ORYCON NEWS

So it’s now official: I’ll be on two panels at this year’s Orycon at the Doubletree in Portland! I’ll be on the panel “Drowning in Slush”, with fellow Apex editor Deb Taber, as well as editors Colleen Anderson (ABERRANT DREAMS and CHIZINE), Camille Alexa (ABYSS & APEX MAGAZINE), and Lou Anders ([TOO MUCH TO LIST!] and ORYCON EDITING GUEST OF HONOR). Then immediately after that, I’m on the panel “How to Prepare a Manuscript” with Edd Vick, Rhea Rose, and Elizabeth Engstrom (whose book, WHEN DARKNESS LOVES US, Apex has just reprinted!).

Then after that, I’m half of a writer’s workshop duo with Nina Kiriki Hoffman (She’s won a STOKER and a NEBULA, and I’ve got a YEAR’S BEST FANTASY & HORROR volume with one of her stories in it!)! O.O

It’s an action/awesome-packed weekend! ^_^

I’m not going to lie, I’m quite a bit (read: F#!$!ing) nervous about all this. I am (as some of you know) a convirgin, besides a relatively new entrant into the editing world, and therefore have no idea what to expect from all this. I plan on doing a lot of research about the “dos” and “don’ts” of panelling (and attending Edd Vick’s panel on “How to be a Panelist”!), and I hope my fellow panelists will give me some good advice so I don’t make a fool out of myself! Still, I’m really excited, too! Like 80% excited, 20% nervous.

Or… more like 60% excited, 40% nervous… maybe reversed? O.O

So if you’re in the PDX area Nov. 26th-28th, stop by and say “hi!” Or stop by and give me chocolate, and rub me on the back while I sit rocking in a corner by myself, and just tell me it’s going to be okay. >.O

 

Weekend Blogging: Why It Works

Actually, I have only a vague idea of why I’ve only seemed to be blogging on the weekends lately.

Part of it is indeed the rampant speed of my weekday schedule, which utilizes almost every free moment of my time, which might otherwise be used for blogging. Part of it is because I’ve switched my writing schedule from my lunch breaks to my evenings, and my APEX work from my evenings to my lunch break. It’s made me a lot more productive in both arenas, so much so that I may actually be able to start taking on more APEX work soon! (LE GASP!) I also figured out how to get my internet to work at the local B&N, so I can actually go online and work on that stuff during my break, since my workplace has removed its wifi. T_T

But that means that in the evening, I have a lot more flexibility to do my own writing, and as this past week has shown, that could mean writing from 8-10:30PM, which leaves little time for blogging since I’m usually down for the count by 10 most weekdays. (Note: I am not a morning person. 6:30AM wake-ups make me a grumpy bear.)

Anyway, in short, I’ll see about putting up at least brief posts mid-week, but the longer ones will still likely occur more on the weekends.

So far, this weekend has been a ton of fun, and today seems to be keeping the tradition. Friday, Andy and I hung out with Nate & Sadie and went to the Bridgeport Brewery in the Pearl District of PDX. Much fun was had by all, but man the seasonal Imperial IPA kicked my butt. Tasted great though! ^_^

Then Saturday, after junking out on doughnuts and watching an hour or so of Looney Toons which we’ve gotten from Netflix, Andy and I got him an office chair he’d found on Craigslist for $25, and headed over to B&N to figure out how to get my interwebs to work properly. We did so (Andy’s magic touch=some unknown electromagnetic effect on electronics that make them obey him when they scorn me for doing *the exact same thing*), and I had one of those lovely Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Mmmmm…. Though the extreme caffeine dose (I don’t normally drink coffee) put me in a weird drainage mode all afternoon. I was like a Roomba losing charge even while it sits on its charger!

Later, Kaku and his girlfriend came over for pizza and a movie (HOT FUZZ, why not?!). The pizza turned out pretty good and we all had a great time chatting and eating and hanging out. It was lovely!

Today, I’m thinking about trying to repot our sickly Ficus, get some APEX work taken care of, maybe do a little painting, and then later get some writing done. See below for more info on writing.

Writing Stuff:

 

I’ll have a Weekend, please: shaken, not stirred

I’m so tired. It’s been a long week, and thank goodness it’s Friday tomorrow, because if it turned out to be another Wednesday that felt like a Friday, I’d just… I don’t know what I’d do, but it’d involve a lot of whining and foot-stamping, and maybe a little rolling on the floor.

Let’s do a MADCAP-RE-CAP!

