Majestrum- A Tale of Henghis Hapthorn

I love science fiction and I love a solid mystery. So much the better when the two are combined with a strong story. That's why I want to point readers out to Matthew Hughes' Majestrum.

I'll admit, I've only just read the first the first portion available of Majestrum, as found here on Hughes' website, but it's more than enough to hook me. I get the sense that even though we don't move up and about quickly at the beginning, once the plot gets its feet shuffling, events are going to quickly start rolling downhill for Hapthorn, dragging us along with him. The cover art is also striking with its Golden-Era science fiction appeal.

Right away we're introduced to some...intriguing characters. There's Henghis Hapthorn himself, who is basically a private investigator in this future society. While the world is technologically based, magic seems to be reasserting itself on reality, and because of this, one of Hapthorn's companions (some A.I. tool that helps him on cases) has just transformed into a furry cat-ape thing. If that weren't enough, Hapthorn also has part of his mind split off into a separate personality that doesn't always want to go along with Hapthorn's plans. (He also seems to have a painting in his room that serves as a portal into a demonic dimension)

So with this unique band of creatures and characters, Hapthorn sets off onto a new case which involves determining the identity and social status of an unknown suitor who was seen cavorting with the daughter of a high-ranking lordling. A simple enough beginning, but already things start to get complicated as Hapthorn tries to figure out who can be trusted and why someone may or may not have broken into his home while he was sleeping.

I like the dry wit that saturates the dialogue, though it makes me cast everyone's voices in British accents in my mind's theatre. Also, the society in which this takes place seems to hold a high esteem for proper manners and somewhat convoluted speaking, making me imagine Victorian-era London for some reason.

Other reviews compare Hapthorn's character favorably to Sherlock Holmes, another winning point in my mind, with all the intellectual cunning and clue-hunting. Plus Hughes has now released his second Henghis Hapthorn book (The Spiral Labyrinth) and has two unrelated titles coming out this fall and spring. My hope is to catch up on the stories I've missed out on in time to pick up these fresh additions. Hopefully you can do the same. Drop by his site to check out the rest of his chapters and book samples available there.

I see that smile.

Technology, a circus, and the imagination

This video amazes me. I love the fact that all this advanced stage work and mechanical manipulations still requires the human element in order to come to life.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/09/17/cirque.technology/index.html

This is one of those shows I definitely need to see at some point. I like how they approach these huge technical issues dream-first...basically saying, "This is what we dream of happening and showing to the audience," and they don't restrict their visions. Then they take it to the next step and ask, "Can what we envision be done (without breaking the laws of physics of course)?"

Take a look. Storytelling in so many dimensions at once.


I see that smile.

Giving away your writing

An interesting article linked below on whether giving away free ebooks really helps sell printed books. Cory Doctorow seems to think so, though there are certainly those who disagree.

http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2007/09/cory-doctorow-freekonomic-e-books.html

First question: Would you do it? Would you be willing to give an entire novel away for free to whoever wanted to download it?

Second question: Do you think this would be an effective way to gain an audience, or would it just make you lose money on bookshelf sales?

Doctorow points out that rarely have people read an entire novel off their computer. More than likely, they get the ebook and read a chapter or two, which hopefully snags their interest and provokes them into going out and buying the more eye-friendly book itself. Ebooks can also introduce an author to readers who might otherwise have overlooked them because they would've had to risk an initial financial investment on an entirely unknown novel. I have seen Brandon Sanderson doing a lot of this, and his writing career doesn't seem to be lacking any. Maybe it's worth giving some thought. I mean, a lot of people already post free chapters or 1/4's and 1/3's of a novel online to catch people's attention. Why not the whole thing?

Ideas? Rants? Raves? Mildly put suggestions?

I see that smile.

Obscure units of measurement

I like obscure things, simply because the nature of their being obscure means I might be part of the minority that actually knows about the existence of whatever the "obscure thing" it is. But what I enjoy most about learning something obscure is being able to share it with others...not for the sake of making myself look smart, but because it feels like sharing the results of a mental archaeological dig. Does that make sense? Sometimes the obscure facts or stories result in inspiration for a new story, or just shine a light onto some weird trivia of life.

So in that vein, here's a short list of various Obscure Units of Measure that we don't tend to use on a daily basis.

