Dear Brain

Hey. How's it going?

So, I'm really happy that you keep throwing up ideas for me to turn into stories, although I've got no idea where you're getting some of that stuff from. Except wasn't that last scene a total rip from an episode of Taxi?

Anyway, just wanted to say keep up the good work. Couple of things though:
- Can we stop coming up with important characters that have no names, or don't know their names, or can't talk or won't talk? 'Cause it's bloody hard to have a conversation with them and it's a pain to try and think of what to call them. Something that could be easily resolved if they had, you know, a name?

- And can we have just one story that doesn't take place in a pub? And no, a bar is not different to a pub. Just stick to orange juice for a while. Sheesh.

- And while we're on the subject, where do you get off making me write something that looks suspiciously like it's set in an American high school? You do know I've never been inside an American high school, right? No, I know it's not technically set in the States, but it's got principals and hall monitors and a cafeteria. If this whole shemozzle ends up at the prom, you're fired.

- Nice touch with the tomato though.

This is the soundtrack to the new story.

Why do blog posts need titles? Will I get in trouble if I don't put one in?

First of all, go listen to this recent Agony Column podcast: Jeffrey Ford reads his story "The Drowned Life" at SF in SF on March 16, 2008. I love this story. Not only because it's got a real Haruki Murakami logic to it, but because it shows how well fantasy can speak about modern politics and economics.

Holy Cory Doctorow! A Kiwi is part of the team creating anopen source 3D printer that can make copies of itself! If any of our future robot overlords read my blog, I was on the side of the computers all along. Please don't shoot me.

Excellent interview at The Fix with Sean Wallace: "Something that’s really lacking in our pages is material from overseas sources". I'm typing as fast as I can...

Tobias Buckell reckons Tor's recent ebook giveaway had the same impact on novel sales as getting nominated for a major award.

Go here and play the dust game. Waste lots of time.

Had my first coaching session with James George today. We talked about noir, new weird, magic realism and graphic novels and he gave me some truly spectacular writing advice. Weaving movement into description is my new mantra. Tomorrow I start a new piece of writing in preparation for the next session, which leaves, oh, about four stories uncompleted on my hard drive. I think this year is going to be the kind where it looks like I've done bugger all, then send out a bucketload of submissions in December. Forgive me father Heinlein, etc. Hey, does anyone else have the dream where Heinlein is dressed in a nun's habit and stands behind you with a ruler, ready to smack you on the knuckles when you don't finish a story before going on to the next one? No? Just me then.

Have some Sonny:

in which several random things are combined to make a blog post

Liz and I spent the weekend at Hahei, the first time I've really been to the Coromandel. Yes, I know it's only a couple of hours from home. Shut up. Got some more work done on the story that is eating my life and had an epiphany. This isn't just a standalone story. It's all related, albiet tangentially, to a series I'm writing. Things are proceeding better now. Started reading the latest Peter F Hamilton, which seems to have about three chapters in 600 pages. I'm normally not a fan of singularity SF, but this is Peter F Hamilton - I'm in safe hands.


Black Gate remembers Gary Gygax. If it wasn't for this man, I would never have started reading (or writing) fantasy.

Billy Bragg has a podcast. And bloody good it is too.

Are you all subscribed to Starship Sofa yet? If not, now's a great time to start. Tony's taking the week of, so in place of a show he's podcasting one of the short stories up for this year's BSFA awards every day this week.

update: This arrived in my inbox this morning:

StarShipSofa will bring you, in conjunction with the British Science Fiction Association all five of the short stories that have been shortlisted for the BSFA Award for Best Short Story 2007 in audio narrated format for FREE. Starting Monday 10th March (tomorrow) StarShipSofa will upload one of the narrated stories each day. First off, to give you a heads up will be Chaz Brenchley narrating his own story Terminal.

Now this means they will all be up online for free for you to listen to, well in advance of voting time at Eastercon.

And yes.... I will not except....."Er I was too busy to read 'em excuses!"

So... if you haven't already... pop over to StarShipSofa and subscribe for free or you can subscribe via iTunes and get some of the very best in SF short stories, narrated and uploaded for free.

Get Ready,

Blast Off!

Tony

Obligatory video. How about this?

Believe it or not, this is research

Oasis perform Roll With It, on Top Of the Pops, 1995.

More information about why this is funny (if you can't tell the Gallaghers apart) here.

And since we've brought up the #2 track from the week of 20th August 1995, here's #1:
Blur - Country House

1995 in British music
The Battle of Britpop