The old blog, active from 2006 through 2012.
WorldCon Wrapup
A few more tidbits, shoutouts, and callouts from the WorldCon festivities in Anaheim: I was really hoping Tobias Buckell would turn out to be an asshole, considering that he’s smart, talented, funny, and successful. But alas, my hopes were thwarted, and he happens to be a great guy. I proved conclusively that I am The World’s Worst Pool Player™ while chatting up Sean Williams, Garth Nix, Madeleine Robins, and two other people whose names were... Continue reading→
WorldCon Mid-Convention Report
It’s generally a good thing to have a niche in any field. I would have loved to be the Dark, Cool Mysterious SF Writer like Neal Stephenson, or the Dapper, Quick-Witted Handsome SF Writer like Neil Gaiman. But it seems like if there’s any niche I’m destined for, it’s the SF Writer Who Does Dumb Things and Then Blogs Self-Deprecatingly About Them. I just got back from the Pyr panel at WorldCon in which I... Continue reading→
Prepping for WorldCon
I am busily preparing to get on a plane tomorrow and fly to Anaheim, California for the WorldCon convention. I’m going to attempt to blog from the con once or twice, but it’s certainly possible I’ll be too busy drinking in the bar to get around to it. For those who want to know where to find me, here’s a schedule: Friday at 2:30 PM: Pyr Group Panel with Lou Anders, Alan Dean Foster, Kay... Continue reading→
More “Infoquake” Reviews, LJ Talk Show, Coming Appearances
The latest news about "Infoquake," including a rave review in Intergalactic Medicine Show, an interview on LiveJournal, and more exclusive material up on the website. Continue reading→
Robert Charles Wilson’s “Spin”
This is the absolute wrong time to be posting a review of Robert Charles Wilson’s Spin. If I wanted to be timely, I should have read the book in early 2005 when it first came out. Or I should have read it in the weeks leading up to the voting deadline for the Hugo Award (for which Spin is nominated). At the very least, I should have read the book and written my review before... Continue reading→
From First to Final Draft: A Case Study
This weekend, I did something that’s guaranteed to strike fear in the heart of even the most accomplished writer: I looked back through the old drafts of my novel. Every writer has a different method of rewriting, and there’s no one method that fits everybody. Some bang out their magnum opus in one draft, more or less; some take five or ten drafts. I tend towards the latter end of the scale. My book Infoquake took no less than... Continue reading→
From First to Final Draft: A Case Study
[Note: I generally try not to cross-post entries between this blog and the DeepGenre group blog I belong to. But in this case, I’m making an exception. Feel free to read and respond to this entry on DeepGenre instead.] This weekend, I did something that’s guaranteed to strike fear in the heart of even the most accomplished writer: I looked back through the old drafts of my novel. Every writer has a different method of... Continue reading→
Greasemonkeying with Reality
Stephen Colbert had an amusing rant the other week about how the world is turning into a wiki. Everybody has the power to edit reality, said Colbert. If you don’t like the way the world works, just log in to Wikipedia and change it. He’s almost right. If you don’t like the way the world is, now you can edit your version of it with Greasemonkey. Greasemonkey, in case you don’t know, is a plug-in... Continue reading→
Pyr Panel and DeepGenre Reading at WorldCon
Attention, WorldCon attendees: your agenda on Friday afternoon, August 25, at 2:30 p.m. has been set. My editor, Lou Anders, will be holding a panel on the future of the Pyr imprint, and it promises to be a rollicking good time for all. Feast your eyes on this list of Pyr authors that will be making an appearance at the panel (and make sure to follow the links to their respective websites): Lou Anders David... Continue reading→
Why Does MySpace Suck So Badly?
In an effort to spread the word about my book "Infoquake," I've been experimenting with MySpace. MySpace is an abomination. Nothing works. The things that do work are poorly designed and shoddily implemented. Continue reading→