Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Science Fiction And Fantasy Writer's Chat 1/19/11 with Mike Resnick

Due to a flat tire, our guest was a little late, so if you want to skip the beginning chatter, scan down and his comments are all there. We had a technical difficulty with my feed being blocked as well so my questions may not have all posted. Apologies.

1:57 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht I'm here. Had to make sure I got a good seat tonight. Wait, I need to grab my chocolate...
1:57 amsffwrtcht:3 minutes to #sffwrtcht. Waiting for @ResnickMike to log on.
1:58 amBryanThomasS:3 minutes to #sffwrtcht. Waiting for @ResnickMike to log on.
1:58 amSariWebb:RT @sffwrtcht: 3 minutes to #sffwrtcht. Waiting for @ResnickMike to log on.
2:00 amshadowflame1974:Ready Set GO! all aboard for #sffwrtcht
2:00 amjasonsanford:RT @BryanThomasS: 3 minutes to #sffwrtcht. Waiting for @ResnickMike to log on.
2:00 amBryanThomasS:@shadowflame1974 Not yet. No guest #sffwrtcht
2:00 amMerc_hyn_di:Sadly will probably miss #sffwrtcht tonight. :( But definitely will read the transcript later!
2:01 amsffwrtcht:In the meantime, in case you haven't seen it, here's the link to our schedule through Marchhttp://bit.ly/eWBKHn #sffwrtcht
2:01 amBryanThomasS:In the meantime, in case you haven't seen it, here's the link to our schedule through Marchhttp://bit.ly/eWBKHn #sffwrtcht
2:02 amsffwrtcht:Ok, folks, well, my apologies. @ResnickMike appears to be delayed. I did confirm with him this week. #sffwrtcht
2:02 amBryanThomasS:Ok, folks, well, my apologies. @ResnickMike appears to be delayed. I did confirm with him this week. #sffwrtcht
2:02 amsffwrtcht:So, let's start by mentioning our favorite @ResnickMike books. Mine or Inferno and Paradise. #sffwrtcht Yours?
2:02 amBryanThomasS:So, let's start by mentioning our favorite @ResnickMike books. Mine or Inferno and Paradise. #sffwrtcht Yours?
2:03 ammordantkitten:#sffwrtcht? How have I never heard of this before?
2:03 amBryanThomasS:@mordantkitten Do you live in a box? Just kidding. We've been doing #sffwrtcht since December
2:04 amlouisbshalako:#sffwrtcht I loved Santiago, and remembered something of it decades later.
2:05 amBryanThomasS:@louisbshalako I have Santiago and Return of Santiago in my queue #sffwrtcht
2:05 ammordantkitten:I loved Santiago too. Still read my beat-up copy now&then. It's got a #Firefly flavor. #sffwrtcht
2:05 amlouisbshalako:#sffwrtcht his 'Eros' series looks familiar. College days.
2:05 amBryanThomasS:Guys, I just emailed with Mike about this yesterday, so sorry. #sffwrtcht
2:05 amjanetharriett:My favorite Resnick is Kirinyaga. "For I Have Touched the Sky" is one of my all-time faves. #sffwrtcht
2:06 amBryanThomasS:Hoping he's just stuck in traffic at home and okay. #sffwrtcht
2:06 amBryanThomasS:@janetharriett Yes, I loved those stories, too. And the small sequel he did for Subterranean, I forget the name #sffwrtcht
2:06 amJFHilborne:@BryanThomasS : I haven't read any. Maybe I will after this chat #sffwrtcht
2:07 ammordantkitten:Other than Santiago and a couple more in that universe, I haven't read much Resnick. Have meant to get around to it. #sffwrtcht
2:07 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht I was going to say I've never read his stuff, but I've got Santiago and Return of Santiago. Loved both of them.
2:07 amBryanThomasS:His new "Buntline Special" is sounding very cool and getting good reviews. #sffwrtcht Alt history steampunk western with Doc Holiday et al
2:08 amJ_GriffinB:There is a lot available, and more coming in ebooks as rights revert back to him. #sffwrtcht
2:08 amBryanThomasS:@JFHilborne You should. He's easy to read. Good solid prose but without too showy of vocab most of the time #sffwrtcht
2:08 amBryanThomasS:Mike writes a lot about other cultures, particularly Africa, where he's been several times on safaris and explorations. #sffwrtcht
2:09 amJ_GriffinB:Including classic stuff #sffwrtcht
2:09 amBryanThomasS:He's also served as a judge at Writer's Of The Future the past several years. #sffwrtcht
2:09 amlouisbshalako:#sffwrtcht I'm putting the tag on the wrong end. It's tough to go out and submit a story knowing som real pro is in the stack #sffwrtcht
2:09 ameruditeogre:@BryanThomasS hopefully he'll be here soon! I was thinking about some of his earlier work, like Galactic Midway & Walpurgis III. #sffwrtcht
2:10 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht It's been a while since I read Santiago. Now I'm itching to read it again.
