The good, the bad, and the quite silly. The Australian Speculative Fiction Carnival.

Writing speculative fiction feels like the Perils of Penelope. Except instead of good' and 'evil', there is 'good', 'evil' and 'quite silly'. Because of the number of entries this month, I will make three posts, one dedicated to each category. Yes, you have to wait for the 'quite silly'. If you must suffer, please do so in silence.

Let's start with evil.

Fickle audiences are the pits. Even ones that can be sent to bed.

Justine Larbalestier on avoiding evil . (in this instance, triumphantly refusing to be scammed).

An announcement that was much-repeated was the lineup for the forthcoming Agog! Anthology. . It is daunting and puts the anthology up there with Troy as a "Book I *have* to obtain… or else."
For Strahan on Troy. Both books are *evil* because of what they do to book budgets.

Quality of writing - the never-ending debate
Trent Jamieson refuses to name names (except Tansy Rayner Roberts). The writers may be superb, but we all want to know what names he isn't naming. This wins Trent a big black hat.

This is the same Trent who suggests about unwriting "Do not try this at home." This ought to be under 'silly' but I have a novel to finish, so unwriting is evil.

A whole bunch of writers demonstrate that punctuation makes emotions run riot.

The power reviews exert. Mwahaha. ASif hits 500,000 page requests and sells advertising space

Tansy Rayner Roberts welcomes ASIM's first podcast
then farewells the magazine. She points out (offblog) the podcast is not in fact bad except in that it puts all other podcasts to shame with its extreme brilliance.

Carnival part 2

And now for the fondly virtuous.

There was - as there always is - lots of talk about writing-as-craft, or art, or struggle, or going mad. Some blogs include samples. Some analyse. Some link to third parties and refuse committal. This is occasionally more 'conscious virtue' than 'virtue', but you have to admit, writers working hard is the stuff of white hats.

Rjurik Davidson as himself and Rjurick channeling Connie Willis (or maybe just quoting her - I suspect the channeling is just something I wish I could see).

Deborah Biancotti on writing, family life and related theoretical constructs and Trent Jamieson roiling.

Glenda Larke thinks about readers who don't 'get' a piece of writing while Andrew Macrae contemplates originality. Which naturally leads to Tansy Rayner Roberts discussing believability vs accuracy.

I really hate the use of the word 'pimping' on blogs. It is an ugly word with an ugly history. That doesn't mean I hate Russell Farr for using the word to advertise much of interest in Australian spec fic. Lots of great projects worth checking out. http://punkrocker1991.livejournal.com/83472.html
http://punkrocker1991.livejournal.com/83289.html
http://punkrocker1991.livejournal.com/82952.html
http://punkrocker1991.livejournal.com/82290.html
http://punkrocker1991.livejournal.com/81486.html
http://punkrocker1991.livejournal.com/81077.html

My favourite writing debate this month is about the feasability of kangaroos:worldbuilding, language and related matters in novels. It was mainly between Glenda Larke, one of her readers, Karen Miller and me. You can find it here (out of order, because I am revolting against lineality today. I am also simply revolting. Please send chocolate.):
http://glendalarke.blogspot.com/2006/05/first-reviewand-why-arent-kangaroos.html
http://glendalarke.blogspot.com/2006/04/getting-language-of-period-and-place.html
http://glendalarke.blogspot.com/2006/04/world-building.html
http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/123147.html
http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/120869.html

NY Times Bestsellers. Well, one of them. And not entirely Australian. Still, worth celebrating.

Andromeda Spaceways trials pdf download. Lots of reports on this, mostly repeating the press release. A sample of one.

Little stories lead to big things. A small, quiet announcement was made about a new ezine
and that announcement was echoed (for example ) and within minutes the editor was inundated with requests for writing guidelines. The editor is currently hiding under a bed, as is the original world creator. They are not under the same bed.

Let us end on a meaningful note. This post was recommended for inclusion simply because readers loved it.

Carnival Part 3 - quite, quite silly

Talking Squid arrived when we weren't looking. Talking Squid have opened a competition for the most spectacular male SF writer. Some of the pictures are dicey, but it's not too late to vote, or to point out the number of superbly handsome men who have somehow been missed. I think the point is that if you don't like your photo, you borrow someone else's. Don't miss the comments on this one. Also don't miss *adding* to the comments on this one.
http://www.talkingsquid.net/archives/44
http://www.talkingsquid.net/archives/42
http://andrewmacrae.livejournal.com/10589.html

And, in case your need for pictures of Australian spec fic writers is not sufficiently nourished by the Talking Squid photo gallery, go here and here. Ben Peek can be discovered in typical pose.

Where Martin Livings is amazed to find he was published by Pan Macmillan and has written about werewolves.

ASIM encourages potential slush-readers by suggesting that really, bleeding eyeballs are not part of the experience. Robbie is eminently believable. Mostly.

Memes. Not so many about writing this month. Glenda Larke claims one, but seems to be alone. Either that or Philologa didn't send me the others.

My favourite comment on the Ditmars.