Nibble: four bits of binary code

Pack year: cigarette consumption based on one pack a day for a year

Smoot: a measure of length developed by some MIT students, equal to 5 feet, 7 inches — the height of one Oliver R. Smoot

Try and work those into your next story somehow. Better yet, make up your own obscure unit of measurement and build your entire world on it. You've seen writers do that, especially those in the speculative fiction genres. Fantasy worlds where miles are called "telogs" or inches are called "squibbles." In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with transferring understood measurement terms into a made-up world, unless the measurement you've made up has some relevancy to the story and is actually unique, not just renaming something to make it sound exotic. Like...how would you measure a certain level of magical energy, or how would you time the duration of a spell?


I see that smile.

Weird facts about famous authors

CNN threw up this article yesterday: Real life plot twists of famous authors

They list nine different well-known authors, like Charles Dickins, Langston Hughes, etc. and then reveal something odd about their career beginnings, personal habits, or just some lesser-known fact about the person.

Thankfully, the authors didn't get a huge rundown of "this person was an alcoholic, that person was a lunatic, this person was a drug addict." Why are writers (among other artists) always tacked on with some addictive neurosis?

This tidbit about Thomas Hardy is intriguing--Apparently when Hardy died in 1928, his literary peers considered him too important to be buried in his hometown's (Dorset) graveyard, but the people of Dorset demanded he be interned there. The compromise involved cremating everything but Hardy's heart. His ashes were buried at Westminster Abbey while his heart was buried in a small casket in a Dorset churchyard. But wait. There's more. There is a long-standing rumor that a cat kept by Hardy's housekeeper actually ate the author's heart, and that they buried a pig's heart in its place.

Wow. Who knew being a famous author could bring such cool perks?



I see that smile.

Why don't I get to play with lasers? (oh, and writer's block)

This hit me as a "No...really?" headline in the news.

Laser surgery in wrong hands can be dangerous

Moving on.

As I try to stay in touch with other writers, whether online, at work or wherever, I hear lots of people talk about having "writer's block" if they've gone a few days without moving ahead with their story. Writer's block is the idea that something is lodged in your mental pipes, and thus, the words aren't flowing. Maybe a trickle here or there, but the plot is dead in the water and you can't seem to break loose no matter how hard you hit your head against the wall. Many people treat this like a disease, a sickness that can leave your storytelling bedridden, sometimes for years at a stretch in more severe cases.

Writer's block is a nasty thing...so I've heard. Honestly? I've written for about six years now. I make no claim to writer stardom, seeing as I've only got a few short stories out and have yet to land that book deal, but with that in mind, I calculated a little while back that I've surpassed the million-words-written milestone, and it's a rare day where I don't write at least a thousand words. I'm not saying this all to brag. I certainly know people go at different paces and have different ways of getting their stories written. What I am saying is that I've experienced dry spells where the story hasn't gone smoothly from one spot to the next. I've experienced days where I really, really don't want to sit down and get a few pages done.

But I don't believe I've ever actually experienced writer's block. I would almost go so far as to say it doesn't exist unless you choose to let it.

Writer's block is more where you let yourself get discouraged or so caught up in a knotty plot point that you let yourself rebel against the habit of writing. And once you lose that momentum of writing, it is very hard to start up again. It takes a lot less effort to keep writing, even when you don't want to, then to start writing again after a week or more of not having done it at all.

I've hit this point a lot of times, where the story isn't going where I want it to, or for some reason, writing is the last thing I want to do that day. There are times where I take a break and let myself recover. But more often, I commit to hitting a certain word count each day (usually 1k) and then do it, no matter what flips off my fingertips. It could be train of thought, or absolute gibberish that I delete once it's done. I could describe the room I'm sitting in, or what I had for lunch...but I always have the ability to sit down and write. Unless my hands were chopped off, I have no legitimate reason to blame any sort of "block."

Some people may argue this. They may not use a process anywhere near like mine, but I still believe that they always have the ability and choice to write, no matter how stalled out they feel. It's often more of an emotional issue than actually losing your writing talent. Recognizing that, and convincing yourself to at least keep the fingers and words inching along, can make all the difference.



I see that smile.

Freelance links and resources

Random note before the actual blog: Only in NYC would you take your dog outside at midnight so it can do it's business, and during said walk on an unlit, empty street, be overtaken and then passed by a guy riding a unicycle. Only in NYC.

