Ryan Schneider's Blog, page 11
October 1, 2015
Who was Philip K Dick? The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle
Who was Philip K Dick?
The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle
Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928– March 2, 1982) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and philosopher whose published works mainly belong to the genre of science fiction. Dick explored philosophical, sociological, political, and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments, and altered states of consciousness.
In his later works, Dick's thematic focus strongly reflected his personal interest in metaphysics and theology. He often drew upon his own life experiences in addressing the nature of drug abuse, paranoia, schizophrenia, and transcendental experiences in novels such as A Scanner Darkly and VALIS .
Perhaps his best-known work is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the source material for the iconic film BLADERUNNER.
Ridley Scott has announced that he is producing a sequel to BLADERUNNER. Harrison Ford has signed on as well. Should be interesting.
Later in life, PKD wrote non-fiction on philosophy, theology, the nature of reality and science. This material was published posthumously as The Exegesis .
The novel The Man in the High Castle bridged the genres of alternate history and science fiction, earning Dick a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1963.
Amazon Studios made a pilot TV show out of it. The pilot debuted on January 15, 2015[1] and was Amazon's "most-watched since the original series development program began." On February 18, 2015, it was announced that it has been picked up for a season of 10 episodes to be released November 20, 2015.
If you haven't seen it yet (or read the novel), do so pronto. I enjoyed both. The book was good; the TV show was perhaps even better because seeing the visual elements of the story brought to life made the story absolutely terrifying. It disturbed me. Watch the trailer. See for yourself.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said , a novel about a celebrity who awakens in a parallel universe where he is unknown, won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel in 1975.
"I want to write about people I love, and put them into a fictional world spun out of my own mind, not the world we actually have, because the world we actually have does not meet my standards," Dick wrote of these stories. "In my writing I even question the universe; I wonder out loud if it is real, and I wonder out loud if all of us are real."
In addition to forty-four novels published as mass market paperbacks, Dick wrote approximately one hundred twenty-one short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime.So there you have it, my friends. The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle includes Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (PKD Finalist), Life by Gwyneth Jones (PKD Winner), The Cipher by Kathe Koja (PKD Finalist), Points of Departure by Pat Murphy (PKD Winner), Dark Seeker by K. W. Jeter (PKD Finalist), Summer of Love by Lisa Mason (PKD Finalist), Frontera by Lewis Shiner (PKD Finalist), Acts of Conscience by William Barton (PKD Special Citation), Maximum Ice by Kay Kenyon (PKD Finalist), Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams (PKD Finalist), and Reclamation by Sarah Zettel (PKD Finalist).
The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle runs only until October 15. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Download yours today at http://storybundle.com/pkdaward and enjoy world-class, award-winning reading right now and into the holidays.
And for more kick-ass sci-fi, check out my novel EYE CANDY . It's a sweet, romantic, daring adventure with an ensemble of characters PKD would've loved, and you'll love it too.
And follow me on Instagram for daily writing inspiration and sneak peeks of my work.
Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (@Liz_Hand) is in The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle!
Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (@Liz_Hand) is in The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle!
In Aestival Tide, Elizabeth Hand returns to the extraordinary Winterlong universe. In Araboth—the majestic, domed, multi-tiered city of the Ascendants—obsession with beauty and power vents in haunting, horrific ways. The resurrected Margalis Tast’annin has become the Aviator Imperator of the Ascendants, enslaved by his former lover and exiled to the debauched city of Araboth. And the city that was once home to an advanced society is now a shadow of its former self. Now, as the once-in-a-decade Aestival Tide approaches, the formerly great dome teeters on the brink of its own destruction.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Elizabeth Handincluding rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s personal collection.“Hand is a superior stylist.” —The New York Times Book Review
About the AuthorElizabeth Hand (b. 1957) is an award-winning author whose science fiction and fantasy novels include the Winterlong series, Waking the Moon, Last Summer at Mars Hill, and Glimmering. Her novels and short stories have won the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Shirley Jackson Awards, among others. Hand was born in California and raised in Yonkers and Pound Ridge, New York; she now divides her time between London and the coast of Maine. Over the years she has been a regular contributor to the Washington Post, the Village Voice, the Los Angeles Times, and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, among many others.
Follow Liz on Twitter at @Liz_Hand, check her out on Facebook, and visit her personal website ElizabethHand.com for exclusive content.
So there you have it, my friends. The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle includes Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (PKD Finalist), Life by Gwyneth Jones (PKD Winner), The Cipher byKathe Koja (PKD Finalist), Points of Departure by Pat Murphy (PKD Winner), Dark Seeker by K. W. Jeter (PKD Finalist), Summer of Love by Lisa Mason (PKD Finalist), Frontera by Lewis Shiner (PKD Finalist), Acts of Conscience by William Barton (PKD Special Citation), Maximum Ice byKay Kenyon (PKD Finalist), Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams (PKD Finalist), and Reclamation by Sarah Zettel (PKD Finalist).
The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle runs only until October 15. Once it’s gone, it’s gone! Download yours today at http://storybundle.com/pkdaward and enjoy world-class, award-winning readingright now and into the holidays.
Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (@Liz_Hand) is in The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle!
And for more kick-ass sci-fi, check out my novel EYE CANDY . It's a sweet, romantic, daring adventure with an ensemble of characters you'll love. And follow me on Instagram for daily writing inspiration and sneak peeks of my work.
September 29, 2015
If You Don't Meet Your Daily Word Count...
If you don't meet your daily word count, Bruce will be forced to thrash you. In his white socks.
I recommend outlining. Write the whole book in stream of consciousness outline format as fast as you can. No stopping. THEN... once you have the story mostly figured out, you go back to the beginning and retype the outline in prose format.
My word counts went from 1500ish per day to 5000-6000 per day (and often more @~1000 words per hour). And it took the pressure off. Writing slowly while sculpting your prose and holding the entire story in your mind while you tiptoe through the plot is like sculpting in clay without having any idea what you're sculpting.
Outlining allows you to savor the thrill of discovering the story without having to wait months to see the climax & resolution. My outlines usually take about a week. Instead of spending a year writing a novel, I'm writing a trilogy in a few months. This has helped make writing more fun and less dreadful. It makes it far easier to sit down and start each day.
Remember what Elmore Leonard said: There is no magic. You sit down and you start and that's it.
#amwriting #writersofinstagram#nanowrimo2015 #respectyourcraft#brucelee
September 28, 2015
The Philip K. Dick Award Storybundle is now LIVE!
Hello, gang.My good friend & fellow writer Lisa Mason is curating the Philip K. Dick Storybundle, which is now LIVE. It's a great opportunity to read and discover a lot of really great work by talented writers. We'll be featuring each talented writer over the next two weeks. Enjoy!
Storybundle.com is pleased to presentThe Philip K. Dick Award Storybundle
The Philip K. Dick Award Storybundle includes Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (PKD Finalist), Life byGwyneth Jones (PKD Winner), The Cipher by Kathe Koja (PKD Finalist), Points of Departure by Pat Murphy (PKD Winner), Dark Seeker by K. W. Jeter (PKD Finalist), and Summer of Love by Lisa Mason(PKD Finalist).The bonus books, which complete your bundle, include Frontera by Lewis Shiner (PKD Finalist), Acts of Conscience by William Barton (PKD Special Citation), Maximum Ice by Kay Kenyon (PKD Finalist), Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams (PKD Finalist), and Reclamation by Sarah Zettel (PKD Finalist).If you’re just dipping your toe into science fiction and not sure where to begin or if you’re a long-time fan and reader, this unique and historic collection is an excellent addition to your elibrary.At StoryBundle, you the reader can name your price—whatever you feel the books are worth. You may designate a portion of the proceeds to go to a charity. For The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle , that’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (“SFWA”). SFWA champions writers’ rights, sponsors the Nebula Award for excellence in science fiction, and promotes numerous literacy groups. The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle runs from September 23 until October 15, twenty-three days in all. Once it’s gone, it’s gone! Download yours today at http://storybundle.com/pkdaward and enjoy world-class, award-winning reading right now and into the holidays.
Storybundle.com is pleased to presentThe Philip K. Dick Award Storybundle
The Philip K. Dick Award Storybundle includes Aestival Tide by Elizabeth Hand (PKD Finalist), Life byGwyneth Jones (PKD Winner), The Cipher by Kathe Koja (PKD Finalist), Points of Departure by Pat Murphy (PKD Winner), Dark Seeker by K. W. Jeter (PKD Finalist), and Summer of Love by Lisa Mason(PKD Finalist).The bonus books, which complete your bundle, include Frontera by Lewis Shiner (PKD Finalist), Acts of Conscience by William Barton (PKD Special Citation), Maximum Ice by Kay Kenyon (PKD Finalist), Knight Moves by Walter Jon Williams (PKD Finalist), and Reclamation by Sarah Zettel (PKD Finalist).If you’re just dipping your toe into science fiction and not sure where to begin or if you’re a long-time fan and reader, this unique and historic collection is an excellent addition to your elibrary.At StoryBundle, you the reader can name your price—whatever you feel the books are worth. You may designate a portion of the proceeds to go to a charity. For The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle , that’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (“SFWA”). SFWA champions writers’ rights, sponsors the Nebula Award for excellence in science fiction, and promotes numerous literacy groups. The Philip K Dick Award Storybundle runs from September 23 until October 15, twenty-three days in all. Once it’s gone, it’s gone! Download yours today at http://storybundle.com/pkdaward and enjoy world-class, award-winning reading right now and into the holidays.
August 20, 2015
Do You Read On Your Phone?
I do.
I began reading on my phone about eight months ago, when my wife Taliya and I purchased two LG G3 smarphones. The 5.5" quad-HD display works just fine for reading. I always figured a phone screen would be too small. I always assumed I'd continue reading ebooks on my Kindle Fire.
But after reading ebooks on my phone, which has something like 540 pixels per inch of resolution and looks stunning, I found reading on my Kindle Fire (1st gen) no longer tolerable; the text now appears blurry to me. Funny how I never noticed it before.
The Wall Street Journal has a new article examining the rise of the smart phone and its dominance in the world of ebooks. Both Apple and Amazon have noticed an increase in downloads to smartphones and a decline in downloads to tablets and dedicated e-readers.
I for one don't want to monkey around with two devices. Reading on the phone is very convenient. I can hold it in one hand and still turn the page. I can read virtually anywhere at any time. And it fits in my pocket. The Kindle Fire will not fit in my pocket.
So, do you read on your phone?
I began reading on my phone about eight months ago, when my wife Taliya and I purchased two LG G3 smarphones. The 5.5" quad-HD display works just fine for reading. I always figured a phone screen would be too small. I always assumed I'd continue reading ebooks on my Kindle Fire.
But after reading ebooks on my phone, which has something like 540 pixels per inch of resolution and looks stunning, I found reading on my Kindle Fire (1st gen) no longer tolerable; the text now appears blurry to me. Funny how I never noticed it before.
The Wall Street Journal has a new article examining the rise of the smart phone and its dominance in the world of ebooks. Both Apple and Amazon have noticed an increase in downloads to smartphones and a decline in downloads to tablets and dedicated e-readers.
I for one don't want to monkey around with two devices. Reading on the phone is very convenient. I can hold it in one hand and still turn the page. I can read virtually anywhere at any time. And it fits in my pocket. The Kindle Fire will not fit in my pocket.
So, do you read on your phone?
August 16, 2015
Stephen King "On Writing"
Came across this today.
“Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn’t grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story . . . . to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
“Language does not always have to wear a tie and lace-up shoes. The object of fiction isn’t grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story . . . . to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
July 24, 2015
InD'tale Creme de la Cover Contest
Fellow writer and all-around good guy Roy Huff has his book's cover up for the InD'tale Creme de la Cover contest.
It's a great cover, so swing by the InD'tale website and vote for Roy's cover. Thanks!
Link here:
http://indtale.com/polls/creme-de-la-cover-contest
And swing by Amazon to pick up a copy!
