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Discussion

Discussion: Future Pets

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Star Wars pets

OK, so I’ve had this topic kicking around for a bit on the Great List of QSF Topics. Then John Allenson’s comment on the FB group made me think maybe it was time: “I was thinking more ‘designer pets’.” OK, so let’s dive in. We already have designer pets, if you think about it – not designed with technology, but through breeding programs that have lasted centuries and have given us the diverse world of dogs and cats we enjoy today. But given the coming technology, what kind of pets might we see in the future? Where will current trends … Read more

Discussion: Creating Alien Races

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Alien

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Theo Fenraven: “How does one go about inventing a believable alien race? Where do you start? What resources do you tap?” For our purposes, it seems to me that there are two competing parts to this discussion. On the sci fi romance side, it’s necessary to have an alien race that isn’t TOO different, so they can still interact with, and fall in love with, humans. On the more strictly sci-fi side, the idea that an alien race evolving from a separate ecosystem on a planet hundreds or thousands of light years away would end … Read more

Word Nerding: Old Words We Miss

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words

Thought we’d have some fun today. As writers we generally LOVE words. And each of us has certain words we are fond of, no matter how many editors try to nix them from our writing. We were talking the other day about some of these words – specifically giveth, taketh, and thrice – and we thought it would be fun to have a chat about words that are no longer in general use that we still have a fondness for. This also applies to words like burnt (instead of burned) – although, curiously, we still say spent (not spended) and … Read more

Submissions Week: Do’s and Don’t’s

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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. 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 are some of the things … Read more

Submissions Week: Blurbs and Summaries

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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

Submissions Week: Cover Letters

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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

Submissions Week: Beta Readers

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Hey all, 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 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 flaws, … Read more

Submissions Week: Writing Style and Grammar

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Submissions Week

Hey all, 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. Yesterday we tackled manuscript formatting – today we’ll tackle what’s actually in the thing. When you submit a story, you want it to be as good as it can possibly be. If you submit a perfectly formatted manuscript that is full or grammatical errors or style issues, … Read more

Discussion: Time to Fill Up the QSF Discussion Topics Bucket

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rainbow bucket

OK y’all, the well has run dry. I’ve used up the last of the discussion topics that you submitted, and so I’m back to my own imagination when it comes to what we’ll discuss next. So I need help! What do you want to talk about over the next several months? What issue or issues burn brightly in your little heart? What have we neglected? You can leave your ideas on this blog post as comments, or join the discussion on our FB group instead! Thanks for the help – you guys are what makes QSF work!

Do Facebook Events Work?

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FB Event Invite

We all get them. Invitations to attend a Facebook cover reveal, or author chat, or page takeover. I’ve gone to a few – I’ve enjoyed them, and even won a free book or two. But as promotional vehicles for authors, do they work? As a writer, do you use them, and if so, what have they done for you? And as a reader, do you like attending events on FB with authors?