Learning

Yesterday I had a scare. No one died or was injured. A web page was accidentally deleted. This page took almost a month to create. I couldn't find the backup file. A colleague was able to find it and restored the page within 5 minutes. Then he taught me how to find the backup, where it was stored, and how to restore it.

I learned a new skill thanks to a mistake and the colleague that rescued my mistake. Still I learned. That's exciting to me.

Writers Who Inspire

I find it interesting when I meet someone, and they mention my other website www.susanhannifordcrowley.com. Usually it's because they are trying the writing exercise for the week. It's nice to be told that I inspire someone to write. After all, there are several writers I can name that have inspired me.

Marion Zimmer Bradley personally inspired me, first by my reading her work, second by her wonderful rejection letters that told me exactly what was wrong, and third when I learned something from all those rejection letters and started getting published.

Ursula LeGuin inspired me with her book The Lathe of Heaven. I couldn't get that book out of my mind. Isn't that what it's really all about in the relationship between authors and readers--making those characters or that story or both so memorable, that you'll remember it for a lifetime.

Anne McCaffrey wrote a book called The Ship Who Sang. It's another story that sails through my mind at times. I know a lot of her readers love Pern, but I can't forget that conscious "living" ship of hers.

Ray Bradbury inspired me with practically everything he's ever written. My favorite is still The Martian Chronicles. That woman calling every phone on Mars makes me laugh.

The story that took my breath away was written by Robert Heinlein. It was called "The Green, Green Hills of Earth." It is the ultimate heroic story. I know there have been other heros, but I always come back to that story. Perhaps it's the idea of how much home really means to someone who misses it. I can't read that story without crying.

Now you know who has inspired me.

Confluence, making friends, and writing

I was at Confluence in Pittsburgh the end of July, and it was wonderful. My three hour writing workshop went exceedingly well. The panels I participated on were fun, as well as the panels I attended. A friend of mine was facilitating the Saturday morning writing exercises and asked me to co-facilitate. That was fun too. I got to see my roomie from Worldcon Interaction, and I got to meet an old friend from Critters. I actually met so many lovely people at Confluence. It's a very warm and friendly con, and I spent a large amount of time chatting with folks both in and out of the con suite. It's a con that if you can get your room on the same floor as the con suite, it is definitely worth it. They had the most outrageously funny musical. Apparently they also have their own theater group that worked hard producing the musical play. It's definitely a con to relax at, though I can't say that I did. Being that it was my first time at Confluence, I wanted to see and do everything, and I almost did.

I got to stay with a lovely couple, Jim and Laurie. It was great to be around people who value books as highly as I do. They have the most amazing library. Another guest at their house was Lawrence Dean, a famed Filk singer from the UK. I got to hear him sing, and yes, now I have his cd. They also ran the most amazing and intriguing party. I was able to chat with the incomparable William Tenn about matters concerning the world, truly a once in a lifetime experience.

When I got home, of course, I ran immediately into the regular worlds with all its problems. But I didn't care, because I was on a Confluence high of energy and high spirits. A few days later, I was sick. A friend told me that was my coming down from my huge expanse of energy. No matter, it was all worth it.
I've been writing like a maniac. I actually wrote at Jim and Laurie's house, as well as at Confluence. I always write like a maniac. I just want to be able to write faster without so much needed editing. I've been sending out stories to magazines, query letters to agents for my fantasy novel manuscript, and writing a new fantasy novel that I never intended on writing. I belong to the online Critters critique group, and they have really inspired me.

Three editors have asked for another story. I've got to get back to writing.

Writing Workshop at Confluence 2006

I enjoyed facilitating the Special Workshop at

Confluence 2006
http://www.parsec-sff.org/confluence/
The Eighteenth Annual Literary Science-Fiction and Fantasy Conference in Western Pennsylvania
July 28th -30th, 2006
Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport

Writer's Workshop:
Writing Characters that Drive Plots Wild

The talent in the room was immense, and I'll be looking for those names in the future.
Confluence itself is warm, hospitable, intellectual, and fun.
I had so much fun, that it is difficult to say what I liked best.
If you've never been to Confluence, put it on your list to attend.
It's a blast!

Special Writing Workshop at Confluence

Special Workshop at Confluence 2006
http://www.parsec-sff.org/confluence/
The Eighteenth Annual Literary Science-Fiction and Fantasy Conference in Western Pennsylvania
July 28th -30th, 2006
Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport

Writer's Workshop:
Writing Characters that Drive Plots Wild!

Learn a practical approach to developing a hero or heroine, a villain, and a teacher or sidekick. This is a hands-on writing workshop focused on making your characters so riveting, endearing, frightening, or intriguing that readers will love them and need to read what will happen next.

Pre-con assignment: Watch Episode IV of Star Wars. (You know the first one with Luke, Leia, and Han Solo.) You are welcome to bring characters you are working on.

Facilitator: Susan Hanniford Crowley, SFWA member, writing teacher, and workshop facilitator for over 20 years.

This workshop will run from 5-8 on Friday afternoon, so you must be at the con by 4:30 to attend.

This workshop is open to Confluence members only. You need to register for the convention before you sign-up for the workshop. Be sure to bring paper and a pen; laptops are OK but we may not have enough power for everyone.

