Furry Writers' Guild
Guest post: “Getting More Out of Your Writing” by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt
Writing is both a craft and an art. There are aspects that cannot be taught; you either have it or you don’t. But plenty of the skills that go into making a good writer can be learned. The general rule of thumb: Writing more leads to writing better.
But what’s the best way to get more writing done? I’ve never been a fan of writing exercises for their own sake. They always strike me as too artificial. Writing is about telling stories. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practice your craft. But make your practice work for you. You may even get paid for it.
Here are a few ways I’ve turned what could have been a writing exercise into something more:
1) Flash Fiction
Do you need to work on dialogue? Do you want to practice your action scenes? Unsure whether first person or third person POV is right for your story? Flash fiction can be the perfect way to improve your writing through experimentation.
I define flash fiction as any story under 1000 words, though there are markets under 500 words, or even 100-word stories.
There are many advantages to working in such a small scale. In flash fiction, every word counts. Practicing flash fiction can teach you to choose the right word in the right situation. Flash fiction is also great for experimentation. I’ve written flash that are only dialogue or that just paint an impressionistic portrait of a single character. In a rough spot on your novel? Write the worst day your main character ever had, and do it in 500 words.
Flash is all about instant gratification. I’ve written five or more drafts of a 100-word story and still finished in a single day. In the midst of a long project, it can be nice to remember that you can finish a story.
2) Short Stories
Longer fiction (say, 2,000 to 7,000 words) has many of the advantages of writing flash fiction while providing additional opportunities in practicing your craft. If flash fiction allows you to experiment and to focus on individual narrative elements, short stories are the place to work on structural features of stories such as pacing and combining scenes into successful sequences.
In the 1930s and 40s, writer in the US often got their start writing for the pulp fiction magazines. Today, print-on-demand anthologies and e-anthologies can serve the same function. You can’t get rich writing for them, but you may be able to buy that Rabbit Valley book you have your eye on.
3) Blogs, Forums, and Social Media
One of the goals of the Furry Writers’ Guild is to foster professionalism among furry writers. Professionalism is a broad concept, but one of the things it means is this: You should write at a level that people pay you for what you write.
Money and art are not enemies. The days of noble patronage of the arts are long gone. Even if you are never able to support yourself by your writing, being paid for your writing frees you that little bit more to create more. People show what they think is important by what they will pay for. Take your writing seriously enough to expect to be paid for it.
That said, there are times when it’s perfectly fine to write and not be paid. Or at any rate, not in money. In addition to trying to sell your stories, look for opportunities where your writing can create what might be called social capital.
The age in which we live puts the writer in control of their own destiny in a way like never before. Readers want to connect not just with your stories, but with you and your personal story. Blogs, forums, Twitter and other forms of social media enable you as a writer to connect with people around the world.
But it’s not about shoving your work down their throats. It’s all about building friendships. Take the time to write something people can connect with. Write professionally (e.g. without texting abbreviations), because people will judge you based on how you present yourself online. Put yourself out there, even for free, but do it strategically.
Today’s internet is like a bizarre cocktail party taken to several orders of magnitude. Don’t whore yourself out to anyone who comes along. Find a community where you think you can add to the conversation and focus there. Give more than you take, and at worst you may make some friends. At best, you may find a community of people interested in your work.
And yes, this blog is an effort in practicing what I preach.
Links I Find Helpful
I want to conclude by giving a few links I’ve personally found helpful in trying to act on the thoughts I’ve outlined here. My own interest is in speculative fiction (fantasy, horror, science fiction), so there is a definite bias in that direction. Not that these are not strictly furry markets, but in my experience, most people in speculative fiction are very open-minded, so long as the story is told well.
Flash Fiction
http://www.microbookends.com/ MicroBookends is a weekly micro fiction contest based on a photo prompt. A very cool community surrounds this group.
http://thecultofme.blogspot.com/ This blog sponsors a monthly flash fiction contest with a significant giftcard prize.
http://specklit.com/ One of the highest paying sites for 100 word stories.
http://www.drabblecast.org/ Home for many weird and wonderful things, including drabbles and great short stories.
Short Stories
http://www.ralan.com/ In my humble opinion, your best one-stop site for finding markets to sell speculative fiction.
http://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/ When Duotrope became a pay site, The Submissions Grinder became the best free search engine for calls for submission.
http://horrortree.com/ The best on-stop site for horror calls. The calendar view is extremely helpful.
http://thewritersarena.com/ Full disclosure — I’m regularly a judge at this weekly one-on-one writing contest. But if you’re up to the challenge of writing a story under 4000 words in one week on an assigned topic, the Arena can be a lot of fun.
Blogs, Et Cetera
http://www.anthroaquatic.com/forum/index.php
https://twitter.com/FurWritersGuild
You probably know all these links already, but the Furry Writers’ Guild is a perfect example of social media done right. Writers helping other writers not because they’re getting paid but because they want to fill the world with more good stories. Learn from what the guild members do well!
Member Spotlight: Eduardo Soliz
1. Tell us about your most recent project (written or published). What inspired it?
?I recently compiled the first three of my Con Fluff collections into a single volume titled Fuzzy Words. The digital version is currently on sale or can be borrowed on Amazon, and I am in the process of having print copies done, which is very exciting!
2. What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?
I am a bit of both; nearly every story begins with an outline, but I don’t force myself to stick to it once the words start to flow. I like to say that “stories write themselves” and it has proven to be true on many occasions. I’ve had funny stories turn serious and drabbles that grew into a few thousand words.
3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?
My favorite stories to write are the ones in which I lead the reader down a certain path only to throw them a curve at the end. It’s a tricky thing to do right, though, you don’t want to just pull a ‘deus ex.’
4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?
My Christmas story for 2013, “Christmas Wishes,” featured a character that was spending Christmas away from his family for the first time. I certainly sympathized to his plight, having spent my first Christmas away from family fairly recently.
5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work?
My biggest influence is easily Isaac Asimov. In addition to enjoying his science fiction novels and short stories, I loved the way he would write his own thoughts about how a story or book came to be, the “story behind the story” as it was. I have even gone as far to incorporate that device into my own short story collections.
6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?
As of late, I have been reading books by furry authors to get an idea of what is out there. I found Argo by Rick Griffin to be quite thought-provoking, with some interesting ideas about robots.
7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?
I enjoy your typical nerd hobbies like video games and comic books, but also like to go out camping and experience the great outdoors every so often. I also record two podcasts, a short slice-of-life podcast called 300 Seconds and a convention discussion one I record with friends named Con Talk.
8. Advice for other writers?
Don’t give up no matter how badly you initially fail. I sold exactly two copies of my first e-book the first year that I put my work up for sale, and sold exactly zero paper books at Furry Fiesta a few years ago. Was I discouraged? Hell yes, I was. Did I stop? Hell, no.
9. Where can readers find your work?
A selection of short stories can be found on my website, eduardosoliz.com. I’m currently trying to upload a new one every month. In addition, the site also contains links to my e-books, blog and podcasts.
10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?
The amount of creativity to be found in the fandom is nothing short of incredible. Even if a fur isn’t an artist or a musician or a craftsmaker, or a writer, nearly every furry is a creator, even if all they create is a fursona.
Check out Eduardo Soliz’s member bio here!
Guest post: “Seeing the Road Ahead” by Kyell Gold
by Kyell Gold
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.”
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
If you’re only a short way into your writing career and you’re discouraged by how far you have to go, there’s a silver lining: you’re on the right path. Being a writer, or indeed any creative professional, takes people through many stages. Ira Glass has talked about “the gap” that happens when you’ve progressed a little way into your field, far enough to recognize the work of the really good people but not there yourself yet. He talks about the importance of pushing through that gap, and I think anyone starting out in a creative field should watch that video.
The above Conan Doyle quotation is one I ran across recently and it struck me as not only another way to look at Ira Glass’s “gap,” but also a way to encourage people who feel stuck there. I think a lot of people starting out in art don’t realize that it takes a certain amount of skill just to be able to evaluate the work of others in your field. When you get to this stage where you’re thinking, “my work will never be as good as these works I admire,” what you may not realize is that you’re already on the way there.
