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Posts Tagged ‘Hearts and Minds’
Monday, April 4th, 2011
Oh how the time flies. Hockey is preparing to start its Second Season (the playoffs, which can carry us into June). All across America, bats are swinging and fantasy baseball owners are looking at their freshly drafted teams with a mix of hazy regret and wishful “this year”-ing (or maybe that’s just me)and I’m far enough along on my current Work-in-Progress that I’m already thinking about the next.
Actually, sometimes that happens pretty early. Not because I don’t love my WIP (I do – the Heroine is one of my favorites since Syna Davout), but because I am fighting issues with my magpie mind something terrible. It’s very much a case of “Ooh shiny!” and “Do this!” that can be a bit of rough trade to bring under control as I’m going. And of course that’s what I’m going to talk about today.
I love to knit (after all, practically a third of this blog is dedicated to my knitting), and a lot of times that’s all I need to do to still the magpie mind. It’s a form of meditation, and it doesn’t take more than 20-30 minutes before I’m focused and calm and ready to shift over from the day to my writing.
But that’s not good for everyone, and even for me it can be rough. That’s why I really like what Holly Lisle refers to as “Candy Bar Scenes” – those scenes you just can’t wait to write. I find that if I can tweak a scene, adding a conflict or an element I hadn’t thought about originally, it can often switch my mindset from “work” to “treat”. I get excited about writing the scene, and when that happens I know that some of my excitement gets transferred to the readers.
So that’s my method, for when the Magpie Mind wants to do something – anything else. If I’m not excited about the scene, I try to step back and decide why. I ask myself if it really needs to be in the story, or if I can move the plot along better by putting the important elements of the scene in another place and dropping the scene. I ask myself if there’s something I can add to up the stakes for the character. I work myself towards excitement, and excitement follows.
How about yourselves, dear (loyal, patient) readers? Any particular methods that you fall back on again and again to keep your mind on the right track?
Tags: Hearts and Minds, my methods, Stilling the Magpie, writing
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Friday, December 17th, 2010
Three weeks in a row. I think I may finally be back in the swing of things with this whole blog posting thing. Of course, now it’s the holiday season, when things promise to be much harder. Regardless, it’s another Friday, and that means it’s time for the glories of Potpourri link-dumps.
- First, as I pointed out, it’s the holiday season. Still not sure what to get your loved ones? How about some awesome Sci-Fi Romance? Impulse Power (featuring moi) is out in Print, just in time for the Feast of Alvis.
- So it turns out Fruit Flies show a biological type of Free Will (as opposed to philosophical Free Will, or Freewill off Rush’s seminal album Permanent Waves). Given identical sets of stimuli they tend to respond in predictable, but different, patterns.
- Pregnancy blog Pregnant Chicken did an entry on Awkward pregnancy photos – it’s… awkward actually sums it up pretty well. Let us say that the WTF is fast and furious. (Warning – one artsy NSFW photo at the bottom of the page)
- (With thanks to writing partner C.A. Young) I learned this week that, once again, the Glastonbury Thorn has been vandalized. People who do this sort of thing sadden me beyond words.
- While speaking to epic legends, the first real trailer for Thor is out. I’m guardedly optimistic about this one. Certainly, if you want to capture the Shakespearean melodrama of the old Thor comics, you could get a worse director than Brannagh. And certainly, our norse hero looks suitably impressive in the armor. And out. Rowr.
Tags: Hearts and Minds, Impulse Power, nerdPride, Potpourri, Rush, Samhain, SF Romance, Some things shouldn't be photographed
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Friday, December 10th, 2010
It’s another week, another linkdump of random awesomeness. I’ve seen plenty to keep me scared this week, and that’s no lie. But I’ve also seen some awesome, for which I am partly responsible. *grin* I’ve decided to share both.
- If somehow you’ve missed it, this week saw the print release of Impulse Power. If you like your SF with a healthy dash of Romance, this is the collection for you, it features Nathalie Gray’s Metal Reign, Robert Appleton’s The Mythmakers and of course my own Hearts and Minds. Go get a dead tree version for your shelf! http://samhainpublishing.com/print/impulse-power-print
- While we’re talking Space Opera – it’s the holiday season, and what better way to show your geekly spirit than with a few Star Wars Paper Snowflakes: http://dancell.cwahi.net/star-wars-paper-snowflakes.html
- My Writing Partner recently sent me a link to Saya in Underworld, a translation site for dark and horrific stories from Japan. The author also has a love for cursed videos, though I’m not foolish enough to have watched any of them. If you’re braver thanI, go check out http://sayainunderworld.blogspot.com/
- Finally, nothing chills the heart like the end of an Empire, especially when the Empire is your own. For fascinating and all-too-easy-to-believe discussion on the Fall of America as a global power, check out http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2010-12-06/taking-down-america
- I lied – I’ve come back to add another link this morning, after reading it swelled my heart with pride, and made me proud to be a dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars Geek: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/12/09/katie.starwars.geek/ May the Force be with you, Katie.
Tags: Hearts and Minds, Holiday Havoc, Nightmares of Mine, Proud to be Geek, Samhain, SF Romance, Star Wars
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Monday, September 6th, 2010
I’ve been thinking a lot about romance in science fiction lately, in case you couldn’t tell by the flavor of my writing posts. One of the things I’ve found myself doing is justifying to people the rightful place of romance as a part of science fiction. To that end, I’ve had a few films that I fall back on to say ‘Hah, there’s even a romance there!”
I’m not using the obvious films, though. That would be too easy. It’s tough to miss the romance in Avatar, for example (It’s the main plot after all), and Time after Time is easily one of the best time-travel romances out there (If you’ve not seen it? Do yourself a favor and go watch it, now.) Instead I’ve tried to pick films that people don’t think about as romances. So without further ado:
#3 – Wall-E (2008)
I can say a lot of things about Wall-E, and frankly I debated including it in my list because the romance is so blatant. At the same time, there is something absolutely heartwarming about two characters expressing their love for each other while only being able to express themselves by saying each others’ names. I get choked up in two places every time – the beautifully choreographed flying sequence (which is Miyazaki-esque in its gorgeousness) and another scene towards the end which I will not discuss for fear of spoiling it. Regardless, as SF and Romance go, I can’t say enough good about this.
#2 – The Empire Strike Back (1980)
The best of the Star Wars films (despite what Randal Graves thinks). It’s made even better by the shift from antagonism to romance between Han and Leia. There are a number of great scenes, but one of the high points is the two of them working together to fix the Millennium Falcon. I’m not too proud to say I didn’t riff that idea for my own scene in Hearts and Minds; it’s brilliant, and a classic. For all the great scenes together, and the excellent demonstration of their growing relationship, nothing tops the sardonic exchange of:
Leia: I love you!
Han: I know.
#1 – Aliens (1986)
James Cameron has a thing for tough-as-nails women who fall in love with Michael Biehn (see also 1984’s The Terminator) but I love how Ripley develops her relationship with Hicks, so Aliens won out. I love the scene where he’s teaching her how to use the pulse rifle, and the scene with the locator beacon (it’s the next best thing to an engagement ring). I could say a lot about the underlying motherhood themes that permeate this movie (especially the extended cut) but I’m going to keep to script and just deal with the romance. It’s a great one, with two characters who are perfectly fine on their own finding something in each other that gives them a reason to fight even harder.
Tags: Hearts and Minds, Movie Views, nerdPride, SF Romance, writing
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Monday, August 30th, 2010
I’m terrible with names. I’ll come out and say that up front. If I meet you every day for a week, I’ll probably remember your name by the end of that time, assuming I’m not meeting a hundred other people at the same time. I may get close, and I may even get it right, but if I do, assume it’s a fluke rather than some particular skill on my part. Needless to say, this makes networking at conventions, where I’ll meet dozens of people in the course of three or four days, a bit difficult.
I’ve come up with some tricks over the years to make up for my shortcoming in the name-association department. First, I participate aggressively in what a friend once called the ‘almost Japanese obsession with business cards’ at conferences. I swap business cards with anyone I exchanged more than ten minutes with at a conference.
