Posts Tagged ‘writing’

New interview at The Writer’s Pane

Literary blogger Anna Palij has published a new interview with me on her blog, The Writer’s Pane. It’s not a book-pimping exercise disguised as an interview. This is an honest-to-goodness “getting to know you” kind of interview.

Herewith, a small sample of our online correspondence:

Where do you find inspiration?
Wherever I can, to be honest. In the news. In unanswered questions from other stories. In rhetorical questions that spark unexpected connections in my subconscious. In my hopes as well as my anxieties. In my desire to avoid bankruptcy. In my fear of vanishing into obscurity while still alive. In my anger and disappointment that the human species has failed to live up to my lofty expectations.

Which character in literature do you associate yourself with the most?
I’m not sure I could reduce this answer to a single character. When I’m working on a novel, slogging away in unsung solitude for months at a time, I feel not unlike Sisyphus. When a book-release day results in a general yawn of apathy from the world, I feel like Charlie Brown, once again deceived into trying to kick the football. When opportunities for professional success slip away, but I’ve catapulted another writer to glory in the process, I feel like Mad Max at the end of The Road Warrior, left behind and forgotten amid the wreckage, lost to memory. In my best moments, when I am closest to living in accordance with a Zen ideal, free from attachment and desire, I feel like the protagonist of Richard Brautigan’s classic novel In Watermelon Sugar, the character who does not have a regular name.

Head on over to The Writer’s Pane to read the rest of the interview.

Shore Leave 38 Schedule

Legacies_BestDefense_FullFor those of you attending the Shore Leave Convention this weekend in Hunt Valley, Md., here is a quick run-down of where and when to catch up with me at the show.

UPDATE: The “Upcoming Star Trek Books” panel has been rescheduled for Saturday at 5PM.

UPDATE 2: Room assignments have changed all around, and I’ve got one more panel on Sunday.

UPDATE 3: This one is big news! A limited number of copies of my new Star Trek 50th Anniversary novel Legacies, Book 2: Best Defense will be available at Shore Leave this weekend, ahead of the official July 26 publication date!

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Friday — July 15, 2016

“Where Do Writers Start?”
7PM–8PM, Derby Room

You’re finally ready to start writing. You sit down at your computer, open a blank document—and freeze. You have absolutely no idea what to do next. We’re here to help! We’ll offer tips on how to start your story and how to prepare before you even type the first word.

Panelists: Howard Weinstein (M), David Mack, Stephen Kozeniewski, Aaron Rosenberg, Jeff Lang, John Coffren, Melissa Scott

Meet the Pros
10PM–Midnight, Hunt Valley Corridor

Come down to the lower level of the hotel, buy books from retailer Novel Spaces, then get them autographed. I’ll be there to sign books, chat, and chew bubble gum, and I expect to be all out of bubble gum.

Saturday – July 16, 2016

“Crossing Genres”
4PM–5PM, Belmont Room

Are you a sci-fi writer aiming to cross into fantasy? An adult fiction writer hoping to cross into YA or children’s lit? Are you looking to write a noir/sci-fi mash-up? We’ll discuss genre switch-ups, whether you’re aiming to try something new or writing a story that doesn’t fit into a traditional category.

Panelists: Glenn Hauman (M), Roberta Rogow, David Harten Watson, Greg Cox, David Mack, Peter David, Melissa Scott

“Upcoming Star Trek Books”
5PM–6PM, Salon A

There are a lot of novels and other Star Trek books coming out for the original series’ 50th anniversary and in 2017. Our author guests give you a look at what’s coming down the pike.

Panelists: Greg Cox (M), Dayton Ward, David Mack, Christopher L. Bennett, Scott Pearson

Sunday – July 17, 2016

“The Dos and Don’ts of Research”
11AM–Noon, Salon E

Learn how to conduct effective research for fiction projects, how to organize your information, and how to know when to stop researching and start writing.

Panelists: Howard Weinstein (M), David Mack, Roberta Rogow, Jenifer Rosenberg, Jeff Lang, T.A. Chafin, Melissa Scott

“Collaboration: Writing as a Team Project”
1PM–2PM, Salon E

Our panel of professional authors discuss the rewards, drawbacks, methods, and challenges of writing in collaboration on projects large and small.

Panelists: Greg Cox (M), Dayton Ward, David Mack, Paula M. Block, Terry J. Erdmann, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, T.A. Chafin

Micro-stories for GISHWHES

For those who don’t keep up with such things, GISHWHES is an acronym for “Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen.” It is an annual charity event organized by actor Misha Collins, who (among other roles) plays angel Castiel on the CW series Supernatural.

One of the items requested this year of participating teams — GISHERs, as they call themselves — was to procure a story of no more than 140 words in length, from a previously published sci-fi author, about “Misha Collins, the Queen of England, and an elopus.” (An elopus is an elephant-octopus hybrid, and the mascot of the event.)

Many GISHERs took it upon themselves to tweet, direct-message, and e-mail various authors, whether they knew them or not — and whether they were fans of those writers or not — to ask them to tap out original works of micro-fiction for their respective teams.

As one might imagine, more than a few authors got their noses out of joint over being asked to write for free, even if it was for a charity event. I suspect that most of the authors who were so aggrieved were likely far more popular and critically lauded than I am, and thus were deluged by an exponentially greater number of requests. To which I say: Cry me a fucking river, you prima donnas. We should all have your problems.

For my own part, I joked at first about my reluctance to work for free, especially at a time when I’m busy trying to beat a looming deadline. I tweeted:

 

 

Then I was asked by friends to record videos to help fulfill a different GISHWHES challenge: “Get a NY Times Bestselling Author or a Tony-award-winning actor or actress to record on video a dramatic reading from the California DMV Driver’s Handbook chapter on right-of-way.”

A ham at heart, I recorded two videos and had a blast doing it. Energized, I went to my computer and wrote three short stories just for GISHWHES:

“The People’s Queen”

“The Cliffs of Dover”

“The Gift”

Today I gave them to people who sent me selfies of themselves with my books, and I wrote a fourth — “Scoop” — specifically for a German fan who wrote me such a nice letter asking for my help that I couldn’t turn her away.

Next week, after the contest is over, I’ll share those stories and videos with the world here on my blog, and on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere.

And you know what? I’m still going to hit my quota on my manuscript today; I’ll still make my deadline; and even though I gave away the equivalent of about $88 worth of fiction (based on my current per-word rate), I am still able to pay my bills and not whine about the injustice of being asked to help strangers without the recompense of a profit motive.

And I’m okay with that.

 

UPDATE, 8.10.14: I’ve added links in the text above to later posts that feature the four stories and three videos I created for GISHWHES.

Read my Q&A with KULT Magazine

A writer named Dominik Hug just interviewed me for the Swiss F/SF publication KULT Magazine. We discussed a wide range of topics, including how I work, how I got started, my past projects and my upcoming work.

A brief sample of our erudite exchange:

destiny_omniKULT: What does a normal David Mack working day look like?

David Mack: Something of a train wreck, honestly. I usually sleep until early afternoon, then slouch into my day. My first priority is usually a shower, followed by coffee and something to eat. Next, I deal with errands and other personal business, such as bills, cleaning up after the cats, taking out the trash. I waste a fair amount of time reading news on the Internet, poring over Facebook and Twitter, and trying to think of something amusing to post on social media.
I’ve usually done nothing useful by the time my wife gets home from work. We make dinner, eat, and clean up. Afterward, I pour a stiff drink and settle down to try to write. This usually results in more procrastination. I tend to get working for real around 9pm or 10pm, and I work in a panicked frenzy until around 1am. Then I watch TV until around 3am, when I go to bed.
Frankly, it’s a miracle I get anything done at all.

For the benefit of my fans who are fluent in English but not in German, Dominik has posted the original English version of the interview on his blog. A German-translated version will be posted online soon, and I will also put up links to that for my German-speaking friends and fans.

Give it a read!

Video of the Star Trek panel at NASA

Here for your viewing pleasure is some of the video my wife Kara shot of the Star Trek authors’ panel, which was held in the Teague Auditorium at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, on Friday, June 28, 2013.

1. Breaking into writing for Star Trek

2. Does science fiction need accurate science?

3. The Star Trek canon

4. Writing for books vs. writing for film & TV

5. Fan fiction

6. Art & Exploration

7. Galvanizing Public Opinion

8. Creativity & Technology

9. What drives Star Trek stories?

10. NASA’s influence on Star Trek stories

11. What do we hope is next for Star Trek?

 

#SFWApro

Manuscript Completed…

It’s 3:15am and I have just finished the manuscript for the expanded edition of my previously published short novel Star Trek Mirror Universe: The Sorrows of Empire.

As TV producer Hans Beimler once said to me upon my delivery of a first-draft teleplay for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, “Great! Now the writing can begin!”

Tomorrow I shall write the acknowledgments, paste in text for “About the Author,” and begin my polishing draft and revisions. Woo, and might I add for emphasis, hoo.