Back to the topic on hand. I've been doing some research on freelance writing that I figured I ought to share. Below are a series of links that I've come across of varying helpfulness.

http://www.writersrow.com/deborahng/- A blog that consistently updates with new freelance writing jobs and fun articles.

http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Freelance-Copywriting-Business- A basic rundown of how to start out as a freelancer, in 11 easy steps.

http://taxes.about.com/od/taxplanning/a/freelance.htm- Taxes. Freelancers need to know how to keep track of their income and all the taxes they owe, plus what they can take out as expenses. This keeps you from getting audited or otherwise financially screwed over out of ignorance.

http://www.thegoldenpencil.com/- A general resource site in blog format, with jobs, tips and articles. Recommended to me by Tobias Buckell.

http://writespot.org/content/view/164/63/- How to revise your resume so it better reflects your creds as a writer, and how to sum-up your past experience so it shows a more professional edge.

http://advertising.about.com/od/profiles/p/freelanceprofil.htm- This gives you an idea of what it takes to be a freelance writer, the salary range and training required.

There ya go. I'm hoping this freelancing might kick off on its own, next to my fiction writing and provide a little extra income. Anyone else looking at this kind of gig?

I see that smile.

Life imitates B-rated sci-fi flicks

So let's see what we've got:

Strange object crash-landing from space. Check.

Remote area of the world. Check.

Noxious odors and mysterious illnesses. Check.

Peru meteorite crash

Does anyone suspect that we're going to start hearing about pod people or zombies soon? We've even got scientists giving reassuring claims that there's nothing to fear. Basically the "Nothing to see here, no danger at all, move right along---ahhhh! Aliens eating my brains!" type spiel that we've come to expect from such global conspiracy cover-ups.

Cast your votes. Are we all going to become mindless drones, or is this the first sign of a war of the worlds? This is Josh reporting for your Weird News Weekend.


I see that smile.

God gets sued...and responds!

Perfect to kick off this Weird News Weekend, here is a pair of articles I ran across a day apart.

In this first article, we find out that State Sen. Ernie Chambers Sues God! Holy Toledo. The end of the world got's to be comin' if God is the latest to be smacked with a lawsuit. However, the senator announced that his intent in this was to show how ridiculous lawsuits have become of late, since anyone can sue anyone else, pretty much.

Chambers' lawsuit "seeks a permanent injunction ordering God to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats. The lawsuit admits God goes by all sorts of alias, names, titles and designations and it also recognizes the fact that the defendant is omnipresent."

It says God has caused "fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes, pestilential plagues, ferocious famines, devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects and the like."

It also said that since God is omniscient, He should know about the lawsuit and be willing to respond.

Ahem. Now for the second article.

God responds to the lawsuit

A court filing from "God" appeared on Wednesday under rather mysterious circumstances, and made a point regarding Chambers' assertions that God is responsible for "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

According to "God," the defendant (Himself) is immune to earthly laws and the court in question lacks jurisdiction. Also, to blame God for human suffering and evil overlooks a key issue--free will.

"I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you," read the filing.

And the defense rests. How much of a higher court can this be taken to? Anyone want to submit some counterpoints?


I see that smile.

The waiting is the hardest part

This article sums it up well. Publishing, and getting published, is generally a slow industry and a slow process. It takes time to write a book...sometimes years for folks. It takes time to track down an agent or editor and get a contract signed. Again, sometimes years. And then, a contract, on the short end, is often a year, if not two. It's a waiting game.

On Waiting

At this point in my writing, I'm often waiting to hear back on queries or request partials from agents. I have a spreadsheet that lets me track when I submitted something, where it went, and if I've heard back from them or not. Let me check that and see if I can find some dates.

The longest I've waited for a response on a manuscript is: 6 months. If you send a manuscript direct to a publishing house, assuming they accept unsolicited, unagented manuscripts (which a lot don't nowadays), you're often looking at a similar wait of 4-6 months. Most agents manage a turnaround of 4-6 weeks (and the accepted wisdom is to wait twice that long before contacting them to see if they did in fact receive the query).

The shortest? An email query for a short story that was answered within the hour I sent it.

There are reasons though. There are a lot, lot, lot of people submitting to only a limited number of agents and editors every day, every week. They really do have a rough, time-consuming job sorting through all the queries and manuscripts. And once a book is coming out, you have to give it time to generate some publicity, get revised, send out advance reader copies ("arcs"), and hopefully get some good reviews so that people actually get an idea of what they book is and whether they want to buy it. This all takes time. Trust me, I know how easy it is to get caught up in the rush of having the bestest, most amazingest story out there that absolutely is going to rewrite the genre. I also know what it's like to wait six months and get rejected. It's all part of the business. Read through the Q&A of that article and see what these people, professionals in the biz, are telling us writers.

