Last Saturday, I had a wonderful time at ICON 49.5. Most often held in Cedar Rapids, the Iowa Scifi Conference, or ICON, took place in Iowa City this year. Poised to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary in 2026, they decided to hold a one-day mini-conference this time, hence 49.5.
Book Signing
Conference organizers allowed me to set up at a table in the Iowa City Book Fair taking place the same day. For six hours, people stopped by to talk, look over my books, and buy some. I enjoyed sharing the table with Tricia Andersen, Darby Harn, and, later, Bree Moore. By watching these experienced authors, I learned more about how to do book signing events.
Indie Publishing Panel
To cap off the mini-conference, I spoke on the subject of Indie Publishing on a panel. Pictured from left to right are Tricia Andersen, Darby Harn, Bree Moore, me, and Rachel Aukes. By rights, I should have sat in the audience, because the other panelists seemed to have graduated summa cum laude from Indie Publishing University where I’d just enrolled as a freshman.
Gratitude
Still, I enjoyed the day’s experience and would like to thank not only the conference programming staff for allowing me to attend, but also my sister for accompanying me and helping me sell books. If there’s one writer who could really use the help, it’s—
Have you held a sit-down with your inner critic? You know, that voice inside that’s always telling you you’re no good, that you shouldn’t raise your hand in class, that it’s safer to stand near the wall than to get out on the dance floor. Writers call that voice their “inner editor,” because it questions everything they write—the style, the organization, the spelling. The voice tells writers nobody will buy their stories and they should give up and pursue something else.
I’ve portrayed the inner critic as bad, but it helps at times. An inner critic warned our ancient ancestors not to try befriending the saber-toothed tiger. Those who listened to their inner critic survived to pass it down to us as a useful survival trait. Today, the inner critic screams at you to stop when, while drunk, you tell your buddy, “Hold my beer and watch this.”
Though sometimes your inner critic prevents disaster, most of the time it urges against any action at all. It tells you you’re hopeless, useless, and unworthy.
Inner Critic vs. the First Draft
Writers who obey their inner critic without question never write anything.
However motivated the writer, however enthused about the project, the writer cannot get far if an inside voice declares the writing drivel, points out every missing comma, and lambasts the whole manuscript.
While creating a first draft, writers need freedom and confidence, not haranguing from a Debbie Downer. Nothing at this early point should hinder the flow or halt the momentum. Later, in subsequent drafts, the inner critic can prove its worth and let its editing prowess shine. If only you could give your inner critic a “time out” and banish it to its room. Hmm. Maybe you can.
I shall call mine Scoff McGrouser. What name will you give yours?
Now that you’ve humanized it, your inner critic now stands on your level, not like some mystical, all-powerful entity. You can talk to it. You can bargain on equal terms.
The Bargain
You’re writing a first draft and that familiar whiny voice pipes up, shattering your concentration and shaking your confidence. What can you do?
Address your inner critic by name, out loud if necessary (and if you’re alone). Be respectful and understanding. That critic, a permanent part of you, isn’t leaving your head. Tell it to take a break now. Be kind, but firm. Say you’ll be grateful for its help later. In subsequent drafts, it can critique to its heart’s content.
Evolving Relationship
Bargaining may not work the first time. You’re trying to break one habit and form another, and that requires persistence and patience. In time, you should find it easier to send the critic to a corner for a while.
In my case, I’ve learned to push Scoff McGrouser away long enough so I can write like—
On Sunday, I participated in an author discussion panel at Leaves Bakery and Books in Fort Worth, Texas. What it lacked in audience size it made up for in lively conversation about books with like-minded writers.
Next, we heard from Scott Finley, who conducted exhaustive research for the writing of his Voyages of the Queen series. The first in the series, Shadow of the Queen, involves a murder on an ocean liner in 1929.
Craig Shaneck
After that, Craig Shaneck talked about his novel Athens Shrugged, a murder mystery set in Greece. He described it as James Bond on a budget, a nice tagline.
Me
Oh, yeah. I might have yakked a bit about The Seastead Chronicles. Regular readers of this blog might have heard of it.
