Alan Baxter's Blog, page 77

Story truth from photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson

I'm in Brisbane for the Emerging Writers Festival, which I'll blog about in greater detail during the week when I get back. In the meantime, I have the morning to myself so I came to see an exhibition of Henri Cartier-Bresson's photography at the Art Gallery.

I'm glad I did. It's an amazing collection of photographs evoking incredible nostalgia and place. Cartier-Bresson is a master storyteller with his imagery. Very powerful stuff. While soaking up the exhibition I saw this and had to share. Tis a great truth:

Apostrophe abuse!

Gah!

Eighty-Nine: spec fic from Literary Mix Tapes – review

Literary Mix Tapes is an imprint of eMergent Publishing. They have a pretty cool concept: Anthologies of speculative fiction, based around music, all edited by the incomparable Jodi Cleghorn. If you recognise that name, it's because I talked about her recently with her work on the 100 Stories For Queensland anthology that featured my short story, The Speaking Tree. Jodi really is a rising star in the editing world and I can say from experience that she's a pleasure to work with. Literary Mix Tapes is her baby and she's producing some great books. She released Deck The Halls, where each story was inspired by a line from the Christmas song. Then there was Nothing But Flowers, inspired by the Talking Heads song. I have a story, Fear Is The Sin, in the LMT anthology, Tiny Dancer: Shadows at the Stage Door, due out next year. That one is inspired by the Elton John song, with each yarn being drawn from a line of the song. (My line was "Jesus freaks, out in the street" and I'm very proud of the story I came up with. I'll be sure to mention here when that book is out.)

In the meantime, there's Eighty-Nine. Rather than a particular song, this one takes a playlist of music from the year 1989 and has the authors weave together speculative fiction stories using their alloted song and any political or historical event from the same year. The result is a book of incredible variety and diversity.

I remember 1989 very clearly, so the music and events portrayed through these stories is particularly nostalgic. But even if you weren't born back then, there's a lot to like in this collection and some very evocative writing. Not every story worked for me, but that's the beauty of an anthology of short fiction – for every story you don't really get into, there's at least two or three you do.

This book contains stories of horror, alternate history, science fiction, fantasy and more. Some of the tales are very literary, some more in the pulp style. In some the speculative elements are very apparent, in others they're very subtle. Some stories tie the year in question to modern times, or take a historical view from the distant past leading up to 1989. Others take a science fictional approach that ties back to or references the year. The interpretation of the theme  by the authors is as varied and colourful as the music and events of the time. This book is a truly inspired concept and the writers have all risen well to the challenge.

The net result is an excellent collection with something for everyone. And especially for those people who remember 1989. If you know someone old enough to recall the year, who is a fan of spec fic, this would make a fantastic gift. And get yourself a copy while you're at it.

Eighty-Nine is officially launched on October 25th. You can pre-order here, in print or ebook format, and the 50th pre-order customer will score a bonus book pack. If you can't wait, you can order from Amazon now.

Or, I can hook you up with a paperback copy. Leave a comment below telling me what your favourite song from 1989 is, and why. The one that I find most interesting will get a copy of Eighty-Nine. Yes, this is a completely arbitrary decision, so think of your favourite song from 1989 and a good story to go with it. It doesn't have to be true – we all love a bit of fiction around here.

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Writing with no regrets – Guest post from Lorna Suzuki

There are many ways to get published these days, and the face of publishing is changing all the time. Self-publishing no longer carries the kind of stigma it used to, yet there is still a fairly valid supposition that most self-published work will be inferior in quality of story and presentation. This is certainly not always the case, as many success stories have shown us recently. There are also authors starting the traditional way, but taking control of their own publishing later. Small and indie press are providing writers with more opportunities than ever. With that in mind, today I have a guest post from Lorna Suzuki who has turned down offers of traditional publishing to go her own way, which includes a film deal for her self-published work. I thought her story might be interesting for readers here. Enjoy.

