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LWWU (Long Winded Writing Update)

Jun. 30th, 2009 | 04:01 pm

I just sent off another story to Writers of the Future, barely under the wire this time. I think this one is a little better than my story that scored a "semi-finalist" in the last quarter. Of course that is MY opinion and I'm not always the best judge of my own writing. Only three stories out right now. Evidence of the time spent working on the novel this year. I'm waiting to see K.D.'s crit on my "semi-finalist" story before sending that one out again and I have one more that needs some major rework before being sent out. And of course my muse is teasing me with two new stories that are clamoring to be written. I think I'll hold off on those until one of them goes "critical" and forces me to write it. Until then...novel editing!

As mentioned above, most of my writing time this year has been spent working on the novel. I think it is coming along well. I'm slogging through the second draft and as I finish revising chapters, I send them through my writer's group where it has been getting good reviews. Just submitted chapters 11-13 for the next meeting.

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Writing Misc.

Jun. 23rd, 2009 | 08:38 am

I found out yesterday that my story "Square One" was a semi-finalist in the second quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest.  Considering how many people enter this contest each quarter, I am indeed pleased, but would of course preferred to have been a finalist and eventually a winner!  I'll keep trying until I win or my eligibility runs out.  I have another story just about ready to send in for the 3rd quarter.  The cool thing about being a semi-finalist is that my story will get a critique from K.D. Wentworth.  I'm really looking forward to that and think that should be a big help in eventually selling it.

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SOONERCON

May. 29th, 2009 | 10:49 am

I'll be a program participant at SoonerCon this weekend and here is my schedule.

FRIDAY


6:00 TOWARDS A POST HUMAN FUTURE
Room 403
J. Turner, W. Ledbetter, C. Wolf, G. Babb, B. Hale


SATURDAY

9:00 COFFEE KLATCHE
Atrium

11:00 THE MYTH OF THE INTELLIGENT MACHINE
Room 103
G. Babb, J. Provine, L. Martinez, K. Turski, W. Ledbetter

12:30 READING
Room 401

3:00 YDP ROAD SHOW
Atrium

5:00 GENDER BENDING: WRITING THE OPPOSITE SEX
Room 103
D. Chester, S. Wedel, J. Mandela, W. Ledbetter, S. Scatterfield


SUNDAY

1:00 BENEFITS OF THE SPACE PROGRAM
Room 101
K. McMurray, C. Carson, W. Ledbetter, T. Koszuru

3:00 SPACE EXPLORATION AND THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

Room 101
K. McMurray, C. McMurray, W. Ledbetter, T. Koszuru




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Hypericon / MidSouthCon

May. 21st, 2009 | 01:24 pm

The folks who run FenCon here in Dallas will be at Hypericon (June 5-7) and are bidding to host the 2011 DeepSouthCon. Texas has never hosted a DeepSouthCon, but anyone who has ever attended a FenCon knows these fans can do it right. And if you haven't been lucky enough to attend before, stop by their room party on Saturday night and hear all about FenCon and their 2011 bid.  I will no be attending, but will be a guest at SoonerCon if your are going in that direction instead.

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WINNERS! of the 2009 Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest

May. 5th, 2009 | 09:12 pm

Hey everyone. I just wanted to announce the winners of the Third Annual Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest.

GRAND PRIZE:  "Cathedral" by Michael Barretta of Gulf Breeze, Florida

SECOND PLACE:  "Burst Mode" by Patrick Lundrigan of Boonton New Jersey

THIRD PLACE:  "All The Way" by Graham Storrs of Queensland, Australia

Congratulations guys and thanks to those who entered.

