Fantasy: February 20, 2008 Issue [#2237]
<< February 13, 2008Fantasy Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueFebruary 27, 2008 >>

Newsletter Header
Fantasy


 This week:
  Edited by: Robert Waltz Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

-Arthur C. Clarke

In my house, any sufficiently advanced technology is broken, and no one knows how to fix it.
-Scott Adams


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B01CJ2TNQI
Amazon's Price: $ 5.99


Letter from the editor

Hi folks! I'm Robert Waltz Author Icon and I'm a new full-time editor of this here Fantasy newsletter.

I'm a long-time reader of fantasy and science fiction, having spent much of my free time reading such authors as Robert A. Heinlein, Roger Zelazny, Larry Niven, Alan Dean Foster, Orson Scott Card, Piers Anthony and many others. And yet, I haven't written much fantasy or science fiction, myself.

I'm hoping that my work here on this newsletter will not only help you put your own writing in perspective and introduce you to authors and items you might not otherwise see, but also to improve my own work in these different, yet related, genres. I expect that my personal focus here will be more on science fiction than fantasy, though most of the techniques of writing one can apply to the other.

Consider that both genres involve: world and society design; scenarios we don't encounter here in the real world; and, often, the depiction of nonhuman races and cultures. It can sometimes be very difficult to tell one from the other and, often, it just doesn't matter. For example, the Star Wars movies properly belong in the fantasy genre - the presence of standard science fiction props such as blasters, spaceships and aliens doesn't change that. But who cares? Millions of people love the story. And many authors have done crossovers; one of my favorites has a series that starts out as classic fantasy, but it becomes clear over the course of the series that it's set on another world, millions of years in our future - and implies that much of what they apply as magic is fueled by advanced technology. Orson Scott Card once said that you can tell the difference because fantasy covers have trees, while science fiction covers have rivets. And I once set a fantasy role-playing game on a version of Larry Niven's Ringworld.

But enough about me. In future issues, I'll be exploring some "strange new worlds," but for now let's take a look at the fruits of others' exploration.


Editor's Picks

A Superhero's Duty (Preview) Open in new Window. [13+]
A contract villain turns hero to protect a six-year-old boy.
by Patricia Gilliam Author Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor


 Dark Story: A Mother's Love Open in new Window. [13+]
In an age of medical misery, a mother tries to take her young son home....
by June Author Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor


 Footsteps Open in new Window. [13+]
listening to the rain, future, contemplating his next move. Very Short.
by Luna tic Author Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor


 Fairy Tale at Fireside Open in new Window. [E]
Sept 11 stretches out in time.
by Write-fully Loti Author Icon

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B07RKLNKH7
Amazon's Price: $ 0.99


Ask & Answer

While this is my first shot at this newsletter as a regular editor, I had a guest spot here in December, where I wrote about incorporating comic elements into fantasy stories. This garnered one response:

mw1993 wrote: I use humour sparingly in my stories - generally, I use smartassed remarks. I'm a big fan of sarcasm and I like to have a character who is witty.

As anyone who follows the Comedy newsletter knows, I'm a big fan of funny. While it certainly doesn't belong everywhere - it can ruin a good dark tale about pathos and death, for example - it does help to hold readers' interest to throw in a few funnybones here and there, and that includes smartassed remarks. After all, it's better to be a smartass than a dumbass!

And now, a question for you: is there anything in specific you want to see in my Fantasy (and science fiction) newsletters? Write in, and at least let me know you're reading this! Until next time...

DREAM ON!

*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


<< February 13, 2008Fantasy Archives | More From This Day | Print This IssueFebruary 27, 2008 >>

This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright.