K. Tempest Bradford

K. Tempest Bradford

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Archive for Rants

When Writers Fail To Understand How Words Work

when-writers-fail-to-understand-how-words-work

It starts with Elizabeth Bear[1] using the word (or tag) ‘deathmarch’ to describe difficulties in moving forward on wordcount with a novel. Apparently the word in the original post here has been removed due to concerns raised in this comment here:
The word I want to point out is “deathmarching”. I’m well aware that some people [...]

Realms of Fantasy: Full Of Some Whitewashing You Don’t Care To Read About

realms-of-fantasy-full-of-some-whitewashing-you-dont-care-to-read-about

I know that pointing out RoF Fail is a little like kicking a puppy, but you know how it is when Nick Mamatas sends you a link clearly meant to induce blog-worthy rage — you just have to accommodate him.
So, LJ user torrain was reading the latest issue of Realms of Fantasy and didn’t get far before the facepalm [...]

I hate to harsh anyone’s squee, but…

i-hate-to-harsh-anyones-squee-but

The Doctor Who season finale was just as mediocre and disappointing as the rest of the season. I don’t know what the hell everyone else is so happy about, except perhaps Steven Moffet’s lackluster turn as head writer has somehow lowered everyone’s bar and they were happy to see anything resembling a moving bit of [...]

Portrayals of Rape in Fiction: An Exploration of Where It’s Done Wrong or Right and Why

portrayals-of-rape-in-fiction-an-exploration-of-where-its-done-wrong-or-right-and-why

I’ve been thinking about writing this post since the Take Back The SciFi Redux panel at WisCon where we talked about media that portrayed rape in a horrid, sketchy way but also mentioned some media that did it well. The latter list was very small, as you can imagine.
I’ve railed against the way writers of [...]

Thoughts On Jay Lake’s Continued Ass Showing

thoughts-on-jay-lakes-continued-ass-showing

Late last week as I was getting settled in at WisCon couple of people brought this to my attention:
“I probably won’t ever be at WisCon again, sadly, as it used to be one of my favorite cons, but RaceFail has made it very unwelcoming and unsafe for me.” –Jay Lake
This was a comment on someone’s [...]

They Say: Children more likely to own a mobile phone than a book. I Say: Good.

they-say-children-more-likely-to-own-a-mobile-phone-than-a-book-i-say-good

I’ve seen this Telegraph article linked to at least seven times amongst my geeky, book reading friends, usually with much anger or sadness or both and a lot of fist shaking. The gist is this: studies say that kids who have access to books at home are more likely to stay in school. Also that [...]

In Which I Complain About LiveJournal

in-which-i-complain-about-livejournal

I’ve been lamenting a lot lately that I feel disconnected from the SF blogging world due to lack of time spent reading blogs. This is, sadly, the natural result of having a job that keeps me very busy. But then I thought: hey! I should use all this mobile technology I keep going on about [...]

Hey, Henry Blodget, Blogger at Silicon Alley Insider, Screw You!

hey-henry-blodget-blogger-at-silicon-alley-insider-screw-you

I’m a little surprised that a respectable news outlet like Business Insider puts up with screeds the likes of which Henry Blodget spewed all over Silicon Alley the other day. It’s shocking to me that not only is the post chock full of whiny, entitled, angry foot stomping, but also wrong information. I know blog [...]

Dollhouse, Mary Sue, And Trying To Figure Out Just What Is Wrong With Whedon

dollhouse-mary-sue-and-trying-to-figure-out-just-what-is-wrong-with-whedon

I’ve had this swirling around in my head since the last Dollhouse episode aired but haven’t had a chance to make it solid, so I want to discuss. I’ve been thinking about the whole concept of Echo being “special” and how this keeps being repeated over and over and hammered in, but we’re never really [...]

Help, Help, I’m Bein’ Oppressed!

help-help-im-bein-oppressed

Nick Mamatas is always trying to get me to start some shit so he sent over this link to Kathryn Cramer’s blog[1]. Normally I would ignore this crazy person, but I figure many others are going to comment on this or may already have, so I’ll throw in my 2 cents.
Cramer is apparently bored or [...]

Sci-Fi Hate

sci-fi-hate

Apparently there are still people deeply scarred by the term SciFi and will jump on any poor soul who dares to ask: is this term really still derogatory? Jump on him and whip out the claws, apparently. Wow.
I have never really understood the vehement hate this term generates in people. SciFi or Sci-Fi (sometimes pronounced [...]

Once More, With Feeling: Intersectionality

once-more-with-feeling-intersectionality

Or: why the Male Only Table of Contents issue is about both Gender and Race
So over on Marguerite’s blog editor Mike Ashley of the Mammoth Book of White Men Fail Mindbowing SF explains that the stories he was looking for, those that blew his mind with science, aren’t usually written by women, and therefore that’s [...]

Ever wonder why I’m angry? This might be a reason…

I need not add anything else:
…many of the things that make me angry are topics that have a direct bearing on my ability to have a successful writing career, it’s hard to tune it all out. This is my livelihood we’re talking about, after all. I need to know if I’m going to have to [...]

RoF Drama Dying Down

rof-drama-dying-down

And yay for that. I’m working on a post about tone which may also meld into a post I have about how two people saying the same things can garner different reactions based on their gender. Oh yes, it came up.
But first, I would like to point out that Realms publisher Warren Lapine made an [...]

On Michael Jackson

on-michael-jackson

I have some things to say about Michael over on the ABW, so check it out if you’re interested in another remembrance. If not, here’s another take on things: It’s not even been 24 hours and I am already sick to death of people saying things like, “Instead of everyone mourning Michael Jackson they should [...]

Vitae

You can call me Tempest.

I'm a writer, most often committing acts of Fantasy and Science Fiction, though I have been known to slip in and out of genres. I'm famous on the internet, an editor of some repute, and hopeless convention addict.

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