IN THE SILENCE

To proclaim faith and light and peace and joy to others, we must first have it in ourselves. Then God’s joy and wisdom and energy and love and compassion flow through us to others. And we become the Gospel that others read if they read none other. Will we become perfect at it? No, but we can strive. In time we each become a living flame of love.

{From A Journal of the Spirit, a Journey of the Soul, by D.C. Ice, Dec. 31, 2003.}

THE ICE PICK

Internet Medieval Sourcebook, www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook.html

This excellent site, located at the Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies, is a part of the ORB, the Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies. It downloads fast and, if you like, will play one of several enjoyable Medieval tunes while you browse. The site is easy to navigate, and there is much here for writers of fantasy, historical, or time travel stories.

"Selected Sources" has excerpts of primary texts, while "Full Text Sources" gives complete texts of Medieval documents. Other articles are covered in "Selected Secondary Sources." "Medieval Source Projects" has only one item, which is in French.

"Saints’ Lives" is "devoted to Ancient, Medieval, and Byzantine hagiographical sources" and will give you information not only on religious history, but also social and cultural, including details of urban and rural society; commerce; military and political history; and daily life, such as food and drink.

"Medieval Legal History" has legal texts including Ancient, Byzantine, Roman, Germanic, English, Jewish, Islamic, and Christian canon law. For example, under the Roman Code of Civil Law, there are fascinating insights into the society, and possible story ideas, from cases about runaway slaves, the sale of children, marriage contracts made under duress, and determining responsibility for losing a king’s castle if the commander delegates the defense to another person, etc. Under canon law, there are monastic rules and examples of inquisitorial techniques, including questions asked of supposed heretics and sentences handed out. Church decrees include subjects like the murder of slaves and the misappropriation of church funds.

"Livres des Sources Medievales" has French texts "from the Middle Ages to the end of the Ancien Regime," and "Libro de fuentes medievales de Internet" includes Spanish documents.

The "Selected Sources" section comprises End of Rome, Byzantium, Islam, Roman Church, Early Germans, Celtic world, Carolingians, 10 C Collapse, Economic life, Crusades, Empire & Papacy, France, England, Celtic States, Iberia, Italy, Jewish Life, Intellectual Life, Medieval Church, Social History, States & Society, Renaissance, Reformation, and Exploration.

Feudalism is annoyingly hidden under the cryptic "10 C Collapse" and includes the Viking and Hungarian attacks.

Under feudalism’s "Oaths and Contracts," are the mutual duties of lords and vassals, samples of fidelity oaths from lord and vassal alike, homage ceremonies, etc. Under "Methods of Land Transfer," are examples of inheritance, grants, and fiefs. "Methods of supporting an army," "Methods of government," and "A Militarized society" also included.

"Economic life" includes Before the 11th Century, Trade and Commerce, The Rise of Towns, Industries, and Rural life. Information on the slave trade includes things like the purchase of a "Saracen maid" and selling slaves "to pagans for sacrifice." There is also information on the sea trade, fairs and markets, tolls (often in kind), bills of sale and lading, manor houses and manorial management, etc.

Under "Trade and Commerce," is a wonderful "list of prices of Medieval items" with dates. It includes some cultural information--like the weapons an English freeman was legally required to own and the amount of material needed to make a loose tunic--along with comparable wages for men and women by profession, and prices of tools, food, livestock, horses, books and education, armor, weapons, cloth and clothing, dowries, funerals, travel, and rent and building costs.

"Maps and Images" has beautiful Medieval maps of Europe and the Islamic world, mostly from Muir’s 1911 Historical Atlas. "Medieval Films" is an extensive list of movies with Medieval themes, and "Medieval Music" lists CDs featuring music for the major historical periods.

The "Search Page" uses Fordham’s Search Engine or Hotbot and has full instructions to help you. The "Help" page is "designed to be of use to any user of serious online resources who is looking for more information" and not just for this website.

There is so much more on this site than I can cover in a short review, that I urge you to take a look at it.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Oct. 2002.}

ACORN SQUASH AND PORK CHOPS

This is a recipe my mother always made when the weather turned cooler and "fall was falling." Fresh acorn squash is plentiful and cheap now, but it keeps well and this is a dish you can enjoy all winter. Although it takes only a few minutes to prepare, it does take a bit of time to cook, so save this recipe for a day when you have other things you want to do besides hang around the stove yet want to warm up the kitchen. I usually fix a salad and a green vegetable to go with this.

1 acorn squash for every 2 people
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pork chop for each person
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

Cut squash in half lengthwise and clean out. Season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down in a baking pan with about 1/4-inch of water. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, season and brown pork chops. Turn squash cut side up and put 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into each squash half. Lay pork chop on top. Drizzle more syrup over chop. Bake 1 hour at 375 degrees, turning pork chop over after 30 minutes.

HINT: If you've never cut a winter squash in half before, you'll need a cutting board, a big sharp knife, and a hammer. Set the squash on the board so that it rests naturally on its side and isn't as likely to roll off the board. Place the knife with the blade in a groove of the squash's skin, with the tip either at the stem or blossom end. Tap the knife with the hammer until the knife is about halfway through the squash, then flip the squash over and do the same on the other side until the squash is cut through. If the knife starts to curve to one side or the other as it cuts through, pull it out and swing the squash around so that the cut will curve the other way (In other words, if you had the knife tip at the stem end, switch it so the tip is at the blossom end).

{Published in the Heber Springs, Arkansas Sun-Times, Feb. 24, 1999, by D.C. Ice.}

THE ICE PICK

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits, by Rosemary Ellen Guiley. 2nd ed. N.Y.: Checkmark Books, 2000. Illus. 430 p. $19.95. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-4086-9.

This is a comprehensive look at the world of ghost lore and the paranormal, and for those of you, especially, who write horror, it is a treasure house of goodies.

It is arranged in alphabetical order, and many of the entries have lists of books for further reading.

Specific locations believed to be haunted are included along with details on how and when ghosts are said to appear and what the manifestations look and feel like. These places include the well-known "haunts," like London’s Adelphi Theatre and the less famous, like the Decatur House in Washington, D.C.

Societies and organizations of ghost investigators and paranormal debunkers are discussed along with biographies of mediums and psychic researchers. And there are entries for famous people who experienced the paranormal, like Abraham Lincoln, and ghosts themselves, like Chicago’s Resurrection Mary.

Notorious frauds like 18th-century-London’s Cock Lane Ghost and the Schneider Brothers are fully explained, from the motivations to the sentences of the perpetrators, if any.

Guiley has included phenomena and lore from many different cultures around the world.

If you seek information about a specific thing, such as the acheri of India, the Jewish dybbuk, the Japanese gashadokuro, or Yorkshire’s Jack-in-Irons, you may find it here.

Or if you need an idea for a story, you can browse the encyclopedia and be inspired by things like the Arab afrit demon, Brazil’s Jabuticabal Poltergeist, or the more commonly known Voodoo zombie. Some of the entries are brief, others, like the zombie entry, are very extensive.