This workshop is limited to the first 12 Confluence members who E-mail Susan at onlyladyknight@yahoo.com.

Spread the news about great movies! - Serenity

I'm suffering from not enough great movies out there. They're lame. They're boring. It's time to spread the news about the really great ones out there. Maybe you have seen them. I know I was surprised when I saw "Serenity." I didn't expect it to be so visually exciting with an actual storyline. It even threw some surprises at me. I saw it when another sf writer was a house guest, and frankly, I was nervous. I figured if the movie was bad, he'd never come back. He loved it too. So for the sf lovers out there, I recommend "Serenity" with four out of five stars. They could have just gone one more inch in one scene, but I'll forgive them that.

New England Weather

Well, we've done it again. One photo was taken at 10 in the morning and the other at 5 in the afternoon. I guess Mark Twain said it best.

"There is a sumptuous variety about the New England weather that compels the stranger's admiration--and regret. The weather is always doing something there; always attending strictly to business; always getting up new designs and trying them on people to see how they will go. But it gets through more business in Spring than in any other season. In the Spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of twenty-four hours." -- Dec. 22, 1876, Mark (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) Twain

Scenes in a Mind--A Movie in the Making

I had the great honor a few weeks ago to be invited to a movie shoot. The movie in progress is called "Scenes in a Mind". It's an independent film directed by Micheley Angelina. The scenes I saw shot that day were of the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto waiting to be put on trains for the Nazi death camps. I found it profounding moving and disturbing at the same time. I had to keep turning to look at the camera crew, so my mind wouldn't be tricked into thinking it was real. I don't want to tell the story line, but I found the heroism in it to shine brightly in a dark time. These are some of the private photos I shot that day. It makes you think. How far can evil go, before someone will stand up?
I don't know that it goes far enough just to remember.

Speaking from the heart of Connecticut in a blizzard

It's Sunday, the 12th of February in 2006, and the northern coastal region of the United States is hit by a storm. For a friend in Maryland, there was only a few powdery inches. For us, it is 5 in the evening and it is almost two feet deep. The photo is of my driveway and the shed. It's a bit blurry because snow is still falling and somewhere behind all that the sun is setting. It's predicted to end around midnight. It has been a hard day with shoveling twice, and we're likely to shovel again tomorrow morning. Tonight I'm really looking forward to being warm, writing for a while, eating supper, and watching "Serenity". Best wishes from the heart of Connecticut to all who are surviving and trying to survive the storm.

When You Are Golden!

Some creatures are made for inspiration. This is my cat Isis. She is golden-orange with gold eyes.

Hail, Arisia! A hugely great time. Also seeking photos of Arisia.

Arisia as always lives up to its rep as being large yet still warm and fuzzy. It's a fun con in frozen January, and yes, it always snows. But there is masquerade and panels on everything including blogging. The party floor really parties. The dealers are many and amazing in their wares. I especially enjoyed the artists this year.

Seeking photos of Arisia. If anyone has photos of events at Arisia that they don't mind sharing. I'd love to post them here. Thanks.

Writing Workshop at Confluence in July

From July 28th to the 30th, I am going to Pittsburgh to Confluence 2006 http://www.parsec-sff.org/confluence to give a special writing workshop: Writing Characters that Drive Plots Wild. In it, I teach a practical approach to developing a hero or heroine, a villain, and a teacher or sidekick. This is a hands-on writing workshop focused on making your characters so riveting, endearing, frightening, or intriguing that readers will love them and need to read what will happen next. Pre-Con assignment: Watch Episode IV of Star Wars. (You know the one with Luke, Leia, and Han Solo.) You are welcome to bring characters you are working on.

I am a SFWA member and have been a writing teacher and workshop facilitator for over 20 years. This workshop is open to Confluence members only. You need to register for the convention before you sign-up for the workshop. Be sure to being paper and a pen; laptops are okay but we may not have enough power for everyone.

This workshop is limited to the first 12 Confluence members who email me at onlyladyknight@yahoo.com Confluence 2006 will be at the Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport. See you there.

Serious about Writing

I'm very serious about my writing life. Part of that life entails teaching other writers, being a mentor to a young writer, and publishing writing tips and exercises on my website www.susanhannifordcrowley.com . My focus is primarily science fiction and fantasy, but the exercises on my site can apply to any writer. On the bottom of my philosophy page, I have other websites listed which I believe are important to a writer's life: organizations, e-magazines as I discover the ones I love, and fun sites to explore.

A note about organizations: A writer's life is often solitary. We spend a huge amount of time thinking and writing and thinking again. Most of it is not aloud. Writers' groups and organizations can be a wonderful outlet: a way of finding out about new markets, listening and learning about the pitfalls of selling your work, and just mingling with others who are just like you in many ways. Whenever I have left my sanctuary to venture out to a writers' gathering, I have never regretted it. It has always been an adventure.

My next adventure is Arisia 2006 in Boston coming up in two weeks. There I will mingle with other writers and meet the all the amazing people who truly love science fiction and fantasy. There is nothing like the warmth of Arisia in the midst of a cold January.