Category Archives: Writing

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Well, that was a long nap!

I’ll admit it: I STINK at blogging and social media. If anything’s gonna kill my writing career, it’s my inability to maintain a constant pressure of self-promotion. I can write. I can edit. I can take critique. I can even, with support and encouragement, submit what I write. But I have a REALLY hard time either bragging about it or talking into the wind about whatever subjects are on my mind.

My posts cut off because I was laid off from my technical writing gig last year and spent a bunch of time scrambling to figure out what to do. That’s not an excuse, just an explanation for the curious. If anyone knows how (short of implanted electrodes or hiring a producer) to keep the updates comin’ regular-like, feel free to post about it in the comments. I’m sure I’m not the only one interested.

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Fiction: Bleak Rhapsody

Author’s note: Never tell me something’s impossible. It gives me ideas.

Begin Log Entry

It’s seven o’clock. I know it’s seven because of the damn speakers. Every morning I can hear them. I’ve destroyed all the ones I can reach, but it’s not enough. Through the thick glass portholes into the flooded sections of the ship, out there in that sea of methane, helium, and whatever else, the damn system keeps playing, on hundreds of speakers. And I can still hear them. Continue reading →

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And speaking of GeekGirlCon…

The panel I spoke on was about sex, gender, and the complicated and unclear space they both live in. To sum up REALLY briefly, if you think that we have just two genders, you’re not reading enough fiction, biology research, or Tumblr. And if you’re a writer, and all your characters are straight white guys, your writing is suffering for it.

We tried hard to steer away from the standard “Gads, don’t you haaaaate the portrayals of gender, sex, and gender variance in mainstream media?” As our moderator said, “Let’s aim away from the Gender Studies 100 questions and try to make this a 200-level talk.”

Continue reading →

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Hello world!

Yes, it’s the first post that tells you I’m using WordPress. Anyway, hi, everyone! My name’s Frances Stewart. You can call me Fran–my friends do. My insurance company calls me Christine. I have lots of names when I’m gaming: I’ve been Ardan, Diana, Ronelyn, Donawain, Goodwrench, Doctor Jeremy Rackham, Lilya the Bard, Phil the Merry Goblin Rogue, and many more. If some of those names seem familiar, it’s because I’m a storyteller, and some of their stories are too good not to tell. That’s the case with Grace Clayborn, the main character of my forthcoming novel. It’s definitely the case for Ardan and Diana, and you shouldn’t be surprised if the others show up somewhere either–I bet a lot of authors have great stories from their tabletop gaming days.

I’m a woman. I’m a geek. I’m a writer. I’m also transgender. An Eagle Scout. A feminist. A giant robot fan. Like all of us, I’m a complicated, evolving story that writes herself, constantly being revised and expanded, and (I hope) becoming better written. If you’re actually reading this, welcome! I hope we’ll be friends, or at least friendly.