Lists – Page 2 – Dr. Shaun Duke, Professional Nerd

5 Annoying Author Habits on Twitter

I spend far too much time on Twitter, which means I read a lot of tweets from a lot of authors. Some authors are great at interacting, carving out their little niche and creating a kind of Twitter persona to represent them. Others, however, are kind of like social media bacterial infections who must do everything they possibly can to sell their own work; they basically turn into walking spam monkeys. And still others present themselves as bitter, rage-infested monsters fit for the Mos Eisley Cantina in Star Wars. Neither of these latter two groups are particularly fun to engage, which might explain why the five things I’ve listed here haven’t actually helped many of these individuals develop a steady writing career. Here goes: Constantly Complaining About Your Career There are two kinds of career complaints: Legitimate grievances which occasionally happen and need to be addressed in a public forum (or privately in a different context) Unsubstantiated complaints about why your work isn’t doing as well as you’d like Whether or not it is actually true that there’s a conspiracy to keep you from being successful, constantly harping about such things makes you look less like a victim and more like a bitter failure. I have seen authors rant and rant about how their careers aren’t going the way they want, but it’s not their fault; someone else is responsible for the fact that their books don’t sell. It’s certainly possible that you’re being sabotaged by individuals or an -ism, but it is more likely your work isn’t selling for reasons within and beyond your control: your writing isn’t good enough, you don’t know how to market your work, you are writing X when the market is tired of it, nobody actually knows who you are because you’re published by a nobody, the previous book sold better than the second because it got into more bookstores, many of which are now closed, and so on an so forth. A lot of the times, the first two are the most likely culprits. Not everyone is a great writer. Some authors have pushed ahead too soon, expecting that their writing will meet the demands of the market. There’s no easy way to tell these folks that they need to spend more time developing their writing style and learning the craft. If you say anything, they’ll go back to the conspiracy theories about how you’re out to ruin their career or whatever. I’ve yet to see one of these conversations go well on Twitter, which I suppose is to be expected. Regardless, this perspective on the world of publishing is an annoying one, as the individual who believes it tends to become engrossed in the conspiracy against themselves, turning bitter, angry, and sometimes rude. Inserting Yourself Into Every Vaguely “Relevant” Hashtag Hashtags are a great Twitter tool. They’re useful for spreading opinions about a topic among a wider range of users. I’ve started running a hashtag called #monthlyreads, which is designed for a once-a-month sharing of the things you read. I expect this hashtag to get abused. Most people are pretty good about hashtags. They understand that they are for having a conversation or sharing information, and so they use it for that single purpose. But then there is that minority of people who believe every hashtag that is vaguely related to their work is a perfect place to insert said work. This happens most often in hashtags for sharing works of literature that fit within a category (diversity, for example). Everyone else shares their favorite books while some random author pops up to suggest their own work. There’s nothing inherently wrong with mentioning your own work on Twitter, but there is something tacky and downright annoying about constantly inserting said work into these hashtag conversations. Hashtags are not exclusively promotional in attitude, and so it is blatantly obvious that an author is trying to hawk their work when they join these conversations. Authors who do this are also rarely good writers. There’s something off about their work, either because it is substandard and has been self-published on the cheap or it is released through questionable means or the author is simply desperate and doesn’t know how to properly advertise. Hashtags are not about you. They are communal. Using them incorrectly is, frankly, irritating. It doesn’t bode well for you as an author if a portion of your potential readers identify you and your work with negative emotions. Constantly Being Angry About Stuff It doesn’t matter what you’re angry about: local politicians, racism, bad food, the fact that monkeys stole your wallet, sexism, liberals, how much you hate Country X, conservatives, gerbils, people who tweet about their cats…doesn’t matter. If your Twitter account is a long stream of angry tweets about anything in particular, it gives me the impression that you are an insanely angry person and, therefore, unapproachable. In my mind, that’s a bad thing. I’m an aspiring author and a podcaster. If I have little interest in interviewing you because you seem bitter and angry all the time, then I can assume other podcasters, interviewers, and so on might feel the same way. This isn’t to suggest that you shouldn’t complain about things that bug you. Twitter is a social network, after all, and that means you should use it to, well, be social. Anger is part of our social culture. But it should be clear that you also like things. Movies, hamburgers, recycling, the smell of new books…whatever. If the entire world pisses you off all the time, maybe you need to re-evaluate your entire life. There are good things on this planet, and your social network presence should show more than just the things that drive you up the wall. There’s also a separate issue here: people who are bitter and angry all the time (or most of the time) are also more likely to fall into the confirmation bias bubble. This can lead to a kind of

