Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

Archive for November, 2010

Consumer Watchdog Conference with Michael Capobianco

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

The Consumer Watchdog Conference will be webcast live Starting at 8:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT) Wednesday, Dec 1st.

From their dispatch:

The FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director David Vladeck will discuss a soon-to-be-released FTC report on online privacy and establishing an online “Do Not Track Me” list at a conference convened by Consumer Watchdog Wednesday at the National Press Club.

Vladeck will offer an 8:45 a.m. keynote speech about the FTC’s much anticipated report, which is expected to be released in advance of Thursday hearing on “Do Not Track Me” legislation in the House of Representatives.

At 1 p.m., the Department of Commerce’s Associate Administrator for National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Daniel Weitzner will speak. Commerce is also on the verge of releasing a report on online privacy protections.

At 1:45 p.m., a panel with Michael Capobianco (SFWA) will discuss the internet’s impact on creative arts.

Head to the Consumer Watchdog for more information.

Posted in News, SFWA Blog | Comments Off

Top Ten Gifts for Fantasy or Science Fiction Writers

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

by William T. Vandemark

As we swing into gift-giving season, here’s a list of Top Ten Gifts for Fantasy or Science Fiction Writers.

10. A moleskine. Sometimes, inspiration can be found in the tools of a master. Purportedly, Oscar Wilde, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and Bruce Chatwin used moleskines in one form or another.

9. Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver. If you’ve a troublesome TARDIS or a lock that needs picked, give this a try. It’s unlikely to work, but at least you’ll have a pen to jot down any ideas for that episodic SF TV show you’ve always wanted to write.

8. Canned Unicorn Meat. Looking for hors d’oeuvres for the office party? Need to bring some seasonal cheer to the in-laws? How can you go wrong with wholesome unicorn? Now with more sparkles!

7. The Slanket. Do you long to be a Jedi Master? Perhaps an unassuming Jawa is more your style. If so, the Slanket may be for you. Buyer beware: there are imitations out there. Always check your Slanket’s midi-chlorian count before purchase.

6. Typewriter Key Jewelry. From rings, bracelets, pendants, and earrings—you name it—an abundance of Etsy Stores provides a wide sampling of styles and keys.

5. A Palantir. Who needs an iPhone when you have a palantir? This “seeing stone” is the original Wi-Fi multimedia device. It comes with built-in video conferencing and includes GPS and real time Facebook. See what your friends are up to, before they’re up to it. Currently out of stock at most retailers.

4. A Six Pack of Mana. Need a chaser after chowing down on unicorn? Have a bottle of Mana. Warning: This stuff is hyper-caffeinated; keep it out of the reach of children and the undead. Great for late night gaming or writing on deadline.

3. Typolade Chocolate. What does chocolate have to do with a fantasy or science fiction writer? Who cares? This is chocolate we’re talking about! Still, a personal touch is nice, so head to Typolade and order chunks of letterpress-grade chocolate with which to send messages of love.

2. The Alien Abduction Lamp. This is a limited edition steel lamp, with glowing aliens in the cockpit, a 3-stage UFO Control antenna, and genuine artificial grass. Includes levitating bovine!

And the number one gift idea for a fantasy or science fiction writer is…

1. A good book. Seriously, is there anything better?

Have a favorite writerly gift that’s not listed above?  Please add it to the comments section.

Happy Holidays from SFWA!

Tags: William T. Vandemark
Posted in SFWA Blog | 5 Comments »

Quick Updates for 2010-11-30

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Member News

• SFWA member Lilith Saintcrow presents the book trailer for her novel THE DEFIANCE.
• SFWA member Marjorie M. Liu‘s virtual launch party for IN THE DARK OF DREAMS and a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card here.
• Happy book release to SFWA member Jon Armstrong whose novel YARN is out.
• SFWA member N. K. Jemisin is going to be one of the 100 authors at the Imaginales festival in Epinal France in May 2011.

Tags: Jon Armstrong, Lilith Saintcrow, Marjorie M. Liu, n. k. jemisin, twitter
Posted in News, SFWA Blog | Comments Off

Fake Writing Jobs: RealWritingJobs.com

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware

One of many reasons I enjoy Twitter is that it's relatively free of the spam that clogs other modes of online discourse. Oh, there's the occasional author Twitspam (writers: Twitspamming is not, I repeat, NOT, the way to promote your new book), and the random pr0n Twitspam, but by and large--at least for me--Twitter is a fairly spam-free environment.

Which is why the Twitspams I've been receiving for the past couple of weeks really stand out like a sore whatever (here's an example). They're all the same: an obviously fake sender name, the words "Writers Needed," a link, and a list of recipients. I've been reporting and blocking them, but when I checked my Twitterfeed today and found six of them, all sent within a few minutes of one another, I got curious, and clicked the link.

I found myself at RealWritingJobs.com--which, I was unsurprised to discover, promises that writers can earn lots of cash by writing articles, stories, blog posts, etc.. "Thousands of people online are discovering how doing simple writing jobs from home can be so profitable! See how they're doing it by signing up now!" No experience necessary! Work at home! Make fat money (never mind that pesky earnings disclaimer)! All this for a mere monthly membership fee of $47 (although if you don't read the Terms and Conditions, you won't know that). Don't want to opt in without seeing what's on offer? Good news--you can try before you buy. In fact, you have to try before you buy. Would-be members must agree to a 10-day "risk-free trial," for the oh-so-negligible cost of $2.95 (credit cards only). Naturally, this is a "limited time offering." If you aren't happy, just cancel within the trial period and you owe nothing further.

