JemCast Father's day

New JEMcast: Father’s Day

By:  TempestMulti-Media

JemCast Father's day

On this week’s JEMcast we talk about the episode “Father’s Day,” one I have always liked but I rarely watch because it’s very emotional. Because I rarely watch it, I had forgotten a very important piece of character background revealed in this episode. It’s about Pizzazz, and it explains SO MUCH. To find out what it is, you have to listen.

I also get super weepy about this song:

I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING.

ahem.

If you’re a regular listener of the JEMcast you know all about the Raymond Crime Family theory. I’d love to hear if you think my theory bears out some of the info we discover in this episode.

Okay, no more teasing you. Listen below or subscribe via iTunes or whatever other podcast program you use with the RSS feed.

      JEMcast - Father's Day
write gear episode 1

New Podcast! The Write Gear (Check Out Episode 1)

By:  TempestMulti-Media

write gear episode 1

Many years ago at WisCon I was on a panel about the tools writers use to write. It was mainly technology–laptops, tablets, AlphaSmarts, software–but I think at least one person showed off a fancy pen. I enjoyed the panel so much I suggested to my fellow panelists that we do a podcast.

A bunch of stuff happened, there were several false starts, I worried over the non-pristine quality of the audio, life got in the way.

But last year I started being a regular on a little podcast you might have heard of: The JEMcast. Doing that podcast every week and learning some of the backend stuff gave me confidence and I started thinking about doing that podcast about writing tools…

After some advice from other podcasters (in particular the always generous Howard Tayler) and help from Twitter in coming up with a name and help from my friend Emma Onstott in creating a logo and help from Hologram Radio head Alex Knight with everything else, I finally got the first episode of The Write Gear out the door last week. You can listen to me talk about the most interesting laptops announced at CES earlier this month–most interesting for writers, that is.

      The Write Gear: Episode 1

The podcast will come out weekly and is a mix of me talking about gadgets and tech and me interviewing writers and other experts about the gear they use to write. That includes pens and paper alongside screens and keyboards. And yes, there will be an entire episode devoted to fountain pens at some point.

I hope you all like it and subscribe and stuff (iTunes | RSS). And if you want me to cover something on this podcast, drop me a note in the comments.

K tempest Bradford meets George RR Martin

12 Days of New Years – Day 2: Take More And Better Pictures

By:  TempestGeekitude

Another day, another resolution! Today is all about the images.

If you follow me on social media you probably noticed a spate of photo albums coming from my Google+ account. My phone auto uploads all of my pictures, and I finally got around to collecting them into albums. I’m sharing a few each day on G+, which auto-posts to Twitter, FB, etc. You can see them all here.

I took a ton of pictures, but looking through them all I don’t have as many as I thought. And while I am a proponent of experiencing life and not just taking 10,000 pictures of it, I’d still like more of a record of all my traveling and hanging with people.

I’d also like to get better at photography. Learn to use something other than Auto mode on the fancy camera I drag everywhere. My smartphone will continue to be my primary camera, but I want to be more deliberate about when I break out the real thing.

So sometime this year I will take an online class and learn some photography techniques. I bet this will help me up my selfie game.

communication chat

12 Days of New Years – Day 1: Communicating More With My Peeps

By:  TempestGeekitude

communication chat

It’s a new year and even though there’s always a wave of anti-resolution-making in the air around this time, I am going to make a few. 12, in fact. Because I like to use arbitrary demarcations of time as ways to kickstart changes in my life. Last year it was packing up my stuff, leaving New York City, and traveling around the country (did I mention that here? I should probably write a post. *marks that as a resolution*). Now to decide what it will be this year.

2016 Resolution #1: Communicating More With My Peeps

One of the best things about the past year has been spending time hanging out with and talking to fabulous and wonderful people I usually only see at conventions. And, in some cases, I haven’t seen them at conventions at all due to life stuff. I enjoyed reconnecting with my friends a great deal, but I can’t be in every city every month, still. Damn you, teleporter technology Apple is clearly keeping from us.

One way of keeping up with folks that I’ve found useful over the past two years is Google Hangout group chats. On Hangouts you can instant message one person or several people. If you create a group chat, you can even name the room the way we used to on AOL or ICQ back in the day. Google will save that group of people as a chat entity even if you close the window.

I’ve been part of an ongoing group chat for over a year now and love it. We pop in to talk to each other whenever someone is around, and if everyone else is busy that’s just fine. Anyone can initiate a video call, though no one is obligated to answer it. Having a pre-existing group also makes it easier to reach out to people when I want to talk. I know I’m not disturbing them, and they know they don’t have to answer me right away, just when they see the message and have time to respond.

