Author Archives: paleololigo

Scientist (Paleontology, Geochemistry, Geology); Writer (Speculative and Science Fiction, plus technical and non-technical Science); Mom to great boy on the Autism spectrum; possessor of too many hobbies.

Stink Bug – Chapter 11

I rolled over. The stiff feather blanket scratched across my chin. I blinked my eyes and was surprised to see that this was already daylight. I heard the familiar trills and clucks of the Vrr’ak’l nearby. I shut my eyes again, slowly accepting the reality that I was still in a giant bird’s nest in a tree somewhere on the far side of a light, fluffy, sticky tunnel.Continue reading “Stink Bug – Chapter 11”

Revision, Writing, and Rewriting

I’m in the process of revising my first novel, Prince of Herongarde. I’ve already written a complete first draft, and then gone through and revised it, at which point, I found a bunch of beta-readers and sent it out.

Now I’m looking at it again, trying to incorporate what my readers suggested and fixing things up because I’ve learned I have some bad writing habits. For example, I suffer from ‘white room’ writing, in which there is absolutely no description of the environment in which the characters are acting. I also am guilty of ‘telling’ and not ‘showing.’ Continue reading “Revision, Writing, and Rewriting”

Professional Meetings and Exercise – Why Dancing Matters

I’m currently in Calgary attending the Advances in Stable Isotope Techniques and Applications (ASITA) meeting. This, like all professional meetings, is a challenge for people who like to work out daily. There just isn’t enough hours in the day, it seems, to attend the various parts of the meeting and get a good workout in.Continue reading “Professional Meetings and Exercise – Why Dancing Matters”

On the Necessity of Specialist Meetings – #ASITA2013

I am writing this from a classroom at the University of Calgary, where I’m attending a conference called ASITA (Advances in Stable Isotope Techniques and Applications). I’ve been tweeting about it here (Apparently, though, I’m the only one tweeting. Maybe others will join next year.)

Continue reading “On the Necessity of Specialist Meetings – #ASITA2013”

Stink Bug – Chapter 10

It started with a sneeze that startled me from my slumber. There was a tickle in my throat and I coughed. The tickle wouldn’t go away, and the cough grew in intensity. I sneezed again. My eyes burned. I sat up and looked about. All around me was darkness. A stiff blanket of feathers slid off my body. Another sneeze.Continue reading “Stink Bug – Chapter 10”