Cristy Zinn's blog

Dust-Bunnies in my brain

This post begins with a sigh... the deep, heavy kind that makes people in the room look up to see what’s wrong. It’s been that kind of month. I wish I could say my perpetual busyness is due to massive promotions for the AfroSF anthology I am being published in next month (1st of December - I promise I will post a link as soon as it’s up) but alas, it is not. My life is just busy. So busy, in fact that for a while I began to think I belonged to a circus; with juggling acts, dancing bears and death defying acrobatics.

But no, it’s just life.

AfroSF

How exciting to finally be able to share this here: I have a short story coming out in an African SF anthology called AfroSF. My very first published story – and alongside incredible names in the SF world (see the table of contents at the bottom of this post). I’ll admit to being a little star-struck.

Working in the shadows

I am a fan of a new Durban based band called Gangs of Ballet. One of the reasons I am a fan is because the band consists of two brothers that I know – they are such humble guys despite their exceptional musical and song-writing talents.

The reason they have made an appearance in this blog is because in a recent interview with them the interviewer remarked that they had appeared out of nowhere to become these amazing artists. A lot of time, someone else’s success seems instant. They ‘come out of nowhere’ to startle us all with their talent or skill.

Things the Theatre taugh me

The theatre is a strange place; like a border between reality and fiction, where actors wait in the wings as themselves and transform into their characters as soon as they hit the stage. Magic unfolds for the audience while back stage, stage hands and managers rush frantically to fetch props and check that actors are in place. A lot of work goes into that moment of magic.

In the very short time I spent doing amateur theatre I learned things that have found their way into my work ethic as a writer. Here’s what the theatre taught me:

Take yourself seriously

The Evolution of a Story

I am busy preparing a novel to submit to a publisher. I won’t say it’s on its final edit because I have a feeling, if it is accepted, the editors will send it back with huge sections to re-work – not because it isn’t good but because there will always be something that could be better.

In late, Out early

It’s been a few weeks since I finished my novel (after rigorous edits which I knew would not be the last) and I’m now in the process of doing the final edit with some writer/editor friends of mine. From them I am hearing the same thing in pretty much every chapter: this would be better if you cut this whole paragraph and started here, closer to what’s happening. Turns out, this is a bit of a weakness for me.

What does In Late, Out Early mean?

Dystopian Fiction

I picked up a collection of short stories at a bargain bookstore not long ago. It found its way to my ever-growing pile of books I must read and I only picked it up last week. It’s called The Mammoth Book of Apocalyptic SF. As horrifying as it sounds, I love reading stories about catastrophic, uncontrollable events because it holds up a magnifying glass to human nature.

Alpha Readers

I am in the middle of one of the most challenging and encouraging processes of my writing life. A published author I connected with a few years ago is busy reading my finished novel. I took a chance asking him to read it because I knew he was busy but I am very glad that I did. His insights into the chapters so far have been mind boggling. Yes, there are times when I want to slap a hand on my forehead and cringe because I can’t believe I didn’t see it myself but maybe that is what Alpha Readers are for.

Dialogue

I’ve been downloading podcasts from the Writing Excuses archives lately but two on dialogue really stood out for me this week. The podcasters (Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler and Dan Wells) asked listeners to submit scenes of dialogue without dialogue tags. Eek! Have you ever tried it? When you do, you realise how many bad habits you have.

Book Review: The Ale Boy's Feast by Jeffrey Overstreet

Written in stunning prose, The Ale Boy’s Feast, felt exactly that: a feast. There were times when I felt as though every sentence was a three course meal. There is a kind of poetry to Overstreet’s prose; a lyrical quality that draws you in to feel the textures with the fingertips of your imagination.

Cristy Zinn

SPECULATIVE FICTION