Guiley has also included discussions of spiritual things like afterlife, near-death experience, and angels.

Necromancy, possession and other broad topics, as well as specific kinds of phenomena, such as orbs and poltergeists, are explained in detail.

Superstitions concerning objects like mirrors, meteors, and the Moon are also covered.

This second edition has been expanded by about one hundred entries over the first edition, and there seem to be more illustrations. I’m not sure if that justifies purchasing this newer edition if you own the older one. Also, the print on this new edition is a bit smaller to read, although not by much. Personally, I would say the first edition is still adequate.

All-in-all, I found the book fascinating and fun to read, and if you do not have the first edition, I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Oct. 2002.}

THE ICE PICK

The Labyrinth: Resources for Medieval Studies. www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/labyrinth-home.html ("old" site) or labyrinth.georgetown.edu (new "improved" site)

This website, sponsored by Georgetown University, is a real heartbreaker. The site comes up quickly, and is easy to navigate. And there is so much fascinating and useful information here, but a plethora of broken links make it one of the most frustrating websites I’ve ever tried to work with. So, I quickly went to their "new and improved" site. In my opinion, the old one is much better, broken links and all. If you know precisely what to ask for, (e.g. "Wharram Percy") or exact terms in a title (e.g. "Medieval village") the new site may help you, but I was unable to find anything useful.

On the old site, the "Labyrinth Library" lists Medieval books and articles from French, Iberian, Italian, Latin, Middle English, or Old English literature, as well as modern articles.

"National Cultures" lists Anglo-Saxon, Byzantium, Celtic, England 1066-1500, France, Germany, Iberia, and Italy. But I must warn you that this is where the problems start.

Seeking information on daily life that I might be able to use in a story, I began with "Anglo-Saxon" and was impressed. It has Manuscripts; Art and Archaeology; Living History; Teaching Resources; links to organizations, journals, and to ORB---the Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies.

If you want to set a story in a Medieval village, "Wharram Percy: A Lost Medieval Village" is a wonderful resource. A description of the valley and the people who lived there, the church, the peasant and manor houses, and a bibliography is accompanied by illustrations and a map showing the land and what the village looked like, plus floor-plans and descriptions of the church, century by century, and an drawing of the interior of a peasant house. It is almost like a pre-fabricated setting, to which you can add your own characters and story.

In "Living History", the "Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Recipes" worked fine. "Clothing" required a short detour. Most of the other links are broken.

"Teaching Resources" had interesting material and may be worth exploring.

The rest of "National Cultures" was disappointing. The link to "Byzantium" was broken. Nor could I find anything for it on the new site. "Celtic" was okay, but all the links within it were broken, as were many under "England 1066-1500."

The link to Wales, however, was wonderful. (Never mind that, technically, Wales isn’t England.) If you’re interested in setting your story in Wales or a Welsh-like world, do check out this link. When I tried "Wales" on the new site, I got nothing.

Most of the links for France, Germany, Iberia, and Italy were either broken or mostly general discussions of those countries in the Middle Ages, but Iberia, for example, on the new site turned up only copies of historical documents.

Under "International Culture," "Archaeology and Cartography" holds the aforementioned "Wharram Percy," and "Arts and Architecture" has a neat "Visual Tour of the Deserted Medieval Armenian City of Ani." Most of the other links unfortunately seem to be broken, as were nearly all the links I tried under Medieval, Religious, and Social History.

"Science," with information on alchemy, falconry and hunting, medicine, etc., was more rewarding. When I searched for "science" on the new site I turned up only something on gargoyles. Nor could I find anything specific, e.g. leprosy.

In "Science," my favorite section was "Medieval Technology," which can help you set a scene, avoid anachronisms, and understand how things worked if you need or want to include them in your story. For example, under "Soap" and "Mirrors" you can find out where they were invented, how they were made, and who used them. Should your hero use liquid or hard soap--or none at all? Should your heroine’s mirror be polished bronze or lead-backed glass? Do you need a description of a Medieval rat trap or how wattle-and-daub was made? Although some of the pages were better than others, there were no broken links, and most of the descriptions, illustrations, and bibliographies for further information, were excellent. Again, I could find nothing comparable on the new site.

This old site has a lot to offer, as, I’m sure does the new site, if I could find any of it, but a major university like Georgetown can do a great deal better than this.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Aug. 2002.}

IN THE SILENCE

"Receive what I give you," saith the Lord.

I am so eager to receive the good things--like Christmas presents and good health and all the beautiful things of nature. But Job said, "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10) I'm not so crazy about that!

But when I think back on the bad times in my life and my worst experiences, I see now that much good came from some of them. Maybe I'm still too close to see the good that came, or will come, from the others. I don't think You really send "evil," but You permit it to happen to us. John Baillie said, "Teach me, O God, so to use all the circumstances of my life to-day that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather than the fruits of sin. Let me use disappointment as material for patience . . . let me use danger as material for courage . . . let me use reproach as material for longsuffering . . . let me use pains as material for endurance."

But then I think again about the good things You give us. Accepting something from Your hands is different from receiving it. You have given me talents and abilities unique to me. If I do not use them, they are just wrapped gifts still under the tree or unwrapped, but stuck in a closet somewhere. You have sent Jesus to us. But if we do not receive Him into our hearts and minds and lives, instead of just celebrating His birth, then Christmas is just a holiday off from school and work, a day distinguished from others only by presents and lights and a big meal.

Help me, Lord, to truly receive You into my home, my life, and my heart, every minute of every day.

{From A Journal of the Spirit, a Journey of the Soul, by D.C. Ice, Dec. 24, 1992.}

THE ICE PICK

Description, by Monica Wood. (Elements of Fiction Writing series) Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1999. 171 p. ISBN 0-89879-908-2 pbk. $12.00.

Made up of the details you select that engage the senses and help readers "see" your story, description "is the creation of mental images that allow readers to fully experience a story."

Beginning with a chapter that explains how to choose the "telling detail" that makes a story come alive and drive it forward without overwhelming it, Wood discusses how to write good description and use it to make your prose fresher and stronger and your story better and more memorable.

She says that "showing and telling are equally powerful and important descriptive techniques." She explains their differences, their uses, and when and how to apply them, depending on the effect you want to achieve. In describing "something wildly disappointing or moving or confounding," for example, "a scene almost always does the trick better than narrative."

Wood discusses how to use description to keep your story moving and how to create "context" for a complex story, or one that has lots of characters or extends over a long period of time.

Through many examples, Wood shows the interrelationship of description with dialogue and how description can improve your characters’ dialogue. For example, the use of setting and character actions during a conversation can make the dialogue come alive and also influence what the characters say.

She discusses the impact of point of view on description. Age, gender, education, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and occupation will all affect how your viewpoint character sees things. And she addresses the problems of describing your viewpoint characters without resorting to clichéd mirrors and ponds or having friends gush over your characters’ appearance.