Great SF/F Books by Female Authors: A Massive Twitter List! #sffbywomen

Earlier today, I posted seven sf/f books by women worth checking out for International Women’s Day. This led to a tweet asking folks online to list a single sf/f work by a woman that they think is exceptional. Folks promptly ignored the “single” part and sent me a lot of suggestions. You can add your own suggestions in the comments here or via the #sffbywomen tag on Twitter. In any case, if you’re looking for something new to read and care about gender parity, here’s a massive list of great works of sf/f by women (note: the list may be edited later; I may send the question to Facebook and Google+ to make things interesting). Enjoy! Alexander, Alma. Midnight at Spanish Gardens Alexander, Alma. Secrets of Jin Shei Alexander, Alma. The Worldweaver Books Anderson, Laura S. The Boleyn King Andrews, Ilona. The Kate Daniels Series Aquirre, Ann. The Perdition and Sirantha Jax Series Arakawa, Hiromu. Full Metal Alchemist Armstrong, Kelley. The Cainsville Series Armstrong, Kelley. Women of the Otherworld Series Asaro, Catherine. The Last Hawk Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale Baker, Cage. The Company Novels Baker, Kage. The Anvil of the World Baker, Kage. The Garden of Iden Bear, Elizabeth. Carnival Bear, Elizabeth. Chill Bear, Elizabeth. Dust Bear, Elizabeth. Grail Bear, Elizabeth. Hammered Bear, Elizabeth. Range of Ghosts (and sequels) Bear, Elizabeth. Scardown Bear, Elizabeth. Undertow Bear, Elizabeth. Worldwired Bennett, Jenna. Fortune’s Hero Bernobich, Beth. Allegiance Bernobich, Beth. Passion Play Bernobich, Beth. Queen’s Hunt Bernobich, Beth. The Time Roads Beukes, Lauren. The Shining Girls Beukes, Lauren. Zoo City Bishop, Anne. Black Jewels Trilogy Bishop, Anne. Ephemera Series Bishop, Anne. The Others Series Bobet, Leah. Above Bodard, Aliette de. The Xuya Series Bond, Gwenda. Blackwood Bond, Gwenda. The Woken Gods Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Avalon Series Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Sword of Aldones Brennan, Marie. A Natural History of Dragons Brennan, Marie. Tropic of Serpents Briggs, Patricia. The Mercy Thompson Series Brook, Maljean. Heart of Steel Brook, Maljean. Riveted Brook, Maljean. The Iron Dukes Brown, Rosel George. Galactic Sibyl Sue Blue Bujold, Lois McMaster. Barrayar Bujold, Lois McMaster. Curse of Chalion Bujold, Lois McMaster. Komarr Bujold, Lois McMaster. Memory Bujold, Lois McMaster. Mirror Dance Bujold, Lois McMaster. Paladin of Souls Bujold, Lois McMaster. The Vorkosigan Saga Bujold, Lois McMaster. Warrior’s Apprentice Bull, Emma. War for the Oaks Butler, Octavia. Kindred Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Talents Cadigan, Pat. Synners Caine, Rachel. The Weather Warden Series Carson, Rae. Girl of Fire and Thorns Series Cashore, Kristen. Bitterblue Cawkwell, Sarah. The Silver Skulls Books Cherryh, C.J. Downbelow Station Cherryh, C.J. Foreigner Cherryh, C.J. Fortress in the Eye of Time Cherryh, C.J. Pride of Chanur Chng, Joyce. Starfang Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Cooper, Brenda. The Creative Fire Cooper, Brenda. The Diamond Deep Cooper, Elspeth. The Wild Hunt Series Cooper, Karina. Tarnished Cooper, Louise. The Indigo Series Cooper, Louise. The Time Master Trilogy Cooper, Susan. The Dark is Rising Sequence Czerneda, Julie. A Thousand Words for