You Need More Ellen Datlow In Your Life!

If you write at all - short stories, novels, any fiction at all,  then you should know who Ellen Datlow is. Multiple award winning editor, Ellen has produced anthology after anthology, working with countless famous authors and editors. If you want to know more about the state of the industry, or how to write better, Ellen is someone you should know.

Special products she is currently offering are:

For $350 (two premiums available): Pick Ellen's Brain: Ellen Datlow will answer all your editing/publishing questions on a one-to-one basis for 1.5 hours in person (at a coffee shop if you're in New York City), or by phone, or by Skype.
(fearfulsymmetries.com)

For $250:
Short Story Critique: Written critique of your short story, up to 7500 words, by Altered Fluid writers' group members Paul Berger, Richard Bowes, K Tempest Bradford, Kris Dikeman, Alaya Johnson, Rajan Khanna, Matthew Kressel, Eugene Myers, Devin Poore, David Mercurio Rivera, Lilah Wild, Greer Woodward, plus print and e-book editions of Fearful Symmetries, plus acknowledgment in both print and electronic editions of Fearful Symmetries. Plus print and e-book editions of Fearful Symmetries, plus acknowledgment in both print and electronic editions of Fearful Symmetries.
fearfulsymmetries.com

For more information, check out Ellen Datlow's Facebook page

A Little Linkage

Both from John Scalzi's Whatever blog.

The first is a salutary warning on the misuse of social media where a writer mistakes spamming for promotion. Neither the post nor the comments are very forgiving of the unnamed offender.

The second is something quite different. In 2011 Tobias S. Buckell did a Kickstarter for his novel The Apocalypse Ocean and Scalzi's post directs us to Buckell's very interesting summary post on what was involved and how he feels about the process. It's very enlightening.

Sexism and History

Tansy Rayner Roberts has a thoughtful post on how women have mostly been rendered invisible in history (because history is usually written by men) and how this has impacted on fantasy writing. This is fascinating stuff and anyone who looks at history sensibly must notice the gaps. For instance who was running the estates while the Crusading knights were wreaking havoc in the Holy Land? Did everything just stop while they were away for years or did the wives and mothers left behind run the family business - the one that funded those warriors? While you're there you might like to have a look at this post as well.