E-books will not replace paperbacks
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Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Writers of the Weird
I attended my first Writers of the Weird meeting on Sunday, a very talented group, indeed. My story was critiqued, the only story that was hard sf. The comments were extremely useful and I am definitely going to incorporate many of the suggestions into the revision. I joined the parent organization, Science Fiction Association of Bergen County (SFABC).
Overall, people generally liked the story and I have been getting positive reviews so far. I'm not really used to having such approval and I'll try not to let it go to my head. Instead, I feel encouraged to make sure that I make the work better. Just one month until the deadlines for WotF and the Baen Memorial Award contests. I think I'll go over my honorable mention story again and submit it to one of the prozines.
Overall, people generally liked the story and I have been getting positive reviews so far. I'm not really used to having such approval and I'll try not to let it go to my head. Instead, I feel encouraged to make sure that I make the work better. Just one month until the deadlines for WotF and the Baen Memorial Award contests. I think I'll go over my honorable mention story again and submit it to one of the prozines.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Snow Day
Thank G*d for the snow! Fortunately, I don't have a house anymore so no shoveling. If class is cancelled tonight I won't have to go there either. Wrote last night before bed, actually stayed up late because I was writing. Will get back to it after this post. But you don't need to have time to write.
Picked up some little tidbits from L. Ron Hubbard on his thoughts about that (it's in Writers of the Future XXII):
"That is a queer mental quirk with people. If a man is a writer, he is doing something everybody thinks they can do."
I found this also to be true about teaching, which I did for five years. I knew a guy who came from the corporate world to teach... he lasted three days. Another guy lasted a couple weeks.
As a filmmaker you don't get a lot of respect either. People would say it was easy because they thought it was all fun and games, but I've worked on set twelve to sixteen hours a day with just a 15 minute lunch break. I was on set before anyone showed up and left after everything was put away, and before and after I was writing or editing videos. (I also worked with a lot of so-called "professional" crew who couldn't shoot worth a sh*t, or didn't know how to do their particular job and had to be lead around by the nose).
This is what L. Ron has to say about people saying they could write if only they had the time...
"It's their way of an apology, I guess. Nearly everyone makes that remark and, to be brutally frank, it is a source of much merriment in the professional ranks... I have a law around the house here which says that writing comes first and the hell with everything else. The lawn grows into an alfalfa field, the pipes drip merrily, the floors need paint but I turn a deaf ear to pleas and go right on writing."
He goes on to say that his writing pays for all those chores to get done and covers all the other expenses. When times are tough you just got to push yourself to write. You make the time.
Picked up some little tidbits from L. Ron Hubbard on his thoughts about that (it's in Writers of the Future XXII):
"That is a queer mental quirk with people. If a man is a writer, he is doing something everybody thinks they can do."
I found this also to be true about teaching, which I did for five years. I knew a guy who came from the corporate world to teach... he lasted three days. Another guy lasted a couple weeks.
As a filmmaker you don't get a lot of respect either. People would say it was easy because they thought it was all fun and games, but I've worked on set twelve to sixteen hours a day with just a 15 minute lunch break. I was on set before anyone showed up and left after everything was put away, and before and after I was writing or editing videos. (I also worked with a lot of so-called "professional" crew who couldn't shoot worth a sh*t, or didn't know how to do their particular job and had to be lead around by the nose).
This is what L. Ron has to say about people saying they could write if only they had the time...
"It's their way of an apology, I guess. Nearly everyone makes that remark and, to be brutally frank, it is a source of much merriment in the professional ranks... I have a law around the house here which says that writing comes first and the hell with everything else. The lawn grows into an alfalfa field, the pipes drip merrily, the floors need paint but I turn a deaf ear to pleas and go right on writing."
He goes on to say that his writing pays for all those chores to get done and covers all the other expenses. When times are tough you just got to push yourself to write. You make the time.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Writers Groups
OK, I'm jumping into the water. I'm planning to attend my first writers critique group meeting, Writers of the Weird (WOTW), on Sunday. Also going to attend the general meeting for their parent organization, Science Fiction Affiliation of Bergen County (SFABC). Looks like a good group. As they are in Bergen County, NJ, I will be crossing the river. I'm also checking out NY Science Fiction Writers Meetup. Who knew I'd find such groups (or be found by them) by going on Meetup.com?
I've been spending a bit of time working on my Science Fiction Examiner column. I'll try to keep this blog more up to date. If you are reading this please subscribe or write a comment so I know you're out there! TIA.
I've been spending a bit of time working on my Science Fiction Examiner column. I'll try to keep this blog more up to date. If you are reading this please subscribe or write a comment so I know you're out there! TIA.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
WOTF 4th Quarter Winners & Other News
The winners of the 4th quarter of the Writer of the Future contest were announced today. The judging process for the 1st quarter of the 2010 have already begun. I have one story in progress for submission to the 2nd quarter and another I plan to enter in the Jim Baen Memorial Contest. The entry deadline for both contests is April 1st. With any luck I'll have at least one other story completed by then to submit to a magazine.
