Ponderings of science, philosophy, history, society, and many other topics
As many of you know, I spend a good amount of time listening to podcasts while on daily walks. Over the years, I've highlighted some writing podcasts, notably Writing Excuses and the Odyssey Writing Workshops. But these are oriented toward science fiction and fantasy writing. Recently I discovered Kelton Reid's The Writer Files, a podcast … Continue reading The Writer Files
(Warning: Here be spoilers!) Last week was the series finale for Game of Thrones, a series I'd been watching from the very beginning. Indeed, I first discovered George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books way back in 2002. I still remember seeing the first book in the store, with the cover … Continue reading Reflections on Game of Thrones
One of the categories here on the blog is Science Fiction, mainly because I read and watch a lot of it. Occasionally, someone wanting to get into the literary version of the genre asks me for recommendations on good initial books to start with. My recommendation often depends on the person, but I frequently suggest they try … Continue reading The success of John Scalzi’s descriptive minimalism
Someone called my attention to an Aeon article by Craig Mod describing his abandonment of digital books, returning to the traditional paper variety. From 2009 to 2013, every book I read, I read on a screen. And then I stopped. You could call my four years of devout screen‑reading an experiment. I felt a duty … Continue reading The odd animosity toward ebooks
A while back, I did a post noting the podcast Writing Excuses, an awesome resource for aspiring science fiction or fantasy writers. This weekend, I discovered another podcast that I had inexplicably missed until now. The Odyssey Podcasts are excerpts from their writing workshops, an exclusive and intense writing work camp for select beginning SFF … Continue reading Odyssey writing podcasts
Writing can be a tricky business. Whenever you do it, it has to be with an audience in mind. When I do blog posts here, I'm usually aiming for a general audience. I try not to assume that my readers know obscure scientific or philosophical terminology. That's a decision I've made, hopefully one I've lived up to. … Continue reading Thoughts on knowing and targeting your audience
I've been reading a lot of science fiction short stories lately. As an aspiring author, one of the things I've been trying to pay attention to are what the properties are of the stories I end up enjoying. And, just as important, what are the properties of the stories I don't enjoy, particularly the ones I end … Continue reading What is the crucial element of a story?
Read any book on writing, or take a creative writing course, and there are certain pieces of advice that you are almost certain to encounter. In many cases, the advice is good, but some have a tendency to take these tools of the craft and turn them into rigid rules. And just about any rigid rule … Continue reading Literary “rules” I wish science fiction and fantasy books would break more often.
I've been reading a lot of science fiction short stories lately. Many have been excellent. But some have not been my cup of tea. I've run into a fair amount of melancholic ambiance pieces where nothing much happens. But the stories I tend to enjoy have action, dialog, or at least a steady stream of concrete information. As I've been … Continue reading When to give up on a story
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