Posted in Writing, tagged creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, science fiction, sff, speculative fiction, Thoughts, work, writing on January 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Someone asked me why I write fantasy and science fiction. Even better, the question was posed with the sort of genuine interest and curiosity everyone hopes to hear in a personal question that holds meaning. I gave an involved answer that I won’t repeat here because I’m going to give you a better one:
It’s what I love. So that’s what I do.
It’s that simple, and that complicated:)
Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged artists, creativity, Fiction, inspiration, literature, persistence, The Atlantic, Thoughts, Writers, writing on December 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all. If you have time between the presents and the eggnog and family celebrations, consider spending a few moments with The Atlantic’s series on writers, writing and the creative process, “By Heart.” I spotlighted the By Heart interview with William Gibson a few weeks ago, but there are dozens of other perspectives on creativity here as well.
…we live so many lives, contain so much experience, that even the people who know us best don’t know.
Featured artists start with a favorite line from literature and go from there, discussing how that line shaped them, sharing practical advice on getting started, revision, productivity, genre fiction and more. Joe Fassler has a nice summary column called “How to Write: A Year in Advice from David Mitchell, Yiyun Li, and More” with highlights from the past year; the full series lives here.
Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged Alzheimer's, artists, Deverry, fantasy, Fiction, fundraiser, Katherine Kerr, Thoughts, Writers, writing, YouCaring on December 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »
While I don’t post on Twitter some tweets do come across my desk from time to time. Emergency kittens. Puppy vines. And, more significantly, writers in need.
Right now Katherine Kerr, author of the Deverry series and more, is in need of support. Her husband has Alzheimer’s and as his sole caregiver she barely has time to check her email, much less write. If you love her books or just want to provide her with a bit of breathing room in a difficult time, there is a YouCaring page set up for contributions.
Because writers are people too. And so are readers.
Posted in Writing, tagged artists, books, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, science fiction, sff, speculative fiction, The Atlantic, Thoughts, William Gibson, Writers, writing on November 24, 2014| 1 Comment »
What draws a reader into a book? What breaks their connection with the material world and plugs the brain into an alternative dimension? Sure, cover design, a known author and positive publicity blurbs all have something to do with it, but as speculative fictioneer William Gibson argues in The Atlantic, the first sentence is what invites you in.
The First Sentence Is a Handshake – The Atlantic
For William Gibson, author of The Peripheral, a kind of invitation is extended—and readers will or won’t feel what he calls “the click.” But it’s not just about connecting with an audience. In a conversation for this series, Gibson explained how first sentences invite the writer, too: they contain a blueprint for the book that will be written.
I don’t write the way Gibson does, laboring over the first line until it is worthy of the effort the rest of the book will take, but I do go back to it and rewrite. Ahem. A lot.
The article is full of interesting thoughts from the man who coined the term “cyberspace.” For more on Gibson’s method, his views on the proper balance between mystery and clarity, and a discussion of his newest book, The Peripheral, check out the full article at The Atlantic.
Posted in Writing, tagged artists, arts, choreography, creativity, dancing, ideas, inspiration, that pesky muse, Thoughts, Twyla Tharp, work, writing on November 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »
After my post last week about Isaac Asimov’s ideas on, well, ideas, a friend sent me a great link on creativity. It’s over at Kim Manley Ort’s blog and is a nice introduction to Twyla Tharp’s 2006 book, The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life.
As one of America’s preeminent choreographers with more than half a century of creative experience, Tharp has a handle on how to channel the muse. The post introduces Tharp’s thoughts on creativity, how to call it, how to harness it and where to ride it when you do. Not all of her lessons may apply to you but most of it can be translated from person to person, and discipline to discipline. The fact that her chosen form of communication is dance does not mean that her advice is necessarily less relevant for those of us who write.
I found her thoughts insightful; I hope you do too.
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, Martian Ballet, Mary Robinette Kowal, pithy advice, science fiction, sff, speculative fiction, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on November 19, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Mary Robinette Kowal, that font of wisdom and Regency fashion tips, has a nice column on bad writing advice.
There’s a bunch of aphorisms about writing that started as good, pithy advice in part of someone’s lecture. Then they got pulled out of context and then misapplied.
