INTRODUCTIONS

[foxfinial]

As I'd rather this comm doesn't become full of intro posts, please feel free to introduce yourself in the comments here.

What kind of fantasy do you like to write? Do you write long or short things? What are you working on at the moment? etc

Off-topic comments are totally fine. =)

I'm your mod, foxfinial (aka Alex), a reader and writer of weird fantasy. My favourite authors are China Miéville, KJ Bishop, Catherynne M Valente, Milorad Pavic, Jeff VanderMeer, Steph Swainston, M John Harrison, Christopher Barzak and probably some others. I'm currently writing a novel about a war between humans and water-people in a secondary world heavily influenced by Thailand. It's being told in the form of a fake history book comprising various texts, such as translations (with footnotes, om nom), letters, chronicles, journal entries, messages on clothing. I've had some short fiction and poetry published, and am submitting a completed novel to agents.

I hope you like this comm!

Comments

[cupiscent]

Pardon me for jumping in - though I suppose this is an introductions post. Hi, I'm Dee, and I'm in Australia and dead curious about Clarion South. I attended an EnVision back when Fantastic Queensland still ran them, but I've avoided Clarion as I've never really been a short story reader/writer. This may not be the place for it, but I'd be really interested in hearing about your experience and whether you think it has benefits for someone solely interested in longer pieces. (Though with two years until the next one, it's a pretty academic question. Heh.)

[fromastudio]

..the short answer is no; if you're exclusively a novel writer it may not be worth the time and expense, particularly if you're a) an experienced writer with existing sources of reliable critique b) already well-connected within the speculative fiction community. The friendships I formed with fellow writers were the best part of the workshop for me; the actual writing/critique less so, although my critiquing skills have certainly become much sharper as a result. (Note that mileage varies, and most others benefitted considerably more than I did; I write slowly at the best of times and write well below my best under pressure - none of which made me a candidate to get the most out of the Clarion experience.)

I do feel strongly that the short story and the novel are different things (a sentiment Jeff Vandermeer also expressed during the workshop) - and that within Australia something like Varuna or Hachette Livre may be the better way to go, especially if you've already got novels written.

[cupiscent]

Thanks for that! And double thanks for the links - I'd never heard of the Hachette one before!