Comments on: On Clarion West and the Zombie Life of an Alternate

By: dana

dana — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:54:48 +0000

Hey John- give me a call if you have the free time to do so. I have thoughts on Clarion to share with you but I decide d (very rarely for me!) that they’d be better communicated via speaking than text.

By: A List of Creative Projects Past and Future. | Mind on Fire

A List of Creative Projects Past and Future. | Mind on Fire — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:33:16 +0000

[...] 2008.04: I was almost accepted (I was an alternate) into the Clarion West SF Writer’s [...]

By: David J. Williams

David J. Williams — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:01:59 +0000

Clarion rulz, and just getting to the alternate stage is an achievement. Congrats, and good luck. . ..

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:04:49 +0000

Thanks for taking us throught your process! Funny!

By: Elaine

Elaine — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:40:22 +0000

I agree with xJane…save the money, take the time, and if you don’t get bumped up from waitlist to attendee, take a trip. Heck, if you take xJane’s suggestion and come up to Yosemite, maybe we can schedule lunch or something since it’s practically in my backyard. At any rate, I’ll send good vibes that someone gives up their place so you can go to the workshop, not because of something bad but because they got a much better opportunity.

By: xJane

xJane — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:32:50 +0000

I'm starting to get itchy that I've not heard from some of my law schools. I feel distinctly purgatorial right now. My recommendation is this: save the money, take the time, and come up with an alternate way to spend both if the alternism doesn't happen (perhaps a family trip to Yosemite! ...or irgendwo). Also, if you've got a way to contact the people making a choice, let them know how interested you are. Humor and persistence go a long way (although persistence without humor may well be "annoyance"). Also, I've never known any chocolate-craving zombies, but I've known (and joined the ranks of) caffeine-craving zombies...in any case, "all we wanna do is drink your tea" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Even en française.

By: catBonny

catBonny — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:46:01 +0000

Someone I know got waitlisted for a program that they want to go to at SDSU. I guess I don’t feel like it’s vulture-like if you hope that one of the people whose spot you could have gets a way better opportunity for the time and by default you get to go somewhere you want to be. But that’s just me. = )

Congrats on being an alternate.

By: How Not To Write

How Not To Write — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:05:18 +0000

I hear you on the zombification of the writer. I was a zombie this past month while I waited for my CW rejection.

Congrats on getting to the alternate list! Hope you make it!

By: John

John — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:31:57 +0000

Antonio, thanks for the clarification. I’ve always wondered about that, but haven’t watched anything pre-1990 (I come late to the world of living dead). It does make me wonder, though, why zombies don’t go mob dentists’ offices and that basement with all the sun lamps first…maybe because it would make for less interesting movies.

And it would be quite a mouthful for a zombie:

Zombie One: “D…d…dennnnnn teeeessssst aaaaaaaahhh feeeeeeessss oooooonnnn feeeeeffffffffth ssssssstreeeeeet.”

Zombie Two: “Wwwwwhhhheeeeerrrrrrrr?”

Zombie One: “Fffffffffffaaaaaahk Eeeeeeeeet. BRRRRAAAAAAIIINNNNNSSSS!!!”

By: Long time listener, first time caller...(aka Antonio D.)

Long time listener, first time caller...(aka Antonio D.) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:40:27 +0000

Of course it would be talk of zombies, not religion, that would lead me to comment for the first time. Anyways, according to John Russo’s “Living Dead” films (George A. Romero and John Russo collaborated on the original 1968 Night of the Living Dead…they later agreed that each could take the sequels in their own direction and thus Romero made what is referred to as the “Dead” series, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, etc….Russo the “Living Dead” series, Return of the Living Dead, etc.) the eating of brains (presumably for the endorphins) eases the pains of being dead. I guess experiencing decomposition would hurt. Perhaps there could be opiate craving zombies as well…