or Writer’s don’t write in a vacuum
So much Blog meta stuff to talk about. First off, sorry for a half month hiatus. I have been preparing for LDS Story Makers conference getting query letters, and the first ten pages of my manuscript to my publication primer group. Also, I had the great opportunity to be invited to sit on the board of Utah Speculative Fiction Writers, a chapter of United Authors Association.
By the way, if you haven’t already, join my newsletter, here! I will be putting the same query letter and manuscript sample in the next issue.
Also, Blog 2.0! You probably noticed that this the blog has moved to a new website! I’ve had this domain for awhile, but I was hoping to hire a web designer to spruce it all up. Well, I got tired of waiting, so I decided to do it on my own. #Winning.
And lastly, my Novella is still on track to be released at the end of next month ::fingers crossed:: Going to need a lot of beta readers soon, lol. On to the post – Mike
I try not to get too political when it comes to fiction. I mean, I hold political beliefs, which hopefully are pretty much irrelevant to my writing, but as a writer, I feel the only place for politics in fiction is to create stakes for the characters involved in the story.
But, I am bringing up two issues today that have to do with the speculative writing fiction community as a whole.
Team Jordan vs. Red Eagle Entertainment
I’ve talked about Red Eagle Entertainment and the Winter Dragon fiasco before here. Since then, they have done a few more scumbag things, such as suing Harriet for slander, which is ridiculous, and claiming that they have been trying to uphold the legacy of the Wheel of time. Right.
“It was made without my knowledge or cooperation. I never saw the script. No one associated with Bandersnatch Group, the successor-in-interest to James O. Rigney, was aware of this… I am dumbfounded by this occurrence, and am taking steps to prevent its reoccurrence.” – Harriet McDougal
So know things have come fill circle (see what I did there?). A petition on Change.org has been started, asking Red Eagle to relinquish their rights to the Wheel of Time movie and TV rights. You can sign the petition here.
The Wheel of Time occupies a huge place in my heart, being the first epic fantasy I consumed, and these characters were to me, what Harry Potter is to another generation.
As such, it’s about time it got as much recognition as the Wheel of Time and a Song of Ice and Fire. Robert Jordan’s legacy deserves as much. Again, the petition can be found here.
World Con 2015: Sasquan
Next big thing coming up is the World Science Fiction Festival, also known as WorldCon, it is considered the biggest speculative fiction convention for writing craft and profession (so very little cosplaying and celebrity panels here). Expect lots of editors, publishers, and authors. Basically, people in the business. This year, Spokane is hosting the event, and calling it Sasquan.
“So this is my call to action for all of you — Become more inclusive. Invite your friends and family to participate. Buy a supporting membership for someone who can’t afford it. Welcome people who like different work than you do. Ask them to recommend a book. Read it. Recommend something to them. Talk about why you like it.” – Mary Robinette Kowal
Also attached to this convention is the WorldCon 2015 awards, also known as the Hugo’s. The nominees have already been announced here. Now, other than a quote from the amazing Mary Robinette Kowal, I am not going to talk about any of the Hugo controversy. Nope.
Instead I want to talk about why I support the Hugos. First, let’s start with economy. A voting member ship is just $40. This means you will get to cast a vote the winner of the Hugos 2015, as well as nominate for 2016. And you got a digital copy of all nominees. Yes, ALL nominees. Take a gander at the nominees one more time. Go ahead, that link opens on a new tab. All of that, DRM free, digital, for $40. That destroy’s Humble Bundles. I figure that is upwards of $200 of digital work. Heck, in World Con 2014, you got the entire Wheel of Time (hey, we just talked about this bad boy) for the voting membership, which is $101 alone on Amazon. (affiliate link)
Second, it is a free upgrade to a attending membership. If you are on the fence about going to World Con (like I am), just buy the voting membership now, and upgrade anytime before Aug 19th to a full attending membership. If you love the best that speculative fiction has to offer, there is literally no reason why you shouldn’t be grabbing the voting membership.
Lastly, it legitimizes the awards. As Mary expressed in her post, World Con is not fully representative of the speculative fiction fandom as a whole. It over represents some fandoms, under represents others. If we want the Hugos to be a legitimate representation of the fandom, more people need to vote. More people need to vote for nominees to reach the ballot, and then vote in the ballot. Also, join me in my Hugo Marathon!
Quantified Opinions
Take a look at that eclectic group up there. Those are the Hugo Winners for 2012. There are hard hitters (Gaiman, GRRM) mixed in with some people I can’t even recognize (I’d have to look at the 2012 winners archive and then back check with their images)
The fact of the matter is, “writer’s don’t write in a vacuum”. Art is not created in a vacuum. The way our art is perceived by others will extend beyond our vision of our creations (hopefully). All our work will be judged by it’s social context, and to understand that context, we need to be aware of what is happening around it. No, I am not up in arms or yelling from the top of my lungs about social injustice, but I try to be aware of what is happening in my community and to be involved. Good writing should take us to another world, but also give back to our own.