The Mosher Pit

Last night, I was headed west on Interstate 66 at about 8 pm; looming ahead of me was something dark and menacing. While yammering into my cellphone to Utterz about it, I observed that being forced off the grid brings out my “voice,” that is, my writing voice. I started on this whole intarwebz thing 13 years ago wanting to meet and learn from other writers, after all.

Oh, but you do write, you say. You entertain us with this thing called blog and you have several hundred published articles blah blah blah. Yep. But I also have a slew of unpublished short stories and two unfinished novels.

And it may be that I’m an essay writer, after all. There’s something about being about to channel creative energy through one’s own experience; it’s something many writers do in terms of adapting their lives to fiction. But I seem to prefer reporting on the experience over distilling its essence and remixing it into fiction.

But then a storm like last night happens, and I find myself huddling in a corner of the library’s shelter area, a small section of the offices at the very center of the building, and had exactly 10 minutes left on my laptop battery. I wrote this on my private (but still online) journal to explain the difference between the energy I was feeling and the energy everyone else was putting off:

what’s really funny is listening to everyone say “I just saw major lightning!” Yeah. I saw a wall of charcoal-colored sky with the disco lights on full blast, an army of water marching with malice in its collective, soot-encrusted heart. I blinked.

I’d revise that now to say that I tried to stare down that wall to better illustrate what I mean by “I blinked,” but aside from that, yeah. A violent thunderstorm that eats the sky like that is like nature throwing an anarchistic disco party, and I wasn’t inclined to dance.

Posted in Life, Nature, Speculative Fiction, Writing by: Helen
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Embedded Video

Via Hugh Casey

Posted in LOLZ!, Speculative Fiction, TV by: Helen
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I’d like a pony and a plastic rocket and a book deal.

*This is a reference to the Serenity captain, Mal, who, having no idea what to do while kneeling at a Buddhist shrine, decides to pray the only way he knows how—by praying like a little kid.

Posted in Speculative Fiction, Writing by: Helen
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I’ve been away all weekend with my church group, and i come back to find that Octavia Butler has died?

I’m heartbroken. I had the opportunity to interview her in 2003 or so, and she gave me some of the best writing advice ever.

Given that I’m spread out all over the blog-a-verse at this point, I will try to remember to post a deviathan digest because this is my most general readership. I’m not _generally_ reading logged in as deviathan anymore, but i do try to tune in from time to time.

1. I’ve had an essay on temptation accepted for the next issue of Geez Magazine, the faith magazine edited by a couple of adbusters alumni who also happen to be gen-x mennonites. If I were anabaptist, I’d want to be a mennonite.

2. We spent the better part of last weekend putting my parents’ house back together. Pics are up at my flickr account.

3. The annoying co-worker I used to allude to from time to time? After leaving for a month to have surgery and calling last week to say she’d be back this past Tuesday, she submitted her resignation instead. We, uh, celebrated.

4. K. got another D in English on his report card. Maybe if I can get him to write his English response journals on LJ, we’ll have better results.

5. I spent this weekend, as I mentioned above, on a spiritual retreat. Made a couple of new friends and got closer to the group in general. The best part is that we stayed here, and we’re going to help with groundskeeping and other odd jobs around the place, since one of the aforementioned new friends helps the owner with that.

Not much else to report. How are you guys?

Posted in Books, Deaths, Faith, Speculative Fiction, Writing by: Helen
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I just exchanged a few books I don’t need for Serenity and Firefly, which, of course, I do need.

Since Borders was also having a buy 3 DVDs get one free sale, I also picked up the second X men movie and…..

BARBARELLA!!!!!!!!

Fear me.

Posted in Fangirl, Movies, Speculative Fiction by: Helen
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As some of you will recall, I plowed through Buffy seasons 3 and 4 in
the span of three days while recovering from gallbladder surgery back
in April.

I just finished season 5. (Also watched much Angel in the interim and
a bit of Firefly.) And what I really, really, really want to know is
why the key was so important that the monks didn't destroy it when
they should have.

If that comes up later, don't spoil it, but if not, feel free to discuss.

