It's been a while, my friend.
It's been hard to think about blogging about writing when every day since November 9, 2016 has been another round of "holy hell, what now?" I haven't gone away from writing. No, my resolve to use writing as resistance has been strengthened by a world that's eased the way for white male supremacy to show it's true face to those too complacent (and complicit) to think this hasn't been on the cards for decades. I've been writing angry, I've been writing steadily.
I do admit I have been complacent in my understanding of where this would all go. I had thought the next decades of my life would be dedicated to extending, improving, negotiating the nuance of feminist/activist SFF, and progressivism as a whole. But here we are, clawing it back, holding on to what we thought was safe. And that was my privilege showing it's ass to me, and telling me GURL, you got some reading and self-examination to do.
There is still plenty of room for discussion of nuance in this though. It's wonderful to be surrounded by a support network of people who will not back down, or let you give up hope. We'll fight for decency and equity for everyone, and punch a few Nazis on the way. We've come too far to only come this far.
As for the writing bit, I've made changes to my routine and my mindset. Gaming was dragging my attention and time down - New Year's Resolution, it's gone. It's been hard going cold turkey, but it had to be done. It's also given me a lot more time for reading, and while resettling my concentration and focus has also been hard, it's doing wonders for my mental space. I don't and won't talk about exercise because of my body issues and fat activism, but I just want to say though there have been some terribly hard days mentally, I'm finding new ways to deal with it.
See, writing isn't just about putting the words down on the page. It's about making sure your mind and body can handle the journey too. Arting is hard, yo, especially in these troubled times.
The things coming up I can talk about:
- I'm signed on for this year's New Zealand natcon, Lexicon. I'm already roped into a couple of panels, maybe more. I'll talk about those closer to the June con date.
- I'm going to Worldcon in Helsinki. Yooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! This trip is gonna be HUGE. Three weeks in Scandinavia, I'm going to see some of my Clarion buds, and wear a dashing suit to the Hugos. Look out puppies...
Things coming up I can't talk about:
- I've sold a story, but I can't say where to yet, but soooooooon. It's one of my Bucket List venues so, progress!
- I've been approached to contribute to an anthology, and I'm working on that story. Again, secret squirrel until it's all done and dusted.
I'm pleased with my steady output of work since the year started. It'd be great for these angry (angrier than usual) and odd stories to find homes, so will be interesting to see what the year brings. It has been quieter on the sales front than previous years, but that's because I've been more discerning about where I'm sending my work, and truth be told I know my style isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. I keep a certain mantra in mind: "Joanna and Tip wrote what they damn well felt like, and they got the recognition they deserve". Maybe it'll take longer than I anticipated to hit the sweet spot, years perhaps. But hell, if I'm not writing then I'm dead.
Continuing on, dragons and unicorns.
