Okay, this is a departure from the usual focus of this blog. But most of you know I have been going through a huge crisis with my wife, Bianca. Bianca has Bipolar Disorder I, a serious mental illness which involves manic episodes in which she is very aggressive and angry and hard to control. Bianca hates lack of control anyway. I sometimes wonder if this is because her mind races out of control even when she's stable and so she constantly grasps for control to fight her sense of losing control. I don't know. I can't be inside the mind of a Bipolar person. But I know that if I had ever imagined how bad a crisis could be, I would have been more prepared.
When Bianca is having a manic episode, she can seem normal to people who don't know her. Sure, she talks a lot, but Bianca loves to talk even when she isn't manic. And she can definitely exercise her will and free choice. The problem is, she is not rational and her choices are wrong and not in her best interest or even crazy illogical. But because of the stupidly written HIPPA law given us by Nancy Landon Kassebaum and Ted Kennedy, hospitals must protect patient privacy and that means, since the law is so broad, they tend to obey patient's wishes until they are declared mentally competent by a court of law. So Bianca was able to shut me out of any health info, any visits, any decisions. She could order up medical tests which cost tons of money by claiming cancer or other ills. I don't think she did but she could have. And I would have a bill to pay with no input on the decision.
What Bianca and I needed is what all of you with spouses need: executed power of attorney and medical power of attorney documents (also called designated health care agent). These documents, fairly standard, can be prepared for you by an attorney at low cost, signed before a notary, and then ready if you need them. Dear God, I hope you never do, but what if you did. What if one of you became brain damaged and was in dementia, making insane decisions but not able to be declared mentally unsound easily. What would the other person do? Want to feel helpless? Wait for that to happen. What if one of you was in a coma and the other needed to make decisions on co-signed finances or finances you didn't know much about? About medical treatment, etc.?
If you don't have those documents, you will have to file for guardianship like I did and it will cost you 20 times more money and stress. Don't wait to find out, be prepared.
On top of it, if one of you handles all the bank accounts and stocks, etc., create a one sheet with passwords, account numbers, bank addresses, even phone numbers and contact persons for the other. Put it in a safety deposit box but let the other person and one friend you trust know it's there. The person you love may be so distraught they won't remember. The friend can remind them.
Here's an example of the document as it is statutory in Texas: http://www.ilrg.com/forms/states/tx-powerofattorneymed.html
In most cases, you will want to assign two designees with health care power of attorney. That's in case both of you are incapacitated at the same time in an accident, so someone can pay bills, take of the kids and pets, etc. Don't be afraid. The documents will specify the circumstances under which they can be used, and the length of time before the power is resumed by you. In case of divorce, the document can be listed as being nullified. It's not giving up your rights immediately at any time. It's for emergencies only. And it's worth it.
Trust me. You don't want to live the nightmare I am living. I hope to God you never face similar circumstances, but what if you do? It's hard enough seeing the person you love in this condition. Having them fighting your every decision when you're trying to just get them the best care. It's hard enough having a hospital treat you like a stranger with no say. Do you really want that? Being prepared is the only way to avoid the stress and bankrupting expense I am facing. And you'll be able to act quickly, not wait for court decisions. It may be the difference between life and death for your loved one. In my case, it's not, thank God. But what if it was? Can any of us afford to take that chance?
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Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Space Opera: The Junction Between Worlds
Guest Post by John H. Ginsberg-Stevens
John H. Ginsberg-Stevens blogs at http://eruditeogre.blogspot.com/ is my writing blog. A frequent columnist for Apex, SF Signal and other sites, he's a writer, husband, Da, ponderer, anthropologist, geek, bibliophile, bookmonger, anarchist, and generally cranky malcontent.
"But there was little sense, in criticism and reviewing of the fifties, of 'space opera' meaning anything other then 'hacky, grinding, stinking, outworn' SF stories of any kind" - Kathryn Cramer & David G. Hartwell, The Space Opera Renaissance (pp.11-12).
"Space Opera" always sounds so majestic when you first hear the term used. It conjures up a Wagnerian aesthetic, a vast, significant drama about to unfold. It evokes a grand canvas of interstellar wonders, of great empires and uncountable fleets clashing for the greatest prize: the galaxy itself! And then, you go to WIkipedia:
"Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The name has no relation to music; it is analogous to soap operas . . . . "- Wikipedia entry for "Space Opera."
Well, heck. Space opera, while sometimes a magnificent, even ostentatious form of SF, is not the literary equivalent of "an extended, dramatic composition"(as dictionary.com puts it); in fact, its name signifies a past of pulpish adventures, base entertainments, and corny characters and ideas.
But this is as much of a stereotype as the former idea. As Kramer and Hartwell also make clear, there is no widely-accepted idea of space opera. Like a lot of genres, it is something that we recognize, rather than delimit. Space operas may be "space fantasy," but there can also have rigorous science behind them. Of course, even when grounded in science, space operas are rather fantastical. Even the most logical novum is overwhelmed by the combination of high and low drama that the stories contain. And, for me, the key element of space opera is drama, in space, of course. It is the transposition of two very human sorts of story, the epic and the romance (in the classical sense) into the vastness beyond our humble little planet.
