Tag: why we write

X is for Xenocide

This post isn’t just about the third book in the Ender’s Game series–it’s about the genocide of an entire alien race, which is actually a fairly important trope in science fiction. Of all the evils of our modern era, perhaps the most heinous is the systematic extermination of an entire race or ethnicity.  These acts… Continue reading X is for Xenocide

I have a confession…

…I’ve started writing a Sword & Planet story. In case you’re wondering what the heck is Sword & Planet, think Conan the Barbarian in space.  With giant lizards and man-eating plants.  And half-naked princesses getting kidnapped by evil technomancers with giant four-armed bodyguards that wield laser-bladed swords.  Basically, science fiction in the style of the… Continue reading I have a confession…

Q is for Quark

If it takes a village to raise a child, does it take a group of like-minded creative souls to raise a writer? I don’t know, but in my case, having a writing community around me really helped.  That community was Quark, BYU’s Science Fiction & Fantasy club. I joined Quark my second semester of college. … Continue reading Q is for Quark

Random thoughts on creativity and a cover preview

I’ve noticed that I tend to go through at least two revisions on most of my stories.  The first one generally identifies the problems in the rough draft and eliminates them, while the second one adds anything that’s missing and smooths the story over so that it works as a whole.  They both use different… Continue reading Random thoughts on creativity and a cover preview

LTUE 2013

Man, LTUE 2013 was this weekend, and it was AWESOME.  One of the best conventions I’ve ever attended.  I spoke on my first panel, attended my first book signing event as an author, and got to meet up with some old friends, as well as some amazing new people. Since I live tweeted most of… Continue reading LTUE 2013

4:04 hours and 2.8k words. Not bad!

You know, sometimes I miss the days when I would churn out 1,000+ badly written words and throw up a badly written blog post, still reeling in awe from a white-hot creative heat. Well, I think those days are coming back!  Except hopefully, my writing has improved since then.  Today was the first day I… Continue reading 4:04 hours and 2.8k words. Not bad!

When men cry, or in defense of damaged characters

I recently read an amazing blog post by Shannon Hale titled “Why boys don’t read girls (sometimes).” In it, she makes a number of excellent points about how our society stigmatizes boys who read “girlie books,” and why that’s harmful. Perhaps the most moving part of the post was at the end, where she described… Continue reading When men cry, or in defense of damaged characters

Form rejection and WOTF closure

So I finally got an email from the Writers of the Future contest.  It reads: Dear Entrant, Your story has now been judged and did not win or place in the 1st quarter. Even though you have never had to wait for results in order to submit for the next quarter, this hopefully gives you… Continue reading Form rejection and WOTF closure

Thoughts after finishing Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson

Whoa. If I had to sum up my thoughts with one word, that would be it–though of course, by itself that word is hopelessly inadequate.  Let’s just say that, for me at least, this  was a truly astounding book, a literary journey that left me wide-eyed with my mouth hanging open, blinking wearily as I… Continue reading Thoughts after finishing Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson