Archive for March, 2011

Progress (writing) and progressives (lenses)

Word count: 59290 | Since last entry: 4492

As you can see from the word count above, I’m very close to 60,000 words on my YA novel, with a target of 70,000 words. I hope to finish the first draft by the end of the month, then let it rest for a few weeks before giving it a self-edit pass and then sending it to trusted beta readers. I would like to have it in submission by the end of June but that might be overly ambitious.

Meanwhile, my story “A Passion for Art,” which originally appeared in Interzone 228, has been podcast at StarShipSofa, narrated by my old pal Randal Schwartz (AKA Merlyn) and with a keen illustration by Robyn Moir.

And my novelette “Pupa” from the September Analog has been included on the Tangent Online Recommended Reading List for 2010, with three stars (the maximum possible). “Pupa” was also listed in the Locus Recommended Reading List and was recommended for the Hugo by a couple of BASFA members. I’m really excited by the reception this story has received and if you’d like to read it you can do so here: “Pupa” by David D. Levine.

In other news, I’ve got new glasses. Not just one pair but two: one for distance vision and the other for computing and other close-up work.

I learned from the difficulties Kate has had with her reading glasses (never remembering which pair she was wearing) and made sure to get frames that looked and felt very different (wire frames for distance, plastic for close-up). Both are progressive (multifocal) but the close-up pair have a smaller range of focal lengths so the usable area at short distance is much bigger. Now I can see my whole 27″ iMac screen in clear focus! It’s great.

The distance pair are from a different lens manufacturer from my previous ones and also offer a larger usable area than before. They will take some getting used to but both pairs are a big improvement over my previous ones.