April 2009 Archives

4/30 Update: I'm extra special behind this week but will post tomorrow. For those saying, "what the what?", between you and me, the next target is: Book XI, Chapter 6.....

And just like that, it's Week 10! I'm still reading, having a great time with the book, but I can't say I've caught up. In my world, Dmitri just had a glorious extended freakout involving angry Poles and blood and money and at least one moment of delirium, and then the roof caved in. I can see now what everyone's been talking about in the comments. It does feel like FD spent the first 300 pages meticulously putting his boat together, kneeling by the river's side, and now he's gone and thrown into the rapids. That's right, it's a whiterafting gumball rally! Or something like that. Very glad to have it made to this exhilirating patch, and thanks to you all for pulling me along....

Next Wednesday: Let's meet up at the end of Part IV, Book Ten, Chapter 7 -- "make sure you come! Ici...."

(which is to say: please use this Week 4 thread for comments on pages 0-562; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o' day Tuesday)

I'm delighted to share the news that the "Conversations about Creativity" interviews on this site have moved over to their entirely new digs at about-creativity.com.

A post on the about-creativity.com blog gives a tour of the major changes we've made, but the quick version is: (1) interviews are now organized and presented in a way that should be much easier to browse through -- content burbles up, I say, literally burbles up through vents and other hot spots! (2) We've created a couple of all-new areas where you can let folks know what you're working on and share what works for you.

When you get a chance, please drop by the new site and chime in!

In related news, now that the site is up, new interviews will be following shortly, starting with a conversation with Chris Baty of NaNoWriMo (Nation Novel Writing Month), due to be posted next week.
-Cecil

Gentle.

Welcome to Week 9, in which I'm late again, the gap-doth-inflate again, I'm a need-to-be-reading-more 'march mate, again. Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered, I've fallen behind! I'm in a great part of the book tho -- still marveling at the fact that she's an onion. Lovely story, that.

Just think of me as the voice from your not-so-distant past, cheerfully turning pages on the dusty path ye've already trod. Don't wait for me though. Charge on! Charge on! And here's hoping I have that extra productive weekend I need to get back in the thick of the pack.....

Next Wednesday: Let's meet up at the end of Part III, Book Nine, Chapter 7, or "I'll probably start raving."

(which is to say: please use this Week 4 thread for comments on pages 0-499; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o' day Tuesday)

Welcome to Week 8, my very own week-of-DM-shame, as the days have slipped past and now I'm suddenly a week behind. I blame the Cannonball Run references from a few weeks back, which inspired me to go on a 750-mile trek throwing my DM schedule into mad array! But don't wait for me. March on! March on! I'll aim to catch up with ya before the next bend.

Next Wednesday: Let's Gumball Rally our way to the end of Part III, Book Nine, Chapter 2, "after a long but, I believe, necessary explanation."

(which is to say: please use this Week 4 thread for comments on pages 0-456; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o' day Tuesday)

Welcome to Week 7! From a sort of outrageous 70 or 80 marchers, we're now down closer to a still impressive as hell ~30. Another fun and thoughtful batch of comments this past week. I was particularly gratefully to Cookie for catching this (as So-Called-Bill pointed out) impossibly timely line:

"We are assured that the world is becoming more and more united, is being formed into brotherly communion, by the shortening of distances, by the transmitting of thoughts through the air. Alas, do not believe in such a union of people."

I'm not sure how I missed that one, though I have this theory that whenever there's duels and murders and stinking corpses, I'm fully engaged, and then when things switch to religious philosophy and/or 20-page prose interpretations of poems about religious philosophy, I black out.

Fortunately, we've been ending of late on these lovely pivot points in the action that leave me looking forward to the trail just ahead. Here's hoping that string continues!

Next Wednesday: Let's zip on by the midpoint and catch up with Mitya at at the end of Part III, Book Eight, Chapter 4, where he appears to be running "like a madman."

(which is to say: please use this Week 4 thread for comments on pages 0-395; aim to finish reading that section and shout out here by end o' day Tuesday)