Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Science Fiction And Fantasy Writer's Chat 2/23/11 with Jay Lake

12:50 amBryanThomasS:#sffwrtcht now has an official page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sffwrtcht-Science-Fiction-and-Fantasy-Writers-Chat/144219588975058?v=wall
1:59 amBryanThomasS:Guest's here. Let's get rolling! #sffwrtcht
1:59 amsffwrtcht:Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writer?s Chat. #sffwrtcht
1:59 amsffwrtcht:Our goal is to talk w/ writers, editors, & others abt the craft of writing, specifically related to writing speculative fiction. #sffwrtcht
1:59 amsffwrtcht:Our format is round table discussion. Please restrict ?s to writing craft, business of writing & the specific works of the guest. #sffwrtcht
1:59 amsffwrtcht:No queries, no pitching, no politics, etc. #sffwrtcht
2:00 amsffwrtcht:Please wait until your question gets answered to ask another & use the hashtag #sffwrtcht for all questions and comments.
2:00 amsffwrtcht:It?s up to the guest whether the question time will run longer than our allotted hour slot. #sffwrtcht
2:01 amsffwrtcht:Next week, we have editor @kaolinfire of GUD magazine. The following week author/editor Kevin Anderson & then @brendacooper 3/16 #sffwrtcht
2:01 amJ_GriffinB:I am here, bluntskulls. #sffwrtcht
2:01 amSpiceBites:RT @shadowflame1974: We have the awesome @Jay_Lake tonight on #sffwrtcht. Come join us! #sffwrtcht
2:01 amsffwrtcht:Tonight's guest is an author, editor, world traveller, salesman, and all around nice guy named @jay_lake. Jay, welcome! #sffwrtcht
2:02 amBryanThomasS:@J_GriffinB Cover that shiny object dang it! #sffwrtcht
2:02 amjay_lake:Hi, Bryan #sffwrtcht
2:03 amJ_GriffinB:Cover my glorious- Erm, I shut it now, that the guest might speak. #sffwrtcht
2:03 amBryanThomasS:Jay has written about everything. Two novel series, novellas, you name it. Steampnk, fantasy, SF, spec-weird. #sffwrtcht
2:03 amshadowflame1974:Hi Jay glad you could join us tonight :D #sffwrtcht
2:03 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake His novel Green just came out in mass market paperback and Pinion is soon to follow #sffwrtcht
2:04 amjasonsanford:@jay_lake Any thoughts on this year's Nebula finalists? Any surprises or works you wish had made the ballot? #sffwrtcht
2:05 ampattyjansen:@jay_lake #sffwrtcht Jay, how do you feel about writing/marketing across different genres?
2:05 amBryanThomasS:And @jasonsanford cuts to the heart of the matter. #sffwrtcht
2:06 amjasonsanford:@BryanThomasS @jay_lake Apologies. I should have allowed time for pleasant banter. :-) #sffwrtcht
2:06 amjay_lake:I'm real pleased with this year's Nebula ballot. Representation of both women and writers of color is much stronger this year. #sffwrtcht
2:07 amjay_lake:I don't think there's anything odd or surprising about the Nebs. Pleased to see so many of my friends there. #sffwrtcht
2:07 amsnott:#sffwrtcht Going on now for speculative fiction writers - check it out! #writing #wip
2:07 amSpiceBites:@jay_lake <3 your writing. Do u start w/character, question or situation? #sffwrtcht
2:08 amjay_lake:GREEN is just out in TPB. I'm looking at a November release of ENDURANCE, which is GREEN book 2. KALIMPURA will be in to Tor June #sffwrtcht
2:09 amjay_lake:@SpiceBites - Thank you. It varies how I start. Often it's just with an image or a situation. Visual or language cue, maybe. #sffwrtcht
2:09 amjay_lake:I can gin up a story from a very small seed. It's one of the pleasures of the craft for me. #sffwrtcht
2:09 amJ_GriffinB:RT @jay_lake: I can gin up a story from a very small seed. It's one of the pleasures of the craft for me. #sffwrtcht
2:09 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake KALIMPURA is part of a new series or Book 3 of Green? #sffwrtcht
2:10 amSooGuy68:RT @snott: #sffwrtcht Going on now for speculative fiction writers - check it out! #writing #wip
2:10 amjay_lake:@pattyjansen - Writing across different genres seems a fine thing to me. I'm not wedded to f/sf, it's just my first and best love #sffwrtcht
2:10 amBryanThomasS:@jasonsanford No problems. I was teasing. Glad to have you. Great question #sffwrtcht
2:11 amjay_lake:KALIMPURA is GREEN #3, & finishes out this story cycle. Might be more if readers & the market want, but this is a logical close. #sffwrtcht
2:11 ambrendacooper:Dropping in for a moment to wave during #sffwrtcht -- BTW Endurance cover is gorgeous.
