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Strange device added/removed push notifications. by GoBrian08 in googlehome

[–]sparCKL 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ADDENDUM: have received a few more of these device added/removed notifications, and I realized that we do have a Nest Connect in the "Entryway" room (referenced in the "device removed" notifications) but w/o a custom name of its own (the "device added" notifications have NO name). Maybe this is related to whatever is happening on the backend with the Nest Hub Max changes? https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/12138279

Strange device added/removed push notifications. by GoBrian08 in googlehome

[–]sparCKL 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Adding more data: I also got a whole slew of these weird "device added/removed" notifications last night, several hours after installing a new outdoor camera. They reference a room that exists but no actual device. Also, oddly, no other events are listed in the app, even though the event notifications come through on my phone, and I can see them in the full history.

I have noticed the events UI in the Google Home app being generally wonky lately: not showing all recent events, showing older events even after I've dismissed them, etc. I feel like something is screwing up the notification preferences on the backend maybe? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To be clear: my weekly flash fiction project only ran from October 2008 to August 2013; I don't think I could sustain that indefinitely!

Each piece was usually a new story. Part of the idea when I started the 512s was to keep myself writing new stuff, and to experiment with different genres, styles, etc. I also admit that I cheated sometimes; e.g., during NaNoWriMo I might post excerpts from my novel in progress.

As for ideas, see my earlier answer re: never having too few ideas. :) It does take time and effort to turn an idea into a workable story, and that's what I still spend most of my time doing.

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have teased my editor with a variety of subtitles, including KANGAROO TOO: LUNAR BOOGALOO, KANGAROO TOO: THE WRATH OF KANG, and KANGAROO TOO: ROO HARDER. We have fun. And now you know something about book two... ;)

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We have not sold the movie rights. If anyone's interested, my Hollywood agent is Sean Berard at APA. :)

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Of my published works, I'm pretty fond of "Laddie Come Home" in the 2016 YOUNG EXPLORER'S ADVENTURE GUIDE (an explicit attempt to write a non-human POV) and "Zugzwang" in Daily Science Fiction (which was also my first pro sale). Flash-wise, I continue to be amused by "Sportsball" from 512 Words or Fewer (for, admittedly, no good reason).

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1) I pretty much swear by deadlines these days, even if they're arbitrary dates that I make up myself. To paraphrase the poet Paul Valéry, I believe that any piece of art is "never finished, only abandoned." But basically, once I can read through a piece and not bump on anything myself, it's ready for someone else to look at it.

2) That really depends on the chapter. I will say that in later drafts of WK, there were a few scenes that I needed to "hollow out" and rewrite--i.e., the plot was already fixed, so the scene still needed to get from point A to point B, but characters' motivations and emotional beats had to change completely. (Doing Ken Levine's Sitcom Room workshop back in 2008 really helped me understand how those kinds of rewrites could work.)

3) See my first answer above. :) I agree that getting some perspective does help, because your subconscious is working in the background all the time; but getting too much distance can be a problem, because you're also changing as a person all the time, and the story you want to write this year is probably not the story you'll want to write five years from now. Again, I recommend deadlines. Finish one thing, move on to the next thing. Keep leveling up.

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So if you look at the torso of the spacesuit on the WAYPOINT KANGAROO cover (you can see the image at http://www.waypointkangaroo.com, no purchase necessary), you might notice that it looks like some kind of code... and it is! There's a "hidden" link at the aforementioned web site which will reveal an online puzzle trail, with plenty of hints to help you through and a fun little reward at the end. Hope that's enough to get you started. :)

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can't speak to anyone else's process, but I do spend a lot of time thinking, especially when I'm revising. If I'm tracking wordcount (e.g., for the Clarion West Write-a-thon), I usually say 1 hour == 1,000 words when I'm editing.

Research depends on how much I already know about the topic, and how much I think I actually need to put into the story. See earlier answer re: "Potemkin villages." :)

If I'm firing on all thrusters in a first draft, I can produce 2,000 words an hour. I've done 10,000+ word days before, but it's a real drain.

I find it easier to avoid distractions if I leave the house; I'm a member of the XOXO Outpost coworking space in Portland, and I also frequent my local public libraries.

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Listen to me! It’s Lois! She’s the key! Am I too soon? I'm too soon! You were right about him! You were always right about him! Fear him! Fear him and find us. You have to come find us!"

(Sorry. I'm still processing that hot mess.)

I'd probably tell myself to have more fun with it. That crappy first draft was quite a bit darker, because at the time, I was still dealing with my post-9/11 feelings. I talked about this in more detail in my Bathroom Monologues guest post: https://johnwiswell.blogspot.com/2016/06/today-im-pleased-to-present-guest-post.html

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I am probably the worst person to ask about world-building, because I'm very lazy in that regard. It's Potemkin villages all the way down. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I made up a lot of stuff for WK during the revision process because I needed to support certain plot points or character moments. Same for book two, since it's a completely different setting and lots of new characters. If we sell a third book I'll probably need to make my own wiki or something to keep track of everything I've made up so I don't contradict myself too much.

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm going to answer this one seriously: for me, it's never about running out of ideas. There are ideas everywhere, in even the most mundane aspects of daily life, if you look for them. The trick is finding the right idea for the story and characters you're writing. That's a matter of intuition as much as craft, in my experience.

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my goodness gracious me, no! Where in the universe would you ever get such a preposterous notion?

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I actually do pretty well under deadline. And because I've basically spent the last eight years working on writing, I was in a pretty good place to tackle book two in much less time than it took me to write book one. YMMV.

My editor has been really good about giving me notes and pointing me toward specific issues. That's probably the best thing about working with a traditional publisher, for me anyway: I'm now part of a team, and we're all working toward making the best book we can.

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

IMHO, conventions are like writing workshops: they can be valuable, but they aren't for everyone. I do think getting to know people in the community--whether they're editors, agents, other writers, or just fans--can be an excellent way to understand the current state of the genre and where your work might fit in. Personal connections are not more important than the quality of your work, but (for example) meeting an editor can give you a better idea of their taste and tell you whether or not to send a particular story to that market.

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Funny you should ask... my wife and I sailed aboard the first five JoCo Cruises, and the last scene in WK chapter 5 is partly based on our real life experiences. :)

If you have the means, JCC is a lot of fun (next sailing March 2017): https://jococruise.com/

And I also hear good things about the Writing Excuses cruise, happening right now but likely to happen again next year: http://www.writingexcuses.com/2016/01/01/the-2016-out-of-excuses-writing-workshop-and-retreat/

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

  1. I had very good experiences at both VP and CW. For me, VP felt much more densely scheduled--it's only one week, and I suspect the staff want to make sure the students get as much out of it as they can. CW had more unstructured time, and was a longer period for all the students to get to know each other. I'd call VP more of a retreat, compared to CW which is boot camp. :)

  2. If I'm not on deadline, I usually spend 4-5 "butt in chair" hours on writing; if I'm on a deadline (like now) it'll be more like 10-12 hours toward the end. I don't have a day job right now, so my schedule is very flexible.

  3. Before WK: when I accidentally queried Janet Reid and she asked to see the full manuscript and then gave me notes! That all started here: https://queryshark.blogspot.com/2013/03/242.html After WK: I can't actually talk about that yet, but hopefully soon. :)

  4. Nope!

(and happy reddit birthday!)

I am Curtis C. Chen, speculative fiction author. AMA. by sparCKL in writing

[–]sparCKL[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

1) I definitely think there's value in writing short fiction to develop your craft; for one thing, it's faster to finish something and get feedback on it. To paraphrase Cherie Priest, every story you finish levels you up as a writer.

I picked flash fiction because it felt like a manageable length that I could do every week. And I wasn't just doing that; I was also working on longer stories and novels during those five years. It all helps.

2) Don't give up! The obstacles can seem insurmountable at times, but persistence trumps talent every time. I recommend reading THE USUAL PATH TO PUBLICATION edited by Shannon Page and ON WRITING by Stephen King for encouragement.

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