by Kevin L. O’Brien
Welcome to Part One of a series that discusses technology and medieval machines that can be used for worldbuilding.
Many fantasy stories gloss over technological details that would be vital in a real-world setting. For example: how would a medieval-level society acquire the iron it needs for tools and implements?
by Richard J. Chwedyk
Theodore Sturgeon once wrote this, emphatically, honestly, and truly: “One should write fiction carefully and consciously to someone, as one writes a letter; and the selection of that someone is the single most important skill that a writer can develop.”
by Sally Wiener Grotta
I write to understand. My characters and plots are formed in a subconscious that churns with confusion or concern about how the world functions (or fails to function). As I write the story my characters tell me, I find myself posing questions that “reflect and even explain the differences and forces that relate them all… hold them together… or tear them apart.” The journey is what matters to me.
The ArmadilloCon Writing Workshop will take place at the Omni Southpark on Friday, August 3, 2018. This full-day workshop is presented in conjunction with ArmadilloCon 40, Austin’s literary science fiction and fantasy convention. The Workshop is ideal for new and emerging writers but is open to all.
by Gargi Mehra
Writing when you’re in full flow is like living a dream. Who doesn’t love that feeling when the words spill out faster than you can type them? If you’re old school, the scratch of the pen as it flies over the pages struggles to keep pace with your thoughts.
The reverse scenario keeps writers awake at night.
by Nick Wood
There are costs to illness and disability. This is not an uncommon scenario amongst writers–see my list of blogs below on writing through various disabilities.
by R J Theodore
I was unprepared for the wall of celebration, creativity, and acceptance I felt when I walked into the midst of a crowd of storytellers at my first SFWA Nebula Conference in 2017.
by K. C. Norton
For the past three years, I have been working as a ghostwriter, writing coach, and English tutor. In my line of work, I almost invariably partner with people who are writing or editing their memoirs. For the most part, they’re content to know that I have a Master’s degree, but occasionally they want to know if I’ve published anything, and if so, what kind of stories I write for myself. I both dread and relish this moment, because it’s a chance to reveal my dirty secret: my preferred genre is Science Fiction.
By Michael Michel
Regardless of where you end up on the journey known as being a writer, my guess is you want to enjoy the experience. Here’s my recommendation: focus more on the crafter than the craft. As the crafter, you are the instrument through which creativity flows and stories are shared with the world. If you want to be successful, start writing the story you’d love for yourself, first.
by Sandra M. Odell
I love intricate, detailed worldbuilding; it’s the backbone of science fiction and fantasy stories, even those set in the modern era. Sadly, few things make me stop reading faster than the realization that a writer gave more thought to the description of a meal than they did to the how or why an accommodation for a character with disabilities came to be in a story. Inclusion and representation matter, and so do the supports that allow an individual with disabilities to interact with a writer’s world.
Since the previous century, Michael H. Payne has been writing his own particular sort of talking animal adventure story. Here are 22 of them that appeared in various venues from 1991 through 2021.
Bryan Young works in many different media, from film and comics to prose and non-fiction. He’s been a regular contributor for the Huffington Post, StarWars.com, SYFY, /Film, and more. He’s worked in the Star Wars, Robotech, and BattleTech universes.
