A magnificently frustrating day yesterday. I sat and stared at the screen all day long, trying to find the next story for Sirenia Digest #23, but to no avail. Which should come as no surprise to me, considering I only finished "The Madam of the Narrow Houses" on Thursday. There is a great gulf between what I need to do and what I expect from myself as a writer, on the one hand, and what I can actually manage, on the other. But knowing that really doesn't make me feel any better about the situation. Still, not an entirely unproductive day. I washed my hair. I downloaded the new Radiohead album (superb). I sent a Swedish sf and fantasy magazine a photo for a story they're doing on my work. (which I had no idea was being done until they asked for the photo). I talked to Del Howison at Dark Delicacies in LA, because I still have not done my list for The Horror Book of Lists and wanted to know if anyone had done anything like "Top Ten 'Lovecraftian' Films Not Based (or Only Loosely Based) on Works by H.P. Lovecraft" (they haven't, so I shall). But that was about it.
Byron came by at 6:30, and we had dinner at the Vortex (because Grandma Luke's is doing some silly dinner theatre thing), then watched Little Britain and Kill Bill Vol. 1. Byron is the fine thread that prevents me from being able to declare myself a genuine recluse. Oh, and he brought over the soundtrack to Across the Universe.
So, today I will try — again — to come up with the next new story, and I will read some of Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness, and I will make my list of the "Top Ten 'Lovecraftian' Films Not Based (or Only Loosely Based) on Works by H.P. Lovecraft." And we shall see.
And I'm using my Tenth Doctor icon this morning, even though there was no new Doctor Who last night, just because.