There are pretty much two ways a sf/fantasy writer can go about writing and worldbuilding: come up with a story, and build a world for it to be in; or […]
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Perils of the Writer: The Overexplanation of Genre
I recently discovered a little gem of satire: How David Weber Orders a Pizza. Go check it out. I’ll wait. Back? I’ll admit, I laughed a lot there, because it […]
Read moreLoneStarCon and the Amazing People in this Industry
So, I will attending WorldCon in San Antonio at the end of the month, though I won’t be appearing on any panels. Given the size and scope of this thing, […]
Read moreSo, Some Books Are “Girl Books”? I don’t get that.
I work with children during the summer, and it’s always fascinating to see the natural patterns of how children behave. Some things are very common amongst any group of children. […]
Read moreOrson Scott Card and Tolerating Intolerance
One of the things circulating the genre-fan news is how Orson Scott Card, author of Ender’s Game and noted anti-gay crusader, has recently put out a plea for “tolerance” of […]
Read moreBad Movies I’ve Seen Many, Many Times: The Beastmaster
As a child of the 80s, I grew up with the long, lazy summers and a full cable package. We had the whole boat: HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and The Movie […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Hard and Soft Imports
In the earliest days of this blog, I talked about my “fantasy manifesto“, and part of it was, “Do Not Copy And Paste Cultures“. I still believe in that fundamental […]
Read moreWorldbuilding: Complexity in the Political Landscapes
As part of Way of the Shield, I’ve been delving deeper into the politics of Druthal. In doing so, I’m taking into account the same thing I said about strawmen […]
Read moreReliability: The Writer’s Most Crucial Trait
Back at the ArmadilloCon Writers’ Workshop, one piece of advice I felt comfortable dispensing to the crowd of students was about any social media presence they might have. Namely, I […]
Read moreThe Plotless Meander
“Celeste And Jesse’s script… is shapeless and witless, aiming for an offhandedness in the interactions that instead comes off as contrived, or sometimes just bland” – AV Club review of […]
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