M.G. Herron's Blog, page 31

Prosperity for Writers with Honor��e Corder

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Prosperity for Writers

You work hard on your writing. I want you to get the earnings and the life you deserve! You may have convinced yourself that writers don’t get paid much. You believe that you’ve taken up the mantle of the...

Book Recommendation: THE SLOW REGARD OF SILENT THINGS

Im not going to do book reviews any more. It was easy to be positive about the first one I did, but I recently read a classic scifi novel written by a BIG NAME AUTHOR and did not like it. I wrote a scathing review … but, after some reflection I sent it to the trash bin.I have no desire to be a critic.

My goal is tocelebrate good books.SoIll be posting reading recommendationsinstead. This tiny distinction is crucial as it means that I can focus on sharing good books withyoubooks I fell in love...

An End Is a New Beginning

I reached the end of a notebook today. Flipping through a full notebook is a trip.

Do you ever wish for a time machine to your past? Keep a journal. You cant change anything when you look back, but you can probably learn from the experience.

My story notebook and journal, February 2015 – May 2016

I spent half an hour rereading old pages from thisnotebook. Sometimes my words are vivid. They flow clearly. My handwriting is never easy to read, but I can surprise myself on good days. On other occ...

How Chichen Itza Inspired a Scifi Novel

Traveling has always been an inspiration to me. Get away, explore, experience a new cultureits fuel for my creativity.

In the summer of 2014, I visited the the Maya city of Chichen Itza in Mexico, and that trip inspired parts of The Auriga Project.

The Mayan Riviera

I reached Chichen Itza the same way many of the 1.4 million tourists find themselves staring up the steps of a massive stone pyramid every yearby way of a Mexican beach resort vacation.

I was working for a company at the time...

Acting Techniques for Writers with Jolyn Janis

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Acting Techniques for Writers

Acting is a sister science to writing. Writers can benefit from understanding the craft of acting in order to more fully explore the characters in their own work.

In this talk, well explore some k...

The Physics of Transporters and Quantum Teleportation

Ive been working on Tales of the Republic intensely for the past couple weeks, but thatdidnt keep me from taking a break to dig into some fun research on transporters and quantum teleportation when it came across my news feed.

If youve readThe Auriga Project, youll know that the concept depends on a working transporter, or translocator, as I call it in thenovel.Translocator, teleporter, matter transmitterwhatever you want to call the contraption, teleportation has been used as a science ficti...

Smarter Artist Summit 2016

Last week, I spent two incredible days at the Smarter Artist Summit 2016, a conference for writers and indie authors.

The Summit is a self-publishing conference for author-entrepreneurs we like to call “Smarter Artists” — independent writers who understand that successful publishers are those who are half creator and half businessperson.

Organizedby the hosts of the Self Publishing Podcast, Sean, Johnny, and Dave (and their fantastic project manager, Amy!), the event took place in central Aus...

Hiring and Managing Freelancers: Q&A with Emily Leach

Freelancers can be both a gift and a curse to a small business (like the indie author business!), but it doesnt have to be that way. We will talk through why many people struggle with hiring and managing freelancers effectively.

Understanding the freelance business model is key to solving the mystery of how to work with them; aligning your projects and expectations is what opens the door. We will go through where to look for freelancers and how to mitigate your risks to ensure a successful p...

The Best Matrix Fan Theories

The Matrix was one of the first science fiction movies to really blow my mind. It had action, hackers, philosophical mind-bending (figuratively andliterally), killer robotseverything a boy could want.

I still love all three films in the trilogy despite their flawsand there are many. The famous scene in The Matrix Reloaded where Neo speaks to the Architect while multiple versions of him call Bullshit! from the TV screens set into the back wall is particularly cryptic. The Matrix is famousforgi...

What Is Speculative Fiction?

While debates about the true meaning and inclusiveness of the term “speculative fiction” rage on among the SF community, I find that most readers don’t know what it means, or at least have trouble distinguishing speculative fiction from other genres.

I doubt the debate will soon be resolved. Whenever one voice embraces the term, another raises in outcry. Nonetheless, the “speculative fiction” enjoys wide use today and seems determined to stick around.

So, with the aim of dispelling the confus...