The first SF book I ever read was space opera. When I was about 5 years old I was looking through some books at a yard sale, bored to death of Little Golden Books, Dick & Jane, and even Classics Illustrated comics (I had started reading when I was 3). I saw some paperbacks but they had pictures of swooning women, frowning men in suits, or bucolic scenes that were about as thrilling as watching a tree grow. But then, I found something that I had not seen before: a book with a rocket ship on the cover! It was expensive ($2!) but I convinced my father to buy it, and I brought it home and read it over the weekend, twice.
I have only two clear memories of the book: Jerry's constant need to overcome a string of obstacles, and the small rock hitting their ship. But it inspired me to find more books like it. The adventure was a draw, but so was the combination of drama and different worlds. It was not just the future that was compelling, it was the place, the venturing out to unearthly realms. The aliens may not have been terribly alien, but the otherness of the setting made the adventures more consequential to me.
I eventually abandoned westerns and dove into SF. I soon found that I liked certain types of books: I favored Heinlein over Asimov, Burroughs over Smith, Reynolds over Clarke. The big ideas were cool, but what made the stories compelling to me were the effects on regular people. Heinlein's juveniles were as much about coming-of-age and finding your way as they were about technology and galactic wonders. Burroughs' books, while more planetary romance, and Reynolds more socially-oriented works wedded high and low drama together. That fusion was what drew me to space opera, the mixture of (sometimes bombastic) epicness and (sometimes melodramatic) prosaic in the stories. My heroes were Bill Lermer, Podkayne, Rex Bader, and Tars Tarkas.
A few years after discovering SF I was pulled away from it by my family. When I started high school years later I picked right up back and read more Heinlein, Niven, Cherryh, Poul Anderson. I exhausted my tiny school library's resources, which turned out to be a good thing, because it pushed me out of my comfort zone and, with the assistance of an SF-loving teacher, I branched out and discovered the scope of not only SF, but all sorts of fantastika. But I still sought out stories like those I had looked for in space opera, what we nowadays call "character-driven" tales. I credit my early discovery of space opera with inculcating that proclivity in my reading habits, of the need to know how even the most cosmic,massive events affected regular folks.
That to me is the value of good space opera: thrusting average people into extraordinary situations in a world that might be possible someday. That fusion of spectacle and a good yarn was an excellent basis for becoming a good reader, and eventually a writer. Space opera taught me a few things about life, but more than that, it taught about how to look at life, to appreciate the great and the mundane and how they interacted with each other. Despite the roots of the word, space opera not only entertained me, but got me to appreciate the juncture between the marvels that could be and the people we are.
John H. Ginsberg-Stevens blogs at http://eruditeogre.blogspot.com/ is my writing blog. A frequent columnist for Apex, SF Signal and other sites, he's a writer, husband, Da, ponderer, anthropologist, geek, bibliophile, bookmonger, anarchist, and generally cranky malcontent.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Can you really tell within a few paragraphs if something is good?
Guest post by Patty Jansen
Many people are surprised when agents and editors say that they often don't need to read an entire story to know that they'll reject it. Some writers are even insulted. But if you read five to ten story submissions a day, and you keep this up for a few years, you tend to develop an eye for picking the 10% or so of submissions that show reasonable promise to pass onto editors. How do you do it? Here is a quick checklist I use to weed out the stories that I'll reject immediately from the ones I'll continue reading—in the first few paragraphs (I usually do read a bit more, or skip to a different part of the story to see if the story redeems itself). I want to stress that this is my list, and that other people may well have different criteria. That said, the issues below will raise their ugly heads at some point in the selection process.
A decent magazine gets hundreds, or even thousands of submissions each year. They typically have a number of first-line slush readers. Those people will see hundreds of submissions. They don't need to read an entire submission to know that they're not going to pass it to the next level. Sometimes they don't need more than the first sentence.
Why?
There is a myth in aspiring writer-land that grammar and style don't matter all that much. That it's the story's content which determines its publishability, and that beautiful prose alone won't sell your work.
Yes, yes, and yes.
That said, what sinks a lot of stories is a lack of what I'll call natural flow in the text. It comes both from not listening to writing advice to taking it way too seriously. It comes from trying too hard to sound interesting and from lack of cohesion in the writing. It comes from tics every writer picks up somewhere along the line.
The most important reason a story gets rejected after a paragraph or two is that there are issues with the writing style and occasionally the grammar.
What do I mean by this, and what sets red flags?
Apart from the obvious (is the text grammatically correct and are there spelling mistakes?), an experienced slush reader will see:
If first few the sentences are unwieldy and trying too desperately to fit in too much 'stuff'. Chances are that the rest of the story follows this pattern. Sure, this is fixable, but a lot of work for the editors, and a lot of communication with a writer who may not be ready for quite this much red ink. Too much effort. Reject.
The first few sentences contains odd word choices. The writer may be hanging onto the 'no passive language' or 'use interesting verbs' mantras too much. Again, this takes a lot of effort to fix because it will be insidious throughout the piece. Too much work. Reject.
