Sue Burke's Blog, page 61
June 17, 2015
Go Ahead — Write This Story: Be positive
Strong sentences are positive. Sometimes you need “not” or other negative expressions like “to fail to” or “never,” and at other times they might be superfluous. Long ago, when writing was more ornate, double negations in sentence (which come out to a positive) were a mark of style, but these days we strive for clarity. Consider these sentences:
I didn’t think she wouldn’t come. Versus: I thought she would come.
You don’t want your reader to fail to understand you. Versus: You want your reader to understand you.
In the course of the story, never did knights fail to respond to a challenge. Versus: In the course of the story, knights unfailingly responded to a challenge.
If you want to write a story with positive expressions, here are a few ideas:
• This is a fairy tale of sorts in which a prince is sent on a grueling quest by his evil fairy godmother, and little by little he comes to believe she did the right thing.
• This is a novel about two schoolgirls: one believes they’re best friends and the other doesn’t, and as adults, the first girl finds herself in the position to help her old best friend.
• This is a story in which a church congregation targets its prayers on specific ill or injured people, and if they recover, it sends them a bill.
— Sue Burke
I didn’t think she wouldn’t come. Versus: I thought she would come.
You don’t want your reader to fail to understand you. Versus: You want your reader to understand you.
In the course of the story, never did knights fail to respond to a challenge. Versus: In the course of the story, knights unfailingly responded to a challenge.
If you want to write a story with positive expressions, here are a few ideas:
• This is a fairy tale of sorts in which a prince is sent on a grueling quest by his evil fairy godmother, and little by little he comes to believe she did the right thing.
• This is a novel about two schoolgirls: one believes they’re best friends and the other doesn’t, and as adults, the first girl finds herself in the position to help her old best friend.
• This is a story in which a church congregation targets its prayers on specific ill or injured people, and if they recover, it sends them a bill.
— Sue Burke
June 10, 2015
My review of the Hugo-nominated novelettes
These weren’t the nominations I was hoping for, but they’re what I got, so I read them carefully, bearing in mind my idea of what a Hugo award means: the year’s best, a must-read, not just among the nominees but among the entire range of the genre. Many people, especially in non-English-speaking countries, use “Hugo award-winner” as a criteria for a reading list. With my vote, I’m saying: “Read this, and I promise you’ll be glad you did.”
I’m sorry to say I can’t recommend these novelettes.
“The Triple Sun: A Golden Age Tale” by Rajnar Vajra
Some wisecracking space cadets solve a problem in communicating with a species on a distant planet. This is an attempted homage to Golden Age science fiction, the sort of thing the Puppies say we disdain these days. But I have a copy of Adventures of Time and Space in my hand, a Golden Age anthology: Robert A. Heinlein, Lester Del Rey, A.E. Van Vogt, Alfred Bester, Anthony Boucher, Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague de Camp, Frederc Brown.... The Golden Age was true gold, and we still stand in awe. This story is gilt, cute but not beautiful.
“The Day the World Turned Upside down” by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Lia Belt translator
In this absurdist story, gravity suddenly reverses itself on the day after a guy is dumped by his girlfriend. Despite the calamity, he fixates on returning her pet goldfish with hopes she will love him again. The story contains some good ideas, but mostly whining about how much he loved her and how badly he hurts – again and again childishly. I think it might be trying to be funny, but not successfully. It never moves beyond shallow.
“Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Earth to Alluvium” by Gray Rinehart
Humans land on a planet and the Peshari come and take over, slowly becoming more oppressive. Then a man finds an unexpected way to fight back, taking advantage of the Peshari’s own cultural proscriptions. While the basic idea might be sound, the execution felt appropriate to a juvenile problem-solving story: unrealistically simple with none of the raw hatred that oppression generates and that might shock young readers. A desperate situation gets reduced to tranquil intellectual puzzle.
“The Journeyman: In the Stone House” by Michael F. Flynn
Two unalike companions in a post-Apocalypse are on a mission, but they get captured, are forced to join the army and face old rivals, but in the end, not a lot happens. It’s apparently an installment of a longer series of stories, but it stands on its own. Not bad, kind of fun, but can I recommend it as the year’s best, especially to someone new to the genre? No, not original enough and not exciting enough.