2:11 ampattyjansen:@jay_lake #sffwrtcht OK, but often agents rep only one or two genres, or they'll only rep adult (not kids books) I find it v hard
2:11 amjasonsanford:@jay_lake Are the Green books a trilogy? Will there be more books after Kalimpura? I ask because I love the character of Green. #sffwrtcht
2:12 amjay_lake:Now working on a massive, ambitious space opera called SUNSPIN #sffwrtcht
2:12 amjasonsanford:@jay_lake Nevermind. Questions answered. #sffwrtcht
2:13 amjay_lake:And yes, GREEN is secondary world fantasy with colonialist leanings. Borderline steam age. Gods and monsters. Ninja nuns. #sffwrtcht
2:13 amjay_lake:@pattyjansen - Some agents rep more widely. Some people have more than one agent. :) #sffwrtcht
2:13 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake Sounds great. I have to read that. #sffwrtcht
2:13 amSpiceBites:@jay_lake have u created a SUNSPIN cheatsheet to keep track? #sffwrtcht
2:14 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake has an excellent and almost daily- updated blog: http://www.jlake.com/blog/ #sffwrtcht
2:14 amSpiceBites:RT @jay_lake: Ninja nuns. :P #sffwrtcht
2:14 amjay_lake:@jasonsanford - No worries. Happy to discuss Green and her world. Did you see the new cover at tor.com? #sffwrtcht
2:14 amklagor:@jay_lake what's your favorite thing to tell new writers? #sffwrtcht
2:15 amjay_lake:Re SUNSPIN, I have a 120-page document which tracks characters, planets, backgrounders as well as plot synopsis #sffwrtcht
2:15 amjay_lake:First draft will be 500,000 to 600,000 words. Requires new techniques and tools for me. #sffwrtcht
2:16 amshadowflame1974:@jay_lake so it looks like you do a lot of world building. #sffwrtcht
2:16 amjasonsanford:@jay_lake No, I haven't seen the new cover. I'm popping over there right now to check it out. #sffwrtcht
2:16 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake A big undertaking. How many books are you planning? #sffwrtcht
2:16 amjay_lake:Far future space opera in a second empire setting. I've published 5, 6 short stoies in the continuity. #sffwrtcht
2:16 amjay_lake:@klagor - I like to tell new writers to "write more". Another comment that comes up a lot is... #sffwrtcht
2:17 amjay_lake:..."Publishing is meritocracy, but it is not a just meritocracy". #sffwrtcht
2:17 amjay_lake:Which is to say being good is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. #sffwrtcht
2:17 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake Is that kind of a suggestion that the way to succeed at writing is to write a lot so you can learn and grow? #sffwrtcht
2:17 ammlvalentine:Author @jay_lake is talking about writing and space opera on the #sffwrtcht. Go say "Hello!" :)
2:18 amSpiceBites:RT @jay_lake: Which is to say being good is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. #sffwrtcht
2:18 amjay_lake:"Write more" just means whatever you're doing, do more of it. Plus I'm a big fan of putting down the tv and the videogames. #sffwrtcht
2:18 amjay_lake:Nothing wrong with entertainment, but things that scratch your plot bump will keep you from writing. #sffwrtcht
2:19 amjay_lake:The question is: do you want to be a producer or a consumer? #sffwrtcht
2:19 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake Can you be both? #sffwrtcht
2:19 ammlvalentine:RT @jay_lake: The question is: do you want to be a producer or a consumer? #sffwrtcht
2:19 amjasonsanford:Here's the cover for Endurance, which @jay_lake mentioned a few moments ago. Wow! Can't wait to read it. http://bit.ly/f3eM8c #sffwrtcht
2:19 amSpiceBites:RT @jay_lake: The question is: do you want to be a producer or a consumer? #sffwrtcht
