Face of William Gibson

The Influence of William Gibson

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As a relatively new genre, at least in comparison to mystery or romance, science fiction has many pioneers making their mark and developing the genre in the last century. One of the most influential is William Gibson who is credited with coining the term cyberspace and is a founder of …

Old book store with customers looking at books

L.V. Ditchkus Publishes New Novel

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Speculative Fiction Writers Association member L.V. Ditchkus’ novel has been recently published. Here’s the blurb: New Release: Chrom Y Returns: The Chrom Y Series: Book One by L.V. Ditchkus “Hundreds of years after a horrific disease destroys Earth’s male population, Sofia Andes7 and her wife embark on a perilous journey …

Woman approaching a maze made of books

Plot Devices: Twisting Your Plot

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Whether you’re a “panster” with a predisposition to write your way straight into a sagging middle or a “plotter” who struggles to get the beats just right so you can sit down and write already, having a firm command of plot devices can be the game changer you need to …

Assortment of propellors with a big one in the middle

Plot Devices: Propelling Your Story

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Whether you’re a “panster” with a predisposition to write your way straight into a sagging middle or a “plotter” who struggles to get the beats just right so you can sit down and write already, having a firm command of plot devices can be the game changer you need to …

Busy school library

Back to School: My Journey Toward a Creative Writing MFA

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I recently started a newsletter, MFAdventure, that documents my pursuit of a master’s degree in creative writing. Because the Speculative Fiction Writers Association is a group of creative writers, I thought you might be interested in reading about my experience so far. You can subscribe to my newsletter for free …

Old book store with customers looking at books

James RD Hilton Debut Novel

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James RD Hilton Publishes Debut Novel Into the Known Universe: A Cosmic Love Story, Kinda James R.D. Hilton, a science fiction author from small-town Alberta, has self-published his debut novel. Into the Known Universe: A Cosmic Love Story, Kinda is a science fiction adventure centering on Stuart Bode, a junior …

Library background with overlay title of Spring 2024 Member Publications

Member Publications

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The Speculative Fiction Writers Association has had a tremendous quarter with nine members publishing 14 stories or novels in various publications and websites, with some members having multiple stories accepted. In Winter 2019, Nancy Pica Renken wrote a flash fiction story inspired by a prompt in the WritersWeekly 24-Hour Short …

copyright symbol as bate in a mouse trap

Using Other People’s Work, Copyright Law for Writers

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Use of someone else’s work, such as song lyrics, a quotation, or a character, in your story is subject to copyright law. Copyright protects the expression of an idea from unpermitted copying, modification, publication, or performance (“infringement”). Copyright only protects the expression of the idea, not the idea itself. J.K. …

Chinese Flag with a rocket and the words Hugo Award with big stamp of Censored

Hugo Awards Bow to Chinese Censorship

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What are the Hugo Awards? Hugo Awards are one of the preeminent speculative fiction awards. They call themselves a ‘science fiction award’, but many of the nominees and winners are clearly in other genres like fantasy, time travel, or even the supernatural. The Hugos date back to the 1950s and …

Face of Frank M Robinson next to campaign buttons for Harvey Milk

Frank M. Robinson: A Must-Read SF Author

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FRANK ROBINSON AND HARVEY MILK For many years, I knew of Frank M. Robinson (1926-2014) as the highly gifted speechwriter of gay rights visionary, Harvey Milk. In tapes recorded by Harvey before his death by assassination in 1978, he spoke of Robinson as the one person who was most familiar …