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writing

Asta’s Annotations: Editing Tips for Sci-Fi/Fantasy Writers

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Today I thought I would cover three of the common editing queries I see from science fiction and fantasy writers. 1) World and Race Names The common issue here appears to be whether or not to capitalise. My advice is to follow standard English conventions, unless you have a strong reason not to do so. In either case, the real key is consistency. Don’t swap and change from chapter to chapter; make a decision on your preference and stick to it. Here is an example based on common English usage, followed by a fantasy rendering. In Denmark, many Danes enjoy … Read more

For Writers: Where Do Your Ideas Come From?

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FOR WRITERS: Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Paula Wyant: Not necessarily only limited to QSF, but a question that I (as a reader) would love to hear answers to (and as a writer hate to hear) is: Where do you get your ideas? I know Angel hates this topic whenever it comes up, and I will expect a suitable snarky response from her. But seriously, what inspires your story ideas? Enquiring minds want to know. Join the chat

Asta’s Annotations: The Death of Punctuation, or the Decline of the Reader?

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Anyone who knows me well will know semicolons are punctuation marks about which my views are passionate. Unfortunately, many digital/small publishing houses do not appear to agree. Notes from editors frequently come through to me with requests to remove all (or at least some) of my semicolons since they are ‘specialised punctuation’. My response to this (in my head) is to ask: Since when? Now, this column is by no means intended as a rant against any publishers or fellow editors; I merely use it to illustrate a point. I fully accept that each publishing house has its own preferences, … Read more

Ayres and Graces: He/She/They

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Pronouns seem to be getting a lot of attention for something that on the surface seems like it should be straight (ha!) forward. So if you’re writing a story about trans, non-binary, or genderqueer people, how do you know which pronouns to use? How do you let your reader know these characters’ identities without bopping them over the head with a grammar lesson? It sounds like it should be easy, but things can get confusing if you’re unfamiliar with non cis-gendered people and how they prefer to be addressed. But not to worry, it’s very simple to know which pronouns … Read more

For Writers: Tackling Difficult Events

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Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Hank T. Cannon: After 911, fiction took the tragedy and ran with it, acting as therapy, and release for the populace. Do you see your work as a conduit for helping people cope during times of anti-LGBTQIA duress, or do you not feel comfortable confronting those elements in the work? Note: Hank suggested this topic right after the Pulse shooting, but suggested that we wait a bit to tackle it. Join the chat

Asta’s Annotations: How to Make Your Editor (and Yourself) Happy

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Asta's AnnotationsGreetings! My name is Asta, and welcome to my new column Asta’s Annotations.

Since this is my first time posting, allow me to introduce my column and myself. I am a published author of both mainstream (Nicki J. Markus) and LGBT (Asta Idonea) fiction. I am also a qualified freelance editor, working mainly on LGBT manuscripts. I’ll be posting a monthly column at Queer Sci-Fi in which I’ll cover a range of topics. However, my primary focus will be on tips and tricks for writers and style discussions. Wearing my editor hat, I’ll also offer some advice on preparing your manuscript/submission, and that’s where I thought I’d start today. All my posts will draw on my personal experience. It may be that my tips won’t suit everyone, but even if they aren’t for you, I hope they’ll offer a springboard to help you find your personal style and preference. So, without further ado….

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Ayres and Graces: Introduction

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Before we get started, please allow me to introduce myself. I’m Bran L. Ayres, I’m a 38-year-old non-binary writer and parent of three young nerdlings. I’ve had an intense relationship with science fiction and fantasy since I was very young. I started writing seriously in high school and after years of playing about I got serious and published my first sci-fi novel. Since then I’ve written a steampunk novel and short stories along with fanfiction and various articles. NOTE: Throughout this column I will use the acronym MOGAI (Marginalized Orientations, Gender Alignments and Intersex) as I feel it is a more … Read more

Multiple Minority Status – Serving Up Some Tin Roof Sundae

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Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Brian Cherry: I’d like to see more books with characters with multiple minority status, such as a gay person who is also trans, disabled, an ethnic minority, etc. Brian makes a good point. We have sooooo many stories about young pretty white boys. And don’t get me wrong – I love me some young pretty white boys. But there are also young pretty black boys. And middle-aged hispanic guys. And Older asian men in wheelchairs. That’s just the MM side. What about asian lesbians? Native American ace characters? Intersex folks who lost an arm … Read more

How to Write Bisexual Characters

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bisexual

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Kathy Griffith: How about treatments of bisexuality that don’t involve threesomes or open relationships? Kathy gets at a good point here. The lazy way to show someone being bisexual is to show them having sex with men and with women, either at the same time or serially. But there must be better ways that don’t rely on the physical act of sex. After all, I can write a perfectly good gay character who never does the dirty in the book. And there are tons of straight stories that don’t feature sex, and yet we … Read more

For Writers: Myths Renewed

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Greek Mythology

Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer Therese Woodson: I’d also like to talk about using myths as a basis for stories. Do people just use Greek/Roman myths? Or how about myths from other cultures? It’s a great topic. Many of our authors have used mythology as a basis for their tales – BA Brock in his “King of the Storm” book drew heavily on Greek mythology, and Angel Martinez’s “Vassily the Beautiful” reimagined a Russian fairy tale. So have you played with myths or fairy tales in your own writing? Are there any mythologies you are dying to explore? And … Read more