2:10 amJ_GriffinB:@BryanThomasS #sffwrtcht and panelist at numerous conventions. This last year at WFC with David Drake and others of note.
2:10 amBryanThomasS:You guys probably know that Locus has called him the most award winning living SF author. He's also mentored lots of writers. #sffwrtcht
2:10 amshadowflame1974:@Jaleta_Clegg #sffwrtcht Isn't it great that we can always go back to stories we love
2:10 amBryanThomasS:Including me. Very nice, generous man. #sffwrtcht
2:10 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht When did he first start publishing? I'd never really heard his name until the last year or two, then in connection with cons.
2:11 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht - conventions, that is.
2:11 amlouisbshalako:At my age, the new tech takes time to learn. His eye was just operated on...#sffwrtcht
2:11 amJ_GriffinB:@Jaleta_Clegg Early 60s. #sffwrtcht
2:11 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB In fact he's got quite a gallery of convention pics on Facebook #sffwrtcht
2:12 amlouisbshalako:#sffwrtcht Where will any one of us be in ten or twenty years?
2:12 amJaleta_Clegg:@J_GriffinB What would you recommend besides Santiago? #sffwrtcht
2:12 amBryanThomasS:One thing he's told me is that Lezli Robyn is his fav collaborator because they finish each other's sentences. #sffwrtcht
2:12 ameruditeogre:I read him heavily in high school (1980-1984) and now I'm reading his new historical stuff. #sffwrtcht
2:12 amBryanThomasS:He also told me he almost always does the second draft with collaborators #sffwrtcht
2:12 amJ_GriffinB:@BryanThomasS #sffwrtcht And his wife is a sweetheart too. He has some fine tales of surviving as a writer in the early days,...
2:12 amJaleta_Clegg:@shadowflame1974 Only if I keep them in hardcover or softcover. The old ebooks I've got aren't compatible anymore. #sffwrtcht
2:12 amlouisbshalako:Congratulations, incidentally. #sffwrtcht.
2:13 amshadowflame1974:@Jaleta_Clegg #Sffwrtcht :(
2:13 amJFHilborne:@BryanThomasS : I'll check him out, his books, I mean ;) #sffwrtcht
2:13 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht There's one good argument for printed books - it will take hundreds of years to become incompatible.
2:13 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB He's definitely got great stories. Sat with him a while at WFC and he introduced me to everyone who passed us. #sffwrtcht
2:14 amBryanThomasS:Well, he may not make it, but I'm willing to discuss other things tonight and I'll get him on again later if he doesn't #sffwrtcht
2:14 amBryanThomasS:How many of you have either written novels or are working on them? #sffwrtcht
2:14 amBryanThomasS:And how many focus only on short stories at this time? #sffwrtcht
2:15 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht I've got one out, a second in edits, and nine more on contract.
2:15 amlouisbshalako:For a self-pub author, it would take legwork to get into multi retail outlets. #sffwrtcht
2:15 amJ_GriffinB:@BryanThomasS #sffwrtcht My latest novel is resting on a publisher's desk right now.
2:15 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB Yeah. Gordon Van Gelder, Kay Kenyon, Bud Sparhawk, Peter Straub, etc. Pretty cool. #sffwrtcht
2:15 amshadowflame1974:@BryanThomasS 2 written 3rd started #sffwrtcht
2:15 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB I got a contract offer on mine today. One more offer pending :) #sffwrtcht
2:15 amJFHilborne:@BryanThomasS : yes to both, written 2, working on 3rd #sffwrtcht
2:15 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht I've been doing mostly short stories the last couple of years. Another anthology pubbed today: http://bit.ly/hLiEBx
2:16 amlouisbshalako:I have novels. I need to learn a few things before I will get pubbed pro. #sffwrtcht.
2:16 amBryanThomasS:I have two more in first draft stage. And outlines on a sequel to the one the offer's on. #sffwrtcht I also released a short story serial
2:16 amJaleta_Clegg:@BryanThomasS Yay! That's great news. #sffwrtcht
2:16 amJ_GriffinB:@Jaleta_Clegg #sffwrtcht Congrats!
2:16 amshadowflame1974:#Sffwrtcht congrats!
2:16 amJaleta_Clegg:@J_GriffinB Thanks! It's a silly vampire story, at least mine is. The other three stories are good, too. #sffwrtcht
2:17 amBryanThomasS:Good. Lots of writers out there. That's awesome. I started #sffwrtcht for you guys. To meet some pros, network and learn from them.
