1984?

Hello SE friends, Gwen with you today, and I’ve an unusual topic to share. It was generated by recent comments made by neighbors, friends, and family members. Have you heard folks mention 1984? Not the year, but the book or the movie? Rarely a day passes that I don’t hear references to George Orwell’s book …

More Genre Clichés

Ciao, SEers! Last time, we talked about clichés in horror and how to fix them. This time, we're going to look at stereotypes in two more genres and ways to turn them around. Mystery Title of the book is "the character in the place (often vantage point)" i.e. The Woman in the WindowSolution: Find something …

Clichés in Horror

Ciao, SEers! Last time, I went over the three elements of a horror story as defined by Orson Scott Card---dread, terror, and fear. To read that post, click this link. Sticking with that theme, today, I thought I'd continue with ways to make our horror fiction stand out by discussing clichés in the horror genre. …

Three Elements of Horror

Ciao, SEers. We've rounded the corner and are in the second half of the year. Even though we're in the heat of summer, for me, as soon as we hit July, I feel fall coming (my favorite season of the year) and that means it's time to start thinking about all things autumn. You're probably …

Science Fiction and November 2020

Hello, SE readers! Today I will again focus on inspiration--but with a twist. I’ve been thinking about Mark Twain, and not because I live a couple of hours from the Mississippi River. Rather, it's because I read some of his science fiction work and was haunted by his comment: “Truth is stranger than fiction, but …