How Feminists Gaslit Women in the Writing Industry

So far I’ve shared personal experiences, we’ve covered a little about Leigh Brackett’s celebrated career (which will be important later), and we’ve discussed the bizarre life and career of James Tiptree, Jr. Today we’ll be hearing an industry professional’s take from author, editor, and feminist Kristine Kathryn Rusch. If you’ve not heard of her, youContinue reading “How Feminists Gaslit Women in the Writing Industry”

The Charmed Life (and Tragic End) of James Tiptree Jr.

There are lots of young, liberated female sci-fi authors out there who feel they are breaking down boundaries in a male-dominated field. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many certifiably insane people are responsible for getting the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy literature into the awful mess it’s in today, and James was aContinue reading “The Charmed Life (and Tragic End) of James Tiptree Jr.”

Leigh Brackett’s The Sword of Rhiannon: A Sword & Planet analysis

Leigh Brackett should need no introduction–She was a powerhouse in the industry whose absence is still felt today. Sadly, the world lost her in 1978, but not before she managed to finish the first draft of The Empire Strikes Back, one of the best films of all-time. She was a behemoth on the short story/novelContinue reading “Leigh Brackett’s The Sword of Rhiannon: A Sword & Planet analysis”

No Males Allowed

Finding a good writing group since about 2015 has been a struggle. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. Like there was the time a drum corp decided to have a practice–indoors–in a library, during my weekly writing group meetups. And then there was the time I was practically begging for an honestContinue reading “No Males Allowed”

The 10 Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned in 17 Years of Writing

1. If you wrote yesterday, write again today. This is the mindset I’ve settled on over many years of hearing “write every day” so many times. It puts an emphasis on yesterday, which is of crucial importance: It makes you feel like you’re not writing today because you didn’t write yesterday. That puts the impetusContinue reading “The 10 Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned in 17 Years of Writing”

The Sandman: Calliope the Muse – Where Do Ideas Come From?

It’s the age-old question: Where do writers get their ideas? This presents a nice opportunity to continue our exploration of Sandman tales, which I still cherish very much despite the recent allegations. (And if you stay tuned, I think I might have a pretty good answer to this age-old question myself.) We first meet CalliopeContinue reading “The Sandman: Calliope the Muse – Where Do Ideas Come From?”

I Somehow Forgot That Writing Is Fun

I overheard folks conversing about how they use AI for just about everything these days. Need to write a proposal? A blog post? Need a software mockup? Chuck it to AI and pretend you’re the genius who created it. You could tell they were profit-minded, business types. And they made fun of people who believeContinue reading “I Somehow Forgot That Writing Is Fun”

The Opinions You’re Not Allowed to Have

I recently saw a blog where every time the author posted an article, he’d get the few same usual yes-men agreeing with everything he had to say. Clearly, he was preaching to the choir. One day he was fed up, driven to the point of saying something like, “A jest, a barb! Any kind ofContinue reading “The Opinions You’re Not Allowed to Have”

Sandman: The Tale of Hob Gadling

Ah, the dawn of the nineties. Beginning of a brand new decade. Life was exciting back then, wasn’t it? No one quite knew what to expect. We seemed to get three mini-eras during that time: Sandman got its start in 1989 right alongside Tim Burton’s Batman, and both had that darker, edgier feel that would later becomeContinue reading “Sandman: The Tale of Hob Gadling”

A Bit About Neil Gaiman

After my Brandon Sanderson article went unexpectedly viral (parabolic compared to my usual traffic here), a few friends asked if I’d be making a similar post about Neil Gaiman. The answer was no. And that’s partly because I don’t typically write about the hot topics currently buzzing on social media, no matter how much trafficContinue reading “A Bit About Neil Gaiman”