time_shark‘s anthology Clockwork Phoenix 3, which includes my story "Lineage", is now available on Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1607620626) Only $11.95 for fifteen stories. Authors include , , , , , Tannith Lee, John C. Wright… well, you get the picture.
I listen to a lot of audio fiction. My commute is only about 20 minutes each way, but it’s astonishing how much you can get through over time. Moby Dick, for example, and Crime and Punishment, and most of the Ender series, and all of Lord of the Rings with […]
With 19 days left to go, we are 53% funded, which is pretty nearly on track. I’m thrilled and amazed that there’s been so much support. This is so neat. Still, we have $1,188 to go, and the project gets nothing at all unless the goal is reached. (Some people have asked me […]
I saw several other writers do this, and it looked like fun. First Lines Meme Below are the first lines from each story on which I am currently working. Not included on this list are stories I have submitted for publication. The stories are in alphabetical order by title. And, […]
With 30 days to go, my Kickstarter project is 50% funded!
So I’ve initiated a Kickstarter funding experiment. Whether it works or not, I had a blast putting it together — it’s the cheesiest, most gimmicky thing I could dream up. (And making the video was a hoot!) If the project or the presentation inspires or amuses you, would you consider […]
I heard on Escape Pod that the Union Dues series may be coming to television. The prospective producer, Doug Nabors, posed the following question about superhero television series, to help him pitch this one properly: Historically, costumed hero shows have failed, or have been perceived as juvenile camp. Why have […]
I must say, I love the idea of providing seed capital for a new filmmaker. How about you?
I recently got into a conversation with Stan Robinson about the efficacy of depressing fiction. I then began chatting about it with some of my Clarion classmates, and I thought I’d open up the discussion to y’all.
Here’s a glass lifted to my LJ friends who are on the storySouth Notable Stories list for 2009: for both "The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles" and "Spar" for "Galactic Stress" for "The Sound of Gears" for "Shades of White and Road" for "Early Winter, Near Jenli Village" for […]
I really should write more reviews. I read a lot, and have opinions about everything, and I have a lot of praise to bestow. Time, time is the issue. I’ll eventually getting around to posting some comments about the Nebula nominees I voted for, anyway. But as for now: Just […]
time-shark is offering Review Copies of Clockwork Phoenix 3 to those who will write and post reviews. You can contact Mike at mythicdelirium@gmail.com, or look at the details of his offer here.
I’m very pleased to announce that the online literary journal Newport Review will publish my story "Conflagration" in its Spring/Summer issue. "Conflagration" was one of my two Clarion submission stories. The other was "Liza’s Home," which is in the current issue of GUD. And while I encourage y’all to shell […]
The Clarion Writers Workshop at UCSD in San Diego has posted its list of students for 2010: Gregory Bossert Stacie Brown John Chu William Farrar Erin Gonzales Jessica Hilt Jennifer Hsyu Adam Israel Dustin Monk Tamsyn Muir Laura Praytor LaTisha Redding Dallas Taylor Leah Thomas Karin Tidbeck Tom Underberg Kali […]
Redstone Science Fiction is a new online SF mag that will publish stories of 4,000 words or less and pay pro rates (5 cents/word). They open for submissions on March 15.
Here are my monthly statistics for February: 5,500 new words of fiction written this month. 1 22 first drafts currently in progress. 2 1 first draft currently "ripening" before second draft. 3 5 second drafts currently in progress 0 second drafts currently in the hands of […]
I just had the pleasure of reading eugie‘s collection, Returning My Sister’s Face, and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsey and Malice, one of my birthday presents. I only recently learned of Eugie’s work, because of her phenomenal “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast“, which is […]
About two years ago I was at a law conference, presenting a paper called "Replacing Copyright." The thesis of the paper was that copyright, a regime that served a specific economic purpose to respond to a specific economic problem occasioned by the invention of the printing press, had become obsolete […]
A very happy birthday to , and many happy returns!
Issue #5 of GUD Magazine, which includes my story "Liza’s Home", is now available for purchase. A beautiful print edition with a bad-ass cover costs $12, while a PDF (including an additional copy sent to a friend!) is $3.50. The Kindle and Fictionwise versions aren’t available yet, but they will […]
For those who are attending Boskone, here are the events for which I’m a scheduled participant: Friday, February 12, 10:00 p.m., Independence Room: Reading With the kind permission of , I’ll read "Lineage", my story that will appear in Clockwork Phoenix 3. Sunday, February 14, 12:00 noon, Burroughs Room: Panel: […]
First, the good stuff: Small Beer Press will soon release A Life In Paper, a collection of short stories by the French fabulist Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud, translated by Edward Gauvin. Edward was my classmate at Clarion, and is a gifted literary SFF writer as well as a skilled translator. Putting Châteaureynaud […]
There’s still a month in which you can file an application for the Clarion Writer’s Workshop! The deadline is March 1st. I’ve told you all what it did for me. It’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. In addition to what I believe to be the palpable growth […]
This is my second (and last) year of eligibility for the Campbell Award for Best New Writer. People who attended Anticipation last year, or who are attending Aussiecon this year, or who buy a "supporting membership" in Aussiecon, are eligible to nominate writers for that award. You can […]
Wednesday I joined the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as an active member. The Analog story was my third "qualifying" sale. On the one hand, joining SFWA marks a kind of progress, sort of like "growing up". It means that I get certain privileges, and that my name can now […]
My combined mail and e-mail contained six writing-related documents today: The contract and check from for "Lineage"; One form rejection; One personal rejection; One e-mail from a slush reader saying, "I like it, but the editor won’t, but I’ll send it along anyway"; One submission acknowledgement […]
I have my monthly writing/submission stats for both December and all of 2009. First, December: 8,400 new words of fiction written this month. 1 21 first drafts currently in progress. 2 5 first drafts currently "ripening" before second draft. 3 3 second drafts currently in progress […]
has released the final table of contents for Clockwork Phoenix 3. My story "Lineage" is in position 12, between ‘s "Where Shadows Go at Low Midnight" and ‘s "Murder in Metachronopolis". (I love these titles!) Also he’s added stories by and to the list, making the total fifteen. Still really, […]
The recent fracas about the lousy pay rates in some short fiction markets has led to a discussion of what constitutes a "good" market to which to apply, or a "good" credit to put on a cover letter. If you’ve been following my compulsive numerical analysis of things like honorable […]
You can read my latest 140-character twitterfic on Thaumatrope and Twitter today. I call it "Same Day Service".
