Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 101

Taos Toolbox: Day 1

December 1 is the first day to receive submissions for Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy, taught this year by Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Williams, along with guests George RR Martin, Steven Gould, and Emily Mah Tippetts. And in fact applications have started to arrive right on schedule. If you think you want to do this professionally, you can do yourself no bigger favor than to send us your application. Jump in the box! It’s great here!

Index of Russian Lies

Via Bruce Sterling, an annotated index of Russian disinformation. Much of which seems aimed at demonstrating that the Baltic Republics never existed, spend their days persecuting Russian nationals, and only exist now because of a perfidious Western campaign aimed at President Putin personally. War by spring?

Summing It All Up

Paranoia Strikes Deep

So our new president-elect is the simultaneous choice of the KGB, FBI, and KKK. That’s gotta be a first. (Now I know that Trump supporters are deeply resentful of charges of racism. “I’m not a racist, and neither is Trump,” I hear. “He justused the racists, and fooled them into voting for him. (If you’re a Trump supporter, I’m certainly willing to discuss this with you, but only on condition that we also discuss the possibility that he usedyou,and fooledyou into voting for him.) It’s actuall...

Sick of Being Sick

So I’ve been sick now with the Trans-Pacific Plague now for two and a half weeks, and I’m tired out. While the Plague was at its height, I barely slept: I would start to cough about 1:30am and would then cough nonstop till around 5am, the sort of thing that can pretty well ruined my sleep. The coughing has abated, but I’m still unable to focus well enough to work, or to do much of anything else. I hope those of you celebrating Thanksgiving have a lovely day with food and friends. (I’ll be at...

On the Wrecks

During my week in Palau I did 25 dives, but after we shifted to Chuuk I did eight dives over the course of five days, all of them on Japanese wrecks from the Second World War. I was more than ready for the more leisurely pace. Doing five dives per day iswork. Instead of living on a dive boat, we were based on a resort on shore. It took some time for me to lose my sea legs, and every so often the resort would seem to swoop up to the crest of a wave, then slide back down again. We were also ra...

Another Fine Giveaway . . .

Tor.com, through Goodreads, is giving away three copies of my new novelImpersonations. Check it out!

Enter the Dragon

This just in . . . Most Famous Author in the World George R.R. Martin will be joining the Taos Toolbox faculty as a special guest! George was our guest for the very first Taos Toolbox, and now he’s consented to return for our tenth anniversary. We’re pleased and flattered to have him, even if it’s only once per decade. If you aren’t inspired to write memorable and successful fiction by George, I don’t know who else you’re going to need. If writing success is your goal, click the link and star...

Review’d

File 770 has some very nice things to say about my Praxis series,Impersonations in particular. “Not only is this on my 2016 Hugo Best Novel shortlist, the series is on my Hugo Best Series shortlist.”

First Week Underwater

This week I’ve been knocked flat by a cold, not to mention by the American election, so I thought I’d try to cheer myself up by posting pretty pictures. Palau is known for the wild diversity of its dives. You can dive coral walls, caverns, and wrecks. You can get swept along by surging tides, perform “hook-in dives,” where you anchor yourself to the top of a reef being swept by a swift current, and just watch the schools of sharks and other predator fish as they patrol right past your nose....