the state of exhaustion
I have come down with the ick. So have at least a third of us, if the sniffles, sneezes, coughs, and hacking that I hear in class and around the house are any indication. It’s a bit earlier than I expected, but I think we’re blaming it on an Australian super virus. (But not really.)…
okay, that wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be
Story one was well-received, and I got some excellent critiques and suggestions for it from my classmates and Nancy Kress. Folks hit the things I knew needing fixing, and pointed out a lot of ways to work on them, and they pointed out all sorts of other things that need fixing, too, that I hadn’t…
pass the gin–no, the entire bottle
For those of you keeping track at home, I had three stories to critique last night once I had turned in mine. I did, in fact, critique them. Very early this morning. Last night, I was sidetracked by my classmates and a bottle of gin. I’m really enjoying that part of this experience. The part…
first story in
I finished my story by my target time (9:00 pm Monday). It’s not due until 9:00 am Tuesday. It will be critiqued sometime after 9:00 am Wednesday. I turned it in about half an hour ago. Approximately 6,500 words. Six-and-a-half-thousand very mannered words, full of commas and arch speech, telling a love story. It has…
first week
A quick post to give proof of life. I’m alive. The first week of Clarion West has been awesome in that I’ve learned and relearned so much of the fundamentals. Am I applying it yet in the story that I’m writing for next week? Well… it’s a first draft, right? My classmates are all amazing…
packing, and packing, and more packing
Turns out, I have a LOT of stuff. This whole furnishing an apartment thing? Breeds stuff like Mid-Century reupholstered blondwood rabbits. Also, my back is flaring up. Which means I took some diazepam and ibuprofen a little bit ago and am feeling quite delightfully loopy. That should last for about an hour or so. Then…
getting my (semi-)professional queer on
Back when I was a shiny newly-out queer in college, I was all sorts of activist. I volunteered at the (then) LGBCC, spoke on dorm panels, agitated and protested and organized in response to anti-LGBT incidents on campus, helped edit, write for, and personally collected over 400 (out of the needed 1,000) student signatures in…
Where do you get your ideas?
That question has always seemed silly to me. For me, that’s because the answer is another question: “from where don’t you get your ideas?” I mean, I don’t know about other people, but lack of ideas has never been an issue. At this point, I’ve probably had enough story ideas for more stories than it’s…
cue the insanity…
Six weeks of writing, reading, critiquing, discussing, writing, drinking, partying, more critiquing, not sleeping, even more writing, and who knows what else. By which I mean: I’ll be going to Clarion West this summer. Thank you, everyone. Your support, whether it was words of encouragement, actual critiques and feedback on my submission story (and/or my…
patience, the end of
In all sober truth, I am actually not an impatient man. Stop laughing. It’s true. All I ask is that you not waste my time. I understand that life happens and circumstances decree needs must, but dude. If I, out of the generosity of my heart, have given you a couple of chances already, you…
new scent
I smell of woodsmoke, vanilla, and sex. Well, of the first two, anyway. The last is probably just my brain’s way of translating “deeply carnal yumminess” into one word. I took a trip to the Diptyque boutique this past weekend and picked up a bottle of Eau Duelle. I am enjoying it tremendously. I don’t…
submission away
I’ve just submitted my application for Clarion West. I feel good about it. I’m happy with the story, with my background statement, and right now, just happy in general. Wish me luck, darlings.