This comic brought to you by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, at Inkygirl.com.
|
Friday, June 26th, 2009 My novella, Blood Soup, is being published by Eternal Press in September. I’ve been working on the edits for about a week now, and I hope to get them finished either late tonight or early tomorrow. It’s slow going. There are only 85 typed pages, and more than 100 comments from the editor. Most of the edits are a matter of style, IMHO. Mostly, she wants me to add more commas. I started out in the journalism business where the Oxford comma–that pesky comma which appears before the word “and” in a list–is anathema. It’s my unflattering opinion that folk in the literary world waste commas. They shove them into every sentence they can and space be damned. But I know that if I omit a few here and there, I can write another word…and that might just be the perfect word. The literary folk put in all the commas and add the extra words, too. I’m trying to be accepting of that fact, and that’s what’s taking so long. I read the draft, accept a comma here or there, and then start over. (See how I slipped that Oxford comma in there?) The next time I read, I accept another comma or two and then begin again. I suppose I could just accept all the commas at once, but that would be like giving in. I need to put up a fight in order to accept this whole Oxford comma deal. The other items (it’s not all commas, after all…) are (mostly) more of the same: the editor suggesting additional verbiage. It’s liberating, in a way, to be told, “Yes! You can write more here…” and yet, it goes against all my training. :: sigh :: Time to go accept a few more commas… Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 My short story Lucky Clover earned an Honorable Mention in the 2nd Quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest. If I remember correctly, this means it placed in the top 5 – 15% of all stories entered. You can see my name up in lights here (Edit: No you can’t. They removed the entry.), or visit the main contest page for rules. If you write any sort of speculative fiction, you should investigate WotF. If you win, you’ll be flown to California for a week’s retreat to learn from some really famous authors (the list changes) and your story will be published in the yearly anthology. (Plus, you win cash!) There’s no entry fee, but your story is judged against the bazillion others entered during the quarter. (Okay, bazillion might be just a tad inflated, but WotF doesn’t publish the real number of entries because they don’t want to scare people away from entering.) I’ll post a scan of my nice, shiny certificate once I receive it… Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
In fact, questions were asked, business cards were disbursed, and I think most attendees left knowing more about how to evaluate what conferences and workshops will work for them. I got to chat informally with the fascinating folk who make up the group both before and after the event. Had there been time, I think the many of us (25 or so?) could have stayed another hour or two and discussed All Things Writing. It’s a comfortable group and I could feel quite at home in it. And besides all that, they have this really kewl logo. The venue was the Cyclops Independent Bookstore, a place so new and shiny that books don’t line the walls yet. I can tell tell it’s going to have just the right amount of glitz and trend married to Traditional Bookstore Goodness to make it a winner. Look for lots more events — music, as well as writing — at the Cyclops. If you’re a local writer, check out the Baltimore Chapter of the Maryland Writers Association, or look to the main Maryland Writers Association if you’re a little father away. Many thanks to Paul Lagasse, Gary Lester, Nancy O. Greene, Ally E. Peltier and the rest of MWAB for inviting me. Sunday, June 21st, 2009 I’m speaking tomorrow evening –on Writing Workshops– at the Cyclops Bookstore, 30 W. North Ave. at Maryland Avenue in Baltimore (7:00 p.m.). It’s a wonderful opportunity which just fell into my lap. I’ve been to several writing workshops (or conferences or retreats or whatever you want to call them…) and I love to talk about my experiences, so this should be a lot of fun. I’ve been to the Taddle Creek Writer’s Workshop at University of Toronto, Viable Paradise on Martha’s Vineyard and, most recently, Seton Hill University’s Writer’s Retreat in Greensburg, PA. There have been others, but these stand out in my mind. At Taddle Creek I met Robert J. Sawyer for the first time. Many of his lecture’s points pop into my head at appropriate moments when I’m writing, even after all these years (it’s been at least five, maybe more, since I attended Taddle Creek.) Viable Paradise is equally memorable. It is hosted by Teresa & Patrick Nielsen-Hayden, James D. McDonald and Debra Doyle (and others). Elizabeth Bear and John Scalzi instruct there now, too. The Writer’s Retreat at Seton Hill University allowed me to scope out the campus and instructors to determine whether or not I wanted to enroll in their MFA. At SHU I met J.A. Konrath, author of the “Jack Daniels” mysteries and Ginjer Buchanan, Editor and Chief of Ace Books. I could write quite a bit, but why don’t you let me know what you want to know? That way I can focus. Do you have any burning questions about writing workshops? Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 I write. I write, write, write. Then I edit, delete, and write some more*. American author Henry Miller once said that you have to write a million words before you produce anything good. That’s probably true. (This gave me a laugh, by the way: how to get a leg up on writing a million words of crap, the Million Words of Crap Generator v1.0.) I also attend conferences and workshops for writers. (More on this in a later post…) The other thing I do is read books on writing. I go through phases: I’ll read several in a row and then ignore them for quite a while. Many I borrow. But it struck me recently that I’ve enjoyed a few so much I’ve kept them and occasionally refer to them. With that in mind, I thought I’d begin reviewing them here on the blog. Are you interested? What books would you like to see me review? (And if you’ve written a book on writing, drop me a line. I might be interested in taking a peek and reviewing it here.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Actually, it’s more like: write, write, edit, delete, edit, write, delete, write, write, edit, write, delete, edit, edit, write, write, write. Sunday, June 14th, 2009
