You know how it feels. You write something, you edit it, you polish it, and finally – FINALLY – it feels like you can let it go, let it out into the world to find its way. Its horrible, dangerous
Subgenre Study: Space Opera
This week on Subgenre Study we examine the science fiction subgenre of the space opera, a subgenre of adventure that tends to have more in common with most fantasy than other science fiction subgenres. (I managed to get the word
Subgenre Study: Paranormal
This one’s a bit controversial, friends. While I would put paranormal as a subgenre of fantasy, I’ve started to see publishers and agents list it separate, like it’s its own genre. Paranormal tends to involve things that are not quite
Subgenre Study: Steampunk
Steampunk, like Alternative History (that we talked about last week), is a subgenre that spans science fiction and fantasy but does not truly belong to either. It can often be found mixed with Alternative History as, to quote Wikipedia, “Specifically,
Inside Writing Jokes (and the Importance of New Eyes Periodically)
I have the privilege of belonging to a close-knit writing community. This is awesome. I suggest you find a writing community and join it too, because they are invaluable in many ways. What I have found, though, is sometimes things
Writing Serially
I belong to a prompt community. I joined, oh, four years ago or so with the idea that I’d be able to use the prompts to stir the creative juices. It hasn’t really worked out. Oh, it’s not the community’s
Subgenre Study: Alternative History
My mother recently read Leviathan and Behemoth (books 1 and 2 of the Leviathan Trilogy) by Scott Westerfeld. For those who haven’t read them (and you should) they are kind of an odd mix of steampunk and alternative history. But
Revisiting Short Stories
Early on in this blog, I wrote a post wondering what the deal was with short stories, why everyone insisted on telling you to write them when they do not prepare you for novel-writing (and vice versa), and whether or not
Summer Slump
Ah, summer. I love it yet I hate it, because I don’t really function above 85 degrees and I burn easily, but I love the blue skies and the flowers and the afternoon thunderstorms (provided I am not out in
Following the White Rabbit
Let’s say you’re walking along, minding your own business, when BAM a story idea waylays you. It’s interesting, it’s fun, it has all the information you need to sit down and get going. Let us also assume that you are
