…thing similar? Or maybe just a question of intent? I’m not sure, but I’m uncomfortable with a lot of grimdark because it never even comes close to that level of intensity, while recognising that this kind of intensity in a book is something I couldn’t bear for very long (fortunately it’s a very slim book). -Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings. More a comment than a review, since I’m still working my way through this one. Lots of t…

…t looks like (yep, I know. I’m counting on adrenaline to keep me going on Sunday). Thu 1:00pm-2:00pm (P-516E) Get Your Writing Kickstart Here Introduction to writing. Work on a new story, do some brainstorming. (First Contact work session, too.) This is an introduction to writing for teens, French is the principal language. Aliette de Bodard, Dan Wells, Derek Kunsken, Nina Munteanu Ack. I am apparently moderating this, which is going to require a…

…as one of 20 most promising young novelists in this Guardian article. The company is kind of… impressive, to say the least. -Over at The Shake, Zucchini Bikini reviews On a Red Station, Drifting:: All in all, I highly recommend this book, both for itself and for what is represents – a different way of writing hard sci fi, a way that includes and magnifies stories and pasts that haven’t been represented well in this genre before. -Calvin N. Ho on…

…. 9. Maryse: a maryse is a very particular kind of spatula; I’ve looked around a bit but haven’t found an English equivalent (if any reader of this blog knows, please speak up!) It’s a (flexible) rectangle which enables you to scrape from a pan or salad bowl. It looks a bit like this (the left-hand one; the right-hand one is what we’d call a “demi-maryse”). It’s invaluable for any kind of pastry, as it enables you to get almost all your dough from…

…here’s also places where I decided it wasn’t worth it to add to the existing sentences (also, I write relatively clean drafts; I tend to have a really messy brainstorming process and to only commit words after I’m reasonably sure ). What about you? Do you note where you need to add bits in a draft? Do you use Word comments or some other process?…

…From the WIP: “Have you become a historian, all of a sudden?” Thuy couldn’t help the sarcasm that came bubbling up to her lips. “You never cared for that when you were younger.” “I had to care,” Chi said, simply. “To know what ruins it was that we grew up among.” (yes, the grammar is wonky. Will fix this in later drafts) 1500 words to go. I can do this. Current mood: kind of exhausted actually. But plodding on….

Tentative title: “The Frost on Jade Buds” Snippet: On the comms-image, Chi looked much as Thuy remembered her: tall and thin and dour, almost skeletal, as if what had had happened to her in her youth still stifled her metabolism–and, in truth, perhaps it did. Neither Thuy nor any of the family–or, indeed, any inhabitant of the Scattered Pearls Belt–really knew the full extent of what happened to her, or how to reverse it. “You look well, elder si…

…iting Stars” (with mindships, and attack drones; and cousins making snarky comments at each other), as well as stories by Ken Liu, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Nisi Shawl, Vandana Singh and many other fine writers. You can buy direct from Candlemark and Gleam here, either the physical copy or the ebook (and physical copies come with a DRM-free ebook), or on amazon. If not in the US, check the Book depository here. And, if you still need extra motivation…

…of dead ancestors, I wasn’t excited, science-fictionally. Still, one can’t deny its engagement with important contemporary issues. Uh. Interesting. I didn’t see the main point of the story being the revelation of the reason for the exile (which is pretty self-evident about halfway through, I think? For me, it’s quintessentially a story about ancestors and memory and what memories mean and how they’re passed on), but I suppose everyone takes someth…

…ow they came by it. She does what she’s told to, an obedient daughter beholden to her elders, never raising a fuss or complaining– the shining example of filial piety extolled in the tales her girlfriend Thuy so painstakingly reconstitutes in her spare hours. Set in the postcolonial corner of Xuya (except no mindships this time around!). With my favourite secondary characters ever, the cabal of aunts who know what is good for you (even if you don’…