If a spaceship leaves Alpha Centauri at .95 the speed of light...

...and a spaceship leaves Earth at .87 the speed of light, where will they meet?  Thanks to Eric James Stone's blog, I've stumbled upon Space Math.  With their easy-to-use calculators, I could actually come up with an answer to that question.  Let's be glad I don't teach math class, or these are the kinds of story problems I'd want to use.

How Toddlers Help Plot Novels

I have a toddler.  This equates to a lot of things -- like toothpaste on the carpet and pots all over the kitchen floor.  One thing I didn't think my toddler would do was help me learn plot structure and how to layer conflicts.

Every afternoon, he wants to watch a movie.  Often the same one.  Watching the same thing over and over with him helps show me how the movie's put together.  His latest favorite is the old Speed Racer.  All the episodes layer conflicts -- Speed Racer never just needs to win because he wants to win.  There's also his father's prized drawings of the Mach 5 at stake, or some villainy that will go unchecked.  His goal -- winning the race -- comes with layers of stakes, all tied up in the same goal.

However tired I am of humming the theme song, this is pretty good plotting -- multiple threads all hanging on a single resolution makes for a tight, impaction climax.  

Thank you, toddler.

Twitter Pitch Contest!

The blog Beyond Words is holding a Twitter Pitch contest here.  Agent Michael Carr will be looking through the various pitches.  I've been impressed with his patience and fortitude on a long thread, answering writers' questions.  Anyway, if you have a book to pitch, hurry!  They're only taking the first seventy-five submissions.

Writing Resource

In the past month, I've become an avid reader of The Other Side of the Story, a how-to writing blog by Janice Hardy.  The site just got a new look, making it easy to browse Janice's five-hundred-plus articles on writing.  If you haven't looked at it, it's certainly worth checking out.  Since I've been reading, it's updated daily with a new writing article.  I allow myself to go read the latest one once I've met a writing goal for the day -- an enjoyable wind-down (or break, if I'm being extra-productive) that keeps my brain moving.

Copy in hand

I got my copy of LE.  I've almost finished reading it, and I'm happy to say that, as always, LE's produced a fantastic product.  I submitted to Leading Edge in the first place because I love the magazine.  I think that's a really good rule of thumb for writers: submit to markets you respect and enjoy.  Not only do I think this has a better chance of matching my writing with an editor who likes it, but it also means that seeing my story along with all the other great ones in Leading Edge is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Leading Edge #60 is out!

Issue #60 of Leading Edge is now available here.

This has been a pretty cool process.  I first submitted "Cryonic Sushi" to Leading Edge in October of 2009.  In May 2010, my story made its way through the slush room, and I got a happy e-mail from the editor, letting me know they'd like to accept my story.  Now it's actually in print -- in one of my favorite magazines.  I've seen this process from the other side of the desk, but never as the author.  It's odd and rewarding to have a story be finished.


I'm looking forward to getting the magazine, seeing the artwork, and reading the other stories!  I'm always excited to see the new issue of Leading Edge, of course, but there's something surreal about seeing my words in print.  I'm avidly writing and working on new stories, so I'm hopeful that I'll have the opportunity again.