Charlie Jane Anders's Blog, page 49

"The nice thing about it is that, while people often say we are the most banned books, we are not. We..."

“The nice thing about it is that, while people often say we are the most banned books, we are not. We are just the most challenged. That means someone will stumble upon Saga in a library and say, “What?! Comic books can’t do this! This is offensive!” The main reason why it hasn’t been banned is because of librarians, who are at the forefront of anti-censorship. They’ve been so great about saying, “It’s fine if you don’t want your children to read Saga, but this is not how libraries work.” It’s frustrating that some people challenge it, but I am so grateful for librarians that let people check out whatever materials they want.”

- Meet Brian K. Vaughan: The Comic Book Visionary Behind ‘Y: The Last Man’ - The Daily Beast

The Hugo award-winning Charlie Jane Anders celebrates Tachyon’s 20th anniversary with SIX MONTHS, THREE DAYS

tachyonpub:

In celebration of 20 years of saving the world one good book at a time, Tachyon Publications delivers the limited 300-copy chapbook edition of Charlie Jane Anders’ Hugo Award winning tale SIX MONTHS, THREE DAYS. This special book will be given out to everyone who attends the November 15th party in honor of the 20 years. Copies are also available for sale at the Tachyon site.

“[Y]ou all must read this story… Charlie Jane Anders did what she needed to with the story, but I was hooked and wanted more.”
—Adventures in Reading

In this bittersweet, comedic tale of clashing worldviews, Six Months, Three Days, examines the brief, unlikely relationship of two clairvoyants. Though Doug and Judy both know exactly how their romance will play out,  Judy’s outlook is optimistic and Doug’s perspective is fatalistic. Hurtling toward their foretold breakup, Doug and Judy must each determine how immutable the truth really is – except when it isn’t. Can two people who are always right somehow prove each other wrong?

“The philosophical contrast and science fictional premise provide an intriguing philosophical flavor to the human romance; the two work exquisitely in synchrony.”
—Rachel Swirsky, author of the collection How the World Became Quiet and Myths of the Past, Present, and Future

For more info on SIX MONTHS, THREE DAYS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

joner:goldendeleeshax:This always lifts my mood, what a...

joner:

goldendeleeshax:

This always lifts my mood, what a legend this cat is.

This is the ok cat. Reblog in 13.61 seconds and everything from now on will be ok

A lot of excitement here in Saratoga Springs

A lot of excitement here in Saratoga Springs

"Porn stars and genre writers are both trying, in very different ways, to satisfy a basic human need..."

“Porn stars and genre writers are both trying, in very different ways, to satisfy a basic human need for a transcendent experience, something that takes you out of yourself. People — who feel imprisoned in these bodies, these lives, these surroundings — crave escapism and fantasy, but also a feeling of connection to a world where implausible things happen.”

- Why Science Fiction Writers are Like Porn Stars

On an airplane I saw this ad: “Colombia is magical...

On an airplane I saw this ad: “Colombia is magical realism.” Go visit a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel!

What I love about writing science fiction and fantasy

I pretty much love everything about writing speculative fiction. But the thing that makes it especially a thrill for me is the fact that you get to make up stories that try to make sense of the world on a grand scale, but you’re also writing about the small, messy, dirty business of people trying to make their way in the world. It’s the grand epic questions about what we’re doing in the universe, and whether we can survive our own cleverness, and the fate of the human race. But also, it’s the small, private, intense, weird stuff that we tiny humans deal with as we’re trapped inside our miniature shells of existence and perception. I love getting to combine those two perspectives, even though it drives me nuts sometimes.

Image by Chris Buzelli.

What I learned from writing erotica.

I wrote erotica for a long time, and I learned so much about writing from doing it. Writing erotica taught me about exploring characters, and how to portray emotional and sexual needs without seeming melodramatic or whatever. An erotic story has to have a strong conflict, and characters who have goals and desires, from the first sentence. And the more vivid you can make the scene (including the backstory) the better it works. I’ve never understood people who think one genre takes more work than another, or that we can’t learn from all sorts of writing.

Photo by Robert /Flickr

Here’s a gif featuring a quote from my book, which the peeps at...

Here’s a gif featuring a quote from my book, which the peeps at Tor made for me. I’ll be posting four more of these over the next month or so. :)

"The thing that motivates your characters is also the thing that will keep you typing away, after you..."

“The thing that motivates your characters is also the thing that will keep you typing away, after you feel like giving up — because your characters want something so badly, you feel compelled to keep driving them towards their goal (and putting obstacles in their way.)”

- How to Write a Sincere First Draft of Your Science Fiction or Fantasy Epic