“Championship B’tok” by Edward M. Lerner
Aliens commonly known as Snakes or Hunters have established a colony on a moon of Uranus, and they have expansionist goals. A United Planets liaison tries to find out what’s going on in a story with lots of spies and action in a complicated scheme that reminds the liaison of a complex Snake game called B’tok. But this story is part of a longer series, so not everything makes sense and not everything is resolved. It doesn’t stand alone. I can’t recommend it for that reason. It’s not a real novelette.
— Sue Burke
I’m sorry to say I can’t recommend these novelettes.
“The Triple Sun: A Golden Age Tale” by Rajnar Vajra
Some wisecracking space cadets solve a problem in communicating with a species on a distant planet. This is an attempted homage to Golden Age science fiction, the sort of thing the Puppies say we disdain these days. But I have a copy of Adventures of Time and Space in my hand, a Golden Age anthology: Robert A. Heinlein, Lester Del Rey, A.E. Van Vogt, Alfred Bester, Anthony Boucher, Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague de Camp, Frederc Brown.... The Golden Age was true gold, and we still stand in awe. This story is gilt, cute but not beautiful.
“The Day the World Turned Upside down” by Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Lia Belt translator
In this absurdist story, gravity suddenly reverses itself on the day after a guy is dumped by his girlfriend. Despite the calamity, he fixates on returning her pet goldfish with hopes she will love him again. The story contains some good ideas, but mostly whining about how much he loved her and how badly he hurts – again and again childishly. I think it might be trying to be funny, but not successfully. It never moves beyond shallow.
“Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Earth to Alluvium” by Gray Rinehart
Humans land on a planet and the Peshari come and take over, slowly becoming more oppressive. Then a man finds an unexpected way to fight back, taking advantage of the Peshari’s own cultural proscriptions. While the basic idea might be sound, the execution felt appropriate to a juvenile problem-solving story: unrealistically simple with none of the raw hatred that oppression generates and that might shock young readers. A desperate situation gets reduced to tranquil intellectual puzzle.
“The Journeyman: In the Stone House” by Michael F. Flynn
Two unalike companions in a post-Apocalypse are on a mission, but they get captured, are forced to join the army and face old rivals, but in the end, not a lot happens. It’s apparently an installment of a longer series of stories, but it stands on its own. Not bad, kind of fun, but can I recommend it as the year’s best, especially to someone new to the genre? No, not original enough and not exciting enough.
“Championship B’tok” by Edward M. Lerner
Aliens commonly known as Snakes or Hunters have established a colony on a moon of Uranus, and they have expansionist goals. A United Planets liaison tries to find out what’s going on in a story with lots of spies and action in a complicated scheme that reminds the liaison of a complex Snake game called B’tok. But this story is part of a longer series, so not everything makes sense and not everything is resolved. It doesn’t stand alone. I can’t recommend it for that reason. It’s not a real novelette.
— Sue Burke
June 3, 2015
Calvary, bases, and other anachronisms
Recently I was reading a fantasy novel set three thousand years ago, and one character remarked sympathetically to another, “You’ve suffered a calvary”: that is, she’d suffered a great ordeal. The word comes from the hill called Calvary where Christ was crucified, but the Messiah hadn’t come yet, so no one could suffer a “calvary.”
In another book, set in medieval Europe, a friend found a remark that someone “had his bases covered”: that is, he was prepared. This is a baseball expression, and baseball originated in the United States in the mid-1800s, so people weren’t covering their bases centuries earlier on a distant continent.
Speaking of medieval expressions, we all know kings back then could shout: “Off with his head!” Actually, they probably didn’t, not even Richard III (1452-1483), because that exclamation comes from the play Richard III written by Shakespeare in 1592, and it was made popular in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll in 1865.
Speaking of the Bard, the expression “lie low” also comes from one of his plays, as did “green-eyed monster” and “break the ice.” Lewis Carroll did not invent the “Cheshire cat” or “March hare,” however: these expressions originated a century or more before his book.
This is the label from a brand of peanut butter available here in Spain. Peanuts are a New World vegetable, and peanut butter was patented in 1884.
I say all this because as a writer or translator, when I’m working with historical material, I must bear in mind that all words and expressions originate at a specific point in time and space, and they need to be congruent with the origin and setting of the work.
