Disposing of Buried Treasure

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There is something about fall that inspires me to organize. Maybe it's a lingering habit tied to back-to-school preparation. Maybe it's the crisp weather (once it finally arrives).

Maybe it's the piles of "collections" that are slowly taking over my house.

Yesterday, I spent a little time in my office, tackling a few of my "how long has that been there?" piles. I was thrilled to discover that a bin full of papers was not, after all, entirely full of disparate papers. A large chunk of the bin was occupied by various drafts of the manuscript for my first novel, published last January. 

Suddenly, the time necessary for sorting and purging that bin was cut by two thirds; aside from the manuscript, there was only a handful of clipped articles to sort through. Success! Except...

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...what should I do with the copy store box full of my own words in various incarnations?

Option 1: It's paper, so it's recyclable. 

Option 2: Though the finished product is intended for public consumption, the in-progress work was...not. Shred?

Option 3: Someday, I might be a world famous author, and this could be auctioned off, earning some money for my family (since I assume I'll be dead by then). Keep it.

While option 3 was easily dismissed, the first two options wrangled back and forth in my head. 

What's an author to do with a box of blood, sweat and tears?

Had my husband not spent several hours clearing similar detritus from the basement, I'd have gone for Option 4: Stash it in the basement until you decide what to do with it.

As of this writing, the bin is gone, but the box still sits on the floor of my office, awaiting judgment. I shredded some late drafts yesterday afternoon, and it was pretty painless, so Option 2 is still a contender. The recycling gets picked up tomorrow, so theoretically, I can still exercise Option 1 and get the box out of there in the next 24 hours. 

What do you think? Keep it? Toss it? Shred it?

Sentimental authors want to know.

Science Fiction and Romance

The past few years have seen a plethora of female writers moving into the forefront of the science fiction genre. There's been so controversy surrounding the trend. Many female writers have experienced the displeasure of male writers of the genre as the women invade a field they felt belonged exclusively to those with the Y chromosome. This is one link to reports of female writers having to fight a battle to be treated as equals in the science fiction field. Take note that the harassment comes from male writers and other industry professionals, not readers. There are many, many links on this issue if you want to read more.

I once dreamed of joining SFWA but no longer care if I can ever enter their exclusive club. Exclusion being a key descriptor. But I've had a number of science fiction romances and have received some great reviews from male readers. They appreciated the science and enjoyed the personal stories along with it. Women love science, too.

My latest science fiction romance is hitting the charts on Amazon as did my previous books. Check out The Warrior and The Biologist and support women writing science fiction. And that's an alien on the cover, not a terrorist!

Have you heard about the harassment of female science fiction writers? Do you prefer to read male or female authors or doesn't it matter?