The first sentence and the second sentence don't follow one another. There needs to be a flow of logic in the text. If the first few sentences jump around like crickets in zero-gravity, chances are that the author has a problem expressing logic in a format readers can follow. This takes a huge amount of time to fix. Reject.
The first three sentences all start with the same word, usually a pronoun. A quick scan reveals that this continues through the text. Or the sentences start with some other repetitive pattern, like a participial clause (a clause containing the –ing form of a verb) or a prepositional clause, like: In the kitchen, there was…, or, After he did this, he… Writers often use these and participial clauses to avoid some other structure (never start a sentence with 'There was…' says the bogeyman), but the end result can become a repetitive mush of too-complicated sentences and death by ten thousand commas.
The story starts with an unnamed character and a quick scan reveals that there is no reason for the name of the character to be mentioned for the first time only on the third page. That by itself is not a great sin, but often, the lack of a character's name will signal POV problems that may be more confusing.
The first few paragraphs contain words that are repeated several times, for example a four-sentence paragraph in which the word 'door' is used five times. Again, this is fixable, but if the writer hasn't pick this up him or herself, it will likely occur throughout the story.
And an experienced slush reader will see these things even before he or she has started to take notice of the story's plot or its central premise. The easiest way to make it past a first slush reader is to polish your style, and the best way to do that is by writing more and reading what you want to write. Meanwhile, try to volunteer as a slush reader some time. It's a crash course in what works in fiction.
Besides a writer of crazy fantasy and hard Science Fiction, Patty Jansen is slush reader and editor at Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. She blogs at http://pattyjansen.wordpress.com/, about writing, about science and about editing and slush piles. Patty is a winner of the second 2010 quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest and has published in the Universe Annex of the Grantville Gazette and has a story forthcoming with Redstone SF.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Science Fiction And Fantasy Writer's Chat 3/23/11 with Kristine Kathryn Rusch Smith
| BryanThomasS: | Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writer?s Chat. #sffwrtcht | |
| 1:00 am | sffwrtcht: | Our goal is to talk w/ writers, editors, & others abt the craft of writing, specifically related to writing speculative fiction. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:00 am | sffwrtcht: | Our format is round table discussion. Please restrict ?s to writing craft, business of writing & the specific works of the guest. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:00 am | sffwrtcht: | Please wait until your question gets answered to ask another, use the hashtag #sffwrtcht for all questions and comments. |
| 1:01 am | sffwrtcht: | Next Wed. we have @jasonsanford and on April 6, @johnklima from electricvelocipede #sffwrtcht |
| 1:01 am | sffwrtcht: | Tonight?s guest is the author of numerous books and stories from Star trek to Star Wars, fantasy to Science Fiction #sffwrtcht |
| 1:01 am | sffwrtcht: | Her stories appear regularly in magazines like Asimovs and Lightspeed #sffwrtcht |
| 1:01 am | sffwrtcht: | Welcome @kristinerusch! Thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:01 am | KristineRusch: | Thanks! Happy to be here. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:02 am | BryanThomasS: | Why we don?t we start by having you tell us about how you got into writing. Did you start young? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:02 am | KristineRusch: | I've written my entire life. I wrote a book when I was seven. It was about ponies. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:02 am | KristineRusch: | My sister has my first novel. I wrote it at 12. She won't give it back. :-( #sffwrtcht |
| 1:02 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch LOL A perfect topic for that age. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:03 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch LOL Shame on her. What age were you when you first got something published? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:03 am | KristineRusch: | Sixteen. I wrote the high school column for the local paper. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:04 am | BryanThomasS: | Awesome. Mine was a column in my high school paper. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:04 am | sffwrtcht: | What?s a typical writing day look like for you? Do you write daily after work? Get up early? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:04 am | KristineRusch: | Yeah. I did that too. And I edited the local high school paper & yearbook with others. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:04 am | KristineRusch: | A typical day...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:05 am | KristineRusch: | I don't have a day job. So writing *is* my work. I don't get up early. Don't have to. I write after breakfast, exercise...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:05 am | kaolinfire: | @BryanThomasS I don't really remember the particulars. Definitely young. Burst in 3rd/4th grade due to school + mom. prose/poetry #sffwrtcht |
| 1:05 am | KristineRusch: | ...go to lunch, write more, have dinner, write more, read, watch TV or a movie, bed. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:05 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Do you outline? Do character sketches? Or let the story unfold? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:06 am | KristineRusch: | No. No outlines, no sketches. I'm a very, very, very organic writer. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:06 am | shadowflame1974: | @KristineRusch sounds like your days are busy. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:06 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Me too. Which comes first the character or the world? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:06 am | KristineRusch: | They are busy, but I do what I love. Always a plus. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:07 am | KristineRusch: | Character or world...sometimes one or the other, sometimes just an image. As I said, very organic. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:07 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Yes, it's wonderful that people can do that. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:07 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Where did the idea for ?Diving Into The Wreck? come from? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:08 am | BryanThomasS: | If you all have not read one of Kris' books, I have read two in the past week and you are missing out! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:08 am | KristineRusch: | Two places. I read Shadow Divers, but I'd been planning to do a big space opera for some time. ...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:08 am | BryanThomasS: | @kaolinfire Me too. I was writing books with a friend in 3rd grade #sffwrtcht |