For help, besides google-fu, there’s the Historical Thesarus of English:
http://historicalthesaurus.arts.gla.ac.uk/
It contains almost 800,000 words from Old English to the present day, primarily based on the Oxford English Dictionary.
There, I learned that “home run” only dates back to 1953. Additional research told me that home runs became more common around that year, so apparently athletes and sports writers finally needed to give a four-bagger a name.
The lesson, I suppose, is to write only and always about things that occur here and now. Or to be sensitive, alert, do research – and expect surprises. The past is another country. They spoke differently there, because reasons.
— Sue Burke
Also posted at my professional website,
In another book, set in medieval Europe, a friend found a remark that someone “had his bases covered”: that is, he was prepared. This is a baseball expression, and baseball originated in the United States in the mid-1800s, so people weren’t covering their bases centuries earlier on a distant continent.
Speaking of medieval expressions, we all know kings back then could shout: “Off with his head!” Actually, they probably didn’t, not even Richard III (1452-1483), because that exclamation comes from the play Richard III written by Shakespeare in 1592, and it was made popular in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll in 1865.
Speaking of the Bard, the expression “lie low” also comes from one of his plays, as did “green-eyed monster” and “break the ice.” Lewis Carroll did not invent the “Cheshire cat” or “March hare,” however: these expressions originated a century or more before his book.
This is the label from a brand of peanut butter available here in Spain. Peanuts are a New World vegetable, and peanut butter was patented in 1884.
I say all this because as a writer or translator, when I’m working with historical material, I must bear in mind that all words and expressions originate at a specific point in time and space, and they need to be congruent with the origin and setting of the work.
For help, besides google-fu, there’s the Historical Thesarus of English:
http://historicalthesaurus.arts.gla.ac.uk/
It contains almost 800,000 words from Old English to the present day, primarily based on the Oxford English Dictionary.
There, I learned that “home run” only dates back to 1953. Additional research told me that home runs became more common around that year, so apparently athletes and sports writers finally needed to give a four-bagger a name.
The lesson, I suppose, is to write only and always about things that occur here and now. Or to be sensitive, alert, do research – and expect surprises. The past is another country. They spoke differently there, because reasons.
— Sue Burke
Also posted at my professional website,
May 29, 2015
Poem: Petty love
I write poetry, too, and here’s a link to a sonnet I just got published at UU World:
http://www.uuworld.org/articles/petty-love
It doesn’t say so, but it’s about my sister, who died early last year.
— Sue Burke
http://www.uuworld.org/articles/petty-love
It doesn’t say so, but it’s about my sister, who died early last year.
— Sue Burke
May 27, 2015
My thoughts on Hugo-nominated novels
Here’s my take on the novel nominations. As in any other year, I’m trying to read or view all I can and make decisions based on the merits of the work, regardless of how it got on the ballot, although in some categories, that’s been hard.
I signed up early this year as a Worldcon supporter to take part in the excitement of reading the year’s best and helping choose the best of the best. That didn’t happen this year, and I feel cheated. Still, I’ll do my duty, bearing in mind a single question: Is this work something I can recommend highly, especially to someone new to the genre?
My thoughts on the nominated novels:
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
A quiet fantasy novel about a young man who does not want and did not expect to become emperor. The fantasy element is slight, and it could almost have taken place at the 18th-century French court. The book’s invented language mostly employs words that are mere calques of English and make the story unnecessarily hard to follow. In spite of that authorial imposition, which is actually a minor point, the story of how he overcomes his fear and ignorance to become a fine emperor is worth reading and was worth nominating.
The Three-Body Problem by Chixin Liu
During China’s Cultural Revolution, a message to space receives an answer ... and scientists react to it in response to their own hopes and tragedies. China in the 1960s and afterward provided plenty of disillusionment and tragedy. This is hard science fiction full of technical ideas, and the narrative style is not exactly Western, which at times may require some patience. It also helps to know a little about Chinese history. Overall the novel delivers a delightful sense of wonder and a satisfying story. Outstanding.
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
Breq gets assigned to a problematic space station in the sequel to the earlier Ancillary book. Like the original, it features taut writing and a relentless plot, perhaps with better characterization than the first book although fewer surprises, and with the same examination of freedom, exploitation, equality, and civilization. Another outstanding space opera, worthy of being on the ballot.