Wood analyzes description in relation to style and shows how the two are interdependent.

The chapter on setting may be especially important for science fiction and fantasy authors, who must create whole worlds without boring their readers with large blocks of description.

Her last two chapters address special descriptive problems (animals, weather, emotion, and sound) and give tips and tricks you can use in revisions or when you’re stuck.

Each chapter has a summary "wrap-up" section to give you an overview and more examples, and there is an excellent index.

Wood explains things clearly and simply and with humor, making the book an enjoyable one to read.

No matter what kind of fiction you write, you have to be able to handle description and do it well, for "description is not so much an element of fiction as its very essence."

If you do not already have the 1995 hardback edition, I highly recommend this paperback reprint.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, July 2002.}

THE ICE PICK

Writing Horror, edited by Mort Castle. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1997. 224 p. ISBN 0-89879-798-5. $17.99.

As this book says, "A monster’s purpose in life shouldn’t be just to annoy people." Authors should have rules for his/her/its behavior, powers, motivations, love life, beliefs, etc.; just as they should know a human antagonist’s strengths, weaknesses, drives, and quirks.

Although you can obtain books which address the problems writers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror all have in common, such books often treat horror as a poor cousin. Books of advice dedicated to writing horror alone are difficult to find, so this collection of thirty-nine articles and essays by members of the Horror Writers Association is a real treasure for horror writers.

Authors as diverse as Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison, Gary Brandner, J. N. Williamson, David Morrell, and Robert Weinberg are represented, plus an interview with Stephen King.

Covering all aspects of the genre from developing your ideas and avoiding what’s already been done to marketing and promoting your finished work, these different authors discuss crafting your plot, characters, mood, dialogue, style, setting, etc.

In addition to advice on short story and novel writing, juvenile and young adult horror, comics, erotic horror, and interactive horror are included, as well as an article by John Maclay on writing for horror theme anthologies.

The advice ranges from the philosophical to the practical. As a very small sampling:

"The biggest problem faced by new writers," says Robert Weinberg, "is not lack of skill," but lack of originality because too many read only Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or Anne Rice and then proceed to imitate their work. He gives a list of twenty-one books that every horror writer should read lest they end up using old dead plots and ideas.

Tracy Knight has an essay to help you get manias, phobias, and psychoses straight and tells you to remember in creating characters that "everyone is doing his or her best . . . people in general make the best choices they can at any moment."

"True action," says Jay R. Bonansinga, "can only be generated through character. . . . Don’t merely describe the blood and guts; describe the mind, what the pain and the fear feels like, the colors and textures. . . ."

Joyce Carol Oates advises that "the standards for horror fiction should be no less than those for ‘serious, literary’ fiction in which originality of concept, depth of characters and attentiveness to language are vitally important."

"Breaking into the horror field isn’t easy," says Robert Weinberg. "Even if you use every tip, every suggestion in this book, there is no guarantee you’ll make it." But you knew that.

If you are serious about writing horror, particularly if you are a beginner, this book is an excellent place to start. I recommend it highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Aug. 2002.}

ICE CRYSTALS

My "Circus Tent" was published on page 14 in the Little Silver, N.J., elementary school newspaper in 1952. It was the very first thing I ever had published.

This is the text accompanying my drawing:

"Pre-Primary Activities"

"A few days before the Easter vacation, Mrs. Cottrell, one of the Pre-Primary teachers, brought in a white Easter bunny to amuse the children.

"They have planted bachelor buttons and have small plants and gold fish in their aquarium.

"Six of the children went to the circus during the spring vacation. They are now making a clay circus, with a ring master, some clowns, bareback riders, and many different animals." -- Betty Jane Burdge, Junior I

THE ICE PICK

The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the Middle Ages, by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1995. ISBN 0-89879-663-6. $17.99. 232 pages.

If you write medieval fantasy, this well-illustrated book is a treasure trove of fascinating facts and details which can save you hours of research, help keep you from anachronisms, and may spark all kinds of ideas for you.

Recipes, kinds of foods, and common dishes for kings and peasants are presented. Clothing items, hairstyles, and colors worn by men and women are laid out by period. Medical treatments and common remedies are explained. The economy is described, including tidbits like who used carts and when wagons became popular, coins and their values, and weights, measures, and containers. Family relationships and the varying roles of women are discussed. Saints’ days are listed, major annual festivals are explained in detail, and musical instruments and dances are described.

Chronological lists of monarchs for England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Norway are given. There are explanations of knighthood, tournaments, and heraldry, along with tips for creating your own coats of arms. The chapter on castles not only describes the castle but lists servants, from acrobats and mat weavers to the woodward, who oversaw the forest, and local offices--like the sheriff’s--often found there.

The place and power of the Church is discussed, including details like the minimum age of priests; lists of religious orders, popes, and heretical groups; a discussion of pilgrimages; and a chapter on the ultimate pilgrimage--the Crusades.

All of the chapters include lists of useful vocabulary, but that in the chapter about weapons and war is perhaps the most extensive, and covers items rarely mentioned in detail elsewhere.

The final chapters cover the Saxons and the Vikings, and give more information about France and Normandy, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.

This is one of my favorite books, and I recommend it highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, June 2002.}

THE ICE PICK

Viking Heritage, http://viking.hgo.se

Sponsored by Gotland University College in Sweden, this website has been set up "to encourage the preservation and enhanced understanding of the Viking period cultural heritage."

By searching their database, you can find information about Viking Age sites, reconstructions and excavations; museums, exhibitions, and events; re-enactment groups and academic projects; tours and travel routes; and even handicrafts for sale.
The website is frequently updated. L’Anse Aux Meadows had been updated 3/12/02, the very day I was searching. But this constant revision means that you may have to revisit the site to reach some things unavailable that day.

In searching, I found that the less detail I put in the better. For example, when I tried to find Peran’s Camp in Brittany, I failed until I tried simply "France," which brought up the Bayeux Tapestry and Peran’s Camp.

The Viking sites come up with a short description. For more detail, with photos and website links, click on the name.

Museums range from specialized on-site open air, ship, and archeological museums to national, city, or regional museums with significant Viking collections.

There is a "Chronology" of Viking history with links to people and places, and a "Who Is Who" with links to biographies of important Vikings and characters in Norse mythology and sagas.

The "Book Section on Vikings and the Viking Age" lists books with reviews of them and sometimes purchase information.

I found the "Academic Articles" section disappointing. Although they looked interesting, there were only two articles listed: "Political and Social Structures in Early Scandinavia" and "Yet Another Viking Archetype--the Medieval Urbanist."

The "Image Bank" was quite slow to download, as you would expect, but I found the pictures of reconstructions, sites, artifacts, and rune stones to be very interesting. The interior shots of reconstructed longhouses alone were fascinating and gave me some story ideas.