2:17 amshadowflame1974:#sffwrtcht Not ready for editing yet. Still learning
2:17 amBryanThomasS:Lots of them on Twitter and we have an amazing group lined up. #sffwrtcht. Next week, the editors from Ray Gun Revival are on.
2:17 amJ_GriffinB:#sffwrtcht I wrote a fantasy novel that won't see the light of day, the SF one that's pending, & sending my first horror short tomorrow.
2:17 amlouisbshalako:Do pros read stuff that we publish free online? #sffwrtcht
2:17 amBryanThomasS:Then Michael Ray from @RedstoneSF the following week. #sffwrtcht
2:18 amBryanThomasS:@louisbshalako Probably, you never know #sffwrtcht
2:18 amjanetharriett:I've written and chucked at least 3 novels, but plan on making a real go of a novel this year. I mostly write short stories now. #sffwrtcht
2:18 amJaleta_Clegg:@jbkirkpat Hi, Joel. You can interrupt anytime on Twitter. I'm doing #sffwrtcht now. Come join us. Just search for the hashtag.
2:18 amBryanThomasS:Thanks for the congrats all. Horrible day. Pretty exciting to receive it. #sffwrtcht
2:19 amJ_GriffinB:@louisbshalako #sffwrtcht Not often. There are few @Scalzi s out there.
2:19 amlouisbshalako:I read blogs. It's easy to see where someone is at, sometimes. #sffwrtcht
2:19 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht Did you want to know how many novels I've written? I think it's over 20 manuscripts now...
2:19 amBryanThomasS:@janetharriett I feel very incompetent with short stories. I didn't grow up reading them. Almost always novels #sffwrtcht
2:19 ameruditeogre:Working on a novel, at about 65K; one story heading out, two in progress, three in queue. And the weekly @SFSignal column. #sffwrtcht
2:19 amJ_GriffinB:@BryanThomasS #sffwrtcht Do you have representation or did you go commando?
2:19 amBryanThomasS:@eruditeogre Awesome. I am polishing stories for a second round of subs starting this weekend. #sffwrtcht
2:20 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB Small presses. So no, I haven't gotten an agent yet. #sffwrtcht
2:20 amJ_GriffinB:@BryanThomasS #sffwrtcht It is a different skill, the writing of them...
2:20 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB yes, it is. I have a huge collection I have gathered from online zines, etc. to study. Lots of famous ones as PDFs #sffwrtcht
2:21 amlouisbshalako:Yes, the more you do, the better you get. I never knew if the first would be done. I abandoned many starts. #sffwrtcht
2:21 amJFHilborne:@Jaleta_Clegg : Wow, 20 ms's is fantastic. I'm aiming for 2 a year, but so far only cranking out 1. Can't seem to stop re-writing #sffwrtcht
2:21 amshadowflame1974:#Sffwrtcht there is definitely a different approach with shorts than novels
2:21 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB Reviewing them for Tangent and @RiseReviews gave me an excuse to read a lot of them which helped #sffwrtcht
2:21 amJaleta_Clegg:@JFHilborne I was counting the horrible first four or so I wrote in the early 90s. #sffwrtcht
2:21 amJ_GriffinB:@Jaleta_Clegg is a busy lady. #sffwrtcht
2:21 amBryanThomasS:How many of you guys outline and how many, like me, just like to let the story unfold? #sffwrtcht
2:22 amJ_GriffinB:@ResnickMike Such fun! #sffwrtcht
2:22 amshadowflame1974:#sffwrtcht was always a pantser but now, starting to outline some
2:22 amlouisbshalako:I had to do a couple before I took it more seriously. #sffwrtcht
2:22 amJ_GriffinB:@ResnickMike Did the tire iron get a nice cursing? #sffwrtcht
2:22 amshadowflame1974:#sffwrtcht but shorts are usually without outlines
2:22 amJaleta_Clegg:@BryanThomasS I do a loose outline for novels, but even that changes. Short stories I just wing it. #sffwrtcht
2:23 ameruditeogre:Yeah, just tweaked the short story going out, cut about 400 words so it comes in around 3K, tighter, but possibly too subtle #sffwrtcht
2:23 amBryanThomasS:I outline a chapter ahead with novels once I get a few chapters in. With short stories, I think in terms of plot points mostly #sffwrtcht
2:23 amBryanThomasS:RT @Hanalla: @bryanthomass unfold for me #sffwrtcht
2:23 amJaleta_Clegg:@ResnickMike #sffwrtcht I'm glad you could make it. Nice to meet you here.
