Science | Fiction | Technology
Stories meander mysteriously – randomly – yet make so much sense after all
Just finished reading Dune - I recommend it to everyone. My hair stood on end as the last line faded. I had to read the sentence over and over again. I felt as if the world bumped almost imperceptibly over an unseen inflection point, as if all of the particles in me shifted. My thoughts skittered … Continue reading Book: “Dune” by Frank Herbert
“I’m writing a science fiction novel,” I say. Most people, especially those who have known me in previous lives, ask the question that my statement begged. “Why?” The answer is not particularly sexy. “Because I dreamt the ending and I didn’t have any time to do research before I had to write an entire novel … Continue reading The Thing about Sci-Fi
In July 2014, I started an experiment with a blog called "Science | Fiction | Technology". On December 31, 2014, I wrote the final post on that blog. Today, I killed the blog. Well, I didn't exactly kill it. Clearly, you're still reading a post on http://www.sftboox.com. But SFT now stands for "Sort | Filter | Tipple" and I will … Continue reading SFT Has A New Name (Experiment’s Over, Results Are In)
The universe converged during this WriMo’s 2014 win moment. This year’s NaNo wasn’t about just surviving – 2014 was about thriving. Love and the spirit of this annual worldwide novel-ing November made it all possible. This one’s for the WriMos, no matter what color your bar is. The NaNoWriMoment If you want to remember something as faithfully … Continue reading A Write to the Finish: NaNoWriMo and the Better Life
In my last post, I could have told my story about the Legend of Write or Die with more certainty. With fewer “maybes” and “might have beens”. The truth is, I really can’t remember the entire conversation all that well. I only really remember bits and pieces. It happened years ago and I’ve only recalled the … Continue reading Why You Can’t Trust Your Memory and What to Do About It: Memory and Trauma (Part 1 of 3)
There is this legendary thing I have heard tell of a writer's passion - write or die. I've felt it burn through my veins only twice in my life: last November, when NaNoWriMo saved my life, and now. But the thing that got me to finish my manuscript wasn't exactly that. And when it comes to winning, … Continue reading How I Wrote My Manuscript (Or, How NaNoWriMo Saved My Life)
November first is fast approaching, and that means hoards of novelists across the world are clanging their swords upon shields in anticipation. To bring my brain back into battle, I'm recalling some basics. Here are some practical steps for getting started, a case study on my relationship with Pantsing and Planning and three principles that helped … Continue reading Getting Started: A NaNoWriMo Basics Refresher
When my fingers were tip-tapping out words by the hundreds or thousands each day last year, I didn’t think about what needed to happen to get from that first draft to final. Between production and proofreading, there is a Schumpeterian-type (bless you) world of destruction and creation. But what do I destroy? What do I … Continue reading On Revision: A Useful Tool for Deciding What to Keep, Rework and Cut
He’s making me boil my novel down to One Thing. Your novel needs to be about One Thing, he tells me! I fight it. It can’t be just about One Thing! There is a complex and nuanced web of interwoven themes about human nature that… that… Okay. Fine. I can rail at his written page … Continue reading Just Keep Going: Finally Getting to My Theme
