Allow me to evangelize about the Surrey International Writers Conference just a little. I’m having a great time, because the people are nice, but what I’ve been impressed by is how open people are to trying new things and to learning. It is a professional development conference for writers and it is clear, from the […]
SiWC 2011: Saturday Read More »
First of all, I have to say that the Surrey International Writers Conference is incredibly well run and they take really, really good care of their presenters. I’ve had a wonderful time and it’s only Friday. I promised the people in my workshop today that I would post a link to the transcription exercise that
Surrey International Writers Conference 2011: Friday Read More »
I’m sitting on the train on my way up to the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in Canada. Why the train? I’ve finished a short story, had breakfast, strolled, and am enjoying a beautiful view out my window. I love the train SO much. Of course, in Seattle, I’ll have to switch to a bus for
On the train to Surrey, B.C. Read More »
As we know, writers often have trouble with medical bills later in life. There’s an auction to help Ed Bryant, Jr. that I want to draw your attention to. Many people have contributed to help him out. The auction includes things like lunch with Neil Gaiman; a pencil/graphite drawing of the chapter head and tail
Friends of Ed auction is a good cause with amazing items Read More »
I’m very pleased to announce that I’ll be narrating the audio book for Tim Pratt’s first novel, The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl. I’ve been a fan of his work for quite a while and this novel is going to be a load of fun. The deal came about in a thoroughly modern way. Tim and his
I’ll be narrating the audio book of Tim Pratt’s first novel Read More »
Today has turned absolutely beautiful. I think Portland is trying to convince me not to leave town on Thursday. This is the view outside my office window. Strangely, the sunlight is not conducive to getting work done today.
Today has turned absolutely beautiful. Read More »
Dear Marlowe, You are not fooling anyone into thinking you are a typewriter. Yes, you are the right size and the right color, but you are covered in fur. Fondly yours, Mary
My cat is not a typewriter Read More »
Stage fright is one of the most horrible things about reading. It can be debilitating and, what’s worse, it can cause a self-feedback loop that will make the symptoms manifest in different ways. Some people’s knees shake, others can’t breathe, some people forget everything they know… it can be horrible. People suggest things like, “imagine
Reading Aloud: Dealing with stage fright Read More »
Lou Anders joins Dan, Howard, and Mary for a discussion of endings. We begin by talking about how important it is to “stick your landing” at the end of the book, and then recap the Hollywood Formula to point out how endings work there. We get examples from Mary’s upcoming novel Glamour in Glass, Dan’s
Writing Excuses 6.20: Endings » Writing Excuses Read More »
I misread a post recently and saw the words “prose assassins” instead of “poetry assignment.” In that moment, I realized that the Prose Assassins were real and that they had slipped up. You’ve had them strike before, but they are so stealthy, so insidious, that you blamed yourself. You know the moment of which I speak.
The Prose Assassins Read More »
There are only two hours left on the sale of my old steampunked netbook. Here’s a teaser of the short story I’m including on the hard drive. Weaving Dreams Eva tossed her backpack on the picnic bench and hollered down to Giancarlo. “I’m going to head to the creek to cut some willow branches
Two hours left on sale of Steampunked Netbook Read More »
In case the title of this post isn’t clear, my fabulous agent, Jennifer Jackson, has sold two novels to my wonderful editor Liz Gorinsky at Tor Books to follow Shades of Milk and Honey and Glamour in Glass. I got the news while I was at my parents’ house on a writers retreat, which I highly
SALE! Two new novels in the Shades of Milk and Honey universe! Read More »
Today I started taking the class in Artificial Intelligence that Stanford is offering online. It’s very cool and I immediately felt stupid, which is part of why the class is so cool. I expected it to be hard, but I didn’t think my incomprehension would begin immediately. I love this. Frustrating, but I love it. Online
I’m learning about AI Read More »
Edited to Add: I’ve got enough readers for this round. Thank you all! I have a 3700 word science-fiction story that I’d love to have some readers for. This story might seem familiar to some of you. Back in 2008, I experimented with writing a story on my cellphone and texting it to readers. I
Readers Wanted: The White Phoenix Feather: A Tale of Cuisine and Ninjas Read More »
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Protected: Draft: The White Phoenix Feather: A tale of cuisine and ninjas Read More »