2:23 amlouisbshalako:Is parody a hard sell? Like an insult to the genre? #sffwrtcht
2:24 amJ_GriffinB:#sffwrtcht @resnickmike is on, had a flat, trying to settle into # tag
2:24 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike We've been waiting for you. Discussing our favorite Resnick works. #sffwrtcht
2:24 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Sorry to be late. Had a flat on the way home from dinner
2:24 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Figured it must be something. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amJaleta_Clegg:@louisbshalako Depends on your parody. Well done funny stuff will always sell. #sffwrtcht
2:25 ameruditeogre:@BryanThomasS for shorts, I write a para that sums it up, to keep the goal in mind. For the novel, no outline, but summaries. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Bryan, is any of this getting through?
2:26 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike yes. We see it all #sffwrtcht
2:26 amJ_GriffinB:@ResnickMike Sure is! #sffwrtcht
2:26 amshadowflame1974:@ResnickMike Yes Mike w read you loud and clear. :D #Sffwrtcht
2:26 amBryanThomasS:Mike, tell us a little abt ?Buntline Special,? a weird western w/ Thomas Edison fighting magic? #sffwrtcht @ResnickMike
2:26 amupandcomic:@ResnickMike Yes, I think the problem was the + sign... #sffwrtcht
2:28 amjanetharriett:@BryanThomasS I pants a rough draft to develop the idea, but when I get ready to really draft, I outline to an extreme. #sffwrtcht
2:28 amBryanThomasS:Just FYI guys @ResnickMike is new to tweeting and not a real tehnophile by his own admission so be patient please #sffwrtcht
2:29 amlittlefluffycat:@BryanThomasS definitely an unfolder, I like to see what the characters are going to do! #sffwrtcht
2:29 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I'm seeing -my- messages, but not yours. I saw them briefly a moment ago
2:29 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Open a seperate twitter window and search #sffwrtcht
2:30 amBryanThomasS:Trying to comm with him on Fb but he's not on chat there. Hang on. #sffwrtcht
2:31 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike I emailed. Probably you won't see this. Hope you check your email #sffwrtcht
2:33 amBryanThomasS:I am trying. He's still not on FB. No emails back yet. #sffwrtcht He probably rushed online and has to open that stuff
2:33 amBryanThomasS:Anyway, I have found outlining helps me more as I do second draft. To revise & move things around & address arcs, missing pieces #sffwrtcht
2:34 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike R u there? #sffwrtcht
2:34 amupandcomic:@BryanThomasS @ResnickMike Interestingly enough,one of the things tht stood out in his space-opera books was the use of computers #sffwrtcht
2:34 amshadowflame1974:@ResnickMike this will open a window for the twitter #Sffwrtcht http://bit.ly/hsOem7
2:34 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht all right, I think I'vw got it now. Thanks for your patience. Have I mentioned thjat I hate computers?
2:34 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic Yeah saw that. Sorry. Was hoping he'd answer. #sffwrtcht
2:34 amBryanThomasS:RT @upandcomic: @BryanThomasS @ResnickMike Interestingly enough,one of the things tht stood out in his space-opera books was the use of computers #sffwrtcht
2:35 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike We figured that #sffwrtcht
2:35 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Questions so far: Please tell us about Buntline Special. #sffwrtcht
2:35 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike and do you outline first or write novels and stories without and let them unfold? #sffwrtcht
2:35 amJ_GriffinB:@ResnickMike better that you hate them than they hate you. Dave Drake has had multiple wars with his computers #sffwrtcht
2:35 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht was the last comment from Upand twitter? If so, we're in business
2:36 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Yes. Upandcomic #sffwrtcht
2:37 amBryanThomasS:Okay guys, remember to wait til he answers a question to ask another and please no pitching, etc. He's not buying right now. #sffwrtcht
2:37 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Still there? #sffwrtcht
2:37 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht My tweets are showing up in a window tha has them excvlusively. All your comments, but none of mine, are in the other window.
2:37 amshadowflame1974:@ResnickMike Its all good Mike #sffwrtcht
2:37 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Perfect #sffwrtcht
2:38 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Did you see my questions? Please tell us about Buntline #sffwrtcht
2:38 amlouisbshalako:Is this a tough market right now? Are pros not selling? #sffwrtcht
2:38 amBryanThomasS:@louisbshalako Everyone has rejections. #sffwrtcht
2:39 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht yes, I'm here...but feeling very isolated
2:39 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Oh sorry. Don't feel isolated. We're all waiting with baited breath #sffwrtcht
2:40 ameruditeogre:@ResnickMike I am watching on both your twitter page and #sffwrtcht and it looks like all of your tweets are coming through.
2:40 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike We were talking about outlining earlier. Do you outline before writing? #sffwrtcht
2:41 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht just sent a message on Facebook.
2:41 amupandcomic:@ResnickMike I never used #hashtag chats like this that much, but I think I could see my own coments in the channel... How odd #sffwrtcht
2:41 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Is any of this getting through?
