Dear Auntie Deborah: Help! My characters have gone amok and won’t follow the plot of my book! What can I do to whip them into shape? — A Frustrated Author Dear Frustrated: The short (but brutal) answer is that your characters … Continue reading
An author figures out how to write a novel without scratching her head and wondering how the heck she painted herself into this craft corner only after she has written six to eight novels. If she hops genres, it can take even more novels.
Continue readingDear Auntie Deborah: How can I find a real publisher for my YA novel, instead of one of the many vanity or scam presses? — Tearful Wannabee Dear Tearful: Do your research about publishers. Find out which accept unagented submissions. Check … Continue reading
New Worlds, Year Two: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding by Marie Brennan Explore a world of your own . . . Science fiction and fantasy are renowned for immersing their readers in rich, inventive settings. In this follow-up … Continue reading
Worldbuilding is one of the great pleasures of writing science fiction and fantasy — and also one of its greatest challenges. Award-winning fantasy author Marie Brennan draws on her academic training in anthropology to peel back the layers of a setting, going past the surface details to explore questions many authors never think to answer. She invites you to consider the endless variety of real-world cultures — from climate to counterfeiting, from sumptuary laws to slang — and the equally endless possibilities speculative fiction has to offer.
Continue readingBVC is delighted to be included in StoryBundle’s 2015 NaNoWriMo Writing Tools Bundle. Not only is our Brewing Fine Fiction anthology part of the bundle, so are two additional guides by BVC members: Writing Horses by Judith Tarr and Writing … Continue reading
Pitfalls and Pet Peeves by Vonda N. McIntyre Kristine Kathryn Rusch has just curated a storybundle, The Write Stuff, which includes my BVC writing chapbook, Pitfalls of Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy, plus Writing Horses — The Fine Art of … Continue reading
Writing Fight Scenes by Marie Brennan So you’re working on a story, and there comes a point where it ought to have a fight scene. But you’re sitting there thinking, “I’m not a martial artist! I’m not a member of … Continue reading
I love to take conventional wisdom and turn it on its head, following the tradition of rules are made to be broken but first you have to learn them. Beginning writers make mistakes. At least, I did, and I don’t … Continue reading
Writing Fight Scenes by Marie Brennan Have you ever: *Held a sword? *Taken a karate class? *Punched another person in the face? … Continue reading
