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My new writing group

April 14, 2010 in writing | No comments

I have recently joined a new writing critique group, organized at least loosely through the Kentucky Romance Writers of America.

(Aside to everyone who knows me, knows my fiction, knows my home in New England: You are thinking, “Romance?” You are thinking, “Kentucky?” It’s complicated. Don’t ask.)

This crit group was so successfully subscribed that it divided itself into subgroups, and I am in the Fantasy subgroup.

(Aside to everyone who knows me: You are thinking, “Well, aha!” You sit back in satisfaction at knowing *something*, at least, that makes some sense. And I feel the same way. I know something about you, too.)

There are nine of us in this group. So far, maybe half a dozen have submitted pieces to be critiqued, and each of the submittals has received three to six reviews. The reviews are detailed and thoughtful. I can honestly say that the three reviews I received so far on my story have been eye-opening.

And not just the reviews. *We* are eye-opening. We are so different, one from another. We live in all parts of the country (okay, maybe more in Kentucky than elsewhere, but plenty of elsewhere too). Some of us are still in college and some of us have children who have already finished college. Though we all write “fantasy,” our works are in quite different genres. You would be surprised. Some of us have published many books; others are still hoping.

And here’s the thing that blows Dan away. The critiques are given generously, carefully, wholeheartedly. I’d even say lovingly. (Adverbs… one of our topics of discussion… Aren’t writers an interesting bunch? ;-)  In a profession where competition is so mind-bogglingly fierce, writers are unselfishly kind and helpful to one another. If any of us makes it, we are all genuinely happy. We want to boost every last one of us over the fence.

We’re in this together.

And here’s the thing that blows me away: We’re also all in our own separate worlds. Jagi frets over Kestrel and shapes him and smooths him and lives with him and loves him and molds him and makes him real. I do the same for Kell, and Linda for Moira. There’s no overlap. Not of time, space, world, or destiny. We create them with such love and such tenderness and such difficulty, and so imperfectly.

This is *hard work*.

We have to help each other, or we wouldn’t stand a chance.

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Arisia

January 16, 2010 in science fiction | 2 comments

My experience with cons is growing by leaps and bounds. Arisia is now the fourth con I’ve attended. (The others were Balticon in (guess where!) Baltimore, Readercon in Boston, and Worldcon–the granddaddy of all cons–a roaming con that in 2009 was in Montreal). They all have certain characteristics in common, but each definitely has its own flavor. Arisia is definitely the most crowded, and kept getting more so as the day turned into evening. This corridor was typical:

There were more sessions having to do with sexuality than I’ve seen before (“Swinging vs. Polyamory”, for example, or “Home Depot in the Bedroom”–a whole new way of looking at Home Depot). And ever so many sessions on diversity in SFF (or, presumably the general lack thereof and need for more). In Boston, I deduce, we are modern Victorians, politically correct on the surface and simmering between the sheets.

Best of all, there were more costumes per capita than I’ve seen before. And some of them were pretty amazing. I will confess to being disconcerted for a moment when I came across a very realistic (and charming) Frodo in the ladies room. But costumes have their perils, and so both the escalators and the glass elevators bore large signs:

You probably can’t read the hand lettering at the bottom of the last sign; someone thoughtfully added, “or kilt”. And in fact I’d say that far more kilts were in evidence than short skirts.

The sign just above “Watch your skirt” is an invitation to my friend Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s launch party Sunday night from 8 to midnight for her new book The Halfling’s Court. It’s a biker faery book (yes!). She did a reading from it today, and it was terrific! If you’re in Boston and like fantasy, check it out! It’s not an official con event, so I don’t think you’ll need a badge to get in. (But, hey, while you’re there, check out the con, too!)

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The Halfling’s Court

November 18, 2009 in writing | 2 comments

My friend Danielle Ackley-McPhail, whom I have never met, is launching a new book. Strike that “never met” part: We may have said a few words at Balticon a year and a half ago. Or maybe not; in any case, it never got as far as, well, names or anything. We’ve gotten to be friendly through belonging to the same writers’ group and through Danielle’s writer-oriented Yahoo group. I’ve also gotten to be friendly with some of her other friends in these groups, and it feels kind of strange and nifty to have a circle of friends whom I like but have never met.

The new book is called The Halfling’s Court, and it sounds like a good read. I’ve read some of Danielle’s other books, Yesterday’s Dreams and Tomorrow’s Memories, and I enjoyed them very much. Danielle is good with characterization and descriptions and doesn’t draw back (as I do) from blood and gore, either. The Halfling’s Court, like the other two, blends hard modern times and the Land of Fae. Danielle mixes them well and pours a pleasant tale.

The Halfling’s Court will be launched officially at Arisia in Boston in January, but it’s already hit the ground running (er, hit the air flying?), with a listing in amazon.com and reviews starting to come in.

What an exciting time for a writer! I wish her so much success!

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Being where you are when you’re being there

February 9, 2004 in my family, science fiction, Travel, writing | No comments

The protagonist of many of my early fiction stories, a young man named Roderin, had the ability to Shift from one reality to another. I grew up wishing I had this talent. At heart, I didn’t want to have to inhabit the reality I was in – a characteristic that perhaps many readers (and writers) of fantasy stories share.

In the world of my bickering parents, I learned early and learned well how to get by while actually being there as little as possible. I read. When I ran out of horse stories in my branch library, I fled to the stars. When I ran out of astronomy books, I turned to fantasy and science fiction. I was light years away all the time. Alternative universes were even better.

My personal reality is a lot better now, and I don’t mind inhabiting it. Most of the time. But I can still walk down a path on a beautiful Florida campus, surrounded by grass and flowers, water vistas and gracious white buildings shining in the warm February sunshine, and feel within myself the potential to be someplace else.

Or at least, not to be here.

Not completely.

If I were Roderin, all it would take would be a focused act of will and an acceptance of a small wave of nausea that passes quickly enough. There’s always a price, after all. It’s not too bad as long as the price is not too steep.

But that’s the catch, isn’t it? For the possibility of what existence in what world in all of the heavens would I be willing to give up this world’s long-legged daughter for whose sake I am walking this campus path?

I guess I’m going to stay right here.

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