[links] Link salad slopes off to the infusion center
A reader reacts to my short story “Human Error” — He seems to have liked it.
Notes on Time — ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
benpeek on the unbearable lightness of waiting time in the publishing industry.
Zombie Charlie Brown — Lio is funny.
I attempt to sell my car on Craigslist with a haiku ad
Last Words — A sobering article about inmates’ last words at the execution chamber.
The Jay Lake Incident — Unlocking the mystery of an unknown primate in North America. Heh. (Thanks to shelly_rae.)
Kids today — How do you say, “Hey, you kids, get off my lawn!” in Latin?
Safe and Affordable Jetpack: Just $90,000 — Mmm. The future. (Thanks to shelly_rae.)
DR Congo ring may be giant ‘impact crater’ — Deforestation has revealed what could be a giant impact crater in Central Africa, scientists say. The 36-46km-wide feature, identified in DR Congo, may be one of the largest such structures discovered in the last decade. (Snurched from Bad Astronomy, which has more commentary on this.)
Orange Dwarf Star Set to Smash Into The Solar System — Watch the skies!
LHC to shut down for a year to address design faults — Maybe their hadrons were too large? (Thanks to my brother.)
This Year in Jerusalem — Scrivener’s Error on speech, religion and society.
Religious antivax sect implicated in deaths of 100 children — Beliefs are not freely substitutable for data or facts. No matter how sincerely held, or divinely inspired.
Where’s Our Ensign Frenzy? — Republicans, in other words, have demanded higher moral standards of all of us, while failing to meet these standards themselves — and failing to ostracize the guilty from their ranks. It’s quite a racket, which the media encourages by playing along. They judge, and persecute, because they know they will not be judged or persecuted themselves, despite what their Bible says. (See Matthew 7:1-5, in case you’ve been neglecting your scriptural studies lately.)
?otD: Where do you like your needles?
3/12/2010
Writing time yesterday: 75 minutes (including WRPA)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.5 (solid)
This morning’s weigh-in: 232.8
Yesterday’s chemo stress index: 2/10
Currently reading: [between books]
Tags: cars, Cool, Culture, Funny, Links, Personal, Politics, Religion, reviews, Science, stories, Videos
Posted: 6:51 am Fri March 12 2010 | Comments(0) |
[writing|process] Language, language, and the temptations of etymology
I am struggling (again) with linguistic issues in writing.
A simple example: “OK” (or “okay”) is a distinct Americanism. So my characters in Green and the subsequent books never use the term, as the setting is a secondary world without America or a close analog of America. On the other hand, I am willing to use the term in the Mainspring books, because America exists there, albeit in a rather different form.
But what about words that are explicitly tied to other cultural aspects of our world? I’m not talking about deep etymology here, but obvious stuff. The specific example on my mind this morning is the term “Trojan points” to refer to the L4 and L5 points in a two-body system. They figure into the steampunk lost colony religious novella I’m mulling (and currently researching), but if you have a world with no Odyssey and no Iliad, and likewise no direct linguistic or cultural connection to the present, the word “Trojan” is a null. For that matter, the same problem pertains to “Lagrange”, which is the “L” in “L4″ and “L5″.
In a broader sense, this applies to any term derived from a personal or place name, of course — “Machiavellian”, for example, or “volt”, and likely many other words besides.
I go back and forth on this all the time. On the one hand, I write in English. Regardless of the conceit of language within the story, my readers are reading in the same language, or a translation thereof. “Volt” is a normal English word, regardless of whether you’ve ever heard of Alessandro Volta. Likewise “Trojan.” So if I work out some circumlocution, I’m only confusing the readers. Besides which, any circumlocution I attempt is quite possibly to have similar etymological issues of its own.
We don’t see the buried etymologies so well, unless we’re philologists. I suppose the problem exists at all levels.
How do you handle this as a writer? Do you even notice this as a reader? Or is this one of my private tics?
