The writing world is a-buzz of late with the story about James Frey’s “new” marketing idea to rope writers into a contractual arrangement that makes indentured servitude look like an intern program over a summer between semesters. The fact that some writers have actually signed these contracts is both telling and sad. John Scalzi, over on Whatever, made the (radical!) suggestion that MFA programs (because the lion’s share of these hapless dupes come directly from them) teach a semester in the business of writing for part of the egregious sums colleges and universities charge for degrees. This is a sensible suggestion. …
Category: Writing
The Celebration of the Book, 2010
I’m taking some time to put on my President’s hat and talk about our upcoming event.
We’re a week away from the Celebration. October 23rd at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.
If you’ve been reading this blog any length of time, then you know about my involvement. For the last 8 1/2 years I’ve been working for it, trying to make it better, five of those years as president. We’ve done some pretty cool things in that time.
The Missouri Center for the Book has, like most such organizations, been undergoing some ups and downs the last few years. We have been reorganizing in order to be a more vital part of the literary and reading community in Missouri. …
A Plague On Both Houses…With A Pastoral Addendum
Listening to election news lately is like keeping track of a Roller Derby game. They keep going around the same circle, bumping into each other, occasionally shouting unsubstiated things—at each other and the audience—and by and large just getting in each others’ ways. If you like that kind of sport, it can be entertaining. Otherwise…
So I’ve been working on new fiction and playing with photoshop and basically tuning it all out. As much as I hate to say it, I already know that I’m not going to vote for any Republicans, and most of the Independents are seemingly farther right. …
On The Road Part Two
A quick follow-up to my abbreviated MadCon report just past. Harlan Ellison arrived at the hotel Thursday evening, around eight o’clock. Only a few of us were in the lobby. Allen Steele, Peter David, Donna, and myself. Peter David’s wife Kathleen and their daughter (who Harlan “terrorized” to our surprise and her later delight). From that point on it became a really good experience. All the rumors that had been floating around about Harlan’s imminent demise proved exaggerated. Though he didn’t look his best—clearly he has been ailing—and he arrived wearing a sweatshirt and pajama bottoms (Pierre Cardin, as he repeatedly joked, since he wore them all weekend), as the weekend progressed he came more and more alive.…
On The Road
Tomorrow morning, probably before the sun is up, we will be on the road to Madison, Wisconsin. We’re going to attend a little convention called MadCon 2010. When you click on the link you will see a note explaining that the guest of honor, Harlan Ellison, will not, due to illness, make it. Well, that’s changed, apparently. Harlan says he is feeling up to it and will be getting on a plane tomorrow and will appear.
Last time we saw Harlan was in 1999, at a convention called Readercon (which is a genuinely spiffy excellent convention because it is ALL ABOUT BOOKS—no movies, no anime, no costumes, none of that, just BOOKS) and he was in great form and we had a marvelous time.…
Robert A. Heinlein: Grand Master
I finished reading William H. Patterson’s large new biography of Robert A. Heinlein yesterday. I knew I wanted to write something about it, but I gave it a day to simmer. Frankly, I’m still not sure what to say other than I was positively impressed.
Basically, Patterson achieved the remarkable goal of demythologizing the man without gutting him.
I’ve read any number of biographies of famous (and infamous) personalities which tended either to be hagiographic (and therefore virtually useless as any kind of honest reference) or a brutal airing of personal failings in some sort of attempt to drag the subject down to “our level” and resulting in a catalogue of reasons to think ill of the person under study. …
Ideas and Execution
A few weeks ago I read a really terrific story by Adam-Troy Castro, called Arvies. Check it out, it is, as they say, killer.
Last weekend I went to ConText, as I reported. Usually when I come home from a convention I’m energized, can’t wait to get to the computer and write something. Not this time. I was unusually enervated. Maybe I have too much on my mind.
Maybe.
Last night, though, a story idea popped into my head from something Donna said and I have written the first few paragraphs. I look at it and see that it is inspired in part by Adam’s story. …
ConText
Returned home yesterday, around two P.M. Scads of emails in the hopper, mail in the box, laundry to do, a dog to pet.
I had a good time at ConText. The Doubletree where it was held was in a a kind of commercial court with several good restaurants and a multiplex movie theater (which I did not go to). It was a smallish con with some good guests (Toby Buckell, Lucy Snyder, Paul Melko) and a decent program track. More about the books than many cons with which I’ve become familiar, which is refreshing.
Diana Dru Botsford, who serves on the Missouri Center for the Book with me, was able to premier her first novel at the convention. …
A Week’s Worth of Stuff
This past week some things have moved forward which please me. The Missouri Center for the Book is about it have a new Facebook page. I made the decision to put it up now, in advance of the total website make-over, because I think it will be necessary to get the upcoming Celebration promoted more efficiently. That event will be October 23rd, again in Columbia. Barring other avenues of advertising, I think this one will be essential.
It’s happening. Also, the new website design is coming along quickly and when that is up there will be regular blog posts, and a special section from the state poet laureate. …
New Fiction
I’ve been working this past few months on short fiction. You wouldn’t think this would be such a hard thing to do, given my rate of production in the last ten years (almost fifteen novels, scores of book reviews, a few assorted nonfiction pieces, and all the blog entries, both here and on Dangerous Intersection), but short fiction is peculiar. Hell, anything is peculiar. If you’re used to writing one form, switching to another can be very difficult. There are some writers, I know (and some I know) who have no trouble moving between forms, but for whatever reason I do.…