Through a glass, darkly

Background noise

2010-02-27T09:34:00.003-07:00

I know it's been kinda quiet around here lately. Partly it's because of some freelancing work I picked up that has eaten up the hours. Progress is also being made on my latest manuscript, though slower than I'd hoped.

In the meantime, here's a recent interview I did with David Louis Edelman, science fiction author of the Jump 225 series. I also did a review of the last book in his trilogy, Geosynchron, which just came out.

What's been happening in your world?

How to kill your (imaginary) friends

2010-02-08T12:53:00.003-07:00

After discovering this blog, I knew I had to pass it on for anyone who hasn't heard of it yet. How To Kill Your Imaginary Friends is run by Dr. Grasshopper, who is a med student finishing his residency, and also a sci-fi/fantasy author. He got tired of seeing all the inaccurate ways injuries, death and medical procedures are misrepresented in books and movies and decided to do something about it--post the proper details and show how they can be best used in story scenes.

So far, he discusses why not to shock a flatlining patient, proper ways of tapping spinal fluid, and how to starve the bloodstream of oxygen.

He won't write your story for you, or create some detailed disease or murder process to fit your plot, but he's more than willing to (potentially) post some facts that might help you do research on your own.

Enjoy!

Sci-fi flash fiction contest

2010-01-28T18:05:00.003-07:00

For anyone who has read this blog for a bit, you'll notice my participation in the Clarity of Night short-short fiction contest (taking an honorable mention in the last round) which comes around every so often. I find flash fiction a great challenge, plus it's way faster than writing a novel, so the sense of accomplishment isn't as much of a time investment.

Anyways, now there's another flash fiction contest that's been announced lately, geared towards science fiction. Hilobrow magazine wants submissions that are no longer than 250 words and center on a troubled superhuman. Below are the guidelines and details as found on their website.

CONTEST: Hilobrow.com readers are INVITED TO SUBMIT a short-short (250 words maximum) story about a troubled/troubling superman or -woman.

JUDGES: The stories will be judged by Hilobrow.com editors Matthew Battles, author of several SF stories published on this website, and Joshua Glenn, who writes about pre-Golden Age SF for io9.com; and Hilobrow.com contributor Matthew De Abaitua, whose 2009 novel The Red Men was short-listed for the Arthur C. Clarke award.

PRIZES: The author of the winning story will receive a Hilobrow t-shirt, and his or her story will be recorded as part of our podcast (see below) and also published on this site. A few honorable mentions will be awarded; those stories will also be published.

PODCAST: Next month, Hilobrow.com will record the 2nd episode of our pre-Golden Age science fiction podcast, “Parallel Universe: Pazzo.” (Click here to listen to excerpts from the 1st episode; theme: ROBOTS.) The 2nd episode will be devoted to fiction about SUPERMEN, from Olaf Stapledon’s Odd John to Hugo Gernsback’s Ralph 124C41+ to Philip Wylie’s Gladiator.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY: Publish it to the comments section of this post, no later than 5 pm EST on Monday, February 15th. Don’t include any personal info besides your name (i.e., no phone number, mailing address, website, etc). You must enter your actual email address when posting, but only the editors of this website will be able to see it. The author retains all rights to his or her story; but Hilobrow.com retains the right to publish/record the story as described above.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE: anyone, including Hilobrow.com contributors and friends.

GUIDELINES: No more than 250 words, and only one story per author. NB: The superman or -woman should not be a caped crusader type. Many of the first fictional supermen were portrayed by their creators as homo superior, an evolved human whose superiority was mental, physical, or both. Stapledon, Wylie, and many other authors of the time agreed the superman — whose values and worldview the rest of us can’t share, or even comprehend — would seem cold, inhuman, alien, or worse. Even, or especially when, he or she is trying to help us. However, a few authors took a rosier view of the superman; Gernsback’s Ralph 124C41+, for example, is a scientist whose inventions help ordinary mortals. Read more about troubled & troubling superhumans here.

How to give advice to a writer

2010-01-28T13:52:00.001-07:00

Hat tip to Colleen Lindsay for this hilarious video of how to work as a literary agent and provide feedback for your author.

IGMS new episode is up!

2010-01-22T12:30:00.004-07:00

Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show has published its latest issue, containing my short story, Odd Jobs.

There's a snippet of the story available here, along with this great illustration. Excited to see this story released. Thanks to everyone from OWW and otherwise whose feedback contributed to a stronger final version.

