K. Tempest Bradford's Blog, page 17

New Class: 8 Day Intensive on Writing Inclusive Fiction

I just opened registration for a new Writing Inclusive Fiction class Nisi and I are doing next month. It’s an 8 Day Intensive that doesn’t have live class times, so you can log in and do the reading and participate in discussion whenever you have time during the day and also from anywhere in the world. We will be throwing a ton of information at you during those 8 days, but students will have access to all the lectures, readings, and resources after class ends.

We have scholarship spots open for this course as well as Payment Plans and Pay What You Can Afford enrollment.

You can read all of the details on the Writing the Other website and register over there, or register below!

Powered by Eventbrite

Want To Help Me Reach My Research Goals?

[image error]

When I was in college I took a class called England in Myth and Stone where we spent three weeks traveling through the southern parts of the UK tracing how mythology, folklore, history, and conquest all blended together. There were many highlights of that trip, one being that our teacher was able to get us special access to Stonehenge. This meant we could actually walk around IN the henge, not just get tourist close. I have stood next to those stones and touched them.

It was a key moment for me as a writer because it made me realize that, though I had been looking at pictures of Stonehenge for most of my life, seen documentaries, etc., it wasn’t until I was standing in that space that I grokked just how massive the stones are or the magnitude of the accomplishment of the people who created the henge.

Today we have so many tools at our disposal to help put us in places virtually. Google Earth is a treasure, Flickr and Facebook and the millions of photos you can find there from every angle are priceless, 3D modeling and 360 degree photography are everything. Still, I know myself, and I know that it’s hard to really capture what it’s like to be somewhere unless I’ve been there or been in a similar space. And there aren’t many places on Earth similar to the Great Pyramid in Giza.

I’ve wanted to go to Egypt on a research trip for many years, but events have made be wary to go until now. Yes, there’s still instability and unrest, but I think the time is finally right for me. So, I’m trying to gather funds for a trip.

The main way I’m doing this is through my Patreon. In case you did not clock it in my April summary, my goals are now to save the money I get to pay for research trips. The first goal is to get enough to send a month in San Jose, CA. The second is to get to $1,000 a month so I can go to Egypt in 2018. When that happens, exactly, will depend on whether I reach this goal.

I have some potential tours picked out that will allow me to visit the sites in Egypt most relevant to my books, and I am also querying about custom tours. Any advice in this regard is welcome! I estimate that I’ll need $5,000 – $6,000 at least.

If you are inclined to help me get to this goal, consider becoming my patron. There’s a $1 month level and everything. If you’re already a patron, or just do not have the wiggle room in your budget, would you tell your friends about my Patreon? All boosting of signal is helpful.

I’m also applying for grants and fellowships (SLF, Tiptree, etc.) to help fund this. If you know of any that I should be aware of, please do let me know.

I know I’m taking a big leap here, especially as I am not a proven novelist. I want very much to get this right, especially in later books in the series where a sense of place is key to the structure and worldbuilding. No matter what happens with these trips, I’ll keep writing and using the tools I do have to get this novel on paper and out in the world.

#FriendlyFriday and #IHeartThisThursday

Earlier this year my friend Alethea shared this comic on her Facebook.

[image error]

Around that time I’d also seen another graphic or post or something with a similar sentiment: People don’t tell the creators of the things they love that they love said things nearly as much as they yell at creators of things they have a problem with.

I don’t completely agree. As I said in response to the first comic: Saying “I Love This!” doesn’t get the same amount of attention as saying “I don’t like this!” coupled with “because it’s a problem.” The real issue here isn’t that people don’t talk about what they love. The problem is that people don’t give attention and signal boosts to the people talking about what they love.

In the time between me first saying this and now, things haven’t changed. In thinking about the kinds of links I see shared multiple times on Facebook or Twitter, they are more of the “Do you see this awful/problematic thing?” variety than “Do you see this amazingness?” People DO post the latter stuff, but it’s not shared and boosted as many times.

