Bryan Thomas Schmidt

When I was a teenager, I dreamed of telling stories and one of the stories I came up with was a Star Wars-type space opera with elements of the Moses story mixed with action and intrigue. Somewhere along the way I lost my notes, but three things stayed with me, the name Xalivar, the name  [ Read More ]

http://shunn.livejournal.com/524615.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm;_medium=twitter — A great example from Bill Shunn of the “entitlement gone wrong” mentality plaguing our society. This kind of crap goes on all the time and it always ticks me off. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/01/13/pope-benedict-reconciles-science-religion/?test=faces - Pope Benedict reconciles God and the Big Bang.  Interesting. http://emunderwood.com/2011/01/15/2011-publishers-round-table/ – Discussion on the future of publishing with Del Rey Spectra, Fantasy &  [ Read More ]

Two sons, one an embarrassment, the other prophesied to rule the world. Two armies, facing each other for nine years of war. A tortured princess. A bodyguard torn between duty and love. Moses Siregar III’s “The Black God’s War” novella has all the right ingredients and his prose lives up to the challenge–an exciting new epic  [ Read More ]

http://io9.com/5714039/the-14-best-speculative-fiction-books-of-2010 – includes books reviewed here among others. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/01/10/big-news-first-solid-exoplanet-found/?utm_source=feedburner&utm;_medium=feed&utm;_campaign=Feed:+BadAstronomyBlog+(Bad+Astronomy)&utm;_content=FaceBook – First solid exoplanet found.  Fascinating science. http://theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting/editing-and-proofreading-tips-%E2%80%93-5-ways-to-proofread-your-writing/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm;_medium=twitter — Editing  & Proofreading Tips to Improve Your Own Writing http://m.smh.com.au/victoria/river-rescue-as-sex-toy-ditches-rider-20110117-19sra.html — one of the funnier news stories I’ve read in a long while. http://beta.io9.com/#!5735083/10-flame+throwing-contraptions-thatll-keep-those-dang-kids-off-your-lawn – Another great laugh from I09: Flame Throwing Contraptions That’ll Keep Those Dang Kids  [ Read More ]

I don’t know how many of you have ever tried to learn a foreign language, but believe me, English is one of the harder languages to learn. As the husband of an immigrant, I can attest to my wife’s continuous learning curve with our crazy language.It’s been eye opening for me as a writer, someone  [ Read More ]

SFFWRTCHT GUEST SCHEDULE: 12/1/10 – Sam Sykes12/8/10 – Mike Resnick (technical issues/postponed)12/15/10 – Blake Charlton12/22/10 – John Joseph Adams12/29/10 – Functional Nerds: John Anealio/Patrick Hester1/05/11 – Jaleta Clegg1/12/11 – Marian Schembari – publicist/social media expert1/19/11 – Mike Resnick (rescheduled from Dec.)1/26/11 – Ray Gun Revival: Johne Cook, etc.2/02/11 – Michael Ray, editor, RedstoneSF2/09/11 – Jeremy  [ Read More ]

A section I read in Jeff Vandermeer’s wonderful “Booklife” last night reminded me of one of the most important lessons I’ve learned through a decade of international travel and cross-cultural work: be receptive to other world views. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable it is for characterization and description to see the world through someone  [ Read More ]

http://eruditeogre.blogspot.com/2010/12/idea-train-and-alluring-countryside.html — thoughtful post on the internet as a distraction for writers. http://bit.ly/eRAvt4 — writer Jason Sanford’s essay on how one famous writer’s tendency to accuse others of plaigarism has harmed his own legacy. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12093345 — scientists rethinking the theories of human ancestry http://www.theonion.com/articles/robots-speak-out-against-asimovs-first-law-of-robo,4236/ – good laugh for Asimov and SF fans http://www.locusmag.com/Perspectives/2011/01/cory-doctorow-net-neutrality-for-writers-its-all-about-the-leverage/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm;_medium=twitter – Thoughts  [ Read More ]