Reposted: Of Heroes, Dark Heroes, Antiheroes, and the Next Generation of Readers

Take a look at this fantastic piece by Adam Lane Smith, readers: Heroes, Dark Heroes, Antiheroes, and the Next Generation of Readers Much has been made about the oft-lamented shift from Hero to Antihero and the modern obsession with romanticizing evil. Most frequently, I’ve heard this complaint directed at modern western media’s fixation on selecting …

Reposted: On Business and Politics

Take a look at this fantastic piece by Mr. Benjamin Cheah, readers: Where Politics and Business Collide April 20, 2020 In cyberpunk fiction, megacorps rule the world. But in our world, why would they? Old-school cyberpunk fiction was framed as a critique of hypercapitalism. Megacorporations have the same political clout as governments, if not more …

Reposted: Keeping Fantasy Fantastic

Check out this excellent post by Cheah Kit Sun, readers: Fantasy Without Fantasy Modernity has ruined fantasy. At one end of the scale, there is the slice-of-life tale, with ordinary people doing ordinary things, just with some counterfactual elements. At the other end, there is a setting that appears totally foreign to our reality–and yet …

10 Exercises to Help Improve Your Writing Skills

Unless they are preternaturally gifted, most aspiring authors’ prose is less than stellar when they begin setting their stories down. This can be disheartening, and some writers throw in the towel after their first few attempts show no improvement. For those who persist, it can take time to identify which particular skills they need to …

Need An Idea for an Alien Environment?

If so, National Geographic may have found one for you five years ago. In 2015, researchers funded by NatGeo went to investigate Kavachi, an underwater volcano near the Solomon Islands. Divers cannot get near it due to the high content of acid in the water, a product of Kavachi’s eruptions and consistent rumblings. To get …

On Theme – What It Is, and How It Affects Your Fiction

For most beginning writers, theme does not seem to be a particularly important part of the writing process. Some probably believe it just occurs organically. While that can and does happen, it is usually a rare occurrence. Though every storyteller has experienced it, this is not a reliable method to rely on for adding a …

Plant a Standard….

          You cannot choose your battlefields,           The gods do that for you.           But you can plant a standard           Where a standard never flew. – Nathalia Crane, 1913 One of the most pernicious movements of our time may be the idea that artists can change the world. For decades …