Liz Argall » clarion

Preparing to write write write

Liz — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:57:21 +0000

In a few short days I’ll be writing for the Clarion Write-a-Thon. It turns out this is a necessary act of madness. I’ve been neglecting my novel you see. I’ve had a surge in work – writing websites, communication campaigns and work-for-hire comic books and moving to Seattle AND travelling back to Portland to work with clients. I almost told the folks that made my scholarship possible last year, the Clarion Foundation, that I would have to withdraw from the write-a-thon, too busy you see… then one of my wonderful Clarion instructors, Holly Black, sponsored me. I couldn’t back out after that, let down the team?

Never!

So I shall work on my novel every day during the write-a-thon, plug away at the beasty regardless of other things that suck up my creative energy. This will be an inverse Clarion experience in many ways! At Clarion there is the amazing sensation of being in a place for one purpose and one purpose only. How often do you get to enjoy that? It felt wonderful to me. This year during the Clarion time slot I will be juggling multiple projects (from Indigenous mental health to website copywriting), travelling north and south, east and west, judging Comikaze 24 Hour Comics Challenge and I will be working on a novel, not short stories.

I’ll need your help. This novel is ambitious and a bit scary. I’m exploring many unknowns and taking a lot of creative risks. During the write-a-thon I’m going to post every day, letting you know how I’m going. I need you to nag me, poke me, encourage me, ask questions, be provocative, whatever you will (say ….cash monies to the Clarion Foundation). Neglecting a novel is a terrible thing and I must persevere and push through somehow. Four days to prepare and then it’s Go on June 27.

Lots of love

Liz

Congratulations to Clarion Class of 2010

Liz — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:51:14 +0000

Yes the class of 2010 has been announced.

Dear Clarion Class of 2010,

Congratulations and welcome. I hope you have an amazing time. I can’t believe it’s been a year already! It feels like yesterday I was running round the house waving my hands and opening bottles of champagne.

Here are some things I think helped our year and I adore my year. There are many variables, I hope this is useful.

Rearrange the tables in the cafeteria every day so that you can all sit together. I am so glad we did this and I know for me at least gave me a much stronger feeling of one whole community — a foundation for community without the strange and mysterious logistics of different eating tables.

Make community as a conscious act. Re-arrange other physical spaces to make them seem more welcoming (we did some crafty, collaborative decorating of our common room, goodbye ugly white walls). Have fun together (work hard, play hard) and find out ways to let off steam (remember to buy your water pistols, or like me you will be running around with clumsy plastic cups instead). Do STUFF.

I could go on, but this is your Clarion, have fun exploring it. May your Clarion bring you everything you hope for and more.

Best

Liz, Clarion Class of 2009

—

Jeff VanderMeer, one of the instructors posted his congratulations… squeee, look at the tribe forming in the comments section :-)

Clarion buddy Ken Schneyer posted even better advice on his blog.

This month I’ve added to my Clarion Blog posts collection with

Eugene Fisher – Clarion 2008

Advice for those who didn’t get in, congratulations to the Class of 2009, reflections and links to Kathleen Howard’s Clarion survival advice

Kari O’Connor – Clarion 2007

Many and various blog posts about Clarion

Clarion Blogs February Update

Liz — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:40:28 +0000

Three new Clarion blogs have been added to the collection this month – Random Jane, Artemis Jones and Allan Rouselle. I found these blogs through a lovely e-mail Neile Graham sent me many months ago that I’m slowly working my way through. Thanks Neile!

Clarion collection of posts have been updated

Liz — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:53:59 +0000

I try to update the collection every month with a slow, catchemall plan (sustainability is crucial). This month my new catch, harking back to 1985, is from The Ferret. Thanks for flinging them my way dude.

William Shunn and Geoffrey A. Landis have been added to the collection.

Other news

The skribit question (see right hand side of the webpage): How to find a comics artist? has been buzzing around in my head a lot. I’ve composed about 20 zillion answers, generally while trying to fall asleep or not wanting to get out of bed. I have finally found an approach that pleases me and a very rough draft has been written longhand (yep, I’m old school). I have a few other things I have to write before I’m allowed to indulge in finishing it off, but it is coming.

