Here’s my latest Space-Time Continuum column from the January 2023 issue of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild’s magazine, Freelance. “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” —Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass Humpty Dumpty, noted wall-sitter and …
Tag: writing
A new seven-sentence short story: Swinging to the Guru
I just completed this year’s Seven-Sentence Short Story workshop for the When Words Collide writers’ convention, at which I’m one of the Guests of Honor this year. This exercise, created by short-story writer extraordinaire James Van Pelt, has been a great success every time I’ve conducted it. Below is my story, written extemporaneously during the …
A new seven-sentence short story: The Quantum Beast
Earlier today, as part of this year’s online version of When Words Collide, the great annual writing conference in Calgary, I led about forty writers through the Seven-Sentence Short Story exercise, created by science fiction and fantasy author (and former English teacher) James Van Pelt, who was on hand and took part himself! I’ve used this …
The Space-Time Continuum: Why do we write?
This is my latest “Space-Time Continuum” column for the Saskatchewan Writers Guild‘s news magazine Freelance. Have you ever asked yourself why you write? Or asked your writer friends why they write? I have. In fact, I literallyasked myself that question in one episode of my ongoing podcast, The Worldshapers (www.theworldshapers.com), featuring conversations with science fiction and fantasy …
I talk about worldbuilding!
On Tuesday of this week I gave a presentation at the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild office, part of its Write After Lunch series of authors’ talks, entitled “Worldshaping.” The topic was what is usually called “worldbuilding,” but since my upcoming eighth novel for DAW Books (for which I just received the page proofs) is called Worldshaper, …
The Space-Time Continuum: Steam-Engine Time
Here’s my latest column from Freelance, the magazine of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild. All forms of art, from the visual to the theatrical, from motion pictures to literature, tend to go through movements. One reason for this is simply copycatting, something that is most clearly seen in the motion picture industry: somebody makes a movie …
The Space-Time Continuum: What do writers owe their readers?
Here’s my latest column from Freelance, the magazine of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild. The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in George R.R. Martin’s bestselling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, still doesn’t have a release date, six years after the release of A Dance with Dragons. (And there’s a final book, A …
First description of Worldshaper, my next novel for DAW Books
The release of Worldshaper, Book 1 in the Worldshapers series, is still 10 months away (it’s set for September 2018), but that’s not very long in publishing terms. My editor at DAW Books, Sheila Gilbert, and I are already talking about cover art. And I’ve also been asked to write “sell copy” describing the book. …
The Space-Time Continuum: What’s the Big Idea?
Here’s my latest “Space-Time Continuum” column from the Saskatchewan Writers Guild‘s magazine Freelance. “Where do you get your ideas?” is a question every author has heard multiple times. I usually say something about how story ideas are all around us, and give some examples. But recently I’ve realized there are two different kinds of ideas …
The Space-Time Continuum: Aliens in Science Fiction
Having just posted my column from the February/March 2017 issue of Freelance, the magazine of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild (see previous post), it behooves me to be more timely and post the most recent column, from the April/May issue. And here it is! I remember being confused, as a kid, the first time I encountered the …
The Space-Time Continuum: Creating Magic Systems
This is a belated posting of my column from the February-March 2017 issue of Freelance, the magazine of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild. Don’t know how I missed posting it, but better late than never! Most fantasy stories include magic: that’s kind of what makes them fantasy. (In fact, if I had to distinguish between fantasy …
A long, in-depth interview with…moi! (Trigger warning: includes questions about religion and politics)
Recently Everitt Foster over the blog A Natural Reaction asked me to answer some questions for an online interview, one of a series he’s been conducting with authors who have been early adopters of the new social media platform Gab, a would-be Twitter rival. (My handle over there is ewillett.) You can read the interview …
