Urban fantasy is so pervasive these days that I mentally divide fantasy into urban fantasy and everything else. Like the other subgenres we’ve discussed, its definition is a bit fluid. Wikipedia says it doesn’t matter what time period the story is
Subgenre Study: Dark Fantasy
Oh, dark fantasy. Supposedly my husband’s favorite subgenre. But like so many other speculative fiction subgenres, one that is very hard to stick to a definite definition. Dark fantasy, in my own personal opinion, is fantasy that strives to point
Coffee Shops vs. Libraries
If you’re like me, occasionally you like to escape from the house and sit somewhere else so you can pretend that you have some semblance of a social life. The first place I ever visited on a regular basis was
Saturday, I Climbed a Mountain
Saturday morning, my husband and I conquered Mount Sherman, peaking at 14,o36 feet. Here in Colorado we have 54 mountains over 14,000 (Fourteeners, we call them affectionately) and it’s been a goal of mine for some time to reach the
“A working writer can never have too many megabytes.”
So, I am taking a spin as a freelance writer/editor. The editor part seems to be going fairly well – there appears to be no shortage of people who would like someone to check their commas, and I am an
Premise vs. Plot
People seem to get these two confused, so let’s clear the waters, shall we? Premise: the basic idea of the story Plot: what happens in a story They are not the same, though they are related. I’ve seen it said
Subgenre Study: Space Western
I can hear you now saying, “Kit, now you are just making up subgenres.” Am I? Am I? Possibly, but let’s face it. Science fiction and westerns go together like mint and chocolate. Peanut butter and jelly. Cream soda and
Submission Tracking and Why You Should Use It
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
Editing: Why the Big Picture Must Come First
I admit, the first time I sat down with a completed manuscript to edit it, I was overwhelmed. I procrastinated for days. It was a sad sight to see. Editing is hard. You’ve got a first draft, a complete manuscript,
