Snippet #2 from Longview 2: The Selling Of Suzee Delight

By Holly Lisle

I was planning on posting a snippet yesterday, but REAL LIFETM intruded, and while I got all my words, I never made it back to the blog. I got all my words again today, so at the the moment, Suzee Delight is sitting at 5888 words out of a planned 20,000. More than 25% done.

Here’s the setup. The famous courtesan Suzee Delight is confessing to five murders before Pact Worlds judges, and both legal and illegal datastreams of her confession are going out into space, jumped through the origami points that connect the worlds of Settled Space to an audience of billions.

Charlie, who is the mandatory Pact Covenant Observer and enforcer of Pact regulations on the treatment of convict on the Longview Death Circus, is watching BOTH streams on side-by-side flat screens (not as cool as holoview, but much more practical for tight spaces). I’m bringing you in mid-interview…

 

NOTICE: This material is copyrighted, unchecked raw first draft, probably buggy. Please don’t post typos or corrections (I do my edits at the end of the first draft of the project and will not see your comments when I revise). This material may not survive to publication. Do not quote or repost anywhere or in any format. Thanks.

 

Left-side Suzee said, “I am ashamed of my actions. I betrayed the trust of five men I loved, and used my position of trust to murder them because I envied them their power.”

Right-side Suzee said, “I am not ashamed of my actions. These five men betrayed the people they served and used their positions of trust to attempt to enslave free human beings.”

The cutwork on the official version had been skillfully done. Charlie couldn’t see  or hear the blending between the segments that were actually her words, and those that had been inserted.

Most of Settled Space would see the raw version. Most people living on Pact Worlds would only have access to the official version, which had little enough truth in it.

Left-side Suzee said, “I failed my government, my educators, my selectors, my trainers, my clients, and my profession, which is the highest calling to which any woman can aspire.”

Right-side Suzee said, “I accuse my government, my educators, my selectors, my trainers, and my clients for creating laws that make being a courtesan the highest work to which any woman can aspire.”

“Damned right,” Charlie muttered. Charlie had been lucky enough to be born homely and lacking in any discernible entertainment skills, and also infertile—she had been channeled into a low-level government job from which neither her intelligence nor her competence would ever elevate her. But her other government-designated career track had been D-3 Convenience Prostitute, and only the tremendously high suicide rate in the D-3 Pact Covenant Observer career field had saved her from that fate.

In front of her, left-side Suzee said, “Because I am guilty of five murders of men designated A-1, and because I freely confess that I committed these murders by intent…”

Right-side Suzee also said, “Because I am guilty of five murders of men designated A-1, and because I freely confess that I committed these murders by intent…”

Left-side and right-side Suzees both said, “I waive my right to trial in order to save the Pact Worlds the cost of such trial when the outcome is already certain, and instead elect to sell my death to the highest-bidding Death Circus, where my execution will be streamed for all viewers on all Pact Worlds.”

Charlie didn’t hear Suzee’s final words, however.

She was out the door and shooting herself toward the Longview’s Bridge, screaming “I need to speak to the owner, I need to speak to the owner now!” at the top of her lungs, over and over.

Shay, the owner’s representative, was on the bridge waiting for her when the passenger transport unlocked.

“Suzee Delight is selling herself to the highest-bidding Death Circus now,” Charlie shouted.

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


The Selling of Suzee Delight: The start, and a snippet

By Holly Lisle

Along with other work today, I got the first 1480 words written on Tales From The Longview #2: The Selling of Suzee Delight.

As with the first story in the series, I’ve started with the main character, who in this case is the First Courtesan of the Court of the Diamond Dome, a pleasure palace on the small Pact World of Cheegoth. She’s in trouble.

Here’s a long snippet from the scene I finished today.

NOTICE: This material is copyrighted, unchecked raw first draft, probably buggy. Please don’t post typos or corrections (I do my edits at the end of the first draft of the project and will not see your comments when I revise). This material may not survive to publication. Do not quote or repost anywhere or in any format. Thanks.

 

Preliminary Death Sentencing Interview #1

 

Danyal Travers, Official Capital Offenses Interviewer, Cheegoth:

You have stated your name and ident. For the record, who are you?