2:19 amjay_lake:And yes, writing a lot to learn and grow is exactly how we succeed. Nobody is born a literary genius. #sffwrtcht
2:20 amjay_lake:You would expect to practice a martial art or a new instrument or a foreign language. Why wouldn't you practice writing? #sffwrtcht
2:20 amscribofelidae:RT @jay_lake: The question is: do you want to be a producer or a consumer? #sffwrtcht
2:20 amjay_lake:And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:20 amlouisbshalako:RT @Jay_Lake @sffwrtcht The question is: do you want to be a producer or a consumer? #sffwrtcht
2:20 amshadowflame1974:RT @jay_lake: The question is: do you want to be a producer or a consumer? #sffwrtcht >> excellent advice
2:20 amJESilverstein:Author @jay_lake is talking about writing and space opera on the #sffwrtcht. Go say "Hello!" :)
2:20 amSpiceBites:@jay_lake Can't some consumption lead to inspiration? Read to write idea... #sffwrtcht
2:21 amJ_GriffinB:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:21 amjay_lake:@BryanThomasS - Of course you can be both. We are all consumers by definition. But to be a producer, ... #sffwrtcht
2:21 amjay_lake:...you have to shake off some of the habits of being a consumer. #sffwrtcht
2:21 amAndrewMayer:RT @jay_lake: Writing a lot to learn and grow is exactly how we succeed. Nobody is born a literary genius. #sffwrtcht
2:22 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake games are my downfall. #sffwrtcht
2:22 amJESilverstein:Author @jay_lake is talking about writing on the #sffwrtcht right now. Drop by and see what he has to say. #writing
2:22 amBryanThomasS:@AndrewMayer Andrew, nice to see you here. #sffwrtcht
2:22 amjay_lake:@SpiceBites - Absolutely. It's called filling the well. Imagine a chef who never ate anyone else's cooking. But time is an issue. #sffwrtcht
2:22 amjay_lake:People complain they don't have time to write, but they're in WOW every night, or watching House. Or whatever. That's a *choice* #sffwrtcht
2:22 amSooGuy68:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:23 amklagor:@jay_lake Fantastic advice. Much thanks. #sffwrtcht
2:23 amSpiceBites:@jay_lake Time...never enuff. Good point. #sffwrtcht
2:23 ampattyjansen:@jay_lake #sffwrtcht Don't you find inspiration comes from genres diff from what you're writing, e.g. non-fiction?
2:23 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake It definitely is. So being disciplined in your consumption is necessary #sffwrtcht
2:23 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake It definitely is. So being disciplined in your consumption is necessary #sffwrtcht
2:23 amjay_lake:@AndrewMayer has the coolest book coming out, btw. Steampunk superheroes in NYC, 1880. I have a reading copy RIGHT NOW! #sffwrtcht
2:24 amAbsoluteWrite:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:24 amAbsoluteWrite:RT @jay_lake: You would expect to practice a martial art or a new instrument or a foreign language. Why wouldn't you practice writing? #sffwrtcht
2:24 amjay_lake:@J_GriffinB I love games not arguing against them. Just pointing out they take up the same brain space and time-of-day as writing #sffwrtcht
2:24 amNataniaBarron:RT @jay_lake: People complain they don't have time to write, but they're in WOW every night, or watching House. Or whatever. That's a *choice* #sffwrtcht
2:25 amjay_lake:@pattyjansen - Absolutely. That's why I try to read (and DVD watch) outside my genre. So I don't grow stale. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amlaurendane:RT @YasmineGalenorn: Author @jay_lake is handing out some very good, useful advice on writing right now in #sffwrtcht I recommend paying attention.
