Fran Wilde's Blog, page 34

Turning the Lights Back On

Before I get to the business of November…

Our power went back on Tuesday afternoon, and we cleared the remnants of the storm from our front yard that same day. Many people aren’t so lucky. I donated to the Red Cross from my phone when the power came back. The storm is past, but the need remains. If you want to help, visit Red Cross.

Ok. November. Some things to keep your eyes open for here this month, and into December:

Cooking the Books interviews with Steven Brust and Aliette de Bodard
Strange...

Cloudy, with a Chance of Algorithm

Photo credit: by jshj on Flickr (CC/Attribution)

We just received a package. I know, because I heard the thud.

I’m old enough to remember when a delivery person rang your doorbell and asked you to sign something, but now, what with drone-deliveries and scheduled paper-towel-updates, the cardboard boxes just land on the stoop, or in the yard.

We ordered one of those extend-grabbers for getting boxes off the roof, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Instead, we received a…

Just musing over the possibiliti...

Writer Habitats, Abridged

Source: Wikimedia Commons – Antonio Litterio (der. 2011) / Inverse Hypercube (orig.)

Getting together with other writers shakes the dust off. Also, writers know where to find the good coffee.

Here are some commonly used terms for writer habitats, their street definitions, and, when relevant, a few tips for attending one for the first time:

Workshops: Led by professional writers, with support for good critiquing methods, craft techniques, and detailed reviews of submitted stories. Long-running re...

Reading, Railways & Radio – big fun day

I seem to be liveblogging today’s adventures. We’ll see how long it lasts!

Setting out:

Background music: Richard Thompson – Rumor & Sigh

Art Deco & John Kessel

Background music: Gillian Welch – Revival

City:

Background sound: car horns

CUNY Radio (John’s interviewing, I’m watching.)


Background sound: house band: The Narrative

MoMA:

KGB:

So much fun today – many thanks to Ellen Datlow for the KGB readings and to John Kessel who let me tag along.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled bl...

The Importance of Pie: Cooking the Books with James D. Macdonald

The first of the Mageworlds books, by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald

Neo science fiction and fantasy writers discover James D. Macdonald through a variety of channels: he is Uncle Jim on the Absolute Write forums’ “Learn Writing with Uncle Jim;” he is a crusader against predatory publishers, and coiner of “Yog’s Law,” which states: “money flows towards the writer;” Macdonald is also a founding instructor of the Viable Paradise Writers Workshop, which takes place each autumn on Martha’s Vin...

The Next Big Thing

Pages from one of DaVinci’s notebooks, which is much better organized and more clearly written than my notebooks. Also, darn cool.

A.C. Wise tagged me in herNext Big Thingblog post and told me to talk about my WIP, then tag other authorsand ask them to talk about their WIPs. I’m used to asking other writers questions about their work with Cooking the Books. Let’s see what happens when I put myself in the hot seat.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing

1. What is the title of your Work i...

The Viable Paradise Kitchen, part 2: Cooking the Books, fudge edition

Viable Paradise workshop takes place each year in October, on Martha’s Vineyard. Current instructors include James D. Macdonald, Dr. Debra Doyle, Elizabeth Bear, Steven Gould, Steve Brust, Sherwood Smith, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and Patrick Nielsen Hayden

In part 2 of The Viable Paradise Kitchen, we aim to balance part 1with something sweet. Our friend Bart has helped feed the able hearts and crumbling minds of the annual Viable Paradise workshop for five years. He is known to travel with sever...

The Viable Paradise Kitchen, part 1: Cooking the Books with MacAllister Stone

Viable Paradise workshop takes place each year in October on Martha’s Vineyard. Current instructors include James D. Macdonald, Dr. Debra Doyle, Elizabeth Bear, Steven Gould, Steve Brust, Sherwood Smith, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Each year since 2007, MacAllister Stone, Editor in Chief of Absolute Write, has fed the able hearts and crumbling minds of the annualViable Paradise workshop with meals that are amazingly good (if you’ve been to VP, you know what I’m talking ab...

Nature Magazine publishes “Without” in Sept. 20 Issue

Nature, Volume 489 Number 7416

I’m married to a Ph.D. biochemist, soNature Magazine is popular in my house for both the Futures section and all the science.

I was at Readercon when I learned my story “Without” had been accepted for publication in Nature, and I had a fine time phoning home and announcing that I’d been published there…before my husband had. Husband was very patient, and even a little chuffed, though he pretended to be jealous.

You can now read “Without,” online, or in print at you...

For the Greater Good

The Internet and one of its many, many kittens. Wikimedia Commons image. Photo Credit: Sasan Geranmehr

Ok, some Sunday morning musing for you: How do we as a culture determine what is ‘good’?

In any field, at any point in history, a pulse-point of ‘good’ has been established. That’s where we get various cannons – quite often the creative works of a dominant culture, to the detriment of other voices, other data.

Also throughout history, arbitersof taste abound, marketing studies flourish, trends...