Writers Bootcamp – for all funky fiction writers (including folks who want to write comics)

Liz — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:25:31 +0000

This is for everyone who wants to develop their writing, but it’s especially for folks who want to write comics. Please pass it on.

Clarion Writers Workshop was a fantastic experience and really exciting for me. I write across many genres (from ‘literary’ to horror to spec fic) and I write across a range of media (prose, poetry, song and comics) and I felt developed and respected in all my guises. The focus of this workshop is the short story, but the lessons learned go much deeper and broader than that. As someone who has been slogging away at comics career for quite a while now Clarion made me really excited for emerging comic writers.

The life of an aspiring comics writer can be lonely, frustrating and it can be very difficult to get access to tha constructive criticism that will help you develop your craft. I see enormous potential for comic writers to deepen their storytelling craft through this writing workshop. I also see how comics writers can give different approaches to the craft of short story writing -> the discipline of writing comics schools you in different ways.

Clarion Writers’ Workshop is a short story writing workshop, you have to write short stories, but I strongly encourage any emerging comic writer to apply. Short stories have an interesting relationship with comics. Both media have to get in there and tell a tale, pack a punch, build a world. They are not the same, but they are crafts that give to each other.

When I attended Clarion in San Diego I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who also wrote comics or had an interest in comics. Robert Crais, one of our instructors, spontaneously organized Chris Ryall the Editor in Chief from IDW to come out and chat with us. Comicon kindly donated day passes, which allowed us to explore its gigantic wonders en mass at the end of week 4. And more important than all these cool shiny events is that I write better comics now. (Much gooder, I write gud!)

Emerging comic writers, you deserve an opportunity to develop your core story telling abilities. You should apply to Clarion. You’ll need to submit two short stories to apply, applications open in December and close 1 March – so if you haven’t got two short stories start writing them now. That’s what I did! I converted one old comic script into a short story.

Here’s the scoop from Clarion:

The 2010 Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers’ Workshop will take place June 27 through August 7, 2010 at University of California, San Diego. The instructors will be Delia Sherman, George R.R. Martin, Dale Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Jeff VanderMeer, and Ann VanderMeer.

The application period for the 2010 workshop is December 1 – March 1. Applicants must submit two short stories with their application. For information and applications, check the Web at http://clarion.ucsd.edu/ or email clarion@ucsd.edu

Established in 1968, the Clarion Writers’ Workshop is the oldest workshop of its kind and is widely recognized as a premier proving and training ground for aspiring writers of fantasy and science fiction. Many graduates have become well-known writers, and a large number have won major awards. Instructors are among the most respected writers and editors working in the field today. The six-week workshop is held on the beautiful beachside campus of the University of California, San Diego.

Clarion has been known as the “boot camp” for writers of speculative fiction. Each year 18 students, ranging in age from late teens to those in mid-career, are selected from applicants who have the potential for highly successful writing careers. Students are expected to write several new short stories during the six-week workshop, and to give and receive constructive criticism. Instructors and students reside together in campus apartments throughout the intensive six-week program.

I attended Clarion, there is also Clarion West and Clarion South – they all get rave reviews. Clarion West (Seattle) and Clarion (San Diego) occur around the same time and many apply for both. Clarion South is held every two years in Australia, the next one will be January 2011.

You want more Clarion info? Instructor and student Clarion, Clarion West and Clarion South experiences from around the globe.

Clarion 2010

Liz — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:44:17 +0000

The instructors for Clarion and Clarion West have been announced.

Clarion will have the pleasure of:

Jeff and Ann VanderMeer will be the bring it home team for the last two weeks. I’ve just finished reading Delany’s essay on Clarion, I’m so excited for next year.

Clarion West will have the pleasure of:

Clarion West doesn’t do the two week bring it home thing, but still looks freaking awesome.

