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So I’ve got a name for my novel: The Unforgettable Fire. I’m a big fan of U2, and you may even see some of that reflected in the novel. I’ve also spent part of the weekend plodding along with the character bios. I’m wary of making my main protagonist and antagonist too similar. So I’m struggling a little bit because I’m trying to build these personas within the framework of the novel I’ve already established. Tough.

Spent some time this weekend working with Google Maps/Mars, and it’s coming along. Just trying to figure out how to drop new custom pointers onto the map at lat/long coordinates. It’ll be a good visual reference for me to work from, plus interesting blog candy once the novel’s actually done.

Why wait? Well, the thing is, if I talk too much about the plot or characters of a novel that I’m writing or about where the story is going, I don’t finish it. So I’ve got myself revealing only the most minimal of details until the completion of the rough draft.

Writing related:

• Jeff VanderMeer has an interesting piece on how to write a novel in two months. Sounds like a suicide mission to me, personally. I was going to make a joke about it being like S&M porn, but that would be painful to write, painful to read, and you’d probably think I was weird. (Not that I’m not weird, but for the record, I don’t have any interest in S&M porn.)
• Write to Done has a piece of 31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing.

While Clarke wasn’t my first foray into sci-fi, he was the first author I really devoured, back in my early teens. The library was well-stocked with his works, and I tore into them: 2001, 2010, the Rama series, Childhood’s End…you get the idea. He really helped hook me on science fiction.

I’m still hooked, really. Writing it now, too. I’ve kept a little mental list of authors I’ll be sending copies of my first published work to, with a little note of thanks for nudging me to that point. The list really focuses on the authors that I enjoyed in my teens, and Clarke was at the top of the list.

This posting will have to serve as my thank-you, and my send-off to a guy who was, by all accounts, as classy a human being as you could hope for. Thanks, Mr. Clarke, for starting me down this strange little path.

Things are plodding along methodically with the writing of the novel. I’ve been, as I mentioned, using the Novelist’s Boot Camp as a way of keeping myself on-task and moving forward, rather than scurrying from half-formed idea to half-formed idea like an A.D.D. squirrel on crack. So far, it’s working. I’m at the stage where I’m writing biographies for my major characters, and have started with my main protagonist.

I’m learning things about the dude, and it’s going pretty well.

During the process, I’m going to sneak in some time for some research. Since it’s a s.f. novel, and I’m setting it on a planet with a known geography (Mars), I need to rustle up a good map of the planet and start figuring out where these bases are, and where the connecting road will travel. Maybe I should tinker with Google Mars and try and create an overlay? (See? Squirrel on crack.)

I may spend some time after I get off the bike tonight, see if I can’t get half these bios done. I’ve got a few cycling posts that I need to write for this, too, and I can probably wrap those up tonight, as well.

I’ve been working on fleshing out the novel, using Novelist’s Boot Camp. I bought the book because I figured that with my military background, a structured approach would be a good thing for me. I was right! I’ve been unlocking really fucking cool ideas and scribbling notes in a Moleskine for the last few days.

I still don’t have a title, but I’m thinking that THE MOST AWESOMEST FUN YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR VERY OWN ALIEN STARSHIP AND P.S. IT’S GOT A LOONY A.I. RUNNING MOST OF THE SHOW might have to be relegated to the subtitle.

So I got asked today about how-to-write books — specifically, I was asked to recommend a few. Given that this seems to be a topic that comes up now and then, I am going to recommend two-and-a-half of them (one is specific for F&SF writers).

The first is On Writing by Stephen King. This is the book that I re-read every so often. King puts together an autobiography and a lecture on craft into one easy-to-read manuscript. The thing is, most writers would put together an autobiography that would read as “if you didn’t grow up like I did, you’ll never amount to much.” King doesn’t do that. Instead, he draws on elements of his upbringing that illustrate how his life shaped him as a writer, and are easily identifiable as things that could have just as easily happened to you. The result is a frank, sometimes funny, sometimes sad book on not just craft, but what it really means to be a writer.

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So recently, sci-fi author Steven Brust released a Firefly fanfic novel as a free download. A friend who is making strides in the business of being a sci-fi writer, if I recall correctly, cut her teeth by writing fan fiction.

I’m reminded of John Scalzi and his adage about “paying work gets written first.” It’s a phrase that can easily be interpreted as “don’t write anything unless you’re going to submit it to a paying market first.”

Lately, I’ve been musing on the trend in sci-fi circles toward releasing one’s work under the Creative Commons license. And I’ve been musing on fanfic, because I’ve got an idea for a piece rolling around in my brain.

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If there’s one thing that unemployment is really good for, it’s productivity. (I am, of course, ignoring the bad things it causes — like stress, the shutting down of one’s brain, money woes, an urge to drink heavily, and so on.) Since my lay-off from my previous employer nearly two months ago, I have spent a great deal of time actually getting back into my writing — both from an actual emotional investment in the process and the actual creation of work. Granted, there’s been a bit of a dent in my productivity since I brought the new TV home, but I anticipated that.

At first, I dreaded going back to work. Specifically, I dreaded the lost time. Read the rest of this entry »

My friend Jen has her first book out, a collection of short stories. And in the interest of helping a friend out, I’m posting a link to her work. If you like your sci-fi dark and — at times — squicky, this is your book. I’ve read her stuff, and while it’s not my usual fare, I’ll definitely keep reading.

Click to pay a visit to Apex’s site to find out more.

So a friend, via IM, asked me if I could re-write a show, similar to what Ron Moore has done so brilliantly with Battlestar Galactica, what would I do? And it hit me. The idea was fully-formed in my head, it could be brilliantly done, and with a pre-defined story arc that would make for some intense, awesome viewing.

I’m going to write this treatment tonight, so once I’m a published author and someone asks if I have an idea for a TV series, my response can be an emphatic “yes,” followed up by an email with the treatment. Because, oh hell yes, this could be some serious fun.

Generally, my relationship to broadcast sci-fi has been tenuous. Read the rest of this entry »

So I’ve figured out the markets I’ll be submitting these two new stories to — the first one I started is going to start the Grand Tour of Rejection at Strange Horizons, and the second will start the journey at F&SF. I will have to do the smart thing and create a spreadsheet to track all my rejections, and I’m okay with that, because as a project manager, I’m a big fan of spreadsheets.

I’m hoping to have my rough drafts done by bedtime on Monday the 14th. Revisions and clean-up on the weekend of the 19th and 20th, and in the mail on the 21st.

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