Critiquing is one of the most important skills in writing (and, I think, any art). You have to be able to critique your own work, and the easiest way to develop that skill is to critique the work of others. If you can’t look at a piece and judge its quality, even in a very rough sense, you’re not going to be able to refine your work and make it better; you’re not going to learn from your mistakes and make your next effort even better.
This is hard to do. When you haven’t tried to look at any work objectively, to see what the artist was trying to do and where the flaws are, you see in your own work only the beautiful story that was in your head. When other people look at your work and tell you that your characters are flat or that your dialogue is stiff and unrealistic (or any other critiques), it’s discouraging not (only) because they don’t like it, but because you can’t see those flaws to correct them. It’s like being in that dream where you’re being given a test in a class you can’t remember having taken. In a way, it doesn’t feel fair.
When I read slushpiles for magazines, one of the things that consistently amazed me was how people would send in these terrible submissions, poorly punctuated with grammar and spelling that even most Internet forum posters would cringe at, and they would claim to have read our magazine. I would think, “Seriously? You read our stories and you think this belongs alongside it?” But those people just hadn’t developed the critical faculty yet.
How do you go about this? Discuss writing with other people or read reviews of books from many different sources—friends, professional reviewers, anywhere you can find them. Listen to other people explain critically what’s good and bad about many different pieces of writing and try to understand their views. This is something I still do, because like most things, learning to critique is not something you’re ever done with. Eventually you will develop your own thoughts about what works and doesn’t work, and you will have other beginning writers listening to you.
So if you’re discouraged about the state of your writing (or other art) compared to the people you admire, take heart and keep going. Because you’re on the right path. It’s a long one, but you’re a step closer than you were when you started.
Book of the Month: A Shard of Sun by Jess E. Owen
April’s Book of the Month, A Shard of Sun, is the latest in the Summer King Chronicles from member Jess E. Owen.
“Shard is a gryfon entrusted with a great responsibility. A dragon of the Sunland has left her newborn kit to his care, and now Shard has difficult decisions to make about how best to keep the swiftly growing dragonet safe, while remaining true to his own destiny and the prophecy of the Summer King. He sets out to return the dragonet to his kin in the Sunland and find help for his own quest, but his hope for making wise and benevolent allies is quickly replaced with the reality of cold, mistrustful dragons who want nothing to do with gryfons, Shard, or his wars in warmer lands.
In the Silver Isles, the warrior gryfon Caj sets out on a dangerous hunt for his mad wingbrother, Sverin, once the mighty Red King. The safety of the pride, and in the end, Caj’s life, may depend on his success or failure.
Meanwhile, Shard’s wingbrother Kjorn seeks to find him and reconcile, and his quest will take him across the land that was once his birthright and into the heart of tricky alliances, enmities, and the ever-looming threat of the Voiceless, fear-mongering wyrms.
The Song of the Summer King promises that one will rise higher, one will see farther, and his wing beats will part the storm . . . but as Shard learns more of the world and the tangled threads of fate, he begins to fear that no one can part the storm of growing hatred and fear–not even a Summer King.”
Suitable for ages 11 to 18 (and up!). Available now for Kindle, print version coming soon.
2014 Cóyotl Awards open for nominations
It’s that time again — the 2014 Cóyotl Awards are now open for nominations! All FWG members are eligible to make nominations, and they should be submitted through this page:
http://coyotlawards.org/nominate/
(If you have trouble with the website, you can also email your nominations to coyotlawards [at] gmail.com.)
Remember, the nominated works don’t have to be written by FWG members, and self-published works are also eligible (including those self-posted to sites like FurAffinity and SoFurry), as long as they were published in 2014.
Nominations will run through June 1.
If you need a reminder of the furry fiction that was published last year, check out the 2014 Recommended Works thread on the forums:
http://www.anthroaquatic.com/forum/index.php?topic=326.0
And whether you’re a member or not, feel free to add your suggestions to that thread to let our members know what’s worth checking out!
Guild News: April 2015
We’ll have new members to report next month, as I’m still waiting on information to be able to add some new members to our directory. In the meantime, if you’re interested in joining (or know someone who is), find out how here!
Member NewsDonald Jacob Uitvlugt’s story “From Hell’s Heart” has appeared at NewMyths.com, and Mary E. Lowd’s story “Songs of Fish and Flowers” is online at Lakeside Circus. Jess E. Owen’s latest novel in the Summer King Chronicles, A Shard of Sun, is now available for Kindle. The stories of Vixyy Fox are being featured on the website of Dog Is My Co-Pilot, Inc, a nonprofit organization that helps find homes for shelter dogs at risk of euthanasia. And Eduardo Soliz has been busy — his Fuzzy Words: The Con Fluff Collection is now available on Amazon, his microfiction “Special Patient” appears on BigWorldNetwork.com, and his story “Epiphany” appeared in the Furry Fiesta 2015 conbook.
Our associate members have been busy, too. Jay was a guest on the Furballd podcast, and Weasel has a short story in the latest edition of Earth is Huge and We’re All On It, as well as three poems in Crazy Concrete.
(Members: Want your news here? Start a thread in our Member News forum!)
Market NewsUpcoming deadlines: Claw the Way to Victory has an extended deadline now of May 1, and submissions to Weasel Press’ Typewriter Emergencies close on May 1. See our Paying Markets page for more info, and get your stories in!
In conbook news, Anthrocon’s conbook closes to submissions on May 1, and Megaplex’s closes on May 22. (See our conbook page for info and links.)
Openings: The furry anthology Fragments of Life’s Heart is now open for submissions (deadline August 15).
Remember to keep an eye on our Calls for Submissions thread and our Publishing and Marketing forum for the latest news and openings!
Guild NewsFWG election season has begun, and any members wishing to run for the office of president must announce their intent by the end of April. Emails will be sent to members as crucial election deadlines approach, but please also keep an eye on the Guild Election subforum for election announcements, debate, and news!
Cóyotl Award nominations will also be opening soon! Watch their website and Twitter feed for updates.
In other award news, thank you to all those who nominated the FWG site in the Best Website category of the Ursa Major Awards. Some of our members’ works also received nominations; you can see the full list of the 2014 nominees on the front page of their website.
Check out Weasel‘s review of our first anthology, Tales From the Guild: Music to Your Ears.
We’re always open for guest blog post submissions! Good exposure and a great way to help out your fellow writers. See our guidelines for full details.
Need a beta reader? Check out our critique board (you’ll need to be registered with the forum in order to view it).
Want to hang out and talk shop with other furry writers? Come join us for the Coffeehouse Chats, Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern, Thursdays at 12 p.m. Eastern, and Saturdays at 5 p.m. Eastern (new time!) — all held right in the forum shoutbox. More info here.
Remember, our forums are open to everyone, not just FWG members. Come register and join the conversation!
That’s all for this month! As always, send an email to furwritersguild (at) gmail.com with news, suggestions, and other feedback, or just comment here.
Member Spotlight: Vixyy Fox
(Editor’s Note: When I sent the member spotlight questions to Vixyy, I should have known I’d get an unconventional reply! I’ve published these responses just as I received them; warnings for adult language in the poem.)
Good morning everyone,
I have been asked by the Furry Writers’ Guild if I could put something together concerning my writing and authorship. I am delighted by this request; though I am wont to speak about myself. This, I suppose, has a lot to do with my upbringing which held such a thing as bragging; and no one likes a braggart. Neither did my father like tattoos but that’s neither here nor there, is it? All the same, and fighting back the bad taste in my mouth for doing so, I will attempt to answer some questions about the writer who is Vixyy Fox.
Now that sounded strange to my mind. You should know that I don’t actually think of myself in those terms. When I write I simply exist. Consider it this way; when you look through your eyes you do not perceive your body but only the things around your body and perhaps the parts of your body you might have in the peripheral of what you are viewing. For instance, as I type this I can see my hands. In a more personal revelation; the real life me hardly even glances in the mirror when passing one by. It only reflects an aging person getting on in life and that’s not who I am.