2:25 amGallagherWitt:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amsffwrtcht:a@jay_lake You grew up the son of a diplomat. How much did your exposure to "other" effect your writing? #sffwrtcht
2:25 amSpiceBites:@jay_lake @AndrewMayer book sounds rt up my alley: steampunk, historical setting, superheroes. Wow. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amjay_lake:Also why I shoot a lot of photographs and seek out new people and experiences IRL. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake Indeed. And I have selected one that I will play, but only after putting in the time on the WIP. #sffwrtcht
2:25 amleira_carola:RT @jay_lake: You would expect to practice a martial art or a new instrument or a foreign language. Why wouldn't you practice writing? #sffwrtcht
2:25 amtriptych:RT @jay_lake: You would expect to practice a martial art or a new instrument or a foreign language. Why wouldn't you practice writing? #sffwrtcht
2:26 amjay_lake:I think growing up overseas in a diplomatic family is a huge part of why I became interested in writing the other. #sffwrtcht
2:26 amtriptych:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:26 amkrishumphreys:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:26 amSooGuy68:RT @YasmineGalenorn: Author @jay_lake is handing out some very good, useful advice on writing right now in #sffwrtcht I recommend paying attention.
2:26 amjakedfw:@jay_lake Jay, do you ever write outside the SF genre? Ever have the itch to write a thriller or mystery? #sffwrtcht
2:26 amjay_lake:My entire childhood was made of 'other'. The world is fractally, gloriously complex. Genre fiction re-opens those doors for me. #sffwrtcht
2:27 amchooseareality:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:27 amjay_lake:@jakedfw - Wrote a mainstream short this past weekend. In novels, my next two projects after SUNSPIN are marketable as mainstream #sffwrtcht
2:27 amSpiceBites:@jay_lake i think its the other in your stories why i like them. #sffwrtcht
2:27 amBryanThomasS:Do you use those cultural lessons to create characters, world build? Ever wnt to write something in those cultures u experienced? #sffwrtcht
2:27 amjay_lake:As to the cultures, I use them all the time in my work. My experiences in China and Africa infuse ESCAPEMENT and PINION #sffwrtcht
2:27 amBryanThomasS:RT @AndrewMayer: @BryanThomasS @jay_lake Thanks! I was just try sneak in subtly before I got down to work... See what happens? #sffwrtcht
2:27 amBryanThomasS:@AndrewMayer #sffwrtcht Glad to have you.
2:28 amjay_lake:But I don't often write about it directly, in naturalistic fiction, no. Couldn't tell you why not. #sffwrtcht
2:28 amklagor:@jay_lake When you get a seed for an idea, do you pursue it immediately or let it sit and mature a bit? #sffwrtcht
2:28 amtalekyn:@jay_lake GRAVITY affected me. Knowing how your cancer has progressed, is there anything you'd do differently with the book? #sffwrtcht
2:28 amjenniferbrozek:I'm lurking, watching @jay_lake in #sffwrtcht
2:28 amJESilverstein:@jay_lake For a while you were doing quite a bit of anthology editing. Any more of that on the horizon? #sffwrtcht
2:29 amjay_lake:Bear in mind I have some good time cheats. I work at home, no commute. I only sleep 6 hours a night. Etc. Time is key. #sffwrtcht
2:29 amjay_lake:@JEsilverstein :: waves :: Maybe another anthology or 2 on the horizon. Mostly I need to find publishers who want to work with me #sffwrtcht
2:29 amtwilight2000:RT @JESilverstein: Author @jay_lake is talking about writing on the #sffwrtcht right now. Drop by and see what he has to say. #writing
2:30 amcjbahr:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:30 amjay_lake:I love editing anthos. Great fun. But the administrative side of it is tedious. And I don't want to fund any more. #sffwrtcht
2:30 amWriterCLKelly:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
2:30 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake I'm sure finding people to work with is not much problem. :) #sffwrtcht
