I'm writing for Clarion West

I've been pretty bad about promoting my Clarion West Write-a-thon participation this year, but I'm starting up the marketing machine now. If you're not sick of hearing about it by the time August rolls around, well, I'm doing something wrong.

In a nutshell: this is the time for you, genre fiction lover, to make a fully tax-deductible donation to support Clarion West, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation which runs a six-week workshop every summer, often described as "boot camp for writers." I attended CW last year, and it was an amazing experience with wonderful people.

I'm donating this year to support all my classmates (listed previously). You can also sponsor me as I finish revising my novel Waypoint Kangaroo for my editor at Thomas Dunne Books, who plan to publish it next summer! And then I'm moving on to short stories, and the second Kangaroo novel (also under contract to Thomas Dunne).

Here's my page (use the "Sponsor" link to donate via PayPal):


http://www.clarionwest.org/members/sparckl/

To sweeten the pot, here are some rewards I'm offering for my supporters:

• Donate $64 and you'll get a sneak peek at more of "Ten Days Up" (the writing sample on my Write-a-thon profile), which will be published this November in the Mission: Tomorrow anthology.
• Donate $128 and you'll get a signed paperback copy of Thursday's Children: Flash Fiction from 512 Words or Fewer (free shipping to continental US).
• Donate $256 and I'll share a "mix tape" of some of my favorite film scores which I use as background music when writing.
• Donate $512 and I will put together a fiction-themed Puzzled Pint "party pack" (4 puzzles + 1 meta) for you to share with your friends!
• Donate $1,024 and you can name a minor character in the second Kangaroo novel (subject to editorial approval).

That's all for now. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend!

I am on a black highway at night

This week, some good news: Stepto has come out of his coma and seems to be recovering well. If you're feeling charitable, you can donate to help the family with medical and travel expenses.

At times like this, I think of this dialogue from Terminator 2:

"Every day from this day on is a gift. Use it well."

If you've never heard that before, that's because it only exists in an alternate ending which was (wisely, IMHO) excised from both the theatrical and special-edition releases. It's totally the wrong note after what's come before, but the sentiment is solid. See for yourself:


youtu.be/iEpjgFZpAt0

We don't choose when we're born. Most of us won't get to choose when or how we die. All we get to decide is how to use the precious little time we have in the world. And being able to experience this weird, wonderful planet at all means you've already won the lottery.

Every day of my life is a gift. And I'm doing my best to use each day well.

Speaking of being charitable, this year's Clarion West Write-a-thon starts on Sunday. I'm participating, as are several of my CW2014 classmates. You can support any or all of us by following the links below:

• Anthony Bell
• Alison Wilgus
• Chinelo Onwulau
• Christopher Nickolas Carlson
• Curtis C. Chen
• Julie Steinbacher (ADDED 19 Jul 2015)
• Marlee Jane Ward
• Michael Matheson (ADDED 19 Jul 2015)
• Shannon Fay
• Ian McDonald (instructor)
• M. Huw Evans (administrator)
• Neile Graham (administrator)

If I've failed to include anyone in the list above, please let me know! Here's the complete list of participating writers.

Friday Flash Fiction: "Bayla Changes Her Tune"

Yet another Write-a-Thon sponsor request: two of the characters in this week's story are named after our cats (one deceased, one living).

The setting is actually an idea I had a while ago--from a dream, natch--and may yet become a series of YA "junior detective" stories. We'll see.

Finally, I realize the subject is not actually science fiction or fantasy, but I'm giving myself a pass because I included FUTURISTIC HYPERLINKS in the text.

Read "Bayla Changes Her Tune" at 512 Words or Fewer

Friday Flash Fiction: "Unintended Consequences"

This week's story includes a character name suggestion from Write-a-Thon sponsor Matt, and was inspired in part by (in no particular order) Freakonomics, Exegesis, WarGames, Google Code Jam, Asimov's robot stories, and The Consumerist.

Read "Unintended Consequences" at 512 Words or Fewer

Friday Flash Fiction: "To Cruise Or Not To Cruise"

This week's story was inspired by: an idea from Corby, one of my Clarion Write-a-Thon sponsors; JoCo Cruise Crazy II (about which I am still undecided); my own novel-in-progress, which mostly takes place aboard an Earth-to-Mars cruise spaceship; and one of JRA's ex-girlfriends.

Read "To Cruise Or Not To Cruise" at 512 Words or Fewer

Friday Flash Fiction: "Kangaroo Fails"

As noted elsewhere, this week's story is an excerpt from the novel I'm currently rewriting. So don't worry if some things don't completely make sense.

Read "Kangaroo Fails" at 512 Words or Fewer

ALSO: You still have just two days left to support me in the Clarion Write-a-Thon, and depending on how much you donate, you can have the opportunity to influence future 512 stories. See details here, or click on the image below to donate now!

The End is Near... for the Clarion 2011 Write-a-Thon

This is it! The sixth and final week of the Clarion UCSD workshop, and also the last days when you can donate to this year's Write-a-Thon.

Why should you care? I can't say it any better than Mishell Baker already has:
http://clarionfoundation.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/2011-write-a-thon-week-6/

And now, the more specific incentives:

• If you donate at least $23 in my name, you'll get the opportunity to name a character in one of my upcoming "512 Words or Fewer" weekly flash fiction stories.
• If you donate $47 or more in my name, you can give me a one-sentence story idea, and I'll turn it into a future "512"!

Ready to donate? Go for it!
http://www.theclarionfoundation.org/writeathon/wrtn-writerpage.php?writerID=6880

Of course, you're also free to support the other fine writers also participating. Your entire, tax-deductible amount goes directly to the non-profit Clarion Foundation, which runs annual workshops to train the best and brightest new talent in speculative fiction. We writers are participating to help this genre flourish and grow, and we hope you'll donate because you want the same.

Thanks in advance!

Write-a-Thon 2011, Day 32: movin' right along

(LJ is still sucking wind--for me, anyway. YMMV.)

New Words: 1,096
Current Total: 29,342 words
Goal: 43,008 words in 42 days



Breakdown: +583+513 on two drafts of this week's 512 story, which is set in the same world as the novel-in-progress.

I know, I'm a little behind. I'm hoping to finish my novel breakdown/re-outline tomorrow (Thursday), and maybe even get some rewriting in. This weekend's going to be a wash, since we have friends visiting from out of town, but DeeAnn's away on business all next week, so I'll have no excuses for not hunkering down and finishing the rewrite.

Wish me luck. And donate!

No quote today; just go read about The Cruelest Hoax.

Write-a-Thon 2011, Day 31: over the hill

(LiveJournal is still down. WTF?)

New Words: 991
Current Total: 28,246 words
Goal: 43,008 words in 42 days



Breakdown: +509 on the novel breakdown, +482 on notes for this week's 512.

It's now week 5 of the write-a-thon, and apparently I'm one of the top ten fundraisers. Who knew? But I'm still at less than 60% of my stated goal ($512), so if you haven't donated yet, please consider doing so--soon!

http://www.theclarionfoundation.org/writeathon/wrtn-writerpage.php?writerID=6880

In other news, I teamed up with Angela and friends for Geek Trivia, and we didn't suck. I contributed to both rounds with my obscure knowledge of Knight Rider and Star Trek VI, respectively.

"Writing is 90 percent procrastination: reading magazines, eating cereal out of the box, watching infomercials. It's a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning and you reach the point where you have to write." -- Paul Rudnick