As strange as this explanation feels; when I talk about Vixyy I also understand that we are different people and yet we are the same person. No… I do not have a split personality disorder. Something of this nature is too simple an explanation. Vixyy is my totem (animal spirit guide / guardian angel) and we live together.
In this endeavor I have been given some questions to answer. I will do this but more in an order that seems to have a natural flow to it. This is one of the secrets of writing; everything should flow in a natural progression. You do not start at the end and work your way back only to jump to the middle, then to the beginning and then to the end again like a perverted form of Hop Scotch.
Five writing facts about Vixyy Fox.
- I do not touch type.
- I would be lost without my spell checker.
- I do not pre-plan anything.
- The stories flow from my fingers.
- I am male writing as a female.
*sighs… (upon viewing the questions posed) The reply for each of these could be a one word answer or pages long in length. I suppose the only way to truly tackle it is head on.
What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?
I had to look ‘pantser’ up just to be sure of its meaning. I am a Fox after all and Foxes do pant; which was the wrong meaning of course. I love Google and use it constantly for finding such things. I am not a font of knowledge but I do research heavily when I’m on to something. Along these lines I would like to suggest a book to all writers. It’s called ‘Maybe You Should Write A Book’. Ignore the title as it it’s silly but to the point. Also ignore the first half of the tome as it was written by a publisher and summed up as ‘moneymoneymoneymoney’. The second half is absolutely wonderful because he had all these really BIG named authors write a piece on ‘how they write’. You will find that each and every one of them pursues their art form in a different way.
I would be considered a ‘pantster’ – meaning you write by the seat of your pants. This is an aviation expression by the way, something I am very familiar with having worked in the industry for forty years. Flying by the seat of your pants can be considered good or bad depending upon who is using the expression and the results it incurs. ‘Instruments be damned’ you’re flying (writing) strictly on visual and gut instinct with any preconceived outline/flight plan thrown out the window.
I plan nothing. This is not an ego ‘thing’. I have tried outlining (at least in my mind) and it just does not work for me. This is one of the reasons I so love the Thursday Prompt. The prompt gives me a direction in which to fly and off I go. What I will tell you now I do not expect everyone to believe, nor do I expect you to attempt emulation. You will not be able to do this unless it is inside of you already. Sometimes I go so far into the story I connect with something and find I know things of a time and era that I have no business knowing.
First an explanation, and then an example. (Just so you know; the word ‘I’ bothers me.)
When I write I go into the story and watch it like a movie and then simply record what I see. I have always been a chronic daydreamer (something that got me into a lot of trouble in school) and I see my writing as an extension of this. The few times I went into a story with a preconceived notion of how things would go, the characters just chuckled and did as they wished leaving me to stay behind or tag along.
My characters come to life within the words.
They are real to me and become dear friends. I have cried real tears when some have died during the course of a story. I have also laughed with them over some small thing, been concerned when things were not going well and, indeed, felt more than a bit naughty watching their sexual play.
This, I feel, is reflective of life and the fact that the words are living. The thought rather gives new light to the idea written in the Bible that God spoke things into existence, doesn’t it?
The first short story I wrote using The Dread Pirate Tabor, I did so as a present to a dear friend who was going through a period of depression. The story was based upon the Thursday Prompt and I had fun with it. It did cheer him up as it was based upon his character in Fur Affinity. The second time I used Tabor, some months later, something clicked and I found myself sitting upon the deck of his brig ‘The Queen’ and we actually spoke. It’s even there nicely written down. After that the tale was off and away all on its own. It’s not so well read but only perhaps because when people read the disclaimer in the forward of the novel, they become afraid that it was something written touting a gay lifestyle. (Tabor and his crew were all gay Rabbits and I believe in honesty.) To this notion I would say, it’s actually just the opposite. The book is about love, relationships, friendships, loyalty, and adventure. Tabor taught me much about so many things. Here now are the individual thoughts of the many friends I had in that story as their small armada was racing after King Gaspar’s ship of the line. Look to the words and see the whole character just through their personalities which are all so very different. Revisiting this I found tears.
Captain Tabor Rabbit
The Queen growls forth
Inta the trough ‘n out again
Hull thump’n
Spray fly’n
Wind strong at our hind.
Pitty the poor bugger when we catch’im,
And poor be we all who live to tell the tale.
The Lady Robert Taverness Rabbit
The ship sways gently
Like a good wife’s buttocks;
Inviting to the touch
Durable over the long run
With a slap waiting to happen
Just to keep things dicey.
And I lay in my hammock
Thinking about casks of dill pickles.
Captain Merdue De Hiss Cat (speaking to a picture of her Ilene)
Eye watch thee sky and pray my love;
Quietly in my own mind.
Many of my crew ‘av died,
Lovers all, they are missed
Yet again wee ready to ke’el.
Eye clean m’eye pistols
Sharpen m’eye claws
N’ keep an eye on the sea.
Eye we’el return to ewe soon…
Captain Henry Babacomb Dog – House of Labrador
I have not slept in two days.
My ship talks with me through this weariness.
She is not afraid,
Nor am I;
Though I am apprehensive that I have used up my luck.
Scatter Brained Bob steadfastly attends me;
As if he was my brother.
Perhaps I misjudged him.
Prince Uric
My station is the quarterdeck
In charge of the swivels.
My men and I practice constantly
Though the Captain will give me
No more powder.
I worry for my father.
I worry for my Uncle.
I worry for my men.
But I say nothing, as therein lies the path to dishonor.
Governor Louis Gulo
My shoulder hurts like fire to flesh
And what little sleep I get is fitful.
I hate hammocks and would
Sleep on the floor if it were steady;
Fucking ships!
Two days more and perhaps I will find my rest
In the muzzle of a cannon.
Oompahalahala Duroc (translated from his native Polynesian)
I request Mother Ugga and Father Bugga,
(Mother Sky and Father Ocean,)
Owners of life and death,
Watch over my friends and my enemies
One and the same;
As life and death are one and the same.
I shall sharpen my spear
I shall begin another doll
I shall eat many pickles.
Rosa Cat (thoughts in Cat – not said aloud)
Sipping tea with Gabriel as the sun rises
Thinking of spurting in Tabor’s wardrobe
And how I wanted him in me…
Wondering that I am not dead
Many times over.
I miss my mother and her ways;
Though I could never live with her again.
This is both poetic and tragic;
Yet very much Cat.
The tea is good.
Vesa Dufva
I half wake to the feel of my ship
And the soft warmth snuggled next to me.
Duty calls me forth…
Punk’n Cat drags me back again…
Her voice whispers in my ear;
‘Thee Capitan say rest and Eye say wee make love;
Wheech dew ewe want?’
With a thump we roll out of
Our hammock to the deck below.
King Ludwig D’Gulo
The sound of the ship’s wake keeps me company
As I sit in the stern windows watching aft.
The Cat’s ship races close, graceful in its thinness.
The Rabbit’s stout ship, further back, carries every stitch of sail.
I would find joy in this
But for the death we race towards.
How is it I deserve such loyalty?
Or could it be Gaspar deserves such hatred?
Live or die;
Life is a mystery.
Tell us about your most recent project (written or published). What inspired it?
This would be ‘Mr. Grumble’ which I just finished last week. Goodness knows I have been working on this one for over two years, posting the pieces up on FA for those following his exploits. He is an aged spy and the story began as a tongue in cheek reflection of all the old spy movies and TV shows that were so popular during the 60’s and 70’s. My son-in-law actually drew his icon and darned if Grumble doesn’t look a lot like an aged Sean Connery. The beginning date was September of 2013 and came about through… well… it just did. I have no idea where he came from except that I sat down and just began writing. Many of the ensuing chapters were fashioned for the Thursday Prompt.
What’s your favorite kind of story to write?
I like writing just about anything you could imagine. I am adverse to sexual violence and porn, though I do love good eros. There is a huge difference there. Neither do I like murder and wanton violence. This is a personal preference. Long ago I stopped watching the CSI shows (Except for Jethro) because I came to the understanding that we were now routinely watching graphic murder as entertainment. That’s just wrong.