just told me that he’s buying my story "Lineage" for Clockwork Phoenix 3. Any of you who haven’t already read the previous CP anthologies, go out right now and get them, and you’ll know why I’m so thrilled. Thanks, Mike!
The 2010 Clarion Writers Workshop is now open for applications, which will be accepted until March 1st. I can’t recommend it strongly enough. The instructors this year are names to be conjured with: Delia Sherman George R.R. Martin Dale Bailey Samuel R. Delaney Jeff VanderMeer Ann VanderMeer Delia strikes me […]
Monthly stats for November: 4,800 new words of fiction written this month. 1 21 first drafts currently in progress (some untouched for a long time) 4 first drafts currently "ripening" before second draft. 2 3 second drafts currently in progress 1 second draft currently in the hands of "trusted readers." […]
For those who didn’t already know, one more after-effect of Clarion:
For those who haven’t seen it yet, John Joseph Adams new online SF magazine Lightspeed will begin taking submissions on January 1st. Submission guidelines are here.
Monthly stats for October: 10,182 new words of fiction written this month. 1 20 first drafts currently in progress (some untouched for a long time) 3 first drafts currently "ripening" before second draft. 2 4 second drafts currently in progress 2 second drafts currently in the […]
Nanoism’s holding a contest (deadline Saturday, yikes!): Submit five twitterfics (140-character storis) that make a complete, larger tale. Here’s the URL: http://nanoism.net/meta/december-serial-contest/
I’ve broken down the 531 honorable mentions in this year’s Year’s Best Horror by market. You’ve seen me do this before with Year’s Best SF and the late lamented Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror. I think it’s probably the most accurate way of guaging the relative "status" and "quality" of different […]
The October 2009 issue of Odyssey: Adventures in Science now appears to be available for purchase. The theme of the issue is "Cast of Humans." It contains my 290-word flash story, "The First Day of Spring." Odyssey is a science magazine for children in grades 5-10. I think my story […]
I had great fun at Albacon, really my first con in decades. (I’ve attended a few specialty cons over the last few years, and I was at ComicCon, which is like visiting the Emerald City, but no straight SFF cons.) For me, the big deal was seeing five of my […]
GUD (Greatest Uncommon Denominator) has bought "Liza’s Home", which was one my submission stories for Clarion. It’s slated for Issue #5 (Fall, 2009). I shall be shamelessly urging you all to buy it. I’ve previously commented on what a nifty magazine GUD is, so you can imagine how delighted I […]
I was considering submitting a story to a new anthology, but wasn’t 100% sure about whether the story suited the theme or word limit. Also, it had already been submitted elsewhere, and I wasn’t sure on the new anthology’s policy on simsubs. So I sent an e-mail inquiring. Very soon […]
Hooray! Shauna Roberts‘s new novel, Like Mayflies in the Stream, has just become available for pre-order on Amazon. The first of the Clarion 2009 graduates to publish a novel has done herself proud. I’ve read it. I love it. Go out and get it. Shauna’s novel is part of a […]
Not sure this is a great idea, but I’ve resolved to begin each class session this term with a poem read aloud. Since I teach business law, this is rather a strange thing (you should have seen the looks I got on the first day), but my instincts say it’s good for […]
Some of you already know that my wife is a "ritual" artist who creates and performs custom rituals. Really neat. You can check out her Web site at http://www.ritualworks.com. She’s begun putting out an e-mail newsletter about ritual. If you’d like to be on the mailing list, send me a […]
Here are my monthly stats for August: 7,600 new words of fiction written this month. 1 19 first drafts currently in progress (some untouched for a long time) 4 first drafts currently "ripening" before second draft. 3 second drafts currently in progress 1 second draft currently […]
There are some people who think that the main advantage of Clarion is the networking. And, sure, it’s neat to have seventeen new friends who are all great writers. But the theory is that doing 100+ critiques in six weeks (35,000+ words of crit, for me), plus listening to 80+ […]
In an earlier post, I reported some of the good advice on writing I heard from the first three instructors at Clarion: Holly Black, Larissa Lai and Robert Crais. Now I’ve had time to report some good things I learned from the instructors in the final three weeks. I have […]
Kenneth Schneyer 