During the write-a-thon, I found myself looking for the shapes of stories – the very vaguest, simplest structures I could find. Something to start with, like an artist starts with an outline or sketch. When you’re in a crunch to produce a complete work, it helps to have an idea Read more…
So once upon a time I thought I’d write about story shapes – the idea that stories can be thought of in these vague archetypical forms, and that will help with writing them. I jumped right in with “The Caper” and then I made this draft post titled “The Hero Read more…
I was reading this essay by Joanna Russ, “The Wearing Out of Genre Materials” – it’s a quick read, but I’m not sure it’s freely available anywhere – I got it on Jstore. Yay working in academia! Anyway, the gist of the essay is: Stories feed an emotional need. They Read more…
“This is well-written,” the rejection letter read, “but time travel isn’t science fiction. I suggest you send it to a fantasy magazine like Beneath Ceaseless Skies.” A newbie writer, I had never gotten such a direct referral to another magazine before. Surely it meant this editor knew more than I Read more…
How did I go from a person who submits a lot of stories for publication to someone who gets acceptance letters? Did I just… get better? If so, how? And how can I pin the process down in a clear way to serve as advice for others? When I look Read more…
When I was a wee child, picking a topic to write about was easy: I wrote COOL SHIT. Like… bicycles that transform into helicopters or space ships or motorcycles or maybe power armor and I should have a cool robot friend who is sarcastic and transforms into like a briefcase. Read more…
I started writing short science fiction with an eye for publication in the 1980s. I was sixteen and stupid to think I was ready, but that fact remains: I was an intensely serious writer of science fiction before 1990, as intensely serious as a teenager can be. My angst-filled teen Read more…