-Bill Ledbetter

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Conestoga Report

Apr. 27th, 2009 | 09:40 am

I had a wonderful weekend at Conestoga.  My panels went well, especially the one on "Getting the Science Right" which was about researching for science fiction stories.  I actually had some good information to contribute and enjoyed it a great deal.  I rode up there and back with Linda and Julia which was a ton of  fun.  We talked about a lot of things, but predominantly writing and they helped me work out a couple of kinks in my current novel project.  Thanks girls!  I also had the chance to talk to and hang out with a lot of other friends that I seldom see outside of the con circuit, which is one of the main reasons I attend these things.  Of course I also made new friends.  Adrian once again managed to find a yummy Korean restaurant near the hotel and we even convinced Robin Hobb to come along Saturday night.  Nothing beats delicious food shared with talented and intelligent people.  But the dinner, like the entire weekend, was over too soon and now I'm back to the daily grind.  Soonercon is the next con on my calandar.  Never been a guest there before, so I'm looking forward to trying it out.
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Conestoga Schedule

Apr. 19th, 2009 | 07:33 pm

One of the smallest schedules I've had in awhile, but I guess that will just give me more time to hang out at my friends panels, or BS with folks in the lobby or bar. See you all there!

DAY       TIME           LOCATION       DUR       TRACK                 EVENT TITLE
Sat     10:00 AM           Salon H             1.0         Alternate       Getting the science right.
Sun   12:00 PM            Salon H             1.0         Alternate       Guilty Pleasure Books
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Asteroid Near Miss

Mar. 4th, 2009 | 09:47 am
mood: pessimistic pessimistic


Yeah, yeah, I'm a chicken little crackpot, and people roll their eyes when I cite "asteroid defense" as a valid reason to have a robust presence in space.  But we had ANOTHER near miss yesterday.  This one was not a dinosaur killer, but easily big enough to level a large city.  The scary thing is that we first saw it coming two days ago.  We have near misses all the time that we don't see until AFTER they have passed.  "Surprise!"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090304/ap_on_re_us/asteroid_close_call


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ConDFW schedule

Feb. 19th, 2009 | 08:11 am

ConDFW schedule

Ack!  I'm moderating 3 of my 4 panels this weekend. :P  Hope to see you all there!

Friday –

 No panels on Friday.

Saturday

10 am – Mars or Bust: Spaceflight in 2009 (Warwick)
Hosted by William Ledbetter (M), Paul Abell, Scott Padget, Linda Donahue
With the change in politics and the decline in the economy, the space program looks like an orphan child. Will we ever get to Mars? What happened to space colonies? Our experts kibitz on what to expect in the coming years.

1 pm – Danger! Danger!: Trends in Science Fiction (Canterbury)
Hosted by William Ledbetter (M), David Weber, Thomas W. Knowles, Kerry Tolan
From protective robots to starships plying trade routes through warped space, science fiction has always been the world of tomorrow. Our experts debate where science fiction is now, and where it will be in the future…

2 pm – Creating Believable Intelligent Creatures (Canterbury)
Hosted by Dusty Rainbolt (M), William Ledbetter, C. Dean Anderson, Adrian Simmons
Tired of that humanoid creature that reminds you of Uncle Wally? Exasperated by the mindless drone that wants to suck your brains out? Our experts talk about aliens of all types – and why the Grey that just emerged from the flying saucer probably WON’T think in English.

3 pm    Reading (Winston)

 

Sunday

11 am – Sustainable Ionic Emitters of Death: Creating Weapons in Sci-fi/Fantasy (Warwick)
Hosted by William Ledbetter (M), Linda Donahue, Kerry Tolan, Mary Gearhart-Gray
While the idea of phasers™ and lightsabers™ are now accepted as commonplace because of movies, some of the weapon “technology” is a bit farfetched. Our experts examine unbelievable weapons that make people’s eyes glaze…and how to avoid this.        