This is not only the fault of All Of Us, I know. Facebook’s horrendous algorithm seems designed to suppress squee unless it comes from very specific sites (who I can only suppose are advertisers) and boost things that get us riled up. Or, if that’s not the design, then perhaps it’s just that Facebook is not here to help you spread the word about that book or that musician or that artist unless they are huge, mainstream creators with corporate backing who, again, are likely paying Facebook some money in advertising dollars.

And with Twitter… well, it’s hard to get anything noticed on Twitter unless you share it forty million times.

Whatever the reasons and the back-end machinations, I do think that us individual users of these platforms have a major role in this as well. How often are you moved to share, retweet, reblog a post that’s just about someone loving on a thing they love? How often compared to boosting stuff that isn’t these things?

Don’t worry, I am not judging you cuz I do this, too. And I aim to be better about it. Thus this post.

A few months ago the aforementioned Alethea Kontis started doing a thing on her Patreon called #FriendlyFriday: “where I tell you all about my fabulous friends and what brilliant things that they are up to.” I decided to follow suit on my Patreon (the posts are public). I know so, so, so many talented creators involved in a plethora of projects that deserve more attention that I will never be at a loss for people to write about. I’m sure this is true for a bunch of the people reading this. So, I’m challenging you: join us for the #FriendlyFriday party.

Every week create a blog post, a Facebook status, a Tumblr blog, or some other public thing wherein you talk about a creative friend, their current project, and why you like them. Doesn’t have to be long, complex, or even erudite. A simple “XXX is an amazing artist and you should click through her gallery and also support her on Patreon” is just fine. The point is for you to show your friend some love and maybe expose them to some folks who’ve never seen their stuff before. Oh, and be sure to tag it #FriendlyFriday.

Now that’s all well and good, but there’s a next step to this. When you see a post on the #FriendlyFriday tag, share it. Just do it. Unless you look at the art or book or or whatever and think “Dear Zu’ul, that is horrendous!” You don’t have to share things you don’t like. But if you do like it, even a little, share. Seek out #FriendlyFriday on Twitter or Tumblr and wherever else. If you leave it up to the social networks, they’re not going to show you. Now is the time to be proactive.

Continuing in this theme, sometimes there is art and music and dance and writing that you love that isn’t created by a friend. In that sense, the #FriendlyFriday tag might not be the best fit. I have a solution for that, too: #IHeartThisThursday.

This is for sharing links to stuff you love that you don’t have a personal connection to (other than how it speaks to you!). For my part, I plan to put together a short weekly linkspam with #IHeartThisThursday stuff. You can also just tag a single tweet or FB status with it. Make it a regular thing over on Tumblr. Don’t forget to tag the creator, if possible, when you do. They want to know how much you love them as much as everyone else does.

Just as with the #FriendlyFriday tag, seek out #IHeartThisThursday posts and share them. Widely. Be proactive in boosting the good work and amazing creations that exist in the world.

We have to do both in order for this to work.

Who’s in?

Story Notes: The Copper Scarab (in Clockwork Cairo)

[image error]

Clockwork Cairo is officially out in the world! An anthology of steampunk stories on an Egyptian theme. It’s as if it was made for me. And I’m so grateful for Matt Bright’s patience in allowing me to submit a story at the last minute AND a little late. (Story of my life.)

I didn’t find out about the anthology until Matthew was almost done picking stories for it. And once I saw the theme, I knew I needed to be in it. I told him I’d write a story set in the world of my novel and then… spent a week not knowing what to write about. My ideas were only vague and, I felt, uninteresting.

Fortunately for me, I have smart and talented friends. Mary Robinette Kowal gave me her worksheet for creating short stories, and it starts with coming up with characters, who then have desires, whose desires collide with other characters’ desires, which makes for a story.

Beyond me thinking that my ideas for stories were too vague and/or uninteresting, I also got hung up where I often get hung up (so you’d think I’d recognize this as something not to get hung up on…), which is trying to adhere to the details of a sketched out idea instead of giving myself room to change and explore. In this case, the ideas I was trying to hold on to had to do with how the copper scarabs came into existence in my world.