The Skin Game by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden must help someone he hates make a big heist, with double-dealing and backstabbing encouraged and guaranteed. Well-plotted, funny, and number 15 in the series: it’s easy to see why Harry Dresden books have so very many devoted fans. Yet the quality of the writing at times grates, and the supernatural elements are clever rather than original. It’s not a bad book, but also not an ambitious book. Not the year’s best, in my opinion.
The Dark Between Stars by Kevin J. Anderson
A space opera with lots of galactic empires, aliens, conflict, and chapters that bounce between a wide cast of characters. The subgenre is a favorite of mine, and the story isn’t bad, but the story-telling is: flat and even stereotypic characters, a lot of summary, and plenty of “as you know, Bob,” dialogue. The worst of the five novels on the ballot, and not Hugo-worthy.
— Sue Burke
I signed up early this year as a Worldcon supporter to take part in the excitement of reading the year’s best and helping choose the best of the best. That didn’t happen this year, and I feel cheated. Still, I’ll do my duty, bearing in mind a single question: Is this work something I can recommend highly, especially to someone new to the genre?
My thoughts on the nominated novels:
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
A quiet fantasy novel about a young man who does not want and did not expect to become emperor. The fantasy element is slight, and it could almost have taken place at the 18th-century French court. The book’s invented language mostly employs words that are mere calques of English and make the story unnecessarily hard to follow. In spite of that authorial imposition, which is actually a minor point, the story of how he overcomes his fear and ignorance to become a fine emperor is worth reading and was worth nominating.
The Three-Body Problem by Chixin Liu
During China’s Cultural Revolution, a message to space receives an answer ... and scientists react to it in response to their own hopes and tragedies. China in the 1960s and afterward provided plenty of disillusionment and tragedy. This is hard science fiction full of technical ideas, and the narrative style is not exactly Western, which at times may require some patience. It also helps to know a little about Chinese history. Overall the novel delivers a delightful sense of wonder and a satisfying story. Outstanding.
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
Breq gets assigned to a problematic space station in the sequel to the earlier Ancillary book. Like the original, it features taut writing and a relentless plot, perhaps with better characterization than the first book although fewer surprises, and with the same examination of freedom, exploitation, equality, and civilization. Another outstanding space opera, worthy of being on the ballot.
The Skin Game by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden must help someone he hates make a big heist, with double-dealing and backstabbing encouraged and guaranteed. Well-plotted, funny, and number 15 in the series: it’s easy to see why Harry Dresden books have so very many devoted fans. Yet the quality of the writing at times grates, and the supernatural elements are clever rather than original. It’s not a bad book, but also not an ambitious book. Not the year’s best, in my opinion.
The Dark Between Stars by Kevin J. Anderson
A space opera with lots of galactic empires, aliens, conflict, and chapters that bounce between a wide cast of characters. The subgenre is a favorite of mine, and the story isn’t bad, but the story-telling is: flat and even stereotypic characters, a lot of summary, and plenty of “as you know, Bob,” dialogue. The worst of the five novels on the ballot, and not Hugo-worthy.
— Sue Burke
May 20, 2015
Go Ahead — Write This Story: Strong writing
Readers and editors like strong writing, which consists of many things, among them a high verb-to-noun ratio. Verbs do things, and action means vigor. For example:
The result of the swarm of supervillains in Gotham City has been a situation of overwork for its superheroes and the consequent increase in unprevented and unsolved supercrimes.
One verb, nine nouns. Or this:
Swarming supervillains in Gotham City have overworked its superheroes, so supercrimes go unprevented and unsolved.
Two verbs, four nouns – and fewer words overall, which is always good. If you need a story for your verbs, here are a few ideas:
• This is a horror story about the ghosts of the victims of a terrible tragedy who agree to meet at the site one year later ... and a year has passed.
• This is a novel told from the point of view of a genetically experimental dog who lives for 500 years, and its different owners and adventures as the world changes.
• This is a highly allegorical story about a parliament of owls and their campaign to elect a prime minister.
— Sue Burke
The result of the swarm of supervillains in Gotham City has been a situation of overwork for its superheroes and the consequent increase in unprevented and unsolved supercrimes.
