed one article, wrote a first draft on a new one.  Need to get these articles out the door sooner.

Read four books:

Swordspoint  by Ellen Kushner.  Relatively short novel, that I read a good portion of this last month, but finished this month so it goes on this month's list.  I enjoyed the gritty feeling of the world captured by Kushner.  The characters were interesting, and the storyline engaging.  Perhaps it was the cover, but something about this felt dated to me, though I couldn't possibly explain why.  Overall, a satisfying read.

Lies my Teacher Told Me  by James W. Loewen.  An interesting look on the way history is taught in america, more specifically, how the textbooks are created, and how they are lacking.  I think if nothing else, it showed me how patronizing the books we learned from were.  The idea that students can't handle controversy--and by controversy I mean the idea that things in history aren't settled facts, but often debatable points that can be examined and re-examined--is appalling.   When he was going through the books, giving examples of how our history books deny us the chance to really learn the truth about our history, it was good reading.  After he was done with his big examples, and was in the wrapping up section of the book, it started to drag, and I found myself wanting to be done with it.  Not that I didn't appreciate his point, but after a while I wanted to say: Yes, I agreed with you ten pages ago, you don't have to beat that point with a dead horse.

I Am Legend  by Richard Matheson.  I read this one because it's a classic in the horror genre, and I wanted to bone up on my classics.  The story is a classic for a reason.  Interestingly though, you can tell it was a product of its era, as are a number of the short stories that come packaged with this short novel. (At least in the Trade Paperback edition I purchased.)   Even before I checked on the publication date of the original, I could feel a distinct early "red scare" presence in the storyline, even though its so tangental to the actual plot it could be removed on an edit, and you wouldn't even know it.  I can see why his is listed as an influence for many more recent authors.  The short stories were a great bonus that helped balance the price tag on this edition.

Death Masks  by Jim Butcher.  This is book five in the Dresden Files series.  For me, this one felt like a bit of a step backwards.  Way more predictable than book four.  Almost as bad as books one and two.  What saved it for me, was the addition of new characters.  Still, it was a fun romp, and a good way to pass a couple of days. 

I feel on track.  Hopefully, I'll be able to maintain pace.