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell is an alternate-history (or fantasy) that’s set in 19th-century England during the Napoleonic Wars. It’s based on the idea that magic once existed in England and that it will be brought back with the help of two practicing magicians: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange. The story centers on their relationship (or lack there of) as they make England into a land where anyone can perform magic. I looked forward to reading this book, particularly because it is a Hugo winner. In the end, I was disappointed. I could not finish the book fast enough. I found it completely intolerable. Ms. Clarke writes in (my opinion) an archaic style akin to Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, and, in fact has been criticized for writing a pastiche of them (and others). While I agree that her style mimics many of the old classics, I think I’d draw the line prior to pastiche. Although, like many of the classics, I feel that the book sufferers from extreme wordiness and could have benefited from some judicious trimming….probably 300-500 of the nearly 800 pages comprising this tome could have been deleted. A good editor could have made this an outstanding read. I felt that there were so many words–such a lack of focus–that as I read, I continued to ask myself…so? So? SO!? Had I not committed to reading this for the Project 100, I’d have quit reading very early on. Very little held my attention. This is sad, because the story is such an interesting one. Still, the book is not without its merits. There were occasions when Ms. Clarke created the perfect turn of phrase and wonderful lyrical description. Her world-building is superb. If only one didn’t have to plod slowly through the muck to get to the beauty. As I complained while I read, one friend told me that the last 100 pages makes the entire book worthwhile. I disagree. The pacing did pick up toward the end, almost feeling as though the book raced to its conclusion. It did become more focused–loose strings were tied up–but it failed to provide me with the satisfying conclusion I’d longed for after investing so much time. I found it lacking. If you like Dickins and Austin, you might like Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. For me, I won’t be picking up the sequel. Post Script: I failed to mention one of the most annoying things about this book: fictitious footnotes. There were hundreds, printed in minute type at the bottom of the page, often spanning two or more pages. The most annoying of the annoying were the footnotes which referred to other footnotes in different chapters of the book. Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 When I was a sophomore in college, my best friend Amy and I ate a lot of Chinese food. Amy would take the fortunes from her fortune cookie and tape them to the back of a spiral notepad. By the end of the semester, the reverse cover of her notebook would be plastered with little white slips in neat rows from top to bottom. I was fascinated by the practice, and started doing the same. (Disclaimer: as much as I enjoyed Chinese food (and still do), my notebooks never achieved the same coverage Amy’s did.) To this day, I retain my fortunes (often lamenting that fortune cookies have stopped dispensing predictions and starting meting out platitudes). But every once in while, one comes along that is particularly fitting to my writing life. My favorite, taped to my computer monitor:
Yes, it even contains the smiley, albeit in black and white. Now, as far as I’m concerned, this prediction hasn’t come true yet – no novel published so far, right? “Soon” is definitely a time span defined by the writer-gods. Or, on the other hand, fortunes could be a lot of bunk…which is what I’m hoping because… Woe unto me, here is my latest:  Folks, for a writer, it doesn’t get any worse than this. Or does it? I’d love to hear from anyone else who’s been cookie-cursed! Please share in the comments. Saturday, June 6th, 2009 Steven R. Southard’s “Sea-Wagon of Yantai ” debuts tomorrow. “The Sea-Wagon of Yantai” is a well-researched tale, set in ancient China, of what might have been. A very good read. Here’s the publisher promo:
I had an opportunity to ask Steve a few questions:
Why did you write Sea Wagon? Steve: I study submarine history and am writing a series of historical short stories involving man’s attempt to conquer the depths. While doing research, I came across references that suggested somebody had constructed a submarine in China at about 200 B.C. That seemed interesting, but the references were vague, with no specifics about the inventor, the sub, the location, etc. That freed me to write the story any way I wanted!” Have you written any other sea/submarine stories? Steve: I’ve written a number of stories that fictionalize the history of submarine development. One of those, “Alexander’s Odyssey,” appears in the [Ricasso Press] anthology Magic & Mechanica. I’m also writing another series of stories about the future of man’s colonization of the sea. I envision the establishment of ‘aquanations’ with people living in ‘seasteads.’ I’ve written other stories that don’t fit these series, but mostly involve the sea in some way. My sole horror story, “Blood in the River,” has been selected to appear in the upcoming anthology Dead Bait. My story “Target Practice” is in the anthology Lower than the Angels. Where does your interest in submarines come from? Steve: From reading Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and from reading the Tom Swift series of books as a boy. I grew up in the Midwest, and the ocean seemed distant and exotic, full of adventure. What is the likely audience for your stories? Steve: I suppose my writing would appeal most to readers who enjoy either historical fiction or science fiction, and who are looking for a setting not often written about these days — the sea. My Sea-Wagon story, in particular, might attract those who are interested in ancient China, and who might wonder whether somebody could have solved the problems of traveling underwater way back then. Actually my stories could attract anybody who likes to read about intriguing characters having to contend with vexing technical problems, an unforgiving environment, and the ugliness of war. Steve’s a very interesting guy. I wish I’d had time to chat with him. I do encourage you to pick up “The Sea-Wagon of Yantai,” available June 7, from Eternal Press. Find out more about Steven R. Southard’s work and read free stories at his Web site. |
…they invited me to speak about my writers conference experiences and they didn’t act at all bored with my suggestions for getting the most out of a workshop (my biggest worry).
A review of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke for my 