Writing With No Regrets
by Lorna Suzuki

In my short fiction-writing career, I've been blessed and more fortunate than most writers, especially being that I am an indie author.

I know many authors seek validation by being published through traditional means, even if it's not one of the big six. They believe traditional publishing means they are now credible writers, even though some question the quality of some of these books being published. Once, an aspiring author seeking traditional publication mentioned that writers like me are 'jumping the queue', thereby making it harder for serious writers like him to compete in this business. I've even been to writers conferences and have overheard authors seeking traditional publication speak of how they'd 'never stoop so low as to resort to self-publishing' as they, with their noses turned up, rushed by workshops covering this very topic.

For me, I'm proudly indie and deliberately so. I never started writing fantasy with the intention of becoming rich, receiving a huge advance from a large publishing company or to have my name on the cover of a book. Maybe I'm naïve to be happy knowing my fantasy series is slowly but steadily gathering a following and making its way into libraries in Canada and the U.S., but writing fiction for a living was something I never truly considered.

I wrote my fantasy series as a lasting gift to my daughter. I created an imaginary realm filled with characters whose stories I felt were worth sharing with the world.

Now, for those who say I was never published traditionally because my work is mediocre and I just couldn't land an agent: I've had two literary agents in the past, the last had an excellent track record with multi-book deals with the big publishing houses in New York. The whole experience was not exactly soul-crushing, more disheartening than anything else.

I released my last agent, and used Kim Roberts, one of Hollywood North's most talented, knowledgeable entertainment attorneys (and producer of Sepia Films) to negotiate a wonderful option agreement with a fantastic production company.

Even with agent representation, it's been either the editors or president of publishing companies I've met on my own, than via any agent introduction.

In the case of one successful, growing Canadian publishing company, the president of Libros Libertad had been following my writing career via the local newspapers and on TV. He contacted me when I was in the midst of meetings with a film producer seeking rights to option my adult fantasy series. The president of this company was pleasant, professional and as a writer, he understood the challenges many authors face, and that many worthy novels never get out there because the competition is fierce.

We did have couple of great meetings, and I did go as far as reviewing a publishing contract, but the burden of negotiating film rights had far greater precedence at the time, so I had to decline his offer of a multi-book deal to focus on this.

The next person interested in publishing rights for the adult fantasy came from the editor of Raincoast Publishing (their claim to fame was being the publisher of the Harry Potter series in Canada). I met Raincoast editor Jessie Finkelstein at the Surrey International Writers Conference. When we were discussing the Imago fantasy series, Ms. Finkelstein loved the concept of a strong female protagonist that had NO supernatural powers to take on much larger opponents. She found it refreshing that I featured a petite female warrior, one that used her intuition, years of training and smarts to overcome challenges to survive in a world that was not tolerant of her type, the only half human/half elf being in her realm.

Ms. Finkelstein loved that the female protagonist had fighting skills grounded in reality (based on my style of martial arts), blended in with a high level of action as well as a poignant story that touched on real world issues like overcoming racial and religious intolerance, male chauvinism, abuse and the will to survive against incredible odds.

She loved the concept so much, but Raincoast specializes in YA fiction, not adult fantasy. Because Ms. Finkelstein was aware of the level of violence and the sexual content, she had to ask: "Are you willing to rewrite your series for a YA audience?"

Now, some writers struggling to be picked up by a traditional publishing house denounced me as being crazy for giving the answer I did, but I already had a growing fan base of very loyal Imago fans, the ones who drop everything to attend my annual book launches to get their next fantasy fix. At the risk of being accused of selling out or disappointing the fans that loved the series written with an adult audience in mind, I had no choice but to say no to Ms. Finkelstein.

Do I regret saying no to her? Do I ever wonder what would have happened if I did rewrite to fit Raincoast's catalogue? The answer is no.

