Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 92

Info Dumplings

Collected by Nancy Kress, here are a series of quotes from last week’s critiques here at Taos Toolbox. * “I like the info dumplings.”
* “I don’t think she could take apart the time machine with a hairpin.”
* “The hard-working proletarian hero saves the day over the upper-class creep–what more do you want?”
* “I don’t want to be near anybody who chirps.”
* “I don’t think a slithery would twirl.”
* “The press-conference scene buried the lede — ‘We just created a friggin’ unicorn!””
* “This is a...

Words for Clarion

Are you a professional writer?  Are you going to be doing a writing project this summer? Sign up for the Clarion Write-a-Thon.  You’ll write the exact same words you’d write anyway, and you’ll earn money for the Clarion Workshop, the world’s premiere workshop for science fiction and fantasy. Are you an aspiring writer?  You can sign up and gain valuable writing experience, while helping to support the workshop that helps writers like you. The Write-a-Thon starts June 25.  Sign up, and start s...

Beneath the Sign of the Bear

I’ve been spending the week at the 10th Anniversary Taos Toolbox, the workshop for writers of science fiction and fantasy.  Here’s a photo of us beneath the bear, including fellow instructor Nancy Kress and special guest George RR Martin. I realized too late that I should have got a photo of us all lying dead at George’s feet, and titled it “The Red Workshop.” We’ve had nearly a week of critique, and below you may find some of the highlights, diligently collected by Nancy: * How do corporate...

EPSON scanner image It’s Father’s Day in the States, so I...

EPSON scanner image

It’s Father’s Day in the States, so I thought I’d offer a brief salute to my dad.  I’ve written about him in more detail elsewhere, but it never hurts to remind myself and the world in general that he was kind, supportive, smart, loving, and did his bit to thrash Hitler. I chose to live a life that was filled with chaos and uncertainty, and he was the solid, supportive presence in my world that allowed me to take the chances I took and fly as far from the nest as I did. Re...

Angel Trees

For those of you who prefer your reading matter to be printed on dead trees instead of touch screens, I’ve got a great deal for you! A brand-new trade paperback of my novel Angel Station is now available via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  The book is pleasantly sized at 6×9 inches, with the highly readable text printed on cream paper, and all bound inside a glossy cover.  It should make a handsome addition to your bookshelf, and costs a mere $14.99. [NOTE: The Barnes & Noble page currently reads...

I Am Writing My Name

I am writing my name.  I am writing my name.  I am writing my name.  I am writing my name.  I am writing my name.  I am writing my name.  I am writing my name.  I am writing my name. Over and over again.  Over and over again.  Over and over again.  Over and over again.  Over and over again. . . . well, you get the picture, I’m sure. This morning the UPS van pulled up with a package containing 700 (or maybe a thousand) signature sheets for the limited-edition, signed hardback of  The Book of Sw...

Insufficiently Anonymized

Via Chairman Bruce, a brief survey of what the corporate oligarchy knows about me, you, and everyone else. Facebook can recognize your emotions from your keyboard typing patterns.  They can work out your religion, your sexual orientation, and whether you use controlled substances with what they claim is a fair degree of accuracy. And they can make mistakes.  A few months ago, I viewed on Amazon a science fiction novel by a gay author, and suddenly Amazon was offering me gay erotica, gay-theme...

Above Average

Tonight I was at the karate school as part of a judging panel, wherein I did my best to confusticate and bamboozle two candidates for fourth degree black belt.  (I failed.)  They were quite magnificent, and after a four-hour test were both still on their feet. But the experience reminded me of the following: Q: How long does it take the average person to earn a black belt? A: Average people don’t earn black belts.

Oopsie

When I recently looked at the ebook version of Voice of the Whirlwind, I discovered that the order of two of the later chapters had been reversed in the latest update, which was January 2016.  (Flipping the order of chapter is, alas, all too easy with the software I’m using.  Up till now I’ve always caught it somewhere in the editing process.) I’d really like to give the person responsible a piece of my mind, but the problem with running a one-person ebook superstore is that there’s nobody to...

Surfin’ Suomolainen

Continuing my exploration of the byways of Finnish culture . . . One of the less overlooked aspects of Finnish musical culture consists of their excellent surf bands, which have attracted fans throughout the world.  Here’s the best known Finnish surf band, Laika and the Cosmonauts, who have attracted praise from no less an authority than surf music legend Dick Dale. The music speaks for itself, though I have some questions about stuff that has nothing to do with the music. First, what’s with...