laurie_gail

Last year ConClave was a disappointment, but I had a great time this year. (I attended science panels instead of writing panels.) Two of the memorable people I met were the Vatican Astronomer, a Jesuit and MIT grad named Brother Guy; and Travis Taylor, who is a real rocket scientist who also writes Science Fiction. (You may also see him on History Channel's "The Universe" sometimes.)

I signed up for coffee with each of them, and found them funny and smart and personable. I attended one panel that had both of them, "Social Implications of First Contact". That was a lot of fun. Turns out Dr. Taylor wrote the manual for the Dept of Defense for possible responses in the event of hostile extra-terrestrials. He had a copy, and enough of us wanted one he offered to give it to the person with the best question of the Con. Turns out I won it! My question was more good timing than good question. In the panel of first contact, someone hijacked the discussion, arguing with the panelists about something off topic. I interrupted with the question, "In reality, if a message arrived tomorrow and authenticated as an ET communication, what would the Vatican do? What would NASA and D of D do?

The answers were wonderful.
Vatican: Form a committee to study the message.
D of D: Turn it over to the State Dept, they're the ones trained to handle communication with non-Americans.

I was glad to see neither would explode into precipitous--and probably stupid--action.

At the end of the Con, Dr. Taylor signed the book and handed it over, so I am now the proud owner of "An Introduction to Planetary Defense". I don't understand a word of the mathematics of probabilities, but I'm enjoying the chapter on tactics for asymmetrical warfare. (One side having more tech and more fighting force than the other.) The book is a treasure house of SF plot ideas!

Another great panel was "The Quantum Physics of Thought", also with Dr. Taylor. Thought really does shape reality, and the science and math are starting to show how. He says our knowledge of this field has really bloomed in the last five years. I understood maybe 1/10 of what he said, but it was fascinating anyway.

Although in my last post I said I would not sweat the short stories so much, I had already started to study some books my library has on writing short fiction. Here's the score, starting with the brilliant and ending with the appallingly bad.

!. Creating Short Fiction, by Damon Knight. Now I know why the guy had such a prolific and successful career as a writer and editor of SF and Fantasy. He really understood each piece of creating a story and, more importantly, how to put them together. This one was so good I'll probably buy my own copy.

2. The Writer's Digest Handbook of Short Story Writing, Volume 2, ed by Jean M. Fredette
Essays from a variety of successful writers, including Orson Scott Card. These were mag articles, and none were really long enough to say much. Had a few interesting things. But I don't remember what they were, so I guess not that interesting.

3. On Writing the Short Story, by Hallie Burnett. The worst kind of academic drivel. It's mostly sprinkled with quotes, so many sentences are interrupted with other people's words. It is arrogantly based on "literary" fiction. If I'd owned it, I would have thrown it away. (If I buy a book I don't care for much, I'll donate it to Kiwanis. If I don't want to inflict pain on others, I toss it in the recycling bin.)

I made it to Penguicon, for today only. (See above post about working 2 nursing jobs.)

It was totally worth using my one day off and paying $30 for. Said hi to jimhines--he recognizes me from other cons and panels, but I don't think he knows my name. Also said hi to Dr. Phil, a sometime visitor to the WOTF Forum and published finalist in last year's WOTF anthology.

Other writers whose work I admire were there--Sarah Hoyt, John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, Sarah Zettel, Elizabeth Bear.

One thing I learned is that these days, establishing a name through short stories is no longer needed before selling a novel. That panel didn't go into specifics about how you DO sell a novel as a newcomer, because the panel was on short stories. But it debunked the idea I had that short stories have to come first in your career.

This was good news. I've been forcing myself to write some short stories. I don't regret it, because it's made me tighten up and focus my writing. But the truth I can't escape is that I don't like to write short stories, and I don't even like to read short stories. I like great big sprawling stories. So now I need a new battleplan. First, though, I'll finish the short story I'm working on.

Wow, I've been away from this site too long. When I logged in it said it's been 25 weeks since I posted. Can that be right?

First I was out of town for a bit. Then I was working extra long to pay for being out of town for a bit. Instead of a 10 hour a week job working from home, I'm now also working 2 jobs as a nurse. Altogether the 3 jobs add up to 40-50 hours a week.

