March 17 / / Guests

NO GOOD ADVICE: Jaym Gates Shares Her Experience with Writing Advice

Writers are notorious for giving advice on writing. Doesn’t take long on the Internet to find a million or so articles on how write better, faster and stronger prose. Because it’s inescapable, writers often are assaulted by opinions and ironclad rules on writing, which often contradict each other. In the end, you’re a bit confused and have no idea who to listen.

What I’ve learned about the craft (writing is magic!) is that writing is one personal experience and no two writers are the same. Unless they’re clones. In which case I demand access to their cloning facility.

This is why I’ve taken to the streets to talk to writers about advice. What worked and what did not and why. The idea is not so much about to hash out new writing advice, but to foster more of a dialogue about a writer’s relationship with advice. This week I’m interrogating Jaym Gates! Read More NO GOOD ADVICE: Jaym Gates Shares Her Experience with Writing Advice

March 14 / / Progress & Milestones

[ANNOUNCEMENT] I Got Into Clarion 2014!

 

This is what I’ve been sitting on this for a week now and the news have been killing me. I got word that I should keep quiet at least until Wednesday, but I wanted to be on the safe side and say something a bit after Wednesday.

If you read my guest post on Booklife Now [The Road to Clarion], you know it took me a lot of effort to apply. I just thought it was too big for me to have a realistic chance to make it in. I had to read and re-read the email I received time and time again to understand that Clarion is happening for me. I’m extremely happy. Read More [ANNOUNCEMENT] I Got Into Clarion 2014!

March 13 / / Writing

I’m Doing It for the Experience

This post may come off as ageist. I’m well aware of my bias on this, but to a point I think it’s still grounded in some kind of logic. Bear with me as I announce this:

Writing is for the old.

I don’t know how I came to this conclusion, but it’s been with me since early childhood. Age is a sensitive topic even among my peers, so I’ve perhaps signed my death warrant discussing this here. But doesn’t storytelling often get marketed with wrinkles, sweet disposition and the wisdom of having lived long? Maybe storytellers and writers don’t necessarily mean the exact same thing, but aren’t writers just storytellers with access to a keyboard? Read More I’m Doing It for the Experience

March 12 / / Kama Libris

Kama Libris: The Surprise Reader

Pose: The Surprise Reader does not pertain to a standardized body position during the act of reading itself. Instead, it denotes the unusual location within which a Book Keeper has been discovered to enjoy a book. These locations are often considered to be ill-equipped to serve as reading spaces – coat racks, kitchens, basements and filing cabinets among many others. Even though the Surprise Reader relies on the element of discovery by someone else, most Book Keepers have been observed to read sitting when pulling a Surprise Reader.

Read More Kama Libris: The Surprise Reader

March 10 / / Guests

NO GOOD ADVICE: Juliette Wade Discusses Writing Advice

Writers are notorious for giving advice on writing. Doesn’t take long on the Internet to find a million or so articles on how write better, faster and stronger prose. Because it’s inescapable, writers often are assaulted by opinions and ironclad rules on writing, which often contradict each other. In the end, you’re a bit confused and have no idea who to listen.

What I’ve learned about the craft (writing is magic!) is that writing is one personal experience and no two writers are the same. Unless they’re clones. In which case I demand access to their cloning facility.

This is why I’ve taken to the streets to talk to writers about advice. What worked and what did not and why. The idea is not so much about to hash out new writing advice, but to foster more of a dialogue about a writer’s relationship with advice. My dear friend Juliette Wade has been so generous with her time to come and speak about her experience with writing advice. Read More NO GOOD ADVICE: Juliette Wade Discusses Writing Advice

March 3 / / Guests

NO GOOD ADVICE: Angela Slatter Talks Shop

What’s this feature about: Writers are notorious for giving advice on writing. Doesn’t take long on the Internet to find a million or so articles on how write better, faster and stronger prose. Because it’s inescapable, writers often are assaulted by opinions and ironclad rules on writing, which often contradict each other. In the end, you’re a bit confused and have no idea who to listen. What I’ve learned about the craft (writing is magic!) is that writing is one personal experience and no two writers are the same. Unless they’re clones. In which case I demand access to their cloning facility.

This is why I’ve taken to the streets to talk to writers about advice. What worked and what did not and why. The idea is not so much about to hash out new writing advice, but to foster more of a dialogue about a writer’s relationship with advice. Last Monday, I had Jonathan Wood take the stage, which you can read here. This Monday I have the wonderful and talented Angela Slatter (who, as you know, is a bit of a celebrity on my blog). Read More NO GOOD ADVICE: Angela Slatter Talks Shop

February 28 / / Uncategorized

Adjustment to My Schedule

I’m looking a lot like this grumpy minion. Today, I was supposed to upload a review of another Angela Slatter story, but I haven’t gotten around to sitting down and properly dedicating the time. It’s been a trialling month and while I now see it wasn’t all that bad, I do what I always have done and that is fall in a place where my nerves and anxieties get the best of me. Expect severe improvements in the next couple of weeks, but right now, this is the situation. Read More Adjustment to My Schedule

February 27 / / Promotional Work

I Talk About the LGBT Side of the SFWA Kerfuffle

Technically, the SFWA kerfuffle is over (seriously my writing this is not really related with the scandal portion), but me being gay has a lot to do with how personally I took the bursts of sexism exploding around the Internet. I am forever tied with the fighting for women and their right to be respected, because a lot of what they go through, LGBT people go through. It’s discrimination based on something ludicrous (as all discrimination is) and I’m going to speak about why the LGBT folks are going to have it tough in the community, if we’re still having to deal with finally giving women the equality they deserve. Read More I Talk About the LGBT Side of the SFWA Kerfuffle

February 26 / / Kama Libris

Kama Libris: The Reading Worm

Pose: Simple and intuitive, the Reading Worm manifests itself in early childhood when eager readers consider discovering a book from a different vantage point. It’s an instinctual position that requires the Book Keeper to lie face down in front of the book, but the reader’s face must never hover directly above the text. The one requirement is for a Book Keeper to rest his chin on the ground in front of the text, creating a slanted reading angle. Read More Kama Libris: The Reading Worm

February 24 / / Guests

NO GOOD ADVICE: Jonathan Wood on Writing

Writers are notorious for giving advice on writing. Doesn’t take long on the Internet to find a million or so articles on how write better, faster and stronger prose. Because it’s inescapable, writers often are assaulted by opinions and ironclad rules on writing, which often contradict each other. In the end, you’re a bit confused and have no idea who to listen. I’ve talked about my disenchantment with writing advice as well.

What I’ve learned about the craft (writing is magic!) is that writing is one personal experience and no two writers are the same. Unless they’re clones. In which case I demand access to their cloning facility.

This is why I’ve taken to the streets to talk to writers about advice. What worked and what did not and why. The idea is not so much about to hash out new writing advice, but to foster more of a dialogue about a writer’s relationship with advice. This Monday I’ve invited author and dear friend Jonathan Wood to talk about writing (because that’s all writer ever talk about). Read More NO GOOD ADVICE: Jonathan Wood on Writing