2:42 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Check your FB #sffwrtcht
2:43 amupandcomic:@ResnickMike Yes :D #sffwrtcht
2:43 amBryanThomasS:Sorry guys. #sffwrtcht
2:43 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Lo Anders, my editor at Pyr, asked me to do a "Weird Western", which would bne both fantasy and steampunk...
2:44 amBryanThomasS:@shadowflame1974 Trying to ask him on FB and post here #sffwrtcht
2:44 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht All my adult life I had wanted to write a novel about Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo, the only two college-educated gunslingers
2:44 amjay_lake:Welcome to the twenty first century.... #sffwrtcht
2:45 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Sounds awesome. #sffwrtcht
2:45 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I set up a situation that required Thomas Edison to be in Tombstone a year before the Gunflight at the OK Corral...
2:45 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake LOL I know. #sffwrtcht
2:45 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake Hee! #sffwrtcht
2:46 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I used a lot of hisorical incidents, pus magic (an Indian medicine man turned Bat Masterson into a real bat)...
2:46 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht and Edison's inventions supply the steampunk.
2:46 amlouisbshalako:Do you tend to write well-educted characters, or working stiffs? #sffwrtcht
2:47 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I never make a formal point-by-point outline. I scribble some very informal notes for myself, and that's it. Next question?
2:47 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Sounds very interesting. I am looking forward to reading. It's here beside the bed #sffwrtcht
2:47 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike See Fb for next question. #sffwrtcht
2:47 amBryanThomasS:RT @louisbshalako: Do you tend to write well-educted characters, or working stiffs? #sffwrtcht
2:48 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I use computers in my science fictionb books because they're a fact of life, but I personally hate and distrust them
2:48 amBryanThomasS:Feeding @ResnickMike ?s on Fb Be patient please #sffwrtcht
2:49 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Well, after 2001 Space Odyssey, who doesn't? #sffwrtcht
2:49 amBryanThomasS:RT @ResnickMike: I don't know that my protagonists are education, but they're smart and competent in their ways #sffwrtcht
2:50 amBryanThomasS:RT @ResnickMike: (not like Heinlein's Competent Man) #sffwrtcht
2:50 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I don't know that my protagonists are education They're smart and competent in their ways (not like Heinlein's Competent Man)
2:50 amBryanThomasS:If you have questions, shoot them out so I can pass them along and keep things going. #sffwrtcht
2:51 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht It's no trouble to switch from Tombnstone to Betelgeuse to Manhattan. I love the stories I tell, so I'm enthused about settings
2:51 amlouisbshalako:How important is science, really, in character-based sci-fi? #sffwrtcht
2:52 amJ_GriffinB:@BryanThomasS @ResnickMike How many hours a day do you spend writing new work as opposed to editing, etc? #sffwrtcht
2:52 amBryanThomasS:I asked him which writers were his fav and if they inspired him to write #sffwrtcht
2:53 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Some of my favorites? Bob Sheckley. C.L. Moore. Cliff Simak. Barry Malzberg. George Effinger. Jim White. (I collaborated with 3.)
2:53 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Yes and you have the ongoing dialogues with Barry in the SFWA Bulletin #sffwrtcht
2:53 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike They also have a book out "The Business of SF" from McFarland #sffwrtcht
2:54 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Very helpful book for we writers #sffwrtcht
2:54 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I sit down to write at 10 PM, and knock off at 5 or 6 AM. Probably take a couple of half-hour breaks along the way
2:54 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Wow. So when do you sleep? #sffwrtcht
2:54 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Editing and business (i.e., selling) I do in the afternoons
2:55 amJ_GriffinB:@ResnickMike #sffwrtcht Wow. Night owl.
2:55 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht In my stories science is unimportant. I don't write hard science. I don't write soft science. I write limp science. :-)
2:55 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB Seriously. Wish I could do that. #sffwrtcht
2:55 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike I like hearing you say that. I do the same with science. #sffwrtcht
2:56 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I go to sleep around 6:30 AM, get up between 2 and 3. Except at conventions.
2:56 amJ_GriffinB:RT @ResnickMike: #sffwrtcht In my stories science is unimportant I don't write hard SF I don't write soft science. I write limp science.
