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Columnists

Sources of Inspiration: Ritual

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The waters of creativity and inspiration are dryer and shallower than ever. You’d think trouble would be a bountiful source of inspiration. Many a writer has tapped it, creating great literature because of it. I doubt we’d have Lord of the Rings if not for World War II. It might have been a very different trilogy if not for the tragedy and changes which faced England and the world in the wake of it. We’re facing tragedy and change right now, too. Not being a particularly brave or heroic person, I want to hide from it. I yearn to wrap … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Plotting a Project

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Nothing can focus my creativity quite like a project. This may seem obvious, but it’s one of those obvious techniques I cannot repeat to myself enough, of cultivating and harvesting inspiration so it can nourish my creativity, transforming it into a blog, an article, a poem, or a story. Giving my project a title, a plot, a general idea of a plot, thinking about what I want to do or say in this project helps me focus on it, giving my work direction and energy. The more detail and thought I put into it, the more focused upon the project … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Flourishes from Favorites

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Developing my own style is important. I have to find my own voice, to resist the impulse to imitate my favorites, no matter how brilliant I think they are. I need to build up my own brilliance, even if it’s just a feeble, flickering candle flame at present. There are flourishes I can add to my own work, traits I’ve noticed and enjoyed in my favorite authors and their works. A tendency to turn a pretty phrase or describing a scene with very simple words that still gives it a flowery feel. Using unusual word play in dialogue that isn’t … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Immortal

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Quantum physics is weird. Actually, quantum anything is really damned baffling. I know we’re learning awesome stuff about the universe from the quantum sciences, but honestly, most of the science goes way above my head. I think I’ve got the gist of this, though. So, the Laws of Thermodynamics are a thing. Life and death all follow these Laws down to the last syllable in some form or another. Everything in the universe is ruled by these Laws on some level. Quantum particles aren’t any different. Sometimes we get a surprise, on the other hand. Like a particle that bends … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Getting Going

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It’s the beginning of a new year. I should be filled with resolution to accomplish new things. Never had I felt more uninspired. I’ve solidified into a chunk of fandom and routine, rather like a thick, dense piece of fruitcake left on a platter from the holidays. How so I get myself to unsolidify? How can I release all of that story which has gotten stuck within me? It may be time for a change. If I alter one small thing in my routine, it could loosen everything up, shake some of that story loose. Maybe it’s time to do … Read more

Lewis Padgett’s “Mutant,” Jewelle Gomez’ “Gilda” – Boogieman in Lavender

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Jeff Baker

LGBT people are regarded as “the Other,” and sci-fi and fantasy specializes in characters who are “the Other.” And “the Other” is often perceived as a metaphor or stand in for minorities and the oppressed. Queer people were not a regular topic of public discourse in the closeted world of the Golden Age of Science Fiction of the ‘30s through the 50s. And in this world, two very heterosexual writers wrote a series of stories about a very science-fictional form of “the Other.” Beginning with the story “The Piper’s Son” in February 1945, Lewis Padgett told of a near-future group … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Decade

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Cool cats, we’ve entered a new decade and I’m on the edge of my seat about it. The 2010’s were a circus for me, personally and publicly and politically, a roller coaster of wildness I’m hoping won’t be repeated. It wasn’t all bad. I started my writing career and had a son, got married and got divorced, made friends and lost friends and rekindled my zest for life. The last decade was something to behold, a time to look back and shake my head in wonder that I manage to knuckle under, survive it mostly on nothing by spite. The … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Hands

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It’s been a hot minute since I last posted an article and I apologize for that. Life kicks people in the teeth and the last few months its been kicking mine. I’m back though, with an early resolution for 2020 not to miss posting here. I forgot how much I love doing these until this topic jumped up and bit me with sharp, plot bunny teeth. Caves. As a Pagan, caves are a tumultuous gateway into the the dark, hiding knowledge and secrets like the precious stones found within, the descent into the Underworld ripe with all kinds of things … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Unreliable Narration

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I can understand of someone who appears to be an average person as the narrator; like Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, or Tim Hunter. We readers and viewers are introduced to their universes right along with them. They ask a lot of the questions we have. Only none of these narrators were average, not really. Luke Skywalker was strong in the Force, connected by blood to some of its most powerful practioners. Harry Potter was the Boy Who Lived, marked from infancy by a powerful Dark Wizard. Tim Hunter had a special destiny, which led to him being stalked and recruited … Read more

Boogieman In Lavender: On Beyond Cisgender: Books for High School

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Jeff Baker

On Beyond Cisgender: Books For High School                                                By Jeff Baker    A. M.  (Amy) Leibowitz has grumbled on Facebook about the “Old Dead White (mostly/presumed) Cis Hetero Male Literature Canon,” and how high-schoolers mainly read books from the aforementioned canon. No authors of color. Rarely any women. “Only literary fiction and other genres are typically not only disallowed but actively sneered at.” A. M. goes on to ask that if you could add any 4 books to a high school literature curriculum (one for each year of US High School) which would you add and why? Among the Facebook users … Read more