NOTE: There are mild spoilers for the story below. Proceed with caution.

[image error]

In the novel I’m writing now, the Egyptians have had these machines for about 100 years. The Queen who founded their dynasty was also the engineer who created them based on the instructions left behind by a far, far older Egyptian civilization that no longer exists. In the backstory I initially created, that Queen was solely responsible for this discovery and innovation. It’s why the current foreign rulers feel they have a mandate for ruling all of Egypt (when the novel begins, they only control parts of the north). It’s also why they consider themselves superior to the native Egyptians.

That’s what was in my head when I first tried to make this story work. And I couldn’t. Then I had one of those moments of inspiration that arrive like a flash–those times when, if you are the kind of writer who feels like you have a muse, you’re pretty sure your muse showed up and handed you the perfect answer. That being: the story the current ruling class tells themselves about their past is a false narrative.

It’s obvious in hindsight.

Because that’s the way this often works, right? We have all these narratives about the past that take on a mythical quality the further you get from the initial timeframe. Plus, people in power who understand the power of narrative know how to use it to retain and grow their power. And once a narrative becomes embedded, it doesn’t even require people to lie or mislead, because the following generations have only been told the crafted version and believe in it.

Once I freed myself from the shackles of how I have first conceptualized this time in my world’s history, I was able to create a story that worked in the shorter format and provides an excellent foundation for what comes later. All while complicating the world and my novel’s backstory in the best ways. Writing The Copper Scarab made the novel better.

I plan to address the discrepancy between what actually happened and what the foreign rulers believe happened somewhere in the book.

I also decided that one of my characters in this book is also in the short story, though in her past life. Which led to me deciding that this character would be in every book in this series, which is giving me many ideas about future books.

I’m immensely pleased with the way this story turned out on both the level of the work itself and how it helped me deepen what’s going on with the novel. Don’t be surprised if you see more shorts from me in this world before and after the novel escapes into the wild.

If you’ve read the story and want to ask any questions, the comments are open for that! I hope you enjoyed it and the many other awesome stories in the antho.

ORIGINality podcast episodes 2 and 3

[image error]

I’m behind on alerting you to the new episodes of my new podcast, ORIGINality. Please forgive me for such tardiness.

In episode 2, A Couch Not Possessed by Cats or Satan, Aleen interviews Mikah Sargent and she and I talk about what writers need in order to produce words. Be it time, money, good health, someone to help with responsibilities, or a couch that isn’t possessed by cats or Satan.

You can listen below, or subscribe via iTunes, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RSS feed, or Google Play.

In episode 3, Unicorn Sidekick, Aleen interviews Kathy Campbell, who currently holds that title. She and I then talk about the role organization plays in the creative process and I get deep in my feels about bullet journals.

You can listen below, or subscribe via iTunes, Overcast, Pocket Casts, RSS feed, or Google Play.

If you like this show, you can also support it by becoming a RelayFM member. The money goes directly to Aleen and myself if you support our show specifically. We also get a cut if you decide to support all the shows on the network (and there are some fantastic ones).

Let Me Sum Up: May 2017 on Patreon

[image error]

A summary of the content my Patreon patrons got for the month of May plus what’s new for patrons plus a kitty.

May was a weird month for me. A ton to do, a con to attend (and help organize), and writing to worry over. I ended up being stalled for most of the month due to brain weasels, but did manage to get all the May content complete and up… if a little late. I’ve discovered that having deadlines is somewhat useful for me, but what’s more useful is having people who are as forgiving about lateness due to brain weasels as they are eager to read what I’m writing. Once again I say: I have the best supporters.

Here’s what they got to access last month:

Read Along ($10 per month and up)

Section 2 of the book starts here! Patrons at this level got to read:

Chapter 1
Chapter 2 part 1 and part 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Sneak A Peek ($5 per month and up)

I had a hard time getting section 2 of the book started, so I had several scenes that ended up being cut or completely rewritten. I posted a few of them for the patrons on this level as well as a background sketch.

