As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

FOR WRITERS: Writing Flash Fiction

flash - pixabay

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Scott: With the next QSF flash fiction contest just over a month away, I thought it would be great to have a chat about how to write this unique fiction format. For those of you who have done it, and done it well, how did you tackle it? What separates a good flash fiction piece from a not so good one? How do you hook the reader in just 300 words? I’ll tag our previous winners. Join the chat

Making Up the Holidays

Holidays - pixabay

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer MK Mancos: In your spec fic, whether sci-fi, fantasy, steampunk, or a combo platter of all of them, do you make up your own holidays to coincide with whatever religious system you’ve constructed, or borrowed from life? Do you use what we’d consider bank holidays, more so than religious? Join the chat

FOR WRITERS: Building an Afterlife

Afterlife

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer MK Mancos: “Do your characters believe in life after death? Or merely a transference of energy?” I’d broaden this out a little… have you written stories based on the idea of an afterlife or reincarnation? Did you use an existing framework or come up with your own? How could this be applied in speculative fiction? Join the chat

FOR WRITERS: Mentors

Mentor - Pixabay

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer M.K. Mancos: “Learning the craft from your favorite authors” It’s a great topic – and it could work a couple ways. As writers, we often look for other more experienced writers to be our mentors, to answer some of the harder questions on the writing process, submissions, and publishing in general. But we can also learn a lot from simply reading and deconstructing some of our favorite authors’ works. As a writer, do you have a mentor? How do you find one? And have you used other writer’s works as inspiration for … Read more

Time to Refill the Topics Bucket

rainbow bucket

Hey all, Once again, the well has gone dry. So it’s time to pipe in and tell us what you want to discuss over the next few months. Please type your ideas in the comments below, and indicate if they are for writers, readers, or both: WRITERS: What do you do when you get stuck on a WIP? READERS: Which of the Harry Potter characters did you most want to be queer and why? BOTH: Where is queer romance going in the next five years? Ten? Twenty? Thanks all! –Scott

For Writers: Best Cons

convention - pixabay

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer ‘Nathan Smith: “From the angle of what you’ve learned, gotten out of them, best return-on-investment/diversity/voices, etc.” It’s a good question, and I like that Nathan broke it up by what you get out of it, because different cons are good for different things. :) Join the chat

The Second Annual Me Me Awards

me-me-awards

Today the winners of the MM Romance Readers Choice Awards were announced. I want to give a hearty congratulations to everyone who won – this is your day. You buckled down and worked hard, and it’s a wonderful thing that you won the award. 🙂 However, I am not one of those people. Oh, I know, it’s an honor to be nominated, right? And yeah, it actually kind of is, because it means someone else thought highly enough of me and my work to put me up next to all of those other great authors. But for all of us … Read more

Light in the Darkness

candle - pixabay

Today there’s some big event or other going on in Washington DC. But we’re not paying attention to that. Instead, we thought we’d inject a little hope into the world with what we’re calling “Light in the Darkness”. We want to make our own little safe haven here at QSF. Tell us about someone, or several someones, who you turn to when all is bleak – people who help you see the good in the world again. They can be lovers, family, friends, idols – whoever brings you hope and rekindles your own flame. We’ll return tomorrow to our normally … Read more

For Readers and Writers: What Happens Now?

2016 election map

FOR READERS & WRITERS Tomorrow, President Obama leaves office, and President Trump and a unified GOP government becomes a reality. I don’t want to get into the politics of it all here. There are plenty of other places to do that. And tomorrow we will offer alternative programming. But I do want to discuss something that’s been much on my mind of late. What impact will this have on our little corner of the universe? Will queer romance and LGBTIQA fiction continue toi grow and flourish, or will there be a chilling effect? Will new laws targeting our community in … Read more