March 2023 - Gary David Gillen

Introduction

The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin follows three different narratives. The author set the novels on a continent called the Stillness. It’s a post-apocalyptic world or possibly a second-world fantasy land. They reveal the name of the first-person narrator in this novel. The narrator has been advising Essun from the beginning of the first novel. Essun and the people of Castrima head to Rennaris to stay for the Fifth Season. Nassun finishes what she needs to do in Found Moon and figures out where to go to fulfill her destiny. These three tales intersect and come to a dramatic conclusion which completes the trilogy.

Summary

The prologue narrator is tied to the subsequent chapters that are named SYL ANAGIST. The author set these chapters in the past before they created the Stillness. As the chapters progress, the reason that the Stillness occurred and a possible solution is revealed.

Essun wants to save the people of Castrima. She also wants to end the Stillness. She follows her principles and comes to the end of the earth to achieve it.

Nassun wants to destroy the earth to end the Stillness. She follows her principles and comes to the end of the earth to achieve it.

Recommendation

The Stone Sky by NK Jemisin is a challenging novel to read, but it is a great novel. The author expands on themes from the first and second novels and reveals more mysteries. Essun’s chapters are all in the second person and past tense. A narrator talks to her. Usually, the second-person point of view is difficult to read, but it is easier to read in this novel because it is more familiar, since the author used it in the previous novels for Essun’s chapters. The narrator’s chapters are in first person present tense and tell the story about how the Stillness was created. Nassun’s chapters are in the third person and present tense. This novel completes the trilogy very well.

Links

This is the link to the Goodreads page of Stone Sky by NK Jemisin

The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin, Book #2 of the Broken Earth trilogy

In The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin, Nassun, and Essun all face hard choices in the Broken Earth of the Stillness. Will they survive?

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin is Book #1 of the Broken Earth trilogy

In The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin, Essun, Damaya, and Syenite, all face hard choices in the Broken Earth of the Stillness. Will they survive?

This is my Writing Progress Report March 2023.

Had dinner at Comida Hudson Mexican Restaurant on February 24, 2023, and watched the Ohio Weather Band there.

Writing Progress from February 2023.

I wrote three blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One post was my writing progress report for February 2023, which is linked below.

Writing Progress Report February 2023

In February 2023, I submitted my story, The Squirrel Curse, to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

I did not submit a short story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at the Parma, Ohio, library in February 2023.

I did not submit a short story to the Critters.org online workshop in February 2023.

Writing Progress from February 2023 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in February 2023.

In the past, I submitted the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I submitted in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022.

Events from February 2023.

ConFusion was the last con I attended in Novi, Michigan, from January 20, 2023, to January 22, 2023. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

https://2023.confusionsf.org/

The con theme this year was Avatar: The Legend of Confusion

Writing Goals for March 2023.

In March 2023, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for March 2023.

I plan to submit a story to the Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library in March 2023.

In March 2023, I plan to submit a short story to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio, library.

I plan to submit a story to the critters workshop in March 2023.

In March 2023, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and submit the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

Writing Goals for March 2023 continued.

In March 2023, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Put the novel Assassin in New Marl City into the writing program, Scrivener.

Buy an e-book cover for Assassin in New Marl City from Fiveer.

Planned Events for March 2023.

The next conference I plan to attend is the Cleveland Concoction, from March 17, 2023, to March 19, 2023. They will hold the conference at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center at 600 North Aurora Road, Aurora, Ohio.

This is a link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Another event I plan to attend is the Western Reserve Writers Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Lyndhurst, Ohio on March 25, 2023.

This is a link to the Cuyahoga County Library website.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/