The English in the descriptions was a bit weird at times. "Harts" instead of "hearths" for example, but all in all I think the Swedes have done a fabulous job with this site.

They publish the Viking Heritage Magazine, but all prices were in Scandinavian currencies. It might be worth looking for if you have access to a large academic or public library.

My favorite parts of the website are the "Brief Introduction to the Viking Age," "Link of the Week," and "Topic of the Week."

The "Brief Introduction" had fascinating articles on the Viking homelands, expansion, trade, houses, death/burial/gods, runes, art, and defenses.

The "Link of the Week" has links to things like an article in Scientific American on Viking longships.

In the first ten weeks of this year, the "Topic of the Week" has had: farming, Thorrablot, seasons of the year, houses, hairstyles, mirrors, traveling by land, beds, thralls, and honor. Last year they covered: hawking; hemp; transportation; bronze casting; the Domesday Book; colors; Poland; berserk mead (including the recipe); Berserks; bread and baking; Ile de Groix, Brittany; conservation; the art of healing; ghosts; children; dogs; Bergen, Norway; the Rok Stone; the spread of Christianity; combs; Glima; coin inscriptions; Thor’s hammer amulets; Greek fire; skis and skiing; buttons; Wiskiauten, Poland; the Winchester Style; stirrups; beard styles; Gardar, Greenland; poles to the seat of honor; Thingvellir and Althing; Stargard, Germany; the Dnieper River; and fireplaces.

All these are accessible and printable and are full of information that is difficult to obtain elsewhere.
If you are working on a story set in the Viking Age, or a similar epoch or culture, this is an excellent site to explore for information and story ideas.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, May 2002.}

IN THE SILENCE

Expectance and hope are a part of every Advent and Christmas. You can expect something bad will happen without hoping that it will. You can hope for something without expecting it. If you expect it, then you almost foreclose hope.

{From A Journal of the Spirit, a Journey of the Soul, by D.C. Ice, Dec. 17, 2003.}

THE ICE PICK

Aliens and Alien Societies, by Stanley Schmidt. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books, 1995. (Science Fiction Writing Series) ISBN 0-89879-706-3, 226 pages, $17.99.

Whether you begin by imagining a world and then figure out what kind of folks live there, or dream up creatures and then try to decide what sort of world they might live in, or even begin with a story "and merely need aliens who can fill a particular kind of role in it" you need to make your characters and the society they live in believable.

Because the kind of world your aliens live on will determine much about your aliens, Schmidt begins with a crash course in basic astronomy and biochemistry that is very helpful, especially for those whose science backgrounds are poor. Based on known scientific facts, he discusses the different kinds of aliens that might have developed in varying conditions and then proceeds into the more speculative realms. Along the way he includes a lot of story ideas.

The chapter on "Creating Alien Societies" may be as profitable to fantasy writers as to science fiction writers. In it, he discusses the elements of culture and their importance, as well as their implications for your story. Understanding how different human societies have handled group living, reproduction and childhood, language, conflict and cooperation, agriculture and settlements, domestic animals, technology, religion and science, arts, economics, government, and tradition can enrich the society you create and may also provide you with plot ideas.

The chapter on "Alien Language" is excellent for helping you if you need to provide information about how your aliens communicate with one another, with humans, or with other aliens. It also has guidelines for creating as much of a language as you may need for your story.

Schmidt then discusses how you can develop and show the background for your story: how contact might occur, or why it hasn’t, and the interaction with humans (or other aliens) once it does.

In the chapter on "Writing About Aliens" he explains the importance of showing motivation for alien action and how it grows out of their character, so that you avoid having "humans in funny suits." He also discusses the problems of stereotyping aliens, of explaining things to your reader which your characters already know, and of language barriers in dealing with aliens.

The book is liberally illustrated with examples from, and references to, well-known science fiction stories and novels.

There is a glossary and an excellent index, plus an outstanding bibliography of books and articles that cover everything from Poul Anderson’s "The Creation of Imaginary Worlds" and "How to Build a Planet" to J. W. Warren’s "Physiology of the Giraffe" and Robert M. Zabrin’s "Nuclear Rocketry Using Indigenous Propellants." The list of novels and short stories provides a treasury of aliens and alien societies to read about.

Since science fiction readers generally won’t go along with stories that feature the impossible or the implausible, you need to make your aliens and their societies believable. This excellent book is both readable and entertaining, and carries an amazing amount of information for writers trying to create aliens who are both credible and memorable. I recommend it highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, May 2002.}

THE ICE PICK

How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, by Orson Scott Card. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 2001. ISBN 1-58297-103-X. $12.99. 140 pages.

Written by one of the very best science fiction and fantasy authors, this book is a treasure you should be familiar with if you want to write and sell speculative fiction. Written with great gentleness, clarity, and simplicity, it is full of concise, straightforward gems of advice.

Card begins by explaining what science fiction and fantasy are and what they are not, and why publishers and bookstores categorize them the way they do. He explains that "fantasy writers are virtually forced to begin selling at novel length" because the market for fantasy short stories is so small.

Card then goes on to explain how you can go about creating a world for your story, giving you questions to ask yourself, problems to solve, and the advantages and disadvantages of certain ideas. He tells why it is important in science fiction to decide your rules of starflight and let your reader know them early on in your story, and why you must do the same with rules of magic in fantasy. He gives possible rules for time travel, including what might work and what the problems would be. He warns about the dangers of trying to invent your own language and tells how to show your different culture.

He shows you how to set up your story in terms of character, viewpoint, and plot. He gives warnings about the use of high language, literalism, and naming characters. And he explains the importance of having a "sense of mystery and awe" in your protagonist and of having a "beginning that sets up the end."

In what he calls the MICE quotient, Card explains that Milieu, Idea, Character, and Event must be present in every story. In milieu stories the most important thing is having your characters explore your world. Idea stories begin with a question raised and end when the question is answered, e.g. Who killed him and why? Character stories concern the transformation of a character. And in event stories something is wrong in your world and must be dealt with. Each of these kinds of stories presents different problems and should be handled differently.

There is so much good stuff in this book, not least of which is his mention of our very own Kathleen Woodbury and our very own Workshop.

If you already own the 1990 edition, you don’t need to buy this reprint; but if you don’t have it, you should get this helpful and wonderful book. I recommend it very highly.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Apr. 2002.}

ICE CRYSTALS

"WHY WORRY?"
By Col. Thew J. Ice, Jr. (USAF)

Are you worried about anything? Well, you shouldn't be! Oh, I know that you have plenty of things that you can worry about, but I didn't ask if you had any problems--I asked if you were worried, and again I say that you shouldn't be. Most of us make little distinction between such words as "worry," "trouble," and "problem," and yet I feel that the way to actually reduce our worries and our troubles is to change them into problems. The word "problem" implies reasoning--logical thinking in order to work something out. Don't worry--think! The next time you find yourself going over and over a matter with no apparent solution in sight, stop and ask, "Am I worrying or thinking?"