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3rd annual Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest

Jan. 19th, 2009 | 11:20 am

Announcing the third annual
Jim Baen Memorial Writing Contest

Baen Books and The National Space Society applaud the role that
science fiction plays in advancing real science and have teamed up to
sponsor a short fiction contest in honor of Jim Baen and focusing on
the near future of manned space exploration.  Winners will be
intelligent and entertaining stories about topics including Moon
bases, Mars colonies, orbital habitats, space elevators, asteroid
mining, artificial intelligence, nano-technology, realistic
spacecraft, heroics, danger, sacrifice and adventure.  Please don't
send stories that show technology or space travel as evil or bad, or
stories about Star Wars type galactic empires, UFO abductions or that
contain paranormal elements.

The submission window is from January 1 to April 1 and will be judged
by Baen Books senior editor Hank Davis and Jim Baen's Universe editors
Eric Flint and Mike Resnick.

The GRAND PRIZE winner will be published in a future issue of Jim
Baen's Universe
, will receive a specially designed award, free entry
into the 2009 International Space Development Conference and a year's
membership in the National Space Society.

For full submission requirements and guidelines please visit our
website at:   williamledbetter.com/contest

Please spread this around and feel free to link to the contest page
from your blogs or other mailing lists.

Contact me with any questions.

Bill Ledbetter, Contest Administrator
baen.nss.contest@gmail.com
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WRITING

Nov. 22nd, 2008 | 09:06 am

My story, "Over the Moon and Running" which is now out in issue #8 of Something Wicked received an excellent review in this issue of The Fix:

"To finish on a positive note, perhaps the best story in the issue is by William Ledbetter, who crafts an unusual and emotionally charged tale around elements borrowed from American Indian shapeshifter folklore. (GO HERE and scroll down to the bottom TO READ THE REST)

This is the second nice review I've got from The Fix.  The other one is for my fantasy pirate story called "Thief of Hearts" in the Sails & Sorcery anthology:


Believable in historical detail and internally consistent, “Thief of Hearts” is intriguing and mysterious, and stands out as one of the stronger stories in this anthology. (GO HERE and scroll down about midway TO READ THE REST)

Needless to say, I like this publication!  *GRIN*
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WRITING

Nov. 10th, 2008 | 07:49 am

WRITING UPDATE:
Sent my story "Square One" off to Asimov's a couple of weeks ago, so it is still much too early to hear anything on that one.  I just about have my new story "Brave Like Magicians" ready to send in to the Jay Lake/Eric T. Reynolds Footprints antho.  The deadline is Friday...nothing like waiting until the last minute.  My story "Lake Effect" is still in the maybe pile at Abyss and Apex.  I've finally started working "Moonlet Serenade" again.  This is a rare instance of knowing the entire story before I start writing and I can't wait to write the ending.  I have high hopes for this one..if I can manage to get the story in my head into words without mangling it too much.

I also received a contributor copy of 
Something Wicked with my story "Over the Moon and Running" all the way from Cape Town, South Africa.  A semi-pro sale, but a very slick and professional looking magazine.  All glossy pages, professional artwork and some excellent stories.  And the whole process, submission through cash-in-the-pocket,  was very smooth.  I highly recommend them. 

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WRITING, FENCON

Oct. 5th, 2008 | 07:52 pm

WRITING UPDATE:
My muse has been earning her keep these last couple of months.  I sent out my new short story "Square One" to Analog two weeks ago.  I just finished a new story called "Magician's Assistant" that I submitted to my writing group for critique.  I'm also working on two more short stories, one called "Moonlet Seranade"and one called "Deadfall."  All four of these are science fiction, so I am a happy camper. Issue #8 of Something Wicked, with my horror story "Over the Moon and Running" is at the printer and my copy will be mailed out in the next week or two.  I heard from Abyss and Apex.  My story "Lake Effect" is still under consideration. 