Posted in Fangirl, Speculative Fiction by: Helen
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From the “Token Jesus Freak On The Big Question Panel” and “What Part Of Don't Schedule Me For Friday Did You Not Understand?” department:

* Fri 10:00 PM in 304—What We Don't Know (67)
According to some experts, science has solved all the big questions, and all that remains is detail. At least, that's what they said a hundred years ago, before quantum mechanics, airplanes, television, computers, atomic energy, and molecular biology. What are the big science questions of the 21st century, and how are scientists trying to answer them? What might we know in a hundred years that we don't know now?
Peter Radatti (mod), Eric M. Van, George Scithers, Helen Thompson

From the “I Thought This Was The Hot Or Not Panel, And I'm Hot, You're—About To Discover Me” department:

* Sun 11:00 AM in Salon A—Hot New Writers (you have not heard of yet) (140)
Bring your notebook!
Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen (mod), David G. Hartwell, Gardner Dozois, Gordon Van Gelder, Helen Thompson

From the “I Don't Need To Start My Own Religion–I'm One Of Those 'Revisionists' Who's Making Faith A Better Place For All (a/k/a We Don't Need No Stinkin' Dystopias; Just Open The FSCKin' Door)” department:
* Sun 12:00 PM in Salon G—Starting Your Own Religion for Fun and Profit (44)
Panelists discuss exploring your characters' faith from beginning to end. How to create a belief system that is more than just filing off the serial numbers.
George Scithers (mod), Ann Tonsor Zeddies, Helen Thompson, Myke Cole

From the “We Thought Post-Christian Meant You'd Started A Church-By-Mail Service” department:
* Sun 1:00 PM in Salon A—Imagine No Religion (165)
Will we ever live in a truly post-religious future or will people continually come up with something new?
Diane Weinstein (mod), Eric M. Van, David Silverman, Alexis Gilliland, Helen Thompson

(Seriously, why the heck they didn't put me on the science/religion panel where I have the MOST expertise–oh, and I'm actually there…but oh well.)

Posted in Random, Speculative Fiction by: Helen
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Flight was delayed and very bumpy once it finally got in the air.

but i'm home safe. And wrote half a novel outline while pitching around at 33K feet.

DFH has cleaned the entire house. *boggle* Best. Boyfriend. Evar!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to everyone who made this WFC awesome. It was good seeing old friends, meeting new friends, and hanging out with folks a good deal more than in the past. This post is public cause there will be some new folks stopping by–feel free to say hi!

Fire, lit. Now for marshmallows, chocolate, and mixing it up a bit.

Posted in Speculative Fiction by: Helen
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Exhausted, perhaps.

Funny of the day: I can say my name 20 times in 20 contexts, but I think all the hair color changes have caught up with me, as at cons the thing that makes the light bulb go off is always “I'm the artist formerly known as helcat.” I don't think I'll ever escape that part of my identity, so I might as well embrace it again.

I'm out of cash. I knew it would go away, but I still have 12 more hours here.

The blanket is a good seven inches longer, but still needs about three more feet to really constitute a blanket. I need to learn continental to speed things up, but every time i try it, the purl stitches throw me off.

WFC has renewed my commitment to writing fiction. It always does, moreso than any other con. Today was the best day so far, with an incredible LJ meetup that put me in touch with about 20 new people. And I needed that.

It's also been my hardest convention. I've had more rejections in the past year than I have in my entire writing career before that, and that's a sign of progress. But I feel more than ever that stretch of wanna-be-ism, that hey, you've been attending these things for more than 6 years, you're only those rejections closer to being published. Still, that's progress, and important progress at that.

I can't say that I have written anything new this year. And I have not submitted anything since moving to Fairfax.

But I have a couple of things on tap, and I need to address them.

Okay. I should be packing. But I think there's more laughter to be had first.

Posted in Friends, Speculative Fiction by: Helen
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K and I went to see Serenity over the weekend.

Now I'm sure I'm not the first to turn this phrase, being a belated Whedon fan, but the experience was sheer Whedonistic joy.

K I got lots of good dialogue afterward. I'm not familiar with firefly, being still stuck in season 5 of Buffy and Season 2 of Angel, but getting a precocious near-teen interested in corporate/governmental conspiracy is always funly subversive.

Posted in Fangirl, Speculative Fiction by: Helen
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