CL Moore

Women Sci Fi Writers: The Pulps vs the Social Pulpit

An observation recently made in online writing circles concerned the marked differences between female writers of the pulp era and the women who followed in their authorial footsteps. Just compare women who made their names prior to the 1960s like like C.L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, and even Flannery O'Connor to…
October 1, 20242 Comments
Higurashi - Business v Passion

Business Type x Passion Type

One central aim of this blog is helping writers learn to find readres. You can become one of mine by backing my dark fantasy novel Lord of Fate, now funding on Kickstarter. Ryukishi07, the creator of hit light novels such as Higurashi and Umineko, has given interviews in which he's highlighted…
September 9, 20243 Comments
Book Shelf

Why Authors Need Wide and Varied Influences

A big temptation for new authors is to immerse yourself in a narrow selection of books, often within the genre you're writing. You may feel that keeping exclusive focus on your genre will give you the best chance of mastering its conventions and satisfying your readers. But limiting your reading…
August 19, 20246 Comments

Why New Authors Should Master Genre Conventions Before Breaking Them

One of my cherished neopatrons called my attention to this post by The Brothers Krynn, which itself is a response to another piece by author JD Cowan. After spending some time retreading the "Are fantasy and sci fi separate genres?" debate, it brings up an issue that's running rampant among…
August 15, 20245 Comments
Writing: The Amateur vs the Professional Path

Writing: The Amateur vs the Professional Path

When new writers come to me for advice, I make a point of asking them one question: Why are you writing? That question catches most people off guard. The number of would-be authors who've never stopped to consider why they want to write is surprising. Because writing as a side…
July 12, 20246 Comments
Tolkien vs Sanderson Magic

Sanderson v Tolkien, Magic v Sacrament

Authors Brandon Sanderson and J.R.R. Tolkien are both kings of epic fantasy. So it should be no surprise that both receive their fair share of mentions here. Catholic podcaster Aaron Irber gives us a reason to discuss both of these literary giants thanks to his recent post on Substack. There…
May 14, 20244 Comments
World Building 1

How to Handle World Building

The one element that distinguishes science fiction and fantasy from the other flavors of adventure fiction is world building. If you’re a new SFF writer, learning how to craft vivid secondary worlds is a crucial skill. And mastering it takes finesse as well as creativity. But it’s not as daunting…
April 19, 20245 Comments
Voyage of Egeria

Preview: The Voyage of Egeria

My promise of a new short story set in my acclaimed Soul Cycle cosmos became a centerpiece of the sleeper hit campaign for my upcoming SC prelude novel The Burned Book. And while I put my hand to the plow in the word-fields and never looked back, today I must…
February 1, 20244 Comments
Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson Is Not in Audible

Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has established himself as the king of neopatronage with his record-smashing Kickstarter campaign. And while his secret novels project earned him four times more than his publisher pays him, the oldpub gravy train turned newpub mogul has a beef with an industry player that's not Tor…
January 22, 20247 Comments
Silence and Starsong

Redeemable Demons on Silence and Starsong

Quite unexpectedly, my recent writings on the redeemable demons trope ruffled a lot of feathers. It also occasioned some rigorous discussion. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the sympathetic devil meme and the rationale behind it. At the height of the controversy, the gracious hosts of Silence and Starsong…
December 1, 20231 Comment