Point of View

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Point of View: Making Great Swag

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Swag

OK, I have to admit it. A couple years ago, I had no idea what the hell “swag” was. Then I went to Rainbow Con, and created the first QSF swag – the incredibly tiny buttons – and I finally “got it”. But I still don’t know what makes for great swag – something that people want, something that will help sell your books and advance your brand. Oh, I know the formula: Find something intriguing that people will keep and cherish that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. And I know what doesn’t work. Believe me, I know. … Read more

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Point of View: Testing the Waters

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Huffington Post

Two years and some months ago, I re-commited myself to writing. I’ve now published a few things, and have set up several blog tours for my books and the anthologies I have been in. I’ve hit all the normal places – the romance blogs, the LGBT reviewers, etc. But I’ve decided that it’s time to do more. I want to move beyond the romance blogs. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to leave them behind. They are a huge part of our community, and it’s important that we support each other. They should be a part of any marketing strategy. But … Read more

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Point of View: The Italians Are Coming!

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Bologna

Well, technically they’re already here. Let me back up a bit. I’ve been working (and writing) madly over the last three weeks. I had big plans to finish three or four writing projects before June 15th, when our Italian friends, Marco and Fabry, were due to arrive. I wanted to put The Great North to bed, complete my Oberon 3rd draft, extend The Boy in the Band, write the next three chapters of Marionettes in the Mist with Angel, and put together enough chapters of River City to get me through mid July. In the end, I finished The Great … Read more

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Point of View: Pride and Prejudice

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Pulse

This morning, after the most deadly shooting in US history which also happened at a gay nightclub on Latino night, has me all tied up in knots. Just a year ago, we finally won the right to marry all across this vast nation. I felt such a sense of pride and accomplishment on that day. It’s something that I and many others gave years – decades of our lives, even – to bring about. And on that day I felt different. Accepted. Finally, as never before, a first class citizen in my own country. Mark and I have started holding … Read more

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Point of View: Reaching the Ending

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Writer's Brain - Scott

I have writer’s brain. I have just gone full-tilt for about a month to write a new novella for a forthcoming anthology. The story is titled “The Great North”, and it’s a post-apocalyptic tale based on a Welsh legend. Some of you may remember how it started out from one of my earlier columns – the story really wanted to be “The Autumn Lands” all over again, complete with blond stranger arriving in town on a wagon train. But the story and I had a big fight, and I won, and I steered it bodily onto a new course. Note … Read more

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Point of View: It’s the Same Story, Dammit.

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OK, so I’m knee-deep into a new project called “The Great North” (I know, I know, but this one had a deadline). It’s a post-apocalyptic retelling of a legend, and it’s unlike anything that I have done so far. Or so I thought. So I’m writing along, with my loose outline in a spreadsheet at my side to track all the stuff writers have to track when they write, and my latest crush – mint milanos – at my side. It’s new. it’s fresh. And best of all, it’s working. And then I start to notice things. My first protagonist … Read more

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Point of View: Crunch Time

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Crunch Time

Too many things to get done, and not enough time to do them. Every writer runs into this problem eventually, assuming that they stick with their craft long enough. You see, the average writer whose name is not Stephen King or Piers Anthony works at least one other job to support their habit – in my case it’s one and a half. Or maybe one and a half, and a half. My husband Mark and I run a web design and directory business, which consumes upwards of 70 hours a week. We’re also part of an Italian study group, of … Read more

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Point of View: Running a Successful Contest

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Scott

Hey all, We’re closing out the Queer Sci Fi Flash Fiction contest, and we’re about to get to the fun part – reading all the great entries that were submitted by y’all. We have 166 in all, from a great variety of writers and covering the LGBTIQA spectrum and the full gamut of speculative fiction themes. Well, I assume they do. You see, I haven’t actually read any of them yet. I am very careful not to do so before we start the judging, as I am compiling the file. We judge these stories blind – without knowing the author … Read more

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Point of View: The Balance

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Scott sword

You can write whatever you want. No, seriously. You are a writer. If you want to write about the fine mesh of belly button lint, or wax eloquent in a poem about how sunlight glints off the dewdrops on a dandelion in the early morning, or even share your deepest, darkest sexual fantasy, you can do it. That doesn’t mean it’s going to sell. I’m preparing to write another novella – yes, I know, but I swear I have a couple novels in the pipeline too! This one is for a particular anthology I have my eye on for a … Read more

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Point of View: Writing Who You Know

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reflection - Scott

There’s an age-old adage in the writing biz: “Write what you know.” This advice is suspect for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it’s difficult to apply as a science fiction/fantasy author. Tolkien didn’t “know” Middle Earth, not in the personal sense. And Anne McCaffrey probably never actually made it to Pern (though it would be really cool if she had). But the core sentiment of this adage is good – you need to do the research and get your details right. What about our characters, though? As an author, I draw on people I know … Read more