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"Never Tell Me The Odds" – Pushing out of our comfort zones

Byizoldast

Well, of course, I would quote one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite movies. That’s Han Solo from the Empire Strikes Back. When I was thirteen years old and seeing it for the first time, that line solidified something in me. It started my love affair with pushing my boundaries. I’ve jumped…

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"And Then What Happened?" – What makes for compelling stories

Byizoldast

I won’t “James Michener” you and talk about how at the beginning of language, people were sitting around bonfires telling stories. Let’s all agree that they did. The oral tradition goes back as far as we do, certainly, and probably further back to the Neanderthals, Early Modern Humans. We tell stories for a variety of…

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We Are With You – On supportive creative communities

Byizoldast

Yesterday, I facilitated my “Present Out Loud” workshop at Balticon (the Maryland Regional Science Fiction/Fantasy convention). The workshop is on how to present/read your work at bookstore events, interviews, audio narrations, and workshops. We worked on breath technique, voicing, characterization, and how to differentiate your narrator from your characters and their dialogue. But mostly, we…

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The Mother of Communication? – lessons on writing, talking, and connection

Byizoldast

Yesterday, at Balticon, I had the honor of sitting on a panel that discussed how to adapt fiction to stage or screen. One of the questions the moderator asked was to define the nuts and bolts of doing that sort of adaptation. One of the other panel members said that you needed to only the…

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On being a thick-skinned artist

Byizoldast

When you create, sensitivity is a must. But when you are trying to sell what you’ve created, it can be downright dangerous. This is what has me thinking this morning before I head out to another day at Balticon (The Baltimore Science Fiction Convention at which I am a presenter/participant this year). I’m about to…

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It turns out I like the flurry – tending to stay in motion

Byizoldast

Yesterday was a crazy day in my life. I had to complete two vastly different projects. First, I was presenting my “Let’s Talk Clouds” workshop at a local middle school. As the Earth Lady, I work with schools to help students jump-start their interest in science, specifically Earth Science. Then, I switched gears and released…