| 1:08 am | KristineRusch: | Besides, my husband @Deanwesleysmith is a diver & has done search & rescue, so I kept wondering how to make that work in sf #sffwrtcht |
| 1:08 am | KristineRusch: | ...I steal from his life a lot. His life is more interesting than mine. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:09 am | KristineRusch: | ...then I got the first image, and I wrote from there. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:09 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I was going to ask if you'd dived for research but it sounds like you married your researcher #sffwrtcht |
| 1:09 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: LOL I'm a diver, too. It's a great source of fiction inspiration #sffwrtcht |
| 1:09 am | KristineRusch: | I swim a lot and am part fish. So that helped. I have never done diving, though. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:10 am | KristineRusch: | Yeah, everyone says it's wonderful, Patty. Must try it sometime. :-) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:10 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch It's an interesting world you've set it in. People on the fringe diving for fun and profit. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:11 am | KristineRusch: | I've got a lot more ideas in that world. It gets bigger by the hour. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:11 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch And Boss is complex with her past history and her own codes of conduct which are all questioned throughout #sffwrtcht |
| 1:11 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch @pattyjansen I want to try it too someday! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:11 am | KristineRusch: | Exactly. Boss is quite complex. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:11 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch The sequel is coming out in May, correct? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:12 am | KristineRusch: | Yes. The sequel is called CITY OF RUINS and @Pyr_Books will publish it. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:12 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Can't wait to read it! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:12 am | shadowflame1974: | @BryanThomasS @kaolinfire I got you both beat. 1st grade. :D I still have it too. lol #sffwrtcht |
| 1:12 am | sffwrtcht: | Do you plan to a do a series of books as you?ve done with ?The Fey? and ?Retrieval Artist?? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:12 am | KristineRusch: | Yes. I am finishing the 3rd Boneyards this week. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:13 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: I'd like to read those books, too, but they're very hard to get in Australia :( #sffwrtcht |
| 1:13 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch That's great. Are the next two continuations of the first story or separate stories? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:13 am | KristineRusch: | I know, Patty. I'm hoping they'll hit e-readers other than Kindle soon. I do list an Australian bookstore on my "diving" site #sffwrtcht |
| 1:14 am | KristineRusch: | The next two are separate stories, each 5 years after the previous. But it's better to read the first. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:14 am | KristineRusch: | Diving site is http://bit.ly/gQua6u. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:14 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Obviously, The Retrieval Artist has been a big hit. I just read ?Consequences.? How did that idea come about? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:14 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: I'll prob order from Book Depository (and get you to sign at WOTF? *hopeful* #sffwrtcht |
| 1:15 am | KristineRusch: | Consequences. Sadly, it came from 9/11. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:15 am | KristineRusch: | I'll be happy to sign at WoTF, Patty. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:15 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Interesting. I can see elements of that influence for sure. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:15 am | sffwrtcht: | And the idea of retrieval artists? What inspired that? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:16 am | KristineRusch: | The witness protection program. I wondered what would make it sf. And then it got complex. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:16 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch LOL Yes. Complex enough to generate lots of great stories. I'm looking forward to reading others. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:17 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I like the noir feel to them and the multiple POVs rather than just one POV typical for noir #sffwrtcht |
| 1:17 am | KristineRusch: | Thanks! The new book will be in NOvember. An Analog story first in Aug/Sept. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:17 am | KristineRusch: | The original short story is Flint in first person. The only time I did that. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:18 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch The chapters are also short and so it moves very quickly. Is it hard to find new stories after so many? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:18 am | KristineRusch: | No. I have more stories than I can write, I think. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:18 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: You don't like writing in first person? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:19 am | KristineRusch: | I mean the only time I did that in the Retrieval Artist series. The Diving series has first person & so do my mysteries. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:20 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Speaking of which, you write a lot of books and use three primary noms-deplume #sffwrtcht |
| 1:20 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Do you find that using different names is helpful for readers of different genres? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:20 am | KristineRusch: | More than three pen names, but three will do. Kris Nelscott in mystery, Kristine Grayson in romance, with a few others. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:21 am | KristineRusch: | I like the pen names as branding. My romances are very sweet, and I don't want to offend those readers with something dark #sffwrtcht |