A few pointers that I dug out:

Be patient-- That's key. You'll only work yourself into a mental tailspin if you lurk at the mailbox or refresh the inbox every ten seconds.

Persevere-- If you give up, the story will never see publication, no matter how good it is.

Remain professional-- Agents and editors appreciate it when people actually take the time to follow their guidelines and write queries in something other than crayon-a'la-napkin, and you'll get points for spelling their name right.

Any other thoughts or experiences as we all wait for our big breaks? Writing isn't misery, but it still enjoys company, except for when we actually have to write. Then company is too distracting.



I see that smile.

Cussing and swearing in fiction

Warning: Original article does contain language (particularly of the rotting and foul type, and mostly in the comments) so if you are offended by such, I'll keep it clean in this post. Link clicker beware...

Fantasy readers have most likely seen some phrase similar to: "By Bolstrom's Blasted Beard!" or "Blood and bloody ashes!" while reading through various stories.

The first one there might be shouted by an angry, axe-wielding dwarf, while the second is an actual invective from the Wheel of Time series. Speculative fiction seems full of these, and some people even see them as an essential part to world-building. I mean, it wouldn't be another world without a whole different angry and vile phrasebook, right?

This forum link talks about cursing and cussing and swearing, and whether "fake" swearing and dirty phrases can actually work in a story. Lots of different opinions on this one. What's yours?

For me, I try to steer clear of the modern-day cussing for a couple reasons, such as personal standards, my belief that you can show anger and frustration in better ways, and because I get real tired real quick of people dropping dirt bombs into conversations every other breath and never even realizing it. In writing some fantasy stories, I have done the "fake" cussing. I think it's fun to try and figure out what might be taboos or bad words in whatever culture I'm working with. I just don't want those phrases to sound silly to the reader, or out of place.

A few phrases I've used/am using: "Burn it all!"; "Scrap!" (as in, "you don't know scrap"); "Faithless."

I tend to avoid invoking false deities, since that always comes across a little stodgy to me. But we all have our preferences and standards. What are yours?

I see that smile.

Robert Jordan dies, Sept. 16, 2007

I just learned that Robert Jordan (pen name for James Oliver Rigney, Jr.), the bestselling author of the gigantic Wheel of Time series, died Sunday of a rare blood disease, which he'd been fighting against for years.

'Wheel of Time' author Robert Jordan dies

(I'd link to his direct blog, but it looks like that site has buckled under the amount of internet traffic. There was a general message of sympathy for Jordan's family and assurances that his unfinished work is being handled by family members and the publisher, Tor.)

If you haven't delved into the Wheel of Time series, it's an amazing fantasy series with a depth and breadth of world-building that few other authors have reached, in my opinion. Sure, it has a few clunker titles and drew out to be incredibly long and complex, with a prequel written before the thing finished, but I think everyone who read it looked forward to discovering the ending, to see how it all would come together in the final book, which Jordan was working on when he died. I think it is sadly ironic that my friends and I, along with many of the fans of this series, sometimes voiced the sentiment that, "Wouldn't it be a shame if he died before he finished the series?" But none of us ever really took the thought seriously.

The final book is titled A Memory of Light, and will potentially be a "1500 page monster."

Here's the Wikipedia entry for Robert Jordan.

Neil Gaiman's reaction on hearing the news.


No smile for this post, I'm afraid.

Urban dictionary

Need to get a handle on the constantly evolving lexicon of slang these days? Do you know what a "conswervative" is? How about "drafterglow"? Or "buildering"?

The Urban Dictionary can help with all of those. Maybe you know some fun terms that you and your family and friends have started to use, and you think this dictionary needs a few updates. Well, have at it. And let me know if you do. I want to hear if anyone has any slang terms that I can start using to confuse my coworkers during meetings.


I see that smile.

(by the way, one UD definition of a "smile" labels it as: a facial expression implemented by women to kill and enslave entire populations. Should I be worried?)

Flying home

Writers get in the habit of always imagining the worst-case scenario to stick their characters into. This doesn't help for any peace of mind while traveling, especially when the plane hits bad turbulence.

Here's for a happy landing.


I see that smile.

Late night update.

