Archive for March, 2012
Clarion West Class of 2012
I hear from the wonderful Neile Graham that acceptances have gone out to the Clarion West Class of 2012. This year’s instructor lineup looks amazing: Mary Rosenblum, Hiromi Goto, George R.R. Martin, Connie Willis, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant, and Chuck Palahniuk. This time last year, when I received my Class of 2011 acceptance, my heart was split between maniacal glee […]
Filed under: FUN | 2 Comments
Tags: Clarion West
GoneReading
I wanted to spread the word about a new philanthropic startup, GoneReading. I’m not sure about the phrase “reading lifestyle” 😀 but the idea is that you buy their literary swag, and they donate the profits. From their FAQ: To fulfill our philanthropic mission, Gone Reading International donates 100% of its after-tax profit to fund new reading libraries […]
Filed under: FUN | Closed
Tags: gonereading, nonprofit
My “Humanity” Hobbyhorse
Most of my posts on SpecTechnique have been about stuff you can do in fiction & language. But today I’m going to talk, for a chance, about something to avoid. And after you read this post, I hope you’ll avoid it too. Or at least think about it! In high school, I was asked to read Jane […]
Filed under: ANALYSIS | 2 Comments
Tags: humanity, lovecraft, ursula k le guin
I recently read Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code for the lols and I thought I’d share some of its worst passages with you. Sophie looked equally intimidated as her eyes scanned the lobby. Does her face have 2 personalities? Pulling his driver’s cap down further, he effected as rough a facade as his cultured […]
Filed under: FUN | 3 Comments
Tags: da vinci code, dan brown
The rules of timekeeping are supposed to be simple in fiction. Choose a tense when you start writing, and stick to that tense throughout — whether it’s past, present, or (god help us) future. Sometimes, though, cutting to the present tense in your past tense story can create some unusual & noteworthy effects.Today at SpecTechnique […]
Filed under: MICRO-MANAGEMENT, STRUCTURE, WRITING STYLE | 5 Comments
Tags: alfred bester, john le carre, M John Harrison, Mary Gentle, poul anderson, vampire hunter d
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