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- Liz on Awesomesauce news! Falling Leaves
- nicole on Awesomesauce news! Falling Leaves
- Liz on Mermaid’s Hook will kiss your ear-meats
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- Being a bit o’ this and that at the beginning or end of one week or another | AndreaBlythe.com on Jealousing is the new writing exercise
Jun 23rdPreparing to write write write
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
by LizMar 3rdWriter’s Block, Shovels, Ignite!
It’s 2am. In a little over 16 hours I will be presenting my first Ignite Portland Talk, How to Hit Writer’s Block in the Face with a Shovel. I love the Ignite format – 20 slides, 15 seconds a slide. It’s really challenging and it has been an interesting process winnowing my profusion of thoughts down into such a concise format.
Given the restrictions here’s some further reading. Some of these I encountered while I was preparing my talk and was sad not to be able to include them.
Creative Process
- The Artists Way – will get a brief mention in the talk.
- How to Get Things Done, by Robert Benchley – oh it is a delight, thank you Sara Ryan for introducing me to him.
Feb 15thMy Campbell Year
Ever since I heard of the Campbell Awards I have loved them. The Campbell Award, given every year during WorldCon, recognises new emerging writers. Once you have received your first ok pay cheque for writing sf/f a clock starts to tick and you have two calendar years to prove yourself worthy of nomination. Carving out a life as a writer is a long marathon and it’s nice to see relatively close goals that you can aim for towards the start of the journey.
I’ve enjoyed thinking about how in 2010 and 2011 would be my years to chase the Campbell dream, to prove myself worthy, to aim high. In a strange twist of fate my first Campbell Award eligible work came out in December 2009, starting the clock a year earlier than I had dreamed (my Campbell bio is now up). I am delighted that Cracked Leather found a place to be published and has been so warmly received. I wouldn’t change it for the world (well maybe the world). It just means my tidy little fantasy of 2010 and 2011 to prove my worthiness for voting in 2012 has been truncated by a year.
The challenge is significant and I am not sure if I will prove my worthiness in time, but it is still worth striving for. I will throw myself as much as I can. This is a challenge to myself and not in competition. I plan to soar with my fellow nominees – we are in this crazy dream together. I will write, I will edit, I will send work to publishers, I will read, I will learn from my peers – as I do every year. But this year I will have an extra spur to my sides that I plan to use. This year will never come again.
2010 is my Campbell year. I’m going to enjoy the challenge.
by LizJan 25thCampbell Awards – get ready to vote!
“The John W. Campbell Award is given to the best new science fiction or fantasy writer whose first work professional publication in the previous two year. of science fiction or fantasy was published in the previous two years” (Campbell official website).
I’m not sure if I’m in my first year of eligibility, though I am listed on the website! I open a terrible can of worms with Cracked Leather as it is a fairly interstitial piece. I’ve checked in with the moderators to make sure I fit, but I have not yet heard back from them. Lets focus on some other folks.
It is a pleasure to know some of the talented people who are eligible for nomination. These are the folks I know who are in their second year:
by LizJan 20thClarion collection of posts have been updated
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.
by LizNov 16thSix Memos for the Next Millennium – words, concepts that unlock new layers
I’ve just finished reading Six Memos for the Next Millennium, the last work by Italo Calvino, a series of lectures on writing he was to deliver in 1985. Much is said about the hows of writing, tricks of the trade and so on, even more so now that there are more writers (emerging and established) talking about their process than ever before. Italo Calvino does something different.
Italo Calvino talks engages with writing on a higher (and fundamental) level and writes about Lightness, Quickness, Exactitude, Visibility and Multiplicity. He died before he was able to write the final memo, Consistency.
by LizMar 31stClarion blogs, journals, articles and interviews
Last updated 23 December 2012
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.
Please let me know if you have (or know of) a link that should be added. 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.