One verb, nine nouns. Or this:
Swarming supervillains in Gotham City have overworked its superheroes, so supercrimes go unprevented and unsolved.
Two verbs, four nouns – and fewer words overall, which is always good. If you need a story for your verbs, here are a few ideas:
• This is a horror story about the ghosts of the victims of a terrible tragedy who agree to meet at the site one year later ... and a year has passed.
• This is a novel told from the point of view of a genetically experimental dog who lives for 500 years, and its different owners and adventures as the world changes.
• This is a highly allegorical story about a parliament of owls and their campaign to elect a prime minister.
— Sue Burke
May 14, 2015
Roundtable with some top Spanish writers and translators - AMA • /r/Fantasy
I'm participating right now in an "Ask Me Anything" at Reddit involving some top SFF writers from Spain. Even if you're not a member of Reddit, you can come and read the questions and answers.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/35x9k6/roundtable_with_some_top_spanish_writers_and/
It's part of Spanish Fantasy Week (although there's science fiction, too), with other writers and translators.
Come take a look:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/35lfoi/rfantasy_spanish_week_consolidated_thread_for/
-- Sue Burke
http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/35x9k6/roundtable_with_some_top_spanish_writers_and/
It's part of Spanish Fantasy Week (although there's science fiction, too), with other writers and translators.
Come take a look:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/35lfoi/rfantasy_spanish_week_consolidated_thread_for/
-- Sue Burke
May 11, 2015
Spanish fantasy writers, editors, and translators on Reddit this week
Ask me anything about translating on Reddit on Thursday. I’ll be there with Spanish anthologist Mariano Villarreal and authors Elia Barceló and Javier Negrete and some other special guests.
The Fantasy sub-group at Reddit, http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/ is hosting a SFF Spanish this week from May 11 to May 17 so we can all learn more about how science fiction and Fantasy are portrayed, written, and discussed in Spanish-speaking cultures
You don’t have to be a member of Reddit to take a look. Answers will be in English and Spanish.
Guests will appear through the week for “Ask Me Anything” sessions, as well as some Cuban writers who, due to limited Internet access, will be answering when they can.
Scheduled appearances:
May 11 - Christina Jurado: author and editor. Right now at http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/35l002/cristina_jurado_supersonic_magazine_spanish_ama/
May 12 - Elías Combarro: Spain blogger and SMOF.
May 12 - Leticia Lara: Spain author.
May 13 - Robin Hobb and her Mexican publisher.
May 14 - Mariano Villarreal, me, and authors Elia Barceló and Javier Negrete.
May 17 - Manuel de los Reyes: English-into-Spanish translator.
May 17 - Marian Womack: author, translator, and editor.
— Sue Burke
The Fantasy sub-group at Reddit, http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/ is hosting a SFF Spanish this week from May 11 to May 17 so we can all learn more about how science fiction and Fantasy are portrayed, written, and discussed in Spanish-speaking cultures
You don’t have to be a member of Reddit to take a look. Answers will be in English and Spanish.
Guests will appear through the week for “Ask Me Anything” sessions, as well as some Cuban writers who, due to limited Internet access, will be answering when they can.
Scheduled appearances:
May 11 - Christina Jurado: author and editor. Right now at http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/35l002/cristina_jurado_supersonic_magazine_spanish_ama/
May 12 - Elías Combarro: Spain blogger and SMOF.
May 12 - Leticia Lara: Spain author.
May 13 - Robin Hobb and her Mexican publisher.
May 14 - Mariano Villarreal, me, and authors Elia Barceló and Javier Negrete.
May 17 - Manuel de los Reyes: English-into-Spanish translator.
May 17 - Marian Womack: author, translator, and editor.
— Sue Burke
May 6, 2015
Eeny, meeny, miney, mo
I think I was eight years old when my playmates and I met in the shade of a tree a one sunny day to discuss an urgent problem.
The year would have been 1963. In May in Birmingham, Alabama, black children protesting for civil rights had been attacked by police with water cannons and dogs, and the city jail had overflowed. On August 28, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about his dream of equality and freedom.
