Archives
The first sentence I wrote today…
...was for Blue Fire: It wore a scrap of green cloth as a shift and had yellow yarn for its hair. Words today: 2,234 Total thus far: 25,390 I didn't do any writing over the weekend of the sitting-at-the-keyboard variety, but after I woke up on Saturday morning but before I actually got out of bed I solved the big plot hangup that's had me doing nothing but rewriting and rethinking on Magebane. That occasioned some more rewriting today, but I think either tomorrow or Wednesday I'll finally start adding to its official word count as well.The first sentences I rewrote today…and another photo!
I finished rewriting the bit of Blue Fire that needed it and will be pressing on to greener writing pastures. In fact, I made a start, so today from Blue Fire I have both a first sentence I rewrote and I first sentence I wrote. Will the excitement never end? First, the first sentence I rewrote: "The Nightdwellers?" Petra frowned. "They're not exactly a new--" Then, the first new new sentence in a while: Petra stared at the table. See, I told you it was exciting. Meanwhile, it's still all rewriting all the time over at Magebane, though I got through about a 4,500-word chunk of it today and am picking up speed as I work ...The first sentences I rewrote today…now with bonus photo!
...will appear momentarily, but first, a picture. This is where I worked on Magebane this afternoon--if you look close, you can see some of it on the computer screen. It's the Spike Lounge at the Wascana Country Club. Not as odd a choice as you might think: it's usually quieter than a coffee shop, the scenery is nicer, and they serve a wider selection of food and, um, beverages than a coffee shop. I've quite enjoyed working out there these past few days. I was still rewriting today, but I should be moving on to new Blue Fire material either tomorrow or Monday at the latest. Today's first rewritten Blue ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...or, if you want to get technical about it, the first sentence I re-wrote, from Blue Fire, was: There were still a half-dozen tents scattered around the grounds. After today's re-writing, the total word count stands at 22,016. Meanwhile, as Lee Arthur Chane, the first sentence I rewrote for Magebane was: If such thoughts are near the surface of the First Mage, so highly placed in my Father's Council, he thought, how strong are the hidden currents of them in the people as a whole? Over there, total word count stands at 27,155. Moving along well on both rewrites, but it'll probably be next week before I resume writing all-new material.The first sentence I wrote today…
...as I went back to fix the Scene Where It All Went Wrong in Blue Fire, was: For a moment Petra couldn't figure out what the blackened object was; then his chair clattered backward onto the wooden floor as he leaped to his feet without conscious volition. Not sure I like it much. That's the way it seemed to flow best, but "without conscious volition" seems a bit pretentiously wordy for a YA fantasy... Lots of new words, but lots of old words mixed in, so I can't really give you a word count for the day. Current total word count, though, is 22,051, which is up a bit from yesterday. Don't know how it will all work out as I work forward ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...was for Blue Fire: Amlinn's Grandfather's wagon--he realized he still didn't know the old man's name--glowed like a rare jewel in the final rays of the day's sunlight, which set its red and gold paint ablaze. Words today: 1,277 Total thus far: 20, 953 Now, this is an interesting sentence. (Also an awkward and rather convoluted one, but I can fix that. Also, need I point out the setting the wagon ablaze thing is a metaphor? It doesn't really catch fire...but in a fantasy, you never know, so perhaps I should make it a simile instead. But I digress.) The POV character admits he doesn't know the old man's name. And why doesn't he know the old man's name? Because the author, looking back at ...The first sentence I wrote today…
...is from Blue Fire: The wagons rolled on through the day. Words today: 2,121 Total thus far: 19,676 You can add to that another 480 words (actually more like 980 to start with, but then I had to cut it by half) previewing the Regina Fringe Festival for Thursday's LeaderPost, and another 1,400 words (which represented a 1,000-word cut from the first draft) of an interview with Robert J. Sawyer for the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild magazine FreeLance. A productive day. I still need to write a science column and try to do some work on Magebane, but it's getting late, so...no promises.The first sentences I wrote yesterday…
For Blue Fire: Bound, gagged, stripped and then dressed again with no more thought to his personal wishes or privacy than if he had been a dressmaker's dummy, Petra could do nothing but fume and pray that Vekk would strike them all dead with Blue Fire for daring to touch one of his Priest-Apprentices. Words yesterday: 845 Total thus far: 15,561 (I know, I know, how do you strip and then dress somebody whose arms and legs are bound? I'll fix it in the rewrite.) For Magebane: The fact was, he hadn't seen his father in the flesh for...what? Two months? Words yesterday: 2,605 Total thus far: 25,610The first sentences I wrote today…
For Blue Fire: Petra did not sleep well that night, torn between worry that he might oversleep and....overstimulating...images of the Freefolk girl dancing. Words today: 2,272 Total thus far: 14,715 For Magebane: Karl, alone with Lady Vin, who was still studying the final report the Council had received, stood and stretched. Words today: 1,362 Total thus far: 23,005 I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Magebane is the one you actually have a contract for, how come you got more words into the still-on-spec Blue Fire today?" And the answer is simple: today's Blue Fire scene was an action-packed pivotal bit of plot, whereas today's Magebane scene was more of the move-Character A-to-Place B, insert-Plot Point C-into-Background D type. So Blue Fire flew along, while Magebane plodded. Still, ...The first sentences I wrote today…
For Blue Fire: The Priest-Apprentice stayed through the end of her second dance, the show-ending Flame of Desire, but had vanished by the time Amlinn, wiping sweat from her bare midriff with a with linen towel--having carefully removed her navel jewel first; she had lost one one and her Grandfather had not been pleased--emerged from behind the stage. Words today: 806 Total thus far: 12,387 For Magebane: "My head hurts," Lady Estra said, and her expression, even sourer than usual, seemed to support her claim. Words today: 581 Total thus far: 21,643 A very short writing session today, alas, but at least I got a little something done on each of the books. And of course I wrote my science column today. Tomorrow's word count should be higher. I ...
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
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