 

Suzee Delight, First Courtesan, Court of the Diamond Dome, Mariposa Pleasure City, Cheegoth:

What I am was chosen for me when I was nine years old, when the Educational Selectors discovered that I could sing and dance and play musical instruments and draw pretty pictures—and when they also discovered that my aptitude for science and mathematics was even stronger than my aptitude for the arts. Wishing to suppress my mathematical and science interests and to encourage my entertainment abilities, the Selectors removed me from my consumer cohort, named me Tawny Girl, and placed me on the Introductory Arts and Pleasures track. I was trained to be a consort.

Because I exhibited superior skills and ability to learn, when I was twelve I was   renamed Sweet Silver and placed into Advanced Arts and Pleasures. Along with my physical and entertainment training, I began learning languages, courtesies, and what the Pleasure Masters refer to as Polite Observational Skills.

 

Interviewer (interrupting): Spying.

 

Suzee Delight: I’ve heard it called that. I do not think that is the correct word.  My training teaches that as a consort and courtesan, my service to my profession must consist of equal parts information gathering and recording on my clients, and the providing of entertainment and pleasure for my clients.

 

Third voice:  Suppress that, Travers. That does not go into the public record.

 

Interviewer: I’ve deleted that. Prisoner, please continue.

 

Suzee Delight: By the age of seventeen, I had learned so far beyond the rest of my Pleasure cohort that I was moved into Masters training in Arts and Pleasures. At that time, I was renamed Suzee Delight, and for the past four years, I have been the First Courtesan of Diamond Dome. I have served at the direction of the Pleasure Masters, and at the pleasure of my clients.

 

Interviewer: While the information you have given is true, it does not answer my question. Who are you?

 

Suzee Delight: I’m sorry. I don’t understand your question.

 

Interviewer: You murdered the Chief Pact Administrators of the five most populous and powerful Pact Worlds. You did so during a seduction dance performed for all five men at once, using a knife that you could not possibly have had, hidden beneath your costume and…on…on…

(The sound of the interviewer taking a deep breath is followed by a long silence.)

(Audio resumes.)

You killed all five of them before any one of them could tell what you were doing to the others. Our holos show that you never hesitated, that you never missed a step, that not one of the men had any inkling of his danger or made any move to protect himself when you killed him.

 

Suzee Delight: Yes. I am a remarkable dancer.

 

Interviewer: I want an answer to the question I asked you. Someone planted you in the Diamond Dome, someone gave you the order to kill the Administrators, someone gave you the knife, someone put you up to this. WHO ARE YOU REALLY?

 

Suzee Delight: I am not a who. I am a what. I am the product of my training. Every moment of my life since I was tested at the age of nine has been recorded; every action I have taken with every man and woman who has paid for pleasure from me is available to you in full holographic detail. In every encounter I have acted on my training, and I have done exactly what that training has dictated I do.

 

Interviewer: You’re saying that you acted on your own—that you murdered the five Pact World Administrators because your whore training required that you do so?

 

Suzee Delight: I am a courtesan. I don’t know what training whores receive. My lifetime of training as a courtesan required that once I learned and verified the truth about my old friends and longtime clients—Radiva Kels, Stannal Bregat, Nethamatnu Ha, Soth Smithe, and Kiero Chenzwa—I had to stop them before they could commit the crime they had planned.

And the only way I could stop them, because of the enormity of the crime they were planning and how close they were to committing it, was to kill them. They were going to eliminate personal property and rights for anyone classed B1 or lower, and make slavery mandatory on the Pact Worlds.

 

Third voice:  OH, GOD! Delete, delete, delete! Stop the interview, get her back to her cell, and delete that entire last bit.

 

(The sound of someone pushing buttons while warnings sounded, and then a long pause.)

 

Interviewer: Prisoner, we’ll resume this interview at a later time.

 

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


From “The Selling of Suzee Delight”

By Holly Lisle

Shower song… figured out the tune and a handful of the words while I was standing in the shower, and where it will fit in the story while I was doing my first five sets of squats.

Adding it as a story note here so I don’t lose it.