Many thanks to Challyn Hartogh and the rest of the staff at Leaves Bakery and Books for hosting the event. Several customers did stop by for their wonderful baked goods and tea, but not so much to hear—
Do you refuse to read books written by authors who’ve held offensive beliefs or committed objectionable acts? Are their books, however well written, tainted by the author’s extra-literary reputation?
Image created at Perchance.org. Note: I do not mean to imply or suggest that any author, living or dead, mentioned in this post or not, is demonic or akin to a devil.
Controversial Authors
Rather than provide a complete list, I’ll mention a few, having found several discussed on this Reddit post. My beloved Jules Verne held racist and antisemitic views. Knut Hamsun supported fascists and Nazis. Ezra Pound was a fascist, racist, and antisemite. H.P. Lovecraft was a racist and Nazi sympathizer. Ernest Hemingway was a bully, alcoholic, racist, and antisemite. Ayn Rand had an extramarital affair and opposed altruism and religion. Isaac Asimov groped women. Marion Zimmer Bradley may have abused her child and tolerated her husband’s child abuse. Alice Munro defended her husband’s alleged sexual abuse of their daughter. This article about that last revelation prompted me to think about this post’s topic.
3 Degrees of Bad
We could divide our reasons for hating authors into three categories.
Those who held and stated abhorrent beliefs that don’t appear, or barely appear, in their fiction,
Those who held and stated abhorrent beliefs that are obvious in their fiction, and
Those who performed objectionable actions, whether they wrote about them or not.
Any of these might cause you to refrain from reading books by that author. On the other hand, you might forgive an author for any of these reasons and choose instead to enjoy their books for the literary value.
Noncontroversial Authors
The world includes plenty of books. You could avoid books by troublesome authors and just read works written by saints. However, you may find saintly authors in short supply. Every author is, or was, human, and therefore burdened with faults and failings, just like non-writers.
Even those not known for offensive actions often wrote about their private beliefs. Today, many authors use social media to express opinions on news of the day. Fiction writers spend a lot of time musing about the human condition. They’re bound to form and express strong opinions on various topics, and some of those stances might offend you. The contemporary author whose works you most cherish might get toppled off the pedestal you’ve erected, after a single tweet or post.
Different Places and Times
Although plenty of today’s authors have said or done questionable things, I only included deceased authors in my list above. When judging author behaviors and beliefs, remember that we’re all victims, to some extent, of the culture we live in or grew up in. In various past societies, racism, sexism, and antisemitism once prevailed as normal. Phrases and character types that readers of those times and places accepted with little notice cause us to cringe today.
Is it fair to judge a past author’s work by today’s standards? Sure. You can judge, by any criteria you want, whether you like a book or not. Is it fair to blame a past author for not living up to our modern sensibilities? No. The author could not predict how society would change.
Authors Aren’t Their Characters
Though some do, I urge you not to judge authors by their characters. Some authors excel at showing us convincing evil characters. As readers, we might wonder how the author can get inside a twisted mind so well, and we might suspect the author of sympathizing with the bad guy.
In his novel Next, Michael Crichton portrayed a character named Brad Gordon as a creepy pedophile. I felt myself transported into the sick mind of this perverted character. Though Crichton managed the description well, I would never accuse him of pedophilia.
Your Choice
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, though many do. Is it fair to make your decision about what to read based on the author’s personal life or beliefs? Of course, but you might be denying yourself a pleasurable reading experience. What I’m saying is, you be you and I’ll be—
Thank you to Challyn Hartogh and her staff at Leaves Bakery and Tea Shop in Fort Worth, Texas. My book signing event there last Sunday went well.
The author at Leaves Bakery and Tea Shop
Located in an eclectic neighborhood of old buildings redone as trendy shops, Leaves Bakery and Tea Shop emphasizes muffins and tea, but caters to authors as well. After all, once you buy your scone and hot drink, you feel the urge to read a book, right?
And, yes, we all get the clever pun—leaves…books and tea. Nice.
Paired with Galen Steele, an up-and-coming poet, I set up my table and greeted everyone that came in. Accepting my prior invitation, some friends dropped by and chatted with me.
My new book, The Seastead Chronicles, received a prime spot near the center of my table, but I brought others to sell also.
As you can see by visiting the Appearances tab on this website, I’ll return to Leaves Bakery and Tea Shop later this month to conduct a Writers Workshop. I’ve titled it “Writing Drunk – Imbibing Passion for More Creative Binging.” If you’re in the area that day, please stop by.