The good news--I didn't stop writing. But I stopped writing about writing, stopped market research, stopped everything else about writing except the specific action of, you know, writing. So I made the Dec 31 and Mar 31 WOTF deadlines, and hard at work on a new story. But I didn't even make it to ConFusion in January, which is too bad because it's my favorite.

I did join an online writer's group, which I was invited to and I like a lot. There's only five of us. (I think. Dave, are you still in?) I've gotten some good critiques.

I'm studying some books on the nuts and bolts of writing short stories. Soon (I hope) I'll start posting my reviews of them.

So I did my civic duty and voted. There are two things that make this election memorable for me. (Other than the common ones, that we're either going to have a black president {probable}or a female vice-president.)

1)My son in law, Javier, is originally from Venezuela, and this is his first national election since becoming a U.S. Citizen 2 years ago. My daughter tells of how he stayed up much of the night, studying the candidates and proposals. He had an absentee ballot and regarded it with awe. Compared to Venezuela's elections, he says this is the first real election he's ever voted in, and what an honor that is.


2)While in line at our polling place (wait time=1 hour), someone called out for a doctor. I'm not, but I am a nurse, so went to help out. An 88 year old woman had gotten light headed while standing in line and collapsed. Someone brought her a chair to sit in, she was alert and oriented, just light headed. Someone called 911, but she was adamant that she needed to vote. Two people, not election officials, just regular citizens in line with her, scooted the chair forward in line. It was going to take too long though, so they held her up and took her to the front of the line, with everyone making way for her. The EMTs arrived, but the woman wouldn't even talk to them until after she voted. They had to follow her around with their stretcher as people helped her through every step. She sat at one of the low voting booths to fill out her ballot, her various helpers standing where they could see her but not her ballot. An EMT offered to carry the ballot over to the electronic reader for her, but an official said no, each voter had to personally feed it into the reader. So the little parade of old lady, helpers and EMTs with stretcher made their way to the reader, she inserted her ballot, got her "I Voted" sticker, and THEN let the EMTs ask her questions. I voted and, as I was leaving, they were getting ready to load her on the stretcher and take her to the hospital.

That, my friends, is democracy at work. Despite some of the idiotic things our government and ourselves get us into, this is still the best country on the planet.

I haven't taken the time recently to say anything about books I've read. I'm not going to comment on all of them, but here's the reading of the past month:

Plague Year and Plague War, by Jeff Carlson. (A 2006 WOTF winner.)

The Course of Empire, by K.D.Wentworth and Eric Flint.
I loved this book. An alien race has taken over Earth and subjugated the humans. Humans aren't enslaved, but are second class citizens. The story deals with some very smart humans and some very smart aliens who learn to respect each other and work together toward a better future for both races. I especially appreciated how they got into the linguistics of inter-species communication, with a detailed vocabulary of alien body language.

The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson, by William Jones
I'm trying to read more dark fantasy/horror, as it's outside my usual comfort zone. I actually enjoyed this book. It skips the slasher gore and deals with human's fear of the unknown. That's what made H.P. Lovecraft so successful, and this book does the same.

The Risen Empire, by Scott Westerfeld

Zoe's Tale, by John Scalzi
What a blast! This is set in the same universe as Old Man's War. It tells the same story as in The Last Colony, but this time from the viewpoint of the 17 year old daughter. Teenagers have such an active life that's hidden from their parents, so it's really a different story. Besides, John specializes in smart-assery, and teenage girls are the champions of the universe of smart-assery. A terrific read.

half read: Wake, by Robert J. Sawyer
It's only half read because only half is available. I heard about this from Robert at WorldCon, and it's even better than I'd anticipated. Wake is the first of a trilogy, called the WWW trilogy. Wake, Watch, Wonder. It's the story of a 16 year old blind girl who helps the Web attain consciousness the same way Anne Sullivan helped Helen Keller attain consciousness. (Helen wrote that she had no awareness of self until Anne arrived, and that learning to communicate is what taught her how to think and reason. She called it "soul dawn".)
The book comes out in, I think, January 2009, but Analog magazine is serializing it. November had part 1, December (the current issue) has part 2. In early November part 3 will be available.
I don't think I have enough adjectives for this book. It is so beautiful. I don't understand computer stuff that well (does anyone know how I underline the book titles?), but I love stories that explore communication, language, consciousness. Since I attended this year's WorldCon, I'm eligible to vote in the next Hugo Awards. I'm already planning on voting this as Best Novel.

