It's May!
Hello, everyone, and happy May!
There really isn’t anything very exciting happening in my neighborhood. Of course I regularly do a Walk Fitness—Coach Vanburen would like you to know that Walk Fitness is a good Fitness. Combine with Sniff All The Things Fitness for maximum benefits!
I’m working diligently at the next novel. It’s far too soon to say much about it, but it’s moving along and I’m hoping it’s something you will enjoy.
I had a random thought recently that resonated with a conversation I had with a friend in a surprising “gosh I was just thinking about something adjacent to that” way, and I figured I would share it with you all.
So, I was thinking randomly about the idea of efficiency. Specifically, the exhortation to be “efficient” in one’s writing. This is usually said as though it’s self-evident what this means. You want to use only the words required! Do the important stuff! Cut out the extra, unnecessary things!
What isn’t stated is that “efficient” is a moving target. Like, long, poetic scenery description isn’t “inefficient” by nature. It’s just out of style right now, but in the right context it could, in fact, be doing something very efficiently. In the same way as, say, a screwdriver is a very efficient tool. At least, as long as you’re driving a screw with it. If you’re trying to make a souffle with it, you will find it to be quite inefficient indeed.
So, when someone says that you need to be efficient, ask the question—efficient at what? What determines efficiency or inefficiency in this particular situation?
The accidentally-sort-of-rhyming conversation was about the horrible “what are your strengths and weaknesses” question in interviews or evaluations. As my friend said, strengths and weaknesses are the same traits in different contexts. You have a great ability to be very direct and blunt about things? There are times and places where that’s highly necessary! And also times and places where that’s really going to mess you up.
Anyway, always ask yourself—strong or weak in what context? Efficient at what, and why?
Lately I’ve read:
Moonbound, by Robin Sloane
I haven’t read anything by Sloane before, though of course I’ve heard of him and had him on my list of people whose work I should check out. I enjoyed this a lot. I particularly liked that it was doing the Arthurian thing in a different, kind of sideways manner. (I am very picky about my Arthurian things.)
Cut to the Quick, by Kate Ross
Rather like Sarah Caudwell, Kate Ross wrote four detective novels and then died. I really don’t think writers should be making a habit of that. I would like to have more of these, just as I wish there were more Hilary Tamar novels.
You Sexy Thing, by Cat Rambo
Ok, this is not a recent read, but I am going to recommend it. Yes, Cat is a friend of mine. Yes, this book is five kinds of fun.
“WOW Signal”, Ancillary Reviews, Jake Casella Brookins
Ancillary Reviews is absolutely worth reading generally, but this is a cool regular feature of really interesting links.
I’ve also been playing some games!
This is still in Early Access so there’s more story and map coming eventually, I’m told. But it‘s a nice cozy farming game where you get to operate a mech. Very fun.
You, a criminal, have had your sentence commuted to…terraforming a planet. There is a multiplayer aspect available but mostly this is a play-on-your-own kind of game. Fortunately for gamers like me you can set the difficulty level. I, of course, played on “chill.”
It’s a cozy fantasy MMO! It’s free to play, but you can spend money on fancy clothes if that’s your thing. I’ve been really enjoying it.
Anyway, that’s the news this month, such as it is. Take care, and be sure to do A Fitness today!
Ann
Henry and Rosemary would like Coach Vanburen to know that simply sighting 2 armadillos in our yard this morning allowed them both to instantly achieve their target heart rates!