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March, in a nutshell

Submitted Part 2 of "Brand Loyalty" to the SacSpecFic group for critique. They continue to enjoy the story even though this was a pure first draft, and think it has a lot of potential once I clean it up and handle a couple character issues that will be hard to pull off.

March 31 is the WOTF Q2 2007 deadline. I was going to revise and submit "This Moment" but after folks at Potlatch told me I should go for Asimov's first, I was challenged to write an entirely new story and make it as good as I could before March 31.

I decided to tackle "This Is Your Life, Version 2.0", which is another side of the technology used in "This Moment". I managed to pull off a first draft and a quick revision (6500 words, more than I expected) and shipped it off today to WOTF. It's okay, not as good as "This Moment" (in my opinion) so I have no expectations for it in WOTF.

I'll also submit "This Is Your Life" to SacSpecFic for the April meeting and see what they have to say.

Next up is a revision of "This Moment", which I'm going to try to get gone within the first week of April. Mary Rosenblum offered to do another read of it and I just might take her up on it. After that, "This Moment" goes to Asimov's and I sit and wait, nervously.

I'm at Norwescon (http://www.norwescon.org) from April 5 through April 8. While there, I'll have a workshop session with three pros: Ted Butler (http://www.sff.net/people/ted-butler/), Deborah Layne (http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Deborah_Layne), and G. David Nordley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._David_Nordley). The story I submitted was "The Case of the Killer Dog" and I'll be interested to hear what they have to say about it.

I also signed up for the "Flash Fiction Workshop" being run by Mary Rosenblum. I believe we'll be writing a 1500 word story during a 2-hour session! This should definitely be interesting - I actually have an idea I think works in the flash style, I'll see if I can leave it alone until then.

After Norwescon and "This Moment", I think I'll start on "The Fishing Trip" and I'm really looking forward to working on it. I'm hoping it'll be an interesting and different story for me.

Also during April, I need to preparing applications for the Orson Scott Card Bootcamp and Viable Paradise workshops. I'd like to attend one of them and if allowed to choose, I think I'd choose Viable Paradise even though I've been told that Bootcamp is really really good.

And that's March, with a look towards April. I have the feeling things are on the edge of becoming very interesting. It's just going to be a matter of keeping on working at it and trying to get better every time I put fingers to keyboard.

Potlatch 2007 Report, Part 3 (the Con)

Once the Writing Workshop and critiques were over, I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the con.

On Saturday, I went to three sessions, the auction, and the reading. On Sunday, I went to the brunch.

The three sessions were on "Ethics and Science Fiction", "Environmental Catastrophes" and "Humor".

Ethics was a very interesting session which talked about the ethics that both writers and readers might consider with respect to stories. For a writer, one of the big questions could be "why are you telling this story" with respect to what you want readers to take away from the story. I know that's something I regularly think about when writing, so it was really interesting to hear the discussion.

Environmental Catastrophes sounded intriguing, I expected it to be a discussion of "what happens after the lights go out?" in stories. It might have started that way, but morphed into how farming corporations are doing all sorts of awful things to the environment and how you can live a greener lifestyle. It was still interesting, and there was much food for thought with respect to stories and how to live your life, but it definitely wasn't what I expected.

Humor was a lot of fun, as would be expected, and the panel made sure to crack jokes at every opportunity. They still had a very good discussion, especially about how humor often arises from "having a completely absurd world, and taking it very seriously" or "having a completely serious world, and taking it absurdly." They also talked about how something is humorous because it's unexpected, so you have to watch your "set-ups" for anything that you want to be humorous. In fact, maybe you shouldn't try to set it up at all!

After a dinner break, where I went to McMenamins with some friends who live in Portland, I returned for the auction. The auction was a blast, with lots of interesting items and Eileen Gunn (http://www.eileengunn.com/) as the host. She was hilarious and really ripped it up! They made good money for the cause, I can't remember if it was Clarion, Tiptree or both, but either ways it was an excellent cause.

The reading was "Bad Medicine" by Robert Sheckley (http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/sheckley2/sheckley21.html). It was a good performance of a fun story, but I was getting tired (I'd been up since 4 AM) and started drifting off. After that, I crashed.

Sunday morning was the brunch, which was very tasty. I sat with some fans from California and Oregon and we talked about past Potlatch conventions and why they liked coming to Potlatch.

After brunch, I went to go visit another who now lives in Portland with her family, headed back to the airport and went back home.

Overall, Potlatch was great, both the workshop and the con. I'm sure I'll be attending more Potlatchs in the future and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves the literary side of speculative fiction and likes talking about books and stories and the issues they raise.

Potlatch 2007 Report, Part 2 (Workshop, Plus)

My Writing Workshop session was me, one other novice (Ulrika O'Brien) and two pros, Jay Lake (http://www.jlake.com) and L. Timmel Duchamp (http://ltimmel.home.mindspring.com/). I was having the story "This Moment, and the Times Before" critiqued.

