Deaths and Memorials:
Aaron Eisenberg, who played Nog on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, died last week at the age of fifty.
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Books and Writing:
Heather Demetrios wrote an article last week that got a lot of attention. Taking a “learn from my mistakes” approach, Demetrios outlined how she blew through a couple of big advances without doing enough planning, leaving her nearly broke and scrambling when her books didn’t earn out. While the article raised a few questions for me as I was reading (why didn’t she ask her agent these questions, and why wasn’t her agent asking the publisher these crucial things?) it’s still a worthwhile cautionary tale for a new writer.
Among the several writers who responded with some common-sense-but-often-overlooked suggestions; like put money aside for taxes, Social Security and retirement, Chuck Wendig weighed in on Terrible Minds.
Oh, come on! It’s been weeks since I’ve post some kind of book-related list! Two weeks, at least! The U.K. Guardian posts their idea of the best 100 books of the 21st century.
The Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Rumble Museum are offering an award for science fiction stories by young people. The contestants will provide the first 350 words and a detailed outline and a professional science fiction writer will work with them to finish it. Interesting. The deadline is October 31, and the age limit is 15 years old or younger. Six professional writers will finish the finalist stories.
Dorothy Grant at Mad Genius Club points out that “recovery,” as a constraint for a fictional character, can add tension and conflict to a story.
Feuds and Kerfuffles:
File 770 is very popular in today’s column! I chose this one post out of several because it is (I hope) a culmination to a ginned-up argument that a self-published writer started with File 770 host Mike Glyer earlier in September. The writer objected to a link File 770 published that linked to the SFWA site, which linked to a story written by the writer. The story was nominated for a Nebula and SWFA was posting a link, as it did with all the other nominated stories it could, to a place it could be read for free. Because File770 posted SWFA’s link, the writer accused File770 of plagiarism. Did you follow all of that? I read it “in real time” and I’m not sure I did, frankly. Anyway, File 770 provides an exasperated summation.
Spaceship steam punk rocket ship in a vintage retro style engraved illustration vector
TV and One Movie:
The Game of Thrones Cast got a standing ovation at the Emmy awards.
George R.R. Martin says the final book in the series will be different from the show.
Here’s an odd story from October’s The Joker; Joaquin Phoenix not only never considered that there might be a risk that some people would see his character as a role model, but he fled the interview and never answered the question when it was asked.
Internet:
How to reawaken as Cthulhu. Good sartorial advice is valuable. Thanks to File 770 for this one.
About 75 people met to “storm Area 51” I guess. While that’s 75 too many, it could have been worse.
This is a nice human interest story about a cosplaying, leatherworking hobbyist who is now working fulltime with a leather crafter and providing costumes for a local renaissance fair.
Earth and Spacecraft. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.
File770 has been tracking the increasingly bizarre story of Ed Kramer, registered six offender, and now indicted hacker (along with a Georgia State Superior Court Judge). I’ve covered bits of this story before, because Kramer was associated with DragonCon, a long time ago, as a co-founder, before his life began a downward spiral.
Tech:
Apple took pains to announce that it will continue manufacturing Mac Pros in Austin, Texas. There had been speculation that the company would produce the computers in China, especially once they got a tariff waiver from the administration. This story isn’t as straightforward as if might seem – read it and see for yourself.
Earth:
Okay, I just love this angry-mama-walrus-attacks-boat story so many ways.
Joaquin Phoenix is weird.