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Science fiction stories typically arise from a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a “reality” in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or faster-than-light spacecraft; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as “The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to determine the meaning ofContinue reading “5 Sci Fi Writing Prompts – Novums”

A sign of true craftsmanship for a writer is when he selects the right words and arranges them in an evocative way. After all, the most interesting character facing a significant moral decision in a fast-paced plot and exotic setting will sound flat if the words used are wrong. The vocabulary choices and ways they areContinue reading “Give your Writing Class with Appropriate Diction”

“Major writing is to say what has been seen, so that it need never be said again.” – Delmore Schwartz “A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.” – Raymond Chandler “Good writing is remembering detail. Most people want to forget. Don’t forget things that were painful or embarrassing or silly. Turn themContinue reading “5 Great Quotations about “Good Writing””

You’ve written story after story, but none of them ever seem to measure up to your favorite authors’ pieces. Meanwhile, the few of your stories that you thought were actually decent won’t sell. You’re starting to wonder if you have the natural-born talent to be a writer. Before you start getting hard on yourself, we shouldContinue reading “Writing Success: Is it Talent or Hard Work?”

“Books have to be heavy because the whole world’s inside them.” – Cornelia Funke “I love the smell of book ink in the morning.” – Umberto Eco “Nothing is more human than a book.” – Marilynne Robinson “A life without books is a thirsty life, and one without poetry is…like a life without pictures.” – StephenContinue reading “5 Great Quotations about Books”

“I was inspired to write this book by those who are skeptical of the power of freedom to change the world.” – Nathan Sharansky “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank “I write to discover what I think. After all, the bars aren’t open thatContinue reading “5 Great Quotations about “Why Write?””

Along with achieving the right level of readability in your web text, you need to strike the appropriate tone. Tone is the author’s attitude toward a subject. It might be angry or weary or irreverent or any of a thousand other emotions and physical states. Visitors to your author site who find your tone unbefitting almost certainly will leave. Though the desiredContinue reading “Pay Attention to Tone on Your Author Website”

Science fiction stories typically arise from a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a “reality” in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or faster-than-light spacecraft; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as “The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to determine the meaning ofContinue reading “5 Fascinating Science Fiction Writing Prompts”