Carbonel mentions that it’s been a while since my last post, and inquires after my well-being. (Thanks, Carbonel!)
The Loyal 3.6 may be relieved to hear that I am well enough in myself, though I’ve been plagued by unusual fatigue this past week. I am trying to get through a shortish (~25,000 word) writing project, but have not been able to concentrate very well. I can do odd little world-building jobs and that kind of thing, but when I actually sit down to write copy, I find that my brain has turned to tapioca pudding.
As soon as I get some decent headway on the current project, I hope to post a sample. It’s a novella with the working title The Stone Sword, a sort of prequel to The Eye of the Maker, which I am writing partly to work out some backstory that I will need to continue the said Octopus; and partly because it will make a good cheap (or free) ebook to scatter far and wide as a promotional gewgaw.
Dear Mr. Simon,
This is to notify you of two things:
Item the First: I found occasion, a month or so ago, to quote you in a conversation, because your words were apposite and none else would suffice. The quotation in question was from your essay on Opera, regarding the musical qualities of the Italian language. I hereby (and thereby) inform you that you have “made it”, and that worldwide fame ought to follow in short order.
Item the Second: A longish quotation from Parkinson’s “Parkinson’s Law”, which reminded me of the distinctive bits of your sense of humor and hopefully will amuse:
It may be thought that the world offers comparatively few opportunities
to appoint slack-wire acrobats and tomb excavators, and that the problem is
more often to find candidates for less exotic appointments. This is true,
but the same principles can be applied. Their application demands, however–
as is evident– a greater degree of skill. Let us suppose that the post to
be filled is that of Prime Minister. The modern tendency is to trust in
various methods of election, with results that are almost invariably
disastrous. Were we to turn, instead, to the fairy stories we learned in
childhood, we should realize that at the period to which these stories
relate far more satisfactory methods were in use. When the king had to
choose a man to marry his eldest or only daughter and so inherit the
kingdom, he normally planned some obstacle course from which only the right
candidate would emerge with credit; and from which indeed (in many
instances) only the right candidate would emerge at all. For imposing such a
test the kings of that rather vaguely defined period were well provided with
55 both personnel and equipment. Their establishment included magicians,
demons, fairies, vampires, werewolves, giants, and dwarfs. Their territories
were supplied with magic mountains, rivers of fire, hidden treasures, and
enchanted forests. It might be urged that modern governments are in this
respect less fortunate. This, however, is by no means certain. An
administrator able to command the services of psychologists, psychiatrists,
alienists, statisticians, and efficiency experts is not perhaps in a worse
(or better) position than one relying upon hideous crones and fairy
godmothers. An administration equipped with movie cameras, television
apparatus, radio networks, and X-ray machines would not appear to be in a
worse (or better) position than one employing magic wands, crystal balls,
wishing wells, and cloaks of invisibility. Their means of assessment would
seem, at any rate, to be strictly comparable.
Ahem. Glad to hear you are alive and well. God bless you.
Hear. Hear.
Thanks for the update. As a fan of your writing, it is reassuring to hear these updates on your current projects and progress thereon. I keep your health and well-being in my prayers.
Great minds, and all that. I’ve been thinking about doing the same with a couple of stories – throw up an ebook on Amazon and/or give it away as a sampler.
All I have to do is turn the images I have chosen into something resembling a cover, do a tiny bit of editing, and take advantage of how I set everything up for easy one-click ebook from Scrivener – it is all so much easier after you’ve done it once.
Glad to hear you’re well, sorry it has been a fatigued week. I live with exhaustion; it is not fun.
Have you explored the wonderful world of B vitamin complex supplements? It is brute force, but it helps energy a ton.