It's that time of year again, when writers toot our little horns to let the speculative fiction community know what (if any) stories we have out there that are eligible for awards. And now, for the first time ever, I actually have an eligible story! This was the year of my first professional publication, "The …
Continue reading Now, for the first time ever, my Awards Eligibility!
Whew. Keeping up a blog is not easy while in a full-time Masters program. I plan to write here more regularly once I've graduated. For now, I'm just dropping in to post about the absolutely spectacular cover for Writers of the Future Volume 34! Featuring me! And also other fabulous people! I'm particularly thrilled by …
Continue reading Writers of the Future Volume 34: Cover Reveal!
I've made my second professional rate sale! My short story "The Game of Games," a fantasy ghost story loosely inspired by Pascal's Wager and the Deck of Many Things from D&D, will be appearing in the anthology "Pirates & Ghosts" from Flame Tree Press. Here is a link to the announcement over at Flame Tree's …
Continue reading Story Sale Announcement: The Game of Games!
I'm going to talk about Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for a bit. Fullmetal Alchemist (specifically the manga and the Brotherhood adaption) is not only one of the greatest anime ever made (fight me) but also one of the most well constructed fantasy stories I've ever encountered. It has everything; likeable yet deeply conflicted protagonists, a really …
Continue reading Weaving Theme from the Beginning of Your Story: Fullmetal Alchemist as a Case Study
Today my first professionally published story, "The Broken Karwaneer," came out in Beneath Ceaseless Skies. I thought I would write a blog post about my thoughts on an important element of that story. If you haven't read the story yet, please do so before going on. This post will make more sense context. In the story, …
Continue reading Worldbuilding: Dark Settings and their Purpose
What is it about secondary world fantasy and science fiction that draws readers in? Why do readers seek out stories that take place in worlds not our own? There are many reasons (possibly as many reasons as there are readers) but one such reason, and the reason I most identify with, is the powerful thematic …
Ask any writer what makes a good story work, and they'll most likely tell you "the characters." Which is only natural. Characters are the people your readers will come to care about--whether they are loved or loathed--at least if you're doing your job as a writer. The wants and needs and struggles of your characters …
Continue reading Person-First Language and Designing Characters: An Underdeveloped “A-ha!”
As my last post was about finishing up a project, it seems appropriate to write one about my process for starting a new one, especially considering that I am right in the middle of that process. Also, I am in the (for me) unique position of not already having a plan for what I want …
For the last seven months I've been working on the first draft of a novel. Because I fall further on the discovery writer side of the discovery/outline spectrum, I start long projects like this with goals but no clear plan in mind for the ending. As I write and the story develops I usually know …
Last week I started a masters degree in teaching. It's a one-year accelerated program meant for people who already have a degree in something other than education and want to get a teaching certificate as quickly as possible. I have enjoyed my experiences teaching in the past, and I feel a weird sort of responsibility …
J.T. Greathouse 