If this sounds tempting, it shouldn't. For one thing, there are many freelance writing job-listing websites that charge absolutely nothing--zip, nada, zilch (here's just one example). With such resources easily available, why pay? For another, reputable jobs sites don't spam random writers on Twitter (or anywhere else). For yet another, you have no way of knowing whether the promise of lucrative writing gigs is anything more than a marketing ploy. What if most or all of the writing jobs turn out to be the financial and professional equivalent of pay-per-click content mills?

(more...)

Tags: Writer Beware
Posted in SFWA Blog, Writer Beware | 1 Comment »

Quick Updates for 2010-11-28

Sunday, November 28th, 2010

Member News

• SFWA member Ferrett Steinmetz has a new story “As Below, So Above” at Beneath Ceaseless Skies.
• Happy release day to WILD CARDS I with new stories from SFWA members David Levine, Carrie Vaughn, and Michael Cassutt!
• Merry Blacksmith Press has opened SFWA member Lou Antonelli‘s collection “Texas & Other Planets” for orders.
• SFWA member Eugie Foster‘s short story collection, Returning My Sister’s Face, is now available as an e-book.
• SFWA member Hilari Bell offers a download of an MP3 of her reading Goblin Wood. Whole novel, free!
• Welcome to SFWA’s newest Active member Anna Elliott author of DARK MOON OF AVALON (S&S, 2010).
• Welcome to SFWA’s newest Active member Eilis O’Neal, author of The False Princess.
• SFWA member Jamie Todd Rubin reports on attending his first SFWA NYC reception.
• SFWA member Cherie Priest speaks at Tacoma Library Main Library Tues 7pm on 11/30. Zombies allowed.

Resources

• Guest Post – Just Breathe: Rejuvenating Your Imagination here.

Tags: Anna Elliott, Carrie Vaughn, Cherie Priest, David Levine, Eilis O'Neal, Eugie Foster, Ferrett Steinmetz, Hilari Bell, jamie todd rubin, Lou Antonelli, Michael Cassutt, twitter
Posted in News, SFWA Blog | Comments Off

Guest Post–Privacy, freedom, and making a living as a writer

Friday, November 26th, 2010

by Christopher McKitterick

Having my novel pirated and torrented all over the web has gotten me thinking a lot about copyright and distribution of creative work, what to do about pirating, and the freedoms that get touched when combating pirates.

One cannot write about this topic without mentioning long-time Electronic Frontier Foundation fellow Cory Doctorow, who observes that “Despite 15 long years of the copyright wars, despite draconian laws and savage penalties, despite secret treaties and widespread censorship, despite millions spent on ill-advised copy-prevention tools, more copying takes place today than ever before.” (The Guardian)
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Tags: Christopher McKitterick
Posted in Networking and Self-Promotion, SFWA Blog, The Business of Writing | 3 Comments »

Quick Updates for 2010-11-25

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

• @Leannarenee So glad you could come! #
• @Jess_Wade Likewise, delighted to see you. #
• @lindsayribar I felt your pain this morning. #
• @papertyger My apologies. #
• SFWA member @ferretthimself has a new story "As Below, So Above," is up at http://bit.ly/cxGoc3. #
• Happy release day to WILD CARDS I with new stories from SFWA members David Levine, Carrie Vaughn, and Michael Cassutt! http://bit.ly/fgTNJi #
• SFWA member @jamietr reports on attending his first SFWA NYC reception. http://goo.gl/8Uyqp #
• SFWA member @eugiefoster's short story collection, Returning My Sister’s Face, is now available as an e-book. http://is.gd/hIf2l #
• SFWA member @hilaribell offers a download of an MP3 of her reading Goblin Wood. Whole novel, free! http://is.gd/hIGfc #

Tags: twitter
Posted in Excluded Categories | Comments Off

Quick Updates for 2010-11-24

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

• @DelReySpectra Oh no! We tried to get invites out to all the publishers. #
• @rosefox @CherylMorgan It's always been open door. Also invitations were supposed to have gone out. Will check on what happened. #
• Guest Post–Just Breathe: Rejuvenating Your Imagination http://3.ly/st97 #
• Welcome to SFWA's newest Active member Eilis O'Neal (@EilisONeal), author of The False Princess. http://www.eilisoneal.com/ #
• SFWA member @cmpriest speaks at @TacomaLibrary Main Library Tues 7pm on 11/30. Zombies allowed. http://ht.ly/ … #

Tags: twitter
Posted in Excluded Categories | Comments Off

Nebula Awards Interview: Cherie Priest by Marshall Payne

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

Cherie Priest was nominated for her novel Boneshaker.

How long did it take you to write Boneshaker? When did you first get the idea? Could you tell us about the writing process?

All in all, I guess it took about five months – at least for the first draft. The idea didn’t strike me like lightning one day or anything; it took awhile to evolve into something useable (maybe a couple of months?), and then eventually I was able to sit down and start telling its story.

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Tags: interviews, Nebula Awards
Posted in Nebula Awards, SFWA Blog | 2 Comments »

Guest Post–Just Breathe: Rejuvenating Your Imagination

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

by Jeff VanderMeer

Sometimes we forget to breathe when it comes to our creativity. By which I mean we are so busy creating and interacting with the world that we forget to pause, to be silent, to be alone. The imagination, the spark of all creativity, is a renewable resource, but it is not an inexhaustible resource. You can raze the forest, drink the stream dry, and not get it back…or not get it back right away.

As I get older, I have more and more of an appreciation for the need to be still, the need to be silent, and the need to be alone. I have less energy than I did when I was younger. My mind is less elastic, less flexible. On the other hand, because I have to be I am craftier now than I was in the twenties or thirties, and I have more experience, although not necessarily more wisdom.
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Tags: Booklife, Jeff VanderMeer
Posted in SFWA Blog, The Craft of Writing, Writing Technique | 1 Comment »

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