(no subject)

Tonight's writing revelation: I keep trying to pretend I will somehow trick my readers into not noticing the obvious. When instead I should embrace the obvious (since they'll notice it anyway) and move on with the story.

So yes, hypothetical readers, that subplot you think is there? Is there. And yes, I know it's a standard-issue subplot. I have faith that I'm going interesting places with it, but I will not get there by pretending I'm not going anywhere.

truly done

Well, that's it. Page proofs are in the mail, headed back to the publisher.

It isn't exactly true to say I'm washing my hands of this book until June, because of course I'll need to do things to promote it. But work on the book itself is done.

And so, at last, the giant map of Elizabethan London has come down off the wall in the upstairs hallway . . . to be replaced by a new one, of course. I have a partial 1828 map, which is about forty years on the early side, but it might go up for now (once I get it flattened out). Especially since I'm not sure how best to go about getting a more contemporary one.

I just hope I can find some method that doesn't involve three hours at Kinko's with a bunch of tape again.