Newsletter - February 14, 2023


Happy Valentines Day!

Fortunately, this week did not best the previous one for mayhem. No trips to the hospital, no ice storms, no massive tree-cuttings. However, I exited the previous week with a head cold, and we had some secondary repercussions from the freeze that kept us busy. Oddly, two of the showers locked up--the valves stopped turning. Maybe some debris (calcium?) broke off and jammed them? I don't know, but it was a pain to shut off the water to the house (twice on different days) and run to Lowe's for valve replacements. I dread to think what it would have cost to hire a plumber twice.

​
Our friends held a Wednesday party for their oldest daughter... if you haven't watched that show, I'd highly recommend it. We donated some stocks I'd built out of a pair of shipping crates. I would also recommend Lockwood & Co. on Netflix. I just started that one and I'm loving it. The books hadn't gotten on my radar, but I have to imagine they're fun.

My good friend and writing buddy, Edith Pawlicki, provided some very interesting feedback on the first third of Mother of Trees. My brain is spinning with possibilities on how to change up the story--I wish I had a chunk of time to sit and write it all out because I feel both super-excited about how solid the idea is, and at the same time, like it could slip away if I don't put it to paper quickly.

Love this advice from Edith (the whole thing actually, but I don't want to share it all because it reveals too much of the story):

Broaden the external conflict by adding POVs: If you don't want to change your writing style, you could increase tension by making the external conflict clear earlier and more sweeping. I think this option would be modifying this book to be closer to The Song Unsung. My instinct is bring in Zoras' POV from 80 years ago - show us through his eyes how the elves are deteriorating and also ...

Picture updates - I am back in contact with one of the high school artists. The other ended disappointingly, but I will learn from it.

o To-Do list for writing last week:

  • Email updates
  • Keep working on Part 2 of Mother of Trees
  • If the student is still interested, resume contract discussion with artist.

o To-Do list for writing this week:

  • Email updates
  • Keep working on Part 2 of Mother of Trees - get the new ideas down on paper.
  • Try to finalize contract with artist.
Please take a moment to leave a review

Previous Newsletters

​​May you get lost this week in another world.

facebooktwitterinstagramexternal-link

Follow me on Goodreads.

​Subscribe​

Steven J Morris

If you read fantasy for the magic, the world-building, and the occasional moment of dark humor—I write that. One urban fantasy series, one epic fantasy series, both set in the Fractured Arcana universe, with more coming. My newsletter takes you deeper into the worlds, the characters, and what's next.

Read more from Steven J Morris
RPG screenshot

I promise I’ve made progress on Father of Stones (FoS). Here's a screenshot to prove it: click the photo to get to the live data showing progress But... I have put a little time elsewhere. I want to invite you to try this web-game I’ve been building out. It was meant to be a role-playing game around Thaumatropic Fractures, but ended up being focused on Thaumatropic Roots. https://tfrpg.sjmorriswrites.com https://tfrpg.sjmorriswrites.com The game will ask you to use your email to associate...

I built a tracking page for Father of Stones (FoS) this week. I did not, notably, write very much of said book this week. There's a joke in there about creative avoidance and I'm not going to pretend I don't see it. Anyway — here's what I made instead. Word Count Over Time A live chart of Father of Stones' progress since late June. I'm not smoothing over the slow weeks. There's a very flat stretch from June 'til August where I worked on the Eigenthrope story, then another flat stretch through...

Yesterday I needed to remember exactly how a character destroyed a dragon artifact three books ago. I didn't dig through my own novels to find it—I asked an AI I built to search them for me. It's called the Grimoire: a mini-AI system I put together with Pinecone that I can ask questions about my own books—hair color in a different epoch, a side character I want to bring back, a detail I'd otherwise lose momentum digging for. It keeps me writing instead of hunting. That's the quiet way AI has...