Thanks to my appearance last Sunday, we now know the answer to how an author stays and Leaves at the same time! Thanks again to the staff there, from—
This month marks a century and a half since the publication of Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island. Maybe you think you don’t care, but read on. That novel changed a genre forever, and pointed readers toward new ways to think about survival.
Partial Summary
Near the end of the American Civil War, five Union prisoners escape a Confederate camp by balloon. Swept away by a storm, they must, at last, abandon their balloon and jump into the sea. They crawl ashore and identify the landmass as an island. With ingenuity and determination, they survive four years there despite suffering numerous misfortunes. In time, they cultivate crops and raise animals, build a pottery kiln, a metal forge, and even a telegraph.
As a Sequel
The novel attempts to serve as a sequel to two earlier books—In Search of the Castaways and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. Though Verne connected the novels with some dramatic skill, he botched the timelines. He wrote a footnote attempting to explain the date discrepancies, but it did little more than inform readers of his awareness of the problem.
As a Robinsonade
Map of Lincoln Island
Something about island castaway stories touch us. Could we, too, endure in a remote locale, out of contact with friends and family, deprived of the comforts of civilized life? We take nature walks and go on camping trips, but do so while clutching smartphones, knowing we’ll soon return to our big-screen TV, while our door camera monitors the outside world.
In 1719, Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe, igniting an explosion of marooned-on-an-island stories, now called Robinsonades. Verne loved islands and had read both Robinson Crusoe and Johann David Wyss’ The Swiss Family Robinson. However, he deplored those authors’ choice to maroon their castaways along with survival equipment, the very tools and artifacts of civilization they needed. By contrast, Verne dropped his characters on an island with two watches, a match, a grain of wheat, and a metal dog collar.
This denial of resources became the standard for later Robinsonades, forcing characters to innovate and use available raw materials. No author or scriptwriter since Verne would dare equip their characters with large quantities of helpful supplies.
As a Comment on Civilization
Verne’s marooned characters don’t just scrape by. Bit by bit, they morph from castaways to colonists. In effect, they don’t separate from civilization—they restart civilization in a new place. In four years, they retrace the technological advances of twelve thousand years of human history. From Stone Age to Iron Age to Electrical Age, they recreate mankind’s major innovations. Perhaps this shines new light on the saying, “you can take the man out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the man.”
As a Bromance
The novel’s themes of survival, innovation, and perseverance stand out. But Nick DiMartino, in his book The Amputee’s Guide to Jules Verne, also detects a theme of male bonding. The castaways don’t argue, complain, or fight. They work together to survive. After they return to civilization at the end, they elect to live the rest of their lives together in the “wilderness” of Iowa.
With a Deus ex Machina
I suppose I can still call this a spoiler alert, even for a book 150 years old. What makes the island so mysterious? Peculiar things happen on occasion, aiding the castaways just when hope appears lost. Near the end they discover Captain Nemo, sole remaining member of the submarine Nautilus, has helped them when necessary. Not a deus (god), but he owns one heck of a machina.
As an Enduring Tale
The Mysterious Island still captivates today, in its sesquicentennial. Readers will enjoy the novel 150 years from now and beyond, because it asks a question applicable in any age. Could we, too, could endure if marooned on a remote island without our modern toys? Go ahead and read it. Explore Lincoln Island and imagine yourself being there. Accept this invitation to adventure, extended to you by—
Writers start as readers. We fall in love with stories written by favorite authors. Often, we seek to write like them. Some of us invent new stories involving favorite characters and settings. That is, we write fanfiction.
Types
Many varieties of fanfiction exist. You could write new adventures, where you take the original work’s characters on fresh escapades within their world. In Fix-it Fic, you write a tale correcting what you see as a flaw in the original work. Author Katie Redefer, for example, wrote Harry Potter fanfiction which depicted a romantic relationship never envisioned by J.K. Rowling. You might consider an update, where many years have elapsed since the original novel and you show older characters, or their descendants, dealing with a new adventure.
Reason
People write fanfiction because they love the original work. They seek to honor it in their own way. Perhaps they feel they lack the literary skills to create their own original story with fresh characters in a setting they invent. Fanfiction requires less creativity, because beloved characters already “exist,” and the world of the story sits ready-made.