If you think about your problem, you should be able to decide whether your problem is dead or alive. If your problem concerns past events and is of such a nature that nothing can be done about it, don't waste time by churning it over and over in your mind. Think about it--decide if there is a lesson to be learned which may be applied to the future and then forget the rest.

In Wyoming, I heard about the Kahula bird. It seems that this bird flies backwards because it doesn't give a hoot where it is going--it only wants to see where it has been. Don't be a Kahula bird.

If your problem is still alive, attack it logically. What is the problem? What are the facts? What, if any, assumptions must be made? Based on the known facts and acceptable assumptions, what courses of action can be taken and what will be the probable outcome of each course? Then decide what is the best possible course and do it.

Be careful when you make assumptions that they are not only possible but also probable. Few military commanders would ever order an attack if it were always assumed that the enemy had an extra division hidden in close reserve.

Most worries are caused by assumptions which are based primarily on imagination. You have a problem and know certain facts concerning it. At this point, logic is pushed aside by imagination, and the sky is the limit. For example, you are involved in an automobile accident. The other party threatens to sue you, and you start to worry. "What will happen if he does sue me?" "He may win." "Perhaps he will be awarded damages for more than my insurance." "When this happens, I'll have to sell my house and rent one at a high rate per month." "That will cost so much that I'll never be able to send my children to college." Unless you stop worrying and start thinking, you will not recognize that your mind started with an assumption: "He will sue me," and then, treating this as a fact, proceeded to pile assumption on assumption with each preceding assumption treated as a fact, until the original trouble is completely obscured by the worry that the children will be deprived of an education.

I call this "swimming the river before you get there." If your logical analysis of the problem indicates that you may have to swim the river, then by all means provide for this possibility in your plans, but don't go through all the frantic motions of fighting every ripple and floating log and end up, in your imagination, with your loved ones tenderly placing flowers on your grave. Don't swim the river till you get there--there may be a bridge or a boat!

I hope that the next time someone asks you, "Are you worried about anything?" you will be able to reply honestly, "No, but I am sure doing a lot of logical thinking about some problems."

{This was an article my father wrote and gave as a speech to a graduating class of young military officers in the late 1940s. The philosophy has helped me a lot in my life, and I wanted to share it with you.}

THE ICE PICK

Writer’s Market Online, www.writersmarket.com.

This nicely arranged site comes up fast and gives you quick access to its features so you don’t waste time. Even if you don’t subscribe to the service, there is much available here.

The Featured Web Resource has links to writers’ groups, newsletters, and other websites of interest to writers, and is worth checking out.

The Featured Marketing Tip has information on targeting markets, query and cover letters, agents, manuscript formatting, mailing and recording submissions, writing tools, etc. For example, the advice on book proposals tells what to include if the publisher’s listing doesn’t specify what they want.

The Market Watch has publishing news about changes of editors, etc. and links to the publishers’ websites, plus marketing trends, societal changes, and postal information.

The daily Spotlight Market features different markets with full descriptions and links to the market. If you point to the dollar sign, it will tell you the pay rate. Stars indicate "high opportunity markets for freelancers."

The online Writer’s Encyclopedia and entertaining and informative "Ask the Agent" column by Sheree Bykofsky will help answer questions you have.

If you subscribe to the service, you get access to daily updated listings for thousands of markets and hundreds of literary agents. Searching the markets is easy by type of market, market name or website URL if you know it, by genre, by location if you want something local or regional, or by fiction or nonfiction subject. You can search for only newly listed markets or those markets that have changed their information in the last two months. You can qualify your search by such things as pay rate, whether they accept simultaneous submissions, pay on acceptance or not, buy reprints, or by kind of rights purchased. You can even find markets that publish online exclusive material or accept queries by phone, fax, or e-mail. For book publishers, you can easily find those that accept unagented submissions if that is what you need.

Each market entry is laid out very clearly, and you can quickly locate what you are looking for. The information is like that in the book, or check "Sample listings" on the website to see the kind of information available.

A Submission Tracker is provided for you to keep records of queries, submissions, rejections, and successes. This section is protected by the Secure Sockets Layer encryption for your safety and privacy. You can list and describe a manuscript and then search for a market to submit it to, or you can choose a market and then search for one of your manuscripts to submit to it. If you use the Task feature, it will remind you of deadlines, etc.

You will be alerted to changes in markets in your Favorites Folder and to any updated markets that may fit your personal profile. And you can change your personal profile at any time.

So, how much does it cost? For $29.99 a year you can have access to the most up-to-date marketing information available. This comes with a thirty-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind. Or you can subscribe for $2.99 a month and cancel anytime. For $39.99, members of Writer’s Digest Book Club can get both the online service and the Writer’s Market book. Or, if you’ve already purchased the book, you can get $10 off the subscription price.

The question always is, if you buy the book, do you need this online service? (Or vice versa.) Well, individual preferences vary. Personally, I find it faster and easier to work with printed pages than flipping back and forth on screen, but you lose the "up-to-the-minuteness" of the website, with its changes in editors, addresses, closed markets, etc. And some listings appear only on the website, e.g. Absolute Magnitude, so if you can afford it, a combination of the two is ideal.

If you’re trying to sell a story or get a book published or you are looking for an agent, you owe it to yourself to check out this website and see what it can offer you.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Feb. 2002.}

THE ICE PICK

Writer’s Market 2002. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 2002. ISBN 1-58297-044-0. 1112 pages. $29.99.

Trying to sell a story or a book? If you want to be paid cash for your writing, this guide has the largest list of paying magazines, book publishers, and script buyers for your work. High-paying, Canadian, on-line and cable TV markets, and new listings are clearly marked, as are those that buy many freelance or unagented manuscripts.

In addition to the seventeen high-circulation science fiction, fantasy, and horror magazines, it features dozens of literary and "little" magazines that take SF/F/H stories. Of course, if you write other kinds of stories or articles on science or any other topic, you will find markets for your writing here. Also featured are newspaper syndicates and markets for greeting cards and gift ideas, plus contests and awards.

Each market section has introductory information, such as topics of current interest and a discussion of what editors want.

Each magazine listing includes openness to freelancers, whether payment is on acceptance or not, rights acquired, how to query, response time, and information on obtaining guidelines and/or a sample copy. The entry explains the kinds of material they want, how many manuscripts they buy each year, minimum and maximum lengths for your manuscript, and payment rates, as well as tips from the editor. They tell whether they accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry, fillers, photos, and reprints, and what their columns or departments accept.

Entries for book publishers and producers include the number of queries and manuscripts received and the number of titles published per year, what percentage of those is from first-time authors, and what percentage from unagented writers, whether they accept simultaneous submissions, information on royalties, advances, etc., response time, how long it usually takes to publish a book, how to obtain guidelines or order a catalog, their various imprints, subjects published, and recent titles, as well as contact information, including names of editors. There are also tips from the publishers and a summary of what kinds of things they may be currently emphasizing or de-emphasizing.