There are so many ways to obtain the same desired effect plot wise without resorting to rubbing the reader’s/viewer’s nose in gore.
Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?
My goodness; why not just ask me which part of my body I love the most? I love all of my characters, though more properly they are not ‘my’ characters as during the writing process they became living breathing beings.
Vixyy Fox would be first in line, though she is not exactly ‘the’ Vixyy Fox who is me. I have tried my best to figure the origins of the keeper of the Whackadoodle Inn and best I can come up with is certain traits belonging to my Grandmother Snapp. She has a keen wit, is sharp as a tack, and won’t hesitate to put you in your place if it’s required. Her time era is the same as Scanectity Skunk as they are a part of that same world; somewhere within the late 1800’s to very early 1900’s. His book was where she first appeared and not because I wanted to write about her; it was as it was supposed to be.
Mr. Grumble is a retired spy – but – his secret weapon and what makes him so dangerous is that he is also a writer and his creations come to life. (I wonder where that one came from?) His story characters also just happen to be of a spy nature but are all very different from each other. At times I could almost feel him sitting with me.
Sir Edwin Dunfrees, whose novel I have to really make an effort towards final edit and publish, was 105 years old at the telling of the story. I cried real tears when he passed away; which was inevitable at his advanced age. His was another of those stories that absolutely took on a life of its own and I learned so very much from it. It began as a fencing article (I taught fencing for some fifteen years) and ended up a historical novel about WWI.
Scanectity Skunk, a cantankerous old farmer with sage wisdom willing to give up everything to protect his family. His dealings with the Devil were very real to me and I wasn’t sure right up to the end who was really going to win.
The Dread Pirate Tabor, who became a fast friend. He was my teacher of things nautical and the ways of the sea.
Flight Lieutenant Archie Corn who taught me so much about the Battle of Britain and what it was like to be a pilot during that conflict.
So many and many and many I have written and now this bit of reflection has reminded me how much my writing means to me. Through it I have lived many lifetimes.
Which authors or books have most influenced your work?
My two favorite authors are Rod Serling of the famed ‘Twilight Zone’ series and James Claval, who wrote ‘Shogun’. If you read the biographies on both of these gentlemen you will be amazed.
I believe my ‘style’ is most reflective of Rod Serling’s. I like the smaller stories and even in my longer works you will find they are mostly made up of smaller stories all stitched together to create the larger piece.
‘Shogun’ on the other hand is a massive work of 1265 pages (or there abouts). I have read it six times. It is a master work of detail concerning life in Japan in the 1600’s and you will find something new every time you read it. It was based upon a real person.
What’s the last book you read that you really loved?
Hands down – ‘Shogun’ is the book I would say I truly loved. I tried to watch the mini-series on television but unfortunately they chose the wrong actor to play the lead part of Blackthorn. This character demanded a personage of Gregory Peck’s stature. That and as in all books versus movies; movies are time limited and so cannot fully explain things as can a book.
Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?
With my wife of 35 years who is my best friend in the world.
Advice for other writers?
(I will laugh here.) I have loads of advice for other writers; most of which is worthless to anyone except me because, as writers, we are all different. Let’s see if I can add to the chaos of all the self help literature concerning our art form. I will give you five things.
- Dream… never stop dreaming… never stop.
- Everything in the entire world that ever happened originated from within someone’s imagination.
- Be persistent.
- Keep plugging away regardless of what those with no imagination might say to you. Do this and in the years to come you will have a fine portfolio and a good following.
- Associate and talk with other writers.
- You need other writers as fish need water. You don’t even have to talk about writing. It’s simply important that you know others like yourself. One of my all time favorite happenings was when Phil Geusz and Jim Lane came all the way down to South Florida just to have dinner with me. It was awesome.
- Never think you are too good to practice.
- Never think you are too good to practice.
- Edit – edit – edit – edit – edit – edit… and did I say edit?
- The only way to get better at writing is with practice: see number 4 above. I was reading a Tom Clancy novel one day and found it very annoying that my editor’s eye had kicked in and there were mistakes in the text.
- Learn to make editing a part of your writing process and you will never look at it as a chore. You are a painter of words and as such you use the edit to smooth and blend the colors your reader sees.
Where can readers find your work?
You can find me on Amazon, Weasel Press, and Rabbit Valley. I also still have a few stories posted in various places on the web; and you can always find me on Fur Affinity which is my home.
What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?
My favorite thing about the furry fandom is the fact I can be who I am, not what I am. I very much enjoy the fact that in there, Vixyy (we are one and the same but different beings) is everyone’s favorite grandmother.
Just so you know; this works both ways. I seldom picture my fandom friends as anything other than their chosen icons. In this there is a straight forward meeting of the minds with none of the restrictions you will find in real life. That is very much to my liking.
Also – at the one con I managed to go to I actually danced with a person wearing a horse head.
How cool is that?!
Check out Vixyy Fox’s member bio here!
Guest post: “On Tropes and Training Wheels” by Kandrel
by Kandrel
As happens fairly regularly on Twitter (and other social media outlets) I was asked for an opinion. I’m not sure why people are interested in my rambling, but whatever. I like talking, and apparently there are people who like listening. Who am I to complain? In this particular instance, I was asked to provide a list of ‘tropes’ I was aware of in furry literature. ‘Sure!’ I thought. ‘No trouble! Let’s see there’s… Well, and there’s… Um…’The perceptive reader might notice that of course I didn’t have trouble thinking of tropes. No, that was easy. The tough part was thinking of tropes that I haven’t used—or that I even continue to use on a regular basis. Obviously, I couldn’t give them as examples, because then some troll would post examples of me using them and call me a hypocrite. Talk about embarrassing! But I was asked for my opinion, so my opinion I would—by damn—give! So there must be tropes that I don’t use, but that are pretty prominent in furry fiction. It might be a shorter list, but I could definitely provide that.But thinking on it, even those ones that I didn’t use, I could recognize them out of my favorite works as well. The only reason I hadn’t used them is that the opportunity hadn’t arisen yet. It would. If I continued to tell stories (and I can’t see any particular reason why I would stop) I would eventually use them. So what, exactly, are we mocking here?
So I had a sit and a think. Had a hot chocolate. Listened to some music. I let myself cogitate. What exactly was it we were condemning here? Let me make it clear—this was a condemnation. People don’t collect tropes because they think they’re awesome. This isn’t a reader’s group talking about their favorite author’s techniques and tricks. When you hear the word ‘trope’, I’ll bet you that it’s meant derogatively.
Should it be? I mean, I know that I’ve called authors out on it while editing. Multiple times. Hell, I’ve had people rewrite entire sections of story to avoid tropes. It’s the right thing to do. It’s what a proper beta reader and editor would do, right? Right?
Well…
First, I want to have you think about the life-cycle of a storyteller. In the beginning, we’re all imitating the stories we like. Thinking about it now, this is where ‘tropes’ are most important—not because of what we should avoid, but because of what we should use. I mean it. An inexperienced storyteller can use the tropes to hone their art while making passable pieces of fiction. Think of them as training wheels. So here’s one I’m sure you’re all familiar with: “Story opens with furry looking at themselves in a mirror.” You’ll hear experienced authors moan about this. Ugh. Overused. Overplayed. Cheap excuse for an infodump-y description. Well, want to know why it’s a trope? It’s because it works. It’s hard to find a reason for the character to be giving a description of themselves, and even if it’s a trope, at least it’s giving those newbie storytellers a reason to actually do a description.
But just as we’re starting to get more comfortable with the process of writing, we age and we learn and we progress. During the next phase of a storyteller’s life, we’ll slowly recognize those training wheels for what they are. Over the next while, we start to remove them. We become aware of the tropes, and once aware, avoid them. We hunt for ways to fit things into our stories in new and novel ways. Using the example above, instead of a mirror, we look for ways to fit in small titbits of the description into the narrative so the person experiencing the story slowly gets a whole image of the character in their mind. This is more elegant. But remember that trope we’re now avoiding? It trained us. It had us writing descriptions even before we were ‘ready’ to. We’ve described a hundred characters. Sure, we had a bad excuse for doing it, but at least we can write a description. We know what’s important to describe, and we know how to do it with style. And now that we’re learning to do it in an elegant fashion, we’re well prepared. Would we be if it hadn’t been for the training wheels?
