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Writing for Intellectual Properties
by Laura Kemmerer
Writing for the intellectual properties we’ve all come to know and love so much is both possible and can be a huge asset to your authorial career. But it’s best to cover the basics first.
SFWA Announces Newest Damon Knight Grand Master – Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen – Picture by Jason Stemple The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that Jane Yolen has been named the 33rd Damon Knight Grand Master for her contributions…
Writing for Games: Introduction and a Few Misconceptions
by Monica Valentinelli
Though there are commonalities that game writers share in their work, there are a lot of routes they can take in order to work in the industry. This column will shed a light on some of those aspects…
Why Five?
by Dennis Mathis
A new hyper-detailed neurological atlas identifies 862 different structures making up the human brain. What are the odds that only five of them are about detecting reality?
The Perils of the Flood
by Gargi Mehra
When 2015 dawned upon us one year ago, I, like all reasonable writers, penned down certain resolutions. One of them was to test the oft-repeated advice doled out on most, if not all, writing websites – write a…
Odyssey Online Classes Announced
This winter, writers can level up their skills in three key areas through live, intensive online classes offered by the Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust. Odyssey is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit known worldwide for offering some of the best in-person and…
Sunburst Awards Seeks Eligible Short Story Submissions
The Sunburst Awards, recognizing “Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic,” has added a short story award category. Short stories published in magazines, anthologies or collections, or online all qualify.
Cemetery Dance Delisted
Please note that, as of November 1, 2016, Cemetery Dance is no longer a SFWA-qualifying market.
Brood For Thought: On The Enduring Appeal Of The Moody Male Lead
by Rosalind Moran
The moody male lead is widespread throughout all genres, but it can be difficult to see why anybody would want to spend time with him. He’s brooding, exceedingly individualistic, melancholic, and disposed to hanging around outdoors during thunderstorms…
SFWA Market Report for November
Welcome to SFWA’s latest pro-rate Market Report.
2016 World Fantasy Award Winners Announced
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
David G. Hartwell
Andrzej Sapkowski
Clarion Fundraising Anthology: The Yellow Volume
Available as an ebook on a PAY-WHAT-YOU-WANT basis at https://gumroad.com/l/yellowvol (pre-order now, release date October 31st), all proceeds from The Yellow Volume, after hosting fees, benefit The Clarion Foundation.
ASU Releases Free Climate Change Anthology
Everything Change: An Anthology of Climate Fiction is now available as a free download (PDF, EPUB, or MOBI).
“Everything Change” features twelve stories from Arizona State University’s 2016 Climate Fiction Short Story Contest along with along with a foreword by science…
Horses Are Not Machines: On Writing the Steeds of Fantasy Fiction
by Rosalind Moran
A regrettable trend across much fantasy writing is that of a horse not really being a horse, but simply a plot device; a vehicle to help carry a story along. Horses, however, are not vehicles.
SFWA Market Report for October
Welcome to SFWA’s latest pro-rate Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
Catalysts, Explorers, & Secret Keepers
The Museum of Science Fiction has announced a new science fiction anthology: Catalysts, Explorers, & Secret Keepers. It will be a “take-home exhibit” featuring short works by and about the women of science fiction.
Copper Cylinder Awards Announced
The Sunburst Award Society is pleased to announce the winners of the fifth annual Copper Cylinder Award.
Teaching Stuff: Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic
by Richard Chwedyk
Here’s an assignment I give my students:
They receive a copy of the first chapter of H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.
It is roughly 2,250 words.
I tell the students that Mr. Wells has just received a note from…
The Galaktika Situation
Within the past year, in large part due to independent investigations within Hungary by Bence Pintér, SFWA became aware that for at least a decade Galaktika had been translating stories by a large number of foreign authors which Galaktika had…
Humble Bundle Deal Ends Soon: Don’t Miss Out
Humble Bundle has released a great lineup of science fiction books written by scientists. You might be surprised at some of their disciplines.
Great Deal: Science Fiction By Scientists
Humble Bundle has released a great lineup of science fiction books written by scientists. A portion of the proceeds supports SFWA’s Givers Fund. So grab some awesome novels and nonfiction books and help support SFWA!
Sunburst Award Winners Announced
The Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic in Adult, Young Adult, and Short Story categories.
The Future Began on a Tuesday
by Dennis Mathis
It was madness. The classes went on until the janitor came to turn out the lights, and we never seemed to get anywhere. This wasn’t a course about writing, it was about readers and how infinitely bone-headed they…
4 Pitfalls To Avoid When Crafting Trans Characters (SF&F Edition!)
By Ashley Lauren Rogers
There are numerous examples of classic science fiction and fantasy stories that deal with gender and what happens when we deviate from expectations of that gender. Include popular shows like Transparent, movies like The Danish Girl, and…