Friday, Sept. 11th, 5:30PM–Downtown at PDX Grill happy hour for Andy’s birthday palooza with Kaku and the Spangler-Babbits Co. Had a Lavendar Cosmo (<3) and then a White Cosmo (also <3), and then we ate the beef satay and spicy fries; there was much rejoicing.

Friday, Sept. 11, 8:30PM–Over on NE 13th and Flanders. Lost. Propositioned by pot-head; we declined. Got back in the car to meet Spangler-Babbits Co. at the Rogue Brewery on NW 13th and Flanders.

Friday, Sept. 11, 10:30PM–After a CANNON of free beer (chocolate stout + Hazelnut ale = the “Snickers”), a free t-shirt, a free pint of Dead-Guy Ale, and a LOT of laughter, plus bathroom signs that didn’t make any sense (you guess while buzzed and need to go: Barley vs. Hops), drove home (safely) and went immediately to bed.

Saturday, Sept. 12, 5:00PM–Kaku’s parents’ place for BBQ. There was much chatting, much laughing, much delicious salmon and steak, much cheesecake, and a good time had by all!

Saturday, Sept. 12, 10:00PM–Kaku’s apartment for a viewing of Ironman with his awesome surround sound system. There was much giggling, much exploding, much heckling, and a good time was had by all!

Sunday, Sept. 13–I don’t actually remember what I did on the 13th. Took it easy and relaxed, caught up on Apex stuff, while Andy studied. Packed for Monday’s work trip up to Bellevue, WA.

Monday, Sept. 14th, 7:30AM–Went to work as usual, but with an extra bag for overnight stuff. Andy started finals.

Monday, Sept. 14th, 8:30PM–In Bellevue, WA, after a 4 hour drive on I-5. Listened to half of H.G. Wells’ THE INVISIBLE MAN. Checked in at the Silver Cloud Inn, went to get sushi with bosses. There was Japanese beer, and a good time was had by all!

Tuesday, Sept. 15th, 7:15AM–Checked out of the Silver Cloud and went to the Hyatt for the convention! Got to meet a lot of people face-to-face for the first time in person, and it was a lot of fun! Shoes hurt like a b@#$! though…

Tuesday, Sept. 15th, 9:30PM–Arrived back home in Portland. Went promptly to bed.

Then the week started up as usual, though Wednesday felt like Friday, and I still need to feel like I actually slept. >.< Have been keeping up well with Apex submissions, though, now that I’ve switched to managing them during my lunch break. Now I just need to make sure I keep on top of the free-time writing.

Writing Stuff:

 

Three Days and Four Nights of Bliss

I love long weekends. I’ve needed this extra time off so much the last few weeks! The best part is that so far this weekend, I’ve been “in the moment”, enjoying the time off without worrying about anything else. I haven’t done everything I wanted to yet, but I’m not worrying about that either! Ha! Take that, part-of-me-who’s-a-worrywart!

In the efforts of the past two weeks to minimize stress and maximize relaxation time (without sacrificing work, Apex, writing, etc.), I’ve officially swapped my lunch-break writing time with my after-work Apex time. I get a lot more done for Apex since I have a guaranteed hour every day to focus on slushing, and then when I get home, I can post up any quick announcements, respond to submissions, and then shut the computer down for the evening so I can have “not work” time. In the evenings, then, I make sure to set down at least an hour to write. I’m enjoying this swap, because it gives me a lot of flexibility when it comes to writing: if it’s not working, I only torture myself for that hour; if it *is* working, then I have the flexibility to keep going, which solves the issue of hitting that time-wall when I was writing during my lunch break.

I’ve also been trying to squeeze in an hour or so of reading before bed, which I think is helping immensely, too, in managing my stress load. Ultimately, I think I’d be the happiest living in a beach house with only writing to do, but since that’s on the far side of never-in-a-million-years, this new organization seems to help me really relax. Still working out a few kinks, but so far so good.

Writing Stuff:

 

You Spin Me Right ‘Round, Baby, Right ‘Round

So! It’s been a busy few weeks! Work’s been picking up, but I think (I *hope*) I’m settling into the new, faster pace. Apex has been pretty busy too, what with opening back up for submissions, marketing Gene O’Neill’s new collection of short dark fiction TASTE OF TENDERLOIN, and with Apex becoming SFWA certified! YAY! GO APEX! Now, officially, if you sell something to us, it will count toward your SFWA membership (and Pro status! ^_-). It’s quite exciting, I must say! Even as just a humble submissions editor. Congrats to Apex! ^_^

Meanwhile on the home front, I’ve been trying to write more, paint more, and keep the house clean, besides making sure to make good, relatively healthy meals to eat. Went to see Food, Inc. last weekend, and boy, does it make you want to cook your own food and know your own personal poultry farmers! ^_^ Some of the info in the film I already knew, either from my mother who seems very food/health-forward, or from relatives in the farming industry, but it’s always eye-opening seeing video of it. And–as always noted–it is a documentary, which if I learned nothing else in college, I learned that there is no such thing as an objective documentary. They’re all biased–but that’s not a bad thing. Most documentaries are *trying* to convince you of some truth, and therefore, their opinion does shade their portrayal of the facts, even if only by how they select to edit the film.

