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BFS apologises for forgetting women
It’s worth mentioning that Guy Adams, Chair and Special Publications Editor for the British Fantasy Society (BFS), has issued an unreserved apology over omitting women from its latest collection. I’m sure he will not chastise me for replicating it in full here: Our new book, In Conversation: A Writer’s Perspective, Volume 1: Horror, edited by James Cooper, has come under justifiable flak for its all-male line up of interviewees. When James brought the manuscript to me with a view to our publishing it I know he intended no sexism in his selection of the authors but I feel deeply sorry that I didn’t flag the omission at the time. It…
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words on foot
I’ve been reading Nietzsche today. As thinkers go he’s clear and reasoned. In fact, he’s a little too perceptive for those who like their self-delusions, so sometimes his surgical excision of unpleasant human motivations can make for glum reading. He’s a bit of a grump at times too, especially when it comes to young people. In Human, All too Human he has an entire section called “From the Soul of Artists and Authors”, which had me laughing, nodding, and sometimes grimacing. He has high standards: Speak not of gifts, or innate talents! One can name all kinds of great men who were not very gifted. But they acquired greatness, became…
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look around you
I haven’t forgotten it’s Thurday. Here’s today’s micro missive: Houdini’s first afterlife message, delivered by email: Lack of limbs renders escape awkward but not impossible. Flexibility of will, vital. Sometimes I like to have fun with these little splashes of words. After signs of an incipient summer we’re back to monsoon rains. I was thinking of hitting the cinema this afternoon for the latest Star Trek movie but I was in a midst of a strong writing session–I was having fun–so I decided that Kirk et al. could wreck CGI havoc without me for another few days. I did brave the floods and rain for a poetry reading, only to…
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zen and the art of querying
This morning’s post saw the arrival of a rejection. Ha! I shrug and file it. It’s easier to handle rejection after you’ve just received an acceptance. Little injections of hope keep you buoyant for weeks and months before the sticky fingers of rejection pull you out of the air and down into the mire. It’s hard to plod along while those hands and sucking mud pull at your feet. Yet, you persevere and build strong thigh muscles. One thing I hate writing is query emails. There is a point when you realise that a story has been out to a market far too long. You miss it. More importantly you…
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review
Last night I received feedback on my script from my screenwriting group, which contained plenty of useful advice and tips. I had gone in with a somewhat resigned attitude, expecting the worst. It was cheering to hear that many of them thought the script was a fast read, despite being a character-focused piece, and that they were surprised that it was a first draft. Still, there’s plenty of work to do. I think I’ll need an agent to flog this script, after I’ve polished it to a higher standard. It’s unlikely to attract a big budget, and it needs someone to push it so it will attract the right champion…
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generic thinking
As I’ve noted before, I have difficulties reading and writing fantasy fiction for a variety of reasons. Yet, there are a couple of stories brewing in my head that insist on the genre. So be it. In a quest for inspiration on how to write good fantasy I turned to the master: Fritz Leiber. Luckily, I was able to snag the two volumes of collected Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser tales, so I’m currently embroiled in adventures across the dangerous smog-drenched streets of Lankhmar. Leiber, along with his peer, Robert E. Howard, trailblazed the modern notion of heroic fantasy. These chaps were churning out tales of adventurers abroad in strange…
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be prepared to kill your darlings
Work on the new script progresses. This time I’m writing it out of chronological order. I have my outline, and I’m picking scenes to write based on what I’m trying to achieve with the characters. This is working out better than I expected. There’s a benefit to writing the important, emotional scenes in the film first. It sets the tone for the movie. Unexpected threads appear quickly. Maybe it’s because my intent for this script is so clear, while for my last one I had to re-write it numerous times before I even know what I was trying to say. Today I wrote a terrific scene. It was a rush…
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the washerwoman
Recently, I was chatting to a friend about our goals in relation to our writing, and we touched upon the subject of knowing when it’s ready. It’s important to have the ability to gauge your progress as a writer. Part of that comes down to knowing when your work has reached a sufficient level of quality that it can be shopped around. Perhaps my standards are too high, but “sufficient level of quality” for me means that even if the work doesn’t sell that it will leave a positive and memorable impression with the reader. Often, there is a burning desire on the completion of a piece of writing to…
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back to the drawing board
I had a feedback session regarding my first draft with my supervisor this week. It went well, and I’ve been mulling over the suggestions since then. I’m filled with excitement over the possibilities for change and improvement for the script, combined with dread at the thought of the re-write involved. I haven’t written anything yet as I need time to turn the characters and the plot over in my mind and examine them from different angles. My concern is that most of the changes I’m considering are small shit–stuff that’s easily tackled. I have major issues in the script that I have to address. I need to focus on them…
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the inner tuning fork
I feel rather remiss at neglecting this blog lately. In January, because I was writing a series of daily exercises, I was posting every day. Now that I’m back to my more erratic schedule, it feels like I’m being lax. So much of my life at the moment is about reading, writing, and watching films that there is little time to cram in my observations about this, and keep up with the daily grind of mundane tasks and jobs I have to accomplish. My thoughts about this process are no more important than any other person. I find it useful to discuss some of these issues as it forces me…