This is the phase of a storyteller’s life where you see the most complaints about the tropes. Authors like me who’ve recognized the training wheels for what they are look back at their own stories that used them and shudder. They read other people’s stories, and those tropes immediately pull them out of the story. They edit with a scalpel to excise those tropes from everything they see and read. It’s as if we’re over sensitized to them, because we see how we used to rely on them.
And we look down on the people who still use them, even though we shouldn’t. We’re the too-cool-for-school kids with their eighteen-speed bikes, looking back at the young kids with their training wheels. We’re pointing and laughing from our comfortable older age and greater experience. And the younger or more inexperienced storytellers feel ashamed, because every time they try to remove a trope, they end up falling. Their story gets away from them, or they never find a way to describe the main character, or they end up falling onto a different trope they didn’t even know was a trope until another one of us upperclassmen laugh and point again.
There is a last phase of this life cycle, though. At the end, those of us who’ve spent enough time picking on the little kids finally grow up enough to look back at those training wheels we used to use. We pick them up and roll them over in our hands. They weren’t really bad. They were perfectly functional, we just used them badly. We take a second look and realize there’s actually something beautiful and elegant about them, if we use them just right. We go back to those tropes, and we play with them. We use them to set expectations, then break them. We hide them in our work as jokes, waiting for someone to realize they were just “trope’d” and never knew it. We brazenly base our stories off a well-known trope, but write them in such a way that it feels novel and fresh.
The best part of this story is that it’s a circle. When I write a story that uses one of those tropes in an elegant fashion, new storytellers read my story. ‘Hey, that worked’ they tell themselves. ‘It’s an easy trick! I could do that!’ Then they’ll try to emulate it. They’ll see the training wheels I’ve artfully used, and bolt them inexpertly onto their own story. It’ll work—if only just. It’ll give them an excuse to keep writing. It’ll give them a safe opportunity to learn. It keeps them from falling down.
We know the training wheels are stupid-looking and juvenile. But we’re authors. We’re thinkers and storytellers. We’re the imagineers. Remember that with just the right amount of imagination, a bicycle with two extra wheels could just as easily be called a car.
This post first appeared on Kandrel’s blog. You can view the original post here.
Member Spotlight: Franklin Leo
I believe that I am a “pantser,” for I enjoy letting the characters I come up with take me along, show me interesting things, and eventually tell me how they corrupt, save, or destroy themselves without me controlling them. If I’m lucky, I’ll have an idea to go into, as my most recent piece has shown. If I’m unlucky, I start with a character in a situation and ask myself, “What is it that this character wants?” A lot of my fiction drives me with this, and I don’t feel accomplished if I don’t find myself ending with an answer for that character’s request. It takes a good character to do what it takes to get what they want, and I’m simply there to write about how they do it.
3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?My favorite kind of story is one that tests a character’s morality and what he or she believes is necessary to live.
4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why? I identify most with Dillon from one of my first stories, “Best of the Best,” published in Heat #10. He’s a guy who carries a lot on his shoulders and understands how important everything can ultimately be. His anxiety of the unknown is something that really sits with me, and I often find myself working through the same concerns he may have within his own life. 5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work? Stephen King, Robert Aspirin, and Tui T. Sutherland all in some way influence my interest in horror, fantasy, the paranormal, and characters not typically seen in protagonist roles, such as dragons or shape shifters. They have shown me that everyone—however odd, weird or different—has some sort of story to tell. 6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?The latest book that I read and couldn’t put down was Sutherland’s Wings of Fire: The Brightest Night. As part of a series made primarily for children, the book is simple in its structure, but the conflicts, questions, and dragon characters within all have as much validity as any other novel out there in the market, and I found myself rooting for these characters by the second chapter. Also, who doesn’t love dragons?
7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?I spend most of my free time tutoring undergraduate students in writing or instructing part time alongside professors in the classroom. When not working, I’m usually replaying Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us or researching and reading.
8. Advice for other writers?Start off at your level—admit where you’re at—and just write what you love until you can’t write anymore. Then, read what you love until you can’t read anymore, and when you’re finished, do the process over until you are ready to revise and love what you do. This is how we ultimately grow, yet so many young writers get stuck in that “I’m not good enough” phase. We need to get over our skill levels in order to simply write.
9. Where can readers find your work?My work can be found in Heat #10 or in various convention guidebooks across North America. I’m also found chatting and discussing my progress on my twitter, @Fictionfelid, where I share upcoming projects and announce any publications available. I hope to have two stories out in a couple of anthologies by the end of this year.
10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?The furry fandom is a place where artists and fans can grow together. No matter what one is into, there’s a place for that in the fandom, and fans continually push artists to do the next big thing while artists do much the same with each other. Without the fandom, I would not be writing what I love today and speaking about it with my students, tutees, and friends.
Check out Franklin Leo’s member bio here!
Guest post: “5 Tips for Writing Animals” by Jess E. Owen
by Jess E. Owen
I’ll expand that and say, 5 Tips for Writing Animals that Also Help With Writing Fantasy.
After reading some fiction by younger, (or) just newer, fresh and exciting authors, I see some trends. I read around on DeviantArt, Fur Affinity, blogs, new novels, unpublished work and more, and these are some things to keep in mind when writing that may stop a prospective publisher, editor or agent in their tracks. (That was a cliche, see what I did there?)
Keep in mind these are second draft changes. Don’t make your head explode (or worse, stop writing) while you get out a first draft, but once you have a first draft, comb through for things like this.
1. Don’t use Human words to describe Animal things.
(In writing fantasy, this translates to: don’t use modern words to describe fantastic things). Example: She ran/flew/leaped as fast as a bullet. First: Are there bullets in your world? If not, cut it. When writing first drafts, we reach for the easiest metaphors, but they might not fit. If there are bullets in your world, is an animal likely to think of herself in those terms? Probably not. Think of other fast things. What do other animals consider fast? Don’t reach immediately for “cheetah” or “falcon” unless your character is familiar with them. Keep descriptions relative to your character’s experience and things that actually exist in that world. In their world.
“…swifter than the east wind, she soared along the crest of the mountain.”
2. Be consistent with names.
Study Erin Hunter and Kathryn Lasky and Clare Bell, the original (and PUBLISHED) animal authors. Their names make sense within the world of the animal. You don’t have to name your animal characters after characteristics (Redfur, Shorttail, Broadwing) although this is fun and you can. If you have a culture (and you should), make sure there is a cultural theme. This is true for fantasy as well. If you’ve taken time to create a culture (and you should), stick to names that are in the same culture too. Don’t have an “Krystalis Moonwater” in the same world as “Chris Jones,” unless one of them is from another dimension. Name inconsistencies like that will stop me from reading. We all have names we love (a personal favorite is “Ian”), but alas, if they don’t fit in the world, they don’t get a place in that story.
3. Think about what’s important to the animal.
…and have them notice those things. Little tics that we have as humans aren’t important to animals. They don’t think, “What time is it?” They think, in their own way, “I can’t see after dark. I should hunt now while it’s light.” The gryfons and wolves in my stories are very “human” in their needs and wants, but at the end of the day they’re animals with instincts and urges and limitations set by nature. Do they eat meat, or fruit? Are they more likely to listen for predators, or listen for prey? What do they care for in colors, scents, movement?
4. Body language.
Figure out (or research) what different movements mean to your animals. Are you writing a bird culture? A feline culture, or wolf culture? Horses? Something new? I took from both feline and raptor body movements to create gryfon body language that makes sense, and in some cases I made things up. “Mantling” is something eagles and hawks to do protect a kill. It’s also a beautiful gesture and wing display, and so when gryfons bow to a superior in my world, they mantle their wings to show respect. Think about body language and work it in. It’s even more important to feral animals than humans, although 85% of our communication is also non-verbal.
