Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 163

Toolbox Strikes Again!

I should offer somewhat belated congratulations to Taos Toolbox grad Saladin Ahmed, whose Throne of the Crescent Moonhas been nominated for a Hugo Award, mere weeks after having been nominated for a Nebula.
Saladin did what writers are supposed to do. He had a great idea, he wrote the book, he worked through revisions, and he made a sale and got himself some nominations.
But first, he brought the novel to Taos Toolbox. Because he was serious about his writing, and learning about his craft is wh...

Dracula Slept Here

I am currently in a part of the world where towns have names like Grewelthorpe, Winksley, Buttertubs, Reeth, Scab Hill, Copsgrove, Giggleswick, Todmorden, and Bakup.
Honestly, it’s as if PG Wodehouse invented the whole country.
These are the ruins of Whitby Abbey. Historians know this as the home of St. Hilda and the Venerable Bede, and site of the Synod of Whitby, which was the showdown between followers of the Irish and Roman versions of Catholicism. (I won’t go into how that turned out excep...

Looking to the Skies

Neil Armstrong planting the American flag on the Moon, as discovered on a ceiling boss on the York Minster cathedral’s north transept. Begun in the 13th Century, FYI.

Gas Masks For Pachyderms

Or so I thought, anyway, as I turned the corner in the Royal Armory and came face-to-face with this fellow.
But no, it’s elephant armor from the Mughal Empire.
It’s bad enough facing one of these things. A whole division of them charging, and I’m taking the next train to Hyderabad.

Clothes Horse

Here I am in a rather Churchillian pose, modeling the lovely bespoke waistcoat given me by the Eastercon committee. It’s even got a pocket for my pocket watch.
Got to say, I look pretty magnificent.
The convention is over, and the friendships and greetings were warm despite the freezing weather. As GoH, I felt quite literally honored. And I haven’t had to pay for a drink yet.
Starting tomorrow, I get to play tourist for a while.

Whereat I Shall Be

I’m flying off on Wednesday for thatroyal throne of kings, that sceptred isle,

that earth of majesty, that seat of Mars, that other Eden, demi-paradise, that fortress built by Nature for herself against infection and the hand of war.
Which is to say, England. Where I will be Guest of Honor at EightSquaredCon, this year’s Eastercon, or national convention. Which will be held in the rusting post-industrial hulk of Bradford, the very name of which (I am told) causes English people to break out in...

Holiday

Happy International Wong Fei Hung day!

This Bear Wants Writers!

There are still places available at Taos Toolbox,the master class in writing science fiction and fantasy taught by Nancy Kress, yours truly, and Melinda Snodgrass.
You want to write, right? Of course you do. And Taos Toolbox is a place that will give you the tools that you need.
We await your application with interest.

There are still places available at Taos Toolbox,the mast...

There are still places available at Taos Toolbox,the master class in writing science fiction and fantasy taught by Nancy Kress, yours truly, and Melinda Snodgrass.
You want to write, right? Of course you do. And Taos Toolbox is a place that will give you the tools that you need.
We await your application with interest.

Get Your Glory Here!

My first published novel, To Glory Arise,also known as The Privateer, is now available in electronic form at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. From the latter it should migrate to Kobo, iBooks, Baker & Taylor, and other fine locations.
Reading the novel for the first time in over thirty years, I was impressed. Impressed, that is, by how much I had left to learn. To Glory Ariseis, alas, by a substantial margin the weakest of my published works. The Tern Schooner, which followed, is maybe...