I have been writing pretty consistently in my home under my rock, which is where I often live.
I miss the two days a week at the bookstore, because that’s where most of my social interactions with other adults actually took place – but I’ve been attempting to use that time to write. Instead of, you know, worry. The best thing about the bookstore for me is the ability to recommend books to readers I think will like them. This isn’t just a recommendation, though — I always ask for three books (or more) that the reader has really loved first. It’s my attempt to triangulate.
I’ve been mulling over different ideas of how to speak into an entirely different wilderness, because we’re in this together, even if we can’t actually socialize in the ways we normally did. This would necessitate my posting more, so those of you who are signed up or subscribed to the blog posts will get pretty much everything, just… more of it.
First, I’d like to draw attention to author Kari Sperring. She’s been reading her own work out loud – and I love the sound of her voice. Always have. We shared reading space at the Montreal Worldcon, and I thought, of the three readers — that being Kari, Patrick Rothfuss and me, she did the best job. She was a delight.
She’s made link lists on her dreamwidth account. She’s posted privately to youtube, which is where you’d be watching/listening, so I think you have to go through the dreamwidth links to get to the readings, but — they’re absolute worth it.
Second, I’m mulling over a couple of ideas here. Reddit has been the place where I’ve done an AMA (Ask Me Anything) before, but I am considering posts that answer reader questions, whatever those questions might be. You can ask anonymously, or you can ask on the post, and I’ll attempt to answer; alternately, you can ask in email, and I can make a post of the answer, depending on how complicated it might be.
I am open to the idea of informal book recommendations, should people ask — with the understanding that, just like in the store, I’ll ask for three books that you’ve read that you liked or loved.
I am open to the idea of doing actual book reviews of books readers want, for some reason, to know my opinion about.
I am open to recommending webtoons or manga that I’ve read that I really like. I am open to discussing video games, with the caveat that I’m not a power gamer (and I am in general terrible at FPS games, although there are exceptions).
But I’ve also been considering all of the older short stories that I never did manage to get self-published. Why? Because… time. If I am pressed with deadlines (spoiler: I often am), I tend to drop the things that no one is expecting, and on which no one’s job relies. So: I’ll write the novels and drop everything else. I’ll revise novels and drop everything else. Copy-edits, page proofs, etc., etc. In those cases, the deadlines affect publishers and editors – i.e. other people. Whereas self-publishing only affects me, in theory.
Given that so many people are now laid off or out of work, I wouldn’t be self-publishing the older reprints. They would also require covers, etc., which I don’t have at the moment. But I could format them – sans the covers that would otherwise make them commercially viable – and put them up here, say once every two weeks, for people to read, or download and read.
For those who are still working, many are working twelve hour shifts in absolutely essential places – not just hospitals, but janitorial services, delivery services, grocery stores and pharmacies, communications services (can you imagine lacking Internet right now?), etc., they might lack the energy or even time to read the stories, but… the stories would be here if the downtime reading would be at all helpful.
I’m not technically competent when it comes to social interactions – I mean, I can use text services like twitter just fine, but video conferencing, etc., I’d have a learning curve; I tend to avoid cameras like the plague.
I’d prefer to do whatever it is I end up doing here, on my web-site, rather than split among other platforms.
So: suggestions? Preferences?
Raeann Schurter 
Julianne 
Carol Duffy 
Anna M Wick 
Peter 
Jim Kellogg 
Alia Sweedan 
Jamie Rawlings 
ANNE 
Joey 
Melissa 
Lesa 
Tchula 
Tome Collector 
DeDe 
Tracy in Texas 
Kerry aka Trouble 
Mary Allen 
Tracey 
Linda 
Shawn Foley 
Zia 
Steve Faught 
Peter Moore 
Candace 
Autumn 
Joanne 
Wendy 
Kelly Harwood 
Naomi Booth 
Janet 
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So, I can walk you through using most of the basic videoconferencing platforms to either do a live read, a recording, or both. The key thing I would tell you is NOT to use Zoom. Zoom may be the simplest, but its terms of service give it copyright over anything that happens on its platform — including paid versions of the service. So even though it’s tempting, in your case, it is NOT a good idea.