Planetside Full Archives
Planetside: The Online Magazine of SFWA
No post found!
The SFWA Blog
SFWA Market Report for January
Welcome to the January edition of the SFWA Market Report.
5 Rules for Keeping Fantasy Fiction Realistic
By Christine Feehan
Consider vampires. You likely already have ideas or beliefs about the rules of writing vampires. They must drink blood to survive. They must stay out of the sunlight. They are immortal. We all have…
Fighting and Gender
By Nancy Jane Moore
Here are a few ideas about how different body types affect fighting gleaned from my thirty-eight years in martial arts.
Odyssey Writing Workshop Opens for Applications
Beginning this year, bestselling author George R. R. Martin is funding a scholarship for an Odyssey student. The Miskatonic Scholarship will be awarded to a promising writer of Lovecraftian cosmic horror.
Surviving Times of Stagnation
by Paul Jessup
It will probably happen to you. Almost every career for a professional writer hits a snag at some point. Usually after a huge burst of activity and a feeling of momentum, of going somewhere. It comes out of…
SFWA Market Report For December
Welcome to the December edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
SFWA Charity Auctions on Ebay
Looking for the perfect gift for the book-lovers in your life? Want to do good for SFWA while you’re completing your holiday shopping? Check out SFWA’s Charity Auctions on Ebay.
A Small List of Large Characters: Fat Representation in SFF
by Jessi Cole Jackson Before delving in, I want to recognize that for many (myself included) fat is a loaded term, with years of abuse attached to it. I use it because it’s not twee or gendered and it does…
The Impact Different Font Styles And Sizes Have On Readers’ Experience
by Amber Massey
There’s a zen phrase that asks, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” For writers, here’s a different question: If you write a story and…
Odyssey Online Writing Classes Announced
The Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit known for offering some of the best programs in the world for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, is offering three live, intensive online classes this winter.
SFWA Market Report for November
Welcome to the November edition of the SFWA Pro Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
Building Worlds with SFWA
by Jeffe Kennedy
It’s apropos that “Lonen’s War,” book one in my Fantasy Romance series, “Sorcerous Moons,” is featured in the first SFWA Fantasy StoryBundle. That’s because the fantastically smart and helpful folks in SFWA helped me out with a worldbuilding…
The Voodoo of Research
by Tim Susman
Since it’s fall and ghosts are in the air, I thought it might be a good time to talk about my research into vodou/voodoo, the religion and spiritual practices that coalesced on Haiti among the African slaves there…
On Writing of a Different Culture
by Douglas Smith
Eventually, I came to understand these stories were transcribed from versions people remembered being told when they were young or used to tell their children. Story telling was an oral tradition.
In Memoriam: Julian May
Author Julian May (b.1931) died on October 17. May entered fandom in her late teens and published the fanzine Interim Newsletter. Her first professional sale, “Dune Roller,” appeared in Astounding in 1951, including original illustrations by May. In 1952, she chaired the TASFIC in Chicago,…
SFWA and Independent Writers, Part One: History of the Organization
As part of a Twitter conversation, one of my favorite gamewriters, Ken St. Andre, suggested I write up something about SFWA and independent writers that goes into enough detail that people can understand why — or why not — they…
Great Fantasy Comes in Bundles
Cat Rambo, President of SFWA, curates the “SFWA Fantasy Story Bundle,” featuring works from SFWA fantasy authors. As always, readers choose what percentage goes to the writers, to StoryBundle, and to SFWA–the featured charity.
SFWA Market Report for October
Welcome to the October edition of the SFWA Pro-rate Market Report.
Don’t miss out! Adventures Await.
SFWA is delighted to feature another Humble Book Bundle. This time it’s Adventures in Science Fiction presented by Open Road Media.
Dear Editor
By Anatoly Belilovsky
Dear Editor,
Submitted herewith for your kind consideration is “My Little Tale,” a flash piece of 750 words. The author, a SFWA member, hopes you find it suitable for publication in “Awesome Stories.”
Difference of Mind
by Erica Satifka
According to the World Health Organization, one out of every four people will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lives. Considering this, it’s important to not only feature characters with mental illness prominently in…
Agreement Reached with Galaktika on Past Infringements
The Authors Guild and Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) previously announced that they collaboratively reached an agreement with a Hungarian science fiction magazine, Galaktika, which for years had been reprinting stories of American and British science fiction…
SFWA Market Report for September
Welcome to the September edition of the SFWA Pro-rate Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
Call For Grants 2024
Last year the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association provided over $24,000 in grants to deserving genre-related programs as part of our ongoing benevolent program. Recipients have included: the LaunchPad Astronomy program; Alpha, the science fiction, fantasy, and horror workshop…