There is a third Rule of Writing, but it’s more a Rule of Editing: be short.
This is more than brevity being the soul of wit. Short is better than long most of the time. Paper magazines can’t publish three novellas in a row, but they can sometimes squidge things around and fit in … Read more
Alpha is pleased to announce that David Levine will teach for two days at the 2011 workshop.
Mr. Levine has sold over 40 science fiction and fantasy short stories to publications such as Analog, Asimov’s, Realms of Fantasy, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Daily Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Interzone. In addition, he … Read more
I have a confession to make: I love rejection letters. My heart skips a beat every time one appears in my e-mail inbox, and before I click to open it I revel in the delicious sensation of not knowing what the e-mail contains. You may imagine that this anticipation is due to wondering whether the … Read more
Before I write, I need an idea. I’ll think it out, go through all the scenes, and then I promise myself I’ll write it down. Then, I will absolutely forget about it. Why? Because I have no self-discipline. Why else? Because I have no motivation.
There are two ways to motivate yourself. You … Read more
Ann Cecil, an amazing woman and staff at all but the most recent Alpha, died this morning. She will be very much missed.
Ann was active in fandom and helped found PARSEC and Confluence. More than that, she committed part of each year to helping pass on her knowledge of science fiction and fantasy … Read more
Sometimes writers or editors will talk about character arcs, and plot arcs, and all kinds of other arcs until you think if you hear the word ‘arc’ again you’re going to arc all over someone’s carpet. They say this with the idea that basically, a story is meant to go somewhere and have some kind … Read more
Action scenes. The snippets they use for trailers in summer blockbusters. The exclamation points of storytelling. The bits that are sometimes a pain in the butt to get through when you’re writing them.
Contrary to what some people seem to think, they do serve a purpose beyond adding excitement and explosions to a story … Read more
