I read a bit more of Furnace: Lockdown last night, and was tickled pink to see myself namechecked in the book -- the characters are discussing movies at one point, and make mention of the seeing the third Darren Shan movie!! I'm hoping Master Smith has strange powers of insight into the future and that this prediction of his will be a reality in a few years time -- I'm quids-in if they make movie sequels!!!!!! It was a good job I posted that blog before spotting my own name in the book, or people might have accused me of being vain and only mentioning it because of my mention!!! I'm hoping to finish it off later tonight, and will report on it here once done.

Edited another 50 pages of my fantasy book. My editor's notes, as usual, are proving extrmely helpful. I always scowl when I get notes through from an editor -- I always have a completely uncontrollable, sniffish moment of "How DARE she suggest that my work isn't absolutely perfect as is!!!!" Then I generally have a quick read-through of the notes, and again my hackles rise and I mutter angrily to myself -- "Well, I won't be taking any notice of THAT point!! Or THAT one!!!! Or...." Then, a bit later, when I actually sit down to edit again, I generally find that pretty much each one of her points is valid, and by paying attention to them, I help improve the book!! It's one of the things I think a lot of young authors worry about -- an interfering editor who tries to make them change everything that they like about their story!!!! Now, that DOES happen, so I won't say that it doesn't -- but in my experience it's quite rare. Editors want to help writers bring their work up to as high a point as they can, and usually they can spot things as a reader that you have missed as a writer -- it helps to be able to view a book from the outside. There will almost certainly be times when you don't see eye to eye, but in most cases a good editor is happy to go along with an author's wishes if an author feels very strongly about a certain point. But you do need to BE certain before making a stand -- you should always do as I do, and give yourself time to process an editor's feedback (or anybody else's), and really have a good think about it, before replying in haste and regretting it afterwards when you realise that the editor was actually right!!!

Saw No Country For Old Men again last night, which was absolutely fabulous, and The Happening this evening, which was a big pile of heaping elephant crap!!! I remember being so excited about M Night Shyamalan when The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable first came out, though I did worry at the time whether or not he'd be able to keep bringing out films with incredible, intriguing twists, or if he'd be able to produce interesting work in the absence of a decent twist. The answer, it has become clear, is that no he can't, on both counts. The Happening was awful, a film so bad that Ed Wood might have been partly responsible for it!!! I hope, if my standards ever drop away at such an alarming rate, that Lord Loss crosses over and eviscerates me before I can torment the world with any more creative crud!!!! From "I see dead people..." to "Plants talk to each other..." Give me strength!!!!!