Frustrating news.

Toshi's been delayed by policy. When the organizer of the "get Robert a decent system fund" placed the order, naturally Toshi was supposed to ship to me. Turned out the store took the money and canceled the order without deigning to contact him. Now maybe that was intended to avoid online piracy - but why not just contact the billing address and simply ask "Did you order this? Is this the shipping address?"

Now it's got to go to him and then he's got to reship to me. Sigh. More delays. I've been waiting, daily, hoping the package would come and wondering unpleasantly if it came and went with a lost little door-note. I'll feel secure when it finally arrives. And of course, I haven't moved yet.

But the avatar library for when Forward Motion moves is getting a lot larger. It's replaced Solitaire for rumination, and tonight I did an orchid spray on tropical leaves, a Czech traditional decoration and a parched mud landscape with two nicely realistic raindrops that just hit it!

Robert and Ari >^..^<

Death Challenge, Day Two - hit a searing hot topic that I wanted to write a good thousand words on in a post. Managed to keep my post to 139 words. Holly raised the stakes again. She let me see one of the hostages. She demonstrated with a character I can't get out of my mind now. In about 150 words, she made me really care and want to see this character in print, possibly as an MC.

I managed it. I kept my post to 139 words, even though there was another strong point I really wanted to make. Otherwise it hasn't been that hard staying under - except that I'm making more posts.

Robert and Ari >^..^<

My Excised Sig Line:


Robert A. Sloan
and Aristophenes Mr. Robert's Cat Sloan

Ezine with Ari's picture: www.selfhelpforwriters.com - soon to gain expanded format, more features and fiction! Watch for guidelines link. Email submissions for SelfHelp to selfhelpforwriters@yahoo.com

Ari's Home Day!

Focus comes from the repetition of skills at all times and in all areas. -- Holly Lisle

High Goth sold to Pegasus Prose June 4, 2002

BrokeWriters Moderator: Usually Broke, Usually Writing!

Free story: The Soul Drinker - horror.

My weblogs: Raven Dance's LiveJournal and robert's blog featuring ari >^..^<
Another page: New Index and my book, which you can read online: Raven Dance
Count your successes! Ignore failed trials!

Live Fire Exercise Continued

Egad, it's working! It's blown me away, but this Strange Challenge has made me weigh every word. Critique comments are allowed to run long, but I'm applying it even there. Result - very punchy comments. Boy, did I need this!

Robert and Ari >^..^< (His irregularly scheduled lengthy rambles aren't gone for good. I know this guy too well. Purr.)

Posting Dares

July-August Dares at Forward Motion:
Master Nonfiction - write 4 articles in those months for other editors.
Apprentice New Short Stories - write 4 new short stories.
Apprentice Novel Rewrite - work over Quest once end to end, do not assume it will be ready to send.
Master World Building Dare - 8,000 words of world building notes, probably most or all on BN Class project
Master Critique Dare - 2 critiques per week. This is a good pace. I usually do more than that.
Master Short Story Rewrite Dare - rewrite and send 8 short stories!!

And a private challenge - ship out one a week before the Dare starts just to keep things moving and get through the massive backlog. That includes resending stuff editors raved on that didn't stick and doesn't need much or any more work.

Onward! It's all posted now!

Robert and Ari >^..^<

Prolific's Progress...

I made the cut for the second Breakout Novel Course at Forward Motion. I'm in. Welcome to Boot Camp for Writers. Energy is running high and the numerous Auditors are throwing themselves in as hard and heavy as the Participants. I'm critiquing at random after doing the rest of the participant circle. And tonight... I got a special challenge.

My name is on a members board for the Robert Sloan II Death of Thousands Board. If any of my posts (excluding stories and crits of stories) run over 150 words, a character dies ignominiously cut without so much as a death scene. But, for every week I go without running over, every post saves one of those "characters waiting in the wings hoping to get into a book."

This doesn't apply to my blog, but... if you've read my blog any length of time, you do know how I can get.

First thing I got in Boot Camp was a Live-Fire Exercise and if I can manage to keep my head down - hehehe - Holly will have to deal with a massive cast. Shorter posts = more posts... this is going to be fun.

It's also going to do me a lot of good for focus and discipline. I didn't go into this class to have it easy. I went in to get good at writing, and we'll see what happens. >^..^<

Updates will be blogged.

Robert and Ari >^..^< (Parenthetical cat comments do count in your posts, Robert...)