Michelle Sagara

I'm going to Tempe for the World Fantasy Convention this year. I'm going to arrive at 9:24 a.m. Since it's my firm belief that in a kind universe, no one would actually be awake at 9:24 a.m. (and yes, this does make my belief in the kindess of the universe a tad on the shaky side overall), I'm not really looking forward to getting to the airport. As in, on time. As in, while they'll still let me on the plane.

Assuming I'm awake enough to stand in the right line.

It occurs to me that I should clarify things a bit. Which usually happens when I'm off in rant territory <wry g>.
( I love book related LJs and blogs )

Is anyone here going to be at the World Fantasy Convention?

stakebait wrote
Been thinking more about this. What makes it [fanfic] not public is the attempt to fly under the radar of the Powers That Be, right? Or at least not actively draw their attention? Though how much that's done varies quite a bit from creator to creator. I know of at least one mailing list, read and posted to by the author, where fanfic is simply labeled "fanfic" so she can avoid reading it, but there's no attempt to pretend that it doesn't exist.

I've been thinking more about it as well. This is less an answer to your question than it started out being, but it is a more methodical examination of my own reaction.
( More thoughts on fanfiction )

This has been a torment for me; I've so enjoyed everyone else's, but I can't pick one thing, and even clipping one part of one thing in a reasonable fashion fills me with the certainty that I'm a vandal. So I picked three that had a profound effect on me.
( poetry meme )

Back on GEnie, we defined a novel as an attack novel if it had an incredible amount of momentum that made it impossible to not write. As you can imagine, this was -- and is -- an incredibly satisfying state to be in when breaking draft.

Cast in Courtlight (and yes, I know the latter isn't a real word, but it's a fantasy), is like that at the moment. Which is good, as it stops me from hovering on the phone and complaining at all hours to my ISP. Which is, once again, down. And has been for several hours. I'm logging in via someone else's connection, and I hate doing that. I'd rather have the television or the telephone die completely than lose my internet connection. Go geeks.

I've been thinking a bit about why this book is different from, say, HOUSE WAR, which is (was; I'm writing to Luna deadline at the moment) progressing at a much slower rate, and wanted to talk about it a bit here -- which means I'm putting off the round-up for another post.
( language of story )

Now, really, the last dregs of the contract.
( The last four clauses, which are, yes, boring )

And now: a rant.

(I'll get back to the contract, which is now entirely boring bits that are almost irrelevant, after this).

The Washington Post ran this article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45761-2004Sep23.html

It's about self-publishing.
( Why this is a bad idea )

This was actually very interesting (after I'd been around the blocks a few times), because this has the least restrictive boilerplate, or even haggled down, reversion clause I've ever seen.

Discontinuance of Publication
( Reversion clause etc. )

astolat wrote haven't read the fandom_wank response in particular, if that happens to be what mainly inspired this post, because in general I find f_w to be kind of disquietingly mob-like even when it's funny. But I have to say I'm on board with everything flummery said, and I do understand the general wave of hostile response.

Yes, it was the f_w board that I found unsettling.
( clips from amazon.com Neanderthal reviews & more )

Did I mention Indemnity clauses?

( Indemnity clause )

I'd like to take a brief break to answer a couple of questions. Why? Because I'm tired of the strict character limit response to threaded comments.
( Read more... )

ETA: And one more:

( Read more... )