The book is as much of a memoir as it as a how-to.

That's what I love about King. He's never didactic, and if he is, he admits it (and admits he might be wrong). I just love his conversational style, in everything he writes, actually, but especially in On Writing.

Me too, Amy. His only Stompy-sections are those on spelling and grammar. He's also the one that's made me think that maybe MAYBE, when my opus is done, I can find a house/editor, rather than an agent. Not saying that's the way I'm going, but Little Brown is ten miles from me, you know?

eta...

Also, tonight, even though I'm not writing (at this moment) can I tell you how fricking high I am on my book story? It's going to be offensive and piss people off, but I lurve it.

I get a little stompy about spelling, grammar, and punctuation myself, so I sympathize with him there.

And being high on your BOOK is an excellent thing. That's how you get it written, babe.

In terms of writing books. I actually think they can be useful in the same way that a child care book can be. Not as a "this set of rules is the one true way" but as "hey, maybe I should try that next time x happens." Or "Hey that's an approach I had not thought of to this chronic problem. Maybe that'll work." Even if the writer thinks they are preaching the one true way, that doesn't mean you can't cherry pick what you find useful and leave the rest.

Good luck with the writing Cindy! It's cool you're pumped up about your story.

During my brief between revision hiatus, I've written up some notes for my next novel project in the form of a short story.

as posted on lj, I still need to come up with a new title for my EQ story(that was betaed by people here...thanks.) It's a darkly comic story about a first-edition "Maltese Falcon", a heist interrupted, and an accidental shooting. If it'll help, it happens in a family business, and you can be funny if you want...help me come up with something!

Oh hey, I remember that story, it was good. Jeez, a name, I can't think of anything offhand, I'm trying to remember the story better. It was first person so my first lame attempt: "The Maltese Falcon and Me"?

I finished up my short story that is my notes for my next novel.

Now back to Dead Mountain to analyze all my feedback and make my last round of changes before a final checking and cleaning up of grammar and punctuation. I'm not planning to get feedback on the this next version, from what I've gotten back I don't foresee big enough changes to go do that. Lots of tweaks, but nothing too major.

Nothing great has occurred to me. Sharing what I've come up with in case they spark something:

Black Falcon Down
The Falcon and the No Man
The Maltese Screwup
The Maltese Stumble
That Sweet Neck...

Falconry For Dummies The MF