How to Tell Science From Pseudoscience

July 18th, 2022  |  Season 5  |  8 mins 18 secs

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Throughout time, there has always been a struggle between science and pseudoscience. Even as we’ve learned more, done better, some have always insisted on ignoring those advances.

On the titular panel at Worldcon 2019, Dublin, Eugene Doherty, Sam Scheiner, Cristina Macia, and moderated by Stephen Nelson, discussed the daily fight against pseudoscience beliefs.

Sex, Sexuality, and World Building

July 11th, 2022  |  Season 5  |  10 mins 35 secs

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My last post was on asexual representation. Literally. Today, I bring you the flip side. I mostly write younger stuff or fade-to-black scenes to avoid any explicitness of this issue, but a lot of you out there are writing it as the forefront of your novel.

At the titular panel, moderated by Jennifer Povey: D’Amanda Martini, Nobilis Reed, Mark L. Van Name, and Lisa Hawkridge managed to keep on topic WHILE keeping it all about books and writing. I was VERY impressed.

Season 5: Trailer

June 13th, 2022  |  Season 5  |  41 secs

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Welcome back for season 5 of "Writing Tips and Writerly Musings". I've got a lot in store for you with tips from the pros. Kicking off with 'Intro to Hopepunk', and even a few of my own tricks for managing my time with Trello.

Coming Of Age vs YA

June 6th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  8 mins 8 secs

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Coming of age stories have always been a large part of the fantasy genre in particular, but now, it can be hard to know where to draw the line between YA and Adult novels.

Advancing Your Story... Without Traumatizing Your Characters (or Readers)

May 23rd, 2022  |  Season 4  |  14 mins 52 secs

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You know stories need stakes. You know you need to get your readers to care. So? You try to make the stakes big enough and scary enough to drive the story forward. But you don’t HAVE to traumatize characters — or readers — to advance your story.

Dynamic Voice Acting

May 9th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  10 mins 26 secs

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If you find yourself behind the microphone, sharing a story of your own, be prepared to pull in your audience with Dynamic Voice Acting.

"But I'm Not A YA Writer": Gender Biases In The Book World

May 2nd, 2022  |  Season 4  |  11 mins 21 secs

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Women writers of speculative fiction are often getting shelved with the YA books -- even when they're clearly not intended for teens. Unfortunately, getting misclassified has dire consequences for the novel. How is this happening and how can we stop this trend?

Writing Motivation For Doomsday Cults

April 25th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  7 mins 55 secs

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Doomsday cults have been around for a long time, probably since the dawn of civilization. Writers and readers alike have found them endlessly fascinating. But, what motivates someone to start a doomsday cult? And why do people join?

CSI: Fantasy Edition

April 18th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  7 mins 26 secs

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When you're writing a story, there's usually SOMETHING the main character doesn't know and has to figure out. Sometimes, it's what someone else is thinking. It could be, where to find the McGuffin? But often? There's a whole mystery to solve! With a body growing cold.

Logistics and Tactics: Writing Military Campaigns

April 11th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  8 mins 50 secs

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Most writers end up writing fight scenes -- be they verbal or physical. But some writers, especially if they're writing historical novels, epic fantasy, or military fiction are going to be in the fight for the long haul. They're going to writing a Military Campaign. Here are mistakes to avoid.