Fantasy: April 25, 2012 Issue [#5008]
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Fantasy


 This week: Researching, Writing, and Reading
  Edited by: Prosperous Snow celebrating 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

What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. ~ Samuel Johnson

When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. ~ Enrique Jardiel Poncela



Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Writing speculative fiction takes effort because you have to put time into researching, reading, and writing. In this newsletter, I will discuss the researching part of the process. Research can include anything from investigation exoplanets or Mayan mythology to the proper terminology to describing a fireplace. In order to capture the reader, a writer needs to use the proper terms when describing an ordinary object that is important to the plot of the story.

The problem with research is where to find authentic information on a given subject. One place is online; of course, you have to determine if the information on the website is authentic. Another place is the library; most libraries have websites. Some libraries will mail you books or e-mail articles. Other places to start your research are at a bookstore or the magazine rack of a supermarket.

I know that the magazine rack at a supermarket sounds like a strange place to begin research. However, you can find various editions of Scientific America and special editions of U.S. News & World Report. Recently I found a special edition of the above-mentioned magazine, which containing articles about Mars, exoplanets, and asteroids, to name a few of the articles in that edition.


Editor's Picks

 WarCraft versus StarCraft Open in new Window. (E)
Which game series do you like better?
#1733728 by BIG BAD WOLF Feeling Thankful Author IconMail Icon
Excerpt: Back in 1994, a company called Blizzard came out with a game called "WarCraft: Humans vs Orcs." In it, greenskinned orcs fought against pinkskinned humans...

Survivor Open in new Window. (13+)
Man against beast. Only one survivor. Maybe?
#1859679 by Shawlyn Author IconMail Icon

Excerpt: Gabriel Flynn slipped silently like a ghost through the dark shapes of the tortured and twisted trees of the forest. He dodged between the hanging razor vines and avoided the acidic secretions of various bushes. The sounds of the forest din pulsated around him. The pungent smell of rot and decay filled his nostrils. He dropped to one knee and carefully looked at the spore left by the predator. It wasn't far in front of him.

 The Lamb and the Sacrifice Open in new Window. (13+)
Pirates try to force Dayanara, to gain access to the Witches Isle, but danger lurks below.
#1860327 by Impressionish Author IconMail Icon

Excerpt: The ocean fog hung still in the air, not a single breath of wind stirred the rigging of the ship as it rested upon the dead calm waters.

 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#1861034 by Not Available.

Excerpt: She closed the book, placed it on the table, and finally, decided to walk through the door. As Clara stood, pushing the chair away with the backs of her knees, pain lanced up her spine-the stiffness of half a day spent immobile released in one chokingly agonising spike to her nervous system. But the sensation was soon forgotten, burned away by the memory of the book's final image.


Submitted to the Newsletter


 The Vampiress and the Boy Open in new Window. (18+)
A Vampiress finds a lost boy.
#1857648 by BIG BAD WOLF Feeling Thankful Author IconMail Icon

Excerpt: Beth wiped her lips with a red napkin as she walked away from the site of her latest meal;...


Contests and Review Forums


Daily Flash Fiction Challenge Open in new Window. (13+)
Enter your story of 300 words or less.
#896794 by Arakun the twisted raccoon Author IconMail Icon


 
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Word from Writing.Com

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Ask & Answer

BIG BAD WOLF Feeling Thankful Author Icon writes: I just write.
Oh, and to answer mr.pennybottomwinkle Author IconMail Icon's question about a Dystopian story with a male lead- try Terry Brooks' Armageddon's Children. Haven't read it myself yet, but Brooks does good work.

jim1184 Author Icon writes: Interesting Newsletter. I have written and published a few mission statements but not for fiction writers. I have read many mission statements, I knew were speculative fiction. I did find my fiction/fantasy more focused after I knew what my goal was. One word, Legacy.

Midnight Dawn Author Icon writes: Thank you for mentioning Diving for Pearls in your newsletter! As for your question on mission statements, I actually do not have one. I write to entertain, and though I suppose my liberal mindset is pretty obvious, I do not intentionally make it a mission to spread my beliefs. Though if this story makes you put down an aerosol can, I will be pleased. *Smile*
I created Diving for Pearls after I'd read an article on global warming. That made me imagine a world where all the dire warnings had started to become a reality, and the people who'd have to survive there.

Does anyone have any suggestions concerning research or any other aspect of writing speculative fiction?
Prosperous Snow celebrating Author Icon


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