Planetside Full Archives
Planetside: The Online Magazine of SFWA
No post found!
The SFWA Blog
How to Ask for Things
by Cat Rambo,
I’ve talked about how to work with a mentor previously, so I wanted to follow-up on that by talking about something that overlaps a bit with that: asking for favors.
Not-so-still Life: Writing from an Inanimate Object’s Point of View
by Katherine Quevedo
Looking for unconventional, potentially striking ways to explore what it means to be human in your writing? It may seem counterintuitive, but personification—ascribing human qualities to inanimate objects—can open new avenues to plumb the depths of human experience.
SFWA Market Report For May
Welcome to the May edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
Being A Mentor
by Cat Rambo
I’m doing the SFWA Mentor program for my third round now, and in talking with some folks, I thought providing an overview of my process might be useful.
2020 Officer Election Results
Thank you to those of you who took the time to vote in the SFWA Board elections. The results as certified by the Elections Committee and the Executive Director are as follows: Vice President: Tobias S. Buckell Chief Financial Officer:…
Effective Goal Setting for Writers
by Cat Rambo
Milestones are markers that show you’ve reached the end of one of these steps. Just as physical road markers tell you how far you’ve journeyed, these milestones help you mark progress.
When Words Melt Away
by Hunter Liguore
Writing classes and books are filled with tips on creating characters and developing plot, but very few ever offer the golden jewel that oversees all the other components meshing together to arrive at a story or novel: coherence….
SFWA Market Report For April
Welcome to the April edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
Donate to Help Members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Affected by Covid-19
We are in a difficult time. The pandemic may have brought on a small vlogging and animated GIF renaissance, but for the overall economy, and creative artists, in particular, it has also brought the cancellation and suspension of much of…
Aydrea Walden Named SFWA Nebula Awards Toastmaster
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that Aydrea Walden has been named the toastmaster for the 55th annual Nebula Awards on May 30th, 2020 in an online ceremony.
The Reality of Writing in Uncertain Times
by Kali Wallace
By now everybody who spends any time on the internet has seen the quarantine memes. Isaac Newton invented calculus during a plague outbreak–what are you doing with your time? Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when stuck inside during bad…
SFWA Unveils an Innovative “Virtual” Nebula Conference
Registration is now open for the transformed professional development conference.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), today unveiled the virtual home for SFWA’s 2020 Nebula Conference Online and showcased features of the upcoming professional development conference for science…
SFWA Names New Managing Editor, Art Director, and Volunteer Coordinator
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) is pleased to announce three additions to SFWA’s staff: Kevin Wabaunsee has been named as the new SFWA Managing Editor, Lauren Raye Snow has been named as the new SFWA Art…
Announcing the Transformation of the 2020 Nebula Conference and Covid19-Relief
SFWA’s 2020 Nebula Conference is transforming into an entirely virtual conference, which will be live and interactive from May 29th-31st. Our goal is to create the essence of the Nebula Conference, even though the form has changed. Our vision is…
Book Releases on a Budget
by Catherine Lundoff
Got a new book coming out? If you need to do all or even some of your own publicity, a multi-pronged approach to getting the word out about it can very helpful. And, if you’re like most writers,…
SFWA Market Report for March
Welcome to the March edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
Making It Different – Pushing Genre Boundaries in Fantasy
by Martin Jenkins
One of the pleasures of genre is that it lets us identify a type of writing that we know we like. We’d feel short-changed if a crime novel didn’t feature a crime, after all, or if a romance…
Epistolary Tales: The Narration of Documentation
by Ken Pelham
Occasionally, you come across a work of fiction told in the form of documents. Letters, court reports, diaries, news articles, and such. We call this epistolary narration (from the root word, epistle, meaning “letter”). Some call epistolary a…
Negotiation Tips for Writers
by Dan Brotzel
Many writers find it difficult to talk about money, especially if it means asking for more and potentially risking turning down an offer of publication. But writing is a business as well as a passion, and the more…
SFWA Market Report For February
Welcome to the February edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
A Worldbuilding Guide to Crafting Diverse Cultures
by Amelia Wiens
One of the best parts of science fiction and fantasy is the worldbuilding. A key part of creating interesting worlds is creating diverse cultures that vary in some way from our own norms. That being said, it can…
Writing Down Fear
by Hunter Liguore
What do you fear when you sit down to write? Fear can be the debilitating emotion that prevents us from getting into the chair in the first place. It’s the force that makes lengthy excuses for why we…
Producing an Audiobook with Audible’s ACX
by Wendy Nikel
According to Forbes and other market researchers, audiobook sales are currently experiencing a major boom. With Science Fiction & Fantasy being the third-most-popular genre for this format, I decided a few months ago that I was going to…
Grant Applications 101: Finding, Troubleshooting, and Completing the Quest for Funding
by Setsu Uzumé
From Kickstarter to ko-fi to patreon, the search for funding can be a huge challenge. I recently attended a lecture provided by the St. Louis chapter of the Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts on the subject…