I want more of this in my life! So over the next few weeks I’m going to start setting up group hangouts and seeing if people are down with it. If you wanna start one with me and we’re already friends on G+ or GMail, all you have to do is add me + one other person to get it going. You can add more people later.

I have a few other communication ideas (including more snail mail!) that I’ll implement throughout the year. The exact medium isn’t as important as being more in touch with people I love. We can’t all always be in the same city or at every convention, so let’s make use of this lovely SFnal technology!

New Class: Short Fiction Writing and the Other at the Brainery, Spring 2016

By:  TempestClasses

New class! I’m blending some elements of the Writing the Other classes I teach with Nisi with the Short Fiction syllabus I developed for the Brainery.

During the 15 weeks of the class, students will delve deep into learning this sometimes tricky skill through a combination of readings, analysis of published fiction, writing exercises, and developing, writing, and revising stories of their own in a safe, supportive atmosphere.

It starts with laying down a foundation of good writing craft, as many mistakes and pitfalls when writing the Other are born from lack of skill. The class will cover language, description, narrative structure, and plot, then dive deep into characterization, stereotypes and tropes, dialogue and dialect, worldbuilding, cultural appropriation, how to research the Other, and strategies for keeping your wordcounts under 8,000.

In addition to the regular instructor, students will benefit from guest lectures exclusive to this class by authors Nisi Shawl and Max Gladstone. Students will also have the opportunity to get a critique on their final submission from one of these writers.

Classes begin the week of January 25th. All the details at The Brainery.

Drew Coffman Writer's Block I

Last Minute Gifts For Writers: Put An Online Class Under The Tree*

By:  TempestGeekitude

Drew Coffman Writer's Block I

It’s Christmas week. And you still don’t know what gift you’re going to give the special writer in your life for the holidays. They have everything—a great laptop, a tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard, a copy of Scrivener, fully paid Dropbox, and a Pro subscription to Evernote. What else is there to give?

Lean in close and I will tell you.

Give them the gift of an online writing class.

Classes help writers at any level build skills as well as community, equally important for writers who wish to pursue a publishing career. The big name workshops such as Clarion, Clarion West, Viable Paradise, Odyssey, etc., require both a monetary and time commitment not all writers can afford. But an online writing class makes it possible to do everything from home and fit the classwork into an existing schedule. Some online classes only ask for a weekend commitment.

And for those weekend classes, you know what else makes a great gift? The promise that you will arrange things for that weekend so the writer you’re gifting doesn’t have to worry about anything else, from kids to cooking meals to walking the dogs, except the class. That right there is almost as amazing a gift as the class.

I can see I have you convinced. But, you ask, where can I find online classes for the writer in my life? Once again, I have the answer:

Weekend Classes

Short Story Intensive taught by Mary Robinette Kowal

Think you never have time to write? Think again. Mary Robinette Kowal wrote her first Hugo-nominated short story “Evil Robot Monkey” in ninety minutes. If you have ninety minutes, you can have a story — all it takes is understanding how to make every word work double-time. In this workshop, learn the same techniques she uses to create new fiction. Through exercises focusing on viewpoint, dialogue, and plot, you’ll learn how to let nothing go to waste. By the end of this three day workshop, participants will be given a writing prompt and complete their own short story.

Price: $275

Dates

  • February 26 – 28, 2016
  • March 25 – 27, 2016
  • April 22 – 24, 2016

 

The Art of Writing the Other – Weekend Intensive taught by Nisi Shawl and K. Tempest Bradford

Writers know that it’s important to write about characters whose gender, sexual orientation, religion, racial heritage, or other aspect of identity differs from their own. But many are afraid to do so for fear that they will get it wrong–horribly, offensively wrong–and think it is better not even to try. In truth, it is possible to write the Other sensitively and convincingly, and this workshop can start you on the path to doing just that.

Price: $250 + service fee

Dates: January 1 – 3, 2016

 

Multi-Week Classes

Creative NonFiction Workshop SPRING 2016 taught by Brooke Benoit

This 8-week workshop is designed to do a whole bunch of things for you and your craft. Firstly, assignments simply motivate some of us who are otherwise floundering in our writing practice. Engaging and varied exercises are planned with flexibility to meet your needs and to get you writing. Then there is the opportunity to acquire some new skills through direct feedback on your work from a professional editor and writer, as well as all the helpful little tips I will be providing you with. You will also get fresh weekly reader feedback through peer reviews of your work.

