That helped.

By Holly Lisle

From 1679 to 2234 in a burst, with cool shit happening. CONFLICT, goddammit. It’s such a simple concept, and so frigging hard to remember in the middle of the war, so to speak.

Not done yet, but the end of the day is in sight. Thank god.

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


Still Plugging Away

By Holly Lisle

Don’t have the day’s necessary words yet, so I’m still searching for them. What came so easily a few hours ago has become an uphill battle — and the tireder I get, the more uphill it’s going to be.

But I’m only a few hundred words shy of my goal right now, and I’m loathe to throw in the towel. Maybe something will kick-start my brain and get this scene moving again.

Conflict — conflict — I’m desperately short of necessary conflict. I have the rron, I have Pete, I have Molly and Lauren and Jake — but I don’t have the problem. And that, of course, is the problem. What changes in this scene? Molly and Lauren are discussing their need to split up because together they’re a juicy target. So obviously something that would make it clear how much of a target they are would liven things up.

And “ching” goes the bell in my brain. When in doubt, always remember that “two men burst through door, guns blazing” will cure a multitude of dulls. Have to do an equivalent here, but that will definitely fix the problem.

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


2611 words

By Holly Lisle

Done for the night. And I like what I got today.

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


Well, that was a big oops

By Holly Lisle

Put the kid to bed. Fell asleep while putting the kid to bed.

This is not the recommended method for getting pages done promptly. Lost some momentum. Now I’m having to get back to where I was.

But we did have some very nice songs and cuddles.

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


Going pretty well, and Mr. Toto

By Holly Lisle

I have 1520 words already, and a gentleman named Mr. Toto has made an unexpected off-screen appearance. I find myself intrigued. Don’t know who he is yet, but he has some real potential. Not for this book, certainly — I have enough people to track in this book. But in the next one . . . yes. Definitely. He smells like someone who’s been keeping company with the nastiest of the old gods for a very long time.

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


Birth of the Maegwar

By Holly Lisle

{shudder} I just created the Maegwar — he’s been in the story for a while, but this was the first time I got to see what he was like in person, and . . . oh, shit . . . he came alive on me. I managed to creep myself out writing him. Visceral, horrified response. There is the part of me that — when I’m writing stuff like this — is whispering, “Where do you keep the creature who came up with that, and don’t you think you ought to kill it?” The last time I gave myself such an unexpected gut-punch was writing the first scene with Crispin, Andrew, and Anwyn in the dungeon in Diplomacy of Wolves. Ooph.

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


Late Start

By Holly Lisle

Not sure, but I might give myself a bit of a breather wordwise today. Have to see how the writing goes. Right now, I have a good scene ahead of me; gods, double-agents, and the promise of sex and murder. Should at least be a fun writing night, even if it does run late.

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


2539 Words

By Holly Lisle

Done for the day.

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


Head did roll . . .

By Holly Lisle

That was fun. A mild comment, a couple of well-armed zealots, and the sick sound of a detached head hitting a stone floor. Blood-Spilled-for-Freedom is no more, and his compatriots are just disgusting. And our heroes are just shocked as hell by the whole thing.

I feel so much better. Nothing like a nice bloody slaughter to perk up a book.

And I have over 1700 words, so I’m about done.

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


Death to the long-named ones

By Holly Lisle

You want to know how a minor secondary character gets picked to die? The son of a bitch with the longest name is the one that goes, dude. I had my choice of Hell-Devourer, Sword-of-Cowards, Blood-Spilled-for-Freedom, Mother-of-Terror, and My-Sword-Cleaves-Evil — and Blood-Spilled-for-Freedom won the toss, because I am NOT typing that name a million times in the next seven books. Don’t hold your breath for the rest of these bastards living forever, either.

On the other hand, guys named Sam and Fred are nearly bullet-proof.

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