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Ten Reasons to Write Short Stories Even Though the Pay is Peanuts
by Daniel H. Wilson & John Joseph Adams
It’s no secret that writing short stories usually isn’t very lucrative. A five-thousand-word piece that you labor over for two weeks (and fiddle with for two months beyond that) will maybe net you…
The State of Short Fiction Roundtable Comes to Baltimore
On Saturday, February 21st at 8PM, the Baltimore Science Fiction Society, located at 3310 East Baltimore Street, will host its annual “State of Short Fiction Roundtable.”
Contracts Committee Report
Since being reinstituted last fall, the Contracts Committee has been focused on two main projects: a review of existing model contracts with the intent of revising them as needed and a response to member concerns with the Magazine of Fantasy…
SFWA Welcomes Self-Published and Small Press Authors!
In a referendum with a third of voting members participating and over 6 to 1 in favor, the membership of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has approved bylaw changes that enable SFWA to accept self-publication and small-press…
Winners in the 17th Annual Preditors & Editors / Critters Readers’ Poll
Aaaaaaaand the winners are in — Preditors and Editors would like to congratulate all the winners in the 17th Annual P&E Readers’ Poll!
Jack McDevitt Wins 2015 Robert A. Heinlein Award
Jack McDevitt, science fiction author is the 2015 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award. The award is bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space.
Empathy, Neurochemistry, and the Dramatic Arc
Neuroscience looks at how our brains respond to dramatic arcs.
Odyssey Writing Workshop Announces Its 20th Summer Session
Each summer, writers of the fantastic come from all over the world to attend the Odyssey Writing Workshop. Odyssey is one of the most highly respected programs for writers of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.
Guest Post: Five Things You Should Know About Award Nominations
It’s awards season. It comes around every year, and every year authors wonder whether they should put their work out for consideration.
This can be a scary thing.
2015 World Fantasy Awards Judges Announced
The judges for the 2015 World Fantasy Awards, for work published in 2014, have now been empanelled. The judges read and consider eligible materials until June 1, 2015, so it is desirable for them to receive materials as early as possible….
Guest Post: Setting Your Goals for the New Year and Beyond
by Randy Henderson
Happy New Year!
Rather than share events from my past year, I thought I’d offer a bit of encouragement and advice to help with the coming year. While this is aimed primarily at my fellow writers, it also,…
Painting Characters into Corners
by Nancy Fulda
If you write stories, this has probably happened to you:
The words are flowing. The plot is exciting. Your characters, faced with overwhelming odds, find themselves in the midst of a difficult and absolutely enthralling situation. It’s the Big,…
Guest Post: I’ve made every mistake an author can make in their writing career
by Jason Sanford
This has been a tough writing year for me. I finished my first novel only to learn that at this point in my writing career it’s going to be a hard sell. I’ve struggled with short fiction, publishing…
Creating Aliens
by Deborah Walker
I’ve written a fair few aliens since reading it, always thinking about that advice, but with an added aspect: stealing blatantly from Mother Nature.
How I Remain Productive While Traveling
by Jennifer Brozek When I first attended conventions or traveled for the holidays, my freelance work suffered. Not just during the event but for the few days before and after the event as well. I knew this and scheduled for it….
In Memoriam: Rocky Wood
New Zealand author Rocky Wood (b.1959) died on December 1. Wood was one of the world’s foremost experts on the writings of Stephen King,
Museum of Science Fiction Announces International Concept Art Competition
The Museum of Science Fiction is excited to announce the start of a concept art competition for its 2015 Preview Museum, which is to be located in the Washington, DC metro area. The competition is open to every creative mind…
Guest Post: Hope as Fuel
by Amy Sundberg
Let’s talk about hope today, shall we?
One of my friends posted this great thought about hope on Facebook, which I cannot share with you word-for-word because privacy, but he basically talked about the importance of maintaining a store…
Ursula K. Le Guin’s Acceptance Speech
Video of Ursula K. Le Guin’s acceptance speech at the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Sunburst Awards Accepting E-book Files
The Sunburst Award Committee announced today that they have moved into the digital age. Starting with the 2015 awards, they will accept e-book versions of submissions as well as print ones.
Speaking With Authority About Things That (Probably) Do Not Exist
by Jeremiah Tolbert
I once sat beside a campfire in Washington and listened to a man with a pistol strapped to his waist lecture for an hour about the ecology and habits of the Sasquatch. Meanwhile, my companions–a college professor and…
Building Strength out of Weakness
by Nancy Fulda
My oldest sister is very wise. Once, long ago, when I was struggling to master a difficult situation, she sent me a letter about strength and weakness. The gist of the content was this: Many strengths are the…
2014 Online Odyssey Writing Workshops Announced
From the Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust: This winter, the Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust is offering three live online courses with the same high quality and rigorous approach as its acclaimed, in-person Odyssey workshop: Showing versus Telling in Fantastic…
Veteran’s Day 2014 Charity Challenge
On Veteran’s Day 2014 (Tuesday, November 11), 50 veteran authors will pledge 100% of their print, ebook and audio book royalties to their favorite veteran’s charity.