tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58129684485350980102024-03-16T12:51:53.970-06:00Tre GwerninMedieval Welsh storytelling for the modern world.G R Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14087606854160915689noreply@blogger.comBlogger626125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-64330627061638894332024-03-15T10:08:00.002-06:002024-03-15T17:14:45.404-06:00March 2024 - Update #2The last week has been busy again, including preparations for tomorrow's divination workshops and a good bit of snow shoveling yesterday (we got about a foot of heavy wet snow). I'm half way through chapter 13, and Gwernin et al have arrived at <!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-7755491764735286872024-03-07T08:52:00.000-07:002024-03-07T08:52:27.574-07:00March 2024 - Update #1A few conflicts in the last week again, but I finally finished chapter 12. Gwernin and company are in Ireland now, and Taliesin has procured pack ponies from King Díarmait. This was not hard, because in this period no one dared refuse any request from an Irish Master Poet--an Ollam Fili--for fear of their satire. The next chapter will take Gwernin to the ráth of Fráechán’s foster father, a place GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-24395507737629691322024-02-29T08:57:00.000-07:002024-02-29T08:57:55.955-07:00February 2024 - Update #5 Rare it is to have five Thursdays in February, but this year we do. Their abundance, however, has not helped my rate of progress with the book. I did finish chapter 11, and started chapter 12 ("the bend of the Boyne"), partly through reorganization of material, but since Monday I have been working on another project. Our local ADF group, Chokecherry Grove, is putting on a series of Zoom GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-45970783850773877302024-02-22T08:18:00.004-07:002024-02-22T09:47:51.706-07:00February 2024 - Update #4 I'm still working my way through chapter 11, the title of which is still in flux. Last weekend was busy, and Tuesday I had a dentist appointment (as a result of which I have another one today for repairs), so that's three days shot. A lot of my progress yesterday was "recycling" again for Gwernin et al's journey to Ireland. I've got 1,529 words so far, but some of it still needs polishing, GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-55323723189227968102024-02-15T08:45:00.002-07:002024-02-15T12:12:11.379-07:00February 2024 - Update #3 I finally finished chapter 10 ("Aberffraw") yesterday. This takes Gwernin et al to the King of Gwynedd's court in search of a ship to Ireland. Again I pulled pieces from previous books - "recycling". Part of this is so that people and descriptions will match up with previous books, but also to cover things so that someone who is reading this book without having read the previous five, or GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-89629479112029606422024-02-08T08:41:00.001-07:002024-02-08T08:44:57.775-07:00February 2024 - Update #2 I finished chapter 9 ("togidubnos") in a rush over the weekend, and am working slowly on chapter 10 ("aberffraw"). This will take Gwernin et al to the King of Gwynedd's court, in search of a ship to Ireland, and finish the first third of the book. I spent some time yesterday re-reading the first part of the manuscript, noticing things that need to be added on my next pass - mostly more GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-27393498081782939482024-02-01T09:21:00.004-07:002024-02-01T09:21:34.960-07:00February 2024 - Update #1I've finished chapter 8 ("the dark path") and am working on chapter 9 (tentatively "togidubnos"). Last weekend was busy, and it took me a couple of days to get going again. I need to finish this chapter by Saturday morning at the latest, because we will be celebrating Imbolc Saturday evening and Chinese New Year Sunday. This chapter should finish off Mael's Dark Path, and the next one will take GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-47325601943570100482024-01-25T09:19:00.002-07:002024-01-25T09:20:41.888-07:00January 2024 - Update #4 Good progress this week - I've almost finished chapter 8 ("The Dark Path") and am looking forward to chapter 9 (title still to be determined, but possibly "Togidubnos"). I've almost finished the "recycling" stretch and am now into new material, which goes more slowly but can include bits I hadn't thought of before. That can be exciting. The weather continues mild (for January) and dry,GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-1720348766298314492024-01-19T13:24:00.002-07:002024-01-19T13:51:24.201-07:00January 