Stranger Czerneda, Julie. In the Company of Others Downum, Amanda. The Drowning City Elgin, Suzette Haden. Communipath Worlds Elgin, Suzette Haden. Native Tongue Elliot, Kate. Crown of Stars Elliott, Kate. Cold Magic Engh, M.J. Arslan Eskridge, Kelley. Solitaire Files, Gemma. A Book of Tongues Fisher, Sharon Lynn. Ghost Planet Flewelling, Lynn. Luck in the Shadows Forsyth, Kate. Bitter Greens Foster, M.A. The Morphodite Trilogy Frohock, Teresa. Miserere: An Autumn Tale Gentle, Mary. Golden Witchbreed. Goldstein, Lisa. A Mask for the General Goldstein, Lisa. Red Magician Goldstein, Lisa. Strange Devices of Sun and Moon Goldstein, Lisa. The Dream Years Goldstein, Lisa. Tourists Goldstein, Lisa. Uncertain Places Goodman, Alison. A New Kind of Death Graham, Ellen. Lana’s Awakening Grant, Mira. The Newsflesh Series Griffith, Nicola. Hild Hall, Sarah. The Carhullan Army Hambly, Barbara. Dragonsbane Hamilton, Laurell K. Bite Hamilton, Laurell K. Carvings Hamilton, Laurell K. Never After Hamilton, Laurell K. Strange Candy Hand, Elizabeth. Winterlong Hartman, Rachel. Seraphina Henderson, Zenna. Ingathering: the Complete People Stories Hobb, Robin. The Liveship Traders Trilogy Hopkinson, Nalo. Sister Mine Hopkinson, Nalo. The New Moon’s Arms Höst, Andrea K. The Touchstone Series Jemesin, N.K. The Broken Kingdoms Jensen, Liz. The Rapture Jensen, Liz. The Uninvited Jones, Diana Wynne. A Sudden Wild Magic Jones, Diana Wynne. Black Maria Jones, Diana Wynne. Conrad’s Fate Jones, Diana Wynne. Deep Secret Jones, Diana Wynne. Homeward Bounders Jones, Diana Wynne. Islands of Chaldea Jones, Diana Wynne. Magicians of Caprona Jones, Diana Wynne. Ogre Downstairs Jones, Diana Wynne. The Dalemark Quartet Jones, Diana Wynne. The Merlin Conspiracy Jones, Diana Wynne. Wilkins’ Tooth Jones, Diana Wynne. Year of the Griffin Kane, Stacia. The Personal Demons and Magic Series Kellog, Marjorie B. The Lear’s Daughters Series Kennedy, Leigh. Journal of Nicholas the American Kerr, Katherine. The Deverry Series Kiernan, Caitlin R. The Drowning Girl Kittredge, Caitlin. The Black London Series Kowal, Mary Robinette. Glamour in Glass Koyanagi, Jacqueline. Ascension Kress, Nancy. Probability Moon Kurtz, Katherine. The Deryni Series L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Larke, Glenda. The Last Stormlord Le Guin, Ursula K. Lavinia Le Guin, Ursula K. The Dispossessed Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness Leckie, Ann. Ancillary Justice Lee, Yoon Ha. Conservation of Shadows Leicht, Stina. And Blue Skies From Pain Leicht, Stina. Of Blood and Honey Lindholm, Mega. Cloven Hooves Link, Kelly. Magic for Beginners Loenen-Ruis, Rochita. “Alternate Girl’s Expatriate Life” Lord, Karen. Redemption in Indigo Lord, Karen. The Best of All Possible Worlds Lowachee, Karin. Burndive Lowachee, Karin. Cagebird Lowachee, Karin. Warchild Lowe, Helen. Heir of Night Lynn, Elizabeth. The Northern Girl MacAvoy, R.A. Damiano MacAvoy, R.A. Damiano’s Lute MacAvoy, R.A. Raphael MacAvoy, R.A. Tea with the Black Dragon Marks, Laurie. Fire Logic Marley, Louise. The Terrorists of Irustan Marr, Melissa. Carnival of Souls Marshall, Helen. Hair Side, Flesh Side Matthews, Susan R. The Jurisdiction Series Maurier, Daphne du. The House on the Strand May, Han. Star Sapphire McCaffrey, Anne. The Dragonriders of Pern Series McCaffrey, Anne. The Ship Who Sang McGuire, Seanan. One Salt Sea McIntyre,