Just last month, the executive producer who had optioned rights for the first three novels in the Imago series for a major motion picture trilogy contacted me. A publisher in Asia who knew of my series and the impending movie project asked the executive producer to contact me to see if I'd be interested in negotiating rights for the release of the Imago series in Asia.

I was flattered they wanted this, but for me, I didn't even bother asking the executive producer who they were and what were they willing to offer.

Crazy, right?

Maybe… but for me, I'm a firm believer that things will happen when they are supposed to happen and whom they are supposed to happen with. And like my female protagonist, I tend to follow my intuition. I've spent much of my life multi-tasking on so many levels. Somewhere along the line, this means something can suffer in the process. I felt it was better for me to focus on one project at a time. As the creative consultant of the upcoming motion picture trilogy, it's better to give the proper care and attention to the movie project now, than to regret it later.

Now, don't get me wrong. When the time is right, under the proper terms and conditions with the most suitable traditional publishing company, I might consider an offer. It will have to be right on many levels for me to give up self-publishing, especially in light of the fact J.K. Rowling, with her Pottermore.com website, has almost single-handedly made self-publishing respectable now.

In the meantime, I'm quite happy being indie. For now, the executive producer wants me to continue building the fan base as we march toward full production! So, off I go, trying to win readers over one book at a time. And thank you, Alan, for inviting me to do this guest blog.

You can find Lorna on twitter: @LornaSuzuki
Or at her website: http://web.me.com/imagobooks.ca

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Hope anthology online launch this weekend

The Hope anthology from Kayelle Press is launching globally this weekend. It's a great book, for a great cause. My story, Duty and Sacrifice, is included, along with a number of other excellent stories by some seriously talented authors, interspersed with articles and essays on suicide awareness. Profits from the book are going to suicide awareness charities. It's a good book for a really good cause, so if you can spare some time, get along to the launch and get yourself a copy.

There's a Facebook page for the launch here, and over the course of this weekend ten digital copies will be given away. Below is a full table of contents, followed by a short description of each story:

Table of Contents:

Preface by Karen Henderson
Introduction by Simon Haynes
High Tide at Hot Water Beach by Paul Haines
Suicide: An Introduction by Warren Bartik and Myfanwy Maple
Burned in the Black by Janette Dalgliesh
Australian Suicide Statistics
The Haunted Earth by Sean Williams
The Causes of Suicide
Eliot by Benjamin Solah
Warning Signs
Boundaries by Karen Lee Field
Indigenous Suicides
The Encounter by Sasha Beattie
Drugs and Alcohol
The God on the Mountain by Graham Storrs
Suicide Around the World
Deployment by Craig Hull
Suicide: The Impact by Myfanwy Maple and Warren Bartik
Flowers in the Shadow of the Garden by Joanne Anderton
Helping a Friend Through Loss
Blinded by Jodi Cleghorn
Myths and Facts
The Choosing by Rowena Cory Daniells
How to Help Someone at Risk of Suicide by beyondblue
Duty and Sacrifice by Alan Baxter
What You Can Do to Keep Yourself Safe by beyondblue
A Moment, A Day, A Year… by Pamela Freeman
Where to Get Help
About the Authors

The Stories:

High Tide at Hot Water Beach by Paul Haines
A man dying of a terminal disease bets his life on one last chance at survival, a chance that looks like certain death from the perspective of his family.

Burned in the Black by Janette Dalgliesh
A jaded starbeast herder, with more secrets than she cares for and a difficult task ahead, is swept into an uneasy alliance with a troubled technobard whose unique gifts could mean her salvation … or her downfall.

The Haunted Earth by Sean Williams
Not all aliens are evil, but every first contact comes at a cost.

Eliot by Benjamin Solah
Eliot hides his dark memories in the pages of journals. But there is one memory he needs to uncover once the face paint washes away.

Boundaries by Karen Lee Field
With cursed blood running through his veins and boundaries touched by magic, an escaped slave battles for life as a Freeman.

