Before I talk of the tribulations that accompany a writer’s life overseas, I want to emphasize that the experience is profoundly rewarding. One of the greatest benefits is the ability to step outside the cultural milieu of the United States and look back on everything you took for granted.
Back in college, when I first set out to be a professional author, the biggest question I wanted answered upfront was: “What does being a pro author mean?” What were the qualifications? How did I set goals to become a professional so I could know if I’d attained that level? Lo and behold, as I […]
When I first qualified for SFWA, it had been going through yet another kerfuffle—which one almost certainly doesn’t matter; they tend to come up again and again. People were quitting, and there were questions about whether SFWA is still relevant. That’s why I knew I had to join. I believe in a big tent philosophy—that […]
Tanith Lee (b.1947) died on May 24. She was nominated for the Nebula twice, once for her debut non-juvenile novel, Birthgrave, and later for the short story “Red As Blood.”
It happens that I’m writing this blog in an airport, on my way home from a con where I moderated a panel about what SFWA offers to members. It’s something I’ve talked about a lot over the last few years, either at events like that or just in conversation with other writers: laying out all […]
When I heard that the SFWA blog editors were asking members to write about their experiences with SFWA, my first thought was that I wasn’t the right person to do such a post. After all, I’m not a big-name author, so nobody is going to seek out what I have to say just because I’m […]
