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FOR WRITERS: When is it Good Enough?

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FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Charli Coty: How do you know when to stop revising/submitting/querying a story? Do you always persevere until they’re published or do you have “trunk novels” that you’ve given up on? If you have trunk novels, what about these stories kept them from seeing the light of day (either in your own estimation or based on rejection feedback you received)? Join the chat

FOR READERS: The Title Did It

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FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Denise Dechene: I have a subject for the bucket-A lot of readers talk about covers. That the reason they picked the book up and read the blurb was because the cover grabbed them. My question is what about the title of the book? Have you picked up and read the blurb on a book because the title grabbed you and you had to know what the book was about? Has a title of a book made you turn away and not want to read the book? Writers: This is a reader chat … Read more

FOR WRITERS: Alternate Genders

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FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer John Allenson: Have we ever discussed writting gender past male/female binaries? The Andorians in Star Trek have four genders. Alien Nation had three. The Left Hand of Darkness has androgens. How would we write alternate genders? This is a legacy chat. Join the chat Image by chonastock

FOR READERS: Whiz Bang Tech

Robotech Veritech

FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: What kind of sci-fi tech makes you go “OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!”? For a long time, for me it was transforming vehicles. The Veritech’s from “Robotech,” the cars from the short-lived “Pole Position” cartoon, and of course “M.A.S.K.” among others. I think, from a nostalgia perspective, “Mighty Orbots” is my favorite of them all, if only because of the specific mention of matter manipulation tech in the transformation and unity process. Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works … Read more

FOR WRITERS: Future Med

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FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Victoria Stagg Elliott: Currently there are several medical procedures that are routinely carried out on infants and children (vaccination, circumcision, etc.) I don’t want to get into the merits of these procedures, but what procedures could you see becoming routine in the future for either adults or children and how could they form the basis of a really cool queer sci-fi novel? Join the chat

Jeff Baker, Boogieman In Lavender; Reading Tom Reamy

Jeff Baker

Somewhere in my files is the beginning of a bad story called “Summer Job.” It’s wordy and takes an overly long time getting started. It has a small-town Kansas setting, an adolescent protagonist and an element of dark fantasy—all things that appear regularly in stories I’ve written. But I wasn’t trying to be Jeff Baker; I was trying to be Tom Reamy. I first stumbled across Tom Reamy’s short fiction in an anthology of horror stories from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story, “Insects in Amber” grabbed me right off with its setting in an old (and … Read more

FOR READERS & WRITERS: Trans/Enby/Gender Fluid Representation in Spec Fic

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FOR READERS & WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Freddy MacKay: Let’s discuss trans, enby and gender fluid characters in speculative fiction. How they are handled. How the world/tech/magic/nature works for them or against them. SF could be interesting because technology could be developed enough you wouldn’t ever know the difference unless a trans*/enby person wanted you to. What kind of society would that be? How would trans, enby and gender fluid people identify themselves and why? A parallel (though not the same) would be looking at the deaf community and how they feel about cochlear implants. Some are … Read more