Tags: Language, Process, Science, stories, Writing
Posted: 5:15 am Wed March 10 2010 | Comments(11) |
[awards] Final Hugo pimpage
We’re near the end of the Hugo nominations window, so I thought I’d a last updated pimpage here.
My favorite picks are in bold with *.
2009 Published Science Fiction:
* “On the Human Plan“; Lone Star Stories; February, 2009 [short story]
* “Rolling Steel: A Pre-Apocalyptic Love Story“ (with Shannon Page); Clarkesworld; April, 2009 [short story]
* “To Raise a Mutiny Betwixt Yourselves”; The New Space Opera 2, ed. Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan, Eos, April, 2009 [novelette] [in Sunspin continuity]
“Leopard“; Jim Baen’s Universe, June, 2009 [short story]
“Black Heart, White Mourning”; Grant’s Pass, ed. Jennifer Brozek and Amanda Pillar, Morrigan Books; August, 2009 [short story]
* “Chain of Stars“; Subterranean, October, 2009 – [novella] [In Mainspring continuity]
“Last Drink Bird Head”; Last Drink Bird Head, ed. Jeff vanderMeer; Ministry of Whimsy Press, October, 2009 [flash]
* Death of a Starship; MonkeyBrain Books, November, 2009 [novel]
2009 Published Fantasy:
* “Golden Pepper“; Flash Fiction Online; February, 2009 [flash]
“The True Secret of Magic”, as Joe Edwards; Crime Spells, ed. Martin H. Greenberg and Loren Coleman, DAW; February, 2009 [short story]
“Witness to the Fall”; Crime Spells, ed. Martin H. Greenberg and Loren Coleman, DAW; February, 2009 [short story]
“To Stone” (with Shannon Page); Morrigan eZine, May, 2009 [short story]
* Green; Tor Books, June, 2009 [novel]
“People of Leaf and Branch“; Fantasy; June, 2009 [short story] [in Green continuity]
“Tale of the Poet and the Dog”; Japanese Dreams, ed. Sean Wallace, Prime Books; Summer, 2009 [short story]
“An Elderly Pirate Recalls the Death of Love”; Electric Velocipede Issue 17/18 [short story]
* “Red Dirt Kingdoms”; Realms of Fantasy, October, 2009 [short story]
Madness of Flowers; Night Shade Books, November, 2009 [novel]
“Bone Island” (with Shannon Page); Interzone, Fall, 2009 [novelette]
“Shedding Skin; Or How the World Came to Be”; Shimmer (Clockwork Jungle Issue), Fall, 2009 [short story]
I also note immodestly that calendula_witch is Campbell-eligible this year.
Tags: Awards, Books, convention, Green, stories, Writing
Posted: 7:09 pm Tue March 09 2010 | Comments(0) |
[writing] Endurance, and future projects update
Woke up at 2:30 today. Yeah, really. That’s what happens when you fall asleep around 7:45 and only sleep a little over six hours. So I got up and worked on Endurance for a couple more hours. The draft is out to first readers now, hooray! I’ve asked for it back by 3/30 so I can get it into casacorona and arcaedia before the end of April. Chemo or no chemo, I can still kick a deadline’s ass.
This afternoon I plan to write the initial outline of Kalimpura (the third Green book, following closely on Endurance). The voice is fresh in my head, in some perfectly obvious ways. And as previously mentioned, the plot and structure of the book largely fell together in my head on Sunday afternoon whilst talking to calendula_witch on the drive back from the Rain Forest Writers Village. So I will capture all this, then set it aside for a while, as I have a contracted novella due Real Soon Now as part of a Sekrit Projekt, as well as a spec novella that is grumbling hard to be written.
Can’t tell you about the Sekrit Projekt of course, on account of it being Sekrit and all, but the spec novella is a take on a lost colony story that I haven’t seen done before involving religion, science and cultural self-awareness. I’m sure it’s been done, as virtually everything has, but I’m approaching it ab initio. In considering this piece, it’s also become clear to me that I need to write it steampunk for a variety of good reasons which I mostly blame on Maureen McHugh. So, erm, lost colony steampunk religious fiction. Go, me!
