Archive for the ‘The SFWA Blog’ Category

Happy Birthday Ursula K. Le Guin

According to the biographical note on Ursula K. Le Guin’s website, she has published twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, three collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. What the site doesn’t say is […]

Invitation: SFWA’s Annual New York Reception

Date: November 23, 2009 Time: 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM Location: Planet Hollywood, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036 The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America will host its annual reception for the publishing industry in a new location this year. Planet Hollywood, located at 45th and Broadway in Times Square, should provide a […]

Reminder: SFWA business meeting at WFC

A gentle reminder that the SFWA business meeting will be at World Fantasy Convention this year on October 31st from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.  We’ll be covering, among other things, the draft of the new bylaws which will be sent to the membership by the end of the month. We’re also doing something new […]

Thoughts on Self-Promotion

As I close in on the end of my current writing project, the issue of self-promotion is much on my mind. I don’t mind admitting that it’s a prospect I contemplate with dread. I’m one of those I-just-want-to-sit-in-my-room-with-my-laptop writers who really is not constitutionally suited for a world in which the definition of “author” also includes “huckster” (or, if you want to be a bit more diplomatic about it, “entrepreneur”).

How semantics can help you! Part 1

Choosing the right word is critical to getting our meaning across as writers. Here are a few initial things to think about:

1. Does this word have the meaning I’m looking for?
2. Does it supply that meaning unambiguously?
3. Does it have the proper positive, negative, mysterious, or other desired connotations?
4. Does it reflect on the attitude or identity of the point of view character?