Kelly McCullough's Blog, page 96

Beltane in the Twin Cities

Of course, nobody officially says that's what it is, but, for the past thirty-six years, a Minneapolis-based theatre troupe called In the Heart of the Beast puts on a parade and free performance in Powderhorn Park on the Sunday closest to May 1st that has grown into a celebration of epic proportions.

A number of my science fiction/fantasy writer friends have talked about trying to write about this celebration in fiction. To a person, we've agreed that it would be almost impossible, if only...

Free Comic Book Day!

I just want to remind everyone that the first Saturday in May (which this year is the 1st and, incidentally, tomorrow) is Free Comic Book Day. I learned a lot about pacing, tension, story and character (among other things, like where to order X-Ray glasses) by reading comics, and the writing & art in many of them is better than ever.

So, hie yourself down to your local purveyor of comic books tomorrow to get your free stash. And, while you're there, buy a few more -- a good story is always wo...

Friday Cat Blogging

Again with the camera? I guess I am that beautiful.



Practicing form for Olympic catnip diving.



Two cats enter, two cats nap.



I'z so big I need two picturez to show my glory!

When You Love Enough to Hate the Very Best

I love to criticize my genre in all of its various and myriad forms. There's nothing I enjoy more than ripping apart a beloved comic book plot line, a series story arc, or yelling at the top of my lungs about some bone-headed character arc in a long-running novel series. This is why I attend cons, really. There's nothing more awesome to me than finding a group of people who have all seen or read something I've been dying to complain about, and hole up in a corner of the lounge and shout about...

Money and Writing, a Thought

Money and writing is such a strange thing now that I make my living doing this crazy job. It seems that the stuff you plan for and budget around never shows up (certainly not until you've already spent it), but, every once and a while, an unexpected check comes in the mail.

Smart Things

Jay Lake saying smart things about motivation.

Margo Lanagan at Justine Larbalestier's blog saying smart thing about allowing yourself time to not write. I'm just coming out a long (for me) window of that and have three books on deck that need to be written in the next 18 months. I think it will be easier for having had the down time.

Jim Hines saying smart things about the literary costs of the American health care system. i.e. there are an awful lot of good books not getting written because m...

Friday Cat Blogging

Rarrrrrr!



Yeah, I'm a cat. Deal.



I snub you foods that requires thumbs. I snub you.



I'm too sexy for…well, anything.
I'm just tooooo sexy, period.

Wyrdsmiths Meeting Recap, 4.22.10

1. "What's your gender?" "Science fiction."

2. "L——, book me a jet!"

3. "Siege onions?!"

4. "My hunch would be mandibles."

Breaking Out

Lyda and I were talking about what makes a break-out writer.

I have some sense of what makes a mid-list writer: competent writing skills, reasonable production, the ability to listen to advice from agents and editors -- who may not always be right, but do have some idea of what's commercial. It's how they make their living, after all.

But I have not a clue what enables a writer to break out. Luck is part of the answer, I think. Another part is help from a publisher. Books tend to do better if ...

More Icelandic Horses

In the interests of posting a picture with easily visible horses, here is an Icelandic farmer with a pair of animals he lost in the ash. You get an idea of the size of the animals. They don't exactly loom over you.