LYRICS

The Blood runs north and the Fire runs south
And the ships that sail to the rivers’ mouth
Carry the dead who have gone before
To the Lady of Justice and the God of War

And those who sail these rivers two
Were brave and fair and very few
And carry a grace we never knew
And the white ships sail them home

 

ACAPELLO (just so I don’t forget the tune when I actually have time to finish writing this)

PGNlbnRlcj48c2NyaXB0IHR5cGU9InRleHQvamF2YXNjcmlwdCIgc3JjPSJodHRwOi8vaG9sbHlsaXNsZS5ldnN1aXRlLmNvbS9wbGF5ZXIvVW1sMlpYSnpMVzltTFVKc2IyOWtMV0Z1WkMxR2FYSmxMbTF3TkE9PS8/Y29udGFpbmVyPWV2cC0zSUlRUVE5RE0xIj48L3NjcmlwdD48ZGl2IGlkPSJldnAtM0lJUVFROURNMSIgZGF0YS1yb2xlPSJldnAtdmlkZW8iIGRhdGEtZXZwLWlkPSJVbWwyWlhKekxXOW1MVUpzYjI5a0xXRnVaQzFHYVhKbExtMXdOQT09Ij48L2Rpdj48L2NlbnRlcj4=

 

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


Okay, The HTWAS Expansion has gone live…

By Holly Lisle

The first four weeks of the Expansions run IN PARALLEL to the HTWAS main class.

This means that new students, as well as folks who already did the HTWAS bonus cours through How To Revise Your Novel but who just got the full version will start with the expansion on DAY ONE.

It also means that NEW STUDENTS have a double course load today.

If you’re a new student, you need to do the Week One Lesson BEFORE you do the Expansion, or you are going to be lost.

You’ll have a breather with the subsequent lessons, simply because we’re writing as we’re going this time, and it’s going to take us some time to get to series middles and ends.

There’s some live stuff you need to do first in the Expansion, so that I can get a feel for how many people are going through with me, and what sort of project you’re working on. Post as soon as you can.

For new students, you won’t be able to post until you’ve completed Lesson One, because you won’t know until then what you want to do.

If you already have the class, login here: https://howtothinksideways.com/login/

On the Classroom Hub, under CAREER CLASSES, click through on How to Write A Series. You’ll find links for the original class and the first expansion links in the sidebar on the right.

IF YOU HAVEN’T JOINED YET, BUT WANT TO:

Prices have now gone up $25, but buying now will STILL save you $125 off the final price of the course.

Important: The LIVE elements of the Expansion will only be available to students who join during the creation of the first three modules.

After that, it will simply be too much material for students to cover to catch up during breaks. Students who join after the creation of module three will get the full course and full expansion, but in the work-at-your-own-pace version.

Here’s the link to the How To Write A Series: Master the Art of Sequential Fiction purchase page

http://howtothinksideways.com/shop/how-to-write-a-series-master-the-art-of-sequential-fiction/

 

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


“Write A Series” Students: What you’ll need BEFORE we start the Expansion

By Holly Lisle

I’m still putting together How To Write A Series Module 1: Creating Series Setup through Completion of Story One, but I solved the “how to present it” issue, and my goal getting this module up and making it available is next week.

So let’s talk about prepping for the class.

In the first four lessons of How To Write A Series, you get the detailed instructions on how to determine the sort of series you want to write, and how to put it together, how to make the beginnings compelling, the middles tight, and the endings moving and memorable.

 

THE EXPANSION IS DIFFERENT…

In the Expansion, we’re going to be writing our series.

The first group through this course will be getting what is essentially a very large, extended, live workshop. I’m going to be writing my series. You’re going to be writing your series. We are all going to be pushing deadlines.

 

TIME TO GET YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW

The HTWAS Expansion is not a read now, do later course. So you need to do some prep work.

Because of time frames involved, for this class plan on writing a SHORT STORY series, with story lengths between 10,000 and 20,000 words apiece. Figure out how much story you can write, revise, and EDIT in one month, and set that as your story word count.

From HTWAS Lesson 1, know what KIND of series you want to write: Bullet-proof Cast in Inconsequential Time with Linked Sequential Stories in Small World…

Loner in Unchanging Time in Big World with Loosely Connected Stand-Alones…

Or any of the other types.

In case you were wondering, I’m doing a Fair-Game Cast, Consequential Time, Linked Sequential Series in a Universe/Multiverse. (With a neat twist on the Multiverse.)

Know what GENRE you want to write in.

Mine is Space Opera.

