Archive for the ‘SFWA Blog’ Category

Unusual Governments to Take Inspiration From

by Eleanor Konik   Often, speculative fiction relies on common government types, like monarchies and republics, because they’re familiar to readers. History, however, offers other examples of sociopolitical systems. They can be a gold mine for worldbuilding ideas that stretch beyond the mainstream. Informal Governments Many societies worked just fine without strict hierarchical leadership. Power […]

SFWA Market Report—August 2021

Welcome to the August edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA. The markets included on this list all pay at least $0.08/word in at least one length category of fiction. New Markets Buckmxn Story Service Xenocultivars: Stories of […]

In Memoriam: Patricia Kennealy-Morrison

Patricia Kennealy-Morrison’s (b. Patricia Kennely, 1946) death was announced on July 22. Kennealy-Morrison got her start as a music journalist, serving as the editor-in-chief of Jazz & Pop and becoming one of the first female rock critics. In the 1980s, Kennealy-Morrison began publishing an epic space opera series, The Keltiad, which followed a group of Celts who […]

In Memoriam: William F. Nolan

William F. Nolan (b.1928) died on July 15 from complications due to an infection. He was 93. Nolan was best known for his work on Logan’s Run in 1967, co-authored with George Clayton Johnson. The work was later made into a film for which the team received a SFWA Nebula and Hugo Award nomination. An early fan of […]

Neurodiversity and the Business of Writing, Part 2: ND Difficulties in Publishing

by Matthew Broberg-Moffitt Part 1 of this series focused on the importance of #OwnVoices stories and the representation of neurodiversity and the neurodiverse (ND) in modern media. Part 2 covers the business of traditional publishing and the unique challenges that the ND face when attempting to get a seat at the proverbial table.  For those […]

SFWA Market Report For July

Welcome to the July edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA. New Markets Life Beyond Us: An Original Anthology of SF Stories and Science Essays The Big Issue Currently Open Analog Science Fiction & Fact Apex Magazine Asimov’s […]

Nonviolence and the Hero’s Duel

by Gabriel Ertsgaard From Hector and Achilles to Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, the heroic duel is a fiction staple. However, my special interest (and the topic of my unfinished book) is how to tell stories of nonviolent heroism. How do we tell gripping stories without the charge of heroic violence? Is it even possible […]

SFWA Market Report For June

Welcome to the June edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA. New Markets Muddy Paw Press Contest Opulent Syntax: Irish Speculative Fiction Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas Spirit Machine Currently Open Analog Science Fiction & Fact […]

What Technology Can’t SF Writers Live Without?

by Julie Nováková   SF authors are accustomed to creating intelligent spaceships, spinning space stations, flying cars or super-advanced robots, but what real-world technology can’t they live without in their everyday life, especially with relation to their writing process? Authors from the upcoming Life Beyond Us anthology answer this question. When I started editing an […]