| 1:21 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I meant only that there seem to be three dominant ones. Sorry. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:21 am | KristineRusch: | ....like my mysteries or the Fey. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:21 am | KristineRusch: | At the moment, 3 dominant ones. Starting up a new one later this year. :-) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:21 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: Do you advocate writing with diff names if you write in diff subgenres? Does it matter? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:22 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch How long does it typically take to write a novel? You have so many coming out you must write fast. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:22 am | KristineRusch: | I don't advocate anything, Patty. I think it's up to the writer. As a reader, I like to know if something is dark or not...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:22 am | KristineRusch: | I do write fast, but I write a lot (many hours/many words). Each novel is different. Some take 3 weeks, some take 3 years. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:23 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch Well, I have had some people suggest you can't write different genres under the same name, so I understand the ? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:23 am | sffwrtcht: | I never thought it mattered myself. But maybe it does. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:23 am | KristineRusch: | Of course you can write different genres under the same name. Lots of folks do it. It wasn't advisable five years ago...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:23 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch I take it you work on multiple projects at one time then. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:24 am | KristineRusch: | ...when computers ran publishing. SF sells less than Romance, so if you use the same name and alternated genres...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:24 am | KristineRusch: | ....you would watch your numbers decline because the sf would pull down the romance. Not true any longer w/ all the changes. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:24 am | sffwrtcht: | You have spent a lot of time writing advice on the business for writers. I know it's helped me. Is tht a passion--helpng writers? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:24 am | KristineRusch: | I do write multiple projects at once. Dean says it's because I'm a Gemini & can multitask. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:25 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: .glad to hear it doesn't matter that much anymore. I tried to think of meaningful pseudonym, but failed #sffwrtcht |
| 1:25 am | KristineRusch: | I have all this knowledge, Bryan. I really want to share it. Besides, what kills careers isn't bad writing; it's bad business. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:25 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I find writing multiple things helps to avoid writer's block as I can just switch when one is blocked #sffwrtcht |
| 1:25 am | upandcomic: | @KristineRusch Would even self-publishing authors have a use for pennames?How would that work,with a single personal website etc? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:26 am | KristineRusch: | Pen names are easy, as long as you remember that people will call you by that name. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:26 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I agree. And your advice is very helpful. I so appreciate the chance to learn from you. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:26 am | KristineRusch: | Take a look at my site. Most of the pen names (the ones I can admit to) are there.http://bit.ly/fmzdFD. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:26 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch It's one of the reasons I started this chat to allow us to learn from each other. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:26 am | KristineRusch: | They also have their own websites or will. Kris Nelscott needs me to finish the site. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:26 am | KristineRusch: | I think that's marvelous, Bryan. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:27 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Any plans to do more "Fey" books or another fantasy series perhaps? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:27 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Thanks. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:27 am | KristineRusch: | The next Fey book will come out in late 2012. I have to research my own world. It's been a while. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:27 am | pattyjansen: | @BryanThomasS: @KristineRusch yes, thanks Bryan, also for putting it at a time that's not in the middle of the night for me ;-) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:28 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch That brings up a good question. Do you keep files on your worlds or a spreadsheet of data? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:28 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Or is that organic, too. :) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:28 am | KristineRusch: | Yeah, but it's haphazard. I'm not a spreadsheet kinda gal. Right now, a writer friend is doing a Guide to the Fey...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:28 am | BryanThomasS: | @pattyjansen You're welcome. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:28 am | KristineRusch: | ...which WMG will publish when it's done. Mostly, though, it's to help me. :-) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:29 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch LOL Hey, nothing wrong with meeting two needs with one book, right? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:29 am | KristineRusch: | It's really helpful. I can't organize something like that to save my life. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:29 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch Do you find you get lots of cross readers through your various genres? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:29 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Me either! I am having to reread a lot as I write my first sequel #sffwrtcht |
| 1:30 am | KristineRusch: | I do get cross readers (is that like cross dressing?). Mostly my sf readers are secretly reading my romance novels. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:30 am | KristineRusch: | underlining & Post-Its can only do so much, Bryan. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:30 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch LOL No that was just me tryingt to be concise in 140 characters #sffwrtcht |
| 1:30 am | shadowflame1974: | @KristineRusch lol so do your romance readers secretly read SF? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:30 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Hi-lighting. Never forget the rainbow color coding! :) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:31 am | sLange_Windsor: | RT @KristineRusch The next Fey book will come out in late 2012. I have to research my own world. It's been a while. #sffwrtcht [Yes!!!] :D |