2:56 amlouisbshalako:@ResnickMike ha ha ha #sffwrtcht
2:57 amJ_GriffinB:@BryanThomasS Oh, I can do it, but I won't be married for long. Kid of seven wouldn't be too keen on it either. #sffwrtcht
2:57 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I get a lot of my ideas from other writers stories and/or films/plays when I think they did it badly or missed a better idea
2:57 ameruditeogre:@ResnickMike Effinger was one of the best. He's inspired me greatly. What was he like to collaborate with? #sffwrtcht
2:58 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I also get a lot from songs, including my 2007 and 2008 Hugo nominees
2:58 amBryanThomasS:Questions I've asked: how do you come up with your ideas? Does 2nd Buntline book pick up after first? #sffwrtcht
2:58 amBryanThomasS:Any tricks to dealing with rejections? Any books to help us with writing you can recommend? #sffwrtcht
2:59 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht My favorite short story is "A Princess of Earth", which lost the 2005 Hugo to my "Tracels with my Cats". I prefer the loser. :-)
2:59 amBryanThomasS:RT @ResnickMike: #sffwrtcht My favorite short story is "A Princess of Earth", which lost the 2005 Hugo to my "Tracels with my Cats". I prefer the loser. :-)
2:59 ameruditeogre:@Resnick Mike I am relieved to hear that you like improving ideas, & I like that you engage art too(your Dali story, for example) #sffwrtcht
3:00 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht My two favorite novelettes are "For I Have Touched the Sky" and "Alastair Baffle's Emporium of Wonders"
3:00 amBryanThomasS:Do you enjoy working with other writers as a mentor? #sffwrtcht
3:01 amBryanThomasS:RT @ResnickMike: My favorite novellas are "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" and "Shaka II" #sffwrtcht
3:01 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Noticing many of the Kirinyagas are coming up #sffwrtcht
3:01 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht My favorite novellas are "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" and "Shaka II"
3:01 amupandcomic:@ResnickMike Like,all these space-operas are in the end cowboys with rayguns,what about doing a straighforward space western? #sffwrtcht
3:01 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht My favorite novel, which sank like a stone, is THE OUTPOST
3:02 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Which I have right here and am totally laughing my butt of. Catastrophe Baker is a funny guy #sffwrtcht
3:03 amBryanThomasS:RT @theskypirate: @ResnickMike The Outpost is my favorite of yours, as well. #sffwrtcht
3:03 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Myu favorite of my characters is Lucifer Jones, followed in order by Harry The Book, John Justin Mallory, and Catastrophe Baker,
3:03 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB Especially if you write with music #sffwrtcht
3:03 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Of course, you also seem to like Teddy Roosevelt. #sffwrtcht
3:04 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht There are those who say the Santiago and Widowmaker books -are- space Westerns. I disagree, but I'm just the writer
3:05 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Oops...forgot Teddy Roosevelt. Make him 4th among my favorite characters. And stick Thaddeus Flint in there somewhere
3:06 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Any plans to edit more anthologies? Do you get asked or do you pitch the ideas yourself? #sffwrtcht
3:06 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht Is The Outpost still available anywhere? Sounds like my kind of story.
3:06 amBryanThomasS:@Jaleta_Clegg I bought it at Amazon #sffwrtcht Used
3:06 amJ_GriffinB:@ResnickMike What do you find hardest to write well, humor, action, or emotive scenes? #sffwrtcht
3:06 amJaleta_Clegg:@BryanThomasS Thanks. It's now on my wishlist... #sffwrtcht
3:06 amBryanThomasS:@Jaleta_Clegg Of course, right after that Mike emailed me the manuscript for free LOL #sffwrtcht
3:07 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I always have music on. Usually show much. My favorites are Steven Sondheim, Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt, William Finn, and..
3:07 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike I realize we're running into your writing time so just holler when you need to cut this off. #sffwrtcht
3:07 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht @ResnickMike How do you keep the humor up for a whole novel? Do you let the characters carry the jokes?
3:08 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Michel Legrande. I also list to the Andrews Sisters, Xavier Cogat's band, Sinatra, and the Dorseys
3:08 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Clearly you're old school :) #sffwrtcht
3:09 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht 50/50. Half the time Marty Greenberg and I will get together and decide on an anthology, and he'll pitch it...
3:09 amBryanThomasS:@Jaleta_Clegg Adventures, Hazards and The Outpost are three of his humorous novels, by the way #sffwrtcht
3:10 amupandcomic:@ResnickMike So,what was the inspiration behind them?I remember reading the tall-tale section in Huckl Finn and thinking about it #sffwrtcht
3:10 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht the test of the time, I'll pitch it, or the publisher will come to me and ask me to edit it. I'm too busy to edit any right now..
3:11 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike But you've had a hell of a week. Sold 9 stories right? #sffwrtcht
3:11 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht but I'm sure I'll edit more in the future
3:11 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike I'm sure we'll look forward to those #sffwrtcht
3:12 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Mike also has some great books out POD about writing. Including one with best selling synopses #sffwrtcht
3:12 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I find humor far and away the easiest to write. The hardest? You're not gonna believe this, but...
