Science-fiction writer
I’m talking about novels, of course. Be naughty in your own time. Each genre has an average expected novel length, and usually for first-time-authors that length is almost a condition. For science-fiction novels, the average length is usually between 90 and 120K, and if the author hasn’t been published before, agents and publishers will rarely [...]
These two extremes of speculative fiction have always provided a stark contrast to modern reality, and have fascinated through their often “visionary” aspects. Anyone interested in science-fiction or modern fantasy has stumbled upon stories that paint the future in a decided color. Such stories always awaken a powerful curiosity in us, and we often close [...]
Everyone gets stuck now and then, it’s normal. There are countless ways to get unstuck again, but I believe the best cure for it is the geeky child within us. Not some illusive secret, not some magic trick, not some philosophical thinky-thoughts, and certainly not resignation to the idea and trudging along anyway as if [...]
I’ve recently started a new series of speculative posts, in which I pose a What If question and try to investigate its potential. This is an open discussion and you’re all very welcome to participate. Or just teleport the discussion to your own blog. Or to the far reaches of outer space where it can [...]
Time for a fresh wind to hunt across the planes of this blog, and shake some new ideas from the treetops. Starting this year, I’ll be hosting guest posts by fellow writers as a monthly thing. I’ve met so many smart, creative and motivated writers since I started blogging, I thought it would be a [...]
I’m not a very confrontational person, but there are things I believe and stand for which don’t allow me to yield. Some of these are listed below. Science-fiction is called visionary for a good reason. It challenges us to recognize and admit the faults in our current mentality and social models, to consider where technological [...]
Wild speculation and extrapolative thinking is an important part of being a science-fiction writer. It keeps your gears oiled and your sense of wonder alive, not to mention it’s an integral part of worldbuilding. Bah, who am I kidding, it just makes so much fun to go all crazy about stuff and let your inner [...]
There’s nothing I love talking about more than writing science-fiction and all the things that flow into it. I’m aware that many great minds have said many great things about this genre, and many brilliant writers have left their spectacular mark on it throughout the years. I’m also acutely aware I haven’t published any work [...]
I’m still wondering about the expectations and priorities of writers in general, and of science-fiction writers in particular. My sincere apologies if this seems repetitive, but I need to set a few things straight before I move on, otherwise this thingum will gnaw at me and suck much needed neuronal capacity away from my revision. [...]
Science-fiction writers have an enormous advantage over scientists, but unfortunately most of us don’t realize it, and the rest don’t exploit it to its full extent. It’s something most scientists lack, it’s the cause of their limitations, compromises and inflexibility, and the main reason today’s mainstream scientific theory about the workings and origin of the [...]
I'm fascinated with the dynamics of the human mind and the mechanics of the universe, so I twist both of them into a twine and make a pretty little bow. Around a plasma cannon!
