Spec Tech: Inception

As I mentioned in a post earlier this year (“Language and Culture”, 1/13/11), it is critical to distinguish between what a language has a formalized method for saying and what a language is capable of expressing.  Apparently at odds with public opinion, the expressive power of a language is not limited by the words in……

Asper ad astra, baby.

Reach for the stars, or maybe, Hope for the stars. Writers are always setting challenges of every sort, at every level. We want to say something in such a way that other people want to hear it, but it is the challenges we set ourselves that make that possible. Speaking practically, most of us want……

Writer’s Craft #13 – The Doubt Button

This is the story of my journey into doubt, and a call for your own tales of how a minor incident can shake a writer’s confidence, if only for an hour. We all take it as a given, here, that writers are who we are and writing is what we have to do. I was……

Clarion Call #12: Fair Vessel

This week it’s time for more fun with ambiguity.  What is a “fair vessel”?  Tell us all about it. There are only two rules for Clarion Calls: If you choose to try the assignment, do not read the comments section before you post yours. This is a critique-free zone, and that includes critique of your……

Spec Tech: Learning to Sail

In previous Spec Techs we have designed a sailing ship suitable for a fantasy novel and then considered the sort of crew necessary to sail  her.  In this post we will take the last important step; we will discuss how to sail her. One of the most effective ways  as writer to turn off a……