Can Anyone Tell the Time? by William Alan Rieser
Sounds ridiculous, I know, but it is relevant in ways you might not have suspected. I keep a print of Salvador Dali’s “Persistence of…
Category: Articles
Genre Difficulties by William Alan Rieser
You probably do not look at the current spate of science fiction writings as anything other than imaginative and absorbing. Given the popularity of…
A way with worlds: 48 – Apocalypse How by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
Yes, it’s a corny title. I couldn’t think of anything else. Besides, a certain film with a similar title recently got re-released, and I…
A Problem, Not a Fantasy by Antavius S. Flagg
Perhaps the greatest problem that is being omitted, or is not being thoroughly discussed, is the future of fantasy fiction. It seems that whenever…
Human Cloning – Should it be done? by R. Aditya Narayan
The debate on human cloning is probably like none other, touching science, ethics and the law together and at such vitality. The miracle of…
Life: A Fate Worse Than Death by J. Knight
The first story that ever really scared me was “The Monkey’s Paw” by W. W. Jacobs. In it, an old woman uses a magic…
A way with worlds: 46 – Dark Mary Sue by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
NOTE: This column is about Mary Sues. Yes, in some cases people have varied definitions. The one I use is, simply, an “author’s pet”…
A way with worlds: 45 – Aslan Meets His Match: Theme versus Setting by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
Maybe you hadn’t heard the news – but HarperCollins apparently wants to write more Narnia stories – but without the Christian influence. Check out:…
The Grandfathers of Fantasy by L.A. Solinas
The widespread appeal of fantasy was first sparked off by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though a great number of people hailed…
A way with worlds: 44 – The Drought by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
Last column, I further explored the issues of writing about your worlds and communicating them, specifically how some setting-oriented writers could overload their readers…
A way with worlds: 43 – TMI by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
Several times here I’ve discussed how important description is when writing about your world. Most notable I’ve noted you can overdo it or do…
Lord of the Rings: Judeo Christian Ethics and Mythos by L.A. Solinas
Any fanatic of J.R.R. Tolkien knows that he was a Roman Catholic, but the question has been raised about how this was portrayed, if…
A way with worlds: 30 – Cycles of Conflict by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
When writing of conflicts, it’s too easy to break things into good guys and bad guys. I can point to any number of historical…
Metaplanetary – Author’s Note by Tony Daniel
Metaplanetary Stew Metaplanetary’s initial conception was a lot like sailing on a pitching boat in the midst of a mental storm for me. I…
A way with worlds: 42 – Without Words by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
You’ve got your own (or borrowed) world. You know the language. It’s so well designed it’d put Tolkein to shame. You’ve got terms, you’ve…
The Future of Artificial Intelligence by Chris Moy
So what is Artificial Intelligence anyways? Artificial intelligence (AI) is going to get some significant exposure with the advent of Steven Spielberg’s new movie…
A way with worlds: 40 – Communicating Your World by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
Recently I had a few experiences with culture and media that made me thoughtful: Seeing a Hong Kong action film wherein I was about…
A way with worlds: 41 – Playing God by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
This is a more “warm and fuzzy column” than some of my more technical ones. I suppose I can break with tradition now and…
A way with worlds: 39 – Technology and Terminology by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
I have a hobby. I make generators – programs that generate characters, plots, items, etc. for writing, role-playing, and just general fun. It’s fascinating…
A way with worlds: 38 – Parallel Earths by Steven Savage of Seventh Sanctum
Parallel Earths are a classic element of writing, almost as commonly accepted as aliens, faster-than-light-travel, magic, and cyberspace. Indeed, my entire Xai project is…