Mary breaks down the standards that every beginning writer hears and talks about what they really mean, and when they are useful (spoiler: not always!). Write what you know, show don’t tell, raise the stakes, and kill your darlings, all so often repeated as gospel.
If you’ve ever tried to merge the advice to “write what you know” with the burning desire to write about Martian ballerinas and the prospectors who love them, well, fellow speculators, this is for you.
/totally going off to write a story about Martian ballet… right after I finish my novel!
Posted in Writing, tagged arts, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, Isaac Asimov, literature, MIT’s Technology Review, nanowrimo, science, science fiction, sff, speculative fiction, Thoughts, work, Writers, writing on November 14, 2014| 2 Comments »
Like many of you I’m doing NaNoWriMo and as such I am more than usually interested in questions of creativity and how to help it along. The following is from an essay in MIT’s Technology Review by Isaac Asimov, in which he asks that most fundamental of questions, “How Do People Get New Ideas?”
… what is needed is not only people with a good background in a particular field, but also people capable of making a connection between item 1 and item 2 which might not ordinarily seem connected… Making the cross-connection requires a certain daring.
And so to you I say (with a nod to Theodore Roosevelt), dare greatly!
Posted in Food and..., Writing, tagged food, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, writing on October 24, 2014| 1 Comment »
When I meet someone new, especially if they are from another culture or country, I like to ask what they eat at home. It’s a simple yet often intriguing question, with the potential to upend basic assumptions while also opening a door onto the experience of another life.
In that spirit, I was fascinated to come across this New York Times Magazine article on what kids eat for breakfast. Sounds dull? Nay, say I. The article and accompanying photos provide an engaging glimpse into one of the most basic facets of our lives: breakfast.
Children begin to acquire a taste for pickled egg or fermented lentils early — in the womb, even.
How do we start the day? What do parents consider appropriate fuel for their children? How do those choices reflect their economic realities, historical trends, and geographic locations? Their societies?
The child in Japan eats much different food than the child in Holland or Turkey. Which looks best to you, and why? There is such variety in the food described, and of course this only scratches the surface. It’s the sort of thing I try to keep in mind when I’m writing. My breakfast is not necessarily your breakfast, especially if “you” grew up on Mars.
Posted in Food and..., Other, tagged be prepared, fashion, gender, Saint Harridans, Tanya Basu, Terminator 2, The Atlantic, Thoughts, women on October 3, 2014| 3 Comments »
This!
The Gender Politics of Pockets by Tanya Basu.
Conditions are ripe for a revolution in pockets for women…
Go ahead and laugh if you like, but if you do I will argue that (imho) you are probably male. In my experience men often don’t realize that women’s pockets can be a total sham. This is why I liberated my father’s 1960s suit from the back of his closet in my teenage years (well, that and my flings with Vespas and British ska). This is why I adore the idea of Saint Harridan‘s suits for women (inside pockets ftw, people!). This is why I spent a not-insignificant amount at my local tailor to have the front pockets in my new jeans boosted to adult size. Yes, I do want to carry more than a tube of lip gloss in there. Crazy talk, I know!
I don’t use a purse.* You wouldn’t either if you spent as much time as I do thinking about disasters and alien invasions and the zombie apocalypse. When that sort of thing happens you just have to run, you know? Can’t be stopping to find your designer bag. And then what? You’re out in the forest with no phone or money or credit cards or keys or hair band (don’t even get me started on women and hair in action movies**). If I must carry larger items I go for the backpack. (And yes, I two-strap it:)
Addendum: For those of you who want more on the long history (and sad demise) of women’s pockets, check out this useful Marketplace article on the subject: Why women’s pockets are useless: A history. Thanks to my mother, who remembers having similar thoughts 40 years ago, for the link.
* I find them a hassle, easy to forget in inconvenient places, tough on the shoulders, and prone to removal by passing ne’er-do-wells. Although I do like saying “ne’er-do-wells.”
** I’ll just mention that when Sarah Connor tied back her hair in Terminator 2, I cheered. Honestly, have these people never tried to fire a rifle on a windy day with long hair? Not recommended.
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