How syntax can help you!
by Juliette Wade This one’s funny, because it sounds like grammar, or maybe computer programming… Syntax is the study of […]
The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
Information Center
The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
How morphology can help you!
Morphology is a fantasy and science fiction writer’s best friend. Seriously. Why? Because everyone uses it, and I mean everyone, whether they know it or not. Every story that makes up a name for a group of people and then pluralizes it is using morphology. Every story that takes a nice-sounding made-up word and then adds on a suffix to make the name of a country or city is using it too.
Writing Technique
Research Tool: Random name generators and lists
Sometimes coming up with the right character name can be the hardest part. Whether working in secondary worlds or the real world, we have some research tools to make picking that perfect name a little easier.
Building a Career, Networking and Self-Promotion, The SFWA Blog
The Pros and Cons of Having Your Own Website
Do you need to have you own website? It depends on what you want to use the website for. Having an online presence may or may not translate to your desired action, in part because your presence really is about “you” as a person rather than “you” the author. With today’s technology, the two are not mutually exclusive.
The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
How articulatory phonetics can help you!
Articulatory phonetics deals with how the human vocal tract creates sounds.
Knowing the principles of how the vocal tract works can help science fiction and fantasy writers to create languages that follow naturalistic patterns of pronunciation, thus making created languages that seem more natural.
The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
How linguistics can help you!
This sequence of “How ____ can help you!” pieces concerns various areas of linguistics. These aren’t intended to be technical, or even introductory discussions of linguistics itself. They are short, practical pieces which relate linguistics topics to the use of created languages in science fiction and fantasy.
Networking and Self-Promotion, The SFWA Blog
Resource: The Convention Finder
The Convention Finder searches a database of cons based on location, making it easy to find the convention nearest you.
Advice for New Writers, Information Center, Networking and Self-Promotion, The Business of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Reading Aloud
There are few things that can destroy a good story faster than a bad reading. At the same time, a really good reading can make an audience excited and drive sales. Short of a background in theater, how can authors improve their reading skills?
Information Center, The Craft of Writing, The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
Resource: Historical Food Timeline
When writing historical fiction or fantasy, the question of food either seems daunting or is completely overlooked. With the Historical Food Timeline, you can get an approximate idea of when a given food was introduced.
Advice for New Writers, News, The SFWA Blog, Writer Beware
Writer Beware wins big as frivolous lawsuit rejected by court
A Massachusetts Superior Court judge has awarded costs and attorneys’ fees to Ann Crispin and Victoria Strauss, the principal operators of the Writer Beware website, soundly rejecting a frivolous lawsuit filed by a purported literary agent.