tux take 1

Known as SFWA (pronounced “siff-wa”), these are the people responsible for the Nebula Award. Past and present members include Isaac Asimov, Anne McCaffrey, Ray Bradbury, Andre Norton, Elizabeth Moon, Pat Rothfuss, and Peter S. Beagle. Currently, there are over 1600 people involved with this organization.

One of the things I like about this group is that you cannot buy a membership to this professional organization – you have to earn your way in. There is a list of qualifying and non-qualifying markets on the membership requirements webpage.

Even if you don’t yet meet the requirements to become a SFWA member, their website is a great resource of writing craft and publishing industry information. These articles are writing by the people who are actively involved in the science fiction and fantasy genres, both on the writing and publishing sides of the fence.

If you are a writer, check out the Author Information Center and Writer Beware webpages.

If you are reader, check out the Member Fiction Online webpage, which has links to entire short stories, sample chapters of books, and links to ebook – some of which you can purchase for as little as 69 cents.

The SFWA site also has three blogs full of great information:

• SFWA Blog
• Craft of Writing
• Business of Writing

So if you are looking for advice on writing, or just some cool stories to read, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) website is the place to go.

Burn Notice: Whoever this guy is, he’s got resources, training.
- Burn Notice, “Seek and Destroy”, 2.12

burned

This means doing research – finding out the details about a time, a place, an activity. You don’t need to have elaborate footnotes or an intense bibliography, but you do have to get the details right.

If your villain travels back to the height of the Roman Empire, make sure he dresses correctly to blend in. Use a map of downtown London for your urban fantasy trilogy so streets that don’t cross each other, don’t. Know the length of a rapier if that’s your heroine’s choice of weapon and make sure her target is in range when she hits it.

Whatever it is you are researching, once you know the details, you can warp them to your will. But the underlying reality is still there, and so is your reader because they won’t be jarred out of your story.

The top three ways to research something are:

• Hands on experience – go to firing range and feel what it’s like to shoot .22 compared to a .45
• Ask someone who knows – visit a museum and talk to the guide in the Egyptian collection
• Look it up – the Internet is a great place to start, but don’t forget your local library and inter-library loans

You can also mix and match research methods; there’s no reason to limit yourself to just one. Keep reading and acting and asking questions until you feel comfortable that you know what you are writing about.

Whatever method of research you use, your writing will be better for it.

Trent: You know, I thought I recognized you. You tried out for the football team last year, right?
Sam Witwicky: Oh, no, no, that… No. That, that wasn’t like a real try-out. I was researching a book I was writing.
- Transformers

It took me a few conventions to figure this out, but now, even if I have to walk past rows of seats filled with people, I’ll make my way to the front of the room to find an empty chair.

Reasons to sit up front (especially at panels)

• You can see the panelists faces since no one is blocking your view
• You can read the panelists name cards/tents
• You can easily hear what the panelists are saying, even if there is trouble with the microphones

anyway you can

And a final reason to sit in the front row – the panelists can see you.

It’s unlikely they can read the name on your badge, but they will have seen your face. If you’re taking notes during the panel, they might remember that. If you asked a question, they have a face to the voice.

So when you see them again, be it during an autographing session or in the bar, they will have seen you before, and may even remember you.

It’s a touch point, a shared moment, a topic of conversation.

The rest is up to you.

Fhloston Hostess: You have a seat reserved, front row, next to RU-BY RHOD! He’s so talented, don’t you think? I just love him… he’s so sexy…
- The Fifth Element

spring spockets

In its ninth year, ConDFW is a “science fiction and fantasy event.” It’s held in Dallas, in February, and takes its changes with whatever Texas weather will turn out that weekend.

Composed of writing stuff, art stuff, science stuff, gaming stuff, costuming stuff, and a dealer’s room full of stuff related to science fiction and fantasy, its a great convention to meet the pros and make new friends.

As with most conventions, the membership price is less the earlier you register. But even at the door, the adult 3-day pass is only $35 and the child 3-day pass is $15.

