Outlandish Voices Halloween Special

I wish it to be known and noted that Outlandish Voices was where writer Nathan Hill was first published. His terrific — and very funny — story "The Malcontent" is now available from the Outlandish Voices podcast page. And remember: the first you heard of him was from Outlandish Voices. It won't be the last, if this, his first published story, is anything to go by.

Halloween is the best holiday EVER.

The combination of two of my favorite things: Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and pumpkin carving. The folks at Wait Wait are running a contest for pumpkins depicting something in the news. Fab photos here.

Here are some other pumpkins. And there is no shortage; just google "pumpkin carving" and off you go.

Halloween rocks.

A few things that have inspired me lately

First, this project: a photographer named Julia Baum looks at a series of houses that had, when built in the 1950s as part of a sterile, utterly consistent housing development, been identical. See what 50 years or so of the human drive toward individuality and expression have done!

Second, the story of Erinn and Keeth Smart, two Olympic fencers (and sister and brother) who overcame quite a bit of adversity and obstacles both internal and external to eventually triumph (not that this is a spoiler or anything; Olympic records are readily available!). The documentary is split into two videos in the blog post; watch the top one first and (obviously) the bottom one second. Even if you're not into fencing (although why wouldn't you be?), it's riveting viewing.

Third, my kid is now 14, and I am now 48, and I find that pretty inspiring as well, if I do say it myself. And a lifetime of adventure shows no signs of letting up yet. Say no to mediocrity, say yes to individuality and expression and overcoming adversity and obstacles (both internal and external)!


Note: Ganesh represents the overcoming of obstacles.

Interesting link, and a Writin' Rations™ snippet

If you go to www.superheronation.com and look in the left-hand column, you will see links to all sorts of interesting articles on writing a superhero story. A fair bit of the advice is applicable to writing any kind of hero, super or not. As I absolutely love making my heroes genuinely heroic (although that means vastly different things from one story to another, I'm finding), I'm quite happy to be browsing this site, absorbing what is useful.

Now, for the Writin' Rations™ snippet. My readers unfortunate enough to live in climes that are getting colder at the moment must, I implore, forgive me. For I am about to mention fresh mangoes. Moreover, fresh mangoes in such abundance that when a mango-besotted writer, rashly, buys an entire box of quite-ripe ones, she must figure out QUICKLY how use them up as rapidly as possible.

Yes, of course, there's just tucking into one at every meal, but where's the artistry in that? No! Here's something with a little decadance, a little panache. Slice the gooey, fragrant, orange flesh of two mangoes into small, thin slices. Dry them to semi-dried state in your dehydrator (you do have one, don't you?) or oven. (Note: I recommend using baking paper between the slices and the tray, as mango is very adhesive in its semi-dried state.) The pieces should still have a fair bit of moisture in them, but not enough to drip when you squeeze a piece. Okay, now, slice up a generous double-handful of fresh strawberries — small slices. Mix up your favorite pound-cake batter and stir the mango and strawberry bits into it. (You may need a slightly larger cake pan than usual, as the fruit will take up a bit of room.) Bake. Eat. Eat. Eat. Earn big points in heaven for compelling yourself to share the cake with a friend or family member.

Note: for those interested in making their bread machine do tricks, you might try throwing the fruit in with a whole-wheat loaf or an egg-dough loaf to make a nice morning-toast bread. It would probably be a good idea to semi-dehydrate the strawberries, too, so that they hold together in the kneading process. But I have not tried this myself, so all disclaimers apply and your mileage may vary.

At last! Another Outlandish Voices story!

After a way-too-long hiatus, I've posted a new story for you on the Outlandish Voices podcast page. It's a sad, gentle tale of loss, change, and human connection in the time of global warming. It's by the very deft and subtle (not to mention prolific) Simon Brown. Simon has been selling speculative-fiction stories for over 25 years. His short stories have appeared in markets in Australia, the US, Poland, the UK, and Japan; the best of these have been collected into Cannibals of the Fine Light and Troy, both produced by Ticonderoga Publications. His eight novels have been published in Australia, the US, and Russia. He currently lives with his wife and two children in Phuket, Thailand, but considers the south coast of NSW to be his true home.