Had a busy weekend. My daughter and her husband were in town from Denver to celebrate her birthday. (I'm not going to say how old she is now, because it makes me sound really, really old.) We had a great time.

I'd paid for ConClave a year ago, so despite Amy and Javi's presence, went to the con Saturday for about 6 hours. They were at the Michigan/Illinois game anyway, so didn't miss me. Got in a quick wave to Jim Hines at a panel on plotting. Also attended a panel on creating settings, then one on Religion in SF. Three of the four panelists were not published writers yet, so mostly we talked about already existing books with religious elements. Later, had a long conversation with one of the panelists in Con Suite while we munched chips. That was even better than the panel.

I ended the day with some excitement. First some history: last year at ConClave, I got so tired on Saturday afternoon that I skipped a panel and curled up on a couch in a side lobby. People began to congregate in this area, someone brought snacks, and the next thing I know I was in the middle of a release party from Elder Signs Press. I drank their drinks, ate their cookies, didn't win the raffle. At the end, I was still too tired to get up, so sat chatting with William Jones the publisher and his wife Deborah. They introduced me to H.P. Lovecraft's work. I've seen them at a couple conventions since, and we're always happy to chat some more. At ConClave this Saturday, Deborah told me they'd let me know when they're planning another anthology, and invited me to send a story. Yay!
This doesn't mean they'll buy the story, and horror/dark fantasy is not my forte, but now I'm reading more of their stories to see if I can figure out how to write in that genre. They are very good folks.

Today marks the end of this year's WOTF contest. (Next year's contest starts tomorrow.) Of all the quarters, this is the most important deadline because it's the last chance to get into the next year's anthology. So, I'm happy to announce I made the deadline. I just walked 7 blocks to the post office in the cool, windy rain, and dropped that envelope into the mail box. What a feeling of satisfaction.

I had set stiff goals for this story:
-A short story (under 7500 words), not a novelette as I usually write.
-Hard science fiction. I spent a month reading and researching an area of science I knew almost nothing about.

Put together, this means I chose to extrapolate known science (first getting to know the science) into something new, develop an entirely different culture and characters to interact in it, and tell a complete story dependent on that science. And the story had to be about something important. And that all had to be done in under 30 pages. And I had to do this within a few weeks in order to make the deadline.

I'd never done that before. When I read my first draft, it was so bad I almost chucked the whole thing. Truly, never had my first draft been so distant from what I hoped to achieve. Thank goodness for the deadline--I couldn't afford the time to dither. I plowed through and, amazingly, got what I wanted. We'll see what the judges say, but I suspect this is my most sellable story yet.

I learned something new about Point of View today. I attended a funeral that was both beautiful and very sad. A woman in her 40's died of breast cancer, leaving behind a husband and 3 children ages 10, 7 and 5. It's the first funeral I've attended with such young survivors. It was a well attended, gorgeous Catholic Mass with lots of singing from both the choir and audience.




I don't cry easily, but when those little children walked up to place a flower on the urn holding their mother's cremains, there was no holding back. I doubt there was a dry eye in the church. I had brought a large lace and linen handkerchief and totally soaked it.

Here's where the POV fits in. After the procession to the cemetary and graveside service, we returned to the church. While eating the delicious lunch, home cooked by the church ladies, the deceased young woman's mother in law told us of the last days at hospice. The children were quite used to the place and made good use of the playroom. But on the day their mother died, family came from all over the place and the kids had cousins and friends and all sorts of kids to play with. Then they gathered around the bedside and sang a hymn as the woman died.
What the 5 year old got out of the day was: she got lots of hugs, she got to play in the playroom longer than usual, there were others to play with, and they all got to sing songs together.
As the family left the hospice for the final time, the little girl turned to her father with a smile and said, "That was the most funnest day."

