Here 'tis. Enjoy.

"The Atonement Tango" will be available -- for free -- on Tor.com on January 18 of the new year.
You don't need to wait quite that long for your Wild Cards fix, however. On December 21, Tor.com will upload another WC story, Carrie Vaughn's "The Thing About Growing Up in Jokertown."
And don't forget to check out the older WC offerings on Tor.com, some amazing original fiction by David D. Levine, Daniel Abraham, Cherie Priest, Carrie Vaughn, Paul Cornell, and Walter Jon Williams. You can find them all with a simple search, and read them all for free. The Recycler, Jonathan Hive, the Button Man, Earth Witch, the Understudy and Elephant Girl and the Sleeper, Pop Tart and Golden Boy... they are all waiting for you on Tor.com.
How do you keep track of your notes?
December 8 2016, 00:40:41 UTC 4 years ago Edited: December 8 2016, 00:41:58 UTC
I've recently struck an interest for writing, and I keep all the notes and ideas for my story in one notebook. However, I find that my notebook is so crammed with ideas in no particular order, so I forget a lot of it until a few weeks later while I'm skimming through its pages. I wonder, do you have a better way to keep track of all your ideas? This is a bit of a personal question, but it's been on my mind for a while.
Re: How do you keep track of your notes?
December 9 2016, 07:22:12 UTC 4 years ago Edited: December 9 2016, 07:24:58 UTC
For me, I find keeping a very small notebook and pen along with my digital systems (phone/iPad/etc) with me at ALL times to be a critical component for a writer. There were SO many times prior to me doing so, where I'd have a great idea, find a great phrase I'd like to use, and so forth, that I just wouldn't remember completely or correctly once I got back home to my office. Now, whenever I have some flash of brilliance away from my desk, regardless of where I am, I can record it either manually, or digitally via my device I'm using. I usually use the voice message feature for this in terms of simplicity and speed, and then transcribe the message to a sticky note or my primary note/work book once I'm back to the comforts of home.
IIRC George said he used a combination of methods, I did ask if he used a "wall" or "easel", and that was his response. Again, I'll find the quote if George doesn't reply himself.
Alex, what do you prefer to use yourself? It's always interesting, and often instructive for me, to understand the process that other writers use, many of whom are new writers like us. Myself, I use a combination as well, as I said I use a small notebook/device when away from home, but I do immediately transfer any notes from these to my primary note/work book I'm using on a particular project. I also use an easel, where I can attach sticky notes and so forth, it's dry erase as well which I've found to work the best for me as I can just make notes and draw diagrams and flow charts which aren't permanent.
Regarding Wild Cards, I recently began reading this fantastic series as well, in addition to much of GRRM's other works. I had found a Youtube channel by Preston Jacobs, and he analyses ASOIAF of course, but also much of George's other works. 1000 Worlds, and of course Wildcards, and his videos are the reason I began reading Wild Cards. I've purchased ALL of them, and am working my way through them daily. Great news about the new Tor downloads coming, very generous, I can't wait to add another to the stack.
Finally, if you haven't read "Fevre Dream", you are truly missing out on what is in my opinion one of Martin's best stories. In a time where vampire books and films are a dime a dozen, and seem to getting progressively more...annoying, Fevre Dream delivers what is the best work in print regarding vampires. Also, being an insatiable fan of Mark Twain, the setting on river boats is incredibly vivid, filled with great descriptions and details about both the river and the boats. I highly recommend reading it.
An out of place question.
December 8 2016, 04:35:51 UTC 4 years ago
New Wild Cards fan.
December 8 2016, 14:51:12 UTC 4 years ago
I am a huge Marvel fan have around 3,000 Marvel Comics. When I heard you say, "The Wild Universe is better due to the depth." something along those lines. I about Marc Spector Moon Knighted! But low and beyond I checked out Wild Cards. You were right! Wild Cards is better. Stan Lee is a hero of mine, and you are right up there with him George.
Re: New Wild Cards fan.
December 8 2016, 21:48:24 UTC 4 years ago
Re: New Wild Cards fan.
December 9 2016, 02:07:34 UTC 4 years ago
The reason why? Every English teacher I ever had turned their nose up at the idea comics were literature and laughed at my notion at how well crafted the characters in Marvel were. Of course, they were all too good to read them as well.
This was back in the 1980's and 1990's. I guess until Marvel got popular in the movies that attitude still thrived in my experiences. I was supposed to be reading Moby Dick, Catcher and the Rye and Shakespear 24/7. Quite honestly they looked at me like I was crazy when I called comics an influence. They had their mind made up, "successful", or "real authors" do not have such influences.
Fantasy was not held much higher in that regard. Science fiction as never talked about at all. The reading material in school was never Kipling (Rikki Tikki Tavi is my favorite Novella of all time), Tolkien, or Richard Adams. Watership Down is amazing, forgive me George but when I meet people who have no idea about Watership Down, not to cast shade at Adams but I tell them, "Imagine if GRRM wrote a Pixar movie."
Hopefully, in schools, the attitude has changed and in literature circles regarding Fantasy and Comics. Hate when teachers crap on young Author's influences. I use you as an example of how ignorant they were. Other Author's too obviously.
I would love to invent a time machine go back and give them one of your books and tell them to suck eggs. But if Flashpoint and Dr. Who have taught me anything? Don't mess with the Timeline!
Re: New Wild Cards fan.
December 9 2016, 07:31:10 UTC 4 years ago
Speaking of which, have you considered any roles in the last season of GoT? I think it would be tragic if you didn't have at least one cameo in the series before it's all over. I do recall you mentioning something about this in an interview, and how it didn't work out in seasons past for some reason. It'd be a shame IMO if you didn't appear, even in some non speaking/extra roll, prior to the wrap of this whole project.
Re: New Wild Cards fan.
December 10 2016, 01:19:51 UTC 4 years ago
(I did do a cameo in the original pilot, but, alas, I wound up on the cutting room floor).
Re: New Wild Cards fan.
December 10 2016, 08:25:24 UTC 4 years ago Edited: December 10 2016, 08:27:20 UTC
Hopefully you get a chance next year for the 2017/8 filming schedule for season 8. If not, there are always the spin offs - I'm hoping there are spin offs, HBO or any other network would be INSANE to not take advantage of all the other ASOIAF works you've written.
Maybe after Game of thrones the graphic novels
December 8 2016, 17:07:20 UTC 4 years ago
Dustin
December 9 2016, 19:00:23 UTC 4 years ago
Does Wild Cards have a linear sequence of history?
- Sry for the off-topic, but do you like rock bands like Pink Floyd ?
All the best.
December 10 2016, 02:47:05 UTC 4 years ago
Wex Pyke and Wyman Manderly
December 10 2016, 03:59:46 UTC 4 years ago
December 10 2016, 04:25:18 UTC 4 years ago
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