science fiction Archives -

#70 – R.R. Campbell – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On October 27, 2019

In interview, podcast, reading, scifi-fantasy, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Episode 70 – interview with sci-fi author, podcaster and writing coach, RR Campbell.

“There’s no Twitter, no email. The coffee is here. The time has come.”

Episode 70 – Show Notes

Meticulous planner rather than pantser – with scene by scene outlines. This means every morning he wakes up and knows exactly what he’s going to write
Analytical approach to writing – informed by linguistics background
Daily writing ritual – coffee pot on a timer and ready to go
Re-reading a favourite author as writing fuel
Empathy between characters. Epistolary novel form.
Five core components to any scene: setting, goal, conflict, resolution, cliffhanger/pivot/change
Margaret Atwood. David Mitchell
Empathy series – internet access brain implants inspired by smartphones
Taking time away from a manuscript to get perspective before retooling
Multiple points of view, dimensions and shout-outs

“Finding the best way to create empathy between the character and the reader.”

“There are five core components to any scene.”

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#67 – Agnes Gomillion – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On August 4, 2019

In characters, dystopia, interview, podcast, scifi-fantasy, storytelling, Uncategorized, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Interview with Afro-futurist writer Agnes Gomillion

“I wanted people to reflect on their relative state of freedom.”

Episode 67 – Agnes Gomillion – Show Notes

Writes something every day – maybe poetry or notes but not necessarily her ‘work-in-progress’
Poetry, songs and lyrical writing
Sleep is writing fuel of choice
Afrofuturism – lift the audience from reality for the purpose of looking back and better understanding African-American culture.
Humanity with an African-American lens.
Writing about the underlying person brings different people together.
Perseverance
‘Story’ by Robert McKee – how to create a character and how to use structure to ‘show, don’t tell’.
Having to incorporate more structure in the writing day with children
Jesmyn Ward – Salvage the Bones, Stephen King
Frederick Douglass inspired The Record Keeper with his spirit of freedom. The story of how someone overcomes their fear set in a dystopia after World War 3.
Octavia Butler comparisons
Working on the sequel – The Seed of Cain.

“Humanity with an afro-futurist bent.”

“Slavery is more than physical chains.”

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#58 – Patty Jansen – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On March 23, 2019

In characters, critique, editing, fantasy, non fiction, podcast, science, scifi-fantasy, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.

Episode 58 – Patty Jansen– award-winning science-fiction & fantasy writer

‘Don’t bore the reader. Don’t annoy the reader. Don’t confuse the reader.’

Episode 58 – Patty Jansen – Show Notes

Do something on the manuscript every day
Being a rebel and going with the flow
Writing after 4pm and into the evening
Themes – down to earth, gritty and difficult topics – sex, religion and politics. Duality in the problems the characters face.
Writing workshops – the value is not the critiques you receive but what you learn from reading other people’s work. The bigger the group the better
Handling critiques
Online Writing Workshop for Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
The three rules for writing; don’t bore the reader, don’t annoy the reader & don’t confuse the reader.
Concentrate on telling a good story. Get a reader and an editor and don’t sweat the small stuff.
Non-fiction reading – the psychology of marketing and political biographies. In fiction, writers who can write across genres – Harry Potter/Robert Galbraith
Ambassador series – different ecosystems, politics and conspiracies, action, Kiwis in space. Currently working on book 9.

‘It is up to you. It’s not up to them to write your book.’

‘It is a fantasy setting but it obviously has reverberations in the real world.’

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Patty Jansen

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#57 – Lucy Snyder – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On March 10, 2019

In fantasy, feedback, horror, inspiration, interview, non fiction, podcast, science, scifi-fantasy, short story, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.

Episode 57 – Lucy Snyder– five times Bram Stoker award-winning writer

‘Tell us what characters think about what they’re seeing.’

Episode 57 – Lucy Snyder – Show Notes

Writing the type of fiction she’d like to read
Defining ‘weird fiction’
Science facts writing and reading informs science-fiction
The benefits of writing a poem a week
Coffee with milk
Themes of real-life loss and trauma mixed with the supernatural
Epiphany during a Clarion Writing Workshop – learning about the five-point plot structure
Using description as an opportunity to reinforce characterisation – what matters most is what the character thinks about what they’re seeing.
Popular fiction and literary fiction
Writing a space opera web serial – Broken Eye book Patreon – Eyedelon Magazine
Launchpad workshop – astronomy for writers
Caitlin R Kiernan, Christa Faust
Garden of Eldritch Delights – a collection of fantasy, science fiction & horror stories. Batching up stories of similar themes
Next up is the fourth book in the Jessie Shimmer urban fantasy series

Tag: science fiction