It's an important lesson for me as a writer. You can completely flip the emotion of a scene by changing POV.

I just added this address to my signature line at the WOTF forum. It's a great meeting place for folks working to establish writing careers.

OK, I'm bummed.
Just saw on the Writers of the Future blog that my most recent story got an Honorable Mention. At one point in my writing aspirations this would have been a morale boost. Now it's a step down, as last quarter I'd been a Finalist. I didn't have high hopes for this story--I didn't think it was as good, either--but hoped at least for a Semi-Finalist standing.

At WorldCon I had coffee with Jeff Carlson, whose winning story was in WOTF Vol 23. He says he submitted every quarter for five years before winning, so there's hope for me yet. This recent story was my 15th submission and I'm hard at work on #16. OK, maybe not HARD at work, but the deadline is less than a month away, so it will turn hard soon. I did a lot of research for this story because I'm trying to do 2 things I've never done well: make it a short story (not a novella or novelette) and make it hard science fiction. You know, physics and stuff. (versus "soft" sf based on sociology, linguistics, etc)

My reasons for short and hard are a) most of the judges are hard SF writers and b)if it doesn't win I have a chance of selling it elsewhere. If it's a Finalist, it increases my chances of it going in the annual anthology anyway.

Back to work now.

Having just attended my fourth con (first WorldCon), here are some things I've learned about convention going. I'm posting these so next con I can read them again and be smarter.

1. Wear comfy shoes and be prepared for a lot of walking.
2. Scope out early--before you're desperate--the location of
a) bathrooms
b) sources of food and water
c) couches and soft chairs to crash on when you simply cannot absorb any more excitement
d) trash cans
3. If traveling far enough from home to need a suitcase, leave lots of room in the suitcase for all the books, art, etc you're going to buy. (Yes, be prepared with money, too. There's just too much good stuff you're going to want.)
4. Carry a notebook so all your notes stay together. I found 10 1/2" by 8" with easy rip out pages the most useful. It cost 89 cents in the grocery store.
5. Dress in layers. Sometimes a/c or heat is blasting, and sometimes it isn't.
6. If you're hoping to make contacts, bring business cards. I've learned from other writers to leave the back of the card blank and don't use glossy finish. This makes it easy for people to write a note on the back to help them remember two weeks later why they have your card in their pocket.
7. There's usually no meal times built into the schedule, so you may need to snack while you hurry from room to room. Be ready.
8. Carry a bag big enough to lug around your notebook, water, snacks, lots of pens, con map and schedule and other loot you will accumulate. Yes, you will accumulate stuff. Don't say I didn't warn you.
For me, the best bags have several pockets and compartments to help stay organized. I avoid a lot of fumbling by keeping exra pens and business cards in the external phone pouch. Your phone has to be off anyway.
Some people had wheeled versions that looked intriguing.
A wide shoulder strap will save wear and tear on your arms which you will soon appreciate. Plus, it leaves your hands free to eat, nab free magazines and books, and to shake the hand of your favorite author who suddenly appears in front of you.


Does anyone else have any convention advice?

It's taken over a week for my brain to catch up with my body back in Michigan. I am severely backlogged blogging. (Try saying that several times fast!)

Before the back news, here's what's current:
John Scalzi and Tobias Buckell will be doing a panel and book signing tomorrow at Ann Arbor Public Library, just a few blocks from my house. How awesome is that? Not only will I be there, my husband might even come. He never read SF until he read Scalzi's Old Man's War. Both authors have books just out, Scalzi with Zoe's Tale, Toby with Sly Mongoose. I'll be buying them both.

Conclave, a Michigan con, is coming up in early October. This is about 30 minutes away, so I don't need a hotel room. They also do a new writers workshop. If I can get my current short story done by 17 September, I can submit it and attend the workshop. (Unless it fills up before then.) I'm currently working on a story for Writers of the Future, and trying something I'm not used to: it's hard SF, and I'm trying to keep it short, 5000 words max. So happens, this is the workshop requirement also.

For my current story, have been doing a lot of research. In addition to the science stuff, am also trying to wrap my wits around plotting a short story. I took an old issue of Asimov's, read the short stories under 7000 words, then wrote out their plot outlines. It was highly educational, and my story began to take some shape. I have a ways to go--there's not much in its shape, but it's moving.