Price: $220

Start Date: February 2, 2016

 

The Architecture of Fiction taught by Nick Mamatas

Where does your story start? How on Earth do you keep it going? What’s the difference between ending a story and just stopping it? Regardless of genre, length, or form, every story has a beginning, middle, and an ending—in no particular order. Beginning writers often start their stories in the wrong place, confuse action with plot, and then end a scene a bit too early… or too late. In four weeks, award-winning novelist, anthologist, and editor Nick Mamatas will guide you up and down the path of storytelling—through the architecture of fiction. This workshop will give you the tools you need to move through a story with confidence—whether it’s a novel, novella, or short story.

Price: $350

Start Date: January 21, 2016

 

The Brainery Online Workshops for Speculative Fiction Writers

Classes begin the week of Jnauary 25th and are scheduled based on student availability.

Novel Workshop and YA Novel Workshop taught by Jilly Dreadful, Ph.D.

Designed for writers with a complete (though not necessarily finished) manuscript in need of a full critique. The goal is to help shape first drafts into stronger second drafts and to help writers develop strategies for revision and expansion. Students will receive in-depth critiques from their peers and the instructor.

Price: $500

Short Fiction Writing and the Other taught by K. Tempest Bradford

A brand new class designed for writers who want to include characters in their fiction whose gender, sexual orientation, religion, racial heritage, or other aspect of identity differs from their own, but are hesitant to do so for fear that they will get it horribly, offensively wrong. Students will learn strategies for writing the “Other” sensitively and convincingly as well as strengthen their short story writing craft in general through a combination of readings, analysis of published fiction, writing exercises, peer critiques, and developing, writing, and revising stories in a safe, supportive atmosphere. In addition to instruction and in-depth critiques from Bradford, students will also benefit from guest lectures exclusive to this class from authors Nisi Shawl and Max Gladstone.

Price: $575

 

Short Fiction taught by Valerie Valdes

A workshop designed for speculative fiction writers looking to produce submission-ready short fiction in the form of flash fiction, short stories or standalone novel excerpts. Participants will deepen their theory and practice through the discussion of course readings, a continually evolving feedback loop from the instructor and classmates, as well as the kind of accountability that a community of peers can provide. Writers work on four submissions during the program: two new and/or original works, up to 7500 words in length, a revision of one of the two previously submitted pieces, and a work of flash fiction 1000 words or less.

Price: $475

 

Science Fiction Fairy Tales taught by Jilly Dreadful, Ph.D.

A hypoxic-style workshop designed to push students to challenge themselves as writers and to question the conventions and limits of what it means to remix fairy tales in modern ways. Every week students will consider a different fairy tale and science theme pairing, and remix it using experimental methods. Students will write (on average) 750-1500 words weekly, as well as discuss each other’s work.

Price: $500

 

This represents classes I’m aware of that are open to enrollment right now. If you know of any other online classes that fit this description, please add them in the comments.

Now, get to those links are give the writer in your life who has everything else a craft-building class of amazeballs and be a holiday hero.

*Yes, I know, not everyone celebrates Christmas and thus has a tree. But really, the image of putting the Internet under a tree is too good to pass up.

New Class: Weekend Intensive – The Art of Writing the Other Jan 1 – 3 2016

By:  TempestClasses

Another weekend intensive! This time over a holiday weekend, which should help with accessibility.

When: January 1 – 3 (detailed schedule at the link)
Where: ONLINE via Google Hangout
Price: $250 + service fee
To Register: Visit Brown Paper Tickets (Registration opens December 5th)

Miss this class? Sign up for our mailing list to get notifications when we give it again.

A Fine Dessert

KidLit Authors and Illustrators: Time To Step Up

By:  TempestBlog Against Racism

This past week author Daniel José Older laid down some hard truth about the illustrations for the children’s book A Fine Dessert1. In the video below he points out that slavery is an “open wound” that America as a whole has been lying about to itself “forever” and that illustrations showing black children as slaves smiling, happy to work hard making fancy food for massa are a problem. Please watch the whole thing, because Daniel really lays it out and what he says is important.

He followed up his panel appearance with a piece in The Guardian that highlights the severe lack of children’s books with African-American people in them.

In 2014, only 5% of the 3,500 children’s books published were about black characters; Christopher Myers has called it “the apartheid of children’s literature”.

This doesn’t even take into account other groups of POC. I suspect that there are very few Latin@, Asian, and Native American characters in kid’s books as well, and that’s just naming three groups.

The article points out that the publishing industry still suffers from the Highlander problem: There Can Be Only One. This has to be addressed, no doubt. At the same time, we should also address the other side of the equation: Authors.