Oh, how I wish it was possible to do Clarion more than once, I want to do them all. I shall just have to work really really hard and hope, twenty years from now, that I can be an instructor.

Applications for Clarion opens in January, applications for Clarion West open in December. They both run for six weeks, starting in June. I highly recommend it to writers who are serious about story and developing themselves (I know a couple of people who came to Clarion to find out if they were/could be ‘writers’ who have had beneficial experiences). The process of applying in itself is valuable and if you get in… well you’ll have one hell of a ride.

Clarion reading list

Liz — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:01:02 +0000

Updated 5 September – as I go through my notes and find more recommendations.

One of the many joys of Clarion was to get recommendations for good reads from wise teachers and co-clarionerds. This is an incomplete list, I forgot to jot down the list on the fridge and I’m sure there are ones mentioned in passing that I neglected. My dear co-clarionitics, if you read this and see absences and would like to recommend… or indeed other wise minds who read this and want to add to my enormous reading list please make some suggestions. It’s delightful to have such a rich and diverse list.

Creative resources

Outdoor Emergency Care – very detailed, step by step instructions for dealing with really diverse situations, very handy should you want a protagonist injured in some way.
Laboratory Life and Science in Action, Latour
Psychology of Science, Maslow
Macrocosmos, Lyn Margoulis
any popular book by a scientist
Science News (Magazine) - subscribed (http://www.sciencenews.org/)
a history text called “Daily life in…” will give you a great snapshot of a culture and time period at the grass roots level

Writing technique/tools

About Writing, and essay “52800 words” Delaney (read)
On becoming a Novelist, John Garner (includes how it comes out of your core and highly recommended by Elizabeth Hand) (read)
Crafty Screen Writing – Alex Epstein
The Chapter Negation of the Negation in Story – I must confess while I own a copy I always struggle to read past Robert Mckee’s self indulgent feminism slapping. It is handy to have a specific bit to of reading homework in this oft cited tome
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need, Blake Snyder
Writing down the bones
Elmore Leonard’s Rules
The Full Oxford Dictionary

Literary Criticism for Writers

Narrative Discourse, G. Genette – Novel Structure (but read a Proust novel first to get full value)
Anatomy of Criticism, N. Fry – Includes the five modalities of criticism
The Novel, F. Marettii
Shakespeare’s Imagery, C. Spurgeon
The Language of the Night (and other essay collections), Le Guin (read many of them, though not recently)
Stuff by Delaney (some read)

Short fiction/Anthologies

“Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse”, Andy Duncan
Geektastic
Kim Stanley Robinson “The Lunatics”, “Black Air”, “A short sharp shock”
Italo Calvino, especially his Italian folk tales (read 6 memos, Cosmicomics and Invisible Cities)
“Good Country People”, O’Connor
Things that never happen – M. John Harrison
Borges
Cortazar
Guy Devenport
Wolfe
Delaney (esp Driftglass, Trouble on Titan)
Hemingway
WC Williams
Tom Disch
Tiptree (especially “The girl who was plugged in”, “Love is the plan, the plan is death”, “The women men don’t see” and “Love is the Plan, the Plan is Death)
“Why I Left Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers,” Lawrence Watt-Evans

Novels

Light, M John Harrison
Engine Summer, John Crowly
Space Skimmer, David Gerrold
Celestus, Paul Park
A Voyage to Arcturus, David Lindsey
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
Titan, John Varley
Jonathan Living Seagull, Richard Bach (read)
Wildcard Anthology, George R Martin
Ulysses, Joyce
Starmaker, Stapleton
100 years of solitude, Gabrielle Garcia Marquez (I have read this half a dozen times, so I have bought and read Love in a time of cholera for a fresh Marquez)
Notes from the underground, Dostoyevsky
Hills like white elephants, Hemmingway
Gravity’s Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon
Three Guinees, Virginia Woolf (read – though now working on her diaries, not quite sure how this got on the list, there’s better Virginia Woolf)
All that summer she was mad, Hermoine Lee (a good biography of Virginia Woolf)
Books by Mollie Gloss
Trouble on Triton, Delaney
The girl on the swing, Richard Adams
The Willows, Algernon Blackwood
Lulu in Marakesh
Canticle of Leibowitz
The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
Gun with occasional music, Jonathan Lethem
The Magicians – Lev Grossman
Diaspora – Greg Egan (read)
Wedding Album - David Marusak
The Stars My Destination, Bester
Demolished Man, Bester
Light, John Harrison
Being Dead, Jim Crace (title might be wrong)
Living Will, Alexander Jablokov
Read Proust for complex figures of speech
Roddy Doyl, Paula Spinster
Gilead, Marion Robison
The Wonderboys, Chabon
Dying Inside, Robert Silverberg
Nigger to Narcissus, Joseph Conrad
The White Tiger
A Suitable Boy
books by Patrick O’Brian
Joan Aiken
Kelly Link

