New stuff, work, and the art of accidentally setting glass chopping boards on fire...

Yes, really. I've set my own fingers on fire (note to self- flaming scalpels are really hot), and I've also managed to set a glass chopping board on fire. Admittedly, it being washed in a 70% solution of methylated spirits didn't help.

The worse thing was, being strong alcohol, the flame was virtually invisible. So I went to wipe away the alcohol with a tissue, and set the tissue on fire. I threw the tissue to the floor and stamped out the flame, and the chopping board went out by itself.

It's been two months since my last accidental immolation, so I think I'm safe.

Lots of good news.

First, I nearly completed chapter 12 on Pulling the Strings. I got distracted though, but it's promising.

Secondly, I've managed to book Oct. 31st- Nov. 4th off from work, as well as Nov. 27th-30th. So I'll be starting at midnight, and will have plenty of finishing time as well.

Thirdly, I'm gradually developing NaNo #2 (see below), but at this rate a majority will have to be developed on the fly when I start writing. Still, better than nothing, eh?

The bad news however is this-
It's not unusual for me to do 10 hours of overtime in one week. This month I did 36 hours overtime in total, and getting home after midnight is a killer on my sleeping pattern. I only managed to get through the last two weeks through the good graces of Caffeine tablets.

Which means I'll be either asleep, or very, very tired during my free time on week days. Most of my writing will probably be done on the weekends.

But, I'm sure I'll manage.

Now, let me introduce you to the first species I have been developing- the Kanjavar (pronounced as spelt). The main protagonist, the non-human ambassador belongs to this aquatic race.

Google Docs
Word Doc (Download)

And here's the crew of the Rising Phoenix. It's a little sketchy at the moment, but I am developing the characters individually. That'll take a little while.

Listed as Occupation-Name-(Short Description courtesy of Seventh Sanctum)-Species
Google Docs
Word Doc (Download)

Find the Orson Welles reference and win an Imaginary Cookie!

That being said, I think I've worked out a general staffing structure for the larger non-military interstellar vessels. This is the maximum number of occupations related to the ship and it's general running that I think is necessary, and can be toned down to fit smaller vessels (as I did with the Rising Phoenix, which is running on slightly less-than skeleton crew).

Google Docs
Word Doc (Download)

I think I've caught them all, but if anyone can think of others, I'd be happy to hear them out.

I was going to leave you with a pearl of wisdom from a colleague, but it was too vulgar for a blog. So I decided against it.

Cheers,
Mike