(Just a note for anyone who’s confused – we’ve gone to a T/Th posting schedule for the summer. Don’t cry – it’ll be okay.) We’re going to be looking at science fiction in depth for the next few weeks, so
The Evil Lure of the Jigsaw Puzzle
Imagine, if you will, the following picture. You’re at someone’s house. It could be your own, it could be someone else’s. Maybe you have a glass of wine in one hand. You step into the dining room to discover a
Handwriting for Fun and Profit
If you’re anything like me, Squiders, you mostly write by typing. Word processor, blank page, type type type. It’s faster, it tells you when you misspell a word (though not when you put the wrong word in), it’s easy to
Looking Again at Genre (A Rebuttal to Root Beer)
Early on in this blog’s life, I wrote a post about how genre is like root beer. Long story short, it seems like every story has some element that stuffs it into a genre, no matter what else is included
Naming Your Characters Names You Wouldn’t Name Your Children
Is there such a thing as too many barbeques? I think there must be. I am barbequed out. Character naming is an interesting part of story creation. I know a lot of people who can’t write until they find the
Submission is Scary, but Everything Will Be Okay
Going along with writing fears and insecurity, we have submission. Oh, submission. Perhaps the scariest and most disheartening of all steps of the writing process. You’ve written a story, you’ve edited and polished, and finally you’re ready to let it
A Treatise on Ghost Hunting Programs
So, if you guys have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I love a good ghost story. So it should come to no surprise that I watch the occasional ghost hunting show on television. And
The Used Book Controversy
Some of you may be sitting there wondering how used books are controversial. Books are books are books, right? And sure, some of them have contents that might raise some hackles, but how are used books more controversial than new
Obligatiory Hunger Games Post
I think this is required these days. You read the Hunger Games, either the first book or the entire trilogy (and/or read the synopses online or watch the movie) and make a thoughtful post about social commentary. Well, you’re not
Why I Occasionally Want to Punch Science Fiction in the Face
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “how do you punch a genre in the face?” The answer is: with great force. I love science fiction, don’t get me wrong. I am fond of several different subgenres, from space opera