2:30 amSpiceBites:@jay_lake have u ever considered giving up the day job? #sffwrtcht
2:30 amjay_lake:Re SUNSPIN, three books in this arc. I'm writing them as one large project. Universe is very open ended, though. #sffwrtcht
2:31 amjay_lake:re day job, I need the steady income and the benefits. Cancer means I can never be a full time free lancer. #sffwrtcht
2:31 amshadowflame1974:@jay_lake How has cancer affected your writing, if at all? #sffwrtcht
2:32 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake You also do a lot of linking on your blog, more than I have seen elsewhere. What influenced you to do that. #sffwrtcht
2:32 amjay_lake:@talekyn - No, I don't think I'd approach GRIEF any differently. If anything, the book has been oddly prophetic, to my sadness #sffwrtcht
2:32 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake One of your departures lately was SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF GRIEF a novella about a man going through cancer #sffwrtcht
2:32 amtheodoragoss:RT @jay_lake: The question is: do you want to be a producer or a consumer? #sffwrtcht
2:32 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake Tell us a little about that. When did you first get diagnosed? #sffwrtcht
2:32 amjay_lake:@shadowflame1974 - Cancer is everywhere in my writing, directly and indirectly, but I don't think it has dominated #sffwrtcht
2:33 amjay_lake:SUNSPIN is much concerned with loss and mortality, but also with love and redemption. Cancer? Or life? Or both? #sffwrtcht
2:33 amshadowflame1974:@jay_lake was it there before the diagnosis? #sffwrtcht
2:34 amjay_lake:Primary colon cancer was first diagnosed in April, 2008. Lung metastasis in April, 2009. #sffwrtcht
2:34 amtalekyn:@jay_lake Do you see yourself writing any more "non-genre" fiction like SPECIFIC GRAVITY, in among the Sunspin & Green epics? #sffwrtcht
2:34 amjay_lake:Mistaken diagnosis of liver metastasis in July, 2010. #sffwrtcht
2:34 amjesshartley:RT @mlvalentine: Author @jay_lake is talking about writing and space opera on the #sffwrtcht. Go say "Hello!" :)
2:34 amjay_lake:Re linking on my blog, I read a lot of blogs every morning, to amuse and inform myself. Link salad is just a 'best of' #sffwrtcht
2:35 amjay_lake:@talekyn - Probably more non-genre to come. Novel after SUNSPIN is ORIGINAL DESTINY, MANIFEST SIN #sffwrtcht
2:35 amlouisbshalako:@jay_lake Do you write the books you would like to see written? Or wish someone had written? #sffwrtcht
2:36 amjay_lake:ORIGINAL DESTINY is a fantastic history of the American West. Fantasy, but could also be mainstream. #sffwrtcht
2:36 amjay_lake:Likely project after that is BLACK TULIP, set in 17th century Netherlands. Historical thriller. #sffwrtcht
2:36 amjenniferbrozek:@jay_lake What made you want to get into Westerns? #sffwrtcht
2:37 amjay_lake:@luisbshalako I write the books I want to read... :) #sffwrtcht
2:37 amWyld_Dandelyon:@jay_lake #sffwrtcht I find that the more I write, the less I have time to read. I envy you the at-home day job!
2:38 amjay_lake:@jenniferbrozek - Westerns are the foundation myths of American culture. Manichaean dualism, conflicts between man and nature #sffwrtcht
2:38 amjdhancock:RT @jay_lake: People complain they don't have time to write, but they're in WOW every night, or watching House. Or whatever. That's a *choice* #sffwrtcht
2:38 amlauriedtmann:@jay_lake "Cancer means I can never be a full-time free lancer" Unless you become the next JK Rowling... #sffwrtcht
2:38 amjay_lake:Westerns have it all, in spades. An ur-language of archetypes of the Garden and the Fall and the spirits of the land. #sffwrtcht
2:39 amjay_lake:And yes, if my work got big enough, I could afford to be a sick man. But not until then... #sffwrtcht
2:39 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake You remain very open about your cancer struggles on Fb and the blog. Has that been hard for you? #sffwrtcht
2:39 amtalekyn:@cparagraphs Jay Lake is the guest on #sffwrtcht here on Twitter and I'm asking questions.
