Have I mentioned here that I Had A Better Idea re: Neogenesis?
Well, I did. And for a brief, halcyon moment, I was relieved, because it only meant I would have to add words! (yay! adding words!), and maybe shift a scene from Here to There.
This is how writers fool themselves into doing crazy difficult things, like, oh, writing novels. They say to themselves, “Oh, it won’t be so bad! In fact, it’ll be fun! And know That Scene you’ve been wanting to write? It’ll fit inside of this project just as slick as…”
You get the idea. But what we say to convince ourselves to do these crazy things? That’s not the worst part.
The worst part is that we believe it! Over and over and over again. And we never, ever learn.
Which brings us back to Neogenesis: the Adding of One Scene and the Moving of Another.
If I had been honest with myself, I would have said something like, “This is going to be a massive pain in the hat; you’re going to have to take the book apart by narrative lines, reshuffle the scenes so that the action in That Line doesn’t all happen on Tuesday afternoon, which is another thing you’d think I’d learn, but. . .no — and also! write bridge scenes so that the new order will Make Sense.
So, that’s what I’ve been doing. With luck and a tailwind, I’ll finish that nonsense tonight, and get with advancing the storylines tomorrow.
In other news. . .Since both WorldCon and NASFiC are out of our reach next year, being held respectively in Finland and Puerto Rico — and! since Steve and I will be Guests of Honor at Confluence, in Pittsburgh in August, and! since my 65th birthday is in September (hey, proximity is where you declare it), I have formed a Plan, which is that we will visit Niagara Falls for one of those whatchamacallits — vacations — on our way home (geography being also subject to declaration).
Now, because we take so few vacations, and mostly travel when there’s a scifi convention in it for us, I’m asking you world travelers — yes, you! — for suggestions on what (besides the Falls, natch) we should absolutely not miss doing in Niagara Falls. Best place to stay, best restaurants, tourist traps, walks, excursions — the sky’s the limit (well, not literally, because I don’t do airplanes, though I might do a hot air balloon).
Thanks very much for your consideration and help, and now?
I gotta go build some more bridges.
Today’s blog post brought to you by Guns ‘N Roses, provided courtesy of the gym, which apparently has located the “All 1980s MTV All The Time” station on their satellite service.
“Paradise City” — here’s your link.
My suggestion would be to visit a vineyard and try the ice wine
I love Niagara-on-the-Lake (depending on whether you will be on the Canadian side or not) that time of year. Slower-paced, heritage buildings, Shaw Festival. Near to the wineries and vineyards. The drive along the Escarpment from Niagara Falls there is gorgeous in fall.
If crossing the border isn’t too much of a bother, the view is better from the Canadian side and there is a lot to do there. I’d be happy to offer my services as a free tour guide. Having grown up there and worked for the Niagara Parks Commission, I know the area well. Things I suggest: Journey Behind the Falls (by far the best way to get a real sense of the power of the falls), Hornblower cruise (Maid of the Mist on the US side, great view of the falls close up from the water level), drive along the parkway – good views of the gorge and is a pretty drive. If you are into horticulture, the green houses are excellent and there are the botanical gardens. If history, the Mackenzie Printery is a fun place to visit. Old Fort Erie and Fort George are also good.
Then, of course, there are wineries with tours and tastings. Niagara-on-the-Lake is very pretty and great for window shopping.
Hope this is helpful.
It’s been close to 40 years since I visited Niagra Falls but I remember how much I enjoyed the boat ride. Google shows that Maid of the Mists still does tours. Seems there are several more options too.
Not the Falls proper, which have already been covered. I really like the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park, which has, among other attractions, the USS Little Rock, sister of my first ship, USS Providence.
Our absolute favorite place in the world. We like to stay on the Canadian side, and like being on the upper floors of the Fallsview Marriott (warning: price shop it — it can be pricy). Maid of the Mist, Behind the Falls, the botanical garden (which, if memory serves has a butterfly section?) and if you want a night of absolute craziness, the casino.
That last was from me — DYAC on my name.
I had to chuckle as you described the rampant self deception in which creative types engage–I had this vision of Lucy snatching the literary football away from you…again. Still, one cannot help but think that Lucy might have finally met her match!
If you are going to the Canadian side, I suggest you visit the Butterfly place. It was beautiful when I visited it. I took so many pictures. Also, definitely try the ice wine.
The Maid of the Mist is now on the American, and has been replaced by Hornblower Boats. All the tours around he Falls. The cave of the Winds, the boat trip are worth the time. The best view is on the Canadian side. In general avoid Clifton Hill which is really Clifton trap for tourists. No one mentioned the Skylon which allows you to to see the whole area from a height without leaving the ground(unless you count the elevator) but you should probably avoid the restaurant unless you are there for the view. If you are interested in history this is where the last conflict between the USA, Canada and Great Britain took place. There is a museum devoted to the War of 1812 on Ferry Street almost on the battlefield of the Battle of Lundy’s lane took place. It is marked by a symbolic bridge . Not far away is the building which housed the end of the Underground Railroad during the Civil war. The Brock Monument at Queenston is another reminder of that war. Niagara on the Lake was the first capital of Upper Canada. If you are interested in geology and or geography this area has a lot to offer. The climate is unique and there are pockets where the flora includes plants only found as far north as Georgia , elsewhere. The escarpment, the Niagara Gorge, the Whirlpool and abandoned( buried river valley. On the American side there is a little museum devoted to the dewatering of the Falls, and another about the power plant that fell into the gorge. The village of Lockport has many beautifully preserved houses as does Niagara on the Lake. The Genesee River also has a very impressive gorge. The list is endless. There are two Canadian Casinos and one American. At present there are a great many more motels in Canada cheaper and with the rate of exchange low for Americans, cheaper yet. The best months are June and September There is so much………
There were hundreds of black squirels running around when we visited Niagara on the Lake many years ago. The vineyards are nice to visit too.
We stayed in a nice B&B on the Canadian side when we went there for our 10th anniversary back in 2008; I’ll see if I can figure out the name.
Noticed you might do hot air balloons. First full week every October is Albuquerque, NM’s Balloon Fiesta. Check out balloonfiesta.com. Yes, 2016’s fiesta is already over with & a lovely week it was – every morning was good flying weather for the over 500 balloons participating. Why do I mention this? My fave bookstore (aside from Baen) is Bookworks (www.bkwrks.com) which would be a perfect place for an appearance, possibly a reading. Now, that would be a novelty, no? How to get here without doing an airplane? Amtrak’s Southwest Chief stops in Albuquerque. Es possible? Well, it’s a thought… Otherwise, looking forward to Neo. Cheers.