Once I'd finally arrived at the Writing Workshop the pros had already critiqued Ulrika's story so I sat down, gathered myself after my crazy morning, and went into my critique of her story.

After that, it was my turn. Ulrika went first, then Jay, then Timmy (as L Timmel Duchamp preferred to be called). All three made some excellent points about the story, especially with respect to my use of first person present tense (which didn't work for anyone). They also gave some good input about making sure the secondary characters were real, some issues with the technology of the story, and some input into the plot and setting.

Jay mentioned that my story at first felt like the SF classic "Light of Other Days" by Bob Shaw, but went in a different direction. I didn't remember the story until he mentioned the concept of "slow glass" and then it clicked that I had actually read the story a few weeks before (in the excellent book "Science Fiction 101" by Robert Silverberg).

I got a lot out of the session and at the end we had a great discussion about some themes and issues in the story (like use of different tenses), and about the role and responsibility of a writer with respect to using what he/she sees and observes and experiences when telling a story. The folks were positive about the story and that, as always, felt very good! Jay even suggested sending it to Eric Bain at Bain's Universe and saying "Tell him I told you to send it" (!)

After the workshop I had a critique from Mary Rosenblum, who was coordinating the workshops. When the workshop writers were first listed, I looked them all up and read some of their work and I realized that I was doing work very similar to Mary's in style and sensibilities. I asked her if she'd consent to a critique and she very kindly agreed.

She was also very positive about the story, had some specific points that she would like to see improved, but said that once I revise I should send it to Sheila Williams at Asimov's and I'd have a decent chance of selling it (!)

Overall, it was a great experience with the critiques. It fulfilled my expectations and even surpassed them. I feel like I learned a lot from the sessions and that my work might even have taken a step up. I'll have to see how much I can keep working away at getting better but I think Potlatch was a tremendous help and well worth the trip!

Potlatch 2007 Report, Part 1 (Getting There)

Potlatch 2007 in Portland was excellent, once I got there.

"Once I got there"? Here's the story. I'm on a 6:30 AM flight from Sacramento to Portland, which gives me plenty of time to take public transportation to the hotel. It's just a MAX Line (Light Rail) ride away.

I walk into the airport and go to the Alaska kiosk to check in. It won't take my reservation number. I try my last name, that doesn't work. That's odd, I think, must be a problem with the kiosks. I look at the flight listing board and see that it says my 6:30 AM flight to Portland is ON TIME. While I'm watching the board, the flight status changes to CANCELLED.

Oh, crap. I get in line and while in line, call Southwest and ask "Do you have anything going from Sacramento to Portland now?" They have an 8:30 flight, so I get a reservation.

At the Alaska desk, the Alaska rep says "We had a mechanical problem, but we can put you on the flight through Seattle which leaves at 7:00 AM and arrives in Portland at noon." My writing workshop session at Potlatch is from 10-12, so that won't work. I ask about putting me on the Southwest flight and he says "let me see what I can do" and goes to talk to the manager.

Thankfully, they will pay for my Southwest flight. I get a voucher from the rep. All around me, people are virtually screaming at the Alaska people about the delay and the Alaska reps are totally stressed out. Not a job you want.

I dash over to Southwest (in the other terminal), check in and go get breakfast. I get online (thank goodness Sacramento now has free wireless Internet) and send email to all the emails I can find associated with Potlatch and the writing workshop saying "flight cancelled, arriving Portland at 10AM, will get there ASAP."

Everything else goes smooth, I hit PDX at 10AM, jump on the MAX light rail, jump off at the stop, find the hotel, dash upstairs to the hospitality suite, find out where writing workshop is, dash into the room and arrive at 10:45 AM. Pretty good, all things considered.

(Workshop experience in Part 2 of Potlatch post.)

Norwescon 2007 Writing Workshop details received

I also received the details on my session in the Norwescon 2007 Writing Workshop. My session is Friday April 6, from 10-11 AM. I submitted "The Case of the Killer Dog" and there are four people critiquing it: Chris Bodan, Ted Butler, Deborah Layne, and G. David Nordley.

Chris's name was all in caps in the email, so I'm assuming he's the member of the Fairwood Writers Workshop (both critiquing and moderating) and the other three are the pros. I didn't recognize the names off the top of my head, so I'll have some homework to do in getting familiar with their work before the session.

I find that if I am familiar with a writer's work before I get a critique from them, I can get a better sense of where they're coming from and how I can interpret their feedback (including any suggestions).

The classic critique story is the one someone at Worldcon told about being critiqued by Bruce Sterling: First, he tears your story to pieces; second, he tells you how to make it better. The first part, if you can take it, is very useful. The second part usually sums up to "turn it into a Bruce Sterling story", which can be useful - if you want to write stories like Bruce Sterling.