Risks
If you write fanfiction for your own private enjoyment, or if you share it with other fans and don’t charge them money, you run no adverse risk.
However, if you write fanfiction based on a work still under copyright protection, and you hope to sell your work, be careful. Some authors allow and even encourage fanfiction. Others sue for copyright infringement.
My Fanfiction
Like many, I started with fanfiction. Years ago, I wrote the first draft of a sequel to Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas. I intended to title it 20,000 Leagues Farther. In it, a descendant of Captain Nemo salvages the Nautilus (in modern time) and brings unwitting guests on an adventure-filled voyage. Though embarrassing to recall now, that amateurish novel helped me grow as a writer.
Since then, I’ve written several publishable stories of fanfiction. “The Steam Elephant” honors Verne’s The Steam House by taking his characters aboard their marvelous vehicle to Africa. This story appears in The Gallery of Curiosities #3.
“The Six Hundred Dollar Man” puts an Old West steampunk twist on the TV show “The Six Million Dollar Man.”
In “A Tale More True,” a rival of Baron Munchausen (the fictional character created by German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe) takes a clockpunk trip to the Moon.
My story “Rallying Cry” honors both Verne’s The Steam House and Robur the Conqueror by portraying a secret World War I regiment using two of Verne’s vehicles—-the steam elephant and the aeronef.
In “The Cometeers,” I used the cannon and projectile from Verne’s novel From the Earth to the Moon. My story’s characters must save the Earth from a comet impact…in 1897.
My story “After the Martians” shows the aftermath of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, but WW I occurs using Martian technology.
In “The Unparalleled Attempt to Rescue One Hans Pfaall,” (included in the anthology Quoth the Raven) I depict adventurers from Rotterdam flying to the Moon, by balloon, to save a man whom Edgar Allan Poe left stranded there in his The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall.
“Reconnaissance Mission” honors Poe again, making him a character as a young Army soldier who undertakes a mission that would inspire his later stories and poems. This story appears in the anthology Not Far From Roswell.
My story 80 Hours updates Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days by sending a woman to circumnavigate the globe in just over three days.
I may well write more fanfiction in the future, but I feel more confident than I did before about creating my own characters and worlds.
I co-edited two anthologies of other writers’ fanfiction as well. 20,000 Leagues Remembered honors Verne’s undersea masterwork with fan fiction written by today’s authors. The book appeared on the 150th anniversary of Verne’s epic novel.
If you haven’t written fanfiction, I bet you’ve been tempted. For people who hope to write fiction someday, fanfiction might serve as a great place to start. The ready-made characters and story “world” simplify the process. Even if you write just for yourself or to give away stories free to fellow fans, fanfiction could provide good practice and a chance to learn the craft and hone your skills.
I’d love to do everything better. At the moment, I stink at mountain-climbing, neurosurgery, trombone-playing, the decathlon, and a couple of other activities. However, I’d settle for writing better, so I figured I’d see if the eight rules applied to fiction writing. What follows are Mr. Stulberg’s rules, and my assessment of how they apply to authors.
1. Stress + Rest = Growth
This one makes sense. Writers can overdo things, typing until late at night, going without sleep. Everyone needs recharging time. Besides, the unconscious mind often mulls over problems and finds solutions.
2. Focus on the Process, Not Results
I might have stated it a different way, but I agree with the intent. Writers shouldn’t compare themselves to famous authors, or anyone else. Rather than aiming for the best-seller list, seek to write as well as you can.
3. Stay Humble
This rings true. I imagine some best-selling authors lose some humility when they reach the pinnacle. They might imagine they’ve learned all they need to learn. If they step past confidence to arrogance, they risk going stale.
4. Build Your Tribe
Readers might think this couldn’t apply to writing—a solitary activity. It does, in some measure. Even the most introverted writers benefit from surrounding themselves with like-minded supporters. These take the form of critique group partners, beta readers, and eventually reader-fans.
5. Take Small, Consistent Steps to Achieve Big Gains
Any big job, like writing a novel, seems daunting before you start. Beginning with a small step helps in at least two ways. First, you’re less likely to abandon an effort you’ve started. Second, what you found difficult today, you’ll find easier tomorrow. That’s a corollary to the adage about eating an elephant. Thanks to the learning curve, you can take bigger bites each day.