Poets

William Carlos Williams (the plums, the plums!)

Little liz – the accident prone years

Liz — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:55:55 +0000

… no the accident prone years would mean just about any year. I am writing this with a strapped finger after getting a deep slash in my finger while examining suitcases.

I wrote up this anecdote to share with my Co-Clarionaters, we’re getting to know each other and Mr Nicholas Bede Stenner suggested we share funny (which to me means embarrassing) stories. I shall share it with you as well.

The scene. Midnight, an eight year old Liz is cutting up a chocolate syrup bottle with stanley knife (box cutter). The plastic is really hard and I am tired and impatient and get careless. The stanley knife suddenly swishes really smoothly through plastic and over one of my fingers.

There’s a lot of blood. Everyone is sleeping and I know I shouldn’t be up and I don’t want to bother anyone and I don’t want to get into trouble so I stifle any kind of sound and try to apply first aid.

My parents, woken by random sounds and movements late at night find a bathroom with blood splats and a messy pile of bandaids that keep floating off.

My parents say “What’s going on?” with some urgency.

I hide my hand behind my back and say “nothing” convinced I am going to be in the biggest trouble ever for being so stupid with a knife.

I don’t get into trouble at all and am whisked off to hospital where I get a tetanus shot, many local anesthetic injections and get two stitches. I watch with fascination as the thread passes through my flesh and somewhere in the back of my head I’m thinking “Wow this will make a great story.”

I’m particularly pleased that I will remember this as I’m still cross that I don’t remember breaking my leg when I was three ’cause that was really cool and my leg bent at a funny angle. It’s very unfair I don’t remember breaking my leg especially because my brother says that when you break a limb it heals to be stronger and so my chances of ever having a broken leg again have been reduced by 50%.

I get a day off school to recover and I traumatise my little sister for years and years with slow graphic descriptions of watching needle and thread go through flesh.

Even at eight everything was material to observe and absorb to use for later and my technique for any kind of trauma or scary thing is “this will be useful material”.

Wonderful scholarship news

Liz — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:38:11 +0000

I just got some great news from the good people at Clarion. I have received some scholarship support from the following organisations/groups/foundations:

Walter and Marjorie Farrell Scholarship
The Farrell Scholarship in Honor of Tina Spell
IBM
Clarion Foundation and UCSD Knight/Wilhelm Endowed scholarships

You can find out more about the scholarships on the Clarion Sponsorship page.

I feel honoured that they’ve deemed me worthy. Excuse me while I do a happy dance.

I feel so fortunate, going to Clarion is a scary financial commitment, especially on the variable wages of a freelancer. Since my acceptance the Australian dollar has rallied and improved, saving me a considerable amount of money. I have sold my car for a good price and earlier than I thought (saving money on servicing and insurance, not to mention parking and petrol as I have no choice but to walk, bus or car pool). I have got several chunky projects that have also helped to bring in the dollars as well as give me amazing life experiences and see more of Australia before leaving my homeland.