But still - it's just me, three pros, and one Fairwood member in the room for a whole hour! Wow! It's sessions like this that will hopefully help me pick my writing up to another, higher, level.

Overall, Norwescon looks like it should be fun also, though there's not that many details on the events available yet. I'll volunteer to help at the con, now that I know when my writing workshop commitment occurs.

Potlatch 2007 Writing Workshop details received

I received my information for the Potlatch Writers Workshop. My session is Saturday, March 10 from 10AM to noon. I submitted the newest version of "This Moment, and the Times Before" for critique.

The pros reviewing my group are Jay Lake (http://www.jlake.com/) and L. Timmel Duchamp (http://ltimmel.home.mindspring.com/). Yikes! There's only one other writer in my session, which means each of us gets an hour. Double Yikes! That's very intimidating and nerve-wracking, but also awesome.

Mary Rosenblum (http://www.theflyingparty.com/maryrosenblum/index.html), who is coordinating the workshop, is not one of the pros for the short story sessions. That's a bummer, as I picked up her collection "Synthesis & Other Virtual Realities" and have been enjoying it. I think my style and sensibilities and close to hers, so I'd be interested in her opinion. I might see if I can bribe her into a critique!

The preliminary Potlatch program is up (http://www.potlatch-sf.org/program.php), and looks really good. I don't get there til Saturday morning, so I'll miss the Friday night fun. But I'll be there for the auction, almost all the sessions, and the Sunday brunch. I'm really looking forward to it!

Story off to Potlatch

Revised "This Moment" and sent it off to Potlatch for the Writers Workshop. The four pros running the workshops are Mary Rosenblum, Jay Lake, L. Timmel Duchamp, and Dave Goldman. All four sound great - I wonder who I will end up with (I'm doing the Pro Workshop). More details on Potlatch Writers Workshop at http://www.potlatch-sf.org/workshop.php.

I'm also planning on sending the same story to Critters for critiques in that timeframe (early March). After those two, I'll revise and hopefully the story will be decent enough to enter it in Writers of the Future (www.writersofthefuture.com).

Now, I'll be finishing "Brand Loyalty". I like that story and it has been unfinished for too long.

Feb 7 SacSpec meeting

Went to SacSpecFic (the Sacramento Speculative Fiction group) and received critiques on "The Game of Chase". The comments were mostly positive, and I got some very good points on character actions and character traits. I also got feedback on my version of zombies, which aren't like the "standard" zombies. That is something I'll have to clean up.

Preparing "This Moment, and the Times Before" to submit to the Potlatch convention (http://www.potlatch-sf.org) for their Writers Workshop. It's due Feb 9, and I finally have the time for some minor adjustments before the convention. I think this story has real potential, so I'm looking forward to getting it into the Workshop and seeing what feedback I get. Potlatch is a small literary convention (I went to it in SF in 2005), so it's always fun.

The Book of Honor at Potlatch is "Dimensions of Sheckley", a collection of excerpts from novels by Robert Sheckley. I ordered the book, along with "Masque of Manana", a collection of short stories, from NESFA (start at http://www.potlatch-sf.org/boh.php).

They might not come before the convention so I checked out "Is THAT What People Do?", another collection of short stories. So far I'm really enjoying Sheckley's satirical stories, especially "The Robot Who Looked Like Me". It's a marvelous story about a time-challenged man who decides to outsource his romance, with a nice ending and thoughtful final twist. It's as relevant now (if not more so) than it was when first published in 1973. Highly recommended.

No, Really

I'm really doing this. In fact, I'm doing this so much I don't have time to blog.

Update: 2006 was the year of "Write, Dang It!". In the year, I was able to write or significantly revise 10 stories. The SacSpecFic writing group was a significant spur in getting writing done and getting good feedback on the first version of stories. Critters (http://www.critters.org) was tremendous for getting a large variety of good critiques on stories (usually 8-16 critiques on a story). I kept entering WOTF, but last two entries ("Brandon Magi", Q4 2006 and "Hunters", Q1 2007) both did not place.

2007 is the year of "Get Good Enough to Sell". The current plan of how to get better is: revise stories one or more times, based on feedback from people way better than me. Where to get this feedback? My current thought is SFF online writing workshop (http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com) , Critters (to some extent), and writing workshops. Most sci-fi conventions have writing workshops, in particular Potlatch (www.potlatch-sf.org) and Norwescon (www.norwescon.org).

There are also some week-long writing workshops like Orson Scott Card Bootcamp (http://www.hatrack.com/bootcamp2007.shtml) and Viable Paradise (www.sff.net/paradise/). These are "apply and see if you get invited" workshops, so there's no guarantee there, but one might as well give it a shot and see what happens.

And, of course, there are the big spec fic workshops: Clarion, Clarion West and Odyssey. But those are six-week workshops and there's no way that's going to happen this year.

In the meantime, it's keep writing and keep trying to get better. We'll see how that goes!