Go! Download or stream! Listen! Enjoy!

(Oh, and — as always —, don't be shy, Illawarra writers: email your science-fiction and fantasy stories to outlandishvoices at gmail dot com for consideration.)

The somewhat inexplicable is hereby explained!

Okay, I don't begrudge Obama his Nobel bling. God knows it makes a nice change for the other 300 million of us. I do think it is a bit premature, and am puzzled. However, my friend Catherine alerted me to this explanation, and I have to admit the evidence is compelling. (I checked: it's fine to post it as long as I include this link back to the original.)

Third time — proving it's a trend, not a fluke.

Time to gear up for this year's NaNoWriMo. If I can pull off a win this year, it will be my third in a row, which will convince me it's a trend and not a fluke. As far as I know now, I'll be attempting a second novel using the world, and many of the characters, of my first NaNo opus (the one that takes place in a slightly offbeat and unexpected university town). I'm thinking of having a go at a murder mystery (NaNo is for trying new things, after all).

No outline this year, either. It doesn't work for me in the NaNo setting. (Truth to tell, outlining seldom works for me until I've already written about half the piece.) So I'll be working without a net. Let's see if I fly!

Michelle O'Neil finds cool stuff on the Internet.

Here's a poem (not sure whether it's a slam or a non-competitive performance) that my friend Michelle O'Neil found and posted on her blog. I really like it. Yes, I've heard the ideas in it expressed a thousand ways by a thousand people. But that's no reason not to enjoy them expressed well in this poem.

Back from Conflux

Had a great time at Conflux — many thanks to all who organized it, and particular thanks to Gillian, without whom (and whose floor and blankets) Margaret and I would not have been able to go.

To any beginning writers reading this, I cannot recommend highly enough that you find a writer-focused convention near you and go to it. Yes, the panels are often very useful, and it is very, very occasionally possible that you might meet an editor or agent who might be interested in looking at a synopsis of your latest opus (although it's considered bad form to hound them to that effect). The real reason, though, is so you can observe how Real Writers™ behave toward each other, toward editors, toward fans, and toward newer colleagues such as yourself. The best writers are almost always the kindest, most approachable people at the con (they have less to prove, particularly to themselves, you see). And there is nothing stopping you from acting like them even before you are the best writer in the room.

One of the most important lessons I learned from my journey to black belt was this: the only way to become a black belt is to behave as if you already are. By that I mean, would a black belt be satisfied with half-hearted technique just because they were bored and tired? No! Would they give an exasperated grunt when they saw a white belt coming to them with questions? No! But can it be that they become determined and self-disciplined leaders only at the instant Sensei ties the belt around them? No! The belt is a recognition that they already have those traits, not a license to go out and acquire them.

Similarly, I've seen that fame as a writer comes far more readily to those who show kindness, respect, cheerful cooperation, and a genuine concern for those who follow them in the writing queue. They do not badmouth someone else's novel just because that person got a three-book deal before they did. They recognize that if someone's writing brings joy to readers, that writing is important and valid. They are happy to answer questions, even questions they may have answered a thousand times. And they are genuinely grateful to the people who have taken the trouble to read their writing.

Even if I never get to be famous, I still want to be that kind of writer.

At Conflux

Margaret and I are in the thick of Conflux. I'm listening to panel discussions and presentations, hanging out with friends, meeting new people, and basically having a great time. Last night they showed some Mystery Science Theatre 3000; it was Margaret's first MST3K and many laughs were had by both of us. Tonight is the big banquet, at which I have been promised wonderful cooking from the American South (I think I can smell it cooking even now). Tomorrow I'm on a panel, which is pretty cool — both the fact that I'm on one after so many years of enjoying so many panels at cons, and the topic of the panel: emergency management in the face of disasters like the imminent zombie apocalypse (deny it if you will, but nothing will be gained by hiding your head in the hand when they're gnawing at your backside).

Best of all, for the first time in over a year, I'm getting excited about writing again.