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Episode 136: J. G. Gardner
An hour-long interview with J.G. Gardner, scientist and author of the new high-fantasy novel The Path from Regret. Websitejgardnerauthor.com J. G. Gardner’s Amazon page The Introduction J.G. Gardner has a Ph.D. in Microbiology and is currently a researcher working on new ways to generate renewable energy using bacteria. While having published many technical papers on… -
Episode 135: Rebecca Yarros
An hour-long chat with Rebecca Yarros, the USA Today– and New York Times-bestselling author of more than fifteen novels, including the just-released Fourth Wing, book one of the new fantasy series The Empyrean. Websiterebeccayarros.com Facebook@RebeccaElizabethYarros rTwitter@RebeccaYarros Instagram@RebeccaYarros Rebecca Yarros’s Amazon Page The Introduction Rebecca Yaros is the USA Today– and New York Times-bestselling author of… -
Episode 134: Brent Weeks
An hour-plus chat with Brent Weeks, bestselling and award-winning author of the Night Angel Trilogy and the Lightbringer Series and the just-released Night Angel Nemesis, first book in a new series, The Kylar Chronicles. Websitebrentweeks.com Facebook@BrentWeeksAuthor Twitter@brentweeks YouTube Brent Weeks’s Amazon Page The Introduction In a small-town Montana school at age twelve, Brent Weeks met… -
Episode 133: P. L. Stuart
An hour-long chat with P.L. Stuart, bestselling Canadian fantasy author of The Drowned Kingdom Saga, inspired by Plato’s tale of the lost realm of Atlantis. Websiteplstuart.com Facebook@plstuartwrites Twitter@plstuartwrites Instagram@p.l.stuart YouTube@thedrownedkingdomsaga7847 P.L. Stuart’s Amazon Page The Introduction P.L. Stuart was born in Toronto and holds a university degree in English, specializing in Medieval Literature. He is… -
Episode 132: D.J. Williams
An hour-long chat with D.J. Williams, author of Hunt for Eden’s Star, Book 1 of the new Beacon Hill series: “Harry Potter meets Young Indiana Jones.” Websitesdjwilliamsbooks.comthebeaconhillseries.com Twitter@djwilliamsbooks Instagram@djwilliamsbooks Facebook@djwilliams316 D.J. Williams’s Amazon Page The Introduction With the DNA of a world traveller, D.J. Williams was born and raised in Hong Kong, igniting an adventurous… -
Episode 131: Alex Shvartsman
An hour-long chat with writer, translator, game designer, and anthologist Alex Shvartsman, author of three fantasy novels and more than 120 short stories. Websitewww.alexshvartsman.com Facebook@shvartsman.alex Twitter@AShvartsman Alex Shvartsman’s Website Alex Shvartsman is a writer, translator, game designer, and anthologist from Brooklyn, NY. His adventures so far have included traveling to over thirty countries, playing a… -
Episode 130: James S. Peet
An hour-long chat with James S. Peet, author of the Corps of Discovery science fiction series, set in the multiverse. Websitejamespeet.com Facebook James S. Peet’s Amazon Page The Introduction James S. Peet is a modern-day Renaissance Man. He’s lived on four continents in six countries and visited countless more. He’s been a National Park Service… -
Episode 129: Julie Czerneda and Edward Willett
Listen in as DAW Books authors Julie Czerneda and Edward Willett talk to each other about their latest books, To Each This World (Julie) and The Tangled Stars (Ed). Websitesczerneda.comedwardwillett.comDAW Books Facebook@JulieCzernedaOfficialFanPage@edward.willett@DAWBooks Twitter@julieczerneda@ewillett@DAWBooks Instagram@julieczerneda@edwardwillettauthor@DAWBooks Amazon Author PagesJulie CzernedaEdward Willett Source -
Episode 128: Eli K.P. William
An hour-long chat with Eli K.P. William, Japanese literary translator and author of the Jubilee Cycle science fiction trilogy, set in a near-future Tokyo. Websiteelikpwilliam.com Facebook@elikp.william Twitter@Dice_Carver Eli K.P. William’s Amazon Page The Introduction Eli K.P. William is a novelist and Japanese literary translator. He is the author of the Jubilee Cycle trilogy, set in… -
Episode 127: Monte Schulz
An hour-long chat with Monte Schulz, novelist, composer, owner of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and eldest son of the late Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. Websiteswww.monteschulz.comwww.metropolisthebook.com Facebook@monte.schulz.7 Twitter@monteschulz Monte Schulz, author of the dystopian coming-of-age novel Metropolis (Fantagraphics), received his M.A. in American Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He published his…
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