Deleted Scene (Section Two #1)
Deleted Scene (Section Two #2)
Background Sketch: Raia #1
Excerpt: Chapter 4

AMA ($2 per month and up)

In this Q&A post I answered a question about whether I’m an architect or gardener/discovery writer.

All Patrons ($1 per month and up)

May Microfiction – A tiny story based on an image from The Picture Game.
May Writing Essay – Aliens and The Patriarchy Aren’t My Only Problems

Last month my new podcast, ORIGINality, debuted. I posted a link to the first episode here, but there was also a secret, members-only episode we recorded for folks who joined the Relay podcast network. That super secret episode is also available to my patrons!

Other Posts

This post is public, though it’s likely only of interest to people who’ve been reading the novel in progress: I’m Changing A Character’s Gender, Here’s Why

New Stuff

I’m adding new patron content over the next couple of months. June’s new thing is Writing Exercises, which I explain here.

So far I’m on track with June content, and there are more chapters and background sketches coming. Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through the turbulent month of May! And thank you to all the folks who just started supporting me. You give me a reason to keep writing.

Oh, I almost forgot, here is your kitty:

[image error]

My WisCon 41 Schedule

I’ll be at WisCon this weekend, just as I am every year. EVERY YEAR. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you want to find me, here’s my schedule:

Stop, Collaborate and Listen | Fri, 4:00–5:15 pm Conference 2

Amal El-Mohtar has a history of collaborating with likeminded souls, from editing a poetry zine to performing with a troupe of writer/musicians to co-writing fiction and beyond. How is it possible to discover fellow travelers and co conspirators across space and time(zones)? What are the benefits of such long distance collaborations, and how do different kinds of collaborative projects come together?

Julia Starkey, K. Tempest Bradford, Amal El-Mohtar, C. S. E. Cooney , Max Gladstone

Social Media in 2017 | Sat, 10:30–11:45 pm University C

LiveJournal is now hosted in Russia and doesn’t support HTTPS. Facebook is infected with fake news and trolls (not to mention giving us only random access to what friends have to say). Twitter keeps adding features we don’t want and allowing trolls to flourish. What’s worth using? Is there any way to change the social media landscape?

Rachel Kronick, K. Tempest Bradford, Emma Humphries, Sunny Moraine

How Lazy Writing Recreates Oppression | Sun, 10:00–11:15 am Capitol A

Themes of colonialism and racial oppression are extremely popular in the genre of science fiction. Authors of sci-fi often use the tropes of the genre to explore real issues in the world, however, colonialism and oppression is only alluded to in the fictional elements and not in the elements of the story based in the real world. Practices like color-blind casting are not only lazy but uphold white-default characterizations, stereotypes of marginalized people, and damage the spirit of real diversity and inclusion. On this panel, we will discuss stories like Doctor Strange, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Doctor Who and Star Wars, and how these stories fall short and recreate oppression in their stories through lazy writing, as well as what writers need to be aware of when writing.

Mark Oshiro, K. Tempest Bradford, Nicasio Reed

Reading: Looking for Trouble | Sun, 1:00–2:15 pm Michelangelos

I will be reading from my story The Copper Scarab, which will be just out in Clockwork Cairo!

K. Tempest Bradford, Eileen Gunn, Pat Murphy, Nisi Shawl

Steven Universe and Consent | Sun, 2:30–3:45 pm Caucus

Rebecca Sugar, creator of Steven Universe, said the following at San Diego Comic-Con: “It’s very important to me that we speak to kids about consent. That we speak to kids about identity. There’s so much I have to say about this. I want to feel like I exist and I want everyone else who wants to feel that way to feel that way too.” Let’s talk about how the show deals with issues of consent, especially in regards to its use of SF ideas like mind-sharing, body-swapping, and fusion. What can we learn from SU about how to (or how NOT to) discuss consent in SF texts? What history is there of discussing consent explicitly in SF, and how does SU  connect to it or fail to connect to it? And, going back to Sugar’s comments: how does consent relate directly to identity on SU?

Ty Blauersouth, K. Tempest Bradford, Seth Frost, thingswithwings, JP Fairfield, Jo Vanderhooft

Decentering Whiteness in Fandom | Sun, 10:00–11:15 pm University C

A more in-depth look at how whiteness is always the focus in fandom, fan works in particular. How POC characters are forgotten, written out, killed off by fandom so their white faves who do no more than glance at each other can be together in fanon bliss. How do we de-center the narratives built around minor white characters and problematic faves versus existing POC characters? A hard topic and not for those who think this doesn’t happen.

Tanya D., K. Tempest Bradford, Mark Oshiro

 

In Search Of: Consulting Egyptology / Khemitology Scholar

[image error]

I’ve reached a point in my research where I could really use the services of an Egyptologist, Khemitologist, or someone studying Egyptology at the graduate level or above. Someone I can ask specific questions, such as “what is the exact translation of these words?” or “Did doors in the New Kingdom have hinges or not?” The type of questions that I can’t find for myself with my limited research skills but would likely be very easy for someone studying this stuff to find.

I would likely need to email this person every now and then over the next year (one or two emails a week tops, and sometimes not more than a couple times per month).

I don’t know what kind of compensation is usually offered for this kind of thing (if any), so I’ll just say I am willing to offer some if asked and it’s negotiable.

If you are such a person, or if you know such a person who might be willing, please contact me or have them contact me through this form. Thanks!

I’ll Be The Artist In Residence at Surel’s Place This November!

Some exciting news! A week and a half ago I found out I’ve been accepted to be an Artist-In-Residence at Surel’s Place in Boise, Idaho. I am beyond thrilled at this opportunity and so, so grateful to the jury for choosing me.

I’ll be there for the month of November and, per the residency requirements, I will spend that time writing and writing and writing. I’ll also give a workshop to the Boise writer’s community and probably do a reading. November is a fitting month (even though it is cold!) as it’ll also be NaNoWriMo–as good a time as any to concentrate solely on writing.

My hope is that I’ll be done with this draft of the Steampunk Egypt book by then, but if not that’s when I’ll get it done. If I am, then it’s on to Book 2 and/or finally pumping out the YA novel about the girl turning into a dragon. Either way, it’s a whole month to write without having to worry about anything else, including food and travel. GLORIOUS.

This could not have happened without the support of my friends who read my submission stuff and advised me, the folks who gave me recommendations (Claire, Nisi, Mary, you rock!), and the community of residency Binders who inspired me to keep submitting even after many rejections. Many thanks to all y’all.

New Podcast: ORIGINality

[image error]

Today is launch day for the new podcast project[1] I’m involved in: ORIGINality, where we explore the roots of creative genius. I’m doing this podcast with Aleen Simms, who you may recognize from the JEMcast (oh man, I really miss it) or her amazing podcast Less Than Or Equal. Aleen came up with the idea for ORIGINality and asked me to join her, and I said yes.

Each episode we’ll explore some aspect of creativity, and not just writerly creatives or even those most folks would put in the category of Artist. Most episodes will feature an interview with a creative genius that sparks our conversation, like episode 1: Steampunk Mermaids with Nisi Shawl. In this I asked Nisi about the reason she wrote Everfair — ahem, excuse me, that is Nebula and Locus award nominated Everfair — and Aleen and I talk about how annoyance with what you see in art can inspire you to create better versions of said art. Go listen!

ORIGINality will have a new episode every other week. If you subscribe it’ll show up in your podcast player automagically. And if you become a member of Relay/the show, you’ll get access to members only Episode 0 and other members only episodes in the future. Plus, you support the hosts (me! Aleen!) directly.

I’m very excited about where this podcast is gonna take us and I hope you love it, too :)

Footnotes

Hey Tempest, I hear you saying, what about your OTHER podcast? The Write Gear? Well, dear listener, I am very much hoping to get back to that, but I am in need of someone to help me edit the show. That’s the big sticking point. Know anyone who wants to edit a podcast for free?