On the panel, Daniel acknowledged that “a book is a creation of a village, just like people are,” and he’s so very right. That means no single entity within the village–editors, publishers, authors, marketers, reviewers, readers–is solely responsible for fixing these systemic problems. However, each entity within the village should do whatever is in their power to effect change2.

We need more authors from diverse backgrounds writing books with characters like them, and we need more of them to get published. We also need more authors from all backgrounds writing books with characters that aren’t like them, characters that come from minority, marginalized, or oppressed groups, characters that aren’t often found in children’s literature. We need those characters drawn in ways that reflect the vast divversity even within said groups. We need authors and illustrators to create books that reflect the truth of people from these groups, even if that truth is uncomfortable. We also need authors to create books that reflect how the world should be and could be for kids from these groups. Because it’s just as important to look forward and to speculate with hope as it is to look back with clear eyes and reveal hard truths about the way things were and how that impacts the way things are.

We need all of these things. Right now.

Now we get to the part where some authors say: I agree with you, but just look at what happened to Sophie Blackall (the illustrator) or even Emily Jenkins, the author. They tried and they got it wrong and they got attacked!

Yes well, that’s art3.

Less flippant answer: It’s always worth it to try, to fail, to try again and be better, to learn from your missteps, to grow and keep trying.

Others will rightly point out that this growth that comes out of failure has an impact on people beyond the author, and that is true. It’s imperative to then do your best to learn from others’ mistakes and to put in the work so you can avoid the obvious pitfalls.

How?

This is the part where what I say sounds like a pitch, but it’s honestly not.

Here’s how: You learn how to write the Other sensitively and convincingly. It can be done. You start by reading the book Writing the Other: A Practical Approach by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward. Or, you start by taking Nisi and Cynthia’s workshop in person or online. Or, you start by taking a another workshop or class about writing and the Other online or at a university or at a convention or conference.

And yes, Nisi and I are teaching a class on this topic next month. (You can register here if it fits in your schedule, and you can get announcements of new classes here if not.) And we’ll keep teaching it whenever we can throughout next year and hopefully beyond. Because this issue is important to us, as it’s also important to Cynthia Ward and Daniel José Older and many, many, many other authors and editors and teachers.

Look for these opportunities. Read the book, read articles and blog posts and talk to people and listen. Because we need more authors, especially authors who already have relationships and contracts with publishers, to say: children’s books should be for all children, not just some. Also to say: children’s books that include Black and Latin@ and Japanese and Native American and Nigerian and other characters from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds are for all children, no matter their background, because we are all people and all of us deserve to be reflected in books and all of us deserve to be seen by the Other (relative to yourself) as people worth knowing and understanding.

We need this now. Let’s get it done.

By whatever means necessary.

 

Footnotes

  1. If you haven’t yet heard about the controversy, there are summaries, illustrations, and reactions from various folks, including the author–the illustrator is in the video–at Bossip and VH1 [⇧]
  2. For an example of what publishers and editors can do, see this blog post by the LEE&LOW staff. [⇧]
  3. Also, I wouldn’t characterize the criticism as an “attack” though I know some will [⇧]

New Class: The Art of Writing the Other – Weekend Intensive

By:  TempestClasses

When: December 11th 7PM Eastern to December 13th 10PM Eastern
Location: ONLINE via Google Hangout
Price: $250 + service fee
Registration begins: November 6, 2015

This is a new version of our class condensed into a shorter time frame (2.5 days) that also costs less. The material covered in this course is similar to our previous 6 week classes, just heavily concentrated. This class is for writers who cannot commit to regular meetings over several weeks but can devote one weekend.

The class is appropriate for all writers (fiction, plays, comics, screenplays, and games included) from all backgrounds and any skill level.

Please see the registration link for all details, including schedule.

Miss this class? Sign up for our mailing list to get notifications when we give it again.

Tempest Challenge #16: Archangel by Marguerite Reed & Elysium by Jennifer Marie Brissett

By:  TempestTempest Challenge

Took a long hiatus, sorry! I wanted to get out the last of the Wisdom from WisCon suggestions. This week’s books feature characters that AREN’T isolated from their families and communities, plus gorgeous writing and awesome covers.

This week’s challengers: Margurite Reed and Gretchen T of A Room of One’s Own bookstore.

And, as always, you can support me making Tempest Challenge vids by clicking the links below when you…

Buy Archangel (The Chronicles of Ubastis) by Marguerite Reed from A Room of One’s Own, Powell’s, or Amazon; or Elysium by Jennifer Marie Brissett from A Room of One’s Own, Powell’s, or Amazon.