Jenn's World

Patrick Rothfuss is having his annual "Worldbuilders"donate-a-thon (or as I prefer to think of it, 'Heiferfest', where he's selling books and collectors' items such as first-edition copies of Name of the Wind. All proceeds go to the Heifer International, which provides chickens and ducks and things like that to starving people in depressed countries. They're renewable food resources that last, ala 'the give a man a fish' vs. 'teach a man to fish.' (I get the parable, but I've always wondered--why not both!) I will probably donate to get his guide of college newspaper columns. Since the conservative media put us both through a certain hullabullu after we published perhaps less than judicious comments given the heat of the moment, (ah, the love. The death threats. The Drudge Report) so I feel we have a special bond.

I haven't decided whether or not or should request that my old college newspaper should take my newspaper columns down if and when I get the call from a publisher. Well, any news is good news, right? Even if I get hassled for things I may or may no longer believe.

Anyway, Heifer Internatioanl is a great cause. This is my favorite kind of fundraiser, feel good and get cool swag, including a lot of great stuff you can win, lottery style. Last year, Pat was offering 100 percent matching funds, but this year he's only doing 50 percent, which is probably just as well. I was amazed he didn't bankrupt himself.

Later in the month they'll be doing auctions of things such as "agent X will read your manuscript." Rothfuss' agent is Matt Bialer, who has one of the best slates of sf/f clientele in the nation, so if he participates in the auction, it would be a great opportunity for an aspiring novelist.

I'd donate some books for the lottery, but I wouldn't want any poor sucker stuck with my semi-finished manuscript to feel cheated. Though it would probably be worth thousands once I'm a best-selling author (rolls eyes incredulously).

Speaking of semi-finished manuscript, the whips have come out! I'm working on it again and things are going semi-smoothly. It really helps that I have a skeleton to base things on, no matter how flawed. One way or another, this thing will be done by Christmas. Which means that I managed to write and revise the novel in what, seven months? Not quite Brandon Sanderson speed, but not bad, either. Hopefully, once it's done, I'll be able to find some better real life employment, too.

PS: Rothfuss' blog is quite entertaining, and there aren't that many posts, so you can read it from the beginning in a couple of days if you want to. There are some interesting insights into the industry, such as I never thought how hard a translator's job is, catching all the subtleties and changing the language!