But I’m covering every genre you want to know. Your questions in each module will inform the genres and presentation of the next module, as we did with the first run of How To Think Sideways, and How To Revise Your Novel.

We’ll develop series ideas IN CLASS, using the Octopus Sweet Spot Map and the Series Matrix, so you don’t need an idea. You just need to know your framework.

 

QUICK REMINDER if you’re on the fence…

This is final week that the course will be available at its current price.

Students who buy now at the current price receive ALL six modules at no extra cost. This is a savings of $150.

If you don’t have the course yet, you can get it now for the old price and be caught up with the live Expansion about the time Module 2 goes live.

When Module 1 goes live, the price goes up $25 to reflect that addition. Each additional module will be an additional $25. Modules are NOT sold separately.

If you don’t have the course yet but you’re interested, How To Write A Series is here:

http://howtothinksideways.com/shop/how-to-write-a-series-master-the-art-of-sequential-fiction/  (Opens in new tab)

 

And a P.S.:

All students who purchased the FULL version of How To Write A Series have already purchased the upgrade. Make sure the course opens for you in the link from your Classroom Hub.

Students who have the free HTWAS bonus version of the class included with How To Revise Your Novel DO NOT HAVE the upgrade.

If you’re an HTRYN student and you want the HTWAS Expansion, use the Big Courses Discount shop in your HTRYN sidebar menu to get before I take the first module live. Discount Shop prices will be going up for this course too.

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


Edison and Me: How NOT to Do Something Difficult

By Holly Lisle

I have the information for the first module of How To Write A Series more or less finished.  The story is done and beautifully edited. NOT by me. I’m fighting myself over the damn cover art.

So far so good.

And today I spent six hours trying to figure out how to bring all of this information—and there is a lot of it, including some new techniques I came up with to make this whole Writing A Series Without Having It Fall Apart On You Three Books Down The Line process simpler… When I hit the weird and wacky wall of SOFTWARE. Of All things.

Started with Inspiration. Nope, that’s not gonna work. It’s missing presentation options I need.

Moved to ConceptDraw Mindmap. SO not going to work. It’s missing MOST of the options I need to get this done.

I spent that six hours learning two detailed course creation processes that won’t work for this course.

Edison spent a lot longer than that on the lightbulb, and a lot more tries, but unlike Edison, I’ve built courses before, and I thought going in that I knew exactly how to present this.

Now I’m looking at Keynote, and considering slides and downloads.

Or going my Ugly Workshop route with hand-drawn diagrams on quad paper.

Or… something else.

My objectives are to be concise and fast, to make sure I cover the material thoroughly but that I don’t overwhelm anyone with details, to make sure I make this as easy as possible for the writer to use, and to create a fun, entertaining, interesting course that allows writers to achieve success on their first use of the course, as well as with subsequent uses.

So. I’m struggling. I’m going spend a few hours this evening getting the rest of my background material and notes together.

And I’m promising myself one more time that this will NOT end up being as big a course as How To Think Sideways. Or even How To Revise Your Novel.

 

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


Editor’s Revision DONE on LONGVIEW #1

By Holly Lisle

Okay. Took a while because I’ve rewritten the same two chapters three times.

But I got it. Had previously added two thousand words to the first revision, added three thousand more today.

And FINALLY I love what I got. The story will go to my copyeditor tomorrow, I’ll figure out in the meantime what sort of cover I want for the thing.

And meanwhile, I now have HTWAS Expansion Module 1 outlined. I’ll be working on that tomorrow.

I’m tremendously excited, both about the story, and about the course.

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


LONGVIEW revision is done! Starting type-in.

By Holly Lisle

The series matrix worked well, I got an ending I’m much happier with, and revised all 60 pages yesterday and today.

So now I’ll do type-in, and hand the whole thing off to Matt for content editing when it’s done.

And then I’ll build out the rest of HTWAS Expansion Module 1.

Rather than beta the story, I’m trying out a pro editor for this.  If it works out, I’ll  do the rest of my short fiction this way.

Beta testing is way too useful for long fiction, though. So I’ll probably keep that step even if I decide to add this editor as my final pre-formatting step in getting my work out.

Will let you know how it goes.

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


The first draft of The LONGVIEW I: Enter The Death Circus is done. (INCLUDES SNIPPET)

By Holly Lisle

Caught a good writing wind this morning at 6 AM, and just now finished the first draft of Enter the Death Circus, which is the first of six (or possibly seven) stories in The LONGVIEW series. I did 2,783 words today to get it finished.