The Encounter by Sasha Beattie
A woman's desperation finds her in a small town where she learns of a dark secret that threatens to take away her only hope of happiness.

The God on the Mountain by Graham Storrs
An ambitious scientist's career may be over if she dare not seek the god on the mountain and confront it.

Deployment by Craig Hull
After choosing the loneliness of deep space, a woman must confront her painful past to save the life of a child.

Flowers in the Shadow of the Garden by Joanne Anderton
In the ruins of a dying magical Garden, two people from opposite sides of a dangerous clash of cultures must learn to trust each other to survive.

Blinded by Jodi Cleghorn
The past and present collide for exo-biologist Dr Thaleia Halligan when the most recent addition to her exploration team is revealed as something other than a field medic for hire.

The Choosing by Rowena Cory Daniells
In a harsh, tropical paradise, a world of scattered islands where the poor live on boats and whole tribes live the canopies of sea- growing trees, two boys set off to prove they are worthy of being called men.

Duty and Sacrifice by Alan Baxter
In endless grasslands an assasin works her way towards the biggest job of her life, and maybe the last.

A Moment, A Day, A Year… by Pamela Freeman
The Oracle ordains everyone's role in the Yearly Round, but there are more choices to be made than anyone knows, and some of them are deadly.

The page for the anthology at the Kayelle Press website is here. Look at those names above! Go get your copy now.

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Conflux 7 – a quick report

I'm supposed to be on holiday for the rest of this week, but I just wanted to post a quick report on Conflux 7, which happened this past long weekend. Conflux is the Canberra-based annual Fantasy and Science Fiction convention, and it holds a special place in my heart. I love the vibe of this particular con, always friendly and open. It lived up to that rep once again.

There were many highlights for me. The Angry Robot launch was excellent and well attended. Kaaron Warren and Joanne Anderton were there to launch their books, Mistification and Debris. Trent Jamieson was there in spirit, though not in person, as his new book, Roil, was also included in the launch. Kaaron's daughter made angry robot cupcakes for the event, which looked great and tasted better:

The official opening ceremony followed that, MCd by the incomparable Jack Dann. There's no one quite like Jack Dann, for which we should probably all be thankful, but he's a great guy and loads of fun. He's one of the good guys and opened the con with great enthusiasm.

Following the opening ceremony was the official launch of the new CSFG Publishing anthology, Winds Of Change. That book includes my story, Dream Shadow. There were a staggering fifteen contributing authors and artists at the convention, so a mass signing table was set up and we all sat down to sign for people buying the book. It sold really well – my signing hand was fully a-cramped by the end. Here's a shot of the mass signing – you can spot me by my terrible posture:

Quite a night, involving lots of beer, and that was only the first evening.

Other personal highlights for me included the Evil Overlord panel, on the subject of the Best Getaway Vehicle for an Evil Overlord. I was moderating that panel, with Laura E Goodin, Kathleen Jennings and Phil Berrie. We started by discussing some of our ideas, then I opened the floor to the audience. Lots of suggestions were made and discussed, a long list was whittled to a short list and a final vote decided that the ideal getaway vehicle was a Monkey-style flying cloud. I'm pleased to say that was my original suggestion. Not only that, the incredibly talented Kathleen Jennings illustrated the winner. Here's me with The Duck Lord:

I'm honoured to have that very drawing hanging on the wall of my study right now.

I enjoyed the Paths To Publishing panel I was on, along with Cat Sparks, Nicole Murphy and Natalie Costa-Bir. That was one of those panels where I got to share my own experience and learn a lot at the same time – always the best kind in my mind.