| 1:31 am | KristineRusch: | Romance readers read most everything. Mystery & SF & Mainstream readers are genre specific. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:31 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch There tends to be a hole in the Post-It layer above any desk where I work. I have to admit #sffwrtcht |
| 1:31 am | KristineRusch: | You should see my research books. Filled with Post-its. That's why I don't research on my Kindle. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:32 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch One of the benefits of working cross genre seems to be your ability to mix them well. Such as in Retrieval Artist #sffwrtcht |
| 1:32 am | LouisaSwann: | RT @kristinerusch: Romance readers read most everything. Mystery & SF & Mainstream readers are genre specific. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:32 am | louisawritter: | RT @kristinerusch: Romance readers read most everything. Mystery & SF & Mainstream readers are genre specific. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:32 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I know. I have to fight the urge with my Nook #sffwrtcht |
| 1:32 am | KristineRusch: | Thanks. I didn't know what a genre was until @thekja (Kevin J. Anderson) explained it to me in college. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:33 am | KristineRusch: | ...so I mix genres because I mix them when I read. And writers are influenced by what they read, y'know. |
| 1:33 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch You've collaborated with Dean and KJA. How does collaboration work for you? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:33 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Absolutely! I find that with my own writing very much. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:33 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I will soon have @KristineRusch influenced stuff I am sure. :) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:33 am | KristineRusch: | Collaboration is different with different writers. Kev & I are more compatible. Dean & I fought until we found a system. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:34 am | sffwrtcht: | Meaning, do you write alternating scenes then rewrite each other? Pick one as the final voice? etc. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:34 am | KristineRusch: | Some of that is relationships. Kev is like my second brother. Dean is my spousal unit and therefore can be wrong. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:34 am | KristineRusch: | Kev & I fought about who got the great scenes & alternated. (We ultimately chose who got the "gushy" parts). #sffwrtcht |
| 1:34 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch LOL I understand that way more than I wish I did #sffwrtcht |
| 1:35 am | KristineRusch: | Dean writes the plot draft, and I "color," add setting & characters. We can't brainstorm together or someone will die. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:35 am | LouisaSwann: | Yippee! RT @kristinerusch: The next Fey book will come out in late 2012. I have to research my own world. It's been a while. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:35 am | louisawritter: | Yippee! RT @kristinerusch: The next Fey book will come out in late 2012. I have to research my own world. It's been a while. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:35 am | sffwrtcht: | Feel free to keep jumping in with questions you've always wanted to ask @KristineRusch #sffwrtcht |
| 1:35 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Well, I'm glad you figured it out before that happened #sffwrtcht |
| 1:36 am | KristineRusch: | It was a near thing. |
| 1:36 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: I'm glad my husband doesn't write fiction (or read much for that matter). #sffwrtcht |
| 1:36 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Do you use the same agent for all genres? Or do you even have an agent at this point? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:36 am | KristineRusch: | I use an agent for some things. But I have more experience w/contracts than 90% of the agents out there....#sffwrtcht |
| 1:37 am | KristineRusch: | ...so my current agent is also a lawyer. But I do so much, I mostly handle things myself. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:37 am | BryanThomasS: | @Merc_hyn_di I look forward to reading that! Congrats to @Paulskemp Upcoming #sffwrtcht guest on 4/27 #StarWars #reading |
| 1:37 am | KristineRusch: | I'm not sure how valuable agents are any more. In the New World of Publishing, agents really have no place. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:37 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I have worked with contract lawyers for several years so I negotiated my first contract without an agent also #sffwrtcht |
| 1:38 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch LOL I'm sure they cringe to hear you say that. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:38 am | Wyld_Dandelyon: | #sffwrtcht I envy people who have a spouse for first reader, though. |
| 1:38 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch When you write tie-ins, how much input do you have over storyline and characters? Is it all laid out by others? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:38 am | KristineRusch: | Sometimes w/an agent & editor, it's like an elaborate game of telephone. Better to do it on your own, most of it. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:38 am | shadowflame1974: | @KristineRusch for those of use who don't know about contracts what would you advise ? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:38 am | BryanThomasS: | @Wyld_Dandelyon Definitely. I do too #sffwrtcht |
| 1:39 am | BryanThomasS: | @pattyjansen Sigh. That was my experience too. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:39 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I also have a lawyer written book called "How To Negotiate A Book Contract" which is great #sffwrtcht |
| 1:39 am | KristineRusch: | Agents are screwing themselves every which way from Sunday ignoring new writers. However...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:40 am | pattyjansen: | @BryanThomasS: I used to get about 30% request rate. This past year... nothing. I'm going the e-way. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:40 am | KristineRusch: | ...New writers should stop trying to get an agent, and instead market the book themselves....#sffwrtcht |