2:40 amjay_lake:@Wykd_Dandelyon - Writing has really intefered with my reading career. #sffwrtcht
2:40 amJ_GriffinB:RT @jay_lake: @Wykd_Dandelyon - Writing has really intefered with my reading career. #sffwrtcht
2:40 amlouisbshalako:RT @jay_lake @jenniferbrozek - Westerns...foundation myths...American culture. Manichaean dualism, conflicts between man/nature #sffwrtcht
2:40 amjay_lake:I talk openly about the cancer because so many people don't. I get more fan letters off my cancer blogging than off my fiction. #sffwrtcht
2:41 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake Do you have mixed feelings on that, on occasion? #sffwrtcht
2:41 amtwilight2000:RT @jay_lake: @Wykd_Dandelyon - Writing has really intefered with my reading career. #sffwrtcht
2:41 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake It's not surprising you get fan mail like that. It's very helpful to others. #sffwrtcht
2:41 amjay_lake:It's difficult to talk about it sometimes, but it's also something I can give back/pay forward for all those who have loved me. #sffwrtcht
2:42 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake Do you work from outlines or let the story unfold as it comes? #sffwrtcht
2:42 amjay_lake:@j_grifiinB Yes, sometimes I have mixed feelings. Makes some things harder. I am still proud to make something good of it #sffwrtcht
2:43 amjay_lake:Re outlines, for short fiction, never. I 'follow the headlights' For novels, always. But the process changes every time. #sffwrtcht
2:43 amjay_lake:Asking me who my favorite character is, that's like asking me who my favorite child is. Heh. #sffwrtcht
2:44 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake I think I saw you blog about that recently. Doing much more detailed outlines for SUNSPIN than you have before? #sffwrtcht
2:44 amjay_lake:Al-Wazir. Green. Onesiphorous. My books are full of people I love. #sffwrtcht
2:44 amtalekyn:@matt36512 Hey, if you're around check out #sffwrtcht. Author Jay Lake is the guest. Good stuff re: writing.
2:44 amSooGuy68:RT @jay_lake: Re outlines, for short fiction, never. I 'follow the headlights' For novels, always. But the process changes every time. #sffwrtcht
2:44 amWyld_Dandelyon:@jay_lake @Wykd_Dandelyon Writing has intefered with my reading career. #sffwrtcht LOL Me too! But I love telling stories too, so it's OK.
2:44 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake Who was the most challenging character to write and why? #sffwrtcht
2:44 ampfanderson:RT @jay_lake: Asking me who my favorite character is, that's like asking me who my favorite child is. Heh. #sffwrtcht
2:45 amjay_lake:Yes, outlines for SUNSPIN are fantastically more detailed than ever before. TRIAL OF FLOWERS outline was 5 paragraphs. #sffwrtcht
2:45 amjay_lake:My most challenging character is whoever I'm working on now. But looking back, probably Green. #sffwrtcht
2:46 amklagor:@jay_lake Your prose is so dense and tight, how many edits does it take to get your sentences throw so much weight around? #sffwrtcht
2:46 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake You know that I'm a big fan of "Death of A Starship" with its priest-agent. Where'd that idea come from? #sffwrtcht
2:47 amjay_lake:"Death of a Starship" characters came from, well, wherever. Menard wasn't anyone in particular. #sffwrtcht
2:47 amjay_lake:Fr. Megiddo Vasiliev in SUNSPIN is close kin to Menard, though. #sffwrtcht
2:47 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake How many years did you write and submit before making your first sale? #sffwrtcht
2:48 amjay_lake:Re sentence density, believe it or not, a lot of that happens in the initial draft. Though a novel will have 4-5 passes. #sffwrtcht
2:48 amsffwrtcht:These days it almost seems like you have a story out every week. #sffwrtcht
2:48 ameliyannakaiser:Tune into fascinating interview ongoing now with the amazing @jay_lake (author of "Green") by viewing #sffwrtcht
