Tim Powers: Ask Me Anything

Thank you Tim, that really eases a long time worry. 

Posted by: @craydimensional

Thank you @timpowers for your time today. 

Cray, you're welcome! I hope some of it's been useful.

Posted by: @pdblake

 

I have problems with noise. I have made my son's old bedroom into my quiet place to write. 

Do you have a place set aside where you write or can you just sit and rattle it out anywhere? 

I always write right here, where the computer is. It's pretty well walled off from the rest of the house, and aside from cats going in and out of the window, I'm fairly undisturbed. I could never write on an airplane, or in a coffee shop! I need research books around me -- and yeah, undisturbed quiet!

Thank you very much Tim! If anyone wants to read the Writers of the Future anthologies, you can find them here: https://galaxypress.com/shop/?filter_series=writers-of-the-future

And Tim's books are available here: https://www.amazon.com/Tim-Powers/e/B000APYVZ0%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Posted by: @thegirlintheglasses

Thanks so much, Tim! This was fabulous.

You're welcome! And I hope we see you at the workshop before too long!

Posted by: @scott_m_sands

Tim,

Just wanted to say a big thanks for your time here today. I appreciate your efforts with the online Workshop, too--you're section on suspense and known risk for main characters was really helpful.

As have been the many wonderful comments you've shared today.

Thank you!

Scott, you're welcome! And good luck to us all!

Posted by: @jannerenberg

Tim: Thank you so much for your generous gift of time and for sharing your knowledge so freely. Cheers, Jan

Thanks, Jan!

Thank you very much, Tim!  This was a great AMA and the first of many more to come in our updated Writers & Illustrators of the Future Forum -- another reason why it is the #1 Forum in SF&F for 2020 (Critter's Readers Poll)!!

Thanks to everyone who attended, including all our Forum friends. Please share this AMA link around for others to know what they missed. Lots of incredible information.

We plan to make these AMAs a monthly feature for the Forum. So watch for the announcement for our next AMA in May. 

Posted by: @timpowers

Posted by: @thegirlintheglasses

Thanks so much, Tim! This was fabulous.

You're welcome! And I hope we see you at the workshop before too long!

You will, Tim. She's a Published Finalist in WotF Vol. 37. You'll be teaching Brittany Rainsdon in Hollywood this October! 

Posted by: @rschibler

Thanks for your response!

What’s the best piece of writing advice you ever got? What’s the worst? 

The best is probably one I already cited, Leave out the bits that readers skip over. The worst is probably Leave the details up to the reader's imagination!

Thank you! Have a great evening. 

Thank you for interacting with the forum Tim. It's been a great experience. Hope to meet you one day.

Posted by: @henckel

Great answers Tim. Thank you.

Another fun question for you.  ...What's your favorite historical time/setting. What is its appeal to you as a writer?

It seems I like 19th Century England! Lots of colorful locales, from Dickensian London to the Yorkshire moors.

I know I'm late on this (toddlers happened), but thank you, Tim! This was very much appreciated.

@timpowers Bonus!

Posted by: @timpowers

Posted by: @henckel

Great answers Tim. Thank you.

Another fun question for you.  ...What's your favorite historical time/setting. What is its appeal to you as a writer?

It seems I like 19th Century England! Lots of colorful locales, from Dickensian London to the Yorkshire moors.

I know I'm late returning to this, but Chris, if you're still lurking, check out "Stress of Her Regard" and "Hide Me Among the Graves."

@timpowers Thank you so much for this! I'm trying not to go too fan-girl, but I look forward to meeting you someday.

Posted by: @thegirlintheglasses

Thanks so much for doing this, Tim. A few more questions.

1. How do you make a good first impression at conferences and such (when you get to meet with agents or editors, etc)?

2. Same question, but backwards. What, uh, makes a bad first impression (things to avoid)?

I guess you'd want to look pro -- dressed right for the venue and time of day (not a Star Trek T-shirt, basically) and polite. Not pushy -- ask questions, but don't initiate or prolong a discussion of your own work. And I imagine it'd give a bad impression if you did the opposite of those things! If there's donuts, I'd leave them alone. 

Good stuff here (aside from the donuts part). It reminds me of an old thread I once found in which there was something similar with Kevin J. Anderson, only on a smaller scale. It's here if anyone is interested: https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/interviews-entrants-judges-past-winners/general-questions-for-kevin/