Seventy-five literary agents are listed with bio notes, recent sales, terms of payment, the kinds of books represented, and writer’s conferences attended, if you’d like to meet them in person. And you are warned to follow the submission requirements carefully since "for these agents in particular, time is extremely important, and wasting theirs won’t help your case."

In addition to the market listings are interviews with authors and articles covering such things as getting ideas, query and cover letters, book proposals, improving your odds of getting published, on-line and niche markets, electronic rights, pay rates for writing tasks, professionalism and courtesy, writing tools, proper manuscript format, submitting photographs and slides, and photocopying, mailing and recording your submissions.

The "Business of Writing" section includes information on contracts, rights, and taxes. Each year special articles deal with topics of interest. This year there is one on how to write outlines and treatments if you are doing a screenplay.

The guide also includes a resource list for writers: magazines, websites, and organizations. And there is a glossary of terms like "frontlist" to help you.

I’m always amazed when I meet writers who know nothing about this wonderful market guide.

If you write for publication, I find it is indispensable.

However, if you prefer to use an online service, take a look at Writer’s Market Online, www.writersmarket.com, and try it out.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Feb. 2002.}

THE ICE PICK

Ralan’s Specfic & Humor Webstravaganza, www.ralan.com.

Ralan Conley performs a marvelous service for all of us in speculative fiction with this well-designed, award-winning website. Primarily a marketing tool, the site offers much more.

The pages load quickly, and the site deposits no cookies. The navigation bar on the side stays with you as you scroll down the home page, allowing you to access what you want easily.

On this website you will find Ralan’s showcase for his own fiction as well as his personal response time log for markets he submits to. You can use this time log to estimate how long it will be before you hear back on your own submissions.

But the heart of this site is in the market lists for adult and juvenile books, anthologies, magazines, and webzines, all of which he maintains and updates regularly.

He lists "Pro," "Paying," and "4theLuv" markets. "Pro" markets are those paying 3 cents or more a word. "Paying" markets pay up to 2.9 cents a word. And "4theLuv" markets pay only in copies or "exposure." The Humor section includes story, article, and greeting card markets, as well as contests.

In these sections, Ralan gives the latest news and highlights new markets. Deadlines and market notes, like "Dead market, DO NOT SUBMIT" or "no unsolicited subs" give you fair warning. And if you click on the name of a market, you will get that publisher’s guidelines. An alphabetical finder helps you locate known markets quickly.

Accessible through the markets pages, but not shown on the navigation bar, you will find lists of contests, dead markets, and abbreviations, plus information on proper manuscript format, etc. I would put a caveat on his recommendation to include your Social Security number on all your manuscripts. A victim of identity theft myself, I was warned that you should not do this unless specifically asked for it in the guidelines. If the publisher is going to pay you, they usually send a contract and ask for your number anyway.

In addition, Ralan includes links to: agents, articles, artists, associations, authors, beware, book stores, chat, contests, copyright, courses, dictionaries, editors, events, film/TV, fun, genre, grammar, groups, help, hired help, jobs, libraries, links, magazines, markets, names, newsletters, promotion, publishers/publishing, reference, resources, service, free software, songwriting, and writing for and by youth.

Do you need to design an alien planet? Try the "reference" links, where you will also find C.J. Cherryh’s list of words commonly used before 1900 (which comes to thirty-five printed pages) and www.bartleby.com, which contains links to the Columbia Encyclopedia and Gazeteer, American Heritage Dictionary and Book of English Usage, Roget’s Thesaurus, the King James Bible, Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations, Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, and Columbia World Quotations, the World Factbook, Strunk’s Elements of Style, Gray’s Anatomy, the Oxford Shakespeare, and much, much more.

If you want to start your own zine, try the "resource" section, which has links to all kinds of writing articles as well as links to groups like our own workshop.

The "service" section includes postal information.

The sheer volume of information here is overwhelming, and Ralan is to be very highly commended for providing all of this for us for free! You owe it to yourself to take a look at this fabulous website. (I like his little animated monster, too!)

{Published in the SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Jan. 2002.}

IN THE SILENCE

Today I saw dandelions blooming in the gutter, and forsythia’s bright yellow flowers along the road. Our japonica is in blossom and so is myrtle and the bridal wreath. In December! Nature is not always beautiful, but it is always surprising.

Many have taken Genesis 1:28's words to subdue and have dominion as meaning to destroy and beat on and abuse the Earth and those weaker than they. But "dominion" means to rule, and a good ruler takes care of his or her subjects. Psalm 111 describes God--our perfect ruler, for He has dominion over us! We should emulate Him in His care for those things and people in our power, whether land or people or animals, be gracious and full of compassion, giving food to the needy, being careful to keep promises, being just and truthful and upright. We should be considerate of all living things whether trees or butterflies and be generous and kind, honoring those whose lives we must take to live, protecting those who depend on us for food or care and love, and allowing others to live their own lives in peace.

{From A Journal of the Spirit, a Journey of the Soul, by D.C. Ice, Dec. 10, 1991.}

THE ICE PICK

Writing in Spite of Everything, by Bruce Holland Rogers. Eugene, Ore., Panisphere Books and Audio, 2000. ISBN 0-9704210-0-1. Audio-cassette tape, 90 minutes, $11.00.

Do you ever have trouble writing because of distractions, fears, writing blocks, worries, or depression? If so, this inspiring tape may be an answer for you.

No stranger to speculative fiction readers, Rogers has won the Bram Stoker Award in horror and two Nebula Awards in science fiction and fantasy, as well as the Pushcart Prize for literary fiction. And he admits that "there is hardly a pitfall he hasn’t had to drag himself out of." But in so doing, he has managed to "become an expert in crawling out, brushing himself off, and getting back to work." On this tape he shares with us what he has learned about avoiding the psychological and emotional perils of writing, and of dealing with them when you can’t avoid them.

In his pleasant, soothing voice, Rogers discusses the times when we are "barely even nibbling at our writing." Whether you call this writer’s block or just procrastinating, most of us feel that we don’t write enough. In fact, Rogers defines a writer as "a person who thinks he doesn’t write enough."

This excellent tape is more than just a "feel good" tape. Rogers addresses specific causes for our excuses, anxieties, and difficulties, and offers concrete solutions.

The first problem he addresses is "the difficulty of beginning"--that terrible blank piece of paper or computer screen that can completely stall out a writer. And he talks about how to get started and keep moving, giving you a number of different techniques for getting started. Some ideas may work for you; others will not, depending on how you approach your work and whether you are a "basher"--who needs to perfect everything before moving on--or a "swooper"--who wants to get it all down first and worry about revising later.

Or are you a victim of external distractions? What is your work area like? Are your distractions social or from family? Do you use research or revision as a distraction? You can’t change the kind of person or writer that you are, but there are things you can do.

