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Channel: speculative fiction – Stephen Merlino
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World Building: Flashlights & Story Questions

Game Designer Insight I heard a game designer describe world building in a way that is also relevant to fantasy writers. He said, “You the designer have a floodlight, but the gamer only gets a...

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Falcon Chicks Hate Prologues

The Sucker Punch of Speculative Fiction Novels I think the falcon-chick affect (see preceding post for explanation of this syndrome) is why a writer’s first novel generally doesn’t have a prologue. For...

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Short Story Award

I just learned that my short story, “Outside the Game,” won first place in the Southwest Writers International Writing Competition!   Many thanks to David Levine and Fairwood Writers, who helped me...

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And You Think Sagging Pants are Ridiculous…

Weirder than Fiction Building Believable (and Fantastic!) Fantasy Worlds Reality is often truly stranger than anything you could make up, so it pays to research. Take this picture from a late 17th...

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A Wonderful Opening Passage – from Douglas Adams

Here’s a humorous treat for you: the opening passage to an essay by Douglas Adams, titled “DNA / Riding the Rays.” Riding the Rays, by Douglas Adams Every country is like a particular type of person....

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This year it’s “Steampunk Formal”

Steampunk Formal – to Goggle or Not to Goggle Building on the steampunk theme of this year’s Writer of the Future cover, the gala in April is “steam punk formal.” That means instead of renting a...

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THE JACK OF SOULS is up for preorder on Audible!

The audiobook for The Jack of Souls is up for preorder on Audible, and it’s freaking fantastic!  I am so pleased! Here’s an audio file of the opening pages. The actor, Alex Wyndham, went with an...

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Day 1 Program – WOTF Workshop

This program was a closely guarded secret until we arrived In fact, before we came, I searched the internet for one of these from previous years, to no avail. Now that we’ve all got a copy and...

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Days 2 & 3 – Writers of the Future Workshop

off the grid for 24 hours When last I posted, we’d all been assigned the task of writing a short story in 24 hours. I was given a random object (a 38 Special shell casing) and told to go interview...

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This is the week to get WRITERS OF THE FUTURE for Summer Reading!

THIS IS THE BEST WEEK TO BUY Writers of the Future! If you’ve been waiting to get yours, this is the week that helps us most — our “Bestseller Week.”   . (Little-known fact: Bestseller lists measure...

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Special Midnight Free Book Offer!

Buy a copy of this year’s Writers of the Future before Midnight tonight and I’ll joyfully ship you a first-edition paper, hardback,* eBook or audiobook of The Jack of Souls! *First come first served on...

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Writers of the Future, Volume 32 is on Sale!

Recall the short story prequel I wrote for The Jack of Souls? It won a place in this year’s Writers of the Future anthology, and that anthology is on sale for a buck in the Kindle store! Original...

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