5. Animals are people too.
By that I mean of course, if you’re writing animals, you’re really writing people — they must have wants, needs, goals, challenges and setbacks just like any other story. Let us enjoy the animal super powers that we don’t have as humans — flight, super sight, smell and hearing — but when that’s stripped away, make sure you give us an engaging story and a sympathetic hero to root for.
Secret tip number 6…. don’t be a slave to reality. There are things that wolves do in my book that real wolves would not do. (Pack size, for instance). Gryfons don’t exist in our world and so there are no rules for them, but they fall somewhere between a lion pride (living in groups), and an eagle culture (a pair mating for life).
Always be respectful of the animals and if you can slip in a fun factual tidbit á la Kathryn Lasky, go for it! Just remember that we aren’t writing behavioral manuals: we’re writing stories.
Want to see how I handled animal writing + fantasy? Get Song of the Summer King today! 
This post originally appeared on Jess E. Owen’s blog. You can view the original post here. For more about Jess E. Owen and her work, check out her website!
Calling all furry poets!
There aren’t all that many open calls for poetry among the fandom’s publications, so I thought this deserved an announcement of its own. [adjective][species] is currently seeking animal- or furry-themed poetry to publish on their site, and they’re open to poetry submissions through the end of this month. Submissions must be unpublished (though having been previously posted to FA, SoFurry, or Weasyl is okay).
You can find all the details here:
http://adjectivespecies.com/2015/03/06/call-for-submissions-furryanimal-poetry/
Book of the Month: The Vimana Incident by Rose LaCroix
March’s Book of the Month, The Vimana Incident, is the latest work from member Rose LaCroix and can be read as either a stand-alone novel or as part five in a five-volume metanovel starting with The Goldenlea and Basecraft Cirrostratus.
“The year is 1939. The nations of the world have given up on war, and now compete in a race to build the first permanent lunar colony.
Edward “Red Ned” Arrowsmith, a British aerospace engineer, finds himself caught up in a cosmic level of intrigue when a secret lunar mission sends him on an unwilling journey six and a half centuries into a bizarre future. But what does this frightening future have to do with Godric of Hereford, a canon who died of ergot poisoning in 1153?
Rose LaCroix is proud to present her most anticipated novel, where psychedelic science fiction, historical fiction, and alternate timelines come together in a suspenseful, mind-bending masterpiece.”
Cover art by NightPhaser. Parental rating R.
Check out Huskyteer‘s review of The Vimana Incident at Claw & Quill.
Guild News: March 2015
Welcome to our newest member Kris Schnee!
Member NewsMary E. Lowd has had stories published in Apex and Daily Science Fiction, Renee Carter Hall’s “The Frog Who Swallowed the Moon” appears in the latest volume of Spark: A Creative Anthology, Patrick “Bahumat” Rochefort’s serial From Winter’s Ashes has posted chapter 1.3, and the latest novel by Rose LaCroix, The Vimana Incident, is now available from FurPlanet.
(Members: Want your news here? Start a thread in our Member News forum!)
Market NewsUpcoming deadlines: Anthologies ROAR #6 and Claw the Way to Victory close to submissions on April 1, and submissions to Weasel Press’ Typewriter Emergencies close on May 1. See our Paying Markets page for more info, and get your stories in!
Openings: The third volume of Rabbit Valley’s Trick or Treat anthology series is now open for submissions (deadline June 1).
Remember to keep an eye on our Calls for Submissions thread and our Publishing and Marketing forum for the latest news and openings!
Guild NewsToday’s the last day to get your responses in for the 2015 Member Feedback Survey! See this thread in the member forums for the links to the 2-part survey.
We’re still open for guest blog post submissions! Good exposure and a great way to help out your fellow writers. See our guidelines for the details.
Need a beta reader? Check out our critique board (you’ll need to be registered with the forum in order to view it).
Want to hang out and talk shop with other furry writers? Come join us for the Coffeehouse Chats, Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern, Thursdays at 12 p.m. Eastern, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Eastern — all held right in the forum shoutbox. More info here. Remember, our forums are open to everyone, not just FWG members. Come register and join the conversation!
That’s all for this month! As always, send an email to furwritersguild (at) gmail.com with news, suggestions, and other feedback, or just comment here.
Member Spotlight: David Sharp
I am probably a little in between the total structure of outlines and the dive in philosophy of the pantser. I see a story come together in my head as if I were watching a film unfold. Outlines are guideposts and sometimes change as the story takes on a life of its own. Once on a roll, the process seems to speed up to its conclusion.
3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?My favorite kind of story is a journey where the character must travel somewhere on the road and experience strange things on the way to his destiny.
4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?The one character I identify with most is Lane Bowden from my unpublished manuscript of The Journey of Lane Bowden. The story is set in 1973 with a true crime backdrop. I put a lot of my own mother’s passing into his fictional world as his mom, Ellen, died of cancer.
5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work? Clive Barker has inspired me not only in fantasy, but as being a role model as a gay author. I also grew up on Stephen King. He is a master of believable characters. 6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?I recently finished A Dance with Dragons and am enduring the long wait for The Winds of Winter. George R.R. Martin has created an amazing world from the well-defined characters and geography of the lands to the politics and religions of the realms.
7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?I love film, particularly horror films and still have my collection of Fangoria magazines from my youth. I go to the gym regularly. Most importantly, I like to spend time with my partner, Bo.
8. Advice for other writers?Never give up on your dream. Always write it out no matter what. A little writing a day gets you closer, so do not be overwhelmed.
9. Where can readers find your work?My books are available at amazon.com/author/sharpdavid, Apple Ibookstores, Barnes & Noble, Kobo ebooks, and other fine retailers.
10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?Furry fandom gives an outlet for individuality and freedom to try on a new persona. My favorite part is the creativity.
Check out David Sharp’s member bio here!
Guest post: “Grammar Lesson: Metonymy & Synecdoche” by Anima
by Anima
Today we’re going to tackle two figures of speech you probably remember from school but may never consciously use in your writing: metonymy and synecdoche.
Metonymy is referring to a noun not by its name, but by something associated with it, whether specifically or just conceptually.
Synecdoche is a more specific type of metonymy in that it uses just a part of something to refer to its whole.
When you say ‘the university would frown upon that’ you’re using metonymy, because you’re really talking about the people who run the place. Similarly, referring to the U.S. government as Washington (a location heavily associated with the government) or reporters collectively as the press (a tool essential to their trade) that’s all metonymy.
As for synecdoche, the most common examples you’ll find are things like ‘all hands on deck,’ but remember it’s not limited to human parts. http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/synecdocheterm.htm has some better examples of synecdoche than other sites, including one from Updike, ‘a pair of headlights.’
You may be using synecdoche without thinking about it in situations where your characters can only detect part of something. ‘The glowing eyes tracked me from the hedge, and more than ever, I wished I’d never clambered out of the carriage.’
Some uses for metonymy or synecdoche include brevity, description, and to help convey a character’s attitude about something. If your character refers to businessmen or investors as ‘suits,’ you can draw some inferences about that. If you add some air quotes or an awkward laugh to the same word, you’ll produce different inferences.
Both can come in handy when working on furry fiction. While even conventional dialogue includes phrases like ‘get your tail in here,’ they’re more relevant in our genre of choice. Don’t be afraid to follow familiar formulas to create new idioms for your anthropomorphic cultures using synecdoche and metonymy; just keep your story’s tone in mind. It can be a fine line to walk between humor and a plausible example of parallel linguistic evolution, and you don’t want one when you intended the other.
Furry characters also offer more visual variety and more opportunities to use synecdoche. Stripes, spots, antlers, horns, any distinguishing feature can be used as shorthand when referring to respective characters, and can also help convey the fact that the observer only got a vague impression of the character in question, because darkness, motion, or other factors interfered.
These figures of speech help make your writing and dialogue more natural; people use them every day.
Member Spotlight: Austen Crowder
Besides, why would I write a story if I already know how it ends? There’s no motivation for me there.? 3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write? Character pieces that take the extraordinary and make it ordinary fascinate me.? ?My stories usually revolve around a group of people with similar but conflicting views of the world learning that their enemies are also human. Lots of small disagreements drive the tension in my stories.