This a lot of information, so you may wish to start with Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers’ Workshop written by Clarion co-founder Kate Wilhelm.
Direct links to journal entries (or tagged collections of entries)
NEW Andy Romine and John Remy – Clarion West 2010
- Andy and John collaboratively write about their experience
NEW Linda J Dunn – Clarion 2000
- Linda blogged frequently and frankly. She wrote 20 stories while at Clarion. The 19 Clarionites in her year wrote 126 stories between them!
Leonard Pung Remembered – Clarion ’09
- Leonard Pung Memorial Scholarship
- I wrote about Leonard, and collected other posts written in his memory
Excerpts from Story Teller at Small Beer Press
5 Things I Learned at Clarion/Clarion West
- Andy Romine writes a full journal entry for each thing he learned.
- Part 1 - Grá Linnaea, Jim Kelly, Ken Schneyer, Megan Kurashige, Paul M Berger
- Part 2 – Adam Israel, Damien Walter, Dana Huber,Ferrett Steinmetz, Kat Howard, Liz Argall, Stefani Nellen, Tim Pratt
- Part 3 – Collin Piprell, Edd Vick, John Walters,Nicole Taylor, Philip Brewer, Sue Burke
- Part 4 – Emily Jiang, Matt London, Monica Byrne
Adventures in SciFi Publishing – Clarion 2008
- A series of interviews with instructors and graduates.
- Nalo Hopkinson talks about creating a good culture during your workshop around 20 mins into this interview
Alumni Interviews on Tor.com, by Matt London
Tiffani Angus – Clarion 2009
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
- And a general Clarion tag, for pre-Clarion and post-Clarion briefings
Frank Ard – Clarion West 2010
- Interview from University of South Alabama – warning, it is a facebook link
Liz Argall – Clarion 2009
- Congratulations and advice to the Class of 2010
- Post Clarion and moving to the USA reflections – We do it because it is hard
Mishell Baker – Clarion 2009
- Fantasy Magazine article on pregnantly preparing for Clarion
Lee Batersby hosts guest blogs and other juicy Clarion things – Clarion South 2009
- Clarion tagged thingies on Lee Battersby’s Blog
Gregory Norman Bossert – Clarion 2010
Alessio Bresciani – Clarion South
Keyan Bowes – Clarion 2007
- Keyan Bowes has created a lovely index page chronicling her Clarion experiences
Philip Brewer – Clarion 2001
- Launchpad for journals, essays (including one on the costs) and linkage love for the class of ’01
- What if you can’t go to Clarion? How to be your own writer’s workshop
Michael A. Burstein – Clarion 1994
John Chu – Clarion 2010
Aidan Doyle – Clarion South
The Ferret – Clarion
- Collected Journal entries about Clarion (updated to a new and improved launchpad 1 April 09, thanks Mr Ferret)
Eugene Fischer – 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
Peta Freestone – Clarion 2011
- Excellent advice for anyone preparing for Clarion or an intensive residential writers workshop
Neile Graham – Clarion West 1996
Gavin J Grant – Clarion 2000
Random Jane – Clarion West 2005
- Short and sweet with some unusual metrics (I wonder how the yoga mat is)
Artemis Jones – Clarion West 2002
James Wallace Harris – Clarion West 2002
Babel Krieg – Clarion West 2008
Jordan Lapp – Clarion West 2009
Geoffrey A. Landis - Clarion 1985
- Survival tips (still relevant today), a few thoughts looking back, and where are they now statistics
David Levine – Clarion West 2000
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
Maura McHugh – Clarion West 2006
- Maura’s posts tagged Clarion – go back a few pages if you want to read stuff written in the moment (though often reflections afterwards have interesting digestions).
