Welcome to the Journey is Silver Bowen's blog on writing, self-epubbing, growth, and gadgets. All as experienced by a growing writer. Learn with me.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Essay and story are up at Penumbra!
My story 'And Still Your Black Box Hums' has gone live over at Penumbra, along with an accompanying essay. It's in the Rising Talent Essays section. The direct link to the story can be found here. This is my first sale to a publisher and I'm very excited about it. So go check it out :)
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Musings From Armadillocon 34
Musings From Armadillocon 34
It's Sunday, the last day of Armadillocon 34. I'm taking a break from the con to put this blog up. Okay, I admit it. I'm at home, not at the hotel. I got up an hour or two ago and haven't actually gotten motivated enough to drive to the con. This leads directly into thought the first:
While it's nice to have a con in my hometown and save on the expense of a hotel, I also feel like I'm missing out on the part of the experience. My drive is long enough that tiredness (and the safety of complete sobriety while on the road) won out over partying last night, for instance. I'm a private person, and generally not big on roomates, but the sleepover atmosphere of a shared room can be fun on occasion. So the social aspect, while enjoyable, has been somewhat dimished for me. Which leads nicely into thought the second:
Lonestarcon 3 is hosting the World SF con this year. It's in San Antonio, so while driving is marginally possible, it would be rough (probably an hour one way for me). A hotel would be pretty much mandatory. It's around $165 for a mambership, though. Add hotel costs and attending is a strain for me financially. Current idea is to find someone(s) to split room costs with, since I would hate to miss out on the opportunity. Hopefully I can get all that together and go.
Thought the third: I have attended some great panels, hung out with some cool people, and gotten to chat with a few old friends. So the social aspect of 'dillocon has been nice, as has the learning aspect. Plus i've gotten to see a few authors whose work I enjoy up close, and either hear them read or listen to them speak on panels. So all good. That said, this year hasn't been nearly as big a deal for me as last year (my first time attending), especially given the gap in writing experience then vs. now. Then I had been writing for about 4 months, now I have almost another year under my belt. So... good weekend, and fun, but not huge.
Thought the fourth: I've been working on completing a short story during the course of the convention. This means writing whenever there is a chance. I've been filling up a notepad (regular letter size) with notes, ideas, and of course the first draft of the story. Finding stuff has neccesitated inventing a filing and page numbering scheme, but I think I have htat worked out pretty well now. The unexpected benefit of this little challenge is that I've discovered that handwriting stories (and notes/ideas/ephemera) is actually very enjoyable for me. It's always nice to find a new way to do things that meshes well with the old ways.
Final thought: A quote from Joe Lansdale, said at the Remembering Ray Bradbury Panel - "Anytime you are a child is the best time.
It's Sunday, the last day of Armadillocon 34. I'm taking a break from the con to put this blog up. Okay, I admit it. I'm at home, not at the hotel. I got up an hour or two ago and haven't actually gotten motivated enough to drive to the con. This leads directly into thought the first:
While it's nice to have a con in my hometown and save on the expense of a hotel, I also feel like I'm missing out on the part of the experience. My drive is long enough that tiredness (and the safety of complete sobriety while on the road) won out over partying last night, for instance. I'm a private person, and generally not big on roomates, but the sleepover atmosphere of a shared room can be fun on occasion. So the social aspect, while enjoyable, has been somewhat dimished for me. Which leads nicely into thought the second:
Lonestarcon 3 is hosting the World SF con this year. It's in San Antonio, so while driving is marginally possible, it would be rough (probably an hour one way for me). A hotel would be pretty much mandatory. It's around $165 for a mambership, though. Add hotel costs and attending is a strain for me financially. Current idea is to find someone(s) to split room costs with, since I would hate to miss out on the opportunity. Hopefully I can get all that together and go.
Thought the third: I have attended some great panels, hung out with some cool people, and gotten to chat with a few old friends. So the social aspect of 'dillocon has been nice, as has the learning aspect. Plus i've gotten to see a few authors whose work I enjoy up close, and either hear them read or listen to them speak on panels. So all good. That said, this year hasn't been nearly as big a deal for me as last year (my first time attending), especially given the gap in writing experience then vs. now. Then I had been writing for about 4 months, now I have almost another year under my belt. So... good weekend, and fun, but not huge.