?In other words: “The world is crazy, but how are John and Jane Doe coping with it? Let’s be a fly on their wall.”? 4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?Oh my, that’s a tough one! My philosophy in writing is that good, honest prose comes from being true to yourself and your experiences. As such, most of my characters have a piece of my personality at their core. Of those pieces I most identify with the ones that point out that we can’t waste our lives worrying about what other people think. Cassia in Bait and Switch was a good example of this.?
5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work? I grew up a voracious reader of Mercedes Lackey books, which helped me identify the way a novel is constructed. (Most of her stories have the same bones which made identifying patterns a lot easier.) Bradbury taught me the power of prose that had been elevated to poetic heights. Philip K. Dick taught me the power of surrealism and the unreliable narrator.? 6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?I finally got down to reading ?Cory Doctrow’s Pirate Cinema ?recently and it’s a fantastic book. Fun characters, a slightly unbelievable premise, and a healthy dose of critique of copyright law come together to create a great narrative.
7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time? My Day Job, mostly. Girl’s gotta eat! Beyond that, I play video games, board games, RPGs, and hang out with friends in the area. I’m also planning my wedding with my fiancé, and if I didn’t mention that somewhere in the interview I’m pretty sure she’d throttle me.? 8. Advice for other writers? Keep writing! You might not be at the level you want to be in the here and now, but the only thing that fixes it is practice.? ?I wrote enough bad transformation stories, cruddy Sonic fanfics, and shared universe furry stories? to fill a closet full of shame and regret. Still, those stories made me better.Also, don’t be afraid to stretch your legs. I did a stint as a political columnist for two years and learned a lot about my writing. Write stuff you’re not comfortable writing. Fail. Look at why you failed. Learn to not fail next time. 9. Where can readers find your work?
You can find my work on Amazon, but beyond that I’m trying to figure out what to do with my stories. For now I have a small collection of pieces at www.furaffinity.net/user/slyford.
10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom? Furry is a no-judgment zone where people can find their identity. Once you’ve found your place, you can even stay for the great friends you’ve made!
I wrote about my experience with furry in this article for {adjective] [species] that explains the identity-finding bit further.
http://adjectivespecies.com/2014/10/31/austen-writes-her-furry-story/?
Guest post: “Behind Red Stone Walls” by Renee Carter Hall
Many readers’ experiences with Brian Jacques’ Redwall books began in childhood. I was in my senior year of high school when I first discovered the books, but as with all of my reading, age never mattered, whether it was my age or the intended audience of the books.
At that time, since I didn’t have a good bookstore close to home, I picked up a lot of my casual reading from the book and magazine sections of local grocery stores. One day I found Martin the Warrior on those racks alongside thrillers and romances, and from the first glance at the cover, I was hooked.
It was a while before I realized the book was technically children’s fiction. This paperback edition was mass-market size, not the larger format I was used to for middle-grade fiction, and the bookstore where I bought the later works shelved all of them in the science fiction and fantasy section. To me it just felt like fantasy, with a childlike sense of wonder and its cast of animal characters — some friendly, some fierce — that appealed to me instantly. I’d never read anything quite like it, and as soon as I could, I started tracking down the other books.
Throughout my life, there have been various authors — only one or two at a time — from whom I’m willing to purchase hardcovers without having read the book first. Brian Jacques occupied that honored position for several years. While I quickly caught on to the formula of his plots, I loved inhabiting the world of fairy-tale valor he’d created.
By the time Marlfox was published in 1998, I had recently married and was living in San Diego. While there, I’d had the opportunity to meet more than one of my favorite authors, and I kept hoping for Jacques to visit. I finally got my chance when he came to a children’s bookstore in Riverside, California, in February 1999, while on tour for Marlfox. Because he’d injured his hand at a previous stop, he wasn’t able to personalize books, just sign them, but it was still a chance to say hello — though I think I was the oldest fan there, unless you count the bookstore’s staff.
I’d only ever owned a paperback copy of Redwall, so I bought the hardcover anniversary edition for him to sign. At some point when he was signing the book, either I or my husband mentioned that I’d written a children’s book as well (a middle-grade portal fantasy that remains unpublished and probably always will). He said well, someday he would have to come stand in line for my book. I babbled something inane along the lines of how he wouldn’t read it, though, because I’d heard that he never read other children’s authors. I admit I don’t remember most of the talk he gave that day, but I do remember how much I loved hearing him, how wonderful he was with the children who sat at his feet, and (as I noted in my journal afterward) that “he reminded me of the kind of uncle that all the children look forward to seeing, with stories to tell them and treats hidden in pockets.”
My husband and I left San Diego not long after that, moving back to my home state of Virginia, to an apartment near Dulles Airport. There were planes flying over almost constantly, their contrails marking the daytime skies. And then came a September morning in 2001 when there were suddenly no planes in the sky at all.
Living and working so close to Washington, D.C. in the days immediately following September 11 created an unfamiliar and unsettling atmosphere of tension, and the fact that my sister had joined the Army reserves earlier that year didn’t help. When that next Redwall book came out, I felt an odd sense of relief along with the usual excitement. There was such a wonderful comfort in it, in the familiarity of it. Here was a place where nothing had changed, when so much seemed so horribly strange and uncertain. Here was a place where clear lines were drawn between good and evil, where friend and foe were obvious, where those who died were remembered with love and honor. All at once I understood the appeal of that formula I’d begun to feel dissatisfied with.
I don’t know whether it’s quite true to say that I outgrew the Redwall books. As I said before, age really had nothing to do with it. In time, I tired of reading the same story over and over with interchangeable characters. I kept hoping for a good stoat or an evil badger, something to acknowledge the shades of gray both in my life and in the world, but it never quite happened. As much as I now understood why — Redwall and its sequels are very much romances, in the literary sense — the books gradually stopped satisfying me as they once had. As years passed, though I still had fond memories of Redwall (and still re-read Martin the Warrior from time to time), I stopped buying the new books. The last Redwall book I purchased was Triss.
Sometimes we don’t realize our influences until we see them reflected plainly back to us in our own work. In 2005, I embarked on a new
challenge as a writer: my first year of NaNoWriMo. The advice of NaNoWriMo is to write what you love, to basically be a kid in a candy store and put in everything you love to write and read. I’d had a story in mind I thought would work, a medieval fantasy about a unicorn prince fighting to regain his throne, something where I could have fun throwing in all the elements I loved — the wise healer, the female warrior, a world of taverns and cottages and castles. Along the way, sure enough, I wound up with warrior squirrels, and a female badger, and a magic sword, and a castle I called Whitestone. I realized then how much I owed to Jacques’ work, how much of it had seeped into my heart and my imagination and remained there despite the faults I’d later found. I still sometimes refer to By Sword and Star as “Redwall for grownups” — though when I say that, I certainly don’t mean to imply that Redwall isn’t still a good read for any age.
In the years since Jacques’ passing, I’ve tried to read some of the Redwall books that were published after I stopped keeping up with them. Try as I might, I can’t seem to get interested in them anymore. The door of Redwall Abbey seems to have been shut behind me, and sadly I can’t re-open it and be the reader I was then. Still, perhaps someday I’ll be able to go back, and if I do, I know there’ll be a warm welcome for me, with a place set at that long table heaped with nutbread, Abbey trifles, hotroot soup, and deeper ‘n ever pie.
I’ve heard offhand that Jacques’ opinion of furry was not a positive one, and if that’s true, I’m sorry for it. I like to think a better and wider introduction to the fandom, beyond the realm of Rule 34, might have led to a better relationship, and to an understanding that many of his adult readers in the fandom were reading for the same adventure and the same feelings of security and comfort and courage that his younger readers enjoyed.
For myself, I raise a glass of October ale in memory and honor, to an author I loved and met but never quite got to thank properly for being a part of my life, for helping give shape to my own creations, and most of all, for giving me shelter when I needed it, behind those strong walls of red stone, where all of good heart were welcome.