2024 - Update #3 I finished Chapter 6, and have almost finished chapter 7, bar a little polishing. There's been a lot of "recycling" again, as I mentioned last week, because these chapters are mirroring Neirin's "Dark Path" experiences from The Ash Spear. The difference, however, is that this time Gwernin will be one of the three Master Bards who will prepare the mound chamber for Mael and spend part of hisGRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-13143874091105816952024-01-11T10:34:00.001-07:002024-01-11T10:34:43.161-07:00January 2024 - Update #2 I made a good bit of progress on chapter 6 over the weekend, but have since been stalled again. I have almost a chapter's worth of material, much of it "recycled" from passages in Storyteller and The Ash Spear - inevitable when Gwernin is revisiting the same places he's been before, where location descriptions and people need to match up. I still have to work on integrating this reused GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-25384057019069408302024-01-04T08:14:00.004-07:002024-01-04T08:14:57.736-07:00January 2024 - Update #1Not as much progress as I would have liked in the last week, partly due to holidays. However, I finished chapter 5 and am a couple of pages into chapter 6 ("The Druids' Island"). To meet my planned publication of Samhain this year, I need to have the first draft finished by Lughnasadh, and to do that, I need to average a chapter a week, and so far I've managed nothing near that. Hopefully GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-76841267473987042172023-12-28T09:11:00.003-07:002024-01-01T20:20:36.783-07:00December 2023 - Update #4A cold clear morning, and my last update for this calendar year. I've made better progress this week, but that is partly due to some recycling, as Gwernin et al are traveling along routes I described in The Ash Spear and Storyteller. I'm hoping to finish chapter 5 in the next couple of days and at least start chapter 6, which will take them to Ynys Môn at last.In the meantime, one more holiday toGRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-4027844465185669142023-12-22T15:13:00.000-07:002023-12-22T15:13:05.013-07:00December 2023 - Update #3 I finished chapter 4 last week, but have only just started chapter 5; I spent most of this last week on Oak Leaves. That job is mostly finished now, and the issue is with our proofreader. Hopefully I'll make more progress next week, as Gwernin and his friends start their journey to Ynys <!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
Normal
0
false
GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-86563766456213658722023-12-14T09:11:00.000-07:002023-12-14T09:11:01.914-07:00December 2023 - Update #2 Still plodding through chapter 4 ("The Third Man"). Gwernin is negotiating with his wife for permission to take his older son Ianto with him on his summer travels, and Neirin is showing signs of taking over the story (he does that). It will be interesting to see what happens when they all get to Ireland, but that will be a while yet.Winter has settled in here in Denver - a little snowGRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-75855082615588788102023-12-07T11:13:00.000-07:002023-12-07T11:13:03.859-07:00December 2023 - Update #1 December at last. I've managed a little writing this week - a few hundred words at the start of chapter 4. I've needed to look back into the earlier books, especially Flight of the Hawk, to introduce Neirin properly. It looks like he will be going to Ireland with us. He is the historical bard now known as Aneirin, who later wrote (most of?) the long poem called Y Gododdin. That will fall inGRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-32156647144167346842023-11-30T10:10:00.001-07:002023-11-30T10:11:29.354-07:00November 2023 - Update #5 Finally a little writing - chapter 3 is more or less finished at last. Now things should start moving, as Gwernin and company set off on a new adventure. The first part will be similar (but not identical) to the beginning of The Ash Spear - a sort of mirror, but twelve years later, involving the initiatory ritual called "the dark path". We'll be seeing Gwernin's friend Neirin again for the GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-12568614312769411362023-11-23T07:27:00.002-07:002023-11-23T07:27:21.904-07:00November 2023 - Update #4 A cold grey morning with snow predicted tonight. The last two days were mild and sunny - what we call "the warm before the storm" - but that's over. I spent part of them doing garden stuff - planting crocus bulbs before the ground freezes, coiling a hose, giving