So, I was talking to my friend Anne (of Sky Shark fame) last week about short stories and anthologies and how I thought I would try a few more, and she said, “Wow, you know way more about this than
Premise vs. Plot
People seem to get these two confused, so let’s clear the waters, shall we? Premise: the basic idea of the story Plot: what happens in a story They are not the same, though they are related. I’ve seen it said
Subgenre Study: Space Western
I can hear you now saying, “Kit, now you are just making up subgenres.” Am I? Am I? Possibly, but let’s face it. Science fiction and westerns go together like mint and chocolate. Peanut butter and jelly. Cream soda and
Submission Tracking and Why You Should Use It
You know how it feels. You write something, you edit it, you polish it, and finally – FINALLY – it feels like you can let it go, let it out into the world to find its way. Its horrible, dangerous
Subgenre Study: Space Opera
This week on Subgenre Study we examine the science fiction subgenre of the space opera, a subgenre of adventure that tends to have more in common with most fantasy than other science fiction subgenres. (I managed to get the word
Subgenre Study: Paranormal
This one’s a bit controversial, friends. While I would put paranormal as a subgenre of fantasy, I’ve started to see publishers and agents list it separate, like it’s its own genre. Paranormal tends to involve things that are not quite
Subgenre Study: Steampunk
Steampunk, like Alternative History (that we talked about last week), is a subgenre that spans science fiction and fantasy but does not truly belong to either. It can often be found mixed with Alternative History as, to quote Wikipedia, “Specifically,
Inside Writing Jokes (and the Importance of New Eyes Periodically)
I have the privilege of belonging to a close-knit writing community. This is awesome. I suggest you find a writing community and join it too, because they are invaluable in many ways. What I have found, though, is sometimes things
Writing Serially
I belong to a prompt community. I joined, oh, four years ago or so with the idea that I’d be able to use the prompts to stir the creative juices. It hasn’t really worked out. Oh, it’s not the community’s
Subgenre Study: Alternative History
My mother recently read Leviathan and Behemoth (books 1 and 2 of the Leviathan Trilogy) by Scott Westerfeld. For those who haven’t read them (and you should) they are kind of an odd mix of steampunk and alternative history. But
