Come the beginning of my pro career, in the early Eighties, women were discouraged from writing science fiction. (Hard, muscular SF was for boys.) Fantasy was deemed more appropriate, being so much softer and “easier,” or so one was told, and frankly it sold better. And here I had this monster of a thing that could best be called science fantasy—mages with space ships. And empire, of course. Must have empire.
Odyssey’s online classes are unique among writing programs. Sessions are held live through Web conferencing software, so students can have an active learning process, asking questions and participating in discussions.
by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
To be able to practice our art in a space and time when we are free from thinking of anything else but that practice is a vital and precious good.
As fiction writers, we talk a lot about humor. We talk about what’s funny. We talk about what isn’t. We talk about appropriate moments for humor, the types of audience best suited to it, and the consequences of attempted humor gone horribly wrong.
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
If I had a week with nothing to do, I would write amazing words. I would write a book. I would write a million words and then dream the story while I slept under the stars and then I would write another million words and the faeries would come out and dance around me and I would make novels like the miller’s daughter spinning gold out of straw.
by Jaym Gates and Joie Brown
Last week we discussed some of the basics we use to stay organized, but this week we’re delving into some of the grittier details—client information, multiple deadlines, business cards.
by Jaym Gates and Joie Brown
The life of a freelancer isn’t all champagne and breakfast in bed. To make a living out of the bits and pieces of available contracting work requires a lot of juggling, steady nerves, and an organizational savvy that’s definitely bordering on the supernatural.
by Kate Heartfield In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was a dabbler in short fiction. I wrote about one story each year. I’d send that story out once, maybe twice if I felt cocky, and then I’d trunk it, figuring that a rejection or two meant a story was no good. Somehow, despite this method […]
by Aidan Doyle
The Pomodoro Technique is a popular time management system that has helped improve my writing productivity. The technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo and basically involves setting a timer for 25 minutes and focusing on a single task.
by Jason S. Ridler, PhD.
WARNING: This article will not end with me being rich and famous, having a bestseller or a million-dollar movie deal, or even being able to quit my day job. Nor will it instruct you on how to hit those targets. If those are your goals, please, go elsewhere.
From the cosmic to the ghostly, A Prisoner of Dreamland and Other Oneiric Terrors presents fourteen tales that take the reader on a tour de force journey through the twilight kingdom of dreams.
Harold R. Thompson’s first science fiction novel, Orphans of Sturnus, was released in 2024. He is also the author of many science fiction and fantasy short stories. He lives in Nova Scotia and, when not writing, works for Parks Canada.
