Reading stuff...

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to the moms on my flist! :)

So, they say read the genres you're writing in, right? So I've been poking through the "Story Collections" section of the library, hunting for short SF and Fantasy, when I came across this book:

Women Writing Science Fiction as Men.

So, I picked it up, and I've read it. And it's fine, I suppose. But now that I'm done with it, I find that the premise rather annoys me--especially since women have been writing science fiction as men for as long as women have been writing science fiction. It feels like a step backwards.

And the thing is, I don't see what's so remarkable about a woman writing a story from a male viewpoint. This may be because I've been doing it since Day One, but, dude. Not that hard. Really. Of course, I realize that what may be second nature to me might be tougher for other people, because me /= everyone else--but, we're science fiction writers. Getting into the head of someone of the opposite sex should be easier than getting into the head of an alien, right?

So, I just discovered (via the Amazon search I did for this book) that the same editor did a collection of stories where men write science fiction as women. And it's sitting at my local library. I shall plan on going and getting it tomorrow.

Erm. *eyes stack of books* Maybe...NEXT time I'm scheduled to go to the library. Yeah.

I also grabbed a werewolf anthology published by the good folks at Asimov's SF magazine. So, that means they take werewolf stories. Therefore I can send the Werewolf Fic to them. Yay for a market I hadn't actually considered for the thing!

Speaking of Asimov's, I should be hearing from them soon on the BeagleFic. I keep chanting "Contract! Contract! Contract!" at the mailbox...

Reading stuff...

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to the moms on my flist! :)

So, they say read the genres you're writing in, right? So I've been poking through the "Story Collections" section of the library, hunting for short SF and Fantasy, when I came across this book:

Women Writing Science Fiction as Men.

So, I picked it up, and I've read it. And it's fine, I suppose. But now that I'm done with it, I find that the premise rather annoys me--especially since women have been writing science fiction as men for as long as women have been writing science fiction. It feels like a step backwards.

And the thing is, I don't see what's so remarkable about a woman writing a story from a male viewpoint. This may be because I've been doing it since Day One, but, dude. Not that hard. Really. Of course, I realize that what may be second nature to me might be tougher for other people, because me /= everyone else--but, we're science fiction writers. Getting into the head of someone of the opposite sex should be easier than getting into the head of an alien, right?

So, I just discovered (via the Amazon search I did for this book) that the same editor did a collection of stories where men write science fiction as women. And it's sitting at my local library. I shall plan on going and getting it tomorrow.

Erm. *eyes stack of books* Maybe...NEXT time I'm scheduled to go to the library. Yeah.

I also grabbed a werewolf anthology published by the good folks at Asimov's SF magazine. So, that means they take werewolf stories. Therefore I can send the Werewolf Fic to them. Yay for a market I hadn't actually considered for the thing!

Speaking of Asimov's, I should be hearing from them soon on the BeagleFic. I keep chanting "Contract! Contract! Contract!" at the mailbox...

I should be writing...

But instead I'm poking through Ralan's and seeing what the latest publishing buzz is.

First of all, there's one anthology looking for dragon stories, and another looking for lycanthrope stories. Hey, SCORE, thinks I...until I look at what they pay.

Dude. Anthologies pay CRAP. Fer serious.

That being said, I have no idea if my cred would be better for having been published in an anthology rather than magazines. And I really wish that Renard's Menagerie would get back to me on the DragonFic. I didn't even get an acknowledgement of my sub to them, and I think that three months is quite long enough to have the thing and make a decision. And I really want to send it to F&SF.

And THEN. What do mine eyes behold? Nicky the Goth is doing an anthology and calling for subs? "Payment to be discussed at publication"? Published by lulu.com?

Um.

Lulu is one of the better vanity presses out there, by all accounts, but it IS a vanity press. YOU pay THEM. Plus, Nicky can't write his way out of a paper bag with a sharp pencil, so I can definitely understand why he's soliciting other writers for this anthology. I just... gargh... It's Nicky the frelling Goth, people... Is there anyone in the online horror world who doesn't know that he's a wanker extraordinaire? I mean, name recogition is one thing, but I don't want my name to cause people to go screaming in panic in the other direction, y'know?

I'm just glad I didn't have a mouthful of anything when I saw that, because it would have messily made acquaintance with my laptop screen, and nobody wants that.

I should be writing...

But instead I'm poking through Ralan's and seeing what the latest publishing buzz is.

First of all, there's one anthology looking for dragon stories, and another looking for lycanthrope stories. Hey, SCORE, thinks I...until I look at what they pay.

Dude. Anthologies pay CRAP. Fer serious.

That being said, I have no idea if my cred would be better for having been published in an anthology rather than magazines. And I really wish that Renard's Menagerie would get back to me on the DragonFic. I didn't even get an acknowledgement of my sub to them, and I think that three months is quite long enough to have the thing and make a decision. And I really want to send it to F&SF.

And THEN. What do mine eyes behold? Nicky the Goth is doing an anthology and calling for subs? "Payment to be discussed at publication"? Published by lulu.com?

Um.

Lulu is one of the better vanity presses out there, by all accounts, but it IS a vanity press. YOU pay THEM. Plus, Nicky can't write his way out of a paper bag with a sharp pencil, so I can definitely understand why he's soliciting other writers for this anthology. I just... gargh... It's Nicky the frelling Goth, people... Is there anyone in the online horror world who doesn't know that he's a wanker extraordinaire? I mean, name recogition is one thing, but I don't want my name to cause people to go screaming in panic in the other direction, y'know?

I'm just glad I didn't have a mouthful of anything when I saw that, because it would have messily made acquaintance with my laptop screen, and nobody wants that.