Tuesday, October 21, 2008

random work update with quotations

I am working on a few new Laini's Ladies designs, and yesterday I went to Powell's to peruse quote books and design books and glean inspiration. I found some wonderful quotes, but not great for Laini's Ladies, which are tricky and must have wide appeal plus either humor or uplift or both.

"Old age means realizing your will never own all the dogs you wanted to." -- Joe Gores

"The world is a spiritual kindergarten, where millions of bewildered infants are trying to spell 'God' with the wrong blocks." -- Edwin Arlington Robinson

"One of the disadvantages of having children is that eventually they get old enough to give you presents they make at school." --Robert Byrne

I don't think I mentioned it, but I sent off the most recent pass of Silksinger to my editor last week. It was a light sort of last-chance pass, where I managed to weed a few thousand words out and clarify a few things. Not sure, but perhaps the next pass I get will be copyediting -- just simple corrections, commas, etc. Could it be. . . that I will ever be finished with this book? Sometimes it feels like NOT, like perhaps Purgatory is an endless process of revising one book. Hey, what if Purgatory were an endless process of revising your life like it was a manuscript. Over and over again. What parts would you cut out? Could you add scenes too? Hm. That would probably be too much fun for Purgatory. I don't think Purgatory is supposed to be fun.

Huh. I think that's all I have to say. Exciting. Oh wait, no. There's this, from Western Carolina University, where today a bear cub was found murdered,* shot in the head, wrapped in Obama flags, and dumped at the entrance to campus. A message? Lovely. Some McCain supporters have really been doing their party proud (and don't get in a huff. I'm not saying all McCain supporters kill animals to make threats.)

*in the new National Geographic, the letters page starts out with messages re: whether killing an animal like a gorilla in Rwanda is murder or "just killing." There are articulate letters on both sides, but I'm on the side of calling it murder, particularly when it is done in cold blood, not for food or in self-defense, but to send a message. Like this. I also believe sport-hunting not for food but for fun is murder. Which brings to mind another quote I came across yesterday:

"The English country gentleman galloping after a fox -- the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable." -- Oscar Wilde

3 comments:

tone almhjell said...

Oh, I'm with you (and, I presume, Oscar Wilde) on the murder thing. (wow, I'm glad I'm no politician. They'd spin that one like a Chinese plate. And now I've just said 'that one'. Twice. Heh).

If it's not for food or in self-defense, then it's murder. Even if it's a tiny mouse. Poor, poor bear cub. I hope he never saw it coming.

And the Silksinger news..kind of like the end of a relationship, isn't it, you think it will never be over, and then, it just suddenly is. But you've earned it, you know, earned sprinting across the finish line, even if you've been trotting for a couple of miles know, and even if it feels like the audience has gone home for supper. When you've sent off the correction version, then you must celebrate. The most wonderful way you know. And really sprint, arms held high, and take a bow.

Yay! (See, the audience haven't gone home for supper, they're just waiting by their mail boxes for Silksinger to arrive).

Wyman Stewart said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kim G. said...

Hi Laini! Been lurking for awhile just reading the many interesting posts and comments. I Love to read your thoughts on everything (even when I hold a different position) and I'm challenged by your passion and commitment to living out what you believe. So exciting that Silksinger may be in it's final stages - Natalie asks me every once in a while on the progress. Congrats on the newest version! :-)

Read this quote in a book the other day and wrote it down. Maybe it's not right for a "Lady" but for your "Robot" project if you want it. "Failure is the tuition you pay for success." Walter Brunell