Song of Crit and Fire

Fortunately Melisandre brought us back, at what price I shudder to imagine.

Behold the Sardenas Canyon Fire, visible from our nest at Angel Fire.

Droughtland’s latest fire is small, but has been burning uncontrolled for several days now.  We have to hope that the name of our refuge, Angel Fire, remains metaphorical rather than literal.

I have spent the last week and a half at Taos Toolbox, the master class for writers of science fiction and fantasy.  I’ve been teaching alongside the brilliant Nancy Kress, which I’ve been lucky enough to do for nine years now, and all I can say is that if you ever have the chance to take a writing class from her, you must leap at the chance.

Among her many other virtues, Nancy keeps track of amusing comments made during critique.  Here’s a sample.

” I don’t want to see him just discredited, I want to see him die an elaborate alien death.”
“Boats! We need more fantasy with boats!”
“She starts out very naive if she doesn’t realize she’s playing football with someone’s blown-up bladder.”
“I like that the Peelers are scary, but you shouldn’t mention them in the same paragraph as potatoes.”
“You need more twisting empty skins in Chapter 1.”
“I want to know HOW that man became president.”

“I don’t know if they died from a giant clump of snow falling on them or from guilt.”
“The third character is a dude bro and I don’t want to hang out with him.”
“She’s too old for petulant teenage angst.”
“Crooked Cove sounds like a theme park, not a nation.”
“I like that he can’t tell the lizard twins apart.”
“This is The Godfather from the viewpoint of Lucca Brazzi.”
“If your island is being invaded, you shouldn’t be smiling.”
“I was disappointed that the lobsters didn’t fight the enemy.”

“I love when she stuffs the alien pterodactyl shell down her bra.”
“Space seems to have been colonized only by Germans.”
“You can’t really hide a pulsar.”
“It needs to be clearer that the starfish and the librarians are different species.”
“I love that she gave away Mars.”
“WTF did I just read — in a good way!”
“It’s Guardians of the Galaxy meets House of Usher.”
“There are too few bicycles in fantasy. Gandalf would have ridden a Cannondale.”
“You might want to put some people on the planet who aren’t dumb as stumps.”