FENCON REPORT
Wrapped up Fencon this afternoon.  It was great fun, as always.  My panels, and even my reading on Friday night, were well attended.  I was a little apprehensive about the "Science: Fact or Crap? Quiz Show" panel.  I mean it was all science questions and I was playing against Gregory Benford!  But it was fun and of the four teams playing, the team containing no "science pros" won. Oddly enough, the two young people, a boy about 16-17 and a girl about 12 got most of the right answers.  My team (Grace and I) did get a few questions right, but we were never much of a threat.  I didn't have any panels with Jay Lake, but I did go see several of his panels and heard that the Writer's Workshop that he ran was a really good one.  Of course the best thing about these cons is getting to hang out with my friends and talk about writing, the business of writing, science fiction and a hundred other topics.  Got to talk with old friends and made several new friends.  I did miss getting to hang out with Lou, Adrian and my good friend Jerry, but I still had a great time.  Unfortunately, I won't get my next con fix until ConDFW in February.

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FenCon V

Sep. 23rd, 2008 | 07:16 am

FenCon


MY FENCON V

 

SCHEDULE Oct. 3-5

___________________________

Friday 5:00 PM Oak Ballroom
What’s Your Post-Apocalyptic Skill?

Description: "The only help you get is what you get right here." Panelists and audience discuss what skills they might have for rebuilding society.

___________________________

Friday 6:00 PM 
Reading

___________________________
Friday 9:00 PM Trinity
3 Space: Future or Fossil? (M)

Description: *WARNING: Science Content and Rocket Scientists!* Join our panel of space scientists and space activists about the present and the future of all things space.

___________________________

Saturday 11:00 AM Trinity
1/2 Science: Fact or Crap? Quiz Show

Description: Think you know about Science? Then join us for FenCon's first ever Science:Fact or Crap Quiz Show! Cheer and boo as regular fans like you team up with our celebrity contestants to compete for the glory of being FenCon's Champions of Science! Come find out if what you know about Science is Fact - or Crap.

___________________________

Saturday 12:00 noon Gallery Autographs


___________________________

Sunday 10:00 AM Addison Lecture Hall
Mars V. Venus: The Difference Between Male and Female Writers

Description: So, do women and men really approach a scene in different ways? Our panel of writers discuss situations in writing and how a male would write it and how a female would write it.

___________________________

Sunday 12:00 noon Oak Ballroom
ROTFL: Humor in SF
Description: Why we enjoy it, why we write it and read it, and what we like best about a good LOL moment.
 
___________________________

Sunday 1:00 PM Addison Lecture Hall
Real World Influence on Fictional Worlds

Description: Honor Harrington is Admiral Nelson. "Firefly"s civil war is modeled on the American civil war. How do writers use real world history and current events to shape their fictional reality?

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Best of the Bubbas of the Apocalypse

Sep. 23rd, 2008 | 06:38 am

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to announce that Bubbas have inherited the Earth...and are having their way with it.
 

This is no doubt the best of the best where it comes to apocalyptic redneck zombie stories.  This is the slack jawed goober's "On the Beach," the butt scratchin, Bud belching version of "Earth Abides."  Let's face it, can you think of a more terrifying future than one owned by cousin Ned and his trailer park posse?  

 This anthology is edited by Selina Rosen and published by Ben Bella Books and can also be purchased at Amazon
 

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Talk Like a Pirate Day

Sep. 19th, 2008 | 09:17 am

In observation of "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" I would like to plug my fantasy pirate story "Thief of Hearts" that is out in Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy published by Fantasist Enterprises.  And this, my friends, is a rarity, because I write very little fantasy.

There is a very nice review of my story by Kimberly Lundstrom at The Fix.  Just search for "William Ledbetter" or scroll down to about mid page.  Here is a small excerpt:

"Believable in historical detail and internally consistent, “Thief of Hearts” is intriguing and mysterious, and stands out as one of the stronger stories in this anthology."



