Mary Robinette Kowal

It’s that time of year, when I once again participate in NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don’t know this, I’ve written all of my novels either during NaNo or using the NaNoWriMo model in another month. This year, I’m writing Ghost Talkers, which is coming out from Tor in winter 2015. I like having people read

This originally appeared in Talebones Magazine in 2009 and is the first appearance of Ginger Stuyvesant as a character. # A liveried manservant waited by the front stairs of Fairbairn Hall as if he expected to take the reins of a horse. Ginger stopped her roadster next to him, shaking her head. These Brits had

Some time ago, and I’ve waited to post this so it was far in the past, I was on the safety committee of an event. We stated the policy in the opening session and identified the safety officers. After the event, which went off with no reported problems, we sent a follow-up survey asking if

Sadie has found the perfect camouflage spot in my workshop.

The Society of Voice Arts & Sciences has announced the nominees for its first annual Voice Arts Awards, and I’m both honored and excited  that my performance in Valour and Vanity has been nominated! The awards recognize achievement in voice-over acting and related roles, and they were established to help raise global awareness of what it takes

We were thrilled to have Peter Beagle join us for an episode, recorded live at Westercon 67. We talked about the writer’s mindset, and how to get into it. Peter schooled Brandon before the episode even began, and then proceeded to school all the rest of us. Peter is an absolute delight to listen to. We hope you

I recently wrote for my first game, Defense Grid 2, by Hidden Path Entertainment. When I turned in the script and got notes back about structure, there was one that stood out. “Make sure not to use gendered language to refer to the player. We want to make sure that everyone feels included.” Let me just point

Live from Westercon 67 and Fantasy Con, Mette Ivie Harrison and J.R. Johannson join us to talk about writing for the mystery genre. We begin by talking about the key differences between thrillers and mysteries, and then move into how this understanding can drive our story structures. We discuss how characters with arcs and iconic characters

Yesterday, I posted the Shades of Milk and Honey outline. Today, I have two things for you. First, is the synopsis with which we sold Glamour in Glass. Now, I need to be clear that this was part of a two book deal and that even now when I’m selling a new book to a publisher with whom

I know a lot of you are getting ready to begin NaNoWriMo. I’ve mentioned before that I wrote Shades of Milk and Honey for it. I’ve also mentioned before that I had planned a completely different ending for the novel. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Since this was the first time I’d written to an outline, I stuck with it