I’m judging the FutureScapes Writing contest, which has a goal that I’m really excited about. It’s the idea that art can change the world, and so it invites submissions for stories with the goal of changing the future. “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” -Oscar Wilde Looking at […]
Submission opportunity: FutureScapes Writing Contest Read More »
I’d like your opinion. I do this thing, sometimes, where I take a typewriter and write one page flash fiction on demand. At the opening of Volumes BookCafe, I wrote five during the course of the evening. They’re fun, light, and take me about fifteen minutes. That’s a photo of one of them. (I’ll post
Typewritten stories for fundraisers. A pricing conundrum. Read More »
So, I know the answer to this, but my husband, who is doing our taxes*, would like a second opinion. As a writer, the books that I buy are a business expense because they are necessary for staying current with my field. As an audiobook narrator, the audiobooks I listen to are a business expense
So, what’s deductible as an author? Read More »
I tend to think of April Fool’s Day as Alternate Reality Day. A well-constructed April Fool’s joke is one, which creates, for a moment, a really cool world to live in. But, there are rules. So, I thought I would post my rules for what makes a good prank and then walk you through my most recent
The Anatomy of an April Fool’s Prank Read More »
So if it were April 1 and a friend “noticed” that there was erotic Glamourist Histories fanfic on Amazon. And said friend had a history of writing fast and writing fan-fic, would you give them the side eye? Yes. Or if another friend has apparently been working on a secret project. So tell me the
Since people are asking about the Glamourist Histories erotic fanfic Read More »
Some of you noticed that I was doing some Kermit flailing on Twitter a while back. That’s usually a good sign of secret good news. And while I did get an invitation to audition for a speaking role on Sesame Street. I didn’t get the part, so that’s not what the flailing was about. The flailing
Hypothetically, I might be in Australia for two months. Read More »
One of the ways that my privilege shows is that my parents paid for my college education. They also were able to fill in the financial gaps when I started working as a puppeteer so that I didn’t have to get a day job. While I tried not to lean on them, there were months
Paying the artist is important for supporting marginalized voices. Read More »
I was an art major in college. It’s been on my bucket list to design an award, though I’d been thinking of the Hugo base. So when World Fantasy announced that they were going to replace the existing award, I asked for more information. Today I got it. And it is bullshit. I say this with
MRK’s very strong feelings about the WFC award specs and paying artists Read More »
Although I’m going to have to come up with a better title. And if you want Lee to answer your questions next week, here’s the link to the Google On Air for Episode 3 of “Ask a Puppet”
Episode two of “Ask a Puppet” Read More »
Last year, during the lead up to the Hugos, I wrote a post about how this was more important than just a rocketship. Here, read a bit of it for context. One of the things about fiction in general, and even more so with SFF, is that it tends to reflect the zeitgeist of the culture. For instance, during
Theodore Beale is the Donald Trump of Science Fiction Read More »
I’ve just given the same pep talk to three different writers, so I figure you probably need it to. Let me speak to you about impostor syndrome. That thing where you are sure everyone knows you’re faking it and they are going to find out any minute and then you will be cast down and
Impostor Syndrome – an analogy and pep talk Read More »
So I was in a mood tonight and invited Lee the Puppet to answer questions. Questions asked: What in your life prompted you to be an advocate of diversity, on social media, and in your writing? (besides having a brain, that is!) Where do you get your ideas? How do you balance the rabbit hole
Watch Lee the Puppet answer questions about writing and publishing Read More »
When we talk about voice in writing, it can get confusing because people use the word to mean different things. Let me offer “style of puppetry” as a metaphor to talk about the different forms of voice. Mechanical In puppetry one of the first things you have to do when designing a new show is
Using puppetry to explain what writers mean by Voice Read More »
I had some thoughts on Twitter, because people seem to think that developing a diverse group is this big mystery. It’s actually pretty simple. [View the story “Diversity planning made simple” on Storify]
Thoughts about how to add diversity. Real simple thoughts. Read More »
Hurrah! I’m 47 today and I’m getting on an airplane to go to Salt Lake City to record Writing Excuses and attend LTUE. On my birthday. On a plane. I think we all know how this is going to go. Meanwhile! I have a party favor for you. This is the first scene, sort of,
I am 47 today! Have the first scene of GHOST TALKERS as a party favor. Read More »