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Discussion

Angel’s Bits – Pubbing beyond the ‘Zon

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(Inspired by part of a conversation with Scott yesterday…) There are as many reasons to take publishing into your own hands as there are writers. Tired of rejections. A work that just doesn’t fit a specific catalog. The desire for control. An ingrained mistrust of publishers. Point to someone who has taken that publishing plunge, and they may have several dozen reasons. Up until fairly recently, self-publishing could be an expensive proposition. You had to purchase ISBN’s if you wanted to be listed anywhere. You had to purchase cover art. You’d best have a professional editor or folks like me … Read more

Discussion: Sexy Character Names

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character names

OK, I thought we’d do another fun one today. When writing, choosing names can be one of the hardest parts – coming up with great character names that help identify your character and color him/her/them in the way you want. This is especially true with sci fi, fantasy, and paranormal, where you often want an exotic sounding name that nevertheless doesn’t cross the line into absurdity. So I have three questions for you today: As a writer, how do you choose/find names for your characters when you write? As a reader, do character names ever get in the way of … Read more

Listening to Music While Reading/Writing

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Fantasy Music

When I’m writing, I often use (or create) a playlist of songs that help me get into the mood for the piece I’m writing. Sometimes it’s a particular song that has helped to inspire the story. Sometime’s it’s a genre – mournful celtic music is one that works particularly well for me – that helps me zone out of the world and into the story. On the flip side, sometimes music also helps me tune into a story I am reading. So how about you? Do you use music when you write? When you read? If so, what kind of … Read more

What is the Dryden Experiment?

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The Dryden Author and Artists Group

Hey all, I’m Joel Stottlemire, the Chief Editor of the Dryden Experiment. We are multi-media publishing company that uses a Creative Commons licensing structure. Scott asked me to write a post explaining what Creative Commons is and how we use it. Creative Commons is a book unto itself. It came out of the software community. A lot of programming is repetitive and code gets modified and copied all the time. This creates a kind of weird place in terms of rights. Whoever wrote the code in the first place legally owns it but it doesn’t make sense for every coder … Read more

Social Media in Sci Fi

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Social Media

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Canon: “Social Media in a science fiction story. Admittedly, I have not read anything featuring social media since Shadowrun’s BBS style information dumps in their old splat books. I have seen it crop up in some science fiction Anime programs namely “Serial Experiments: Lain” and those shows in the “neural interface massive multiplayer online game goes horribly wrong” genre. Do you use Social Media as in your sci fi stories? Is it something just in the background, or does it strongly effect your protagonists? Do they take pains to avoid it?” I’d broaden … Read more

Fighting Sexism and Racism

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sci fi diversity infographic

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Anastasia Vitsky: “Many proponents of sci-fi point to acceptance of “difference” as why it’s a great genre. However, protagonists of sci tend to be white men. “I’m not talking about a secondary character or a walk-on, but the main character whose actions are integral to every major plot point. “What responsibility do we have, as authors and readers of queer sci-fi, to work against sexism, racism, and exclusion in the books we read and write?” This group is all about diversity – of race, of gender, of sexual orientation, and of opinion. So how can … Read more

Angel’s Bits: You Own a Yacht, Right?

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And other myths harmful to the new author… I was having a discussion with a friend yesterday about a friend of hers who would like to be published. Oh, yes? says I. Cool. What does he write? Turns out said friend writes LGBT Fantasy and was interested in learning about finding a publisher vs. self publishing. And here’s where the tearing of hair and sprinkling of ashes begins. Now, to be fair, Mr. Friend of Friend is new to this game. We were all new at one point, and many of us were led astray by bad information. Many of … Read more

Designer Babies

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spock baby

Today’s topic comes from QSFer Aidee Ladnier: “We’ve all heard the scare tactics of politicians warning of the dangers of designer babies, but genetically modified humans are literally due to be born in the next decade. Medical science has made our lives longer and healthier. “But what if scientists modify those things that make us fundamentally who we are? Why is it okay to make sure a child is not born with a genetic disease that will kill them prematurely (like cystic fibrosis) but not okay to give an child a higher IQ which would give it a better chance … Read more

Writing LGBT Characters

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Queer as Folk

Today’s topic comes from QSFer John Allenson – “How to write gay/trans/bi/gender-queer/male/female experience better.” I’ll redirect this one a bit. We all write characters that are like us in various ways, but inevitably we also have to write characters who are different. Sometimes it’s the little things – where they live, how they talk, their personal style – and sometimes it’s the bigger ones, like gender or sexual orientation. So my question for you today, and it’s a simple one – how do you research a character who is unlike you, especially in gender or orientation, so you get the … Read more

Advanced Medical Magic

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Today’s topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: “How do you handle the social effects of “advanced medical magic” in a fantasy or science-fantasy setting? Are there economic gates preventing access to everyone? Has the legal system evolved to deal with verifiable reincarnations and resurrections? Do intrabloodline intrigues expressly involve ways to make sure old rich granddad stays dead do they can finally inherit (Or is inheritance outdated)? Are afterlives actually counted as part of the population and their inhabitants just another demographic of the planet/nation entity?” Lots to unpack here – but let’s start with the intersection of medicine … Read more