On another topic: last week I joined a professional development organisation, the kind of thing you join if you have a day job. Like, an organisation for project managers, say. Which it is. And this week I attended my first 'chapter meeting' (I warned my housemate, 'if I don't come home, I've been abducted by a cult.'). 'Chapter' meeting? Weird.

It turned out to be quite weird indeed. ( We played trivial pursuit )

Forgot to mention: the Ditmar nominations are announced (votes must be received by April 11). At some later point, they are also amended (see http://punkrocker1991.livejournal.com/69508.html), which is kinda frustrating for some (http://girliejones.livejournal.com/403373.html).

Controversy is further sparked when benpeek tries to withdraw his Ditmar nomination & finds out he can't.

King o'the World & soon-to-be AA Director comments on award withdrawals and shows excellent good grace when he fails to lament missing out on award nominations.

Rjurick Davidson (rjurikdavidson) makes a comment on the value of awards, having just attended the AA night in Brisvegas. Shane Jiraiya Cummings (sjiraiyac) goes to Swancon instead.

Scott Westerfeld (westerfeld_blog) discusses controversies about novel content for teens & uses phrases like 'oooh, scary'! Rjurik Davidson talks teaching.

benpeek talks about taking criticism, and andrewmccrae follows up with a likeable discussion of the irrelevance of liking/disliking in a critique. Andy also makes some thoughtful comments about reviewing.

punkrocker1991 incites very little contention with his query on editorial vision. Speaking of editing, Jonathan Strahan (coode_street) talks about the Year's Best and the Best Short Novels.

And benpayne discusses editing Aurealis, the magazine, while co-editor Robert Hoge talks about choosing Clarion South tutors. Shane also talks Clarion this month.

Glenda Larke (glendalarke) posts lots of brilliant things, but my favourite is her advice on the first novel.

Justine Larbalestier (larbalestier) & Trudi Canavan (chocolatetrudi) look further down the track at self promotion: here and here.

chocolatetrudi discusses how being a writer means you never stop feeling nervous. I talk about growing into stories. Edit: benpayne talks talent (talks it down, in fact).

Zara Baxter (zarabee) finds liberation, instead, in declaring herself not a fiction writer, sparking an amount of panicked support from yours truly. Edit: Glenda talks tough on craft & stubborness.

Tansy Rayner Roberts (cassiphone) discusses women writers being published, and so does benpayne. gillpolack talks women & SF & telegraph operators.

David Carroll (ashamel) talks scale, and Rjurick makes some fascinating points about character in SF and that whole literature vs. genre thing, gah, I hate that classism, too.

And here, to the best of my knowledge, endeth the lesson! :)