He discusses also answers for the internal distractions of fear, boredom, depression, the endless quest for something new, the inner rebellion of self when you are too hard a taskmaster, the lure of ever-better projects, and the pain of regret.

There are the emotional "weights" of discouragement, of lack of support by family or friends, of martyrdom, and of skepticism of your own God-given talents. Perhaps you need a "work buddy" to encourage you. Or one of Rogers’ other solutions.

Four "absences" sometimes stop us from writing. These may include lack of energy, goals, inner fire, or effort. Perhaps you have outgrown your goals or you are trying to write someone else’s idea of the story you should write.

Lastly, Rogers discusses the difficulty of ending and how "endless fiddling becomes an excuse not to write."

"Writing," Rogers says, "is much more than a job or a career," because "by writing we deeply connect with our inner selves and the world around us," and whatever interferes with our ability to write affects everything else in our lives. Rogers describes writing as being "right up there with family, friends, spirituality, and anything else that gives us roots." Because of that we need to be able to write on "in spite of everything."

I love this tape. After a particularly difficult summer and fall, I found this tape to be just what I needed to help me get back to work. I recommend it very highly to any writer who thinks he isn’t writing as much as he’d like to.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Dec. 2001.}

THE ICE PICK

On Writing Science Fiction: the Editors Strike Back, by George H. Scithers, et al. Philadelphia, Owlswick Press, 1981, ISBN 0-913896-19-5, $14.00, 227 pages.

If you are a beginning writer of science fiction, or would like to be, this book was written by editors of Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine just for you. Long considered to be one of the best books ever written on how to write commercial science fiction, this is an excellent place to start learning the craft.

The Foreword, by Isaac Asimov, explains the personal qualities needed by a science fiction writer, and the book goes on with remarkable clarity and simplicity "to help you teach yourself to write at a publishable level of competence and to dispel some of the superstitions that are all too common among not-yet-published writers."

Separate chapters cover in detail the practical building blocks you will need to write your stories. These include the necessary basics of finding ideas, generating conflict, creating characters, plotting, establishing and revealing background, and using science. There are also chapters on how to write tragedy and humor with their attending pitfalls.

Attached to each chapter are whole reprinted stories, originally purchased for publication in the magazine. These amply illustrate the points in each chapter. And as further encouragement, the stories are all first sales by their authors.

The book concludes with an explanation of manuscript format (including the mysteries of word count, rights, proofreading, cover letters, and mailing), and a list of rules, both serious and lighthearted, that should not be broken and why not.

The bad news is there is "no magic formula, no secret tricks, no hidden shortcuts" to success in any writing field, and science fiction is no exception. The good news is that there are excellent books, like this one to help you.

It is mandatory reading for members of the Workshop, and I highly recommend it.

{Published in SF and Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Dec. 2001.}

ICE CRYSTALS

Do you carry your lunch? Here's a filler I wrote that might help you.

To keep sandwiches in bagged lunches from getting soggy, put the lettuce and tomato slices in a separate plastic bag, and add them to the sandwich just before eating. The lettuce and tomatoes stay fresh, and the sandwiches stay dry.

{Published in Country Extra, http://www.countrymagazine.com/, "Country Shortcuts," Jan. 2000.}

THE ICE PICK

How to Write and Sell Children’s Picture Books, by Jean E. Karl, Writer’s Digest Books, 1994, ISBN 0-89879-643-1, 183 pages, $14.39.

If you are interested in learning how to write a picture book for children, this is an excellent place to start.

The first two chapters lead the beginner into the field of writing in general. As Karl states, more experienced authors interested in writing picture books may prefer starting with chapter three, which explains the various kinds of picture books comprising alphabet, counting, and story books, as well as nonfiction, poetry, novelty books, and essay or concept books. The latter are books on topics like dealing with fears, learning new things, going to bed at night, etc.

Divided into ten chapters, which Karl calls "skills," the book explains in detail how to write a picture book, including the basics of plot, character, background, and using patterns. She tells how to write the first draft, revise your work, and get feedback from adults and children. Practical advice includes handling a surprise when the answer is revealed in the illustration and keeping a clean first draft--to compare with revisions if you must return to your earlier version.

The last three chapters deal with marketing and publishing, and contain such details as what to say in a cover letter. The information on formatting a manuscript for submission is indexed, but scattered, and I should have liked a sample page shown.

Aside from that, I found the book to be very helpful, and one of the few books available on the subject of writing picture books for children.

Reviewed by: Diana Carolyn Ice, © 2001 Diana Carolyn Ice, All Rights Reserved. Former editor and librarian, D.C. Ice is an author and monthly book review columnist for SF & Fantasy Workshop.

{Published in AuthorShowcase, Sept. 2001.}

THE ICE PICK

Science Fiction Writer’s Workshop I: an Introduction to Fiction Mechanics, by Barry Longyear. Philadelphia: Owlswick Press, 1980. 161 pages. ISBN 0-913896-18-7. $9.50.

If you’re a beginning writer and you are serious about wanting to be published, you definitely should read this book.

"Most ‘How To’ books on writing fail the beginning writer in one or more of the following areas: not being able to relate to the beginning writer’s situation; not being able to make the necessary knowledge understandable; and, last, not providing the direction necessary to develop writing skills to a professional level." But Longyear understands the difficulties and fears of beginners; and he writes simply and clearly, giving explicit instructions and many illustrations.

This is a workbook, not a book to be skimmed through. Nor will it do you any good to buy it and leave it on your shelf. If you are to learn anything useful from it, you must read it carefully, think about the material, argue with the author if you wish, do the exercises he provides, and then practice what you have learned in your own writing.

Beginning with a discussion about how to set up your story, Longyear takes you through how to start writing it, how to explain to the reader what has happened before your story began, how to choose a title, how to build tension, and how to end.

He explains what "point of view" is, how to choose one, and how to use it in your story.

The chapter on characterization explains how to create characters and how to show what your characters are like through physical description, action, and dialogue.

Longyear also includes a chapter on the "fatal flaws" that make stories unsalable.

The book is loaded with entertaining examples of what to do and what not to do. And Longyear has included one whole chapter about how he started, wrote, and rewrote his classic story, "Enemy Mine."

The last chapter tells you how to submit your book or short story to an editor and includes the details on how to type and mail your manuscript, whether or not to send a cover letter and what to include in one.

Longyear gives a list of useful reference books and a glossary of terms you should know, like "backfill" and "vignette." Although there is no index, the table of contents is very extensive.

If you want to be more than a "wannabe writer" and if you are willing to learn, you should read and study this truly excellent book. I recommend it highly.

{Published in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Sept. 2001.}

THE ICE PICK

The Writer’s Digest Handbook of Novel Writing, edited by Tom Clark [and others]. Cincinnati, Writer’s Digest Books, 1998. ISBN 0-89879-507-9. 260 pages. $14.99.

