Tag: writers

I must be a real writer!

A while back Andrea Bellerive, the daughter of a friend of mine, chose me (me!) to focus on for an Authors’ Fair at her school, St. Pius X, here in Regina. I popped by this afternoon to see the finished result, and was quite thrilled. (My apologies for the poor quality of this photo–I only …

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A "new" book by J.R.R. Tolkien due out this year

It’s The Children of Húrin, begun 89 years ago, left unfinished (like so much else) when Tolkien died in 1971, and now painstakingly recreated from Tolkien’s manuscripts and notes by his son, Christopher. This story from The Independent, though, has a terrible title: “Tolkien Jr. completes Lord of the Rings.” The Children of Húrin takes …

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Just to balance things out…

…David Louis Edelman now offers Five Things That Do Happen When You Become A Published Author. These also ring true with me.

Derryl Murphy throws hat in ring for SFWA VP

Further to the previous post about John Scalzi running for president of SFWA, Derrly Murphy, former Canadian regional director, has put his name forward for vice-president. I’m leaning his way, too.

John Scalzi for SFWA president?

John Scalzi has announced he is in the running as a write-in president for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). I just received my ballot and haven’t given it any serious thought yet, but after reading his comments and platform, I have to say I’m leaning toward writing him in. If you’re …

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This is a favour to Neil Gaiman…

…whom I’ve never met, although I was there when he won his Hugo Award at the World Science Fiction Convention in San Jose with the most direct and to-the-point Hugo Acceptance speech in history (“F**k, I won a Hugo!”): Penn Jillette.

The Devil’s Publishing Dictionary

Paperback Writer is a blog by multi-pseudonymous writer S.L. Viehl that I’ve missed until now which suddenly (for obvious reasons, now that I have one book in paperback and another at the publisher’s) has great resonance with me. Particularly these two posts, the Devil’s Publishing Dictionary parts one and two. Many funny entries. Among my …

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Which science fiction writer are you?

Well, I’m Edward Willett, of course, but according to the quiz in question, I am: Robert A. Heinlein Beginning with technological action stories and progressing to epics with religious overtones, this take-no-prisoners writer racked up some huge sales numbers. Which science fiction writer are you? Which ain’t bad.

How many novels do you have to write before you sell one?

To find out, SF writer Tobias S. Buckell ran an entirely unscientific but still illuminating poll at his blog, and has posted the results. Here’s the core: 32% wrote one novel13% wrote two11% wrote 38% wrote 49% wrote 53% wrote 613% wrote 7 or more novels6% wrote some short fiction first5% wrote a ton of …

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"The much easier demands of merely a good yarn"

In a letter to Quill & Quire, Wayne Jones, currently head of Central Technical Services at Queen’s University Library in Kingston, Ontario, writes, in part: There are piles of historical fiction in Canada and elsewhere not because the national character as a whole is longing for explanations of its present through its past, but because …

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An Orson Scott Card interview

The Glenn and Helen Show podcasts a long interview with Orson Scott Card, which naturally caught my eye…er, ear…since I recently wrote a biography of him. Card talks about his new book, Empire, which is about a new U.S. civil war, and about division in American politics. Warning: May raise your blood pressure if you …

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The Saskatchewan Book Award speech I should have given

We’ve all laughed at those actors who win major awards and become completely flustered at the microphone, because they didn’t really expect to win and so they didn’t bother to compose an acceptance speech. I have a little more sympathy with them now, because pretty much the same thing happened to me on November 30 …

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