The Clarity of Night short fiction contest

2010-01-17T10:30:00.002-07:00

The contest ended last Wednesday, with more than 230 entries submitted this time. Seems like whenever the contest comes around again, the number of participants shoots up far higher than before.

Here was my entry: #72, Furs and Ice

Thanks to all for the kind and encouraging comments. Even though the time to submit entries is done with, you can still cast votes for Reader's Choice by Jan. 19th, and then keep an eye on the blog for the final winners announcement.

Upcoming short story

2010-01-15T13:30:00.003-07:00

I just received word that my short story, Odd Jobs, should be showing up sometime next week in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, Issue 16. They just had me write up a brief about my inspiration for the story, which will be posted on the blog once the main issue is out. Further updates once it all goes live!

First Page Contest from WeBooks

2010-01-15T10:31:00.002-07:00

WeBook, a website which also provides a literary agent query service (that seems to be working pretty well so far--Colleen Lindsay seems a big proponent of it), is now running a first page contest based on reader voting.

Called PageToFame, it focuses on the quality of your novel's first page, plus a synopsis. Readers vote and rate that first page, and if you received enough positive ratings, you move to the second round, where you can submit your first chapter to be rated. Get enough positive ratings there, and you can submit the first 50 pages, all the way up to the entire manuscript.

Also, at each advancing step, your work is reviewed by a literary agent (though they don't specify exactly which agents, so far as I can see). There is a $4.95 introductory fee per submission, but if your work is rated well enough, that might be all you'd have to pay to see your work get all the way to the top. Of course, if it stalls in one of the stages and you want to submit another piece, then that'll be another fee. Still, if you have faith that your story will be highly approved by readers, then perhaps this might be an interesting alternative to the usual query method.

I will probably submit at least one or two pieces here and see how it goes. Let me know if you do the same and what your results are.

Shaking off the dust

2010-01-05T14:52:00.003-07:00

*Cough!*

Welcome to a new year all. Hope your resolutions have been thoroughly pondered, noted down, charted on spreadsheets, printed out, and promptly burned. Helps skip a few steps, no?

Anyways, we now have a shiny, sparkling 2010 handed to us--ready to be battered into submission. You'd think the people handing out these years would learn from the condition we leave the old ones in.

Some new articles and reviews up at my Examiner.com site. I'm also trying to take some steps to revitalize my writing methods and goals, setting up some smaller achievements to shoot for over the next few months, rather than just holding onto the general "get published someday" goal. Perhaps that will make things a bit more satisfying when I hit those little short story, word count and revision guideposts along the way.

In a bit of news to perk everyone up, I just got the notice that the Clarity of Night blog is holding another short fiction contest! This one is titled Silhouette, and looks like it's going to prompt a lot of gothic, Poe-ish entries, no doubt. I hope to see your entries there, and I'll let you know when mine is up. Deadline is 11:00pm, Jan.13th, so don't be late.

What has the new year brought you?

Zombie power plants?

2009-12-10T15:35:00.003-07:00

In this edition of "Where do writers get their ideas?", through this article, we learn that a crematorium over in the UK is looking into "technology to reclaim some of the energy lost in the cremation process."

To quote: "Although the technology is still in its proving stages, the crematorium hopes to have new generators that will capture and reuse the excess heat created by the cremation process to heat and eventually power the facility."

Yeah. Can't see any way that this could go wrong. Not like ghosts are going to start pouring out of electrical sockets, or a bunch of zombies are going to rise up to hunt down their stolen life force. Nah.

How else do you envision this destroying the world? Or at least reducing the population by 75%.

The Passenger

2009-12-09T16:03:00.002-07:00

To lighten up the day, here is a recently posted CGI video created over the course of 8 years by Chris Jones. Chris did everything with this video, including the animation, music, and writing the storyline. It's a good bit of spooky fun. Enjoy.

Agents have it hard, too

2009-12-09T15:17:00.002-07:00

Jenny Rappaport, a highly esteemed and popular literary agent and author of the Lit Soup blog, sent out a notice today that her agency, The Rappaport Agency, will be closing down permanently at the end of this year. Here is the official announcement:

It is with a great deal of sadness that I announce that The Rappaport Agency, LLC will be closing for business at the end of the year, due to economic reasons. I have been privileged to get the chance to work with amazing people over the last four and a half years, many of who I am proud to call my friends. In the coming weeks, I will be wrapping up outstanding submissions and putting things in order. I can be reached by e-mail at jenny@rappaportagency.com
----------

This isn't a decision I've come to lightly; it's taken a lot of thought and effort to reach this point, and to decide to seek a change of careers. I want to thank you for reading along with me on LIT SOUP, and I hope to remain connected in the writing community. I'm still going to be writing myself, striving like the rest of you for publication, and to get my own words out there.

