Nooooooooooo cliffhanger. Well, Squiders, we’ve reached book 3. (I think this may have been the one I read first as a kid. It seems…more familiar than the others, if such a thing can be said about a series of books
As You Know, Bob
You may not be familiar with this term, but you know it. You’ve seen it on movies, read it in books, maybe used it in stories of your own creation. Used well and subtly, it can be a useful tool.
Where Has All the Hard Science Fiction Gone?
So, I recently finished reading Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan, a hard science fiction novel from 1985. We talked about some of the things that were a little bit jarring a few weeks ago in the Old Science
Research Makes a Story Richer
Ah, research. I know it doesn’t necessarily sound fun (unless you’re one of those people, like me, who goes, “Oh, I don’t really know anything about evil spirits. Time to go to the library! Glee!”) but a little realism can
Trek vs. Wars and Why It Is Silly
Among nerd circles, you run into rivalries between various fandoms or ships or theories. One of the most persistent is the Star Trek versus Star Wars one. (In the interest of full disclosure, I hung out in a Trek-related community
Pen Names
Pen names. Nom de plumes. In simple terms, when you put out work under another name that is not your own, but is still meant to be you (i.e., not ghost-writing for someone else). Some people do, some people don’t.
For Love of Old Science Fiction
Oh man, I love old science fiction. I’m talking anything earlier than 1980. I love it because it takes so many chances, sends its characters all over the universe, and because I love to see what they got wrong. Am
How to Finish a Novel
As you may or may not know, March is traditionally National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo). If you participate officially, you need 50 hours of editing throughout the month to win. I find it’s easier for me to participate unofficially (and