Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 165

Vox Dei

Last week I ranted at some length about fiction I’d encountered that failed to convince me that I should care about it, either because of the trivial issues it raised or because the author made no attempt to convince me that any of the action was plausible.
Over the last week I’ve been thinking about these issues, as well as mentally reviewing some work that I’ve liked. And I’ve come to the conclusion that plausibility may not be as big an issue as voice.
Some writers— including some I know per...

Food. Heroes. Awards. Toolbox.

Over on her blog, Taos Toolbox grad Fran Wilde has a perceptive interview with Taos Toolbox grad (and current Nebula nominee) Saladin Ahmed on writing, food, and workshops.
He says very nice things about Taos Toolbox, and also about my cooking.
So hey! Be like Saladin! Come to the workshop, pay attention, finish your work, and then maybe you’ll get a fistful of award nominations just like him!
Ha! I dare you to prove me right!

A Twain of Twains

Last night I met the actor Hal Holbrook. Which is less impressive than it sounds: he met a lot of people last night, at a meet-and-greet backstage after one of his performances as Mark Twain.
Holbrook is 89 years old. He first came to Albuquerque in 1941. He’s been doing Mark Twain longer than I’ve been alive.
I’ve seen Holbrook’s Twain three times, the first time on television, the other times live in concert. He chooses different material for each concert, so in the concerts I’ve seen he only...

Mighty Steroid Eyes

My eyes are much better, thanks for asking. (And thank you, everybody, for the kind inquiries.) A couple days ago my doc gave me some steroid drops, presumably so that the muscles in my eyes would grow big and strong like Russian wrestlers.
At any rate, the light sensitivity and pain have both faded, if not disappeared entirely. This morning, I was able to look out the window at the snow-covered fields and not fall screaming to the floor clutching my eyes. Which, quite frankly, was getting a l...

More Notches on the Ol’ Toolbox

The Science Fiction Writers of America have announced the Nebula nominees for this year, and I’m excited!
Not because I’m nominated, because due to the usual inexplicable series of errors I haven’t been. (I await the recount. Or failing that, cosmic justice. )
But Taos Toolbox has reason to be proud! Saladin Ahmed, whose Throne of the Crescent Moonwas actually workshopped at Toolbox 2007, has been nominated for Best Novel!
And Lawrence Schoen (class of ’11), has been nominated in the Novella cat...

And Speaking of Fiction

So over in the New Republic,of all places, Ian McEwan (“One of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945″) asks what happens when a novelist loses his faith in fiction. And I found myself nodding in agreement as I read along..
Novels? I don’t know how or where to suspend my disbelief. What imaginary Henry said or did to nonexistent Sue, and Henry’s lonely childhood, his war, his divorce, his ecstasy and struggle with the truth and how he’s a mirror to the age—I don’t believe a word: not the r...

Eyeballs. Still Sucking.

Still blind. Kinda. Off and on.
This morning I went to my regular eye doc, and he opined that my problem was the result of cells being knocked off the “flaps” that were cut in the surface of my eyes in order to lase the corneas underneath. My flaps are lacking cells, therefore there is discomfort, therefore my extreme photophobia.
My flaps are trying to grow new cells, but every time I blink, I knock the new cells off.
So my doc decided to protect my new cells by installing contact lenses. The c...

Blinded By The Light

Okay, making this brief . . .

Yesterday, buoyed by stories of people having the operation and leaving with perfect vision, I had Lasik to correct my vision problems.

Let’s just say it didn’t go as well as I could have hoped.

I have become so sensitive to light that, pretty much, I can’t see. Sunlight blinds me. I can’t wath television or look at a video monitor because they’re too bright. I can’t read because I can’t focus well enough.

Basically what I can do is sit in a darkened room and hope th...

Mi Vida Loca

So on Chinese New Year I ate boeuf bourguinon.
On Mardi Gras I had Indian food.
Just livin’ la vida loca, I guess.
But wait a minute . . . what cuisine would be totally inappropriate for Valentine’s Day?

Career Path

This morning’s career conversation:
“Walter, you’re in the wrong line of work. If only you made cute cat videos, you’d have an audience of millions and be on your way to fame and fortune.”
“In that case, I need a cuter cat.”
“Oh. You’re right.”