Category Archives: Writing

Category devoted to the craft and artistry of writing.

CROSSROADS: The Techniques of “Literary” Speculative Fiction


Somehow, we seem to keep coming back around to Thursday. And what will we do this Thursday? The same thing we do every Thursday. Try and take over the world. Post another Crossroads essay over at Amazing Stories. This week, … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on May 23, 2013 by | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CROSSROADS: Literary Fiction vs Speculative Fiction – Round Infinity!


Even though I’m theoretically on a blogging vacation, I’m still doing the weekly Crossroads series over at Amazing Stories. This week, we’re continuing May’s exploration of the intersection between mainstream literary fiction and speculative fiction, and to that end I … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on May 16, 2013 by | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Viable Paradise 2013: Applications Due in Just Over a Month

Posted on May 7, 2013 by

Applications Due: June 15, 2013 Workshop Runs: October 13 – October 18th, 2013 A couple of years ago, I attended Viable Paradise, a week-long workshop for science fiction and fantasy writers. Applications for this year’s VP class are due on … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Thoughts, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Care and Feeding of Chapter Breaks

Posted on April 23, 2013 by

What do you get when a bunch of writers get together and start chatting? No, it’s not a joke. In this case, some of my friends and I recently got into an interesting discussion about chapters, and more specifically on … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

CROSSROADS: The Importance of Parody for Speculative Fiction


Hello, everyone! Since today is Thursday, that means it is time for our weekly Crossroads post over at Amazing Stories. Continuing with April’s humor theme, this week I look at how speculative fiction uses parody to subvert and challenge the … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on April 18, 2013 by | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bioshock Infinite and the Components of Video Game Storytelling

Posted on April 17, 2013 by

On March 26th – while still caught up in the throes of a nasty cold – I dragged myself out to my local GameStop and bought Bioshock Infinite. I started playing that same day, and finished the game (the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Genre Observations, Reviews, Video Game Reviews, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

CROSSROADS: The Western Hero in Speculative Fiction


With Thursday upon us, that means it is time for another Crossroads post over at Amazing Stories. This week, I look at the archetypal western hero, and the ways in which that hero shows up in science fiction and fantasy. … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on March 14, 2013 by | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When to Jump? The Art of Asking and the Economics of Writing

Posted on March 12, 2013 by

If you’re a writer, artist, or otherwise creative sort, I strongly recommend Amanda Palmer’s recent TED Talk: I first watched it when it was originally released, and since then I’ve re-watched it a time or two. And like Chuck Wendig … Continue reading →

Posted in Genre Observations, Random Thoughts, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

CROSSROADS: Westerns and Speculative Fiction


So today is the first Thursday of March, which means it is time to kick off a new Crossroads series over at Amazing Stories. This month, I’m going to be focusing on the relationship between Westerns and Speculative Fiction. There … Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on March 7, 2013 by | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Crushing Conservatism in Epic Fantasy?

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

So last week, Gollancz (an excellent British publisher of science fiction and fantasy) got some discussion going by tweeting a provocative question: Epic Fantasy is, by and large, crushingly conservative in its delivery, its politics and its morality. Discuss. And … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, Genre Observations, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments