writers

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Point of View: Gardening is Writing II

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Scott Garden

Back in the before world, in 2019, I wrote a column for this space called “Gardening is Writing.” My premise was simple. Many of the same skills to grow a successful vegetable garden could be applied to writing as well. Then yesterday, I ran across a framed image at a Starbucks, of all places, that reminded me of the art I used to draw when I was in high school. I sent it to one of my high school art teachers, Laura Brouse (check out her current art – it’s amazing), who still has a bit of my art after … Read more

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Point of View: Running a Group Sales Table, Part One

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Davis Pride

This week I thought I’d do a practical advice column for my writer friends. It’s been a while since I did one of these, and being fresh off of not one but two Pride events, with a third to come next weekend, it seemed like a great time to offer a primer on how to set up and run a group sales table. Choosing an Event Big city Prides can be quite expensive. Our local Sacramento Pride festival is now $750 for a booth for two days, and SF Pride is $1600 for a booth, canopy, table and chairs for … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: When Your Story Sucks

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Disapproval - Deposit Photos

I’ve been a bit stuck on my WIP novel The Hencha Queen for a couple weeks now. I’ve also sent my previously-written short stories to most of the magazines on my list. So it seemed like a great time to write a new short story – exercise those writing muscles and have something sparkly and new to submit on the SFF magazine circuit too. It would only take a coupla days, right? Famous last words… So I sat down and whipped up a new short set in the same world as my (as-yet) unreleased shorts High Seven and What the … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: Writing in the Margins

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writing margins - deposit photos

Growing up, I was an insatiable reader. Starting with the Lord of the Rings in third grade, I moved through the canons of Asimov, Clarke, Silverberg, McCaffrey, Heinlein and many more by the time I hit junior high. It wasn’t until I was in eighth grade and realized I had crushes on other boys in my class that I noticed the lack of diversity in speculative fiction. And it wasn’t until much later – after I came out at twenty-three – that I started thinking about actually writing my own queer characters. My very first one was a gay, winged … Read more

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ANNOUNCEMENT/GIVEAWAY: Steadfast – K.L. Noone

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Steadfast - K.L. Noone

K.L. Noone has a new contemporary MM romance out: “Steadfast.” And there’s a goveaway too! A love story for the ages! An intimate confession! An epic quest! And happily ever after on the horizon… Jason Mirelli loves Colby Kent. And Colby loves him. They’ve told the world. And Colby’s recovered from injury, so they’re back at work and back on set. Jason just might have everything he’s ever dreamed of, with a serious leading role, an epic love story, and Colby safe and happy in his arms—but they only have two weeks of filming to go. He’s afraid of the … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: (Re)Defining Success

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checklist - pixabay

I’m in the middle of Pitch Wars, an annual contest to find a mentor who will then help you prep your manuscript for an agent submission showcase next spring. This is my second year participating in this amazing and terrifying event. Last year, I went into it blind, fully expecting to snag a mentor, and having no idea how many thousands of writers were doing the same thing at the same time. My four mentors received our pitches, and I waited, hopeful that I would receive a response, or maybe even more than one. A day passed, then two and … Read more

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POINT OF VIEW: When Fans Become Friends

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fans - pixabay

We live in a particularly fascianting age (mostly in the purported Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times” kinda way). Social media has brought a heaping helping of crap and bullshit upon our heads, divided us into rival camps, and possibly destroyed the world in the process. And yet, it’s not all bad. Once upon a time, authors lived in magical, isolated castles by the sea (or more likely dark, dank, author caves buried deep in decaying metropolises). In any case, they were largely cut off from their readers, save for the occasional fan letter forwarded by a publisher, … Read more