FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Scott: What was the best surprise ending to a queer spec fic book you’ve ever read? Don’t give away too many spoilers! Writers: This is a reader chat – you are welcome to join it, but please do not reference your own works directly. Thanks! Chat on FacebookChat on MeWe
FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Christine Wright: Have you ever had a last line or scene in your book before you even knew the start? Writers: This is a writer chat – you are welcome to share your own book/link, as long as it fits the chat, but please do so as part of a discussion about the topic. Join the chat
How will the universe end? “Not with a bang but with a whimper,” wrote the American poet T.S. Eliot regarding the end of the world. But if you want a more definite response, you’ll find that physicists have spent countless hours turning this question over in their minds, and have neatly fit the most plausible hypotheses into a few categories. “In textbooks and cosmology class, we learn there are three basic futures for the universe,” said Robert Caldwell, a cosmologist at Dartmouth University in Hanover, New Hampshire. In one scenario, the cosmos could continue to expand forever, with all matter … Read more
Hey all… This is it, the final call for Migration entries. Full details/rules are here: https://www.queerscifi.com/flash-contest-rules/ A few fun stats for y’all: So far, we’ve received 185 entries (as of last night) putting us on track for our best year ever. Sci Fi is always strong, but fantasy has put in a major showing this year, with almost 28% of total entries. And we’re getting a nice cross section of queer identities: Gay: 40%Lesbian: 33%Bi/Pan: 9%Trans/Gender Fluid/Enby: 22%Ace/Aro/Demi: 6%Intersex: 2% And yeah, I know that adds up to more than 100%, but some stories check more than one box. :) … Read more
FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer J. Scott Coatsworth: How do you wrap up your stories? Do you know where you are going from the start? Or does it come to you somewhere along the way? And do you have any secrets for crafting the perfect ending? Writers: This is a writer chat – you are welcome to share your own book/link, as long as it fits the chat, but please do so as part of a discussion about the topic. Join the chat
FOR READERS Today’s reader topic comes from QSFer Kari Trenten: As well as violence in science fiction (seeing the recent ‘Star Trek’ movie and the ‘Ghostbusters’ remake made me realize how many movies I’ve seen lately involve characters resolving things in a final battle involving their fists, rather than their wits. I love a good fight scene, but I enjoy stories where the land/universe/person is saved through cleverness, as well as strength). So what do y’all think? Are you partial to some good old fashioned wreaking of havoc, especially for a climactic scene? Or do you prefer a more clever, … Read more
Today’s topic comes from QSFer Victroria Stagg Elliott: What are the signs for writers and readers that it’s time for a series to end? It’s a great question. As a reader, generally my answer is NEVER! when I’m really enjoying a series. But eventually series do tend to run into the ground. I remember watching the original Melrose place, and you knew it was done when the last possible combination of bed partners among the cast had been played out. As a reader, we all hope that the author has a plan – that they know where this is going, … Read more
I’m on the home stretch of my latest story, closing in on the final two scenes. I actually plotted this one out fairly carefully from the get-go – a first for me. And while I didn’t stick to the plot summary exactly, the general outlines do apply. So I have a pretty good idea of where I’m going for the ending. But the exact nature of it is still a little bit of a mystery to me. Ideally, an ending will take everything that came before and suddenly put it into focus, giving the reader that “aha” moment, or at … Read more