Right after that panel, due to a bit of a SNAFU, the Guests Of Honour gathered for their Q&A panel, but there was no MC present. I stepped up and got to wrangle the audience for questions for four very cool people – awesome author Kim Westwood, editor extraordinaire Natalie Costa-Bir, and artists Lewis Morley and Marilyn Pride. Hearing them talk about their processes and projects, and where they're headed next was very interesting. Here's a pic of that panel:

L to R: Lewis Morley, Marilyn Pride, Natalie Costa-Bir, Kim Westwood and me (last minute ring-in MC)

From that panel I went directly to one about the influence of heavy metal music on SF, and SF's influence on it. The panel consisted of myself, Tracey O'Hara and Joanne Anderton. We also talked about the influence of extreme music on us and our writing. It was a great panel, very interesting and vibrant, and I think everyone there, including the three of us, left with a list of new bands to check out. Here's that panel:

L to R: Tracey O'Hara, me, Joanne Anderton

I attended several other items as an audience member too. Probably the highlights for me were Kim Westwood's Guest Of Honour speech, the panel on short story writing (with Kim Westwood, Jack Dann, Kaaron Warren, Helen Stubbs and Cat Sparks), the panel on why we love the dark and macabre in our art (with Andrew J McKiernan, Kaaron Warren and Kyla Ward), and a reading by Kaaron Warren of a new short story, which resulted in a very interesting discussion afterwards, talking about the themes of the story. I'd love to see more of that at cons, and I'd love the opportunity to read one of my short stories to a group and have a discussion about it afterwards. I also really enjoyed the Historical Banquet on Saturday night, a 1929 Zeppelin themed dinner. Well done Gillian Polack for that one. Of course, I did loads more stuff, but it's all swirling in the misty pseudo-memory that is my post-con brain right now.

Just reading over that, I look like a right Kaaron Warren fanboi. And you know what? I am. Not only that, Kaaron was kind enough to put me up over the weekend and make me coffee and bacon sandwiches. She's absolutely lovely in every way and an incredible talent. I'm honoured to call her my friend. In fact, here's a pic of three of my favourite SF ladies and me:

L to R: Jodi Cleghorn, Kaaron Warren, me, Joanne Anderton

It was also great to hang out with Cat Sparks and Rob Hood for the weekend, who were also staying at Kaaron's. And that's a fine example of the kind of SF community we have in Australia, and around the world. The F&SF community takes care of each other and every con is just an excuse to catch up with good friends and hopefully make some new ones.

The only downside to the con was that on Sunday night some junkie fuckknuckle smashed out the window of my car, bled all over it and stole a bunch of my stuff. He also smashed windows and stole stuff from at least seven other cars in the street. So that sucks the big one, but it's not enough to spoil a good con.

Conflux was great, as it always is, and I can't wait for the next one.

I've only posted a handful of pics, as those are all I've managed to pilfer thus far. I'll post links to other photos from the con when I find some. If you have any, please drop a link in the comments. Also, if you were there, share your favourite moments in the comments too.

Oh, and one last thing. There was a person there who asked me a few times to have a chat about short story markets. I kept telling her that I would find five minutes for a chat about it, yet I never did! I'm sorry – if you're reading, drop me an email.

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Conflux schedule – come and say hi

Conflux 7 will be held in Canberra, the nation's capital, this long weekend, October 1st to 3rd. I'll be there, getting involved with a few things and catching up with friends. Hopefully I'll make some new friends too. Here's a schedule of what I'll be doing.

Friday, the day before the convention proper, is open for a series of workshops and launches. I'll be running a workshop on blogging from 10am till noon, then I'll be reading from my story at the Winds Of Change launch at 7pm.

Friday, 30th September

10AM – Noon

All About Blogging
A Workshop with Alan Baxter – Yamba Room

Wikipedia describes "blogs" as a type of website or part of a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reversechronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Perhaps you would like to learn more about blogs generally, start blogging yourself, or learn how to make your own blog more interesting?

This workshop is free for Conflux members (it is not open to the general public). Participant numbers are limited for this program item, so register soon if you would like to attend.

