You might have heard that imagery is pivotal to writing a story. It truly makes a scene come alive, but many sources I've seen that talked about imagery have just said "Use the five senses!" and then moved on. The five senses are touch, tasting, smell, seeing, and hearing, but writing imagery isn't just using … Continue reading How to Use Imagery
Today is the last Saturday before heading out West, so my thought was to do something a little different with a reblog post. I recently discovered author Bryn Donovan, who has written several books for helping writers. I've been reading Bryn Donovan's website for some time now because of her awesome articles on writing well. … Continue reading Reblog: The Bryn Donovan Collection
Thinking about publishing your speculative fiction novel but don't know where to start? It's true there are plenty of publishers out there, but narrowing the best science fiction and fantasy publishers down isn't too difficult. Some of these speculative fiction small presses also accept speculative genres such as horror, gothic, and all kinds of subgenres. … Continue reading Speculative Fiction Small Presses
So you want to write fantasy? Good luck. In all seriousness, fantasy is notoriously difficult to write no matter which way you look at it. It's not uncommon for fantasy writers to take years to complete one single book (unless you're Brandon Sanderson, but we don't all have that luxury). Besides that, a major aspect … Continue reading Why Is Fantasy So Hard to Write?
Let's be honest, hating your work takes a toll. So you spent days, weeks, even months or years, on a piece of writing. You edited and rewrote. You spent hours trying to get everything just right, and finally, you feel comfortable with it, enough to send it out to that literary journal or press for … Continue reading Hating Your Work After Publishing It
Everyone tells you to write every day. They praise the benefits of building a writing routine and disciplining yourself. And it's true! You should definitely at least try to write every day, even if it's only a few words. However, some days words refuse to show up, or what you put on paper feels like … Continue reading How to Write Every Day without Dying
You might think that there aren't a whole lot of speculative writing residencies and workshops for writers in a specific genre. It's true that many residencies focus on allowing all writers to focus on any project they're undertaking. However, several outlets exist for those who write speculative fiction. Speculative writers focus on sci-fi, fantasy, and … Continue reading Best Speculative Writing Residencies and Workshops
We all lose confidence in our writing as we work. It comes in every stage of the writing process, whether you just came up with an idea, you're halfway through your novel, or you're revising (where I'm at right now). But losing confidence in your writing isn't an excuse to give up, or a sign … Continue reading Losing Confidence in Your Writing
When I talked about fantasy subgenres a few articles ago, I mentioned dark fantasy as a subgenre. But what exactly is dark fantasy? Where did it come from and what is its purpose? Dark fantasy often includes "darker" elements in the story, including horror. Often horror and fantasy combine to make dark fantasy, or just … Continue reading Dark Fantasy: A Definition
We all know about tropes. They pop up in any form of writing, and often a hallmark of good writing is a writer's ability to tackle tropes, whether by exceeding the reader's expectations with them or subverting them altogether. Obviously, no genre is immune to any of these, but different tropes appear depending on what … Continue reading Science Fiction Tropes to Subvert
