September 7, 2011 – 22:13
I realized between this post and the last that I left out something extremely important when it comes to how not to write romance. I mentioned a few common tropes that drive me crazy. I didn’t go into any of the larger implications of certain types of “romance” or our responsibility as contributors to popular … Read more
Romances are defined as a lot of different things, all vaguely related to one another. A strong, sometimes short-lived fascination or enthusiasm for something. A mysterious quality or appeal, as of something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful. An artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an … Read more
Your writing is valuable. Your time, your words and your skill have gone into honing a story, and that story is worth something.
Getting published is hard. There are a lot of unpublished authors in this world, and only so many paying markets. This gives publishers a lot of power. They can ask for … Read more
A pun is not a premise; it is a pun. A twist ending is not a premise. A punchline is not a premise unless your story is very, very short.
Premise, for all the things it is not, is difficult to define. It is not like characters, who are the people who walk around … Read more
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the second half of my two-part post on description! Part one can be found here.
Getting back into it, let’s start with Rule Three, which I consider the most important rule: I would argue that all description (as with anything else in your story) should inherently be guided … Read more
When I was in middle school and had just gotten into The Lord of the Rings, I was shocked to hear my friends describe the books, books that I considered haunting and hilarious works of art, as dense and boring – “too much description,” they said. “Too many hills.” I was appalled. At the time … Read more
This post is short, but exciting! Two Alpha alumni, Allison Jamieson-Lucy (2009 & 2010) and Evelyn Wang (2010) have recently published short stories.
Allison’s story, “To Soothe Ravaged Throats,” can be found at Daily Science Fiction, and Evelyn’s story, “Tippler’s Bane,” is available in podcast form over at Pseudopod. Congratulations to Allison … Read more
“Writing is hard,” I complained.
“In what way?” Mom asked, her eyes on the flour she was dumping into a bowl.
“I don’t know what they should say!”
Dialogue has never, ever been my favorite. I like the pretty descriptions, the working things out in their head. It’s a weakness in my … Read more
It seems like titles should be a reward. After the long struggle of making a story that is acceptable to all eyes including your own, the title should be the cherry on top of the most magnificent ice cream sundae of all time.
Titling, however, often seems more difficult than finding a perfect magical … Read more
…is manuscript format. Every year.
Why manuscript format?
Because it makes things easier.
You can write in whatever format you want. Write in pencil at the end of your Algebra notebook, scribble in pen on receipts, write white-on-blue on the computer, dictate to a person or a program … Read more