The wedding is over. Lot's of fun. Great to see friends of ours vow their love to one another. I also have a suggestion for Colorado's state motto.

Ahem...

Colorado. The best place to tie the knot because of the freakin' amazing views.

Okay, so it's not the snappiest bit around, but it's true.

Disagree? Cast your vote for the best place to get married. Better yet, write a story about it.

(On a semi-related note, aren't Jim Butcher and several other authors putting together a short story collection titled Supernatural Honeymoon? Is that out yet?)

Aight..flying home tomorrow, so it may be another late-night post. See you all then.


I see that smile.

There and not back again...

Just a note to say that the wife and I have once more taken a jaunt out to Colorado (you'd think we miss the place or something) for a friend's wedding. Mountains. Dry air (fresh too). Sunshine. What's not to like about this state?

Potential post tomorrow, depending on whether internet access holds. Typing this up on my little Dell Axim, with infrared keyboard. This thing is handy for traveling, so long as I remember the extra battery.

So there's the writing question for the day. Do you have anything that let's you write on the road? Are your vacations or business trips breaks from writing as well, or do you try to keep it going even then? Since I work on a desktop at home, this palm pilot/mini-keyboard setup is handy for me without getting a whole laptop, especially once I got software to transfer documents to and from Word, but what do you guys use to take it with you?


I see that smile.

Control the game with da' brain

As a way to rationalize my past addictions to computer games, let me at least say that, if done right and well, computer games can be a great medium for strong stories and characters. Sure, you're not going to find that much in a lot of shoot 'em up splatterfests, but there are exceptions. I've loved the puzzles and stories involved with such games as the Myst series, Advent Rising, Fable, Oblivion and more. Often one tries to get through the game quickly just to find out how it ends...or the possible multiple endings that encourage a replay.

Right now we have to rely on the cleverness of the game producers, or the sophistication of the artificial intelligence to provide a challenge. But what will happen once our own bodies and brains become part of the game?

http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/news/2007/09/bci_games

http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2007/08/skin-signals-betray-gamers-moves.html

Those two links highlight ways that the physical is going to start invading the virtual, and already we're seeing technical difficulties. We've got mental interfaces that let your brainwaves determine in-game actions, as well as a sensor that measures skin conductance and alters gameplay accordingly.

Honestly, I think we're a little too quick on the draw to be playing games with electrodes strapped to our heads, especially since it pushes us through brainwave levels and modes that aren't necessarily healthy and make one confused and less focused after elongated periods.

But that saying, "If it can be done, someone's going to do it," applies directly to this. It'll be interesting to see how quickly this brain-tech develops, and I wonder if, someday in the not-too-far-off future we might be calling up psychologists on technical support hotlines just as much as we call computer experts.

"Yeah, Doc, I'm playing this awesome game and now I've got this painful throbbing behind my eyes. Like, jackhammer mixed with ice-pick type pain levels. Oh, and lots of sparkly flashing lights."

"That would be a tumor."

"Coooool. I can't wait to tell my guild."


I see that smile.

What kind of addict are you?

Since many writers use their desktop or laptop computers to tap out their stories (though I do know those who prefer scribbling them in notebooks...no, not Macs...the things with paper, remember?) it comes as no surprise that, while glancing through the many blogs and interviews and whatever else that writers put out there, I see a similar theme of internet addiction.

The internet is our way of staying in touch with the world and writing community even though our craft is a solitary one. We've got email, blogs, forums, YouTube, Myspace and however many other cybersocial devices that are being created and used every second. There are Amazon.com reviews, post comments and...you get the point. Needless to say, I'd be willing to bet that most of us are now addicts in some form or another. The article linked below, in fact, shows some of the many ways we take our cybersocial dose each day.

http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/mg19225831.200-just-cant-get-enough.html

So what are your symptoms? Are you a photolurker? A cyberchondriac?

In order to be honest and start off the many confessions I am sure will follow...

Hello, my name is Josh, and I'm an infornographer. It's been, oh, two minutes since I browsed through Encyclopedia Mythica, Wikipedia's featured article, along with CNN, Discover Magazine, Wired News and all those assorted links and news posts that I track each day. I really can't help it. I love finding weird news articles, discovering something stupid that someone else has done, or keeping track of the latest scientific developments, all while brushing up on my trivial knowledge of Chinese deities.

And here's the other thing. If you could take a pill to cure yourself of your internet addiction, would you? Or are the emails, e-cards, forum friends and lurkers too comforting at this point to even think of abandoning them?