Book of the Month: The Furry Future, edited by Fred Patten
February’s Book of the Month, The Furry Future, is edited by FWG associate member Fred Patten and includes stories from several members.
“For the history of the human race we have been locked inside our bodies. Spiritualism, medicine, basic biochemistry and genetic enhancement seek to take us beyond the physical limitations we were born with. The Furry Future is a record of what might become of us once we perfect the methods of reshaping biology.
“Fangs and claws could become just another fashion accessory. We might use our technology to create intelligent and able companions as we spread out to the stars, or else create perfect servants unable to disobey the whims of their masters. We may remake ourselves to attain our future across the galaxy and unlock our spiritual potential, or collapse into war over where the boundaries of humanity lie.
“These nineteen stories take us to these different futures, each one written in the fur we choose to wear.”
Contains the following stories:
Emergency Maintenance by Michael H. Payne
Tow by Watts Martin
Experiment Seventy by J. F. R. Coates
A Bedsheet for a Cape by Nathanael Gass
Hachimoto by Samuel C. Conway
Vivian by Bryan Feir
Family Bonding by Yannarra Cheena
The Future Is Yours by MikasiWolf
Distant Shores by Tony Greyfox
The Analogue Cat by Alice “Huskyteer” Dryden
The Sequence by NightEyes DaySpring
Trinka and The Robot by Ocean Tigrox
Lunar Cavity by Mary E. Lowd
The Darkness of Dead Stars by Dwale
Field Research by M. C. A. Hogarth
The Curators by T. S. McNally
Evolver by Ronald W. Klemp
Growing Fur by Fred Patten
Thebe and the Angry Red Eye by David Hopkins with illustrations by Roz Gibson
Cover art by Teagan Gavet. Parental rating PG.
Guild News: February
Welcome to our newest member MikasiWolf!
Member NewsThe latest anthology from editor Fred Patten, The Furry Future, features 19 furry-themed science fiction stories (or science-fiction-themed furry stories, your call), with at least 15 of those stories coming from FWG members.
FurPlanet’s anthology Five Fortunes (also edited by Fred Patten, and featuring novellas from several members) is now available as an ebook from Bad Dog Books, and you can read FWG member Dronon’s review of it here at Claw & Quill. In other review news, you can now find Fred Patten’s reviews posted at Dogpatch Press.
Eduardo Soliz has just released Con Fluff 3: Nine Charming Furry Short Stories, his third collection of “furry super-short conbook stories”.
Patrick “Bahumat” Rochefort’s From Winter’s Ashes continues with Chapter 1.1 and Chapter 1.2 now posted.
Some of our associate members have been busy too — Jay launched a new blog, and Weasel has a new book review blog himself, along with another story in the literary magazine Earth Is Huge And We Are All On It.
(Members: Want your news here? Start a thread in our Member News forum!)
Market NewsJust opened: From Weasel Press, a furry anthology called Typewriter Emergencies, looking for “dark and existential fiction focusing around the theme of ‘These Things Shall Pass/It’s a mad world out there.'” Deadline is May 1, and full details are here.
Other anthologies currently remain open with spring deadlines — check out our Paying Markets page for more info, and remember to keep an eye on our Calls for Submissions thread and our Publishing and Marketing forum for the latest news and openings!
Guild NewsThe links to the 2015 Member Feedback Survey were sent out to all FWG members in an email dated January 30. If it’s not in your inbox (or your spam folder), please see this thread in the member forums for links to the 2-part survey. Both parts close on March 2, so please don’t wait to get your responses in.
We had a successful meet and greet at Further Confusion in January — you can check out the notes from that meet in this forum thread. (Thanks again to Daniel for taking all those notes, and to all those who hosted and attended, whether at the con or virtually via the shoutbox.)
There’s a quick update on the Cóyotl Awards here at the award blog.
Fred Patten has reviewed the FWG’s first anthology, Tales From the Guild: Music to Your Ears, over at Dogpatch Press.
A reminder to members: We’re open for guest blog post submissions! Good exposure and a great way to help out your fellow writers. See our guidelines for the details.
Need a beta reader? Check out our critique board (you’ll need to be registered with the forum in order to view it).
Want to hang out and talk shop with other furry writers? Come join us for the Coffeehouse Chats, Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern, Thursdays at 12 p.m. Eastern, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Eastern — all held right in the forum shoutbox. More info here. Remember, our forums are open to everyone, not just FWG members. Come register and join the conversation!
That’s all for this month! As always, send an email to furwritersguild (at) gmail.com with news, suggestions, and other feedback, or just comment here.
Member Spotlight: Mark “Prof Hauke” N.
If the focus is only on those that were actually completed and published, I’d have to go back a whole year to the first anthology, Tales From the Guild: Music to Your Ears. There have been more recently written things but they were so short, I’m hesitant to call them “projects”. I’d be more comfortable with “drafts”.
Anyway, that one (“Echoes from the Consort Box”) was inspired by an image of a confrontation that didn’t actually make its way into that story; the story that was published is, if anything, a prequel to what I was really starting on; it’s still in progress.
In a wider sense, the big project I’m working on now is to write a textbook for a class I’ve taught several times. I’d guess that almost nobody will actually read it and even fewer people really want to hear about that, it’s Linear Algebra. I doubt I’ll make any money off of it; the book will be more of a photocopied loose-leaf packet that I hand out to students at the beginning of the semester.
2. What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?What’s a “pantser”? Like, “by the seat of your pants”? I guess I’m like that. I mentioned an image before; most of what I do is inspired by an image. This isn’t the .jpg or .gif type! It’s one that comes when I’m either thinking of nothing in particular; hear (or mishear!) something, or think “Now how would this unfold if it were in a furry world instead of this one?” Try it: if I say “That’s not the way cake is supposed to look” and you imagine a cake, and something’s wrong with it. What, precisely, is the matter? Who made it? A lot of things can snap into place as if they came from somewhere else; you just write about it as you go.
3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?My favorite kind of story to write is one that I don’t think I’ll have to finish!
4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?That’d have to be Hauke von Friedrichs, the cockatrice (or basilisk, if you speak German) professor. He dates back to a very primitive time in my writing career: he’s my alter ego, my self-insertion into the furry world. As I started writing more and more, he got left out more and more, but I’ve got a soft spot for him.
5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work?The single most influential author on me I can name is Lynda Barry. I suppose Harvey Pekar should be mentioned as well. I have a lot of authors whose work I admire and that I love to read, but I find myself stealing from those two when I turn around and try to write something.
6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?If I interpret this as the latest book I’ve read that has left a good impression, that would be City by Clifford Simak. It’s the book I’ve read most recently that has stuck with me. I’m a little surprised that I had never heard other people in the fur fandom talk about it. Structurally it was appealing to me since it’s several short works bound together with one theme (I think to myself “I could do that!” as I look over the very short pieces I’ve done). Simak’s stories are told as myths and legends by dogs about the mythical human race.
7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?
I put in a few hours at the county jail as a volunteer; I knit things and I’m trying to pick up crochet but for some reason that’s not going as well. Lately I’ve been spending too much time on my iPad raising dragons and other things (Dragonvale and Brave Frontier really sucked me in).
8. Advice for other writers?Write a lot; write more than I do, at least.
9. Where can readers find your work?A lot of my work is at FurAffinity. A smaller collection is at both DeviantArt and SoFurry. I do try to put disclaimers and warnings on the pieces that need them. If I do come out with something longer that gets published, hints of it probably show up at one of those places.
10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?It seems that a lot of fandoms settle in a phase where it’s all about dressing up and costuming; sometimes it’s not even about making them, but buying them. Look at Star Trek: it seems like you aren’t really a Trekker nowadays if you don’t have a Starfleet uniform or dress as a Klingon (and speak a little of it!). Furry fandom is turning into that now: in some circles, you aren’t a furry if you don’t have a fursuit. In the words of Smashmouth, “Fashion is smashin’ the true meaning of it”.
But there are still quite a few interesting people who are creating things, whether that be writing, drawing, or creating the suits. As long as that contingent is still going strong, the fandom will remain an interesting set of people.
Check out Mark “Prof Hauke” N’s member bio here!
