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For Writers: Dieselpunk

dieselpunk

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer MK Mancos: Dieselpunk. A quick Google search reveals this from Wikipedia: Dieselpunk is a genre similar to that of its more well-known cousin “steampunk” that combines the aesthetics of the diesel-based technology of the interwar period through to the 1950s with retro-futuristic technology and postmodern sensibilities. Coined in 2001 by game designer Lewis Pollak to describe his role-playing game Children of the Sun, the term has since been applied to a variety of visual art, music, motion pictures, fiction, and engineering. Color me intriqued. So my questions today: Has anyone written Dieselpunk? How does … Read more

For Readers: Strange Sex

Sex in Queer Sci Fi land can get… interesting. From alien appendages (tentacles, anyone?) to magical potions, from shifter sex to elf kink, LGBTIQ speculative fiction writers have explored the gamut when it comes to sexuality. One of my favorites so far is in an upcoming book by Angel Martinez and Bellora Quin. I can’t say too much about it (hello, spoilers), so let’s just say it involves the construction of a special table to, um, facilitate things. What’s the strangest speculative fiction love scene or sex scene you’ve ever read? And did you like it? Writers: This is a … Read more

Submissions Week Day Six: Do’s and Don’t’s

Submissions Week

Welcome to the last day of our second annual submissions week – were we’ll talk about all things submissions. This is a great opportunity for our newer authors to learn things from our veterans – how to prepare your story (whether it’s a short story, a novella, a novel, poem etc) for submission to a publisher. OK, folks, we’re at the end of our submissions week – I’m really happy with how it turned out, and we’ll do it again next year. :) The final topic is a little broad, and is a great recap for the week – what … Read more

For Readers: Ripped From the Headlines

Crystal Ball

Things are happening every day on the modern world. New worlds are being discovered or inferred (sorry, Pluto!), science is discovering cures for some things and new threats from others, and social movements are remaking societies. So our question for today: What current science or social story would you like to read a sci fi extrapolation of? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

Submissions Week Day Five: Blurbs and Summaries

Submissions Week

Welcome to our first submissions week – were we’ll talk about all things submissions. This is a great opportunity for our newer authors to learn things from our veterans – how to prepare your story (whether it’s a short story, a novella, a novel, poem etc) for submission to a publisher. Today’s topic – writing blurbs and summaries. Let me start by saying that every author I know hates writing these things, but especially they hate writing blurbs. Few things a writer has to do inspire more fear and loathing. By their very nature, shortened versions of your story tend … Read more

For Readers: Now or Later?

sci fi world

Sci fi can take many forms. Some of it is set in the present or near future – the movie “Her” was a great example of this. Watching the film, it was easy to believe the events portrayed could take place in the next few years. Some go a little farther out. The Martian is a good example of this – we’re in the future, but still recognizably our future. And still others go much farther afield, with only a tenuous connection (or none at all) to the world we know. Do you prefer reading LGBTIQ sci fi that is … Read more

Submissions Week Day Four: Cover Letters

Submissions Week

Welcome to our first submissions week – were we’ll talk about all things submissions. This is a great opportunity for our newer authors to learn things from our veterans – how to prepare your story (whether it’s a short story, a novella, a novel, poem etc) for submission to a publisher. Today, your first foot in the door. The cover letter. When you send in your work, many publishers will require a cover letter – something telling the a little bit about who you are and the story you are sending in. Many will also have guidelines for this, so … Read more

For Readers: Where Do You Read?

reading

We all have our own favorite places to cozy up with a good book (or our kindle, or iPad, or whatever you like to read on) For some of us, it’s outside. Others prefer a cozy bed, or a warm spot by the fire on a rainy winter evening. So where do you read? In bed? In the line at the Post office? Under your favorite tree? Wherever you can? Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Join the chat

Submissions Week Day Three: Beta Readers

Submissions Week

Hey all, Welcome to our second annual submissions week – were we’ll talk about all things submissions. This is a great opportunity for our newer authors to learn things from our veterans – how to prepare your story (whether it’s a short story, a novella, a novel, poem etc) for submission to a publisher. Today we’ll tackle something many self-publishing authors neglect – having someone else proof your stuff before you publish it. They’re called “beta readers”, and they may or may not be professional editors. We’re all too close to our own work – we often can’t see the … Read more

For Readers: What is Steampunk?

Steampunk Fantasy

Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Richard Wood: Do you consider steampunk to be Fantasy or SF? To me it can be either depending on how written and the overall story line. it’s a good question. Some subgenres generally fit pretty neatly into a larger one – space travel or time travel generally fits well with sci fi in general, and urban fantasy is genewrally a good fit for fantasy (though there are always exceptions. My initial reaction is that steampunk fits under sci fi… but then, maybe not… could it also fit under fantasy or paranormal? So my questions … Read more