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Recovery and Editing

It’s time to dust off this site and try to focus. I’ve spent the last few months since finishing my Master of Fine Arts degree just catching up on everything I had to set aside to focus. And there’s still a lot to do, but I have to write. I need to write.

First, I can honestly say that my novel is good. Not perfect, but it’s passed the sniff test of the poor souls that volunteered to be my beta readers. That alone is wonderful to hear. The instructor from my thesis class also indicated it was pretty good, though she left me a pile of notes. Revision and editing: the struggle is real! Now comes the hard part as I work through my revision and editing process: making a decision.

The question is quite simple. I would even venture to say that it is straightforward. Do I put together a bunch of query letters to publishers and agents, or do I publish a non-traditional route? For such a direct question, the options are far more complex than it seems.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both options. The traditional route gives the advantage of using the publisher’s editors, graphic artists, distribution routes, and even their reputation for selling the novel. Additionally, the traditional route may find my novel in a local bookstore. Unfortunately, this aid comes at the cost of lower income from the sale of each copy. Conversely, going the self-publishing route means I have to hire my own copy editor and graphic artist, handle page layouts on my own, and establish and maintain my own distribution routes. Additionally, there is a much lower probability that my novel will grace the shelves of a local bookstore.

This is a stressful and frustrating decision to make. And one that is quite opinionated. I know folks who strongly believe that publishers provide a significant service and that the losses in per-novel royalties are far less than the expenses of directly hiring folks to get the novel ready to be published. Conversely, I know self-published authors who are just as adamant that the expenses of directly hiring editors and artists are a drop in the bucket compared to the higher potential returns of their direct sales. And what bothers me the most is that both sides of the debate have presented me with convincing evidence to back their claims.

So, as of right now, I’m not sure which action to take. What I do know is I need to do some revision and editing and move forward with my novel. If I am lucky, I will make a decision and move forward.

It’s been a long road…

…But the end is finally in sight.

For those who don’t know me personally, I followed what would be largely considered a “non-traditional college path.” This includes two formal degree changes, probably a dozen informal ones, and all starting college courses eight years after I graduated high school. Since then, I obtained my Associate of Liberal Arts degree in 2013 and my Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and English in 2018. And as of today, I found I passed my last class for my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

Now, I get to wait until December while my university completes its degree audit. Once that is done, I expect to formally receive my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

What does that mean for my site and social media accounts? Well, for starters, I now have time that isn’t taken up by school, and I expect to be much more active. And part of that will be getting more in-depth about my methods and madness in writing. So, please stand by for more content.

Additionally, it’s officially time for me to start looking for a publisher! My novel is completed, and I’m waiting for feedback from my instructor (it’s more in-depth than the fact that it met the requirements to pass the class) and a wonderful editor who offered to give it the once-over for high-level issues. Once I get this feedback, I plan another round of revision and editing, and I’ll start sending off query letters. This also means that I’m starting on book 2: Whispered Battle.

LibertyCon FenCon and Literary Citizenship

I thoroughly enjoyed LibertyCon 34 and FenCon XVIII, where I spoke with a lot of authors. What’s more, I got a chance to discover the actual meaning of literary citizenship.

It wasn’t until mid-2019 that I learned about conventions for speculative fiction literature. In this particular case, a close friend of mine strongly suggested that I should register for LibertyCon. I bought my first pass on July 13, 2019.

Little did I know then that the world would change, and it would take me three years to attend my first literary convention.

In June 2022, I attended LibertyCon, where I met a lot of very successful authors. I attended numerous panels and learned quite a bit. But that was not the amazing part. Valuable, absolutely, but not amazing.

No, the amazing part was getting to talk to people. First, my friend, Jay Maynard, the Tron Guy, took me around the con and introduced me to many different people. And not just influential fans but fellow authors. I spoke about theoretical faster-than-light travel with Stephanie Osborn and genetic engineering with Dr. Robert E. Hampson. I was asked to read and give thoughts about The Spacetime War by Les Johnson after winning a copy from Toni Weisskopf in the Baen Traveling Road Show. (My sincerest apologies to Mr. Johnson for not having finished his novel yet!) I even got to listen to David Weber speak. (Admittedly, I could have jumped into the conversation, but I was maybe a little star-struck. Sorry, David!)

I even met an editor that I hope will give me helpful feedback on Whispered Skirmish now that the novel is complete. (Oh, yeah, sorry about the radio silence in my blog here, my master’s program has taken its toll on me.)

LibertyCon was a marvelous experience. One I fully intend to do again next year.

But that’s not where the real surprise lay. Let’s fast forward to September 16, 2022. Insert time warp graphic here.

At FenCon XVIII, there were a lot of people I didn’t know. This time, I didn’t have the luxury of a guide walking me around the place and introducing me to folks. What amazed me is that folks who were in Tennessee back in June remembered who I was from LibertyCon. I went to Dr. Hampson after the opening ceremonies, and he instantly recognized me. Of course, he is a neuroscientist specializing in memory, but it surprised me that he remembered me. Stephanie also recognized me. That, to me, was absolutely amazing. And both of them seemed happy to hear my novel was scribbled out and in the revision and editing phase. That meant a lot to me.

That circles us back to the other half of this topic. Literary citizenship. This is such a vague, uncertain topic on the surface. For one thing, I have never found a definition of what it is. But, now that I have experienced it, I know it.

I define literary citizenship as “interacting with fellow authors and readers in a positive and supportive way.” Dr. Hampson practices literary citizenship because he is so approachable. If you come up to him, holding him on a pedestal, he will jump off so he can talk to you directly. And he is very good at it.

As the guest of honor, Dr. Hampson ensured he was reachable. Instead of hiding, he would often sit in the lobby area and talk to people. Sometimes he’d talk fiction, sometimes theory, and sometimes serious medicine. He is a fantastic gentleman.

In fact, there’s an amusing little tale here from LibertyCon. I’d attended his Saturday reading from his latest novel and wanted to ask about my created “anthromorphs.” I caught him as he was rushing to another panel or class and was quick about my explanation. Well, he said it wasn’t possible and rushed off. I was a little disappointed that my theories were inaccurate, but not with how he handled the situation.

After closing ceremonies on Sunday, Dr. Hampson called me over, and he actively apologized for dismissing me out of hand. I didn’t feel (and still don’t) that I was dismissed, but it was appreciated. He then started probing deeper into my species and theory and agreed it was possible. He went so far as to explain how it could be done and many of the unknowns we would have to solve to make it happen.

Doctor Hampson’s handling of his perceived slight against me shows just how much literary citizenship means to him, regardless of how he may label the concept. (I am not sure if he would call it “literary citizenship” or something else.) I can only hope that I maintain the humility and integrity that he exhibited toward me.

Stephanie Osborn is also approachable. When she’s not talking in a panel, she is often found at her table in the dealer’s area. At LibertyCon, I think I spent 20 or 30 minutes talking to her about theories of faster-than-light travel, and pretty well nailed down what theory I am going to use.

To me, this is literary citizenship. And this is what I will strive to do as I establish myself as an author in the speculative fiction community.

The Loss of a Legend

Nichelle Nichols at the National Film Society convention, May 1979. Photo by Alan Light.
Nichelle Nichols at the National Film Society convention, May 1979. Photo by Alan Light

The world has lost a legend, an inspiration. She was a trailblazer, bucking against segregation, and even showing that women can be successful in science fiction. She was an inspiration to me.

Nichelle Nichols, you were my inspiration. You showed me that women can be successful in science fiction. While I cannot say what comes next, please rest knowing that your mortal star will continue to shine bright in this realm and inspire generations to come. May you take your place amongst the stars above.

Is it science or magic?

crop woman fortune telling by divination cards and crystals
Photo by Mikhail Nilov on Pexels.com

Arthur C. Clark is quoted as saying, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This axiom is something speculative fiction writers love to work with. Today, we have technology and devices that would appear magical to someone even fifty years ago. (Want proof? Consider handing a smartphone from today to an average adult in 1970 (complete with the internet and whatnot we enjoy today). What would they say about it? Then consider someone from 1690, 1750, 1870, and even 1920. This would easily look like magic to them. All of them (though the person from 1920 might be willing to buy it as technology). After the 1920s, common people would likely start saying that it’s science even if they can’t explain exactly how it works. I would venture to say that most people can’t explain how the modern cell phone works today, even though they know it’s not magic.

man on a laptop screen during a meeting
Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

This is where sci-fi comes in. When you’re writing, you don’t really need to explain everything. This is a trap I’m way too familiar with, to be quite honest. I sometimes get stuck trying to scientifically explain things that, frankly, should just work. (Or, as people in certain industries like to say, “It works by P. F. M.”) That said, you should create “rules” that your magic technology works by. For example, if you’re using faster-than-light travel, establish rules like how long it takes to go a certain distance and how long it may take between coming out of and going back into faster-than-light. The same goes for weapons and other kinds of technology, weapons, etc.

