Things we learned at the Clarion SF/F Workshop.

Shweta · Aug 12, 2007

I figured, since some of us had the benefit of 6 weeks of intensive SF/F writing and learning, that we should share our wisdom with our fellow AWers.

ETA: I'm hoping to get some of my classmates to add to this thread, and introduce them to the SF/F forum thereby, and y'all to them, for mutual chaos and destruction, I mean benefit.

So! what I learned at Clarion: If you must attack a wizard, sneak up from behind.

(photograph of ap0ll0 trouncing nickwolven, taken by Keyan, magic made visible by Astrobolism.)

OK, seriously: I learned to take real risks in my writing, and to write the things that scared me. Because those are the things I care about, and when I don't it shows.

I learned that it's okay to fail. I learn something important from attempts. And redrafting is always an option; they're only words; they can be changed easily and cheaply.

And I made myself remember that it's my fucking story. Wrote that one up large in marker on butcher paper, and somehow it helped

Redhedd · Aug 12, 2007

I did Clarion West almost a decade ago. I learned that you have to nail the ending as well as you nail the beginning.

I also learned that your success as a novelist greatly depends on your ability to finish a novel.

Shweta · Aug 12, 2007

Redhedd said:
I did Clarion West almost a decade ago.

Cool! May I ask who your instructors were?

ETA: In the interest of fair sharing, ours were Gregory Frost, Jeff (and Ann!) Vandermeer, Karen Joy Fowler, Cory Doctorow, and Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman as the anchor team.

I learned that you have to nail the ending as well as you nail the beginning.

Oooh yes

This reminds me of one awesome piece of advice we got:

The last line of your story needs to be the strongest.
The last line of each scene needs to be the strongest.
The last line of each conversation needs to be the strongest.

We tend to overshoot these endings by several lines.

I also learned that your success as a novelist greatly depends on your ability to finish a novel.

It does?

Darn.

Sophia · Aug 12, 2007

Thanks very much for this thread! I follow the Clarion blogs every year and find them inspiring. I was sorry to see they had to mostly fall silent this year, although I understand the reasons. Thanks again for being willing to share a few of your experiences!

J. Andrews · Aug 12, 2007

I'm a sporadic blogger at the best of times. I do already wish I'd posted more, at least just for myself. But I don't know when I would've fit it in!

Redhedd · Aug 12, 2007

My instructors were Paul Park, Connie Willis, George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Lucy Sussex, and Carol Emshwiller.

Yeah, we had a pretty frickin kick-ass lineup. <g>

Shweta · Aug 13, 2007

J. Andrews said:
I'm a sporadic blogger at the best of times. I do already wish I'd posted more, at least just for myself. But I don't know when I would've fit it in!

So say stuff now?

Redhedd said:
My instructors were Paul Park, Connie Willis, George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Lucy Sussex, and Carol Emshwiller.

Yeah, we had a pretty frickin kick-ass lineup. <g>

...Dude. Yeah, so you did.
So did we, 'a course

Just coming up on Carol Emshwiller's story in the Coyote Road anthology.

ETA: read it last night, it's lovely. And disturbing.

Interesting how many of the people in that anthology have taught at one of the Clarions.

Bartholomew · Aug 13, 2007

SHWETA ARE BACK! I IZ SOH HAPPEH!

When do I get to read wips? Growl.

Shweta · Aug 13, 2007

It's a LOLBart.

...I dunno if I can deal with that.

Hi to you too

Vincent · Aug 14, 2007

Welcome home, Shweta. I'm looking forward to reading some of your new fucking stories. I'm expecting great things, mind, so prepare to impress. And yes, I also plan on mining that brain of yours for Clarion gold.

Shweta · Aug 14, 2007

So ask away, and maybe some of my classmates will come rescue me

Mattcody · Aug 14, 2007

The truth as I experienced it:

Clarion opened with a moonlight ceremony involving the usual blood sacrifices and signing of soul pacts.

The rest of the time was your everyday astral visitations and familiar bonding.

