Justine Musk's Blog, page 52
November 7, 2009
the challenge: freakin' unicorns
David N. Wilson has been giving me a tough time about unicorns.
It started on Twitter. Some young goth-oriented writer posted a tweet asking people to keep on her back about meeting her word quota for the evening. I tweeted back saying that if she failed to meet her obligations to herself, I would make her write "I love unicorns and rainbows and giant mushfests" 1000 times. Or something to that effect.
How David got involved in this, I'm not exactly sure. I do remember a tweet where I threaten...
It started on Twitter. Some young goth-oriented writer posted a tweet asking people to keep on her back about meeting her word quota for the evening. I tweeted back saying that if she failed to meet her obligations to herself, I would make her write "I love unicorns and rainbows and giant mushfests" 1000 times. Or something to that effect.
How David got involved in this, I'm not exactly sure. I do remember a tweet where I threaten...
RULES OF SEDUCTION: writing the opposite sex
This was posted at Tribal Writer, and I'm reposting it here at a reader's request, due to her desire to read it without the emboldened sentences I used to make it more "skimmable".
This is the revised version of an essay originally published at Storytellers Unplugged as the second half of a two part series about writing as the opposite sex. The first essay was by Richard Steinberg.
1
Storytelling is seduction, when you think about it.
Seducers get inside your view of things and reshape it to the...
This is the revised version of an essay originally published at Storytellers Unplugged as the second half of a two part series about writing as the opposite sex. The first essay was by Richard Steinberg.
1
Storytelling is seduction, when you think about it.
Seducers get inside your view of things and reshape it to the...
November 6, 2009
paranormal psychological
Not so long ago I thought I was burned out on writing about writing, so this recent burst of enthusiasm and productivity at Tribal Writer has been fun, and more than a little reassuring (not to mention I can then pop over here and do some writing about writing about writing). I guess sometimes the brain has to take a step back and pursue another direction for a while (I went through a period of reading about social media when I should have been writing, or at least thinking about writing).
Or ...
Or ...
November 5, 2009
the rules of seduction
...What writers and seducers have in common is a mind that is empathetic enough to get under the skin of another human being…and an eye cold enough to assess their progress, or if it's time to revise the course.
They understand human nature.
And since that nature comes to us in male and female packages of experience, any real understanding needs to enfold the opposite sex as well as your own. Or else the only people you'll know how to seduce will be people like you.
And maybe not even them.
conti...
They understand human nature.
And since that nature comes to us in male and female packages of experience, any real understanding needs to enfold the opposite sex as well as your own. Or else the only people you'll know how to seduce will be people like you.
And maybe not even them.
conti...
November 3, 2009
the (changing?) relationship between writers and readers
Headcolds suck. Let it be known.
At Tribal Writer I posted this thing about the creative advantage of giving yourself limitations, partly because I was operating under my own self-imposed restrictions: under 1000 words written in less than an hour.
Because I tend to blog LONG, especially when I'm writing about writing, and blogger code* has it that one's wisdom, such as it is, should come in packages brief and pithy.
I referenced a speech that Kevin Rose gave, and one of the other things I to...
At Tribal Writer I posted this thing about the creative advantage of giving yourself limitations, partly because I was operating under my own self-imposed restrictions: under 1000 words written in less than an hour.
Because I tend to blog LONG, especially when I'm writing about writing, and blogger code* has it that one's wisdom, such as it is, should come in packages brief and pithy.
I referenced a speech that Kevin Rose gave, and one of the other things I to...
November 1, 2009
speaking on the zombie panel at World Fantasy 2009
Over at Tribal Writer I've started a video log -- or, as the cool kids call it, a 'vlog' -- about all the books I've loved before, now, and in the future (reading-slut that I am). I'm wondering how often to post these vlog entries -- I think I'll aim for once or twice a week.
Back from World Fantasy. Last night I took part in a zombie panel (and how many women get to say that?) held at 9 in the evening. The moderator was John Skipp -- who did a stellar job editing ZOMBIES: ENCOUNTERS WITH TH...
Back from World Fantasy. Last night I took part in a zombie panel (and how many women get to say that?) held at 9 in the evening. The moderator was John Skipp -- who did a stellar job editing ZOMBIES: ENCOUNTERS WITH TH...
October 31, 2009
putting the mystery into urban fantasy
excerpt from "the mystery of desire & desire of mystery" posted at Tribal Writer
I thoroughly enjoyed the "Who, What, or Why Done It" panel held in the Crystal Room at 10:00 am (I'm reading from the program as I type this): In both the ghost story and in modern urban fantasy there is the potential for a central mystery that must be solved and the denouement. Is this element critical for a successful work or is merely the icing on the cake?
The panel members were J Kathleen Cheney, Laura Anne...
I thoroughly enjoyed the "Who, What, or Why Done It" panel held in the Crystal Room at 10:00 am (I'm reading from the program as I type this): In both the ghost story and in modern urban fantasy there is the potential for a central mystery that must be solved and the denouement. Is this element critical for a successful work or is merely the icing on the cake?
The panel members were J Kathleen Cheney, Laura Anne...
zombies, World Fantasy, and statistics
When I registered for the World Fantasy Convention this morning, I stood in a long line in front of the registration table as people finished setting it up.
"Everybody whose last names start with A through L, stay here. Everybody whose last names start with M through Z, come over here."
Exactly one dude and myself stepped "over there", which neatly took me from the end of a long line to a non-existent one.
The guy behind the table looked at the first line and said, "All you guys have last nam...
"Everybody whose last names start with A through L, stay here. Everybody whose last names start with M through Z, come over here."
Exactly one dude and myself stepped "over there", which neatly took me from the end of a long line to a non-existent one.
The guy behind the table looked at the first line and said, "All you guys have last nam...
October 29, 2009
talking about author platform
It's amazing how a blog can take on a life of its own.
My LJ and Wordpress blogs (the latter is now called Tribal Writer, after digital tribes, get it?) were intended to be mirrors of each other, but already they've split into two different entities, which is probably what my undermind was intending in the first place. This also affects my thoughts on the blog I'm still mentally evolving, which I want to be about creativity and community with a greater emphasis on forum. We shall see. I'm not...
My LJ and Wordpress blogs (the latter is now called Tribal Writer, after digital tribes, get it?) were intended to be mirrors of each other, but already they've split into two different entities, which is probably what my undermind was intending in the first place. This also affects my thoughts on the blog I'm still mentally evolving, which I want to be about creativity and community with a greater emphasis on forum. We shall see. I'm not...
October 28, 2009
being in your twenties is overrated
My editor friend Amy came down from Canada for a visit. She brought along some photos of me she took in Japan when we were there over a decade ago. I tend to avoid having my picture taken. I don't have many of them around.
"You had such a baby face!" Amy declared.
In one picture I'm vamping for the camera, with a mock pout and bold, straight-on gaze, and my hair is long and all one length and still its natural brown. I'm not wearing makeup (I didn't touch the stuff in those days, barely do ...
"You had such a baby face!" Amy declared.
In one picture I'm vamping for the camera, with a mock pout and bold, straight-on gaze, and my hair is long and all one length and still its natural brown. I'm not wearing makeup (I didn't touch the stuff in those days, barely do ...