We're very sad to hear this as well, Jenny. We wish you all the best in your continued writing, and hope it's your books we see on the shelves someday, alongside those you helped get there.

Jenny has been representing authors such as David Williams, Douglas Cohen, Anne Harris and Kylie Griffin. The Rappaport Agency focused heavily on representing speculative fiction, including fantasy, horror, science fiction, and any subgenre in between.

What's an agent's inbox like?

2009-12-04T15:53:00.002-07:00

My brain is pretty burnt out this week from dealing with all sorts of house-buying issues as we stumble and fumble our way towards closing--which seems likely to be pushed back a week or two...again. Yeah, trying to buy our first house. Everyone who uses the term "roller-coaster" to describe the experience should be hamstrung for severe under-exaggeration.

Anyways, I looked around for something that might even remotely equate to what its like to be constantly dealing with appraisers, lenders, underwriters and others the occasional pedestrian who doesn't seem to have any concept of common courtesy. Lo and behold, I found this article by The Rejectionist.

In all of the publishing industry, what could be more of a bumpy ride than slogging through hundreds of thousands of novel queries each week? As a writer, I understand that we often feel rejections are personal and direct attacks against our literary genius, but just try to get a grasp on what agents have to deal with on a daily basis and it might help with our perspective. Do read and enjoy and sympathize.

Another edition of "Where do writers get their ideas?"

2009-11-24T13:40:00.003-07:00

Look to the news, folks. The scary and strange happens around us all the time. This week, it's the story of Rom Houben, who, after a car crash, was thought to be in a coma that lasted for 23 years.

However, after a recent brain scan, it was revealed that Rom was actually conscious and fully aware of his surroundings for almost two-and-a-half decades--just too paralyzed to communicate with anyone. Now he has a keyboard that responds to tiny vibrations in his hand to let him type.

This recalls to mind a tale from Stephen King's short story collection, Everything's Eventual. In Autopsy Room Four, a paralyzed, but fully aware man is wheeled in to an autopsy room after being pronounced dead, and can only watch and feel as the doctors prep him to be carved open.

Brrr. Not sure how someone could stay sane during the kind of ordeal Rom has gone through. What other strange stories have you come across lately?

AgentInbox - a new way to query

2009-11-18T08:41:00.002-07:00

There's a new online service being marketed to writers and literary agents. Hosted by WeBook, AgentInbox is "a service that connects publication-ready authors with reputable, vetted literary agents."

How does it work? For now, you go in, create a profile, and then decide what manuscript you want to submit. Based on a form you fill out, you are offered a list of the various agents who fit your criteria and who have signed up to participate in the site. You can research them, view their agency websites, and see what they want in a submission, such as a query letter, the first fifty pages, a synopsis, or all of the above. Then, once you've selected the agents you want to query, you go through each, providing the necessary info, and send it off. WeBook steps in momentarily to review your submission and make sure it is formatted properly. Then you get notifications when the queries are passed on to the agents, and you can monitor their progress, such as whether they've been read, rejected, etc.

I sent out a few submissions through the site to test it out, and it does offer some good features. While certainly not a comprehensive list, it does present--from what I've seen so far--professional and legitimate literary agencies, and cuts out a bit of the digging around and researching one might have to do to come up with them in the first place. It's hardly going to replace my little query spreadsheet I use to monitor what stories I've sent where, but it is a nifty tool that I think I'll be using again. The process is nicely streamlined, though right now, if you have two agents with a different set of submission requirements, they'll each require a separate session to get the info in.

At this time, the service is free, though I've little doubt that once it becomes popular enough, they'll switch to a subscription or fee for at least some of the features.

What do you all think? Anyone else used this site yet? Do you find it helpful?

Short story sold

2009-11-16T22:11:00.002-07:00

I recently heard from the editors over at Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. They've picked up my short story, Odd Jobs, which I've been shopping around for a bit over a year. Really glad this one found a home and can't wait to see it come out. It should be added to one of the issues within the next six months. I'll be sure to update once it's available.

In other news, over on my Examiner.com spec-fic page, I'm going to be running some free chapters from recent Angry Robot releases, starting with Nekropolis. So check in there, as a new one goes up each day.

Another edition of "Where do writers get their ideas?"

2009-11-13T14:32:00.006-07:00

Ok. So we've seen theories about the Hadron supercollider being sabotaged from the future. Now, for the next installment of "Where do writers get their ideas?" let me point you to this company, which has supposedly created a mind-to-computer interface for computer games. Here's Emotiv's spiel about their new product:

Fulfill the fantasy of having supernatural powers and controlling the world with your mind! For over a millennium, mankind has dreamed of the ability to control objects with the power of thought. Today, that dream has become reality! This Christmas, you can experience the fantasy of having supernatural powers and controlling the world with your mind.

Your journey will take you through a mythical landscape of forests, temples and en environment that adjusts itself based on how you feel. Destiny, through the magic of your mind, will be yours to command! Engaging, immersive and nuanced, Emotiv-inspired gameplay will be like nothing ever seen before.

Now, will this live up to what they're promising? Who knows. But you can bet that as the word gets around on this and other similar technological developments, you'll see a rush of science fiction stories that will deal with the consequences of direct brain-to-tech interaction, for good or ill. I can see your imaginations spinning already with the possibilities.

One small step

2009-11-12T15:08:00.002-07:00

The first thousand words of a new story have been set down. Planning on this one being a bit over 100k, so there's a bit to go yet. Who knows if this initial scene will even make the cut? But after a couple weeks of brainstorming and worldbuilding, it's a good feeling to be dipping the toe in and seeing if the water is hot. Excited, yet nervous at the same time.

Let's see where this one goes, shall we?

Queries are making the rounds with the last one. They've received several positive responses, with some partial requests, so here's hoping.

Tobias Buckell expounds on freelance finances

2009-11-10T12:57:00.003-07:00

Science fiction author Tobias Buckell has put together a massive post concerning how he has organized his finances in regards to his freelance career. Aside from his novels, he's put a lot of time and effort into freelancing, which is quite the bumpy road of sporadic payments and assignments.

After all the medical chaos and bills he faced in the past year, Buckell has taken a fresh look at how he manages his budget as a freelancer, and he's sharing his wisdom with all of us. Be warned, his post includes some very intimidating graphs and spreadsheets. He has really ground the math down to a fine powder, and provides his own caveat that the whole system he's developed will likely be most loved by huge geeks.

Lastly for the day, I have a book review up on Examiner.com for The Unincorporated Man. If you're a fan of David Louis Edelman's Jump 225 series and other "thinky" sci-fi novels, then check it out.

Book review and author interview

2009-11-05T09:08:00.002-07:00

The latest Examiner.com postings include an interview with Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind, and a review of Finch, the latest from Jeff VanderMeer.

Oh, and has everyone had a chance to read The Gathering Storm? Any thoughts? Did it live up to your expectations? For me, it was an incredibly adventurous read, and makes me all the more anxious for the next two titles.

Denver book signing

2009-11-01T22:53:00.004-07:00

The book signing for The Gathering Storm was a lot of fun. Myself and the other members of the Storm Leader team got to have lunch and some great conversation with Brandon Sanderson before the actual event. Then we divvied up the various duties to help the signing run smoothly, such as passing out bookmarks and other goodies to the attendees, helping monitor the signing line as people brought stacks of books to the table, fetching the occasional glass of water, and running trivia contests. Here's a shot of the team:

Also, I got some video of Brandon doing a reading from The Gathering Storm, plus some of his Q&A session afterwards. The videos are on Youtube and embedded here.

Enjoy!

Lessons and thoughts from MileHiCon

2009-10-29T07:32:00.000-06:00

This is a brief rundown of some of the bigger thoughts and exercises I came away from the MileHiCon workshops with. These are things I want to try and apply to my writing, either in revision or future projects to see if perhaps I can break through to some higher quality prose, plotting and characters.

1. In a novel, don't treat the entire manuscript is one big story. Write in scenes (not necessarily chapters, because some chapters can have several different scenes from beginning to end). Each scene is like a separate story in itself with it's own pacing, intro hook, rise of tension, and hooking end. Each scene also has a specific purpose, and if you have a scene without a purpose in your story, it either needs to be removed, or to be revised so it does have one.

--Thanks to Nancy Kress for this advice.

2. In short stories, you want to try and have two story elements going on at the same time that eventually come together to solve each other. These elements can be a mix of internal or external conflicts/themes/plots. This gives the short story more depth and a more satisfying ending.

-- If I remember right, I believe this also came from Nancy Kress.

3. The pyramid of distraction. This concerns the number of details you put into a scene. How many details are necessary, and how many can you add before they distract from the story? Picture a pyramid. The capstone of the pyramid represents the goal you are trying to reach through a particular scene. However, this can only be achieved if a foundation (bottom of the pyramid) of concrete details supports the scene. What are the best, most necessary details you can employ in order to best support the rest? Too many details, or the wrong ones, and you'll distract from the main reason you're writing the scene in the first place. Too few, and the scene becomes too abstract for the reader to really connect with it in the first place.

