Suvudu Universe

For those who've read the whole blog, you know that I'm going on about writing advice from a more personal perspective than all of those generic writerly advice blogs. So of course that first sentence wasn't for you guys -- it was more of a backdoor way of getting anyone else reading up to speed. See what I did there?

I managed to get into the Miami book signing for Ocean At The End of the Lane, which was great all the way around. Even standing in line for hours wasn't so bad when you are surrounded by like people. I was also thrilled to find people half my age who knew who Douglas Adams was.

Before all that commiserating, though, Neil (after hearing him speak it's hard to say Mr. Gaiman) did a reading and held a Q&A -- moderated by Brad Meltzer. (again, awesome event.)

So one lightweight question thrown his way, what color of ink (black or blue) does he use to write his longhand first drafts, got a solid answer answer back.

"I like to see progress," he said. "I want to know if I've been slacking off. So every day I use a different ink than I did the day before. So I am as apt to use purple or pink as I am to use black or blue."

I also had my fanboy moment, getting a thrill that Neil write longhand like I do. How he barrels through the typing of it all eludes me. That's why Dragon Speak is starting to entice me.

It never hurts to read through my stuff. I always seem to catch things when I do. So to do a reading and get it typed at the same time sounds like a great way to multitask.

It's something to go on the holiday wishlist. Definitely not before WorldCon.