Ahh, Paul Cornell. Nice guy (and I really wasn’t stalking him at LACon…we just kept winding up in the same places at the same time!). He keeps writing the second best Dr. Who material, and keeps loosing short dramatic presentation Hugos to Steven Moffat. And will again next year, too. *sigh*

I confess I’m deeply conflicted about which episode I liked better. I just hope they don’t canel each other out.

I swear I’m the Typo Queen.

I really enjoy everything Paul and Steven have written for Dr. Who. And I voted for Father’s Day (Paul’s script) for the Hugo, though on later rewatching, I thought the Empty Child/Doctor Dances two-parter was stronger.

I’ve never heard the kind of pre-buzz for a TV episode that I heard for Blink. When I was at Armadillocon, there was a huge amount of chatter about it (while it hadn’t been on in the States yet, a surprising number of people had already seen it). There were also people talking about “The Angels Have the Police Box,” “Sally Sparrow for Companion” and “Saxon” (of course, that was after Blink).

The Human Nature/Family of Blood episodes were excellent and they were wrenching for the Doctor and Martha. But Blink was such a stunning twist on the nature of time travel that I completely adored it. And the whole stuff about how Larry shares the mystery of the Doctor’s video with the Internet; simply hysterical and spot on.

The setting is horrible, the service pretty bad, but I’m with George. Great beef.

As for the rest of the meal — I liked the tomatoes and onions, the rolls and the sauce, but I liked the creamed spinach the best. We ended up with the really early seating because they only had a couple of months notice to get the reservation. Because of the early time Tom’s wife didn’t join us, and I was very disappointed by that. I really wanted to meet her, and I knew she and Ian would have a lot to talk about.

(Also, I am reviewing “Inside Straight” for my local paper. Already read it and … dang! It is good! Melinda, I can’t believe you killed … [you know] !!!)

Also, beautiful writing on the action sequence in the second one! (the fake bank robbery bit) I was on an airplane when I read that section, and I read it three times in a row just to admire how smoothly the action flowed.

George and I work very closely on editing these books, and the placement of stories for the maximum impact is part of that process.

We’ve just sent off BUSTED FLUSH to our editor, Patrick Nielsen-Hayden at Tor. Now I have a few months to think about something other than Wild Cards before we have to get into SUICIDE KINGS.

Great idea for the standing rib roast. That’s been our traditional Christmas Eve feast, with roast potatoes and creamed spinach. I have been known to pass out after the meal.

I’ve just recently decided, in fact, to start working on my own screenplay. Any other good tips … ?

Tip Number Two — read a bunch of screenplays of movies or TV shows that you have liked.

Tip Number Three — read your screenplay aloud as you write it, and then get some of your friends to gather and read the dialogue while you listen. There will be lines that will make you shudder.

Actually, I think it’s time for me to write another blog about the process of screenwriting when you are working in a team as opposed to solo. Ian and I completed our spec TV pilot a few weeks before the strike began, and it was a fascinating process.