I can’t stop there though – If I do, I’ll come home with a stack of business cards that I won’t know as anything but names on cards. It’s tough for me to send a thank you to the people I met at conference, if I cannot remember the circumstances of our meeting. I have a trick, however that helps me keep this from happening. As soon as I get the chance (sometimes even sitting at the table with the person with whom I’ve swapped cards, but typically in my room before bed) I go through the business cards I’ve received. On the back of each one, I write where I met the person and the circumstances of our introduction. If we talked about something in particular, I write that on the card as well. When I come home from the conference, and it’s time to send e-mails to the people I’ve met, I have all the information needed to jog my memory written on the back of each business card.
Of course, saying this, I realized in the middle of RWA10 that I had prevented anyone from doing the same for me. My cards were black, and the back of the card was emblazoned with the cover for Hearts and Minds, making it impossible to take notes anywhere on the card. Ah, well. Point for me to remember in the future.
So, there’s my trick. Do you have any particular tricks you use to remember the people you meet in the swarm of conference faces? I’d love to hear about them. I’m never too old to learn new tricks.
Tags: Conferences, Hearts and Minds, my methods, Networking 101, RWA, writing
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Monday, August 9th, 2010
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” – Brillat-Savarin
I will be the first to admit that I have odd hobbies, but chief among them is my love for culinary history. Fortunately, this also provides a near-limitless opportunity to get into the heads of my characters and really begin to understand how they think and (as Brillat-Savarin states) who they are. And why shouldn’t it? Taste and smell and some of the most powerful triggers of memory – who doesn’t sigh at the whiff of baking cookies or have a particular comfort food they turn to in times of stress.
Food features in almost every story I’ve ever written, whether it’s the lichen infused vodka of Hearts and Minds or the eponymous banquet in Feast of Fools. Knowing the flavors and tastes that are common to a character’s palate helps to understand them, and in terms of world-building, provides a great opportunity to express information about the world or the character without resorting to ‘telling’.
For example, if your character has only ever been accustomed to polished white rice, what would she think if presented with unpolished rice mixed with millet (a far more common meal than she would be used to)? Would she be offended? Would she be curious about the new taste? Would she pity the people who only have such rough fare to eat? Each choice tells us something different both about the character and the world around her.
Thanks to the internet, and the growing popularity of culinary history, it’s possible to find recipes from all through Earth’s timeline. If you write fantasy, consider picking up a copy of “The Medieval Kitchen.” For Edwardian writers, “Last Dinner on the Titanic” offers recipes from all three dining rooms on the night of the disaster. It’s worth looking through for the differences in meals between First and Third Class alone. Are you a Science Fiction writer? Well, there it gets a little trickier, but think about the influences on your future society and extrapolate from there. For me, Pan-pacific fusion is the cuisine of cyberpunk novels, but it could just as easily be based on Parisian haute cuisine or Taco Bell (I’m looking at you, Demolition Man).
Regardless of what you write, nearly all characters eat. Food, thus, becomes an important part of the research in world- and character-development for any story. More than ever before it’s possible to cook some of the food your characters have a particular fondness for, and even if you don’t include it in your story, it can help you get inside the skin of your characters. Even if it’s only a moment, the experience is worth it.
Besides, you might find a new favorite dish.
Tags: character building, culinary history, Fantasy, Hearts and Minds, my methods, tasty tasty research, world building, writing
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Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Wow, so many things I could say about this for potpourri day. Suffice to say folks, we’re two days into RWA Nationals 2010, and it has been a wonderful time. Both the education opportunities and the networking opportunities are amazing. I can’t say enough good about the hotel and the conference.
As for how I’ve spent it, lets just say I’ve spent my days in workshops, and my nights socializing. The SFR Brigade had a little get together two nights ago, and tonight will be The Gathering for RWA’s Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter. I’ve picked up a little sun down here, mostly during my spin through the Magic Kingdom, and I’ve met more wonderful people than I will ever be able to thank or remember.
