Monthly Archives: July 2012

Taking This Week Off

Posted on July 31, 2012 by

Sorry, folks. I’m leaving tomorrow night for Vietnam, where I’ll be on business for about two and a half weeks. This is my first trip to Asia, and I’m looking forward to it (though not looking forward to the twenty-four … Continue reading →

Posted in Housekeeping, Random Thoughts | 3 Comments

Readercon Harassment Debacle

Posted on July 28, 2012 by

If you haven’t been following the Readercon Harassment Debacle, you can read all about it: Readercon: The Bad and the Ugly Readercon: The Verdict, and; Statement from the Readercon Board of Directors. After the Readercon Board’s failure to adhere to … Continue reading →

Posted in Event Reviews, Genre Observations, Random Thoughts | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Wrong and Wrong: Reviewers, Cliques, and Bullying

Posted on July 25, 2012 by

NOTE: Sorry again for the delay! But here’s the now edited post I had wanted to publish yesterday. I’d love to know what everyone thinks! Internet Drama is ugly as hell, and I usually try to keep well clear of … Continue reading →

Posted in Genre Observations, Random Thoughts, Reviews, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Sorry! Will be back tomorrow

Posted on July 24, 2012 by

Sorry, folks. I know I owe you a blog post for this week, but I just finished up a seven hour drive home from Maine (where the Professor and I had a lovely long weekend). Midway through editing tonight’s blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Housekeeping, Random Thoughts | Leave a comment

The Uses and Value of Realism in Speculative Fiction

Posted on July 17, 2012 by

I’ve just gotten back, having spent a wonderful long weekend at Readercon, where it was great to see old friends and meet new ones. Alas, my brain is too full of valuable insights to really do a single comprehensive con … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Science Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Information Density and Selecting Planks for Story Scaffolding

Posted on July 10, 2012 by

Information density, or the “I had to do a lot of research, and now you, dear reader, must suffer for it” tendency, is one of the perennial challenges of good fiction, and over the past several days Alec Austin and … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, writing, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

A Recipe for Revolution in Speculative Fiction

Posted on July 3, 2012 by

Every year, when the US’ independence day rolls around on July 4th, my thoughts naturally turn to revolution. And no, that’s not because I think we are due for a rebellion, or that we even need one. As a narrative … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments