Jeff VanderMeer's Blog, page 132

Communique from the Continent of Stupidea

Recently, a new communique came from the continent of Stupidea.

Stupidea lies just off the shore of the Land of Reason, with a very clear and deep channel lying between the two. Stupideans are generally characterized by having very large brain-like organs in their heads that mimic real brains by allowing them to use advanced terminology, although to minimal effect. Their hearts are unique because their hearts tiny. When looked at under the microscope, these hearts turn out to be composed of ashes

Stupid and Wrong

While there are certainly people who oppose the general outlines and specific details of Obama's healthcare plan sincerely…there's also a definite vein of racism running through the discussion in its more vitriolic manifestations. Expanding on the proto-racist language and "code words" used against Obama during the presidential campaign, this new manifestation has almost certainly made more acceptable by the "softening up" and brutalization of language that occurred during that campaign. It's co

Shared Worlds Photos (Wofford College, Spartanburg SC)

(The wonderful Holly Black deconstructing Hansel & Gretel for the Shared Worlds students.)

A couple of deadlines are taking up my time, but I wanted to post the link to the photo set for Shared Worlds.

Shared Worlds is a unique two-week writing camp for teens. We're in our second year, and it's a wonderful blend of learning, fun, and, of course writing. The students build their worlds in the first week and write stories in them the second week. This year, guest writers included Tobias Buckell, W

Writers: Online Press Kit? You Need One. For All Our Sakes.

The marvelous Luis Rodrigues has just created the press kit pages for my two books coming out in the fall:

Finch

Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for 21st-Century Writers

Are they purty? No, although Luis can do pretty. They're simple and functional, because they're not for readers–they're for reviewers, review editors, interviewers, and other people associated with the various and sundry media outlets out there. These sites are also for the venues I'll be appearing at as part of my book tour

Weird Tales Wins the Hugo!!!!!

My wife Ann, fiction editor, and Stephen Segal, creative director, just won a Hugo for Weird Tales. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! That's awesome!

Ann texted me to say she's still shaking, that she didn't have a speech prepared so she winged it, and that the award is really really heavy.

Here's Ann at the ceremony (photo by Cheryl Morgan)…

Joe Abercrombie: Best Served Cold, and Lee Marvin and Machiavelli

Junot Diaz-blurbed Joe Abercrombie has a new novel out called Best Served Cold. This past week he's been guest blogging on Omnivoracious, talking about his novel and the influence of, among others, Machiavelli. It's an interesting look at cross-pollination between heroic fantasy and other genres and approaches.

Lee Marvin and Seedy Underbellies

Machiavelli and Medieval Total War

Bloody History

Mark Charan Newton on Things He's Learned About Being a Writer

Some concise and useful thoughts, especially for writers with only a couple of books out. Here're the last three on his list (below). The very last one is crucial. The second-to-last is influenced by how hard you work to position yourself for luck. The third-to-last depends on how many open channels and how much white noise you're willing to carry around in your head. Me, less and less these days. I can see a time coming when I can tolerate none.

8. Following the debate on forums and blogs only m

Am I Doing Something Wrong?

This site has all of these cool photos of writers' workspaces. The photographer writes about the project's genesis on the site:

There is a powerful aura of creative energy that surrounds Michael Swanwick. I can tell you this with absolute certainty, because I've felt it. Some time in late 2008 I got invited to a party at his house, mostly or entirely, I suspect, because he mistook me for someone else. While there I asked if I could see his Hugos, since I knew he had five of them. "Of course!" he

MUMPSIMUS MINDBLOWING SF

Matt Cheney has a list of some mindblowin' SF, much of it by women.

I don't know Mike Ashley, I don't know his editorial methodology (assuming there is one, other than to gather a bunch of stories, stick a title on it, and send it out there), and I am not interested in sitting in judgment or being righteous, especially based on one book. It's also unfortunate that's there's an implied guilt by association that sticks to the contributors to the anthology, who have absolutely nothing to do with the

Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

I love botanical gardens, so it was a happy confluence when I noticed a sign for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens at an exit off of I-85 on my way to the Charlotte airport after Shared Worlds. I had three hours until the flight, so I stopped at the gardens for a good forty minutes. Such gardens often strike me as somewhat fanciful, even fantastical, in the confluence of whimsical elements. This garden was interesting because of the high number of water features.

It was a doubly delightful detou