The only real surprise was when we were all dumped into a post-apocalyptic Thunderdome and ordered to slay our comrades or be slain.

If memory serves, it was Shweta who grabbed the first weapon (a chain saw, I believe) and struck out wildly while screaming "Master Blaster Runs Bordertown!"

Good times.

-Matt

Adam Israel · Aug 14, 2007

Thanks for the thread and info, shweta!

J. Andrews · Aug 14, 2007

The #1 Most Important Thing I Learned at Clarion:

* You need to have a zombie emergency plan.

Bartholomew · Aug 14, 2007

J. Andrews said:
The #1 Most Important Thing I Learned at Clarion:

* You need to have a zombie emergency plan.

... duh. The US Marshal of Zombie Defense decreed that all buildings must be made zombie-proof up to a level 3 extreme-red (Runners mixed with mutations) attack, and that all persons should go over a survival plan with their room-mates and family members.

Shweta · Aug 15, 2007

Mattcody said:
The only real surprise was when we were all dumped into a post-apocalyptic Thunderdome and ordered to slay our comrades or be slain.

And, you may think it strange that nineteen of us survive, but you would be struggling under a misapprehension. See aforementioned zombie emergency plan.

And. Matt, Matt, Matt.
You forgot the ogres.
:shakes head sadly:

Shweta · Aug 15, 2007

Bartholomew said:
... duh. The US Marshal of Zombie Defense decreed that all buildings must be made zombie-proof up to a level 3 extreme-red (Runners mixed with mutations) attack, and that all persons should go over a survival plan with their room-mates and family members.

You misunderstand. We meant an emergency plan for zombies. Not in case of zombies. After the thunderdome that was no longer an issue.

betsyh · Aug 16, 2007

Clarion was great. It was a million times better than I thought it would be, and I was expecting to get a lot out of it.
I learned so much, mostly about how much more I need to learn, but I have a direction now, a path, a vision. And we had fun together. A lot of fun. There were no jerks. What are the odds of getting 19 (+ teachers=26) people together, packed into dorm rooms (actually the rooms were really nice, so was the food) and have nary a jerk in the bunch. Unless it was...uh, oh...me? It wasn't me was it? Waaaaah!

Soccer Mom · Aug 17, 2007

keep talking. I'm listening in.

Deirdre · Aug 17, 2007

It's really hard to communicate what you learn at Clarion, because it gets shoved and tamped in really hard.

Shweta · Aug 17, 2007

betsyh said:
(actually the rooms were really nice, so was the food)

You must have been eating different food from me.
Oh wait. You probably were eating different food from me.
...The vegetarian food often... left something to desire.

and have nary a jerk in the bunch. Unless it was...uh, oh...me? It wasn't me was it? Waaaaah!

Goodness, if it was you're the nicest jerk I've ever met.
I think we were simply jerk-free. It was amazing.

Deirdre -- I know what you mean! But it might be worth trying anyway

When were you at Clarion?

Deirdre · Aug 17, 2007

I went in 2002.

J. Andrews · Aug 18, 2007

I do tend to find more to say about this kind of thing when I've been asked specific questions.

Though I could probably talk for ages about the food.

Shweta · Oct 18, 2007

Something that I'm only realizing I learned just now is that stories need to work on multiple levels. I think I really learned this by critiquing, and it got brought home to me yesterday at the local crit group.

I learned (to the point of internalizing) that every word does matter, and you need to be aware of what a story's doing and pick your language to support it, or the different levels fight one another. And it's not good enough to things almost-right. They need to be actually right.

I think that was a big one, actually, not being satisfied with "good enough". Cause when I was, my did I feel silly in crit sessions!

Fenika · Oct 18, 2007

Shweta said:
Something that I'm only realizing I learned just now is that stories need to work on multiple levels.

Is there an article on this or can you expandify?

Cheers,
Christina, who started back on her novel between not sleeping, studying, and farm chores which are weeks behind schedule. *nods*

Things we learned at the Clarion SF/F Workshop.

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and...action!

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practical experience, FTW

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practical experience, FTW

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