I see that smile.

Line editing in 10 easy steps

Wow...seems Goblin (aka, Jen) decided to write some haiku for me after I entered her writing exercise game. Then she dared others (and I mean, dared, with bold font and everything) to join her, which they did. Totally unexpected, but it started my day with a grin.

For the day's writing bizness...

When I finish the first draft of my story, I both look forward to and dread the revision process. I look forward to it because I know it helps make my story stronger, and part of me actually enjoys slicing off clunky phrases, polishing up rusty word imagery and amputating whole sections of prose because they add nothing to the plot.

I dread it because it means I'm going to be scanning these many pages quite a few times before I deem them even worthy of the light of day, and, let's face it, reading your own work--especially with the mindset of finding everything that's wrong with it and needs fixing--can get old real quick.

David Louis Edelman has provided a handy step-by-step method to line-edit your manuscript, focusing on 10 key factors that will heavily improve the final product. 10 principles aren't too many to follow at once, are they?

http://www.deepgenre.com/wordpress/admin/craft/line-editing#more-363

A couple that I constantly employ:

Searching for extraneous that's and had's.


When in doubt, try the Delete key.

And here's my solution to #6 and 7.

WordWeb. A handy, free dictionary which runs on your computer and has a lot of alternate word suggestions, as well as antonyms.

Where are you strengths and weaknesses in revising your stories? Do you enjoy it, or does just the thought of it make you sick?



I see that smile.

Freelancing

It's something I'm wanting to try out. I've been working at a publishing house for over a year now, mostly working on proofreading, catalog copy and editing. I figure I can update my resume, maybe contact some other publishers or generally prowl around the job sites for freelancing, see what I can dig up. My hope is that within the next year, maybe I could start doing some freelancing work on a regular basis.

On second thought, I realize that freelancing can often be anything but regular, but I think you know what I mean. Regularly pursuing freelance work might be a better way to put it. Or, if I ever get to shift to writing full-time, using freelancing to get some supplementary income. There's a nice dream to pursue, yeah?

So I'm asking anyone who reads this, comments or even lurks about. Any freelance writing advice? Any pointers, techniques, warnings or fun (harrowing?) stories that you'd like to share about your freelancing experience? I actually handle a lot of the freelancer accounts we use for our department, so I have a invoice-paying view of what goes on, but it'd be great to hear from you all as I start figuring out what do to next.

First step...revise my resume.

Second...figure out where to send it.

Third...start browsing all those internet sites on freelancing opportunities.

I think I can do this. I mean, I technically do this kind of stuff already, I just get a salary for it and work from a cubicle rather than home. Perspective helps.

I see that smile.

Funny writing definitions

A funny writing exercise for you to browse through and begin the week with a smile. Evil Editor had folks come up with amusing, publishing-related terms that don't really exist. Quite a few good ones that I think should be made official dictionary entries, like...

Insuffishink - The inevitable condition of a printer that's been told to print your entire novel, such that when you return to the room, all but four pages are too light, and must be reprinted

Xenoblarney - made-up alien words

and, Hooker - opening line of a query soliciting an agent

Also, for a few more days, you can enter this blog competition where you make up words and definitions to go along with them.

My entries:

• Yahweeee- The sound God makes while going down a slide.
• Celebrithitis- Becoming ill over how much attention and importance we give two-dimensional celebrities these days.
• Celebrectomy- The solution to the previous term, which involves throwing your television out the window and hopefully braining a celebrity as they are passing along the sidewalk below.
• Diet Joke- humor without a punchline

The prize? A $150 set of Writer's Market guides, including:

Writer’s Market Deluxe Edition 2008, which comes with a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to WritersMarket.com
Guide to Literary Agents 2008
Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market 2008
Poet’s Market 2008
Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market 2008

Have at it.

I see that smile.

Human-Animal Hybrids ok'ed in U.K.

Looks like another Weird News Weekend. First we've got people playing Find-the-Nuke. Then we've got authors whose inspiration for murder mysteries turned up a little too close to home.

Now we've got scientists given permission to create hybrid embryos in order to harvest stem cells.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/09/human-animal-em.html

The basic idea is to merge human cells with animal eggs, creating embryos from which stem cells could be extracted. The embryos themselves would be destroyed in 14 days, researchers say.

They hope to use the research to better their understanding and handling of pure human stem cells.