We were living in Greendale, Wisconsin, a virtually all-white suburb of Milwaukee. As kids, we weren’t especially attentive to the news, but we had just learned something troubling. When we were picking who would be “it” in games, we usually used a rhyme passed down through generations of American children in various versions, and this was the one we knew:
Eeny, meeny, miney, mo,
catch a n–– by the toe,
if he hollers, let him go,
eeny meeny miney, mo.
We had vaguely known what the n-word meant, but we had just learned exactly what it was: a vicious insult used against black people, who were being treated unfairly, and we decided we couldn’t say that word anymore.
But the rhyme was useful, and we wanted to keep it, so we brainstormed for substitutes. “Tiger”? It fit the rhythm, but tigers don’t actually holler. “Baby?” Babies certainly hollered. So “baby” it was.
I tell this story not to try to earn praise for our wisdom. We weren’t especially bright or aware, and we were obviously reacting to something we had somehow gleaned from the adults around us or even from the news. Instead, I tell this story to show that the choice to refuse to use the n-word isn’t hard.
And yet some people, as a recent example (but not the only one) members of university fraternity, still say it. Apparently, a lot of people do. Are they smarter than eight-year-olds? Probably. But we had something they might not have: good will. We didn’t want to hurt anyone. We wanted to be fair. We knew better than to call people names.
That’s all it takes.
— Sue Burke
The year would have been 1963. In May in Birmingham, Alabama, black children protesting for civil rights had been attacked by police with water cannons and dogs, and the city jail had overflowed. On August 28, an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 demonstrators gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about his dream of equality and freedom.
We were living in Greendale, Wisconsin, a virtually all-white suburb of Milwaukee. As kids, we weren’t especially attentive to the news, but we had just learned something troubling. When we were picking who would be “it” in games, we usually used a rhyme passed down through generations of American children in various versions, and this was the one we knew:
Eeny, meeny, miney, mo,
catch a n–– by the toe,
if he hollers, let him go,
eeny meeny miney, mo.
We had vaguely known what the n-word meant, but we had just learned exactly what it was: a vicious insult used against black people, who were being treated unfairly, and we decided we couldn’t say that word anymore.
But the rhyme was useful, and we wanted to keep it, so we brainstormed for substitutes. “Tiger”? It fit the rhythm, but tigers don’t actually holler. “Baby?” Babies certainly hollered. So “baby” it was.
I tell this story not to try to earn praise for our wisdom. We weren’t especially bright or aware, and we were obviously reacting to something we had somehow gleaned from the adults around us or even from the news. Instead, I tell this story to show that the choice to refuse to use the n-word isn’t hard.
And yet some people, as a recent example (but not the only one) members of university fraternity, still say it. Apparently, a lot of people do. Are they smarter than eight-year-olds? Probably. But we had something they might not have: good will. We didn’t want to hurt anyone. We wanted to be fair. We knew better than to call people names.
That’s all it takes.
— Sue Burke
April 29, 2015
Nominations
I’ve learned my lesson: I’ve made my nominations for the Ignotus Awards, Spain’s equivalent to the Hugos.
Not that there’s going to be a Puppy-like problem in Spain. The SFF community may not be one big happy family, but writers and fans try to be civil and behave responsibly. (Unlike some Spanish politicians, for example – it’s not utopia here.) In fact, the sponsor of the Ignotus Award, the Spanish Association for Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror, http://www.aefcft.com/, is trying to bring in more voters to promote greater participation in the nomination and voting process to make it broader and more representative.
Still, just to be safe, even though I’m not widely read and cannot keep up with the deluge of quality works, I’ve sent in nominations for a few things this year that I believe are worthy of recognition. It might be atonement for not nominating for the Hugos. I won’t shirk my duty again.
— Sue Burke
Not that there’s going to be a Puppy-like problem in Spain. The SFF community may not be one big happy family, but writers and fans try to be civil and behave responsibly. (Unlike some Spanish politicians, for example – it’s not utopia here.) In fact, the sponsor of the Ignotus Award, the Spanish Association for Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror, http://www.aefcft.com/, is trying to bring in more voters to promote greater participation in the nomination and voting process to make it broader and more representative.
Still, just to be safe, even though I’m not widely read and cannot keep up with the deluge of quality works, I’ve sent in nominations for a few things this year that I believe are worthy of recognition. It might be atonement for not nominating for the Hugos. I won’t shirk my duty again.
— Sue Burke