Nora Roberts gave a phenomenal keynote speech that had us all cheering as she reminded us of how far we’ve come in the last 30 years, and about the friendships that form at Nationals that can carry you through a lifetime.
This is an unusually rambly post for a Potpourri day, but I wanted to start a write up of the fun and hard work that has gone into this conference. Truly, having a blast.
Tags: Hearts and Minds, Keeping up with Appearances, Potpourri, RWA, Samhain, writing
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Monday, May 10th, 2010
Just a quick update today to point out that “Hearts and Minds” is one of the featured excerpts this month during Coffee Time Romance & More’s awesome Spring Showers event. You can check it out here, and have a chance to win a gift certificate for My Bookstore & More!
Tags: Hearts and Minds, Samhain, SF Romance
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Friday, April 16th, 2010
No, it’s not a reference to my favorite Karaoke tune. Well, it is, but it’s also a bit more. Sorry it’s been a bit quiet around here lately. I hopped from place to place last month, and did a bunch of little things, but I kept putting off getting some posts up here. That’s a bit of slack on my part, and I apologize.
My big news for April is of course the impending release of Dark Faith. There are a lot of names on the Table of Contents that I am proud to be alongside, and I couldn’t be happier with the work Apex has put into it. If you want to get your copy signed, a large chunk of the authors involved will be celebrating the release at Mo*Con V, in just two short weeks. It’s not too late to sign up and see us all there.
Hearts and Minds is still out there, if you haven’t bought your copy yet. It’s had some killer reviews that have made me pleased as punch, including an 88/100 at Mrs. Giggles, a 4.5 / 5 at TwoLips Reviews, and a solid 5/5 recommendation from flutterlings. So now you don’t have to take my word that it’s awesome, you can theirs. Now go buy it.
Keeping up with Appearances:
Apart from the above-mentioned Mo*Con V, I’ll be at RWA and GenCon this summer. And since it’s in my favorite town in Ohio, it’s a safe bet you’ll see me at World Fantasy as well.
Tags: Dark Faith, Hearts and Minds
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Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Well, we did it. By we of course, I mean my wonderfully talented Web designers, and not me personally, but hey, ‘We’ works better. What did we do? We changed some things up around here – a little paint, a little polish, a great big engine with “Wordpress” stenciled on the side. All that kind of stuff. What’s it mean? Hopefully, it means more frequent updates from yours truly, since now I can input them directly. It also means I might finally get around to changing out my essay, but let’s not talk crazy just yet. After all, it’s February!
February means one thing in 2010 – Impulse Power, the trio of Romantic SF novellas from Samhain Publishing, finally comes out. That includes my own Hearts and Minds, which will be out in pretty much every electronic format on the 23rd.
On the topic of Impulse Power, those of you not with the SF Revolution who plan on waiting for a dead tree edition have a long wait – December, in fact. But, if you wait that long, you’ll find Impulse Power everywhere, with this snazzy new cover:
I’ve also received a bit of good news. My essay on the Music of Steampunk – Doctor Tsoundpounders Euterpean Soliloquizer – will be appearing in the March issue of Crossed Genres magazine. It’s a fun little piece in which I poke a few sacred cows, and I think it will be well received. Or there’ll be a mob outside the door. We’ll see.
Keeping up with Appearances:
The year is starting with a bang, or at least a couple of electronic appearances – on 16 Feb, you’ll be able to find me answering questions about Hearts and Minds in the Love Romances café , from 7 to 9pm. Stop by, ask questions, and have some fun.
I’ll also be a guest blogger on Samhain’s Author site, the Samhellion, on February 23rd. Not sure what clever and witty thing I’ll say yet, but I trust inspiration will strike before then.
As for the rest of the year – It’s a safe bet that in August, interested folks will be able to find me once again at GenCon. April will see me in Indianapolis for Mo*Con and the release party for Apex’s Dark Faith (Featuring my story “A Loss for Words”). And it’s looking increasingly likely that I will show up at either RWA’s national conference, or World Fantasy, or both. Watch this space for detail, there’s sure to be some soon.
Tags: Dark Faith, Hearts and Minds, Samhain, SF Romance
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