BOOK REVIEWS: I'm continuing my Lois McMaster Bujold kick. I read the omnibus edition, Miles in Love, which is a compilation of 2 novels and 1 novelette about Miles Vorkosigan's love life and eventual marriage. One of the novels, A Civil Campaign, is written in the style of a Georgette Heyer regency romance. What a change from the military stories of Miles's life!
Then I read Lois's, The Curse of Chalion, and am now on the sequel, Paladin of Souls, which won both a Hugo and Nebula.

Not only am I enjoying these stories, I've come to greatly admire Lois's skill as a writer. Her books are not just the same stories told with different characters in different settings. Each is unique. The different series'--Miles, The Sharing Knife, the Chalion stories--have a completely different feel, tone, pacing, even the expositions sound different. She really knows what she's doing.

Joe (husband) is taking me out to dinner shortly (isn't he sweet?), so will have to add WorldCon tidbits next time. Bye Bye.

Hi Everyone!
WorldCon is over and I have a lot to say. First, I've uploaded some artwork my son-in-law, Javier, did for me. In my novel, I describe a type of flower, and we played around with what it might look like, with the idea of using it as sort of a logo type thing.

So, here is one, as my user pic. I think it's gorgeous. Any comments?

Arrived in Denver after a 28 hour train ride from Ann Arbor. Despite the length of travel time, this is truly a more civilized way to travel. Wide, comfortable seats, leg rests, wide aisles, panoramic views from the lounge car, dinner at a table with tablecloth and fresh flowers, friendly staff, no long walks through a terminal. I didn't want to pay extra for a sleeper, so slept in my coach seat--not very comfortable, but much better than an airplane and tolerable for one night. Traveling coach by train is nicer than flying first class--unless it's British Airways, which really treats its customers right--and a heck of a lot cheaper.

Once WorldCon starts, I won't be hooked to the web, but I'm at my daughter's apartment for a few days, using her husband's computer. My first time on a Mac. Tonight Javier and I will start planning a web site for me, since that's what he does. I'm a total newbie in this area, so it will be nice to go through it with someone who won't dare laugh at me. Sometimes the whole mother-in-law thing comes in handy.

I leave day after tomorrow for Denver by train.  That will be a blast, I think.  After a few days with my daughter and son in law, Amy and Javier, I'll show up at Denver Convention Center next Wednesday, Aug 6.  I will have a lot of news to catch up with when I get back.  Stay tuned for the hot skinnies about WorldCon!

Book reviews:  I'm backlogged on this.  Read Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys and, alas, did not care for it.  I was able to push aside the 1960 attitude about women, he was, after all, a product of his times. But the story itself  didn't appeal to me.  I finished it a little over a week ago and, to tell you the truth, I can't remember the characters or the plot.  Too bad, because I have a lot of respect for Agis's career and work with new writers.

Since Lois McMaster Bujold is Guest of Honor at WorldCon, there's some Barrayar based activities, like a diplomatic reception.  Thought I should have some idea what that's all about, so read a book called Young Miles, which is a combination of her novels Warrior's Apprentice, The Vor Game, and novella "Mountains of Mourning".  I lost track of which won what awards, but between them there's a couple Nebula's and a Hugo or something like that.
They're about the world of Barrayar and young nobleman/crippled warrior Miles Vorkosigan.  The stories are funny and smart and a terrific read.
Today I just finished the first book of Lois's The Sharing Knife.  This is fantasy romance rather than SF, but also highly enjoyable.  

Our local independent bookstore just got in copies of John Scalzi's The Last Colony, just out in paperback.  Since it's a Hugo nominee, and I'll be at the Hugo Awards at WorldCon, and I loved the earlier books in that world, I'll take that on the train with me.  Also plan to take part 2 of The Sharing Knife and, hopefully, a few more Miles Vorkosigan books.

Just think, a  23 hour train ride with nothing to do but read, eat,  use the bathroom, and read some more.  Heaven!

