Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Kickstarter, Ukraine, Writers, writing on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Elizabeth Bear recently posted about a new Ukrainian speculative fiction anthology at Kickstarter.
Heads up about a very cool Ukrainian SFF Anthology!
The project is focused on Ukrainian and diaspora writers, all translated into English.
I enjoy supporting artists where I can, particularly those in such difficult situations.
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I’m interested in seeing the current and future world through new perspectives.
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Sign me up.
Here’s a link to the project.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, ideas, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
― Thomas Edison
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, Affinity Photo, art, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing on August 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The week-long Writers of the Future workshop included a number of interviews touching on topics ranging from our work, how we made it to the contest, to what it was like to win. One of these interviews was for the contest’s own podcast, and we were asked to do an episode.
Constant blogging aside, I’m actually a bit shy, and I was not looking forward to talking for an hour All About Me. As I headed up to the interview room, I realized that there were already three other winners inside. It was my lucky day: all four of us did the interview together and it was terrific. If you follow this site you’ve seen Elaine’s work before, but here she talks about her history and her writing. Sarah and April are both brilliant illustrators, and it was fascinating to hear more about that side of the contest, as well as their experiences on the way to becoming winners.
Chatting with such interesting and talented women was a great experience. Hope you enjoy the interview too.
Stream episode 237. 4 Award-winning authors and artists discuss their journeys to winning
— Elaine Midcoh, author of “A Trickle in History” (elainemidcoh.wordpress.com)
— J.R. Johnson, author of “Piracy for Beginners” (jrjohnson.me)
— Sarah Morrison, illustrator of “Death and the Taxman” (sarahmorrisonillustration.com)
— April Solomon, illustrator of “Moonlight and Funk” (AprilSolomonArt.com)
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, science fiction, sff, Writers, writing on July 24, 2023| 3 Comments »
Today, an award-winning piece from friend and fellow Writers of the Future winner Elaine Midcoh. “Man on the Moon” won the 2022 Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award, and was also showcased at Escape Pod.
I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more from this world. Read or listen below!
Escape Pod 895: Man on the Moon
Sasha’s eyebrows shot up. Her driver made the final turn back to the resort dome. Within minutes they would enter the airlock and then she would – what? “I’m not a criminal defense lawyer. I haven’t read a criminal case since law school. What am I supposed to do?”
Zander grimaced. “Whatever you can. The next transport to the moon is in ten days. It’s booked up, but we’re trying to clear a seat for a top defense lawyer. Until then, you’re on your own.”
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, @tordotcom, creativity, Fiction, free fiction, genre fiction, Writers, writing on July 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Tor.com has another collection out, and in honor of its 15th anniversary it will be free from now until the end of July. (That’s July 2023, to all you time travelers out there.)
It’s Our Birthday! Download the Free Tor.com 15th Anniversary Short Fiction Bundle
This year on July 20th, Tor.com turns 15! Since that long-ago year of 2008, we’ve published more than 600 original stories from authors around the world. To celebrate, we’ve pulled together some highlights from those last 15 years into a special, free, limited-time bundle!
Free fiction by good writers in a convenient package. What’s not to like?
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, doing my best, Fiction, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time.”
— Sandra Day O’Connor
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Fiction, genre fiction, Hugo Awards, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The finalists for the 2023 Hugo Awards have been announced!
Best Novel
- Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree (Cryptid; Tor)
- Nettle & Bone, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
- The Spare Man, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
- The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Jo Fletcher)
- Nona the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tordotcom)
- The Kaiju Preservation Society, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK)
See the full list of nominees across all categories at Locus Online: 2023 Hugo, Astounding, and Lodestar Awards Finalists. Winners will be announced at Chengdu Worldcon in October.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, speculative fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »
J.R. Johnson On How To Create Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories
What does it take for a writer today, to write compelling and successful Science Fiction and Fantasy stories?
Click over to Authority Magazine for my thoughts! If you can’t access the file there, here’s a PDF (but the formatting is better at Authority!).
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, authoring, Fiction, genre fiction, Writers, writing on July 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A huge thank you to everyone who attended today’s signing of Writers of the Future Volume 39, and to the terrific staff at Ottawa’s Perfect Books. Also, particular thanks to the friends who trekked across the city, wrangled energetic children, or both! You made it a special experience.
Enjoy the book!
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Some thoughts on writing and practice and success:
They taught me not to fail – by Elizabeth Bear
A lot of writing advice books like to concentrate on all the things you’re probably doing wrong, it so happens, and tell you how not to do those things. This—along with modern school systems where the goal is Not To Fail—trains writers to think in terms of not doing things wrong, not making mistakes, etc.
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I’ve often said that following all those rules about what not to do without developing a list of things you do right will turn you into the literary equivalent of a garage band, and the thing about garage bands is that they all sound alike.
And what if what’s new isn’t just the scary unknown, but something that could actually be great?
Quest for Craft: Season 1 | Episode 4: Malcolm Gladwell interviewed by Questlove
[Gladwell] Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking what the audience wants is mastery…. but actually they don’t want to see something done perfectly. What we want is something exciting. Something that challenges us and engages us.
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[Questlove] Practice versus curiosity, what’s more important? Like most deep truths, the answer is not either/or, but both/and. Practice is key, but it only gets you so far. To level up, you need the hunger and openness of a beginner’s mind.
Yes, if you want to get good at something, practice. But, if you want to get great, if you want to add your voice to the world, step out of your groove and try something new.
Ready? Set? Here’s an example of something new.
Secret Agent Man Gayageum ver. by Luna Lee – YouTube
Fun, right? 🙂
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