Someday, I think I’d like to have a micro-bakery/micro-brewery. I’ve been thinking that a lot lately, but it’s sticking in my head. Ah! Too many hobbies, too many interests! ^_^ Plus, watching Kiki’s Delivery Service just kind of emphasizes the bakery side. haha

Writing Stuff:

 

Apex is BACK, baby!

And thus begins the re-life of Apex Magazine! Got my first few submissions to go through today in my inbox. Ah, what a delightful sight to see! ^_^

Writing Stuff:

It’s also the first of the month, which means a re-cap of my writing goals from last month. I would normally post the new-and-improved! list for this month also, but I haven’t actually had a chance to think about it! O.O

JUNE’S LIST:
1. Finish Chapter 17 of the Thief Dilemma – [I'll comment on this below]
2. Finish Chapter 3 of the “UNTITLED NOVEL PROJECT” – DONE!
3. Query about “Mimicry” – DONE!
4. Get an editable draft of the “Untitled Dystopic SF short story” – DONE!

Okay, so Chapter 17 of The Thief Dilemma is *technically* done, rounding out at about 6,200 words. I like some of it, maybe most of it. It came out in a rush and I had a blast writing it, but now I’m not so sure. I think it’s all so fresh in my mind still that I can’t tell if it’s what I want or not. What this means, of course, is that I’m going to sit on it for a day or two. I’m not going to think about it. Not going to touch it. Maybe once I get away from it a little, I’ll be a better judge of whether or not it’s good to go.

I hope it is. I want it to be done. Not just for those patient saints who still read it–chapter by chapter–but because I’m ready to move forward, to dig in my heels to the next phase.

But I don’t want to rush it. And I’m just not sure…

*sigh* If only it screamed “I’M READY!”, I’d post it and get it out of my mind, but yet it lingers, asking “Is this what you want?” Once it goes down, it goes down, and I’ll have to work with it from then on. ARG. I’m frustrating myself. >.<

 

APEX APEX APEX AAAAAAAAPEX!!

APEX MAGAZINE is coming out of haitus! YAY! I’m so excited about this. It’s a great magazine, and there is such a need for them right now. From what I’m hearing, we’re also going to be offering the magazine in a print POD form as well, for those who prefer the sweet whisper of paper between their fingers. Read more about Apex’s triumphant return here!

Submissions are opening up again for short fiction on July 1st! Check out the guidelines here!

YAY!

 

The APEX Lottery: Like Shirley Jackson’s, but with more prizes!

The APEX Lottery: Like Shirley Jackson’s, but with more prizes!

When APEX GLOBAL DOMINATOR Jason Sizemore suggested a lottery to me, I immediately thought of Ms. Jackson’s deadly tale and relished the idea of a human bloodfest. However, as an overzealous invader and naïve in the ways of the human legal system, it was up to AGD Sizemore to explain to me that what human beings like more than gruesome death is a pile of free stuff which involves gruesome death! Lucky for us, we’ve positioned our minions in such a way as to give us an abundance of deliciously dark things to lure in unsuspecting human prey.

For those humans with a taste for the beautiful, yet deadly, we have a collection of Jennifer Pelland treats: UNWELCOME BODIES, AEGRI SOMNIA, and APEX DIGEST #8. If a human is looking for something particularly other-worldly, we’ve got a web of Lavie Tidhar delights: THE APEX BOOK OF WORLD SF, HEBREWPUNK, and a feast of APEX DIGESTS featuring Tidhar’s talents. Humans who can’t be satiated by the typical—nay, TAME—venues, we have an orgy of Wrath James White’s work: ORGY OF SOULS, HERO, and SUCCULENT PREY. Mmm, succulent prey. That’s just what was on my mind.

And while this may not involve as much human carnage as I might have originally liked, I am beginning to see the brilliant subtly of AGD Sizemore’s plans for world domination.

Dare to try your luck?

 

Day at the Beach

So here are the afore-promised pictures from our trip to the beach on Sunday. Didn’t get a whole lot of writing done (which was the plan), or submissions done (which were finished up today), but it was a great trip and a lot of fun. 