| 1:40 am | AdrianPhoenix: | RT @KristineRusch: The next Fey book will come out in late 2012. I have to research my own world. It's been a while. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:40 am | KristineRusch: | ...yeah, yeah, I know. Publishers say they don't read unagented. (Publishers lie) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:40 am | BryanThomasS: | @Merc_hyn_di I have Crosscurrent on my stack to read. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:41 am | KristineRusch: | Really, Bryan? I've never seen that book. Can you e-mail me the link. I'd love to look @ it. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:41 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch What are some methods you suggest for marketing books themselves? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:41 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Absolutely. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:41 am | rebeccasenese: | RT @KristineRusch: I'm not sure how valuable agents are any more. In the New World of Publishing, agents really have no place. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:41 am | KristineRusch: | Learn to write a good proposal. Add the first 50 pages. Go to Publisher's Marketplace. Learn editors names. Add SASE. Mail. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:42 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Here's the book. I got the title slightly off. Sorry. http://amzn.to/fhJCL3 #sffwrtcht |
| 1:42 am | rebeccasenese: | RT @KristineRusch: For those who don't know contracts, 1) Buy the Copyright Handbook. 2) read contracts of other writers who'll let you. Learn them. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:42 am | KristineRusch: | And oh! be patient. It takes *months* to get a response. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:42 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Any good guides to writing proposals you can suggest? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:42 am | KristineRusch: | @BryanThomasS Thanks! coolness! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | rebeccasenese: | RT @KristineRusch: Learn to write a good proposal. Add the first 50 pages. Go to Publisher's Marketplace. Learn editors names. Add SASE. Mail. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | KristineRusch: | Naw. But Dean & I teach a class in how to do it. Check out: http://bit.ly/gQnOW6 & hit the workshop tab. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: I've had publishers' responding outstanding for 2 years. At this rate, I'll die before being published. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch It's a bit pricey but breaks it down by clause. Very helpful to understand legalise and the importance of... #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch precise wording in contracts! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | pattyjansen: | @BryanThomasS:That sounds like a useful book! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | KristineRusch: | That sounds excellent, Bryan. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:43 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch What can we as writers do to market our published books to readers ourselves? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:44 am | BryanThomasS: | @pattyjansen I love it. And I got everything I wanted in my contract #sffwrtcht |
| 1:44 am | KristineRusch: | We're doing it right now. Have an active website. Be friendly to readers. But most important--Write the next book! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:44 am | rebeccasenese: | RT @KristineRusch: We're doing it right now. Have an active website. Be friendly to readers. But most important--Write the next book! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:44 am | KristineRusch: | I'll be doing a blog post on that in about 2 weeks, if the publishing world stops changing so much. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:44 am | BryanThomasS: | Having worked with lawyers, the number 1 rule is: the more specific the wording, the more it favors the writer. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:45 am | BryanThomasS: | Less specific wording favors the publisher. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:45 am | rebeccasenese: | RT @BryanThomasS: Having worked with lawyers, the number 1 rule is: the more specific the wording, the more it favors the writer. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:45 am | KristineRusch: | Patty, if a publisher takes more than a year, go to someone else. And multiple submit! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:45 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch In case anyone has missed it, be sure and check out Kris' blog athttp://bit.ly/fcxaMQ #sffwrtcht |
| 1:46 am | rebeccasenese: | RT @BryanThomasS: @KristineRusch In case anyone has missed it, be sure and check out Kris' blog at http://bit.ly/fcxaMQ #sffwrtcht |
| 1:46 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Yes, a lot of agents and publishers insist on exclusivity in submissions. What's your take on that? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:47 am | KristineRusch: | Grrrr. Agents want an exclusive. Agents are *employees* Contract labor. They have no right to an exclusive. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:47 am | KristineRusch: | That's a tip right there that they don't understand the writer/agent relationship. Avoid at all costs!!!! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:47 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I agree. I don't ever agree to that. But interesting to hear different opinions. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:47 am | KristineRusch: | If an editor wants an exclusive, and you want to sell to them, put a time limit on it. For one week/one month only. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:48 am | KristineRusch: | Otherwise, say no exclusive. They're trying to control your business. That's a big no - no, imho. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:48 am | sffwrtcht: | If you have questions you're dying to ask @KristineRusch, she's here for 10 more minutes to answer on #sffwrtcht |
| 1:48 am | BryanThomasS: | If you have questions you're dying to ask @KristineRusch, she's here for 10 more minutes to answer on #sffwrtcht |
| 1:48 am | rebeccasenese: | RT @KristineRusch: Grrrr. Agents want an exclusive. Agents are *employees* Contract labor. They have no right to an exclusive. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:49 am | sffwrtcht: | @KristineRusch Are you at a point where you sell most books via proposal or do you ever just write one on spec then market it? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:50 am | BryanThomasS: | RT @upandcomic: Since u seem to enjoy sharing & helping other writers,I was wondering if you(don't)see writing as a zero-sum game #sffwrtcht |
| 1:50 am | KristineRusch: | I sell some on prop, Bryan, some on full. Mostly I just write and market. I sold the last 5 on prop. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:51 am | KristineRusch: | Um...zero-sum. It's an expression that I don't quite understand. Rephrase? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:51 am | amysundberg: | @KristineRusch I've been following your blog series, but can you summarize your advice to new (unpubbed) writers? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:51 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Do you and Dean act as beta readers for each other? Or do you have separate pools for that? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:52 am | KristineRusch: | I'd rather be accurate when I answer. @upandcomic #sffwrtcht |
