Writers

When I’m writing sci fi (or any fiction, for that matter), I tend to write scenes fairly quickly, without a whole lotta scenery, and then go back and layer that in later. I usually do an initial draft, an indepth second read and edit, and then two more lighter passes to get everything right. I find that, especially for shorter stories, choosing a song that fits the theme or mood of the story often helps me “see” it better. For instance, my short story A New Year, about two men who meet, seemingly by chance at first, ever 11 years … Read more

I’ve just finished my first draft of a short sci fi story set about 500 years in the future. As I’ve gotten back into my writing with a vengeance this last year, I’ve been re-learning my writing process. Every author is different. Some like to write in the middle of the night (or do so out of necessity). Some can only write for 10-20 minutes at a time, while others like to go on writing retreats and dedicate themselves for a week at a time to the art. Some write full-time, while others fit it around an unrelated full-time job. … Read more

One of the things I think about a lot is when I should be writing. I mean, probably first thing in the morning should be best, but I have daily commitments that keep me busy every morning until breakfast. And I have a more-than full time job, too. It’s our own business, so I have some flexibility, but still… So I settled on an hour every day at the end of the day. But sometimes that doesn’t work out – we go out to dinner, or other things intrude. So instead, sometimes I’m writing in bed, or writing in line … Read more

We just had a new section of the blog installed. We’re working on getting it ready over the next week or so – it will be a place where member authors can post their LGBT sci fi, fantasy, and supernatural work for critiquing. I’ve wanted to have a writers’ group for a long time where I could post parts of my stories that I’m working on or having trouble with. This part of the blog is password-protected and will be open to members only, so there’s no risk of getting dinged for having “published” your work on the blog. If … Read more

I’ve always wanted to be a published writer, but with a full-time other job (actually more like time and a half), it’s been easy these last few years to find excuses not to write. Because writing isn’t easy. It’s often hard, mind-breaking work, coming up with the story, working out the plot, and the day-to-day grind of actually putting it to paper. So why do it? I find there’s something deep within me that I access when I write – a creative wellspring that may be hard to reach, but that’s so rewarding when it’s finally tapped, when the story … Read more

Found this great post on medium.com: Sci fi has a problem with gay and lesbian characters. This is especially true of TV science fiction, but print is almost as guilty, and most games with a sci fi flavour are exercises in testosterone-fueled head-stomping (which, while good fun, does not generally make for nuanced or diverse characters). I can probably name on the fingers of maybe both my hands the number of gay or lesbian characters I’ve come across in the genre as a whole, across all media. For a category of fiction predicated on imagining worlds stranger than and off … Read more

I’ve been working on a few stories for submission to Dreamspinner – a gay romance publisher. Most of them have had a bit of a sci fi twist – but my latest one, Translation, is a straight-ahead mainstream romance short. It’s a little weird for me – I enjoyed writing it, but I missed having the twist. I’m not sure that I enjoy writing mundane fiction, even if it is gay-themed. I finished my second draft and sent it off to several people (including my hubby) for review – so far one rave. We’ll see if Mark likes it. Now … Read more

At the moment, I’m working on three separate pieces. All of them are short stories, though two verge on being novellas. The first is Oberon, my love story on a foreign world that’s been split in two. I’m having a lot of fun working with Jameson, a shy geologist, and Xander, a leather-wearing wingman with a lust for danger. The second is my background series on Forever – my novel I wrote and sent out maybe 15 years ago (to a chorus of rejections) – I’m writing a group of novellas that lay out (for me and the reader) the … Read more