This year’s guests are Elizabeth Moon, Jack McDevitt, and Vincent Villafranca. I’ve had the honor to meet Elizabeth Moon and Vincent Villafranca before, and look forward to seeing them again.

As a writer, I find too many panels I want to attend and not enough time. The writing craft panels are useful, the art panels are visually amazing, and the science panels generate story ideas I don’t think I can complete, but are fun to think about anyway.

ConDFW is a small, casual scifi/fantasy convention. People attend room parties Friday and Saturday nights, and both panelists and attendees show up to the 10 am Sunday morning events. It’s a friendly place, and making new friends can add a tremendous amount to your convention experience. Attend a panel/demonstration/game/party of your interest and you will find like-minded people there to share in the fun with you.

Nikola Tesla: Things don’t always go as planned, Mr. Angier. That’s the beauty of science.
- The Prestige

mine

If you use a computer, saving a copy of your files is easy. You can save them to an external drive, a thumb drive, a CD, or even a DVD.

If you use an email service that keeps your email on their servers (compared to downloading all of your email to your computer), you can email a copy of your work to yourself as an attachment. This is also an easy way to have access to your work from any computer that be online.

Another computer option is to use Google Docs. You can upload your files, then work on it from any place that is online – very convenient since all the computer your working from needs is a web browser and the ability to access the Internet. You can even start a document right in the browser window using Google Docs.

If you write with pen on paper, it’s worth making copies at significant points of progress – a first draft, the “last” round of revisions, the copy you send off to an agent. You should also consider having a copy stored somewhere else than where you live. In the computer world it’s called an “off-site archive” and it’s just a little extra insurance in case something happens to your home.

So … when was the last time you saved your writings?

Larry Appleton: That’s why you buy insurance.
- Perfect Strangers, “Baby, You Can Drive My Car”, 1.4

sometimes me

When I was cutting a recent fan music video, I wanted to show the action that took place over 15 minutes of the movie. It’s a five minute song. Therefore, those 15 movie minutes had to be condensed into about one and a half minutes, because there were a lot of other scenes from the movie I wanted in my mv.

I spent over an hour editing the footage down. It was still three minutes long. I then reviewed each scene used in those three minutes and asked myself if they supported the song. If I cut that scene, would the mesh of images and music still be as strong? Would anyone be confused if they didn’t see that scene?

With that criteria, I edited that segment down to just under one and a half minutes.

This is just like writing a novel. The song for a novel is, in my home-made metaphor, the plot; the action that keeps your reader turning the page.

If a scene doesn’t advance the plot, it shouldn’t be in your novel. No matter how much you love that scene, no matter how beautifully you think it’s written – it must go. You only have room for the scenes and sequels, the actions and reactions that move the story along.

A song is only so long, and so is your book. Stay true to its music.

Space Ghost: Will you please keep your mind on the music?
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast

murderers

Used books, or other editions published by a different company, may be available, but all Kindle versions and paperbacks cannot be bought from Amazon.

If you read any author or publisher blogs, you’ll know all about this.

For those who don’t, the three sentence summary is

1. Amazon wants to sell ebooks for a fixed, maximum price of around $10

2. Macmillan wants to sell ebooks on an agency model for a price range of $15 to $6

3. Amazon removed their “buy” links for all Macmillan books over the weekend

For a more comprehensive history, review, and analysis and debate of the situation, please read the following. If nothing else, you’ll learn all kinds of good, publishing business background information.

• John Scalzi’s “A Quick Note On eBook Pricing and Amazon Hijinx” and “All The Many Ways Amazon So Very Failed the Weekend“
• Jay Lake’s “An open letter to Kindle enthusiasts and ebook activists“
• Scott Westerfeld’s “Zinc Blinked“
• Tobias Buckell’s “Why my books are no longer for sale via Amazon“
• Charles Stross’ “Amazon, Macmillan: an outsider’s guide to the fight“
• Andrew Wheeler’s “More on Amazon-Macmillan“

As with any battle, it will be interesting to see who wins, who says they won, what happens next, and how history will re-write it all.

