How many of us have favorite books in which there is food that drives the plot or characterization or just makes the story more interesting? How many of us remember those foods fondly? Maybe those foods make the book even more memorable. Maybe we even associate the...
What is plain language? It's what you use to communicate effectively when there is a high price for ambiguity. It's what you use when you have complicated information to convey to busy people who don't have the time for gibberish. It's language that is free of jargon...
Science fiction fans often have to suspend disbelief, despite efforts by the writers to explain why their ships can travel a lot faster than the speed of light and their crew can talk to alien humanoids almost immediately upon first contact, and encounter alien vessels in the almost unimaginable vastness of space.
Memoirs are deceptive. It seems like such an easy thing to tell people about your life. Just start at the beginning, right? No, don’t. Haven't you ever been trapped in That Conversation before? The one with the coworker or in-law or uncle? Or coworker uncle-in-law?...
I had a conversation recently with an author about realism and genre. Their book was a police procedural, so there was a murder and detectives and even a search warrant, but it also took place on another planet. The author wanted to know why they should care about...
I am taking a risk by saying this: Science, medicine, and education are essential elements of a civilized society and the free exchange of ideas is an essential element of democracy. Trump is preventing government scientists from sharing information with the public....
Part of my story takes place at a campground in Mt. Rainier. I've never been to Mt. Rainier National Park or indeed know anything about the park at all. So of course I began by doing research. Getting things wrong distracts the reader. And a distracted reader is a...
Hi, everyone. It's November! And I'm participating in NaNoWriMo---National Novel Writing Month. Every November, people strive to write a novel of at least 50,000 words. The object of the game is to just write. I know several other people who are participating in this...