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Diana Pharaoh Francis
High Fantasy Adventure
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Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Fail again. Fail better.
~Samuel Beckett

Probably, indeed, the larger part of the labor of an author composing his work is critical labor; the labor of sifting, combining, constructing, expunging, correcting, testing. This frightful toil is as much critical as creative.
~T.S. Eliot

The real secret of magic is that the world is made of words, and that if you know the words that the world is made of you can make of it whatever you wish. ~Terence McKenna

Tell the readers a story! Because without a story, you are merely using words to prove you can string them together in logical sentences.
~Anne McCaffrey

The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.
~Robert Cormier

If you don't feel that you are possibly on the edge of humiliating yourself, of losing control of the whole thing, then probably what you are doing isn't very vital. If you don't feel like you are writing somewhat over your head, why do it? If you don't have some doubt of your authority to tell this story, then you are not trying to tell enough.
~ John Irving

Sometimes making stuff up feels a lot like Coyote* running across the empty space between one rocky pinnacle and the next, and as long as you keep moving you're fine. When you stop and look down, it's suddenly all too apparent that there's absolutely nothing underneath and that you're keeping in the air by a peculiar effort of will.

And then a good day comes, and you start running through the air once again, and, if you're smart, you resolutely don't look down. ~Neil Gaiman
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19th-Sep-2007 05:06 pm
You guys came up with some awesome titles.  For books I want to write.  But in the end, you did give me some ideas.  So the two titles I decided I like the most for this book are:

Magic and Malice
Bitter Night

Does either one appeal better?

I'm feeling very virtuous today.  It was the last day of the block so now I begin grading final stories.  Which are cool.  A lot of great writing in this class.  Today included far too much wackiness in the last workshop (much punchiness I think) which was all good fun and I shall miss all of those students.  Okay, I will have some of them in class this semester again, but for the most part, I won't see them again until NEXT YEAR since I'm on sabbatical in the spring, and that makes me a bit sad

But back to the virtuousness.  Because I'm writer guest of honor at Mountain-con this weekend, and because I begin a new block (the vampire course) this Monday, I have completed putting together the syllabus, schedule and done most of my reading for the class.  I guess I should clarify that.  I've already read everything.  But I always reread everything again.  It makes me feel more prepared.  In fact, I want to re-reread a few things, since I reread them last summer.  Refreshers.  Anyhow, at least I'm all prepared for Monday.  On the other hand, I am not at all packed for my trip, and I do not know what in the heck I'm going to wear to the banquet on Friday night, where we are expected to be all shiny and pretty and I'm not sure I know how to do shiny and pretty.  Gaudy maybe.  That I can always do.

And I must get the purple back into my hair tonight.  Yes.

I also must announce the winners of the ARC contest on my website.  I shall try to do that before I leave, but if not, early next week.

Hopefully I will get to check in this weekend.  Dunno if the hotel has free net, but we'll see.
 

MagicandMayhem
Comments 
19th-Sep-2007 11:30 pm (UTC)
I like Magic and Malice. It just says "READ ME". And good luck at Mountain-con!
[info]music_lover3
19th-Sep-2007 11:54 pm (UTC)
I'm leaning towards the _Bitter Night_. _Magic and Malice_ just sounds too generic to me -- that could be a title for probably half the fantasy books on my shelf (particularly the contemporary group).
[info]drenilop
20th-Sep-2007 12:05 am (UTC)
I also prefer Bitter Night.
[info]fountaingirl
20th-Sep-2007 01:04 am (UTC)
I'd agree with Bitter Night. The other seemed like the title of an omnibus collection from SFBC or something.
[info]kythiaranos
20th-Sep-2007 02:01 am (UTC)
I prefer Bitter Night.

Have a lovely day! :-)
[info]tezmilleroz
20th-Sep-2007 02:39 am (UTC)
Magic and Malice almost seem YA. I like Bitter Night better.
[info]mela_lyn
20th-Sep-2007 04:35 am (UTC) - Titles
Hey there -

enjoy writer of honor status!!!

i'd go with Magic and Malice -- i just like it more. Bitter Night makes me think vampires and those have been very done. did you say it's going to be a YA novel?
[info]drakos_inferno
20th-Sep-2007 12:30 pm (UTC)
I was drawn to Magic and Malice, but then I did a search on Amazon. There's also a few listings for Bitter Night. I don't know if that would make a difference or not.
[info]ceosanna
20th-Sep-2007 12:59 pm (UTC)
Ohhh, what is on the book list? That sounds like a great class.
[info]thewylddream
20th-Sep-2007 02:41 pm (UTC)
Both titles sound great, but my preference would be determined by the tone of the book. For some reason, Magic and Malice seems a little lighter than Bitter Night - maybe it's the syllabic similarity. Sufferin' succotash! But it does seem like it would fit a more light-hearted book. Bitter Night, well, there doesn't seem to be anything light-hearted about that.

If you held a gun to my head and made me choose (don't get any ideas, Di), I'd say Magic and Malice. It rolls off the tongue nicely, as does Malice and Magic.
[info]clowe
20th-Sep-2007 06:17 pm (UTC)
Magic and Malice. To me it goes along with what you described your book to be about.
[info]kaellem
20th-Sep-2007 11:59 pm (UTC)
(This is why I said nothing on the last post -- I suck at these things.)

But I like the way "magic and malice" rolls off the tongue, although I like the word "bitter", it doesn't quite roll when it's followed by the nasal sound of 'n'.

Erm, uh, so my vote's for the first.

Good luck with the purple, btw. ;-)
[info]kaigou
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