Instead of drowning my sorrows in Guinness for not winning WOTF (after coming so close!), I drowned them in preparing for World SF Convention in Denver.  Despite being severely bummed, I know the con will leave me charged up and chomping at the bit.

This morning I went to the train station to learn about taking a long train ride in the U.S. and to buy a ticket.  I go from Ann Arbor to Chicago, change trains, then ride from Chicago to Denver.  Total time is 23 hours.    It's only one night, so I didn't get a Sleepette with a bed, just a coach seat.  The guy at the station said the seats on overnight trains recline more than airline seats and have footrests, so they are sleepable.  

So, instead of driving 40 minutes, walk long distances, wait for 2 hours, get herded through security, squish into a seat, walk long distances at the other end dragging heavy luggage, then another 45 drive, I'll have:
5 minute drive, 20 yards from parking lot  to train with my  husband dragging luggage, arrive 30 minutes early, then just sit and relax.  It's a 15 minute ride on the other end. to my daughter's apartment.  I love it.

When I woke up this morning, I felt a sudden urgency to get my tickets.  Intuition pays--I got the LAST SEAT on the Chicago to Denver train for August 2.  The con doesn't start til the 6th, but I'll be spending a few days with my daughter and son-in-law first.

Bummer, Bummer, Bummer

My Finalist story for Writers of the Future did not win.   I had so hoped to go the World SF Convention next month with that credential available.  This leaves me at a crossroads of what to do next with my aspiring career.  

Yes, I know the main answer is to keep writing.  What I'm not sure of is if I should now write another short story or novelette, or go ahead and write the novel I have in mind.  I really want the WOTF workshop, so I guess I'll get going on another short.   Readers, feel free to add your own two cents to this quandary.

I did send another story to WOTF for the 3rd Quarter, but I won't know about that one until September or October. 

The main news:  no news from Writers of the Future yet.  It's been 7 weeks and 1 day.  I'd figure out the minutes and seconds, too, but then I'd sound neurotic, which would be bad.  I finished the story for Quarter 3 and got it in the mail on time.  Now I'm hoping it's disqualified by the previous story winning. 

I'm really looking forward to the World SF Convention next month--my first WorldCon.  I'll be taking the train from Michigan to Denver (25 hours) and that sounds fun in its own right.  I'll go a few days early and visit my daughter and son in law, Amy and Javier.  Javi and I will sit down and start planning the web site he's going to design for me.

I'm going to keep this post short because I have a  glass cut on the tip of my left index finger and can't type with it.  It's taken me 10 minutes to get ths far.

Book Review:  Finished 1992 Hugo winning novel,   A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.  Had a hard time following the story and staying interested in the characters, but refused to give up.  There were so many details of world building, and building so many worlds.  By the time I finished, though, I liked the characters enough to want a sequel.  There were two aspects that I did love.  
1) The galaxy is divided into zones of thought.  The Unthinking Depths is closest to the galactic core.  A little further out is The Slow Zone, where Earth is.  Further still is The Beyond, where faster than light travel becomes possible, and finally the Transcend, where thought power is at maximum.  I find the concept of these zones way cool.   
2)Vinge is the only author I know that seems to have a concept of linguistics.  How many stories take place thousands of years in the future, yet names are unchanged from names now.  Life and linguistics just doesn't work that way.  There was no one named John Smith 2 thousand years ago, and I truly doubt there will be in another 2 thousand.  Even Biblical names have changed. (Esther was Hadassah.  Jesus was Yeshua.)  David seems to have hung in there just fine, and I do know a young man named Noah, but I have never met a Methuselah.

So, hats off to Vernor Vinge for bringing in a bit of linguistic drift to give the book some plausibility.

So much for a short post.  It took me 40 minutes to type this!

 I'm still on Finalist Watch, as Chris Owens calls it.  That means I still haven't heard if my Finalist story for the last Writers of the Future quarter has won or not.  The deadline for the next quarter is in 2 days and I'm hard at work on a story for it.

This story has been very hard.  If Joni from WOTF had called in the past week to say I'd won, I probably wouldn't have finished this current story.  She hasn't, so it goes in the mail Monday.  (Providing I actually do finish it, which looks probable.)

Will give details later--got a deadline to meet.