How the present may shape the future

As a Sci-fi writer, I sometimes watch current events in awe. Now, to be completely fair, I frequently utilize current events as plot devices for fiction. I mean, there’s something to be said about the old phrase that reality is stranger than fiction. There’s another element to consider. I’m writing fiction that speculates about the future, and I often wonder how we got there in the universes I create. Take the Whisper universe. In that universe, interstellar space travel is as common as air travel today. For example, it can take days to weeks to go from Earth to a different planet in a distant star system. But how did the Earth go from space as primarily controlled by governments to active development by private interests? Well, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and more companies are a start. If you were to have asked child-me if I thought I’d see private enterprise going to space in my lifetime, I’d probably have laughed. Even young-adult-me wouldn’t have considered the concept seriously. But here we are, with the majority of space launches being conducted by private companies instead of governments.

In my shared encyclopedia that I use for my science fiction writing, I refer to today as the second space race. Instead of a race between rival governments like in the 1950s and 1960s, this is a race of technologies being developed by private companies. SpaceX seems to be first at the table for many of the technologies, and Mr. Musk’s company appears to be growing technology by leaps and bounds, so much so that I don’t hear much from Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin or any of the other space companies. If I look at my crystal ball, I expect that to change sometime, but I wouldn’t quote myself on that.

I should add that my “shared encyclopedia” is more a collection of documents that relate to the Whisper Universe. It’s shared because the content is shared between the stories, but not with other authors. I will go into detail about my universal encyclopedia in a future article.

Now, let’s take this further: What’s next? We’re in the Second Space Race, with stated goals to return to the moon and even go to Mars in the future (Dunbar), making other bodies in our solar system the logical next step. As I see it, the Third Space Race will be when we manage to leave this solar system. In my universe, this is where the morphs were created and it forms the core of extrasolar colonization.

A Mask and Rights

Gather around, while I tell you a story. This is going on today, in your hometown. On your street. Possibly even in your home. What businesses are open for people to shop are asking people to wear masks. They are asking people to maintain a safe distance. In many cases, even the government is stepping in to force this behavior. And some people feel that this is overstepping their rights, especially here in America. The good ol’ U. S. of A., where we cherish these ephemeral constructs so much we are willing to extinguish the bright light of life to protect them.

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Write where you’re comfortable

I learned recently that the only way you can really write is if you are in a place that you can write. Some people are comfortable writing on trains, in coffee shops, or other public places. Some people need a nice quiet office at their house where they can perform some kind of specific ritual to get into their headspace. (I’m looking at you, McGee of the TV series NCIS.) And most people fit somewhere in the middle. You should find your own comfortable space for writing. This space includes your environment. If you find yourself extremely stressed out, there’s a chance that you are not going to bring your best words to the page. Or, any words, for that matter.

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Where Reality Meets Fantasy

When it comes to research, experience is the key. But, how do you experience life on a starship? The simple answer is “you can’t.” So, this is where imagination and experience combine to create something wonderful. Let’s look at a starship about like a destroyer. In general, a destroyer is a hunter. She may have one or two cutters (rather like a “RIB” in today’s navy) but nothing like the kinds of craft available to a carrier. I think modeling her after an old Diesel submarine with a few modifications like some mass-driver turrets (kind of like an eight-inch gun), laser mounts, and missile tubes to replace the torpedo tubes. And, just for giggles, let’s say that it’s four reactor power plants (I use fusion plants, where the reactor creates a stabile micro-star in my stories) where there’s three required for power and one for failsafe. And it’s cramped. So cramped that you pretty much have breathing room only, with one shift racked, one shift either coming off or getting ready to go on, and one change at stations at all times, with almost zero privacy anywhere in the ship. Continue reading “Where Reality Meets Fantasy”