6. Be a Minimalist to Be a Maximalist
Though I’d quibble with the phrasing, I agree with the meaning. If you say yes to fiction writing, you need to say no to some other fun activities of life. Focus on learning to write better. Put in the time.
7. Make the Hard Thing Easier
By this, Mr. Stulberg means to design your life around doing what you value, and make the tempting disruption thing harder. Don’t count on your willpower to avoid distractions or to prevent falling back into bad habits—remove the lures. Engineers call it the poka-yoke concept, or mistake-proofing. Example: if you tend to plunge into the rabbit-hole of fun research while writing, then write with a device disconnected from the internet.
8. Remember to Experience Joy
Like all people doing what they love, writers can turn into workaholics. Take time to celebrate the achievements, to delight in the other aspects of life. This goes beyond the rest and recharging of point 1 above. It means to allow a happy pause for reveling in small victories and to be fully present for the others you love.
Summing Up
Overall, Brad Stulberg has provided eight helpful pieces of advice, as applicable to writers as to anyone else. Though the rules may seem trite and obvious, don’t we all need a reminder every now and then? Among the writers who needed this refresher, I’d count—
Thank you to Michaela Huff and the rest of the staff at the Half Price Books store near Ridgmar Mall in Fort Worth, Texas. I enjoyed a wonderful book signing event there on Saturday.
Staff member Jesse set up my table and chair in a commanding position just inside the front door. Incoming customers couldn’t help seeing me there. I focused on my new book, The Seastead Chronicles, but also offered several others, too.
I enjoyed talking to all the patrons who came in and stopped to chat. Friends I’d invited also arrived and kept me company.
If you missed that signing and wish to attend one, please click the Appearances tab on my site for a list of future events.
Again, a big thank-you to the staff at Half Price Books for the delightful book signing event last Saturday. They’ve earned the sincere gratitude of—
If you’re an accomplished author, folks might ask you to speak to groups every now and then. I’ve heard plenty of such talks, but none like a recent one from Michael Johnson.
A true cowboy, Michael Johnson lives on a Texas horse farm. Unlike many cowboys, he earned a doctorate at East Texas State University. He’s authored several award-winning books, has performed hundreds of stage shows, writes a nationally syndicated magazine column, and hosts a weekly radio broadcast.
How to Give a Talk
I didn’t know him before listening to his talk. I just showed up and took a seat among the dozen attendees. While I chatted with others, waiting for the talk to begin, a guy walked up and waited for a gap in the conversation. He introduced himself as Michael Johnson and shook my hand.
Later, upon starting his talk, Mr. Johnson expressed how happy he was to be there, and nodded to each of us in turn and said our first names. He’d just met a dozen people who’d entered a room in haphazard order and sat where they pleased, and he’d memorized all our names in seated order. Wow.
Even if he’d said nothing of consequence after that, I still would have listened with complete attention. He’d memorized my name, and the names of everyone there. By contrast, I often forget a single person’s name a few seconds after an introduction. If I could learn to do what he did, I could command attention too.
How to Sell Books
Mr. Johnson went on to provide valuable information. He knew a group of writers might wish to know how to sell more books, and that’s what he talked about.
He used anecdotes from his life to illustrate his points. With humor to lighten things up, he offered advice from hard-earned experience. Mr. Johnson also recommended the book 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, by John Kremer. I haven’t read it, but am considering it.
Two of Mr. Johnson’s major points impressed me most of all.
Write what you want to write. Steer clear of the temptation to follow trends or copy favorite authors.
You’ll sell more books by making personal connections with potential readers. It’s not your book they’re buying—it’s you.
The Effect on Me
That second bit of advice ejected me way out of my comfort zone. I consider myself a writer, not a salesman. I lack a sales personality and the sales skills.
Still, I guess I’m not too old a dog to learn a new trick. Personal connections. Okay, I can give them a try.
Mr. Johnson signed a copy of his book, The Trials of Joe Ben Black—Confessions of a Rope Horse, for me. From what I gather about it so far, humans can learn a fair bit about positive thinking from horses. Talk about a personal connection!
Just think—all this time I’ve been working to sell my books, and I should’ve been working to sell—
