I finished The Hundredth Master of Ninja Assassin tonight! Woo-hoo! This story has been on my desktop (I keep all my work in progress on the desktop of my computer so I can’t escape it) for about a year now. I started it after reading The Cambist and Lord Iron by Daniel Abraham, a story with a very clear philosophical meaning, which is what I wanted to attempt with this story. I also wanted to write a ninja story, because my good friend Emily Jiang has been promising to write one for me and I got tired of waiting! I completed the stories last scene tonight. I think it might require another tinker in a few days, but fundamentally the story is now finished and just needs a polishing draft before I submit it.
I also wrote a chunk of a much newer story, Princess, Eaten by Beetles – Regurgitated earlier today. Progress on this story is painfully slow, partly because I’m writing in a very ornate and dense style. And partly because I’ve now run out of story. The Princes has been eaten, and now regurgitated, and I’m not sure what happens next. I’m sure something will occur to me. I think this story might have been influenced by my research into Bizarro fiction. I’ve certainly strayed well into the weird, and I’m thinking about moving back towards the real with my next story.
And now I have one more piece of writing to do before bed. But first…
The Guardian has information about an attempt to set-up an 826 Valencia style writing centre for children to London. I will follow this with interest, if I’m not too busy trying to make something similar happen in Leicester.
Nalo Hopkinson wants more problems and fewer prophesies in her stories.
Damien Walter 