Changing Goals Is Okay
I had this whole thing written out about how often we are convinced we should pursue something because it’s someone else’s goal. How the horror of - as it’s customarily expressed nowadays - being perceived can warp what you want to write because you think that’s what will sell, or what some unseen, but ever-present and oh-so-fickle audience might love to read (or, worse, might hate to read and make it your problem). The problem was it was already too long, and I wasn’t entirely sure where it was headed (and God help us all if it ended up caroming off into memoir). I also wanted to make sure something got out to you all on the first of the month, my self-imposed deadline. Hell, it even had a Gene Wolfe quote.
It was brilliant - trust me.
But goals can - and often - must change.
This can range from understanding that the advice, you must write every day might not work for you. I received the variant where I was supposed to write 1,000 words every day. A fine tool to flog yourself with whether you achieve that wordcount or not, and not much fun, either way. Suffice to say that I’m glad I left it behind.
Which is all a roundabout way of saying that after 8 years, I’m choosing to end my SFWA membership. A large part of this was the absolute lack of urgency in finalizing a statement of support for Palestinian SFF authors similar to prior ones addressing the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as Asian Diaspora authors. Reactions from other members towards putting out such a statement also formed another, substantial part. Now, as per Jason Sanford’s Genre Grapevine post, it’s likely the statement’s language will not include the words, “Palestine,” or “Palestinian” in them:
Working on a statement regarding writers in crisis around the world. As [interim President, Anthony W.] Eichenlaub said in the email, "This statement has been stalled too long, and now it's on my desk. It needs some work, but I'm putting it as a top priority next week."
SFWA’s recent troubles with lack of transparency only hastened my decision to leave the organization. It had become clear to me that I did not belong, and perhaps had never belonged there.
Finally, SFWA should remove Neil Gaiman from the “Disney Must Pay” task force given the credible allegations of sexual assault against him.
Yes, We Have No Reviews…
What can I say? I started reading Gormenghast because it was an influence on The West Passage, but my reading of Titus Groan got interrupted by Gene Wolfe’s The Knight (which I needed to read for the podcast), and now I’m off, galloping through the pages of The Wizard.
I recently finished watching both seasons of the Interview With the Vampire TV series, which was a delight. The adaptation breathes new life into the story, re-imagining Louis de Point du Lac not as a 18th-century white plantation owner, but a queer Black man running an empire of vice in 1910. The cast is amazing and the story’s oh-so-operatic.
Lestat would approve.
My memory almost made me a liar...Over at Ancillary Review of Books, my review of Cynthia Gomez’s The Nightmare Box And Other Stories is now available to read. Check out the review and collection, both!
One More Thing…
Reminder: if you have a pitch for an essay that fits the anticapitalist vision of Seize the Press, send it my way (karlo@seizethepress.com)
Over at Podside Picnic, we are going to be unlocking a few episodes this month. The first will be our discussion of Pitch Black. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @PodsideP
As promised in my previous newsletter, J.T. Greathouse (author of The Pact and Pattern series) returns later this month to chat about The Knight. More Wolfe goodness, more unreliable narrators. This time, it’s because the narrator’s a kid, who - much like many kids - doesn’t know shit about shit. Great stuff! If you want to follow along with us, feel free to subscribe.
However, if you’re not interested in a monthly commitment, you can purchase some of our more popular individual episodes under Podside’s shop.
And that’s all she wrote!