My question:

Why? Why do they consider this kind of experimentation essential? I know it's for the sake of stem cells, and all the debate raging over those...but to me, this almost seems like someone tossing a few things together in a chemical beaker and shaking it up to see what happens. Sure, science is all about gaining more understanding and control of the natural processes around us, but is there a limit to how far we can take ourselves when we say, "If we can do it, then we should"?

And I really wonder what the reaction will be if such a ruling comes to the U.S., which I don't doubt it will. I'm not anticipating a warm welcome.

I see that smile.

For all you murderers out there...

They say "write what you know." But if you've ever actually killed anyone and gotten away with it, I suggest you don't make that knowledge the centerpiece of your latest murder mystery novel. And if you do, I also suggest you don't make the murder victim die in the exact same way your real-life victim did. Otherwise, this might happen to you.

Police got pointed to a five-year-old murder case when someone noticed remarkable similarities between the case and a novel, Amok, which highlighted an eerily similar killing. The author, Krystian Bala, wasn't found guilty on this count alone, but through a bunch of other circumstantial evidence that arose after the authorities started investigating him--including the fact that he sold off the victim's cell phone online four days after the victim disappeared.

In the book, the murderer gets away with the deed. Thank goodness life didn't imitate art here.


I see that smile.

Misplaced nuclear warheads bother me...

Do they bother you? The realization that we can have nukes flying over our heads, and no one would know about it? And I don't mean any kind of government cover up, either. I mean, No One Knew About It. Not even the people in charge, until after the fact. Or the people flying the plane, for that matter.

Air Force investigates mistaken transport of nuclear warheads

This is the kind of mistake that you couldn't write into a book because it wouldn't be plausible.

"Your main characters transport nuclear warheads without even realizing it? What? Did their mothers use their heads as ironing boards when they were kids? Gimme a break!"

Aren't there supposed to be strict rules and guidelines that surround the handling of something as not-so-trivial as a nuke? These are not your car keys that you forgot back at the apartment. This isn't the garbage that you keep meaning to take outside when you go. These are destroy-the-world bombinations! (Six of them, to be precise. Mounted on cruise missiles.)

And I love how the spokeperson made sure to announce that the public was never in any danger and that the nukes couldn't have exploded in the first place. Honestly, I'm not so worried about that. I'm worried about a system where the nukes slipped under the radar at all.

Thoughts? Tirades?


I see that smile.

Fantasy book critic

A quick point today in the direction of the Fantasy Book Critic blog, which does a stellar job of keeping abreast of speculative fiction books being currently released and reviewed, along with plenty of contests, interviews, artwork and a list of great author recommendations, which include quite a few of my favorites as well. A good sign, I hope.

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/

The blog also includes links to various publishers, so if you're forgoing the agent route and want to submit your manuscripts straight to the editors, this can be a handy resource for you as well. Great spot to browse around and uncover all sorts of shiny titles that you never knew existed.

Ah, that pile of to-reads does grow and grow.

I see that smile.

Five things about world-building

For those who write speculative fiction, especially, world building is a major part of the story. Some people have map, language charts and cultural layouts all ready before the start the first scene, while others make it up as they go along.

Either way, here are some world-building principles (listed by Sarah Monette, author of The Virtu and Melusine) that I think are important to keep in mind, whatever your process for bringing the universe inside your head to life.

Five Things I Know About World-Building

One big temptation I struggle with is to cram every bit of clever factoids I've devised into the story. In a writer's mind, each fact is important and plays an integral part in making the world a whole, working unit. However, we must remember to assume the reader is intelligent and can draw a lot of mental connections and assumptions to make up for the bits that we don't get into. Besides, the more paper we use up explaining the mechanics of how we reinvented the magical wheel, the less we have available to further the story and characters (though yes, sometimes you can do both simultaneously, but that can be a hard balance to manage for too long).

I also like her point that some details should be throwaway. Toss in some red herrings that keep your readers guessing as to what is important and what isn't. Distract them by a mystical poem that actually turns out to be some drunken rambling in the end. Mention a name or some war, but then let any other reference to it vanish. She calls this the "illusion of depth" and it's something I've tried to incorporate from time to time. In this way, your characters can speak and act in a more three-dimensional manner, and the world comes into being through subtle shades and colorful strokes in the background of the plot.


I see that smile.

Manuscript submissions- What's involved?