In truth, I suspect this is a novel-sized idea, but as I have my next five novel projects mapped out, I am not writing an unplanned spec novel. Especially in the middle of chemo. For those wondering, those next five projects are:
- Kalimpura, the third Green book
- Sunspin, a high concept space opera trilogy
- Original Destiny, Manifest Sin, my magical Old West book of long lost fame
It is of course possible that contracted work will intervene, and I will probably tackle another collaborative novel or two in the midst of all this, but if I get Kalimpura drafted by the end of the summer, I can take the autumn and winter to tackle Sunspin, which I currently believe will clock in between 600,000 and 750,000 words in first draft. I can then revise Kalimpura for a spring, 2011 delivery to Tor, and still be a year ahead of my next contract book, which gives me loads of time to write Original Destiny, Manifest Sin. So fie on you, lost colony steampunk religious fiction novel, you will be a novella for now and you’ll damned well like it.
I love being a writer. And cancer can kiss my ass.
Tags: Books, Cancer, Endurance, Green, Kalimpura, Original Destiny, Personal, Process, stories, Sunspin, Writing
Posted: 5:53 am Tue March 09 2010 | Comments(1) |
[sale] “Her Fingers Like Whips, Her Eyes Like Razors” to PostScripts
I am pleased to announced that PostScripts has accepted my new story “Her Fingers Like Whips, Her Eyes Like Razors” for publication later this year.
Written while on chemo, sold while on chemo. I am still a writer, even now.
Booyah, damn it.
Tags: Cancer, health, Personal, Sale, stories
Posted: 6:06 am Wed March 03 2010 | Comments(5) |
[process] Rules of Writing (meme)
Because all the cool kids are doing it.
I only have one rule of writing. Everything else is a guideline. Sort of like the Pirate Code.
- Write more.
Which is to say, whatever you’re doing, do more of it.
I do have several strong guidelines.
- Write something every week. (A story, a chapter, something discrete and measurable.)
- Finish everything you start. (I suspect more nascent careers fail here than anywhere else. How many unfinished stories and novels do you have? If you don’t finish it, you can’t revise, market and sell it. Period.)
- Don’t self-critique while you’re writing. (For a lot of folks, this may be the root cause of the previous issue. It doesn’t matter if the piece is crap. You’re probably wrong, as the writer is the worst judge of their own work. And besides, you can always revise.)
- Work on one thing at a time. (In my case, a novel, a short story, a collab and a nonfiction project can all run in parallel. But if I work on two of the same thing, the voice bleeds over and I lose track of continuity.)
That’s all I got. What would you add?
Tags: Books, meme, Process, stories, Writing
Posted: 5:26 am Tue March 02 2010 | Comments(9) |
[writing] A story, this morning
Right brain woke me up at 3 am (after seven hours’ sleep, so this was okay) and demanded to write a story. The idea was an offshoot of a conversation between calendula_witch and I yesterday. So from 3 to 5 am, I wrote 3,500 words and finished a draft of “Her Fingers Like Whips, Her Eyes Like Razors”, a story about cancer and faerie. Gee, much on my mind?
The part I’m happiest about is this is only the second time I’ve tried to write from scratch since the surgery in November. Gotten a lot of productive revision and rewriting done, but that’s a different process for me. I have no idea if this piece is any good, I’ll let my first readers tell me that.
But damn me, I wrote something. And I feel good about it. Fuck cancer.
Tags: Calendula, Cancer, health, Personal, stories, Writing
Posted: 5:52 am Tue February 23 2010 | Comments(5) |
[links] Link salad gets up early to write fiction
SF Signal reviews Interzone 226 — Including my story “Human Error.”
A Personalized Tumor Tracker — DNA changes could help doctors see if stray cancer cells remain after treatment. Interestingly, the test cases here almost precisely fit my cancer profile.