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WRITING

Sep. 17th, 2008 | 08:32 am

WRITING UPDATE:
My muse gave me a birthday present last night.  The idea for a very cool short story.  Of course the transfer from brain to written word is a brutal and traumatic process, akin to passing walnut-sized kidney stones and the coolness factor seldom survives the transfer fully intact.  Still, I haven't been this excited about a story in a long time.  I still have two other stories to finish before I start on this new one, but both of them are almost done.  "Square One" will be mailed out next week to Analog (hey why not shoot for the top) and I intend to have "Magician's Assistant" finished in time to submit to my writing group for our October 6th meeting.  At this point, the new "cool" story is titled "Moonlet Serenade."  No...that is not a misspelling of the word "moonlit" or "moonlight."  Nothing in the mail.

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Election

Sep. 12th, 2008 | 09:35 am


Wow!  Computer literacy has become a campaign stick.  Does anybody besides me see this as some kind of turning point in our society?

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Rabbits Don't Fear Lasers!

Aug. 26th, 2008 | 01:45 pm
mood: creative

Yeah...I was surprised too.  The rabbits in my yard are afraid of everything...but lasers...and caged dogs.  A few days ago, in a fit of scientific curiosity...I fetched my laser pointer and started screwing with the rabbits that park their furry little cotton tails right outside my kitchen window...a good place considering that its OUTSIDE the fence.  The dogs can see them and raise a hell of a ruckus, but can't get to them.  I think these evil rabbits enjoy that.  Anyway...it was dusk and the rabbits were nibbling away on the neighbor's shrubberies when I attacked. At first I thought that they just couldn't even see the red dot that I moved around in front of them, but after a minute, one of them started following the dot with his head, obviously watching it. Then as I neared the second rabbit, he did the same.  So I made sure they were watching and then moved the dot right at them. At different speeds.  They just watched it, but didn't run.  

I thought this was interesting.  I am going capture these rabbits and graft their DNA into the cyborg storm troopers I'm building in my garage.  Then they will not fear the new laser weapons the military is building.  Bwahaha!  I will have  built the perfect anti-laser infantry!  As long as the enemy doesn't make loud noises or have uncaged dogs, my troops will be invincible!  If...I can find a way to overcome that powerful breeding imperative long enough to get them in the field. *smirk*

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Armadillcon and Writing

Aug. 23rd, 2008 | 11:02 am

WRITING UPDATE:
I just finished the second draft of Square One, a first contact type science fiction story.  Fast paced and kinda creepy, but I'm having fun with it.  Suggestions from my writer's group and my beta readers have really helped hone this story and I have high hopes for it. And then I was watching a rabbit out the window while doing dishes ealrier this week and I got the idea for another first contact story. I've already started writing.  It's called Deadfall.  I suppose in a hundred years when old stuffy science fiction scholars look back on this phase of my spectacular writing career, they will call this my "First Contact Phase."  Still waiting on word from Abyss and Apex on my story Lake Effect. (not a first contact story) Haven't worked on the novel in over a month. The muse keeps dumping short stories in my lap. *shrug*

ARMADILLOCON REPORT:
Yes...I suppose this is a bit late, but I had a great time at my first ArmadilloCon.  My panels were well attended.  I was asked about an hour ahead of time to moderate the "Blogging and Social Networking" and that worked out fine.  Luckily I knew something about the subject. I even had a few people at my reading!  Hung out some with old friends Lou Antonelli, Melanie Fletcher and Tim Morgan.  Got to meet a bunch of new people, which I love.  Lou and I had a nice conversation, mostly about Turkey City, with Steven Utley. Very interesting fellow.  Saturday night I had dinner at a wonderful Korean restaurant called Shilla's with Nancy Jane Moore and my friend Adrian (can't find your website Adrian!)  Saw John Scalzi and Sheila Williams live and in captivity for the first time, but didn't get to really meet either of them.  (Did talk to Scalzi at one of the parties, but I don't think that really counts) But I must say I was impressed.  John is quite personable and seems like a genuinely nice guy.  Even after winning a Hugo just the previous weekend. T'was a very enjoyable weekend and I hope they invite me back again

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