2:49 amjay_lake:I wrote and submitted regularly from 1990 to 2001 before making my first sale. #sffwrtcht
2:49 ameliyannakaiser:RT @jay_lake: @Wykd_Dandelyon - Writing has really intefered with my reading career. #sffwrtcht
2:49 amjay_lake:Probably about 800,000 words of first draft before I broke in #sffwrtcht
2:49 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake Amazing perserverence. Did you ever want to quit? #sffwrtcht
2:49 amjay_lake:At this point, I've probably written close to 3,000,000 words of first draft #sffwrtcht
2:50 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake What is that line about 1 million words before some quality shows? #sffwrtcht
2:50 amjay_lake:Sold over 2,000,000 of those words. #sffwrtcht
2:50 amjay_lake:DId I ever want to quit? Lots of times. But I kept going. Because, well, this is what I wanted. #sffwrtcht
2:50 amshadowflame1974:@jay_lake and that is why you tell writers to write more. Without all of those drafts you wouldn't be where you are now. #sffwrtcht
2:50 amjay_lake:It's been years since the last time I wanted to quit, though. Success is its own reward. #sffwrtcht
2:51 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake Congrats. Quite a number! #sffwrtcht
2:51 amklagor:@jay_lake what did you do to celebrate your first sale? #sffwrtcht
2:51 amjay_lake:Takes an inordinate amount of self-motivation to get this far, though. #sffwrtcht
2:51 ammbranesf:Word. RT @jay_lake: DId I ever want to quit? Lots of times. But I kept going. Because, well, this is what I wanted. #sffwrtcht
2:51 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake But even a writer as prolific and successful as you still gets those rejection slips, right? #sffwrtcht
2:51 amjay_lake:@J_GriffinB - Yeah, the million bad words theory. Closely related to the ten years of practice theory. See earlier comment. ;) #sffwrtcht
2:52 amsffwrtcht:10 minutes left. Get those final questions for @jay_lake in please! #sffwrtcht
2:52 amjay_lake:@klagor - I think I went out to dinner. "The Courtesy of Guests" is the first story I ever sold. #sffwrtcht
2:52 amBryanThomasS:@mbranesf Chris, nice to see you with us. :) #sffwrtcht
2:53 amBryanThomasS:@SpiceBites @klagor Great questions. Thanks for joining us tonight. #sffwrtcht
2:53 amPManion:@jay_lake I saw you at Worldcon in Melbourne, Australia last year. What was memorable about that con? #sffwrtcht
2:53 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake Yes, that's it. lI have that experience, just in nonfiction. Not sure how much translates. #sffwrtcht
2:53 amjay_lake:I apologize, HootSuite is giving me some serious message lag. #sffwrtcht
2:53 amklagor:@jay_lake At the time, did you know that was the story that was going to do it for you? #sffwrtcht
2:54 amshadowflame1974:@jay_lake No worries Jay, I think Twitter has gotten a bit fussy the past 15 minutes #sffwrtcht
2:54 amjay_lake:@PManion - What was memorable about WorldCon last year is that I made it there. Could still barely walk post-chemo. #sffwrtcht
2:54 amtalekyn:@jay_lake Are any of the Sunspin-related shorts incorporated into the upcoming novel or do they all stand separate? #sffwrtcht
2:55 amjay_lake:And yes, I still get rejected all the time. More often than I get accepted, I think. #sffwrtcht
2:55 amjay_lake:Submitting fiction is kind of like dating. It helps to be cheerful and bullet-resistant. #sffwrtcht
2:55 amshadowflame1974:@jay_lake do you think some editors expect more out of you than some of the newer writers? #sffwrtcht
2:55 amJ_GriffinB:RT @jay_lake: And yes, I still get rejected all the time. More often than I get accepted, I think. #sffwrtcht
2:56 amjay_lake:None of the SUNSPIN shorts are embedded in the novel, but they all feed into it somehow. Fred is clever that way. #sffwrtcht