This book is a collection of thirty-seven of the "best articles . . . on writing novels" that have appeared in Writer’s Digest magazine (www.writersdigest.com) since about 1979. The authors include many names familiar to science fiction and fantasy writers: John Gregory Betancourt, Orson Scott Card, Jack Dann, Dean R. Koontz, Nancy Kress, Joel Rosenberg, Stanley Schmidt, Darrell Schweitzer, and George H. Scithers.

The articles cover every aspect of novel writing from "I have an idea," through plotting, creating characters, "choosing your storyteller," developing setting, writing "believable love scenes," and using dialogue, flashbacks, and foreshadowing. These are followed by articles on the business end of writing: deciding whether or not you need an agent, "negotiating your book contract," and dealing with a copyeditor. All of these articles contain plenty of inspiration, but the emphasis throughout is on the nuts and bolts (or in our case, "pens and inks") of writing good, sellable fiction.

This isn’t a "pie-in-the-sky," "how to make a million bucks quick" book, but rather a compilation of practical advice that you can really use in writing your novel. It covers the simple things, like how to create fictional geographic names that sound real, whether it’s better to make changes in the margins of drafts or by cutting and taping your pages, and how to do a "slap-dash" outline for those who need guidance, but don’t like the formal, detailed kind. And it also covers the difficult things, like going from writing short stories to writing a novel and how to create the illusion of reality in a story.

I found the index to be excellent, the articles of uniformly high quality, and the book enjoyable to read--something that, unfortunately, doesn’t happen very often with how-to-write books.

Like the magazine itself, much of the information is basic and aimed at beginners, but most of it is for the amateur or the professional who feels the need to learn more. I recommend that beginners read through it, learn what they can, and come back to it again and again as they progress.

No book can teach you how to write, but this one can help you get started or help you improve your writing. And if you’re feeling blocked, it can perhaps give you the inspiration to "finish that novel before it finishes you."

{Published in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, Aug. 2001.}

IN THE SILENCE

I was concerned that I do not witness for Christ, that I do not go out and preach and try to convert people and that maybe I should do more. I don’t even have children to lead to Christ. Then the chapter I read this morning was Matthew 5, and it was as if Jesus said to me, "You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." And I realized there are other ways to win people. St. Francis of Assisi said, "Be special. You may be the only Gospel your neighbor will ever read."

{From A Journal of the Spirit, a Journey of the Soul, by D.C. Ice, Dec. 3, 1987.}

THE ICE PICK

Tha Engliscan Gesithas. http://www.tha-engliscan-gesithas.org.uk/index.html. "The home of Tha Engliscan Gesithas, the society for people interested in all aspects of Anglo-Saxon language and culture."

Claiming to be "the only major historical society devoted to the Anglo-Saxon period . . . the society does not follow any particular interpretation of history, and maintains a strictly neutral line on political and religious matters."

This very attractively laid out website is loaded with scholarly information and is easy to navigate. Navigation buttons run down the side of the homepage so you can either click on one of them or on one of the subjects listed there.

Information about the Gesithas and what they do is the first thing listed and includes details on their newsletters, quarterly magazine, and membership if you are interested in joining. However, the e-mail address for their U.S. branch did not work when I tried it.

The site offers information about the birds of Anglo-Saxon England. Climate and environment are discussed, and there is a list of all the birds with bibliographic citations for each. The modern species which were present in Anglo-Saxon times, as well as the ones which weren’t, are discussed, so you can avoid anachronisms. Also discussed are: the birds of Roman Britain, falconry, literary references to Anglo-Saxon birds, birds named in medicinal recipes, and the naming of birds in Anglo-Saxon with modern interpretations.

A brief discussion of Old English poetry plus an audio reading is offered for "Deor," "The Funeral of Scyld Scefing," and "The Battle of Brunanburh." The poems are written out in both Old and Modern English.

The Firsby Saxon village reconstruction project in Lincolnshire is discussed with photos from the site.

There is a selected bibliography for Anglo-Saxon studies. In addition to the expected scholarly publications, the list includes fiction, plays, poems, and music. Children’s nonfiction books, which are often more accessible to the non-expert than scholarly works, are listed along with novels.

"First Steps in Old English" provides an interactive "introduction to an absolute beginner’s course in Old English." I found this fun to do, and in fact became intrigued with the language. A correspondence course is offered with a book and cassette, or you can order the text and study on your own.

Runes are defined, and runelore is discussed, with links to sites from which you can download font files for Windows. I was interested to learn, for example, that "a rune is a secret, a mystery, and the characters used for writing were called runstafas ‘rune-staves’ in Old English. The characters are not themselves runes but mere ciphers or symbols pointing to or marking out the mysteries proper." The origin, patterns, and matrices of runes are explained along with maybe more than you ever wanted to know about runes. Or, rune-staves, that is!

The Anglo-Saxon calendar is discussed in detail, including both the heathen calendar and the Venerable Bede’s calendar.

And finally, there is an Anglo-Saxon Ring site with links to Viking sites and all kinds of interesting early British history.

This is a wonderful website if you are interested in writing anything about early Britain or in using ideas from early Britain to create your own culture in your fantasy or science fiction.

{Published in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, July 2001.}

THE ICE PICK

Show, Don’t Tell: a Writer’s Guide, by William Noble. Middlebury, Vt.: Paul S. Eriksson, 1993.

Although out of print now, this excellent book is well worth looking for in your local library or out-of-print bookstore.

If you’ve ever been told "show, don’t tell," or wondered what that meant or how exactly to go about doing it, this book was written for you!

"Showing," versus "telling," is writing your story in such a way that "readers can become part of the story that unfolds before them." It means bringing out "the dramatic side of any incident or circumstance." Readers "want to be caught up in the drama, to feel what the characters feel and to settle into the place the story puts them in." "Showing" comes "from our imagination, not from a series of lecture notes that explain what is actually happening."

Beginning with how to create a dramatic opening, Noble goes through the process of story writing, explaining how to "zero in on where the drama lies" and "create a sense of immediacy" through metaphors and similes, dialogue, characterization, viewpoint, choosing details, plotting, pacing, and description. He advises authors to "make transitions sharp and neat. (The quicker the better, keep the bridges short)" to prevent loss of attention when changing scenes.

In one chapter, he explains how to properly use melodrama as an effective writer’s tool. In another, how to use incidents in your story to create movement and thereby drama. And he includes a chapter on how to dramatize or "fictionalize" nonfiction.

Narrative can be made more entertaining by injecting tension into it, perhaps through emotional or physical conflict, or by using anecdotes--"a story inside a story"--to dramatize prose, develop reader involvement, and make your characters "blossom." For example, in a bland description of a desert, "a brief reference to buried Indian tombs and the vengeful spirits which protect them would probably get the reader’s attention."

The index is excellent, and there is a bibliography of classic books on writing and of articles from The Writer www.writermag.com and Writer’s Digest www.writersdigest.com that discuss showing versus telling.

I highly recommend this wonderful book.

{Published in SF & Fantasy Workshop Newsletter, July 2001.}