Suzy McKee Charnas – A tutor’s perspective
Sam J Miller – Clarion 2012
- Sam has collected an epic number of quotes. Writing advice, industry advice, shenanigan advice. These quotes came from the following brilliant writers:
Ted Chiang, John Scalzi, Delia Sherman, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Vernor Vinge,Walter Jon Williams, Jeffrey Ford, Greg Van Eekhout, Doselle Young, Karen Jay Fowler, Shelley Streeby, Cindy Pon,Carmen Machado, Chris Kammerud, Lisa Bolekaja, Ruby Obeyeskere, E.G. Cosh, Eliza Blair, Sadie Mattox, Joseph Kim, Sarah Mack, Deborah Bailey, Daniel McMinn, Jonathan Fortin, Lara Donnelly, Danica Cummins, Luke Pebler, Pierre Liebenberg, Eric Esser, and Sam J. Miller.
Steve Mitchell, Clarion South 2009
Cathy Morrison – Clarion 2003
- Clarion Journal. Nicely structured so you can see which instructor her brain-meats are about to be inspired by.
Val Nolan – Clarion ’09
Kari O’Connor – Clarion 2007
John Remy – Clarion West 2010
Pamela Rentz – Clarion West 2008
Shauna Roberts – Clarion 2009
- Shauna reflects on the process on her personal blog
- Shauna writes about it in Novel Spaces
Andy Romine – Clarion West 2010
Ben Rosenbaum – Clarion West
- http://www.benjaminrosenbaum.com/journal/2001_06_20.html
- http://www.benjaminrosenbaum.com/journal/2001_07_12.html
- http://www.benjaminrosenbaum.com/journal/2001_08_17.html
Allan Rousselle – Clarion West 2001
Rudy Rucker – Clarion West 2009
- Some sage words from an instructor How to write
Ken Schneyer – Clarion 2009
- Ken’s congratulations and advice to the Class of 2010
- Index of posts relating to Clarion (some of his posts even have pretty pictures!)
John Schoffstall – Clarion West 2004
Wendy A. Shaffer – Clarion West 2002
William Shunn – Clarion 1985
Angela Slatter – Clarion South
Clarion South on Tor.com – an overview
Clarion South on WordPress, including interviews with tutors on the process.
Clarion South Collective of 2007
- What comes first the successful writer or the workshop part one
- What comes first the successful writer or the workshop part two
- Getting creative part 1
- Getting creative aka the physics of unicorn horns part 2
- Quantity versus quality part one
- Quality over quantity part two
- Everything I need to know I learned at clarion south by laura e goodin
- Working-with-the-big-bad-bold-tutors
and the achievements of the 2007 class over the last two years
Jasmine Stairs – Clarion 2011
- All of her Clarion experiences tagged together. Full of pretty pictures and entertaining quotes.
Dallas Taylor – Clarion 2010
- Looking back at Clarion 2010 – and why you should apply for 2011
- Process, application and who knows what else under his Clarion tag
Tom Undeberg – Clarion 2010
Michael Underwood – Clarion West ’07
Jeff VanderMeer, Clarion South 2009
Tracie Welser (Clarion West 2010)
- Things tagged Clarion on her blog (including her Clarion Tattoo)
Alex Wilson – Clarion 2006
Caroline M. Yoachim – Clarion West 2006
Clarion related and more alumni
Tina Connolly maintains a lot of knowledge love and linkage love for Clarion West, her year and other years
General blogs and linkage love for Clarion class of 2006
Blog links for Clarion West class of 2006
David Barr Kirtley – After Clarion
The Clarion Actual
The Clarion Foundation, & Clarion (San Diego, USA)
Clarion West (Seattle, USA)
Clarion South (????, Australia) – on hiatus indefinitely until they find an affordable venue. If you know somewhere that might be suitable for hosting a 6 week residential workshop please contact the organizers.
And down below, that’s my Clarion – 2009, San Diego
by Liz
Feb 22ndLiz Bio vs 2
With thanks for the kind crits, here is version 2:
A zombie love story, a seed that breaks through and changes the world, the quest to be cool through the power of snake skins or the disillusionment of of a nuclear physicist are a few of Liz’s tales. Dark and macabre or playful and delicious – she writes stories about hope, strength, survival and change. Liz writes across many media and genres, but comics are her major passion.