The life of a freelancer can be financially precarious and as a person of relatively modest spending (or at least no regular expensive habits) one of the psychologically difficult things about shifting to a freelancer has been the struggle to save money. I discovered how much of my self esteem is tied into being able to put a little away each fortnight and being able to pay off debt quickly. Now the struggle is more epic, clawing ahead, then taken out by unexpected bills and the grind of a morgage, a quiet spell or some surgery. The joy of money and the sorrow of payments more profound, it reminds me of being a uni student.

The scholarships do not pay for all of my tuition, but it makes such a difference. I can feel my mind expanding, knowing that I have more savings to cushion me during the ups and downs of a freelancers life. A few more dollars to support my ongoing creative development and the scary adventure of living in a new country.

I am filled with gratitude.

Clarion blogs, journals, articles and interviews

Liz — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:13:32 +0000

Last updated 21 March 2010

An organically growing collection of blog posts, journals and interviews by people who have attended Clarion. To be included the posts must be specifically about the Clarion experience. I’m thinking about alphabetizing it sometime, what do you think?

There are some additional links at the bottom for general Clarion stuff. Enjoy.

The list is updated about once a month – I find journal entries from kind people sending me e-mails or comments and searching. If you add a comment with links and it does not appear within a day please e-mail me, it may have set off the spam filter. I try to check the spam box regularly, but spam is a pernicious beasty that poisons everything it touches and sometimes I might not find it.

You may wish to begin at the beginning, get cozy with Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers’ Workshop written by Clarion co-founder Kate Wilhelm. I love learning through examples, stories and anecdotes. I must sit down with it again, very practical, very lovely… and, this time round, a little nostalgic.

Direct links to journal entries (or tagged collections of entries)

NEW Eugene Fisher – Clarion 2008

Advice for those who didn’t get in, congratulations to the Class of 2009, reflections and links to Kathleen Howard’s Clarion survival advice

NEW Kari O’Connor – Clarion 2007

Many and varied blog posts about Clarion

UPDATED Ken Schneyer – Clarion 2009 (one of my Clarion buddies)

Ken’s congratulations and advice to the Class of 2010
Index of posts relating to Clarion (some of his posts even have pretty pictures!)

UPDATED Liz Argall – umm, yeah, me! Clarion Class of 2009

My congratulations and advice to the Class of 2010
Post Clarion and moving to the USA reflections – We do it because it is hard

Random Jane – Clarion West 2005

Short and sweet with some unusual metrics (I wonder how the yoga mat is)

Artemis Jones – Clarion West 2002

Artemis’ journey starts here

Allan Rousselle – Clarion West 2001

Allan’s journey starts here

William Shunn – Clarion 1985

Clarion My Wayward Son

Geoffrey A. Landis - Clarion 1985

Survival tips (still relevant today), a few thoughts looking back, and where are they now statistics

Philip Brewer – Clarion 2001

Launchpad for journals, essays (including one on the costs) and linkage love for the class of ‘01

Neile Graham – Clarion West 1996

Neile shows us her journey by sharing e-mails she sent to a friend

Pamela Rentz – Clarion West 2008

Wendy A. Shaffer – Clarion West 2002

Read the whole shebang here

Clarion South on Tor.com – an overview

A lovely overview and interview with the administrators of Clarion South

Aidan Doyle – Clarion South

Angela Slatter – Clarion South

Overview of the full 6 weeks

Tiffani Angus – Clarion 2009 (one of my Clarion Buddies)

David Levine – Clarion West 2000

Journal entries plus lots of linkage love to other Clarion things

Lee Batersby hosts guest blogs and other juicy Clarion things – Clarion South 2009

Clarion tagged thingies on Lee Battersby’s Blog

Shauna Roberts – Clarion 2009 (one of my Clarion buddies)

Shauna reflects on the process on her personal blog
Shauna writes about it in Novel Spaces

Mishell Baker – Clarion 2009 (one of my Clarion buddies)

Fantasy Magazine article on pregnantly preparing for Clarion

Rochita Loenen-Ruiz – Clarion West 2009

In Fantasy Magazine she writes of her anticipation
She wrote many blog posts in her Livejournal, this is when she arrives at Clarion and you can trace her steps from there

Rudy Rucker – Clarion West 2009