7 SF/F Books by Female Authors to Pick Up on International Women’s Day

If the title didn’t make it clear, today is International Women’s Day! In celebration of that, here are seven wonderful books by female sf/f writers that I think you should check out, if not now, then certainly before the weekend ends. Consider it homework…the fun kind… Here they are: The Female Man by Joanna Russ (1975) As the only classic on my list, Russ’ incredible feminist narrative is easily one of the most important sf/f books by anybody written in the 20th century. The use of alternate realities to explore sexism is part of what makes this book truly a masterpiece. If you haven’t read it, you really should. It’s challenging, sometimes disturbing, sometimes confusing, but endlessly compelling. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord (2013) There are two Caribbean authors on this list. I’m biased because of my academic interests. Regardless, Lord’s interesting exploration of extinction, genetics, relationships between disparate peoples, and future cultures is worth checking out if only because you’re a fan of social science fiction. It’ll also amuse those of you who love fantasy, as there are certainly some “fantasy” elements here. For the curious, we interviewed Lord on The Skiffy and Fanty Show here. Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson (2013) Nalo Hopkinson is one of my favorite writers. Her novel, Midnight Robber (2000), is easily one of the best novels of the last 20 years. Sister Mine is nothing like Midnight Robber, but it does offer a fascinating look into the lives of a pair of formerly-conjoined twins, one of whom lost her magic when they were separated. Orishas, magic, music, and a little punk attitude make this one of my favorite reads from 2013. I interviewed her about Sister Mine here. Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee (2013) Lee is by far one of the greatest short story writers publishing today. Conservation of Shadows is an incredible collection of stories. They feel original, deep on a metaphorical level, and stunning in their visual brilliance. I cannot begin to do the stories justice here. So I’ll leave you with this: kiteships. If that doesn’t entice you, then I will just have to throw things until you read this book. Go on, test me. Or you can check out this interview. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (2013) I’ve been a fan of Lauren Beukes since Zoo City (2010), which I think belongs on a “best of the 2010s” list. The Shining Girls, however, is a very different kind of book. Following a time traveling serial killer and one of his surviving victims (among other POVs), this book is a twisted narrative about survival, psychosis, and time. If you’re a fan of Beukes’ work and missed this one, shame on you. We interviewed Beukes about The Shining Girls here. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (2013) To hell with the gender binary, amaright? Leckie’s Ancillary Justice tosses old standards of sf out the window and explores a far future empire where gender pronouns are fluid and ships are manned by thousands of minds. It’s one part gosh wow and two parts sf power. Expect this one on the Hugo Awards ballot. We interviewed Leckie about Ancillary Justice here. The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers (2011) Rogers won the Clarke Award for this novel. It was well deserved, too! The Testament of Jessie Lamb may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but its aggressive treatment of a post-disaster future in which women die when they become pregnant is noteworthy. The point of the book isn’t to agree with the narrator, but to understand her. Fans of Joanna Russ should definitely check this one out. We interviewed Rogers about The Testament of Jessie Lamb here. ——————————– There you go. Who would you add to the list?