I've also been toying with the idea of forming (or joining) a writing group in New York. The other option is to do that online with writers around the country or the world. Hmm, not sure if that's a good idea. While it may be helpful for support and collaboration, I'm kinda hesitant to share my ideas and I like working alone. Conundrum. Anybody want to weigh in on this?
I've also been toying with the idea of forming (or joining) a writing group in New York. The other option is to do that online with writers around the country or the world. Hmm, not sure if that's a good idea. While it may be helpful for support and collaboration, I'm kinda hesitant to share my ideas and I like working alone. Conundrum. Anybody want to weigh in on this?
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
WOTF Review by Publisher's Weekly
Writers of the Future was recently given a golden review by Publisher's Weekly. Check it out on the WOTF blog, http://wotfblog.galaxypress.com.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Science Fiction Examiner vs. Sci Fi Pen
As I am now writing for Examiner.com as a Science Fiction Examiner the Sci Fi Pen will be changing focus to be more of a personal journal of my writing and so forth. My Science Fiction Examiner column will focus of science fiction news, technology and publishing. My first article on the Science Fiction Examiner is about the state of science fiction in 2010. I'll be posting links to new articles here on the Sci Fi Pen.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Lost Again and Again
"LOST" had its 2hr. season premiere last night. The survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 are back and so is a mind-numbing alternate reality also with the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Confused yet? No? Well, there's another group of Others; call them the Other Others or the Anothers. Time is both present and past. Men turn into smoke monsters, the dead come back to life (or appear so) and nuclear detonations just throw you through time. More to come...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Science Fiction Oscar Nominees
This morning the 82nd Academy Award nominees were released. Among the picks were a few science fiction films. James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar" was nominated for nine Oscars; Best Picture, Best Direction, Art Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. "District 9" received nominations for Best Picture, Film Editing, Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and Visual Effects. "Star Trek" got the nod for Makeup, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. The much criticized "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was nominated for Sound Mixing.
I predict "Avatar" to sweep all nine nominations though it faces very stiff competition for Best Picture (there are a total of ten nominees). All three nominations for Visual Effects went to science fiction films.
I predict "Avatar" to sweep all nine nominations though it faces very stiff competition for Best Picture (there are a total of ten nominees). All three nominations for Visual Effects went to science fiction films.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Amazon Relents, Blio Invents
As a follow up to the previous post, Amazon announced Sunday night that it would agree to Macmillan's terms allowing Macmillan to set prices for its e-books. Amazon did so grudgingly, stating that this would only hurt customers. The new pricing would mirror prices that Macmillan is setting with Apple for the iPad.
In other news, another e-book format called Blio is set to be released in February. Blio is a free format that works on PCs and is being developed for the Mac and iPod (and presumably for the iPad as well). Blio differs from other e-book formats in that it keeps the original formatting, fonts and pictures as the original books in full color.
Blio can display books with a 3 dimensional perspective so page turns simulate flipping through an actual book. Setting the cursor on the last word read allows readers to easily return to the place they stopped reading. E-books could also be preloaded with read-aloud content and associated sounds.
Blio's audio and picture capabilities would be especially useful for education and for children's books. These capabilities could be a real boon for science fiction and fantasy cover art, illustrations and audio, leading to a rich multimedia experience. This could allow literature to compete more favorably with film and television content.
Blio's website is at http://blioreader.com/
A very incisive and derisive take on Amazon's response to Macmillan from science fiction author John Scalzi entitled "All The Very Many Ways Amazon Failed the Weekend" can be viewed at Whatever.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/02/01/all-the-many-ways-amazon-so-very-failed-the-weekend/
In other news, another e-book format called Blio is set to be released in February. Blio is a free format that works on PCs and is being developed for the Mac and iPod (and presumably for the iPad as well). Blio differs from other e-book formats in that it keeps the original formatting, fonts and pictures as the original books in full color.
Blio can display books with a 3 dimensional perspective so page turns simulate flipping through an actual book. Setting the cursor on the last word read allows readers to easily return to the place they stopped reading. E-books could also be preloaded with read-aloud content and associated sounds.
Blio's audio and picture capabilities would be especially useful for education and for children's books. These capabilities could be a real boon for science fiction and fantasy cover art, illustrations and audio, leading to a rich multimedia experience. This could allow literature to compete more favorably with film and television content.
