Storytellersunplugged

--Justine Musk 1 My 3 year old son was diagnosed with high-functioning autism. At that point my understanding of such things began and ended with the movie RAIN MAN, but it turns out that autism falls along an entire spectrum, from very severe to very mild. My son falls into the mild end and, thanks to early childhood intervention in general, and speech, play, and occupational therapies in particular, gets more expressive and interactive all the time. One day he might ... Read More

by William Lindblad "Memo to myself: Do the dumb things I gotta do. Touch the Puppet Head." - They Might Be Giants, _Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head_ I was in a bookstore recently and saw that Rick Riordan had a new novel out. It's called The Titan's Curse. This may seem surprising to anyone familiar only with Mystery novels. Riordan is an up-and-comer in the Mystery field. His books have been given significant pushes by publishers and booksellers. ... Read More

by Mort Castle What are you working on now, Mort? Nothing. *** There’s a question frequently asked of a writer by editors, other writers, agents, friends, or those casual acquaintance / everyday people who figure they need to direct meaningless chatter your way instead of gassily blathering via Bluetooth to someone even less real than you. What are you working on now? After all, you... 1. ... just finished proofing galleys on the 37th volume (11,800 pages plus!) in your Interstellar Neo-Military Alternative History Romance Series, ... Read More

by George Guthridge Two definitions from one of my students, an 18-year-old from a homestead on the Kandik River, 50 miles from Eagle, population about 250, the nearest town: “Syllogistic thinking, based on literacy and sight, is common in urban culture. Such people usually think linearly, and better understand intangible concepts, like those found in microbiology or physics, because they abstract from everyday life and visualize objects they never see. “Situational thinking is common in indigenous cultures. Alaska Natives consider issues holistically. When ... Read More

By David Niall Wilson There is a venerable ritual in the halls of wordsmiths everywhere that I thought, considering my current odd and pretty pleasant situation, would be worthy of a bit of thought. What better place to record those thoughts, and who better to share them with? One of the images we all have of successful authors is the tabletop full of books piled up next to a drink glass sporting an umbrella or a well shaken (never stirred) martini, and a ... Read More

by Wayne Allen Sallee You can thank Mr. Wilson for reeling me back in from the troposphere. Last month I had fully intended to do an entry about how writers, at times, have to write on the holidays–May 28th was Memorial Day–but I was in the middle of a private meltdown. Almost all my stories are thinly-veiled autobiograhical, so one day I’ll email everyone a nice story about a crazy bald guy blah blah blah. Needless to say, Dave told me ... Read More

(You learn something new every day. Brian saved this in Blogger as a draft days ago -- when I posted it, it posted back on the day when he created it! Here it is again - DNW) The other day I read a fantastic essay by Ray Bradbury called Run Fast, Stand Still, or, The Thing at the Top of the Stairs, or, New Ghosts from Old Minds. According to Locusmag.com (Stories, Listed by Author), Tales of Horror, Fantasy & ... Read More

By Justine Musk 1 One of the most common questions people ask me about writing – other than “where do you get your ideas” (or, as my mother-in-law once put it, “How does a nice trophy wife like you come up with stuff like this?” I assume she was joking, or at least half-joking, because that question still cracks me up, although when I share it with others they tend to look slightly horrified ) – is “Do you outline?” And one of ... Read More

By David Niall Wilson Deadlines. Did you ever wonder why they call them that? Dictionary.com tells me it's the boundary beyond which a prisoner should not pass unless he wants to risk being shot. That would be an example of old-school deadlines. These days I live a life full of self-imposed, work-imposed and by various means implied deadlines that would probably drive your average prisoner to step across the boundary and take his chances with the afterlife. That ... Read More

(How about a big Storytellers welcome for Robert Jones - he's agreed to do occasional fill-in essays - and to catch a few of those 31st dates that we ignore so well, and so thoroughly. Welcome aboard, Bob) by R. C. Jones Rewards come in many forms. One of the most commonly recognized rewards for writing is probably financial, but there are others that can be immeasurably meaningful. Some who write have received not only financial rewards but also literary ... Read More