The 86th Academy Awards: My Oscar Predictions

They’re happening tonight. Some of us will be watching (me). Some of us will have expectations and hopes and dreams (me). Some of us will probably be very disappointed (me). Post-Awards Tally (I’m live updating this post): 11/24 So, without further adieu, here are my predictions for tonight’s awards: BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY “American Hustle,” written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell (the winner) “Blue Jasmine,” written by Woody Allen “Dallas Buyers Club,” written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack WON “Her,” written by Spike Jonze (the one I want to win) “Nebraska,” written by Bob Nelson Personally, I think Her is the best original screenplay of the lot (caveat: I haven’t seen all of these). It’s not every day that we get a truly exceptional treatment of a cliche science fiction, particularly when that treatment is smart, compelling, and “real.” But I also realize that American Hustle and Dallas Buyers Club are favorites here. I suspect the folks who pick the winners will take a safer route and go with American Hustle rather than the sometimes deliberately awkward Her. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY “Before Midnight,” written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke “Captain Phillips,” screenplay by Billy Ray (the winner) “Philomena,” screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope WON “12 Years a Slave,” screenplay by John Ridley (the one I’d like to win) “The Wolf of Wall Street,” screenplay by Terence Winter The above is a completely soft prediction. I have no idea how to read the Oscars in this category, so what I think will win and what I’d like to win will probably look like alien monkeys to those who have some idea what to expect. Regardless, of the films on this list, the ones I enjoyed the most were the two I picked, though the better of the two is probably 12 Years a Slave only because I think the Captain Phillips adaptation basically discards the source material in favor of a story that makes sense (you can read my review of the novel here). But I think it’s possible The Wolf of Wall Street or Philomena could take it in the end. I just have no idea what to think… BEST VISUAL EFFECTS WON “Gravity,” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould (the winner; the one I want to win) “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds “Iron Man 3,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick “The Lone Ranger,” Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier “Star Trek Into Darkness,” Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton Honestly, Gravity is the only film on this list that deserves to win. Iron Man 3 had solid visuals, but Gravity is by far the superior film in terms of its treatment of its subject matter. As for the others: I refused to see The Lone Ranger (cause redface); I thought The Hobbit was a CG masturbation festival a la George Lucas in the prequel trilogy (the best scenes involve the dragon, which is bloody gorgeous, but so much of this particular franchise is just…too much); and I thought Star Trek Into Darkness was decent enough, but still a tad short of the mark. I’ll be shocked if I’m wrong on this category. Curious parties might want to check out these Shoot the WISB segments on Gravity and Star Trek Into Darkness. My review of Iron Man 3 can be found here. BEST SOUND MIXING “Captain Phillips,” Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro WON “Gravity,” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro (the winner; the one I want to win) “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson “Inside Llewyn Davis,” Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland “Lone Survivor,” Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow Caveat: I have not seen Inside Llewyn Davis or Lone Survivor, but of the three I have seen, the one that once again takes all the top marks is Gravity. Not much else to say here (well, except that Smaug was pretty much the best part of The Hobbit; he should have his own movie — a sitcom with Bilbo Baggins as the sidekick called Welcome Back Smaug). BEST SOUND EDITING “All Is Lost,” Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns “Captain Phillips,” Oliver Tarney WON “Gravity,” Glenn Freemantle (the winner; the one I want to win) “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” Brent Burge “Lone Survivor,” Wylie Stateman Gravity again. Maybe The Hobbit. But it will be Gravity, I suspect. BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM “Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)” “Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)” WON “Helium” “Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)” “The Voorman Problem” I have no idea. I have seen none of these, so I’m going to pick one at random based on whether I think the title sounds interesting. BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM “Feral” “Get a Horse!” WON “Mr. Hublot” (the winner) “Possessions” “Room on the Broom” I have seen none of these either, so I’m just going to have to throw a random choice in…again. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN “American Hustle,” Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler (the winner) “Gravity,” Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard (the one I want to win) WON “The Great Gatsby,” Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn “Her,” Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena “12 Years a Slave,” Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker It’ll probably go to American Hustle, though I suppose The Great Gatsby deserves a little love, too. The rest are good in terms of the set design, but I suspect their minimalism or association with genre or some other stupid reason will get them knocked off. BEST ORIGINAL SONG “Happy” from “Despicable Me 2” WON “Let It Go” from “Frozen” (the winner) “The Moon Song” from “Her” (the one I want

Dr. Shaun Duke, Professional Nerd

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Tag: Lists

5 Annoying Author Habits on Twitter

Top 10 Posts for April 2014

Top 10 Blog Posts for March 2014

Great SF/F Books by Female Authors: A Massive Twitter List! #sffbywomen

7 SF/F Books by Female Authors to Pick Up on International Women’s Day

The 86th Academy Awards: My Oscar Predictions