Thought the fourth: I've been working on completing a short story during the course of the convention. This means writing whenever there is a chance. I've been filling up a notepad (regular letter size) with notes, ideas, and of course the first draft of the story. Finding stuff has neccesitated inventing a filing and page numbering scheme, but I think I have htat worked out pretty well now. The unexpected benefit of this little challenge is that I've discovered that handwriting stories (and notes/ideas/ephemera) is actually very enjoyable for me. It's always nice to find a new way to do things that meshes well with the old ways.
Final thought: A quote from Joe Lansdale, said at the Remembering Ray Bradbury Panel - "Anytime you are a child is the best time.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Back in frack
It's been nearly three months since I've posted. Even before that last post, my blogging had become irregular. If you've been wondering where I went, now the full story can be told.
Okay, not really. The cover story is that I had personal stuff to sort out. I seem to have mostly been successful in the sorting, so now it's time to get back to work.
My writing has fallen way behind in other areas as well. I stopped keeping my log, let my obsessive wordcount tracking slip away, and have barely done any transcription of ideas. I have typed a few very short children's stories (I do them for my toddler), and completed a few stories, but that's about it.
Sometimes writing is not a priority, it's as simple as that.
I am ready and raring to go now, however. I've started several new shorts, and am mulling over editing last year's novel vs diving back in to the current WIP. In the meantime, my mind is back to focusing on stories.
I have grown somewhat weary of the focus of this blog, as well. I intend to bring a more personal element into it, as well as drift away from blogging for writers and focus more on readers/fans. Not that there are hordes of those out there, but there will be eventually.
The short way to put it: I am ready to get my work out into the world, in a serious way. I think I've come far enough that what I have to say (through the medium of speculative fiction) has real value, is important, and will enrich the lives of my audience.
Every childhood ends.
***
Big Announcement:
"And Still Your Black Box Hums" by yours truly will be published at Penumbra as part of their Rising Talent series. It will be accompanied by an essay I wrote for them about the story and a short author bio.
This is my first sale to a professional market and I am super excited about it. Check out the story and let me know what you think.
***
If you aren't watching Longmire, you should be. It's a pretty decent cowboy-cop show, but the main draw is Katee Sackhop (Starbuck from the reboot of BSG) as a shit-kicking deputy. Great stuff that all geeks should be watching.
Okay, not really. The cover story is that I had personal stuff to sort out. I seem to have mostly been successful in the sorting, so now it's time to get back to work.
My writing has fallen way behind in other areas as well. I stopped keeping my log, let my obsessive wordcount tracking slip away, and have barely done any transcription of ideas. I have typed a few very short children's stories (I do them for my toddler), and completed a few stories, but that's about it.
Sometimes writing is not a priority, it's as simple as that.
I am ready and raring to go now, however. I've started several new shorts, and am mulling over editing last year's novel vs diving back in to the current WIP. In the meantime, my mind is back to focusing on stories.
I have grown somewhat weary of the focus of this blog, as well. I intend to bring a more personal element into it, as well as drift away from blogging for writers and focus more on readers/fans. Not that there are hordes of those out there, but there will be eventually.
The short way to put it: I am ready to get my work out into the world, in a serious way. I think I've come far enough that what I have to say (through the medium of speculative fiction) has real value, is important, and will enrich the lives of my audience.
Every childhood ends.
***
Big Announcement:
"And Still Your Black Box Hums" by yours truly will be published at Penumbra as part of their Rising Talent series. It will be accompanied by an essay I wrote for them about the story and a short author bio.
This is my first sale to a professional market and I am super excited about it. Check out the story and let me know what you think.
***
If you aren't watching Longmire, you should be. It's a pretty decent cowboy-cop show, but the main draw is Katee Sackhop (Starbuck from the reboot of BSG) as a shit-kicking deputy. Great stuff that all geeks should be watching.
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