Blio's website is at http://blioreader.com/
A very incisive and derisive take on Amazon's response to Macmillan from science fiction author John Scalzi entitled "All The Very Many Ways Amazon Failed the Weekend" can be viewed at Whatever.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/02/01/all-the-many-ways-amazon-so-very-failed-the-weekend/
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Amazon Pulls Macmillan
The fallout from Apple's entry into the e-book marketplace has already begun. As reported in the New York Times, Macmillan publishing, one of the largest publishers in the U.S. whose brands included the science fiction publisher Tor Books, has been pulled from Amazon over an e-book publishing dispute. Macmillan is one of the publishers that signed with Apple to publish their e-books on Apple's new iPad.
Macmillan has been pushing to raise the price of its e-books from Amazon's set price of $9.99. Amazon deeply discounts their e-books to encourage sales of Amazon's Kindle e-reader. Apple is expected to allow publishers to set higher prices for e-book sales which could cut into Amazon's strategy.
Expect an ongoing struggle between other publishers and e-reader distributors over the future of nascent e-book industry. It will be interesting to see what the effects of the more e-book distributors with different e-readers and e-book formats will have on traditional publishing.
Macmillan has been pushing to raise the price of its e-books from Amazon's set price of $9.99. Amazon deeply discounts their e-books to encourage sales of Amazon's Kindle e-reader. Apple is expected to allow publishers to set higher prices for e-book sales which could cut into Amazon's strategy.
Expect an ongoing struggle between other publishers and e-reader distributors over the future of nascent e-book industry. It will be interesting to see what the effects of the more e-book distributors with different e-readers and e-book formats will have on traditional publishing.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Future is Here, Now What?
Let me preface this by saying that I am an Apple geek. That being said the Apple iPad brings personal computing and media interaction to a new level. A large touch sensitive screen for viewing and manipulating print, video and other media applications. How far are we away from "Minority Report" when we'll be able to control computing with hand gestures alone?
To be fair, Microsoft might be the one to get us there. Their Project Natal is designed to control video games through hand gestures alone, rather than the Wii's wireless controller. I can't help but think that it will be used for other applications as well. Maybe we'll be dreaming of electric sheep before too long, too.
By the time I publish, my works will probably appear in e-book form either on Amazon's Kindle or the iPad, or both. It's a brave new world and the publishing industry is just going to have to find a way to make it work so that authors get the royalties they deserve and the publishing companies can still make a decent profit. I just don't like the idea of paying for the New York Times in e-format.
To be fair, Microsoft might be the one to get us there. Their Project Natal is designed to control video games through hand gestures alone, rather than the Wii's wireless controller. I can't help but think that it will be used for other applications as well. Maybe we'll be dreaming of electric sheep before too long, too.
By the time I publish, my works will probably appear in e-book form either on Amazon's Kindle or the iPad, or both. It's a brave new world and the publishing industry is just going to have to find a way to make it work so that authors get the royalties they deserve and the publishing companies can still make a decent profit. I just don't like the idea of paying for the New York Times in e-format.
Avatar Tops List
Well, "Avatar" is now the highest-grossing film of all-time, earning more than $1.86 billion. Hopefully, this will spark renewed interested in science fiction literature. There are a few top-notch science fiction films over the past year that have not been huge box office draws but are not to be missed including "The Road," "Moon" and "District 9." They reaffirm that science fiction is alive and well.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Writers of the Future on YouTube
Yesterday, Writers of the Future started a YouTube page which includes videos on the last awards ceremony and interviews with the contest judges including notable science fiction writers Jerry Pournelle, Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson, Tim Powers and Doug Beason, among others. I highly recommend you check it out to learn more about this amazing contest. http://www.youtube.com/WritersOfTheFuture
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
An Honorable Mention
I received my honorable mention certificate from Writers of the Future along with my story with a short note from coordinating judge K. D. Wentworth. They're a real stand up organization. I've got to come up with a story that's got a real shot against some serious competition. I'm looking forward to reading the winning stories.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
WOTF Results 4th Quarter 2009
I just saw on the Writers of the Future blog that I got a honorable mention. Not bad considering this was my first science fiction story and there were literally thousands of entrants. While I was hoping for a better finish, this will only serve to motivate me to continue writing. I have some stories that I am currently writing that I believe will get me to the next level. Better luck next time!
Friday, January 8, 2010
WOTF January Update
The first set of honorable mentions for the 4th quarter of Writers of the Future were announced last sunday. I wasn't among that set and with any luck will make it to the next round. More honorable mentions should be posted soon on the WOTF blog, then the semi-finalists and finalists. The suspense is killing me.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Avatar Soars
Avatar is now the third highest grossing film of all time, only behind "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" and James Cameron's other home run, "Titanic." It also received a "black lung" from Scenesmoking.org for Sigourney Weaver's character, a scientist on another planet who can't put down the smokes. Despite that anomaly Avatar is a fun, totally immersive ride. While I didn't find the 3-D to really jump off the screen, the lush imagery was more than enough to suck me in. From the applause at the end of the film it's apparent I wasn't the only one. Avatar is definitely worth seeing, and if you are going to see it do so in 3-D.
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