Liz Argall

Norwescon Panels – craft, feminism, the urban fantastic & Patricia McKillip

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011 | News update | No Comments

I’ll be on a range of panels at Norwescon. This will be my first time on the other side of the table since coming to America! If you have any questions for Patricia McKillip or stuff you would love to see covered/mentioned in the other panels please let me know. My brain is hungrily exploring what would be the most interesting questions & discussions for panelists and audiences.

My Norwescon Schedule

Thursday 9pm Cascade 8 Fantastic Fantasy Females

Is fantasy the new vanguard of feminist politics? Fantasy authors discuss the role of gender issues in their work.
Jean Johnson, Liz Argall, Kim Ritchie, J A Pitts, Julie McGalliard

Friday 9am Cascade 5&6 Can’t -Put-it-Down Pacing
What distinguishes the book you can’t put down from an interesting character story or a stylistic triumph? How do they do that?

Mike Shepherd Moscoe, Liz Argall, G. David Nordley

Friday 1pm Evergreen 1&2 The Fiction of Patricia K. McKillip
Patricia McKillip is approaching the fortieth anniversary of her first novel, and she just keeps getting better. Often cited as one of the best living writers of fantasy, her work is complex, lyrical, and enchanting. We’ll discuss Pat’s legacy (well over 30 books and counting) and take this opportunity to ask her questions about her work. Pat’s awards include the Mythopoeic Award in 1995, the World Fantasy Award in 1975 and 2003, and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 2008.

Patricia K. McKillip, Leslie Howle, Kris Millering, Liz Argall

Saturday 2pm Evergreen 3&4 Writers Workshops from Local to national
Writers who have participated in both local and national workshops like Clarion West, Writers of the Future, Fantastic Fiction, and more will share their experience and answer your questions.

Eileen Gunn, K.C. Ball, Liz Argall, Keffy R. M. Kehrli, Patrick Swenson, Leslie Howle

Sunday 3pm Cascade 10 The Psychology of Urban Fantasy
If Dracula and Frankenstein were commentaries on the fears and desires of the time when they were written, how does Urban Fantasy reflect the modern world? Is Urban Fantasy a worldview that frightens us or is it one that we wish were
true? Should you write your story with this in mind?

Mark Teppo, Kat Richardson, Kurt Cagle, Liz Argall

Clarion Collection has been updated

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011 | News update | No Comments

The collection of meditations on Clarion has been updated. I have now added Andy Romine’s mediations on what he learned at Clarion West.

Edit:

In March I have also added Tracie Welser, Frank Ard, James Wallace Harris and Babel Krieg.

Tides of Hope – Queensland Floods fundraising anthology

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011 | News update | No Comments

The comic anthology will be available at Supanova Pop Culture Expo Brisbane & Melbourne this coming April for $10. 100% of the proceeds raised will be donated.

It was an honour to be asked to contribute a 1 page script to the “Tides of Hope” anthology and a challenge to write something within those narrow confines. I did a bunch of my growing up in the bush in flood and fire country and the theme touches on stuff ingrained into my psyche – from endless water to the wonderful and somewhat dangerous playground that is a creek latticed by hundreds of stacked up fallen trees. I haven’t seen the art for my story yet but I found one of the gorgeous pages that will be in it.

Maxima Vrugleplex indeed

Monday, January 31st, 2011 | News update | No Comments

I meant to grab a photo of the cast, but in the heady atmosphere I forgot both nights. Damn! If anyone has any photos or video from the play I would love love love to see it. Anyhow it was grand to see Maxima Vrugleplex live and I’m excited to see where it will go. There is nothing quite like seeing your own words performed by a plethora of brilliant voices. Life is full of adventures.

In other news, I am on a train.

Wireless on Amtrak is a wonderful thing.

Why I love Speculative Fiction

Thursday, January 27th, 2011 | News update | No Comments

There have been some interesting discussions about Speculative Fiction in recent times Cat Valente as always wrote some interesting thought provoking stuff. The Ferret posted a poll… and from that this blog post was born. Trying to articulate what Spec Fic means to me. I don’t expect people to feel obliged to take on my values and labeling systems. But I wanted to share why I find this term inspiring and empowering.

I love the phrase Speculative Fiction, it doesn’t seem to be a very cool term right now, but I love it to the core of my being. I love how broad the sweep is, I love how if you squint you can cram almost anything into it (if you’re prepared to squint for it why the hell not?). I love the challenge it lays down. To speculate, to think, question and pose possible solutions. › Continue reading

Shape for Her now available for your reading pleasure

Thursday, January 27th, 2011 | News update | No Comments

2010 - Graffiti in the Alphabet District of New York

Described by Ken Schneyer as a “weird, disturbing little story,” Shape for Her is now up on Moonlight Tuber. I hope you enjoy it.

