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Category Archives: Ideas and Suggestions

Free Titles

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Titles come easily to me.
Maybe it has something to do with the way I was introduced to creative writing back in the Fifth Grade, but titles have always been easy for me. Our teacher used to put up titles on the board and we had to write stories that were based on that title. So, [...]

Also filed in Criticism, Marginalia, and Notes, Exercises, Fiction and Its Kin, Writing | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Ideas: 10 Cents for a Dozen

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Ideas are easy to come by.
What’s more rare is the ability to shape that idea into an actual story. By way of example and illustration, I regularly come up with interesting settings and characters, sometimes both at the same time, but rarely have a full story to make it all gell.
In fact, to prove to [...]

Also filed in Experimental, Fantastic and Surreal, Invented Worlds, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Hoffman’s Quartet Possible

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Or, putting a little more science into science-fiction.
Way back in the Old Days, before I was so weighed down with bills and obligations to creditors, I dreamed that I’d pay my way writing science-fiction.  As a result of that dream, I commissioned one Sheridan Simon to build a solar system for me.  Specifically, a system [...]

Also filed in Invented Worlds, Personal, Science Fiction, Science and Technology | Tagged , | Comments (2)

Contests!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Specifically, fantasy fiction writing contests.
No, nothing that this site is sponsoring, but someone with a very similar name: Fantasist Enterprises.  They currently have two contests going.  One has a deadline of October 15, 2006 and is called Fantastical Visions. This is open to authors submitting any previously unpublished work under 10,000 words with fantasy as [...]

Also filed in Adventure Fantasy, Crass Commerce, Fantastic and Surreal, Fantasy, Fiction and Its Kin, News and Current Events, Writing | Tagged | Comments (0)

Articles on Writing

Tuesday, August 1, 2006

So, not too long ago, I brought you a link to an on-line course in writing.
But, by now, I’m betting you’re ready for more stuff on writing science fiction and fantasy. Well, even if you’re not, I found a table of contents on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website that has all [...]

Also filed in Exercises, Fantastic and Surreal, Fantasy, Fiction and Its Kin, Science Fiction, Technique, Things to Read, Writing | Tagged , | Comments (1)

Characterization Made EZ

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Building characters is as easy as writing their biography.
Okay, so maybe that’s not quite as easy as it sounds at first. The first step to knowing about what your character is going to do is knowing who they are and where they’ve been. What was their start in life? How has that shaped their desires, [...]

Also filed in Adventure Fantasy, Exercises, Fantasy, Fiction and Its Kin, Games, Modern Fantasy, Things to Read, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

World Question Center

Friday, April 21, 2006

Better questions.
That’s the answer I give to people who ask why I know things they don’t. I ask better questions than they do. In fact, I think people often find it frustrating that I ask some of the questions I do. Things like, “So, if it doesn’t work, why do you keep [...]

Also filed in Fun, News and Current Events, Writing | Tagged | Comments (0)

Writer’s Reference Articles

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Specifically, fantasy writer’s reference articles.
So, the other day, while I’m looking for something totally different, I find Fantasy Fiction Factor – Fantasy Writing Articles for Fantasy Writers. WOW! This is an absolute treasure trove of ideas and suggestions and “gotchas” for fantasy writers. They hit everything here from fantasy animals to forms [...]

Also filed in Criticism, Marginalia, and Notes, Fantasy, Fiction and Its Kin, Invented Worlds, Things to Read, Writing | Tagged , | Comments (0)