Posts under ‘Writing’

Yeah, I did some of that. Mostly it was a very good writing year, but for one thing: I sold no fiction whatsoever. Science first, since that pays the mortgage. Published: 3 peer-reviewied papers written in previous years 1 peer-reviewied paper written this year 1 peer-reviewied book chapter written this year 2 fact sheets 2 [...]

She said she was going to Irkutsk. He didn’t believe her. She said she wanted to travel, to find something new, to understand the world a little better. After 27 years of marriage, he knew when she was lying. She went anyway. The suit he wore to the wedding was still in the closet, shoved [...]

November. National Novel Writing Month. As already alluded to here, I sat down to write on November 1, shiny new novel idea lined up, and promptly realized that this would quickly turn into National Nervous Breakdown Month, and that would be considerably less fun. I can write 50,000 words in a month, if I have [...]

A tiny crescent moon, just past new, hovered in the west. Rick hadn’t seen so many stars in years. Ruined castles were a good place to escape light pollution, he supposed. And with no roof on this section, there was nothing to interfere with moongazing. Not that he had any interest in that himself. Of [...]

I finished revisions on the newest short story this weekend, and the first crits I’ve seen were very favorable. Yay! I pushed myself pretty hard with this one, and couldn’t tell whether the things I struggled to include were too much. Theme, dialog, unreliable narrator. Very exciting! It will be going out into the world [...]

It’s the end of the year at work, and that has prompted me to make a list of publications to date. So far in 2011, I’ve had published: Four peer-reviewed scientific journal articles One peer-reviewed scientific book chapter One science essay for Clarkesworld Nine essays for Science in My Fiction Five reviews for The Portal [...]

Isn’t that all we ever talk about around here? Apparently. Remember that zombie book that I had a story in (Rigor Amortis, Absolute XPress, 2010)? The one that sold a gajillion copies and is being reprinted? The publish date isn’t until mid-October, but there are copies in the dealer room at WorldCon in Reno. (Where [...]

I know, two topics you’ve totally never seen here before! First the writing. How to write a book in three days. Michael Moorcock did it, and explained how. If that wasn’t enough to think about, here’s Lester Dent’s Master Plot Formula for pulps. And then the science. Those word count progress bars? Just might help [...]

The internet, that is, luring me away from whatever it was that I was supposed to be doing. And really, it’s too hot to be doing anything, so why not? (Don’t answer that, please.) Some highlights: How sci-fi let women be in charge – I’m bothered by the title. “Let women be in charge” is [...]

The damned things are breeding like bunnies: I have seven short stories in progress, plus a double-handful of fragments and ideas, and just added another to the list. Plus, um, three novels-in-progress. One entirely drafted and being revised (yes, really), one about 2/3 way through, but in need of gobs of work, and one in [...]