7pm – 8pm

Launch – Winds Of Change anthology from CSFG Publishing.

This anthology includes my story, Dream Shadow, and I'll be reading an excerpt at the launch, along with several other contributing authors. There will also be nibbles.

Saturday, 1st October

9am – 10am

Evil Overlord Panel

I'll be moderating this one, with panel members Phil Berrie, Laura E Goodin and Kethleen Jennings. We'll be discussing the ideal Evil Overlord getaway vehicle and there'll be a special prize for the audience member who comes up with the best suugestion.

Sunday, 2nd October

4.30pm – 5.30pm

Publishing – What path should you take?

This is a panel with Natalie Costa Bir, Nicole Murphy and Cat Sparks. We'll be talking about all the different paths to publishing and the pros and cons of each.

6.30pm – 7.30pm

Heavy Metal panel

This should be a fun one. Myself, Jo Anderton and Tracey O'Hara will be talking about heavy metal music, its influence on spec fic and spec fic's influence on it. We'll also talk about how heavy metal has informed or inspired our own writing. Audience participation is welcomed!

Monday, 3rd October

10am – 11am

Kaffeeklatsch – Yamba Room

This is simply me in one place with a coffee, and anyone is welcome to come and join me. We can chat about anything you like, you can get books signed and so on. Come and have a chat.

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And that's it for my official engagements – a pretty quiet con for me this time. I'll be around the con all weekend and will probably get involved with other things here and there. Otherwise I'll be in panels listening in or, more likely, propping up the hotel bar.

Conflux is always a great vibe with excellent people, so come and get involved. You can get day tickets or all weekend membership and it's well worth it. See you there!

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Vale Sara Douglass, and powerful words on dying

I heard the news this morning that Australian fantasy writer Sara Douglass died around 5am. It's absolutely gutting news. I didn't know Sara personally, but her work has been a part of my life for a long time, and not just her fiction.

Her fiction is fantastic in every sense of the word, and well regarded. She won many awards and accolades for her work, and rightly so. She was probably the first truly successful female Australian fantasy author (please correct me if I'm wrong on that) and I know she was incredibly influential to many other authors, men and women alike.

But it was her fight against cancer that really stood out for me. If you're a fantasy fan, you absolutely should read her novels. If you're a human being, you absolutely should read her words on terminal illness. Sara was an amazing role model for dealing with illness and her words on dying really rang true for me. I've experienced a lot of death in my time. I've seen terminal illness run its course in many forms and seen people die as teenagers and adults from a variety of terrible and debilitating conditions. When I read Sara's blog post about dying, it hit me hard – it was just so fucking right. She opened with:

Many years ago I did an hour long interview on Adelaide radio (with Jeremy Cordeaux, I think, but my memory may be wrong). The interview was supposed to promote one of my recent publications, but for some reason we quickly strayed onto the subject of death and dying, and there we stayed for the entire hour. I proposed that as a society we have lost all ability to die well. Unlike pre-industrial western society, modern western society is ill at ease with death, we are not taught how to die, and very few people are comfortable around death or the dying. There is a great silence about the subject, and a great silence imposed on the dying. During the programme a Catholic priest called in to agree with the premise (the first and last time a Catholic priest and I have ever agreed on anything) that modern society cannot deal with death. We just have no idea. We are terrified of it. We ignore it and we ignore the dying.

She goes on to talk about how we praise people these days for dying without complaint, when really there should be shrieking and hair pulling.

When it comes to death and dying, we impose a dreadful silence on the dying lest they discomfort the living too greatly.

This is so true and really, fuck that. So often, people suffering greatly are doing their best not to discomfort those people who come to visit. When the terminally ill would rather be howling their grief at the stars or simply be left the fuck alone, they're instead being brave for other people. Those people who visit now and then without really doing anything to help the dying.

I agree with Sara completely that the dying absolutely should not keep silent for the benefit of the un-dying.

