Ponderings of science, philosophy, history, society, and many other topics
I've recently come across a couple of writing podcasts that are worth checking out for any aspiring sci-fi or fantasy authors. The first is On Writing With Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson is a bestselling epic fantasy author with a number of major series under his belt, not the least of which was completing Robert Jordan's Wheel … Continue reading Sci-fi and fantasy writing podcasts and advice worth checking out
James S. A. Corey is the author of The Expanse series and the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Abraham and Franck are writing a new novel. And they're opening up the entire process to a Patreon audience. Membership allows you to watch the entire process, from figuring out what they're going to … Continue reading Watching James S. A. Corey work
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
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
Last night, I watched the pilot episode to the new science fiction TV series, 'The Expanse'. It's based on a series of novels by a writing team that goes by the pseudonym James S.A. Corey, the first of which I reviewed a while back. I've read all the books in the series and enjoyed them … Continue reading The Expanse: Intelligent space opera you should check out
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
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
I recently discovered the TV series 'Black Sails'. Its a show on Starz about pirates in the Bahamas during the golden age of piracy. It's a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel 'Treasure Island'. If you've read that book or seen film adaptations of it, then you're familiar with the characters Long John Silver, … Continue reading Black Sails and the dynamics of power
Many of my readers and fellow bloggers are aspiring (or practicing) writers. If you haven't caught it before, 'Writing Excuses' is a podcast about writing in the science fiction and fantasy genre. If you've ever contemplated doing that kind of writing, it's a pretty awesome podcast to follow, and even if sci-fi/fantasy isn't your chosen … Continue reading Writing Excuses: New season, a writing course by podcast
I just finished reading Ann Leckie's new novel, Ancillary Justice, after reading about it on John Scalzi's site. I found it one of the most absorbing books I've read in a while. If you enjoy space opera science fiction, with AIs, strange societies, and generally mind bending ideas, then you owe it to yourself to … Continue reading Ancillary Justice: an excellent read
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