Andy is not a daywalker, so he hung out in his tent most of the time. I think he got more work done that way, though. ^_^ 

Finished the latest batch of novel submissions today, which was good. That was something I was going to work on Sunday, also, but the beach beckoned, and how could I refuse to heed its call?

OH! Almost forgot: Apex’s Community Board is now up and running! I’m already making a general nuisance of myself, so do feel free to drop by. ^_^

Writing Stuff:

Two from-the-top attempts at Chapter 2 for the “UNTITLED NOVEL PROJECT”. Decided I need to go back to the drawing board in order to establish the kind of confidence in this sequence I need. Got some stuff in mind, will see how it goes. Changed the WTDL to reflect the need to spend some time planning.

 

Confidence is Key

It seems to me that the best kept (or not so best kept) secret of life is to be confident. Whether it’s during a job interview, learning to ski, trying to get a date, and even in artistic endeavors, it all seems to boil down to confidence. And not necessarily honest confidence; it seems that even faux confidence put on as an act will work just as well. 

But how do you balance even faux confidence and humility? Arrogance is off-putting; meek to self-consciousness is self defeating. It seems that finding that right balance and maintaining it is one of the hardest challenges a person can face. But then, it’s those who seem to care the least about confidence who come across as the proof of its success. The less you worry about it, the more confident and content you become. 

For me, the idea of confidence plays most strongly in the fiction writing field. I finished reading SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Renni Browne and Dave King* a little while ago, and it struck me that so many of the common errors writers make seem to stem from self-consciousness. Whether it’s over-describing characters (she was exactly five feet, two and a quarter inches tall, with blond-red streaked hair falling in one stiff sweep of right-tilting bangs from her left eyebrow down to the lower right of her heart-shaped face) because the author feels the need to control what the reader sees and fears they won’t see a given character the same way, or telling when you should be showing, or using too many words, or relying too heavily on adverbs (I added wearily, knowing that the adverb thing has been beaten to an unjust and early grave), or explaining huge passages of back story via dialogue between two characters who already know everything… I could go on. The point is, writing seems to either succeed or fail due to the author’s confidence. Editing is for taking the self-consciousness out of the rough draft, and making the next seem more confident and more professional.

Likewise, my experience reading short fiction submissions for Apex has shown that over-confidence can be just as detrimental. Over-confidence seems to lead to verbosity (everything I say is vitally important, and you should sludge through it all), an affected and overly dramatic writing style, under-description (you should know what’s in my head), and condescension toward the reader. Also, not promising. 

It seems to me that the stories which get accepted and do well are stories which have that undeniable confidence. They’re telling you a story, and while you may not necessarily love the story they have to tell, it’s hard to argue that these tales feel professional. 

What interests me the most is that the stories I love, the stories I read in the slush pile and go “OH YEAH! WE GOT A WINNER!” ooze that authorial confidence. I feel like the author knows what they’re doing. It helps if the manuscript is obviously edited and formatted properly, but the charisma of confidence comes through on top of that. I sort of wonder if it doesn’t have to do with the selection of the authorial voice. 

Authorial voice makes all the difference between banging your head into a wall trying to get a single page out or writing a few paragraphs at the drop of a hat with ease and relative pleasure. The right voice tells the story itself without needing to be forced, and the right voice can make an amateur idea blossom into a very professional-reading tale (even if the idea is still a little weak). A good voice breathes confidence and clarity.

And I think this is what I find missing so often in stories we’ve passed on at Apex: a nervous author writes in an unsteady or weak voice. They’re hesitant, second-guessing. A manuscript that reads like a pro wrote it (I say “like a pro wrote it” because very often it isn’t a pro at all, though someday the author might be) are the ones with a definitive voice. They know the story, they’re just relating it to you as best they can. But it feels real. 

Now if only I could find that confidence myself so that it will carry through in my own writing! ^_^

*SELF EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS–A Note: I highly recommend this book. I’m a bit mule-headed when it comes to being told how to do anything, so I usually avoid most how-to-write books if only to keep myself from putting up walls against potentially helpful suggestions (though I usually have to reinvent the wheel just to learn the importance of such advice). However, this one works for me. First, it’s not about “how to write”, it’s about “how to edit”. It approaches drafting in a completely different and–for me–compelling way. Its explanations are clear and logical, and while I never agree with absolutely everything a how-to book suggests, I found their sections on “show don’t tell” and adverbs very, very useful, if only because they don’t outright vilify any one technique (they never say “never do this”).