Liz carves out a diverse career as a freelancer, frequently working in educational comics as a writer, editor, project manager, talent scout and artist liaison. She has run creative workshops for a range of organisations, including the National Museum of Australia, Conflux and the Young Music Society. She even gets paid for writing creative works and essays, on spec or by commission. She has worked on and off as a Life Model for nine years. Prior to become a freelancer she worked as researcher, union organiser, refuge worker, circus manager and providing consulting and support to the community sector.
Her comics have been published in an array of publications, including Meanjin, The Girl’s Guide to Guy Stuff, Eat Comics, Something Wicked and in the collection Songs Dreams and Nightmares. She has supported and written for lip magazine since its inception. Her work is often psychological, poignant and she loves gritty urban fantasy. Her anthology, Dreams of Tomorrow, won a Bronze Ledger Award for Small Press of the Year. On Boxing Day she appeared nude in the Canberra Times to support the Parisian Life Model Strike and in January 2009 her musical Comic Book Opera, written with composer Michael Sollis, was performed for the first time.
If you want to find out more check out www.lizargall.com , drop her a line or say hi.
by LizFeb 17thYour views wanted – new Bio
The art of Bio is a strange and mysterious one. I’ve been reworking one for the Emerging Writers festival in May.
What do you think? Does it interest you? Does it inspire you to come along to something I’m running? Does it inspire you to employ me?
Bio:
Liz’s stories often take people to dark places and then bring them out the other side. Stories about hope, strength, survival and change. Never one to hang out in the dark too long her stories can also be playful and delicious. She writes across many media and genres, but comics are her major passion.
In June 2008 she put the management of Warehouse Circus into new hands and plunged into the life of a freelancer. She works in educational comics as a writer, editor, project manager, talent scout and artist liaison. She has run creative workshops for a range of organisations, including the National Museum of Australia, U-Turn and the Young Music Society. She even gets paid for writing creative works and essays, on spec or by commission. She has worked on and off as a Life Model for nine years. Prior to taking the plunge she has worked as researcher, union organiser, refuge worker, circus manager, consulting and supporting for not for profit organisations to have better practices and be more prepared for emergencies.
Her comics have been published in an array of publications, including Meanjin, The Girl’s Guide to Guy Stuff, Eat Comics, Something Wicked and in the collection Songs Dreams and Nightmares. She has supported lip magazine since its inception. Her work is often psychological, poignant and she loves gritty urban fantasy. She’s even has won an award or two. On Boxing Day she appeared nude in the Canberra Times to support the Parisian Life Model Strike and in January 2009 her musical Comic Book Opera, written with composer Michael Sollis, was performed for the first time.
If you want to find out more check out www.lizargall.com , drop her a line or say hi.
by LizFeb 9thComic creation drop in workshop in Canberra
Making Comics – writing, drawing and scheming!
Serious, silly, gritty, funny, bizarre or poignant. One panel to 300 page sagas and beyond. Stick figures, photo realism or crazy collage. The world of comics is an amazing place.
An informal comics creation session for experienced hands and those who’ve never tried it before. Liz Argall will tailor the drop in session to what you want to learn and where you’d like to take the craft – draw, doodle, write and where to after that? Lets make some awesome comics.
When: 2.30 – 5.30 Tuesday 17 February
For: People aged 12-25
Where: U-Turn
Corner Chandler Street and Swanson Court
Belconnen ACT 2616
This workshop is free, thanks to the great folks at U-Turn who are all about:
Supporting young people aged 12 to 25 years, through recreational, educational, and health promotional activities, programs and community-based projects.
U-Turn organise a whole range of activites for young people in the Belconnen region – http://www.bcsact.com.au/
by Liz