Extreme Squee – Maxima maxima vrugleplex

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011 | News update | 3 Comments

I wanted to find image of exploding excitement, but I could not. But this explodes with cuteness... baby bunny not even a week old... BABY BUNNY.

I got to listen a sneak preview of some of a little bit of Maxima Vrugleplex yesterday. I am so full of excited meats I may explode! I may have teared up a to hear a tiny fragment of it come to life.

My beauty is premiering This Friday and closing This Saturday (Jan 28-Jan 29 book your tickets here) in Portland. Hope to see some of you there.

How can you resist a time-travel web-help-forum apocalyptic comedy?

This is what 90,000 words looks like

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 | News update | No Comments

I think I’ve learned more writing this monster than any other single work of fiction. It’s a monster, a giant, a thing of limitless potential that I am continually daunted by. I can now almost see the full shape of it. Aspects of the third act are getting clearer, spaces that had ‘political shenanigans’ are getting faces and details, events that were imposed externally are now generated internally.

I recently printed out the full work for the first time (that’s the digital age for you). It took me a ream of paper. I then grouped each section with paper clips and then stacked sections into different piles depending on the work they did. That way I could feel the weight of each point of view, see each aspect on its on and touch it with my hands. It feels a little like an archaeological dig site, moving papers from space to space to see what else I’ve hidden in them. I am something of a kinesthetic writer and touching my words, shuffling them around into different physical piles helped me bust through a lethargy I had just after 80,000.

I went to bed after achieving my 90,000 words and for the first time found myself thinking about my next novel. Despite my efforts to keep my whirring brain on my current novel I found myself captivated by the new novel… it’ll be so much easier to do, the plot clear and crisp like fresh linen… and I’ve done all this learning now. I shan’t succumb to the temptation to abandon this story for another, even though part of me whispers that a break will give me perspective. I am far too aware that I am in a danger zone where it could all melt into a puddle of could have been. I shall harness my enthusiasm for a new tale into finishing this one.

Now I must get back to fondling my papers, the words demand it.

Warning, close reading of the white board could give you spoilers... or a squint as you look at a lot of hectic scribbles. Although I consult my scribbles the physical act of making them is more important. Followed only by the power of rubbing them out when I feel my work is done and I can clear that mental/physical space.

Clarion Writers Workshop is delicious

Saturday, January 15th, 2011 | News update | No Comments

I’ve updated my MEGA archive of DOOM with reflections from the class of 2010 Dallas Taylor, Gregory Norman Bossert, John Chu and Tom Undeberg.

My dear writer friends, applications for Clarion Writers’ Workshop opened in December 1st 2010 and will stay open until March 1st.

It’s held at UC San Diego June 26 – August 6, 2011. Instructors are Nina Kiriki Hoffman, John Scalzi, Elizabeth Bear, David Anthony Durham, John Kessel and Kij Johnson.

Meeting up with one of my instructors Robert Crais at a book signing - January 2011

In 2009 I went. And it’s still paying dividends. Parts of the experience still make me squee with joy. When I know I’m going to see one of my classmates or instructors I start grinning like a maniac and clapping my hands. I’ve seen a new group come through 2010 taking away our baby graduate status (now I guess we’re toddlers) and the 2010 grads I’ve met are a rockin’ bunch of people. It’s exciting to be part of a new generation of writers, our generation of writers all amorphous in age, but trying to find a place in a world packed full of so much STUFF. You don’t have to go to Clarion to be part of that cohort, but I know it sure as hell helped me grow as a writer and it’s a great way to get to know more of your community.

Hugs all

Garth Nix – are you mad? Or an alcoholic? – meditations on growing up

Friday, January 7th, 2011 | News update | 1 Comment

This morning I realized/remembered this morning, that I first met Garth Nix around 15 years ago. Probably.

I knew an author had come to my school and talked about his book and career and publishing, but I only just pieced together that it was probably Garth Nix. Author Man had come to my school to talk about his book and about being a writer. Some of my class mates seemed terribly excited about this Author Man, but I did not recognize his name.

They said he was a fantasy writer, but I had not read him in Aurealis, so I figured he was probably not very good. He was probably a nobody, who wouldn’t go anywhere. Ah the mild mannered opinions of youth. Aurealis was my bible, my window and hope and geography in the world of speculative fiction. Around this time I was also convinced that this Shaun Tan guy was some hyped up 19 year old and the editorial raving about him in Aurealis was crap. It was the only time I remember disagreeing strongly with Aurealis. Like _that_ guy would go anywhere, what nonsense! A little green eyed perhaps? Perhaps a lot.

I was deeply suspicious of Author Man, for the sin of not having read him in Aurealis and perhaps because some of my class mates loved and adored him and I had not read any of him. I had just come from a vigorously alternative high school to one of the more conservative high schools in the region. To mess with that conservatism I was the sort of student that for a week sat on top of the lockers in a frozen gargoyle pose, tracking people with my eyes.

› Continue reading