Paul Krugman on starving the beast — Will my conservative friends please explain to me how this is good for the country?
Coburn takes aim during McAlester stop — GOP the party of “No”? Republican Senator Coburn says, “I love gridlock. I think we’re better off when we’re gridlocked because we’re not passing things.”
Jobs Bill Passes Major Hurdle After 5 GOPers Join Dems — Department of credit where credit is due. Much to my frank amazement, several Republican senators apparently grew a conscience and voted policy over politics on cloture for the jobs bill. Will be curious to see how the smear campaign goes.
?otD: Did you write today?
2/23/2010
Writing time yesterday: 0 minutes
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.0 (slept solid)
This morning’s weigh-in: n/a (forgot)
Yesterday’s chemo stress index: 4/10
Currently reading: [between books]
Tags: Cancer, health, Links, Personal, Politics, reviews, stories
Posted: 5:32 am Tue February 23 2010 | Comments(2) |
[links] Link salad with a literary Monday
calendula_witch with the YogurtFail caption contest poll — Vote early and often!
My Lone Star Stories short story “On the Human Plan” makes its third Year’s Best appearance — Also receives Hugo nomination love from Rich Horton. Slightly oddly, this reviewer notes the unusual double Locus recommended list appearance of the story without noting the three Year’s Best appearances (though he mentions other stories with two Year’s Best appearances), then goes on to say, but I won’t read the story unless it [gets nominated], since I have yet to read anything of [Lake's] I understand, much less like. To each their own, but it makes me sad that a story with that much recognition isn’t even worth even a click-through to such an otherwise careful reviewer. Just reinforces my rubric that the story always belongs to the reader, even when it doesn’t. For my own part, I’d love to see some Hugo love for this one.
Speaking of would-be Hugo love, a reader reacts to Green — I believe this is an older review, but I can’t sort out the original appearance, so I’m linking here.
Another rather interesting review of Green
eldritchhobbit Podcasts and the Hugo Awards — An article about bringing podcasts such as StarShipSofa: The Audio Science Fiction Magazine into the Hugo fold through the Best Fanzine category.
Geologists find a way to simulate the great Missoula floods — This is cool. (Thanks to my Dad.)
Study Examines Family Lineage of King Tut, His Possible Cause of Death — Some cool archaeogenetics. (Courtesy of e_bourne.)
George Will is as usual intellectually dishonest about climate change again — More conservative thought leadership in a difficult world. Also, sun rises in east.
?otD: Is it just another manic Monday?
2/22/2010
Writing time yesterday: 0 minutes
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 9.5 (slept solid)
This morning’s weigh-in: 226.6
Yesterday’s chemo stress index: 6/10
Currently reading: [between books]
Tags: audio, Awards, Books, Contests, Cool, Links, Personal, Politics, reviews, Science, stories
Posted: 5:37 am Mon February 22 2010 | Comments(0) |
[links] Link salad for a chemo Sunday
Reviews of Tor.com Story Podcast January 2010 — Including joint stories by me and kenscholes, “The Starship Mechanic” and “Looking for Truth in a Wild Blue Yonder”.
10 rules for writing — And 10 more, and 10 more. Interesting reading.
You can’t resolve away climate change — More conservative political idiocy, fisked in detail by Bad Astronomy.
Losing The Future — Daniel Larison on voter demographics.
The 1956 Republican Party Platform — Fascinating reading, to see how the GOP thought in the “good old days” of American Conservatism. Not that the 1956 Democratic platform is probably any less entertaining.
?otD: Where in the hell is Carmen Sandiego? (Only Dante knows.)
2/21/2010
Writing time yesterday: 0 minutes
Body movement: (forthcoming suburban walk)
Hours slept: 9.5 (slept solid)
This morning’s weigh-in: 227.4
Yesterday’s chemo stress index: 6/10
Currently reading: [between books]
Tags: audio, Links, Personal, Politics, Process, stories, Writing
Posted: 9:40 am Sun February 21 2010 | Comments(0) |
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