Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
Crawford Kilian
Self-Counsel Press
Nonfiction, Writing
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DESCRIPTION: So, you want to write a fantasy or science-fiction story. You may even have a few ideas in your head. But how do you make those ideas into a novel other people will want to read? Crawford Killian, a published author in both genres, offers ideas and guidelines to help turn your stories into the "gold" editors are looking for.
REVIEW: I seem to be spending more time reading books on writing than actually writing these days... Anyway, this is a pretty good addition to my growing how-to-write library. Kilian takes a different angle than other how-to-write authors whose books I've read, focused more on the end result (a salable story.) He seems jaded about many sci-fi/ fantasy subgenres, excepting his own works, of course. Granted, intellectually I know it's all a business in the end, but why bother writing if you don't enjoy what you're writing? If you're going to do a job just to make the money, you'd be better off in an office somewhere, but that's just my opinion. As for his advice, I feel I disagree with him on some points (like consciously working in symbolism into every aspect of a tale - it's a nice idea, but if I fretted over every name, place, and thing I wrote, I'd be writing even less than I am now), but on the whole his advice seems sound. If you can get past Killian's cynical attitude, there's some decent information to be found here.
You might also enjoy:
No Plot? No Problem! (Chris Baty, Writing - A sure-fire method of writing a 50,000 word novel draft in 30 days)
The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) (Jack M. Bickham, Writing - A no-nonsense guide to common writing pitfalls)
Sometimes the Magic Works (Terry Brooks, Writing - Anecdotes and advice for writers)
How to Avoid Making Art (or Anything Else You Enjoy) (Julia Cameron, Art - Common obstacles we place to our own creativity)
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Orson Scott Card, Writing - Advice on writing sci-fi and fantasy stories, from idea generation to publication and beyond)
Writing Down the Bones (Natalie Goldberg, Writing - Advice on writing)
Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott, Writing - Anecdotes on writing)
Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly (Gail Carson Levine, YA Writing - Great advice and inspiration for writers of all ages)
Writing the Breakout Novel (Donald Maass, Writing - How to make your next story your best story)
The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference (Writer's Digest Books, Writing - An overview of what it takes to create an interesting, believable fantasy)
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