Category Archives: Clarion West

Sale! (or, how I learned to stop worrying and write science fiction)

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Andy

This will be very old news to those of you who follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, but I’ve made my first pro sale! Lightspeed Magazine has picked up “The Parting Glass” for its December 2011 issue. I’m very proud of this story. I wrote it during Week Six at Clarion West in 2010, and as someone who’s a long-time self-avowed fantasy writer it was kind of a big deal for me to write it. Science fiction is often perceived by readers and would-be writers to always involve loads of hard science, complicated astronomical or biological theory (with attending formulae worked out in the text), and brainy scientists who save the day because of their intimate understanding of quantum mechanics. Okay, science fiction is sometimes these things. But it doesn’t have to be. Speaking as a writer who is more right-brained than left, I’ve always been intimidated by the … Continue reading →

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Clarion West Write-a-thon Wrap-up

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Andy

Wow, six weeks flew by in a flash! The Clarion West class of 2011 have all gone home and the Write-a-thon has ended. Congratulations to this year’s class for surviving the experience. I hope it was as rewarding and challenging for you all as it was for me. From all accounts, it sounds like the Write-a-thon was a big success this year. Thanks to everyone who sponsored a writer — every dollar counts and helps keep this amazing program going. Thanks ESPECIALLY to those of you who sponsored me. Your support in my name means a lot to me. I promised some incentives, so I’ll be contacting each of you soon about your fabulous prizes. In the meantime, I’m traveling this week and next so updates here and the various social media will be sporadic. I hope you all are enjoying your summer as much as I have been. While … Continue reading →

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Many Updates, One Blog

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Andy

As usual, my blog has languished in the face of other writing. I send so many daily updates through Twitter and Facebook that I forget to post news here! I do have several things I wanted to share, however. First of all, the 2011 Clarion West writers workshop is now underway. It’s quite an anniversary for me, being a grad of last year’s class. I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone by, and how much has happened with my writing career since then. Congratulations to this year’s class, I wish you all the best of luck. But to further support their endeavors, and those of future classes, I’m participating in this year’s Clarion West Write-a-thon. This 6-week fundraiser runs simultaneously with the workshop and is vital to keeping the workshop going. Head on over to the sponsor page and if you don’t want to sponsor me, there are … Continue reading →

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Five Things I learned at Clarion West: Part 5

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Andy

I could go on for many more posts about all the things I’ve learned from Clarion West. But with application season drawing to a close, this seems as good a place as any to wrap this series up. Trust yourself. And get the hell out of your own way. This is by no means an easy lesson to learn. I’m still learning it–sometimes the hard way. I’d be willing to bet that even some established writers struggle with this. At least that’s what I tell myself when I feel self-doubt coming on… Self-Doubt is a familiar companion to many of us. It can whisper seductively in your ear while you’re pounding out that first draft, trying to convince you that your first drafts are never any good. It can carp at you during revisions, mocking you for your slim vocabulary and cliched dialogue. It likes to look over your shoulder … Continue reading →

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