I knew what this test was about and I still failed it.
It’s only a minute long. Test your awareness.
Take the Test!
StandardI knew what this test was about and I still failed it.
It’s only a minute long. Test your awareness.
Fill in the blank
StandardCourtesy of my previous post, let’s play fill in the blank with this quote:
“There’s an unfortunate inward-looking, comfort-zone loving… aspect to some in the [genre] community that is preventing the imaginative genres becoming the literature of now…”
The ellipse hides a descriptor that would give the game away.
What genre do you think the poster is talking about? Would you change your answer if I told you the poster was a science fiction author? Would you change your answer if I told you the poster was a fantasy author?
(lol)
Kabuki actors think sf/f readers must be sick of doing the same old things all the time
Standard… Non-sequitur?
::scratches head::
I don’t want to talk about the dividing line between sf and f. I don’t care about it, don’t want to see the genres split apart on the book shelves and consider it a dull topic. I’m especially embarrassed by the contempt some people show for genres they don’t read and by the resentment other people show when their genre is disparaged.
But to go from “We should split the genres!” to “They’re complementary and will save the world!” in one conversation? Come on. It’s bad enough that Borders is hosting the Same Old Conversations, but waving one SOC around to distract from the holes in the other makes me feel like I’ve had popcorn for dinner.
Randomness for 7/10
Standard1) Ever wonder why the left protests G8 and G20 meetings? It’s because of this sort of thing.
2) Rick Riordan goes from adult midlist mystery writer to bestselling kids author. How sad is it that I didn’t even *know* the dude wrote mysteries for adults?
3) Furniture designed for small spaces. These designs are fantastic.
4) Lady Gaga in everyday situations.
5) And you thought authors got a small cut: How much do musicians really make?
6) This randomness collection is more political than most: Friedrich Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom in comic book form, which first appeared in 1945. BTW, did you know that Hayek thought we should have universal health care?
7) Quote of the day: “…it’s an easy, quick read, suitable for wallowing in decadence for a day on the beach and then entirely forgetting about afterward. Alternatively, one can forget about it ahead of time — and that’s what I recommend.” Andrew Wheeler, reviewing Bret Easton Ellis’s Imperial Bedrooms.
Child of Fire reviews, part 15
StandardI’m only going to link to one this time: Compelling Women Who Kick Ass: Child of Fire by Harry Connolly written by Casey Lybrand.
I really enjoyed reading that review (and not just because it’s positive). It hits on a number of things I tried to do in the book, and also on ways that I know the book falls short. It’s also interesting in the way that a reader’s completely reasonable perception of a character can be so different from what I intended. There are still a lot of lessons to learn.
I’m also unsure if I should respond, and if so, how. I don’t want to be defensive, because the book has to stand for itself. I don’t want to talk about “Dumbledores” because if the author is the only one who knows a particular character is gay then does that even count[1]?
I don’t even know.
But this review touches on something that I’ve been trying to focus on: it’s easy to populate books with tv/movie types–good-looking folks who are pleasant to look at. I know why they cast roles that way, and I don’t blame them. I like looking at pretty people the same as anyone else.
There’s no reason to do that in a book, though. In books, you can “cast” a fat person in that dignified role as easily as a model, and you can include older folks, or whatever. You can show a truer representation of the world, because you’re working with words instead of faces.
But I’m not really sure how to talk about that.
[1] Toward a more accurate representation of the world, I mean.
“That’s so funny it makes me sad.”
StandardI had another good day working on The Buried King. I’ve pretty much stopped fretting about word count and daily goals–at this point I make note of the page I’m on when I start a session and the page I’m on when I stop. What the hell, right? Keeping careful records wasn’t getting the book done, so I’m not going to bother.
And with the release date for GAME OF CAGES coming up, I have a crazy load of writing to do. That means it’s time for a list! Here are all of the projects I have to complete by at least the middle of August (in no particular order).
- A Big Idea piece for John Scalzi’s blog to promote Game of Cages.
- Another chapter of The Buried King so my agent can send it to publishers.
- A thorough, careful revision of the opening chapters of The Buried King.
- A “shot list” or “shooting script” for the trailer for book 3, which is still called Man Bites World.
- A selling synopsis for The Buried King.
- Clean up chapters 2 and 3 of Game of Cages to post on the blog.
- A write up of the next Kolchak episode.
- A quick polish of an old project I can’t talk about.
And so on. I know there are a lot of writers who could do that in a couple of afternoons, but I’m slow slow slow. This will take me quite a little while to do, but I’m hoping to steal some time this weekend to cross some of these items off my list (and the Kolchak is pretty far down the list of priorities–Sorry to anyone who has been enjoying those).
On top of that, I’m expecting the copyedit for MBW at any time.
Back to the day job.
More great news!
StandardThings have been crazy busy today (what with day-jobbing and solid progress on The Buried King) but I have to share this: Child of Fire is going to get a second printing!
B&N ordered several thousand more copies so they can shelve it with Game of Cages in a freestanding pyramid fixture. Both books will be available for new readers! It sold well enough for B&N to order more! Freestanding display for both books!
Damn, it’s been a good couple of days.
“You’re not even making money from it!”
StandardI’m still buzzing from yesterday’s announcement that Game of Cages received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, but I know the rest of the world has quite sensibly moved on. So!
Writers of blogs and fanfic might want to watch this animated lecture. It covers a lot of recent research into motivation–is money a good motivation for people doing thinky, creative work? What are the best ways to get people invested in a project?
The answers are surprising (not only is a big pile of cash non-motivating, it actually has a detrimental effect). And as soon as I saw the artwork of the guy playing guitar, I thought about fanfic writers, why they do what they do and what they get out of it.
Anyway, it’s a fascinating little video (and beautifully produced, too). I recommend it highly, especially if you’re someone’s boss or manager.
Break out the frothy drinks and pastries!
StandardI just got word today that GAME OF CAGES received a starred review from Publishers Weekly!
I can not tell you what a relief that is! I’ve been getting some great responses from early readers and that relieves an amazing amount of stress that I didn’t even know I had. Longtime readers of my LiveJournal know how much I struggled with the writing of that book–the restarts, the stalls, the plot mixups, the cast of characters, the uncertainty over whether the ending was too intense–all of it was really, really difficult.
And then I read this: “Connolly doesn’t shy away from tackling big philosophical issues–whether good ends justify evil means, how many civilian deaths can be justified in the pursuit of creatures that can destroy the world–amid gory action scenes and plenty of rapid-fire sardonic dialogue.”
Yes! Monsters! Face-punching! Moral quandaries! Not necessarily in that order!
My only quibble is that Catherine is an investigator, not a sorcerer/peer, but the essentials are spot on.
Necessary Agent
StandardCheck out this article about agents and the way they engage the publishing process after the book is sold (or not). It’s also interesting the way editors are portrayed–so little power!
It was hard for me to read for two reasons: first, every time I read one of those true but anonymous stories, I was seized by a “ZOMG, that’s my book!” moment. Second, the writer of the article comes across like a fawning dope. The stories he passes on are fascinating; the fact that some agent has a wonderful speaking voice or is very tall? Not so interesting. His editor should have had a go at that crap.