Category Archives: writing

Cat Valente’s Excellent Idea

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Pat Bowne

The Hugo controversy has died down a lot, and instead of merely being mad at each other people are beginning to come up with interesting ideas. I particularly like Cat Valente’s proposal for a set of awards that specifically reward … Continue reading →

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One advantage of being a writer

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Pat Bowne

Tonight I was supposed to attend my book group. I was really looking forward to it, since I had suggested the book we were discussing. But when I got to the group, on the other side of town, there was … Continue reading →

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I seem to love stories about bears

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Pat Bowne

I’m half-way through The Secret History of Fantasy and this is the story I’ve enjoyed the most: Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson. What a fine story this is! It felt completely real from beginning to end, and like the best fantasies … Continue reading →

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It’s not just me, it’s spring

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Pat Bowne

Rochita Loenen-Ruiz weighs in on the state of science fiction and fantasy writing today in a column for Strange Horizons, and I see echoes of not only what I tried to say in recent posts but of the article I … Continue reading →

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Who’s allowed to write about what?

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Pat Bowne

The day after I write a post comparing rules for writing female characters to pickled fish in a jar, Amanitta Forna compares the activity of categorizing writers and deciding what they’re allowed to write about to collecting butterflies. As dead … Continue reading →

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You’ve told me how, now show me why

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Pat Bowne

In the last two weeks alone, I saw three articles on blogs I follow about how to write realistic female characters. But how many of those bloggers review books that contain realistic female characters? This seems to be a pattern. … Continue reading →

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Wisdom

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Pat Bowne

From Ann Leckie: “…the “rules” and advice about what does and doesn’t sell and how stories ought to be is safety railings and nets that you think are helping you, except they’re actually keeping you from doing the thing you really … Continue reading →

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Happy About Sad Puppies

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Pat Bowne

The Sad Puppies are back again, putting forward their slate of nominees for the Hugo awards. I haven’t read any of them, or any of the other slates that have been put forward (except for one story that had absolutely … Continue reading →

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Authors Behaving Badly

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Pat Bowne

Seriously? An author traveling to another country to track down a reviewer who panned him, and attacking her in a grocery store? An author stalking a negative reviewer, going to her house and looking into her car? This is bat-shit. … Continue reading →

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A New Story!

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Pat Bowne

My creation myth ‘Great Light’s Daughters’ is in the Third Flatiron Press’s “Abbreviated Epics” anthology. Go forth and read! It can be purchased at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/478247 and Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NRA6A2W TweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDelicious