Seeing lots of explainers about the reddit/hedge fund drama right now, and as someone who worked as a quant for a big fund for 7 years, figured I'd chime in. This whole situation is pretty much why I quit. Big thread. First, what's happening? At the simplest level, hedge funds "short" stocks. That is, they borrow stock, sell it, and have to buy it again later to return it to the borrower. If the price falls during that time, they make a profit.

Saw a comment about me from someone who hasn't read my work bemoaning "non-STEM people" writing scifi. I get this assumption a lot, and usually delight in casually saying that in fact I studied theoretical astrophysics, and what did THEY study? But I feel differently today... Usually all I can see in these situations (besides rage) is the sexism. People assume I'm "non-STEM" because I'm a woman. It's so clichéd it's almost boring. But every time I defend my writing with my STEM cred, I feel like I'm conceding & playing into a system that I loathe.

Plotting the end of TMC#3 and it's time for a craft thread! A lot of people have asked how I write books that are hard to put down. The answer is a lot, a lot, a LOT of preparation. I create extensive spreadsheets for each book, and I couldn't work without them. IMO, there are two key elements needed to make a story addictive. First, it has to be immersive. That means the world feels real, fleshed-out, and interesting. This could be cool a sci-fi future, an enchanting fantasy world, or a nice house in a quirky town. This part is HARD.