writing

Things Editors Don’t Do

February 3, 2011

In a word: THIS. @CherylMorgan tweeted (and posted) a heads-up about this and I thought I’d give it a signal boost. Apparently a publisher decided to “straighten” the deliberately-ambiguous gender pronouns in writer Mima Simić’s story, turning it unambiguously heterosexual. In Mima’s words, “As this gender/sex ambiguity is one of the thematic pillars of my [...]

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Announcing: WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME

January 31, 2011

WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME, an anthology of fantasy and science fiction tales—co-edited by Bestselling author Ed Greenwood and Gabrielle Harbowy, Editor and Associate Publisher, Dragon Moon Press—will be released in August of 2011 by Dragon Moon Press. When the epic battle, the mission, the quest are over, can the hero go home again? Is [...]

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Practice vs Polish

January 27, 2011

It’s a beautiful day here in San Francisco today. The temperature is mild, the sky is cloudless, and there’s a perfect gentle breeze. I’m not saying this to earn the ire of everyone still struggling under winter’s grasp. I’ve put in my due time in colder climates, I don’t miss the snow, and you all [...]

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Guest Post: Why I Write Sci-Fi by JM Frey

January 10, 2011

JM Frey holds a BA in Dramatic Literature, where she studied playwriting and traditional Japanese theatre forms, and a Masters of Communications and Culture, where she focused on fanthropology. She is active in the Toronto geek community, presenting at awards ceremonies, appearing on TV, radio, podcasts, live panels and documentaries to discuss all things fandom [...]

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Naming Characters

November 18, 2010

(Occasionally, I repost entries that newer readers might have missed. Today’s post is originally from December 22, 2008) 1. Choose names for members of a culture that follow a cultural thread. Names don’t have to be so similar that they’re indistinct, or rhyme, or all have the same vowel-consonant patterns. But in most successful science fiction [...]

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One Book at a Time

November 15, 2010

Multiple queries are not usually recommended Unless otherwise stated, publishers and agents usually want you to select your strongest manuscript, or the one that best fits their guidelines, and just query one. If they’re open to multiple submissions, they’ll say so. if they don’t say so, just pick one to send. Hinting that you have [...]

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Tentacles and Temptation

November 1, 2010

What do sexuality and the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft have in common? I answer this question and more in an interview regarding my story “Descent of the Wayward Daughter” for the forthcoming anthology Cthulhurotica. Read more here, and preorder your copy of Cthulhurotica during the month of November!

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Speculative Fiction and Speculation

October 25, 2010

As much as we all think we should have our flying cars by now, science fiction doesn’t exist to predict the future. (Nor, necessarily, to prevent it — an assertion that has been attributed to both Frank Herbert and Ray Bradbury.) Science fiction — and all speculative fiction — exists to speculate. It takes a [...]

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Five Tips for Increasing your NaNo Word Count

October 11, 2010

NaNoWriMo is almost upon us. Writers everywhere are stretching fingers and sharpening pencils, saying farewell to loved ones and clearing schedules to accommodate large blocks of writing time. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to pen 50,000 words within the month of November. Your mission is to get to that word count. There are no rules [...]

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Reading Between the Lines

September 30, 2010

Form rejection letters give you very few words to work with, so it’s natural to try to read between the lines and squeeze out a little more meaning; a little more of an explanation. Don’t bother. Really. You’re just putting yourself through unnecessary stress. I don’t mean to be harsh here, but I see a [...]

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