3:13 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht -backgroud- and verisimilitude are the hardest for me. I'm the only writer I know whose 1st drafr if always his shortest
3:13 amJ_GriffinB:#sffwrtcht fascinating.
3:14 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Actually, I sold 17 this week. But they were all no-heavy-lifting sales, which is to say, reprints here and abroad.
3:15 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht it's a big world out there. Last year I had out 3 new books and 14 new stories, and my no-heavy-lifting sales outearned them
3:16 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht The only reaction to rejection is to say (very softly) "Fuck you. I'm selling to you r rival, and when it wints the Hugo...
3:16 amlouisbshalako:Is there value in entry-level writers giving stories away? #sffwrtcht
3:17 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht he and I are going to get rich and be famous, and you're going to feel like shit."
3:17 amJ_GriffinB:RT @ResnickMike: #sffwrtcht My only reaction to rejection is saying very softly"Fuck you I'm selling to your rival, & when it wins the Hugo
3:17 amJ_GriffinB:RT @ResnickMike: #sffwrtcht he and I are going to get rich and be famous, and you're going to feel like shit."
3:18 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I work wth what Maureen McHugh calls "Mike's Writer Children" one-on-one. I don't think I can generalize about how to write...
3:19 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht better. When I do Clarion or workshops I mostly address the business, becase anyone ca learn that, whereas...
3:19 amupandcomic:RT @ResnickMike: #sffwrtcht The only reaction to rejection is to say (very softly) "Fuck you. I'm selling to you r rival, and when it wints the Hugo...
3:19 amupandcomic:RT @ResnickMike: #sffwrtcht he and I are going to get rich and be famous, and you're going to feel like shit."
3:19 amJaleta_Clegg:#sffwrtcht Great discussion but it's my kids bedtime. I'll have to catch up on the transcript. Nite all!
3:20 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht no two writers have the same strengths, the same weaknesses, or the same talent levels. 'm comfortablew working with...
3:20 amJ_GriffinB:BryanThomasS is in twitterjail, so I will repeat any of his questions for the rest of you #sffwrtcht
3:21 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht one or two a year on a one-on-one basis, but I don't think you can teach Art to wildly diverse talents and skill levels
3:22 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Money flows -to- writers, not from them. I oppose vanity presses, and giving away stories for free...
3:23 ameruditeogre:@ResnickMike it's amazing and heartening to hear that one's work can continue to spread and earn for you. #sffwrtcht
3:23 amsffwrtcht:Okay, sorry, I can't send tweets from my other account for some reason #sffwrtcht
3:23 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht right now thereare 3 digests, Realms of Fantasy, and 15 e-zines paying pro rates. If you can't crack one of 19 markets...
3:24 amsffwrtcht:I asked him about how much research he does for writing. #sffwrtcht
3:24 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht then you're giving away stories no one wanted, and that will only damage public perception of your talent.
3:24 amJ_GriffinB:RT @ResnickMike: #sffwrtcht then you're giving away stories no one wanted, and that will only damage public perception of your talent.
3:25 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht btw, I just had eye surgery Monday, so if there are a bunch of typos, please blame it on my surgeon and not me
3:25 amlouisbshalako:Unfortunately true. Vanity fuels the presses. #sffwrtcht
3:26 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht The research depends on the book. If it's an alternate history, I do whatever it takes to be accurate....
3:26 amsffwrtcht:Do you have any predictions on where the publishing industry is going with all the changes? #sffwrtcht
3:27 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht if it's one of my Inner Frontier myths like Santiago or Soothsay or Widowmaker or The Outpost, none
3:27 amsffwrtcht:@sffwrtcht Do you research entirely before writing or as you go? #sffwrtcht
3:28 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I think the mass market paperback is extinct in a dozen yeras. And if mass market hardcover hourses don't change theur way...
3:28 amsffwrtcht:Any final questions? We're gonna wrap this up shortly #sffwrtcht
3:29 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht and Lord knows most of them are neither ethical or adaptable, I think half of them will be gone inside 15 years.
3:29 amsffwrtcht:You've done pretty well with your ebooks. You've gotten a lot of expired rights back and then sold them online, correct? #sffwrtcht
3:30 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht you can sell your own e-books for 70% on Kindle and Barnes. What are your publishers doing for 90% of your money?
3:30 amlouisbshalako:Thank you. #sffwrtcht
3:31 amJ_GriffinB:@ResnickMike Do you see them taking on the role of publicist? #sffwrtcht
3:31 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I've put up 34 reverted titles, and created 5 collections. If they sell 1/6 as well as paper books, I'm ahead of the game at 70%
3:32 amsffwrtcht:Okay, closing in 5 minutes. Who has final questions? #sffwrtcht
3:32 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I've been a fulltime freelancer since 1968. Kindle alone has given me the first dependable 4-figure monthly income I've had
3:34 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht amd of course, you can sell from your own web page and get 100%. You hear writers bitching about their treatment..
