National Memo Day.: seanan

National Memo Day.

Today (May 21st) is National Memo Day—the day when we celebrate the memos of the world, both written, unwritten, and really rather needing to be written. In honor of this most honored of days, I present some truly vital memos.

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To the fall television schedule:

Because you have given me a third season of Chuck and a second season of Fringe, I will let you live. But don't think I'm going to forget that you took Cupid and The Eleventh Hour away from me. I was only just starting to forgive you for Freakylinks, and now you pull this? Uncool, television, uncool. I've got my eye on you. Play nice or prepare to taste my wrath.

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To Wild Republic:

While I appreciate the ongoing diversity and awesomeness of your Cuddlekins plush collection, I am afraid I have to point out that there are still dinosaurs available in England that I can't get here in North America, and that this is still not okay with me. I need more herbivores! My collection of meat-eaters is starting to look at me funny. Really, since I probably account for a large percentage of your annual sales, shouldn't you be placating me more?

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To Emily Stone:

Best of luck in your new endeavors. Hack/Slash won't be the same without you.

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To Lilly and Alice:

I love you. You know that I love you. I love you more than I love almost anything. And if you decide to have another wrestling match on my face at two o'clock in the morning, I'm going to replace you with taxidermy. Soft, fluffy, interesting to look at, does not try to claw me open in the night.

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To Jane, my alcoholic and emotionally unstable muse:

I do not need to know what happens in the ninth Toby book. Please go drink a pint of absinthe, hook up with a hottie from an under-occupied pantheon, and leave me alone for a little while. I refuse to be responsible for the consequences if you don't.

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Anybody got any memos?

miladyinsanity

May 21 2009, 17:31:43 UTC 8 years ago

New comment

NINE!

The 1st one's not even out for me to buy!

seanan_mcguire

May 21 2009, 17:41:12 UTC 8 years ago

You, perhaps, see my dilemma. The first three are sold and turned in:

Rosemary and Rue
A Local Habitation
An Artificial Night

I'm currently working on the fourth and fifth:

Late Eclipses
The Brightest Fell

I have six through eight fully outlined:

Ashes of Honor
Tributes in the Dust
The Winter Long

Book nine is either The Chimes at Midnight or A Red-Rose Chain, and either way, I don't need to know yet!

May 21 2009, 17:50:37 UTC 8 years ago

I think you're crazy, but in a good way.

And if anybody mocks me for writing book 2 before book 1, I shall refer them to you. LOL.

May 21 2009, 17:52:57 UTC 8 years ago

Hey, I've been writing them in order! I just don't reliably plot them that way...

May 21 2009, 18:05:01 UTC 8 years ago

Yeah well, I don't exactly plot. I'm mostly a pantser who thinks rather linearly -- understand that I spend a lot of hours admiring linear estimators and what not.

But I keep thinking that I can just pretend book 1 does not exist, and voila, I won't have to write it. Your agency mate Nadia is having a lot of fun watching me run around in circles.

Out of curiosity, is there some 'concrete' end to the Toby Daye books?

May 21 2009, 18:08:34 UTC 8 years ago

It depends a bit on what you mean by "concrete end." I know how it's going to end, and I know how I'm going to get there, but the road between here and there has a lot of possible side-trips.

I could probably go twenty books without feeling like I was "stretching it." I could also resolve at nine, if that's what needed to happen.

May 21 2009, 18:34:43 UTC 8 years ago

So your plot is like a really strong rubber band...?

When I say 'concrete end' I mean after which there will be no more books starring Toby Daye.

I'm curious, partly because my current WIP is the first one that's part of a series since I decide at a rather silly 18 that series were a PITA.

May 21 2009, 18:41:28 UTC 8 years ago

Oh, there's absolutely a concrete end. I know exactly where the ending is, and about, oh, half the people who live to see it. After that, I think if I tried to write another book, she'd find a way to exit my brain and kill me with sticks.

May 21 2009, 18:50:44 UTC 8 years ago

Okay, that's all I needed to know.

I don't like to open-ended series.

It never ends well.

May 22 2009, 15:06:14 UTC 8 years ago

Yeah, I feel much the same. I basically have an enormous amount of "wiggle room" within the things that need to happen, but after a certain point, I can always get to the exit within a book or two.

Deleted comment

May 21 2009, 18:01:05 UTC 8 years ago

Living With Ghosts is on my "to be read" shelf, bein' all ghosty and appealing-looking! I'm excited.

May 21 2009, 18:20:23 UTC 8 years ago

I think (and don't quote me) that's the one that

sartorias just raved about. It's in my Fictionwise cart now!

This one was originally slated to be 7 books, so being a trilogy now is probably as far as my cutting skills can take me.

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National Memo Day.

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