Paige Hawthorne: Blog

As do many of you, I revere democracy. Including here at SOL.

I do think one of the sacraments of a free republic occurs at the polls. Voting is a right, but also a privilege.

After consideration, I've adjusted the internal filters in here so that all reader votes on my Winter stories that range from 8 through 10 will be counted. Yes, you read that accurately. Even votes as low as 8 will be lawfully tabulated. Fair is fair. The votation process is sacred to me.

What, you may ask, about reader Comments at the end of the Winter stories?

Rest easy. All reader observations whether positive or positive will be plainly visible to one and all. Fair is … well, you know.

Paige

Well, good news. Decent, anyway. My third story, "Winter's Voyage", is in the can. No, not the loo, Winter isn't suffering from urinary incontinence. If fact, since she's fictional, she doesn't have any embarrassing maladies.

For those of you who care about these things, this new story is a little over 50,000 words. I guess it's over 50,000 for those of you who don't care about these things.

I went for shorter chapters in "Winter's Gamble." Just to toe-test the water temperature in … um, shorter chapters. It's a little north of 30,000 words.

My first story, "Winter's Wonderland", my longest to date, is almost 70,000.

This new one, "Voyage" is in my usual 12-chapter format and I'll start posting whenever my self-described editor, thornfoote, skims it. Which could take a while. Thorny, poor dear, needs frequent rest periods when he reads. His lips get so tired.

Paige

I have a cousin on my mother's side, let's think of him as Greg. He's a Thanksgiving / Christmas acquaintance. And not all that popular within our insular family. Unmarried, socially awkward. But I kind of like him. Sometime we go on walks when football follows a holiday dinner.

Greg told me about his love for science fiction. Not my cuppa, but I appreciated his genre zeal as well as his enthusiasm for SOL.

So I came here and read some stories. Probably like a lot of people I thought, 'hey, I can do this.'

We'll see.

How did you guys stumble in?

Paige

Better than the previous ones?

I so completely don't. I write all 12 chapters of my stories before I start posting them. By that time, I've lost all rational ability to evaluate. The words make sense, they read. But whether it's a good read or an indifferent one, I can no longer tell.

Of course when I begin each story I'm filled with admiration. Knee-slapping enjoyment. "Boy, I finally nailed it!"

Yeah.

Paige

I don't. Never have, never will. I don't think. Unless I change my mind.

The analogy has been made that politicians vote for themselves. I believe they do and that they should.

But voting for my own story feels different. Somehow. A little sneaky. A little déclassé. Although "Winter's Wonderland" is teetering back and forth between 7.9 and 8.0 ... no, I still won't vote for myself.

I have so damn few opportunities to feel morally superior.

Oh, my editor, thornfoote, has finally made a positive contribution. … Hang on, I'll think of it. Sooner or later. Maybe.

Paige