2:56 amjay_lake:@klagor - No, I did not. Honestly, I was surprised. Remember, I'd been failing for years at that point. Was quite good at it. #sffwrtcht
2:57 amjay_lake:@shadowflame1974 - That's a really good question. The answer is yes and no. Ultimately, the story *has* to speak for itself. #sffwrtcht
2:57 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake What does your writing space look like? #sffwrtcht
2:57 amsffwrtcht:When can we expect to see SUNSPIN out? 2012? 2013? #sffwrtcht
2:58 amjay_lake:My writing space looks like a MacBook Pro. I can and do write almost anywhere. #sffwrtcht
2:58 amFuelforwriters:RT @jay_lake: People complain they don't have time to write, but they're in WOW every night, or watching House. Or whatever. That's a *choice* #sffwrtcht
2:58 amjay_lake:SUNSPIN is being written entirely on spec, so I don't know when we'll see it out. When I sell it, you'll hear the whoop. #sffwrtcht
2:59 amsffwrtcht:@jay_lake Awesome. We look forward to it. Jay, remind us where we can find you on the web? #sffwrtcht
3:00 amJ_GriffinB:@jay_lake Ditto that. Any software preferences? #sffwrtcht
3:00 amjay_lake:On the Web I am at jlake.com and jaylake.livejournal.com, also Facebook and (duh) Twitter #sffwrtcht
3:00 amWyld_Dandelyon:@jay_lake #sffwrtcht What do you think about the many changes publishing is undergoing right now?
3:00 amBryanThomasS:Next week GUD editor @kaolinfire joins us. Kevin Anderson will be on 3/9 then @brendacooper#sffwrtcht
3:01 amjay_lake:I'm a dinosaur. Been using Microsoft word since it fit on the same floppy as the Mac OS, back in 1985/1986... #sffwrtcht
3:01 amjay_lake:Or maybe I was using MacWrite back then. But it's been Word since forever. #sffwrtcht
3:02 amjay_lake:@wyld_dandelyon - I couldn't even begin to give you an intelligent response to that in 140,000 characters... #sffwrtcht
3:02 amlouisbshalako:@jay_lake Thank you for the insights. (Awesome interview. Thanks Bryan.) #sffwrtcht
3:02 amjay_lake:This has been a lot of fun, guys. Any late-breaking questions before I go? #sffwrtcht
3:02 amklagor:@jay_lake what do you like best about teaching workshops like Viable Paradise? #sffwrtcht
3:03 amBryanThomasS:Jay, thanks so much for taking the time to be here tonight. What a great chat. So informative. #sffwrtcht
3:03 amsffwrtcht:Next week GUD editor @kaolinfire joins us. Kevin Anderson will be on 3/9 then @brendacooper#sffwrtcht
3:03 amjay_lake:You guys know where to find me online. I'm pretty responsive. Write more, everybody. Good night. #sffwrtcht
3:03 amshadowflame1974:Thank you so much for the chat tonight #sffwrtcht
3:03 amSooGuy68:RT @jay_lake: I wrote and submitted regularly from 1990 to 2001 before making my first sale. #sffwrtcht
3:03 amBryanThomasS:@jay_lake Night. #sffwrtcht
3:04 amjay_lake:@klagor - I love teaching writing because I learn so much from students. #sffwrtcht
3:04 amsffwrtcht:A transcript will be up later tonight. Thanks all for joining us! #sffwrtcht
3:04 amsffwrtcht:Off to Best Buy to try and get a power cable to save my laptop. #sffwrtcht which dies in 5 min
3:05 amWyld_Dandelyon:@jay_lake #sffwrtcht I'm glad I caught you here!
3:05 amSpiceBites:Good night! Loved the chat! TY for all the wisdom :) #sffwrtcht
3:06 amBryanThomasS:@Wyld_Dandelyon Thanks for being with us. New guest every week #sffwrtcht
3:06 amtalekyn:@jay_lake Thanks, Jay, for the great #sffwrtcht and for answering my questions!
3:31 amannascanlon:RT @jay_lake: And write new stuff. Don't spend years laboring over your Great Work. Trust me, it's not that great. Go write another one. #sffwrtcht
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

New comments are not being accepted since the blog has been closed and moved to www.bryanthomasschmidt.net. Please visit us there to comment. The posts have all been transferred. And thanks much for taking time to visit!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)