the rosemary plants a last couple of days of outdoor sun. Now it's time to stay indoors and try to write. I have at least been GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-67233448729611583252023-11-16T10:48:00.001-07:002023-11-16T10:48:36.290-07:00November 2023 - Update #3 I don't usually start with vodka for breakfast, but this has been a horrible week.A good friend (Elis Owens) with whom I had worked on the local Welsh language course for the last 24 years died abruptly last Thursday night. I heard about this in an email two days later, and was just beginning to recover and start to write again when my Gray cat was hit and killed by a car yesterday GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-39734928361140272792023-11-10T07:55:00.002-07:002023-11-10T07:55:30.298-07:00November 2023 - Update #2 Only a little progress in the last week. I did finish chapter 2 and started chapter 3, but that was mostly because chapter 2 was getting too long and I moved the last 1,000 words into the next chapter. I also spent some time thinking about plot development, and took 2 days off to work on the next issue of Oak Leaves. Hopefully I'll get back on track now. I always seem to have at least threeGRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-47922604140740620632023-11-02T08:29:00.000-06:002023-11-02T08:29:13.205-06:00November 2023 - Update #1 Winter is here. Over the last weekend, I got about 8 inches of snow, followed by overnight lows in the low teens F. A lot of the snow has melted so far, since the ground wasn't frozen, but it's still taking its time. I got all the garden tasks done beforehand; geraniums and rosemarys are in the garage, a few other freeze-tolerant plants in the cold frame. Still lots of garden cleanup to do,GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-29635165940872729042023-10-26T14:45:00.002-06:002023-10-26T14:45:56.250-06:00October 2023 - Update #4No writing in the last week either - weekend errands plus an intensive on-line course I'm taking with the Anglesey Druid Order took care of Saturday and Sunday; problems have reappeared with my laptop, which I like to write on while looking out the garden window; Wednesday was errands again, plus moving my geraniums from their summer home in the cold frame to the garage; today more garden work - GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-47644110268412586192023-10-19T09:01:00.005-06:002023-10-20T22:16:21.347-06:00October 2023 - Update #3 Our retreat is finally over, and I hope to start writing again. Certainly I made no progress for the last week though - prepping to hold it at my house had kept me very busy, and I spent most of the weekend managing the Zoom sessions. After that it took me a few days to recover. Next year we expect to be back at La Foret, with more room and facilities, and that should be easier. We will GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-30594413639241596902023-10-12T11:59:00.002-06:002023-10-16T08:31:46.881-06:00October 2023 - Update #2No writing this week - I've been prepping for our annual Rocky Mountain Retreat. It should have been at La Foret conference center, where this picture was taken, but our cabin reservations got screwed up; instead the Zoom sessions and ritual will be at my house. This has required a lot of prep on my part.I've also been creating a Power Point for a presentation I'll be giving Sunday morning. SinceGRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-78288870461623505162023-10-06T08:42:00.000-06:002023-10-06T08:42:09.570-06:00October 2023 - Update #1 Again, no appreciable progress with my writing in the last week. There have been too many distractions, and I'm still stuck in the middle of chapter 2. Next week is unlikely to be better, but after our Rocky Mountain retreat I hope to get the story moving again. In other news, I picked most of the nearly-ripe tomatoes yesterday. We haven't had frost yet, but it can't be long - maybe GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5812968448535098010.post-828234616268944292023-09-28T08:06:00.000-06:002023-09-28T08:06:17.944-06:00September 2023 - Update #4 Very little writing progress in the last week - perhaps 300 words on Chapter 2 - but some ideas are developing. Most of my attention, however, has been on the situation with Chokecherry's retreat. Due to clerical errors on the part of our site, we are going to be forced to hold the retreat (which fortunately is mostly virtual) here in Denver at my house. A good bit of time and energy was GRGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13310632201912094110noreply@blogger.com0