| 1:52 am | BryanThomasS: | @amysundberg Great question. Tough in 140 characters but thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:52 am | KristineRusch: | My advice to new writers (unpubbed), learn business & craft. Write fast, write a lot. Be adventurous. Take risks. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:53 am | KristineRusch: | Dean & I are each other's first readers, but I have other beta readers for other projects. For example, my Nelscott mysteries...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:53 am | sffwrtcht: | At @KristineRusch & @DeanWesleySmith teach workshops for writers. You can see a list on her website. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:53 am | KristineRusch: | ...a judge I've known forever reads those first & helps. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:53 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Talk about expert advice. That's great! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:53 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Now if I can just find a space alien first reader... #sffwrtcht |
| 1:54 am | KristineRusch: | Oh, zero-sum: one must win & one lose...? No writing is not a zero-sum game. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:54 am | KristineRusch: | You can't find an alien first reader? Talk to my cats. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:55 am | KristineRusch: | I don't believe in winners or losers. I believe in being successful. Writers help each other become successful. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:55 am | upandcomic: | @KristineRusch zero-sum game = for you to win, others must lose. I'm talking about competitiveness,getting a piece of the pie etc #sffwrtcht |
| 1:55 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Well since my wife is Brazilian, technically she might qualify. She's not much for SF unfortunately... #sffwrtcht |
| 1:56 am | KristineRusch: | I think competitive & ambitious are two different things. I think ambitious is good, competitive w/other writers bad. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:56 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch What upcoming projects can we look forward to from you? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:56 am | amysundberg: | RT @KristineRusch: I don't believe in winners or losers. I believe in being successful. Writers help each other become successful. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:56 am | KristineRusch: | But your wife probably has a different POV on things than you. Always good. (for wives & sf) #sffwrtcht |
| 1:56 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Very much so #sffwrtcht |
| 1:56 am | Wyld_Dandelyon: | RT @KristineRusch: I don't believe in winners or losers. I believe in being successful. Writers help each other become successful. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:56 am | Caseysays: | RT @KristineRusch: I don't believe in winners or losers. I believe in being successful. Writers help each other become successful. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:57 am | nerdgirlcomedy: | RT @KristineRusch: I don't believe in winners or losers. I believe in being successful. Writers help each other become successful. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:57 am | KristineRusch: | In May, City of Ruins from @Pyr_Books, sf; Also Wickedly Charming, fairy tale romance (fantasy) from @SourcebooksCasa...#sffwrtcht |
| 1:57 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Next week, we have Interzone's own @jasonsanford (just kidding) to talk abt short stories, cross cultures, & more #sffwrtcht |
| 1:57 am | KristineRusch: | Lots of short stories, my backlist coming into print, starting with Retrieval Artist. Disappeared is out, Extremes this week. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:58 am | KristineRusch: | Retrieval artist in the fall, and more next year. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:58 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch I just wrote my first modern fairy tale and sold it. That sounds really fun! #sffwrtcht |
| 1:58 am | upandcomic: | @KristineRusch ^_^ Good to know #sffwrtcht |
| 1:58 am | wrytersblockDH: | Does it help/hurt to have a beta who is only a casual reader or completely outside the genre? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:58 am | KristineRusch: | Dean calls the Grayson fantasy novels, not romance. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:58 am | sffwrtcht: | In fact, WMG is releasing all the Retrieval Artist books again in trade and ebook, correct? #sffwrtcht |
| 1:58 am | KristineRusch: | Yes, it does help to have a beta reader from outside the genre. But you need genre readers too. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:59 am | KristineRusch: | Yes, WMG is doing them all in trade & ebooks. Except some that are coming out of @Sourcebookscasa. #sffwrtcht |
| 1:59 am | sffwrtcht: | Thanks so much for taking time to chat with us @KristineRusch Don't forget to visit www.kriswrites.com #sffwrtcht |
| 1:59 am | KristineRusch: | That would be the romances, not the Retrieval Artist. The backlist is all coming into print soon! #sffwrtcht |
| 2:00 am | KristineRusch: | Thanks, Bryan, for asking me. Thanks, everyone, for participating! #sffwrtcht |
| 2:00 am | sffwrtcht: | Let's all be sure and thank @KristineRusch for her time! #sffwrtcht |
| 2:00 am | BryanThomasS: | @KristineRusch Come back again any time! Best of luck with all the endeavors! #sffwrtcht |
| 2:00 am | robvagle: | RT @KristineRusch: I don't believe in winners or losers. I believe in being successful. Writers help each other become successful. #sffwrtcht |
| 2:01 am | KristineRusch: | Thanks. Happy to return some day. #sffwrtcht |
| 2:01 am | pattyjansen: | @KristineRusch: Thanks for this lively chat! #sffwrtcht@BryanThomasS |
| 2:01 am | sffwrtcht: | A transcript for this chat will be up on the blog in an hour! Thanks for joining us and for the great questions tonight! #sffwrtcht |
| 2:01 am | shadowflame1974: | @KristineRusch thank you for answering our questions tonight #sffwrtcht |
| 2:01 am | KristineRusch: | @shadowflame1974 YOu're welcome. #sffwrtcht |
| 2:02 am | KristineRusch: | Now I must sign of Twitter & do something face-to-face social. Back to Twitter soon. #sffwrtcht |
| 2:02 am | BryanThomasS: | @pattyjansen Thanks for sharing your lunch hour with us ;) #sffwrtcht |
| 2:05 am | BryanThomasS: | @rebeccasenese @sLange_Windsor @louisawriter @Wyld_Dandelyon @pattyjansen @anniebelletThanks for joining #sffwrtcht tonight! |
| 2:05 am | BryanThomasS: | @AdrianPhoenix @shadowflame1974 @kaolinfire Thanks for joining #sffwrtcht tonight! |
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