]]> http://writershelves.com/agents-editors-publishing/amazon-vs-macmillan/feed 0 http://writershelves.com/writing/write-something http://writershelves.com/writing/write-something#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:57:29 +0000 heidi2524 http://writershelves.com/?p=1163 There are lots of reasons not to write. I ran into more than the usual amount today, with the best one being the headache I’ve had for three days is now a migraine.

But it’s Thursday and I want to post to this website.

So I’m writing something, a bit of anything, because it’s better than nothing.

color worm

Chris Guillebeau, whose free “279 Days to Overnight Success” manifesto prompted me to start this site, had a recent post about how “What You Don’t Do Doesn’t Matter“. His context is thinking about helping someone doesn’t actually help them at all.

Same thing goes for writing. Thinking about how great it will be to see your novel on the New York Times Best-seller list doesn’t create a manuscript you can submit to an agent.

Writing that first sentence is a more tangible start.

Writing down five adjectives that describe your character is one step closer to making them real.

Writing the dialog for the climax of your book anchors the conflict.

Whatever your reason not to, write something.

Even if it’s just a blog post.

Lisa Woodman: [On Mac's talent of making something out of nothing] How do you come up with this stuff?
- MacGyver, “Cease Fire”, 5.4

]]> http://writershelves.com/writing/write-something/feed 0 http://writershelves.com/writing/evaluating-your-writing http://writershelves.com/writing/evaluating-your-writing#comments Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:39:34 +0000 heidi2524 http://writershelves.com/?p=996 After that first rush of getting a story out of my head and onto the laptop, working out the rest of the details is often less thrilling. But eventually it’s all on the page, or in the file.

east meets west

Then it’s time to put that story away – out of sight, and as much as possible, out of mind.

Not because I’m not happy with it. And definitely not because I’m finished with it.

I put it away to gain distance and objectivity.

It’s much easier to see the flaws in the story from a few days away. A week is even better.

The typos and awkward sentences stand up. The repetitious words are obviously repetitive.

So once you’ve finished your first draft, step away from the manuscript. Put it to the side and celebrate your accomplishment. Catch up on all of the things that you didn’t do while you were dancing with your writing muse.

The manuscript will still be there when you get back to it, in all of its flawed glory.

Adelle DeWitt: No! I’m beginning to suspect he hasn’t the proper distance.
- Dollhouse, “Gray Hour”, 1.4

]]> http://writershelves.com/writing/evaluating-your-writing/feed 0 http://writershelves.com/writing/the-key-to-a-successful-writing-career-practice http://writershelves.com/writing/the-key-to-a-successful-writing-career-practice#comments Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:10:31 +0000 heidi2524 http://writershelves.com/?p=1027 In the world of writing, there are few absolutes. Successful authors sit and type, or take pen to paper, or dictate into an audio recorder and then have their words transcribed. Different people, different styles, different methods.

But they all put in the hours to do the work.
too early

When Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers book came out in 2008, there was suddenly a definitive number of hours one had to work to be a success: 10,000 hours.

If you want the stellar level of success 10,000 hours of writing practice brings in one year, you are out of luck. No one has 27 hrs a day to do anything.

If you didn’t have a day job, you could do it in 4 years, writing 6 hours a day.

On average, the stats are more along the lines of practicing 3 hours a day for 10 years.

So much for being “an overnight success”.

What you can be is dedicated, persistent, determined.

What you can do is write every day, even if it’s only for fifteen minutes or half an hour. That practice adds up, bit by bit, in your thoughts and in your feelings.

Success depends on what you want to accomplish with your writing. If it’s journaling a family scrapbook, you’ll get it done in less than 10,000 hours. Same thing for writing a short story or even a novel; definitely less than 10,000 hours.

But how much better will your fifth short story or your third novel be because you have put in the hours to write those other short stories and that second novel?

Jack O’Neil: I practice.
- Stargate SG-1, “Emancipation”, 1.3

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