3:34 amBryanThomasS:@sffwrtcht Does the followup Western for Pyr pick up where Buntline left off or is it stand alone? #sffwrtcht
3:34 amBryanThomasS:Hey They fixed me! #sffwrtcht
3:34 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht but they're still getting 19th Century abuses in the 21st Century. I don't think publishers realize how much bitterness there is
3:35 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike No, I don't either. #sffwrtcht
3:35 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht the Butline sequel is THE DOCTOR AND THE KID. It begins about2 months after the events in the previous book...
3:36 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Awesome. Any plans for another? #sffwrtcht
3:36 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht You can doubtless figure out who the Doctor and the Kid are. :-)
3:37 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Yes, we can #sffwrtcht
3:37 amupandcomic:@ResnickMike Any thoughts on adaptations? #sffwrtcht
3:37 amBryanThomasS:By the way, after our test run last Thursday, @ResnickMike told me he confirmed he hates twitter. LOL #sffwrtcht So real glad he came anyway
3:38 amRetweetBots:By the way, after our test run last Thursday, @ResnickMike told me he confirmed he hates twitter. LOL #sffwrtcht... http://bit.ly/h21eTx
3:38 amBryanThomasS:Ok, that'll be the final question. #sffwrtcht
3:38 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic Yours #sffwrtcht
3:39 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht If there's a 3rd, it'll feature Doc and Theodore Roosevelt, and a 4rth will feature Doc plus paleontologists Cope and Marsh
3:39 amBryanThomasS:Guys, next week we have Ray Gun Revival staff talking about the relaunch of their space opera classic SF ezine. #sffwrtcht
3:39 amupandcomic:@BryanThomasS Thanks ^^ #sffwrtcht
3:39 amBryanThomasS:I passed on some stories from Mike and he sold a bunch to them this week. #sffwrtcht (I read slush for RGR)
3:40 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike Awesome. #sffwrtcht
3:40 amBryanThomasS:Mike's website is www.mikeresnick.com #sffwrtcht
3:40 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Adaptations? They make money and they're totally unsatisfying. I did a Battlestar in 1980. To this day, I've never seen the show
3:40 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike A book he thought was dumb by the way. #sffwrtcht
3:41 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht I did a Lara Croft in 2003. To this day I've never played the game or seen the movie. I was fun, and lucrative, but a time-waster
3:41 amBryanThomasS:Mike, thanks so much for guesting. It was awesome. #sffwrtcht Thanks all for joining in and come back next week please
3:42 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike But steady work nonetheless #sffwrtcht
3:42 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht It's been a pleasure. Sorry about the flat tired, and especially sorry I didn't know howto work my @#$%^Y& machine.
3:43 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike No problem. You were great. #sffwrtcht #
3:43 amBryanThomasS:Ok, good night all ! Thanks again for coming. I'll post a transcript on my blog in a few hours. #sffwrtcht
3:43 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht and keep an eye out for "The Homecoming" in the April/May Asimov's. My wife says it's me best story this millennium
3:43 amupandcomic:@BryanThomasS Next week I'll ask again about adaptations of *his* novels... ^_^U #sffwrtcht
3:44 amResnickMike:#sffwrtcht Good night, all - and thanks for inviting me, Bryan
3:44 amBryanThomasS:@ResnickMike You're welcome #sffwrtcht
3:48 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic He answered the adaptations thing. Did you not see ? #sffwrtcht
3:50 amupandcomic:@BryanThomasS Yes, but his answer was about novelizations, not movie adaptations of his works etc My bad :/ #sffwrtcht
3:50 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic Ah ok. Well, he loves to sell those. Has one coming out soon in fact. Most have not been made but he still gets paid #sffwrtcht
3:50 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic He and I have talked about that. #sffwrtcht
3:50 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic Mostly, he figures Hollywood screws up his work #sffwrtcht
3:51 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic Santiago, for example, has been optioned forever and never made #sffwrtcht
3:52 amupandcomic:@BryanThomasS #sffwrtcht I have read about that one. Some writers get the money from options,hoping they won't ever get around doing them XD
3:54 amBryanThomasS:@upandcomic Exactly. They do hope that. It can be very lucrative #sffwrtcht
3:54 amBryanThomasS:Thanks @upandcomic @J_GriffinB For joining us tonight, by the way. Welcome to #sffwrtcht
3:58 amupandcomic:@BryanThomasS My pleasure ^^ #sffwrtcht
3:59 amsffwrtcht:http://bit.ly/eWBKHn Our schedule for #sffwrtcht through March has some very cool people.
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