And I’m pleased with what I got. I have to go through my series matrix to make sure I didn’t miss anything critical…and one of the main characters threw me a total shock this morning, and I’m going to have to run that through the matrix to see what sort of weird twists it adds.

Here’s a snippet—the story opener. (By the way, the story is told from several points of view).

From The Longview #1: Enter the Death Circus

NOTICE: This material is copyrighted, unchecked raw first draft, probably buggy. Please don’t post typos or corrections (I do my edits at the end of the first draft of the project and will not see your comments when I revise). This material may not survive to publication. Do not quote or repost anywhere or in any format. Thanks.

Down the darkness, down the line of standing cells, three words rippled urgently and under breath. “Death Circus here!”

In the dark, this criminal had waited long and longer for death to come. This criminal could not lie down, could not sit down—its captors had made certain its cell, and the cells of the others like it, permitted only standing.

With its bandaged knees pressed into one corner, its spine jammed into the other, this criminal drifted in that lightless place, never certain whether it was waking or dreaming. When it ate, it ate maggots. When it dreamed of eating, it dreamed of maggots.When it pissed or shit, it pissed or shit down its legs. When it dreamed, it dreamed of the same.

In one thing only, this criminal knew a dream was a dream, and that was when it touched We-42K again, or saw its wondrous smile.

That could only be a dream, for We-Above had taken this criminal out of its cell to watch beautiful We-42K volunteer its death and the death of the unlicensed-but-born that We-42K and this criminal had made. We-42K had stood above the flames of Return to Citizenship with the born in its arms, and had turned to smile at this criminal. It looked thin and starved and filthy standing there, and the born looked dead, and as if it had been dead for a while.

The born had been beautiful when this criminal had first seen it, when this criminal and We-42K had hidden in the hills and held each other at night, had accidentally made the born, had brought it into the world together. The born had the bright red hair of We-42k, and eyes that looked at this criminal with strange  knowing—and this criminal thought for a little while that life could hold more than work and duty.

That ended, and after the end, the capture, the sentencing, the imprisonment, this criminal watched the flames and knew that the We are right to say Only Death Forgives.

This criminal has no right of judgement, but this criminal will never forgive.

I want to do the revision and get the story live on Kindle KDP in the next week.

For writers, I’ll be building the first module of the How To Write A Series Expansion at the same time, though it probably won’t be finished at the same time.

I’ll announce here and via the HTTS Boot Camp Member list (login, then click Member Updates from the classroom hub and sign up) and the Writing Tips list the day before I take HTWAS Expansion: Module 1 live.

Quick reminder if you want the course…The price will go up by $25 when I add the first module, and by the same amount when I add each subsequent module.

You are grandfathered into ALL FUTURE MODULES at whatever point you buy the course. The current price is the best it will ever be.

 

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved


Started into The Longview, and the HTWAS Expansion

By Holly Lisle

I got 2058 words on the first story in Tales from the Longview, a planned 60,000-70,000 word series of 6 or 7 10,000-word stories set in my Settled Space universe, which is also the home of my Cadence Drake novels.

This was my original concept for the series:

After the development of the origami drive, Sleeper ships became useless…for a while. But old technologies can find their place in the future—with the right mission, and with an owner who can take the long view.

It’s a bit thin, but the Sentence for the first story is stronger:

A criminal sentenced to the Death Circus for daring to love discovers a second chance at life within his death.

So here’s going to be my process:

I’m going to write each of the six or seven stories first. I’m also going to self-pub each story separately, and then going to do an anthology of them when I’m done.

After I complete one story, I’ll put together the How To Write A Series Expansion module for that story. Then I’ll publish the story. Then write the next story. Then do the next module.

Students of the course will receive the multiple story drafts (I think of them as “dailies”) as part of their course.

After I have each module together, but before I’ll take it live, I’ll send out one last call to the folks on the How To Write A Series Expansion list, (which will also include lesson reminders and links), and will make sure that you get the best price on the course available.

If you’re interested, in the How To Write A Series Expansion, sign up here:

Closed. Forms Removed.

Contents © Holly Lisle. https://hollylisle.com All Rights Reserved