The deadline’s approaching fast, you might have your story in, you might not, you suddenly have to wait to find out. Use this thread to talk to each other. You can talk about your application stories too, if you want; I promise that the application committee will not read this.
Take a deep breath … Read more
Every year, Alphans gather together to submit to the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing, then to wonder just when the news will come out.
This year, we’d like to congratulate Alphan Lara Donnelly, whose story “To the Dogs” won the Dell Award for 2013. The first runner-up … Read more
There are so many reasons we love Alpha. It’s not just that it makes successful writers out of talented teenagers, although we all learn a lot about stories, plots, character arcs, dedication, even about where to send our work. It isn’t even just the ten days at the workshop, though those are full of learning … 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
It’s (usually) easy to tell if a story is Genre, which is within-our-genre-speak for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Sometimes Horror. Does it have dragons? Does it have ray guns? Which animals talk, and why?
Then you have to explain that yes, you write fantasy, but– no, not like Tolkien, no, not like Harry Potter … Read more
If you’re interested in writing science fiction, fantasy, or horror stories, then you’re probably already a fan of those genres. You’ve heard of conventions, those strange gatherings of geeks and nerds, but if you’ve never been to one, you most likely have a few misconceptions, or no knowledge whatsoever. My job is to correct that … Read more