-- This was Brandon Sanderson's contribution, as taken from one of his writing classes he teaches at BYU.

4. This last one is also a Sanderson observation. Not so much a technique, but something to keep in mind. He stated that of all his peers who have continued to grow in their success as professional writers, he has noted a common denominator among most of them. The ones who do consistently well in getting published and improving their craft are not necessarily the people who write the fastest, or have the most complex worlds, or who write perfect first drafts. Instead, the ones who are the best at revising their work are the ones who tend to lead the pack.

I recognize I might not have explained all this half as well as the folks did running the workshops. I have tried to boil them down to their most basic concepts, and you have to take into account that these were all explained amidst jokes, anecdotes, audience questions and the like. Maybe for my next convention I can just take an audio recorder and post the results on here, instead of trying to decipher all my chicken-scrawl notes.

What about you? Come across any new advice or techniques you've been practicing (or meaning to)?

Post-convention, and The Gathering Storm review

2009-10-26T12:36:00.002-06:00

MileHiCon was a blast. Starting Friday night, the whole weekend was a great mix of business and fun. By business, of course, I mean hanging out in the hotel bar with numerous other writers into the wee hours, talking about their most recent books, short stories sold, and lots of insider info on what it's like to actually be a Published Author, with all the glamorous mansions, wheelbarrows of money, and...man. Can't even type that with a straight face.

Among the many authors I met (and this is hardly a complete list) were Dani and Eytan Kollins, David Boop, and Paolo Bacigalupi.

Dani and Eytan have the distinction of being the only sibling writing team in science fiction as of now. Their book, The Unincorporated Man, has been nominated for a Prometheus Award. It is in my to-read stack and you should see a review for it coming up soon. They are a great pair of guys with some wicked humor and very strong opinions. I also chatted with James Van Pelt, Nancy Kress, Barbara Hambly, Brandon Sanderson, and John Picacio.

On a side note about John Picacio, while viewing his artwork I realized that his stuff is everywhere! I've seen dozens of his pieces and never even realized it. Amazing stuff. He also confirmed that he's been contracted by George RR Martin to illustrate a 2011 calendar for A Song of Ice and Fire. Can't wait to see that.

The panels I attended were great as well. They ranged from topics about futuristic crime and moral relativity to Connie Willis' appeal to "not be a jerk" when trying to be a professional writer. The Writing Craft panel also left me with a number of new tricks to try out when revising my stories.

Mix all this together with people in costumes, book signings, an art gallery and dealer's room, medieval duels, and Celtic bards, and it was quite the weekend.

Also, my review of The Gathering Storm is up on my Examiner.com page, so take a look. And don't forget that Brandon Sanderson will be back in town this Sunday, Nov. 1st, for his Denver book signing at the 16th St. Tattered Cover. See you there!

MileHiCon

2009-10-23T09:29:00.003-06:00

This weekend is a full one for me. MileHiCon is one of the bigger (if not biggest) science fiction and fantasy literary conventions in Colorado. I'm going with several aims in mind.

1. To network. I really hope to bump into an editor or two who I might get the chance to talk to. If any editors/agents are reading this, never fear. I'm not going to be sliding manuscripts under your bathroom stall. Though I'd be happy to buy you a drink.

2. Spread the word about Brandon Sanderson's upcoming book signing on Nov. 1st in Denver, for The Gathering Storm. It's nice that he's the Toastmaster for MileHiCon as well. Being on the Denver Storm Leader teams has been a lot of fun so far, and we're hoping for a huge turnout that Sunday.

3. Meet authors and enjoy the fan culture. One thing I've enjoyed about conferences and conventions in the past are the range of folks you meet, and the great amount of fun you can have visiting various workshops and panels. Plus there's the Masquerade, robot brawls, and larping. It is exhausting, sure, but also rejuvenating in its own way.

Anyone else going to be there? It's always fun to turn an internet contact into a face to say hello to.

Where do writers get their ideas?

2009-10-13T14:00:00.002-06:00

That seems to be a common question, especially for writers of science fiction and fantasy. Well, taking a look at a recent article, like, say, this one, might be a clue. I do find it hilarious that the scientists proposing the theory fully admit it sounds crazy.

Who'll bet we see the collider or some alternate version of it in a sci-fi novel within a year (if it hasn't been done already)?

Where would you take this idea?