Things learned from teaching online so far...

Things learned from teaching online so far:

1) Checking all the tech stuff ahead of time really pays off.
2) The nigh-paralyzing sensation of being on video wears off and is gone by the second time.
3) The chat window is super useful.
4) Remember to unmute microphone when speaking.
5) Feed the cat before starting or he will come climb on your back in the middle of talking.

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Class Notes From Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction

March 9, 2011

View of a Japanese Garden — Images speak differently than words. They speak in color and shapes, smells and movements that our writing can only hope to approximate.

We’re coming up on the end of the Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction class I teach at Bellevue College. Tonight’s the next to last session. In earlier sessions we’ve talked about the writing process, story parts and mechanics, delivering information, characters, description, and worldbuilding. A number of past blog posts have come out of those classes: 5 Things to Do in Your First 3 Paragraphs, Active Verbs, Foreshadowing and Establishing Conflict, Plotting and Re-plotting Stories, Three Strategies for Snaring the Senses, Three Things that End a Story Well, Using Random Tools Like Stumbleupon For Rewriting, and Why Titles Matter.

Here’s what we’re covering in this session and the next:

Tonight (Rewriting, Revising, and Polishing)

The difference between rewriting, revising, and polishing
Rewriting – ways to do it
Revising – things to look for
Polishing
Working at the sentence level
Placement of sentences
Breaking up paragraphs
Titles
Quoting song lyrics
Collaboration

Next Week (Publishing & Career Stuff)

Markets: researching them, submitting to them, querying them, foreign markets, reprints, audio.
Submissions: how to, tracking them, etiquette, types (flash to novel)
Agents: researching and querying them
Conventions: why go, what to do to make the most of them, top cons
Workshops: why do (or not), how to make the most of them, top ones
Blogging & websites: why, BRIEF discussion of mechanics
Publications to follow
Networking
SFWA and other professional organizations
Writing groups
Resources
Keeping yourself motivated

So here’s my question. I’ll be glancing back at this list when thinking about future blog posts and drawing from it as well as from what I’m experiencing in my own writing. What would -you- like to see?

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Round-up of Awards Posts by F&SF Writers, Editors, and Publishers for 2019

November 4, 2019

Once again I have created this post for consolidating fantasy and science fiction award eligibility round-ups. Here are the rules.

I prefer to link to, in order of preference:

Your blog post listing what you published that is eligible
Your social media post listing what you published that is eligible
A single link to the material that is available online

Fair warning: If I have to click through multiple links in order to figure out your name and which category you should be put in, it will slow me down and make me cranky.

A.C. Wise maintains a similar list here.

Here are the SFWA recommended reading lists. These lists are the suggestions made by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and represent pieces they found particularly read-worthy over the course of the year. Appearance on the list is NOT the same thing as a Nebula nomination.