Independent Claws

Sparf and the gang hang out at Anthrohio 2019. More new content to come!

The cast of Up Fur Review joins Sparf and some other writers and editors to hang out and shoot the proverbial shit at FurtheMore 2019. Yeah, it’s been a really, really long time!

So, after the last post, your host Sparf fell off the wagon in a major way. With things moving ahead with RAWR and APAW, he’s come back to have Alkani Serval tell you a little about the workshop, the organization, and what we do. Full Disclosure: Sparf sits on the board of APAW and is […]

The audio you’ve been waiting for! Ocean and I hosted a hangout with a whole bunch of authors at Anthrocon 2018 and recorded it!   Check out Fangs and Fonts at http://www.fangsandfonts.com or @fangsandfonts on Twitter. Check me out at http://www.chriswilliamsauthor.com or @clawspodcast on Twitter!   I’ll be getting back to regular posting soon, so […]

Sparf returns to chatter at you a little about writing in other peoples’ universes. A little discussion of fanfic, and a little discussion of a more structured setting.   The New Tibet submission call can be found at http://www.sofawolf.com/submissions   Awards links: http://www.coyotlawards.org   Opening and closing music by Lee Rosevere and found at the […]

Sparf discusses revisiting a character after a long absence, either a time-skip between stories, or a time gap in writing by the author. This episode’s book recommendations: The Tower and the Fox by Tim Susman and Kismet by Watts Martin   Awards links: http://www.ursamajorawards.org https://furrybookreview.wixsite.com/blog/leo-awards http://www.coyotlawards.org   Opening and closing music by Lee Rosevere and […]

Sparf returns with a little rambling about forcing oneself to write, and advice from other, better authors about how to better tell the story your characters demand (or would demand, if you were the kind of author whose characters actually spoke to them). RAWR Write-a-Thon is in full swing for October through November, and you […]

Once again, Sparf returns. This time, at the head of a gaggle—Cluster? Pride? OtherNoun?— of furry writers and editors. We discuss…who knows what. Since Ocean Tigrox wasn’t there, we couldn’t do Shit Writers Say, so we got this knockoff. There’s no opening or closing music this time. Just voices of drunk and/or exhausted congoers.

This episode, Sparf talks Failure, and offers some thoughts and encouragement as to how to get through it. Anthrocon is coming up, and Sparf will be present, on a couple of writing panels and doing a reading from Bleak Horizons. If you’re on the fence about picking up that anthology, stop in and have a […]

A brief episode touching on a few tips and tricks about being on panels at conventions, and a few things to avoid as an audience member. No book recommendation this week, as it’s Fur the More weekend! Though, if you were so inclined, Bleak Horizons could use some love over at http://www.furplanet.com   Opening and closing […]

Sparf is back with a discussion on beta reading and critique, with some cautionary tales. As always, feel free to e-mail the show or contact us on Twitter @clawspodcast. This episode’s recommended books: The Writing and Critique Group Survival Guide Bleak Horizons, edited by Tarl Hoch Bad Dog Books Furplanet.com  Opening and closing music by […]

This episode, Sparf discusses Romance (big R) as a genre, as well as its bleedover into erotica and some tips and thoughts for writing both. Also, There are fewer than 5 days remaining to nominate works for the Ursa Major Awards http://www.ursamajorawards.org. If you are so inclined, Independent Claws is eligible in the Magazine category, and two […]

After a long holiday season and some real world issues, Sparf returns with the promised second part of his Horror episode. This time, the topic wanders from a couple of horror subgenres over to writing more frightening or realistic monsters.   – Opening and closing music by Lee Rosevere and found at the Free Music Archive. […]

Wait, wasn’t Sparf going to talk more about horror? Well, that episode is still coming. In light of the opening of submissions for a new dystopian fiction anthology from FurPlanet, it seemed prudent to help get word out and talk about writing furry dystopian fiction, and some ideas to consider to make yours stand out. This […]

This episode, the first of a two-parter, Sparf talks about Horror: some of the core tenets, the subgenres, and a discussion of tips for writing horror in general   The next episode will deal with some items of anthropomorphic animals in horror, how to play with them, what to do, etc. So stay tuned for that!     […]

This episode Sparf talks about reviewing: What you should do, what you shouldn’t do, and how to craft a helpful review article.   Here is a link to the article on Card’s ‘Ender’ series that is mentioned in the episode: http://johnjosephkessel.wixsite.com/kessel-website/creating-the-innocent-killer Here is a link to this week’s recommended book, X, edited by Kyell Gold:https://www.sofawolf.com/products/x   Opening […]

In this episode, Sparf gives his perspective on character flaws, flawed characters, and how to make sure you aren’t glorifying bad behavior. Today’s Recommended Reading: Heretic, by Rukis: https://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=625   For information on RAWR: http://www.rawr.community Opening and closing music by Lee Rosevere and found at the Free Music Archive. Used under Creative Commons Attribution. For more by Lee […]

In this episode, Sparf discusses some things to think about when writing historical fiction, or basing fiction on historical fact. Also keep an ear open for an update on his word count for the RAWR Write-a-Thon! The history podcasts referenced in this episode: http://www.revolutionspodcast.com http://www.thehistoryofbyzantium.com   Today’s Recommended Reading: https://www.amazon.com/Kushiels-Dart-Legacy-Jacqueline-Carey/   For information on RAWR: http://www.rawr.community Opening and […]

Your host, Sparf, discusses some thoughts on setting and world building, makes a book recommendation, and advertises the inaugural RAWR Write-a-Thon.   To purchase this week’s recommended reading in print: https://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=816 eBook format: http://baddogbooks.com/?product=koa-of-the-drowned-kingdom For information on RAWR: http://www.rawr.community Opening and closing music by Lee Rosevere and found at the Free Music Archive. Used under Creative Commons Attribution. […]