Since getting back into the loop of agent queries, I've had a few partials requested of some of my manuscripts. A nice step beyond just getting the queries themselves rejected, so hopefully, after some of these, I might get a full manuscript request. Either way, I've got my head stuck in the print, label and mail process, so I'm going to list a few of the elements of what goes into the various stages of submitting your work to a literary agent. Often these pieces can be switched between queries and whole manuscript submissions, depending on the agent's guidelines.

Query: This is that first step. In essence, a query is you saying to the agent, Hey there! I've got a nifty story that you really ought to read and represent so we can make beautiful bestselling music together. It's your first chance to make an impression, and so a query letter is an attempt to hook their attention and sum-up your story in one or two snazzy paragraphs. Some agents will ask for a few sample pages or chapters to be included with the query, and a lot of agents take queries through both postal and email channels. However, some agents only respond to email queries if they are in fact interested in the project. Otherwise you hear absolutely nothing back.

Resources for writing queries are here, here and here.

Partial: If you just sent a query letter, and it caught the agent's interest, they may then contact you and ask for one of these. Usually a partial involves sending the first 20-50 pages of your novel, again, depending on what the agent asks for, along with a synopsis and SASE.

SASE: Self-addressed, stamped envelope. This is how you get your rejection mailed back to you. Make sure to always include this with a postal package, otherwise you will be waiting for weeks and months, wondering why you never did hear back from that one agent.

Synopsis: A synopsis is one of the trickier parts of this whole bundle. Usually synopses run between 1-3 pages long, and they sum up all the main plot points and characters that run through the story, including any big twists and, yes, the ending.

Full: Self-explanatory. You send the whole manuscript. Often these days, this is sent through email, rather than postal, but there are some who still work it through the mail. This is often the last stage before an agent either offers representation or rejects the work. Though sometimes they might offer editorial suggestions and recommend the author re-send the work once those changes have been made...it depends on how involved with the rewriting process the agent chooses to be.

Cover letter: A polite, professional first page to include with a partial or full manuscript, reminding the agent that they did indeed request this material, plus a little note on who you are and any writing credits you might have, such as published short stories.

As you can see, there is a lot of flexibility involved with each of these steps. Different lengths, different requirements, different procedures. These pretty much change from one agent to the next, so always make sure to check their guidelines so you keep them happy when they open the envelope or email.

I see that smile.

Take a break

Enjoy the three-day weekend, everyone! The wife, puppy and I are off on a hike, soaking in something other than the wildlife found here in the concrete jungle.

See you once the work week kicks in again.


I see that smile.

You could make a spice rack...

The apartment has now been hit by buckets of paint. No doubt, I'm heady from the fumes and just don't realize it. Ah well. This is one of our attempts to make a New York apartment feel more like a home. Most likely it'll have to be converted back to stark white before we move out, but for now, it's nice.

In the mean time, the incredible steampunk craftmanship continues over at Many Dead Things.

http://www.manydeadthings.tk/

A bit back, he did a set of jars that contained various supernatural specimens, including a baby werewolf, cthulhu, and even a martian.

Hey kids, want to give your mom a real shocker? Buy these and then hide them in the spice cabinet. Label them as parsley, or something, and then just wait...

Okay. Paint fumes. That's my excuse. Enjoy the three-day weekend, folks.

I see that smile.

Afterworld- a new kind of story

I ran across this yesterday. A unique way of bringing a story to life.

Afterworld lists itself as an immersive, multi-platform, sci-fi series. There are to be 130 episodes in season 1, and I've been through the first ten. The story starts with a man named Russell Shoemaker, who leaves his family in Seattle for a business trip to New York. When he wakes up after his first night in the Big Apple, however, he finds all technology is no longer functional and it looks like everyone in the entire city is gone. Just up and vanished. This even is soon named "The Fall." So begins a journey of survival, self-reflection and the moral path of humanity that spans the entire country.

It's an interesting blend of basic CGI animation, voice-over storytelling, and online interaction, where you can browse Russel's journal, track his progress on an interactive map and interact with others who are going through the story as well. And on a musical note, the soundtrack to the website and all is rather...peaceful, I found. I like the philosophy of hope that threads its way through the events.

Check it out. Let me know what you think. I like the approach of this story. Not quite a movie. Not quite an audiobook. It requires a little of both for each webisode, and the promise of future depth and audience interaction should prove fun. I'm looking forward to the next set of episodes.

Now, I'm off to paint the apartment. Wish me much tarp-splattered luck.


I see that smile.