I am tired of being made to feel guilty when I want to express my fear and anguish and grief.

I am tired of keeping silent.

And I'm so glad she didn't. Everyone should read her words.

The original blog post is here.

The follow up blog post is here.

Read it. Digest it. She's right.

And you know the best thing? Sara's body of work will live on even though cancer took her from us way too soon. She was only 54, but her fantastic writing is eternal.

Vale, Sara Douglass. You were a role model and an inspiration, and may your words never fade.

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How To Write Fight Scenes Masterclass online

Regular readers here will be well aware by now that I have an ebook out called Write The Fight Right, based on my workshops of the same name. It comes from my "day job" as a martial arts instructor, combined with my writing. I love to read a good fight scene, but few people are able to write them convincingly. It's nothing to be ashamed of – after all, most writers have never had a fight and that's a good thing. Right? But I'm a career martial artist. I've had loads of fights. So I used my powers for good and found a way to share my knowledge and hopefully help writers improve their written fight scenes.

But, of course, useful though the book is, it's not nearly as informative as my actual workshops. Not everyone can get to the workshops when they run. Incidentally, the next one will be in Melbourne next year at Continuum, which will be NatCon for 2012. But fear not, non-Melburnians! In association with the incomparable Joanna Penn, of The Creative Penn, I'm bringing my Write The Fight Right workshop online. Modern technology – it's amazing.

How To Write Fight Scenes Masterclass

The masterclass will be 60 minutes of teaching followed by 30 mins Q&A. You will also receive the recording and slides from the class as well as an action work-list. All for only US$20.

The live session will be held on Thursday Oct 20, 2011 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT (9pm GMT) but there will be a recording available with the slides if you can't make the live session. That's a bit early for the Aussies, because it'll be 7am Friday morning our time, but I'm sure you'll find it worthwhile. This is the best time placement to allow people all over the world to be involved.

Have your questions answered live

On the webinar sign up page, after payment, you are able to leave your own question for me so the session is most effective for you. We will take extra questions in the Q&A part of the session on the day.

You can also submit 1 page fight scene for me to use in my critique, to help put the class lessons into direct context. No names will be mentioned, so all writing will be anonymous and will be shared with others. Please note: This webinar will be turned into a multimedia product so by submitting your writingt you are giving permission for that piece of writing to be used as a teaching aid.

In this webinar, you will learn:

* How to shorten your sentences and use effective word choice to make a fight scene more realistic
* How to write a fight scene from different gender perspectives
* Writing reactions instead of action and how that affects the way the reader experiences the fight
* How to write about the different senses during a fight scene
* Why footwork and movement are so important in a fight
* Why fighting is responding to chaos and how you incorporate that into your book
* What types of blows would different characters use in what situations?
* How does someone with training fight and how can you make those scenes realistic?
* How does someone with no experience fight?
* How you can use your setting, or construct your setting to make a more effective fight scene
* How weapons change a fight
* When you fight, you get hit. How getting hit feels for your characters and how their need for recovery might affect your plot.

All for just $20! And if you can't make the live session, you can purchase the recording of the seminar, along with all the notes, as a multimedia package afterwards.

I've set up a page specifically for the class here.

Or you can sign up now, by paying your US$20 here:

Please do tell anyone you think might be interested. And if you have any questions use the comments below.

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Thrillercast Episode 27 – Branching out as a writer with David L Golemon

The latest episode of Thrillercast is online now. It's a bit of a mega-sized podcast compared to normal, but I think you'll enjoy it. David and I talk about branching out as a writer and mixing up our genres, and we go on to discuss the subject with NY Times bestselling author, David L Golemon.

David Golemon is best known for his thrillers, but he's recently signed with a US small press for a new horror novel, what he calls a ghost story. And it certainly sounds interesting. Have a listen and see what you think.

Thrillercast Episode 27 – Branching out as a writer with David L Golemon.

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