Come Selahway With Me…

Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy is a collection of essays and interviews by and with many of the movers-and-shakers in the industry.  Each contributor covers the specific element of craft he or she excels in.  Expect to find varying perspectives and viewpoints, which is why you many find differing opinions on any particular subject.

This is, after all, a collection of advice from professional storytellers.  And no two writers have made it to the stage via the same journey-each has made his or her own path to success.  And that’s one of the strengths of this book.  The reader is afforded the luxury of discovering various approaches and then is allowed to choose what works best for him or her.

 The following is a list of all the talented people who were brought in to contribute on this excellent resource:

Neil Gaiman
Orson Scott Card
Ursula K. Le Guin
Alan Dean Foster
James Gunn
Tim Powers
Harry Turtledove
Larry Niven
Joe Haldeman
Kevin J. Anderson
Elizabeth Bear
Jay Lake
Nancy Kress
George Zebrowski
Pamela Sargent
Mike Resnick
Ellen Datlow
James Patrick Kelly
Jo Fletcher
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon Van Gelder
Lou Anders
Peter Crowther
Ann VanderMeer
John Joseph Adams
Nick Mamatas
Lucy A. Snyder
Alethea Kontis
Nisi Shawl
Jude-Marie Green
Nayad A. Monroe
G. Cameron Fuller
Jackie Gamber
Amanda DeBord
Max Miller
Jason Sizemore

Amanda Debord has written a great post for us about emotions a lot of us in the writing world feel, no matter where we’re at.

When I first started hearing the buzz about this new guide, Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy, I was a bit skeptical.  Not like you think, though.  I knew some of the people involved and had (obviously) heard of just a few others ifyouknowwhoi’mtalkingabout.  I had no doubt the final product would be high-quality.  No, my skepticism was over my understanding of the venture.  We’re putting out a book with advice from Neil Gaiman and Orson Scott Card and … me?  Surely there must be some mistake.  Just take a minute to read the names at the top of the list.  What are these people doing, giving advice, anyway?  It’s not like they actually try at this stuff.  I’m pretty sure Neil Gaiman just wakes up each morning, and the Gods of Awesomeness have delivered his latest product tooth-fairy-style on a golden platter on his nightstand.  Right?

So, I’m only being a little silly here, but I think you know what I’m getting at.  When I first started to take seriously the thought of myself as a writer, one thing constantly frustrated me.  No matter how happy I was with a piece I’d written, no matter how close to flawless I felt I’d gotten, there was still something intangible between my stuff and their stuff.  I wasn’t a “real” writer.  I was just someone who wrote.  There was something missing there – some spark, some specialness that was the secret handshake to the club where the real writers hung out.  We are not the same people.

It wasn’t long before I found myself taking part in some critiquing circles, and found myself doing some editing, which is all just fancy forms of one of my favorite past-times: giving advice.  “You know what I’d do with this character if I were you?”  That sort of thing.  I got advice myself, too.  From writers better than me.   From writers worse than me.   And it all helped.  Still does, in fact.

That’s just the thing.  All writers are readers at heart, and we all struggle with the blank page.  Just like you.  Sometimes the stories come fast, out of nowhere, and really do feel like they’re laid like mysterious packages on our doorstep.   With others, we battle with every word.  Sometimes, we read an essay by Orson Scott Card and it inspires us to try something new.  Sometimes, we break out that dusty old Strunk & White and remind ourselves just how to use a semi-colon.  Sometimes, we read a round-table interview with Amanda DeBord and it helps us understand why that editor was being such a jerk, and why we really shouldn’t send her hate mail.  They’re all building blocks.

And, all this advice from all of these people, top of the page to bottom shows you something very important.  We are all the same people.  Forgive my hubris, and realize the hidden message in what all of these great writers are saying in their essays in this book: This is what worked for me.  I’ve struggled with what you’re struggling with, and here’s the lantern that lit my way.

And like always, we have some giveaways going on! The first is a tour-wide giveaway for the following prizes:

1- $30 Amazon Gift Card and a special hardcover copy of The Writers
Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy, and epub or mobi version of The
Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy (on hardcovers, only 100
made, NEVER offered for sale) (US/Canada residents only)

2 softcovers of The Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy
(US/Canada residents only), and ePub/Mobi version of book.

4 runner up winners of ePub or Mobi versions of The Writers Workshop of
Science Fiction and Fantasy, PLUS winner’s choice of one of four new
anthologies in ePub or Mobi formats:  Southern Haunts (Paranormal) ,
Perfect Flaw (Dystopian), Vampires Don’t Sparkle! (Horror) or The End
Was Not the End: Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Tales (Fantasy)

To put your name in for those prizes, go to the Rafflecopter HERE 

Aaaand, I also have an ebook copy of Writer’s Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy to give away. Simply leave a comment (with an email address)  telling me why you want it, and I’ll select a name at random at the end of the week!