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Science Fiction Conventions 101
If you’re interested in writing science fiction, fantasy, or horror stories, then you’re probably already a fan of those genres. You’ve heard of conventions, those strange gatherings of geeks and...
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There’s a torpedo joke in here, but it’s up to you to make it.
It’s (usually) easy to tell if a story is Genre, which is within-our-genre-speak for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Sometimes Horror. Does it have dragons? Does it have ray guns? Which animals talk, and...
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Description: Part One
When I was in middle school and had just gotten into The Lord of the Rings, I was shocked to hear my friends describe the books, books that I considered haunting and hilarious works of art, as dense...
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Description: Part Two
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the second half of my two-part post on description! Part one can be found here. Getting back into it, let’s start with Rule Three, which I consider the most important...
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2012 Alpha Fundraiser
There are so many reasons we love Alpha. It’s not just that it makes successful writers out of talented teenagers, although we all learn a lot about stories, plots, character arcs, dedication, even...
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5 Reasons Not To Apply To Alpha (And Why To Apply Anyway)
The Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers is awesome. For proof, check out what previous students (including me) have to say about the workshop, or watch this video by 2011 student Aleka Gurel....
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Dell Award winners announced
Every year, Alphans gather together to submit to the Dell Magazines Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing, then to wonder just when the news will come out. This...
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The 2013 Worry Thread
The deadline’s approaching fast, you might have your story in, you might not, you suddenly have to wait to find out. Use this thread to talk to each other. You can talk about your application stories...
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Writing Prompt 1: They Fight Crime!
This is not the original They Fight Crime!, but it’s still amazing. Spend a little while clicking through until you find a pair– or a solo hero, or a trio– that makes you want to write that story. You...
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Writing Prompt 2: Tell me this story.
A comet burned in the sky and snakes fell from the heavens the night of my birth. Problem is, there were another couple hundred thousand people born that night, too, and I think maybe the comet was for...
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Writing Prompt 3: Immortality
What happens when humans figure out immortality, but you can’t get younger and you can’t have kids afterward? No, really. A lot of immortality schemes involve eternal youth, but as Tithonus discovered,...
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Writing Prompt 4: The Lost City
Pick a lost or abandoned city. Set the story there, but maybe not in its last days. Atlantis, Port Royal, Pompeii, Machu Picchu, Helike, Camelot, El Dorado, Troy, Songo Mnara, Angkor, Great Zimbabwe,...
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Writing Prompt 6: Chuck Wendig
Chuck Wendig has flash prompts each week. Find one you like in the archives, or use this one. The story includes a botanical garden, fatherhood, and something talking that doesn’t normally talk. Online...
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The 2014 Worry Thread
Step 1) Send in a complete application to Alpha, including a story. Step 2) Freak out. Step 3) End the freakout by posting here! This is a thread for your worries. The application committee will not...
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New Strange Horizons editor… me.
Since 2011 I’ve been a first reader for Strange Horizons. It’s a good job and I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what editors look for in a story– you read a lot of fiction, rate it, and...
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The 2015 Alpha Worry Thread
It’s a few days late, but here’s a thread for people to fret, commiserate, encourage, and generally talk about worries. Feel free to talk about your application story, too– the judges don’t read this...
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The Alpha 2016 Share the Wait Thread
It’s a little late this year, but here’s a thread for people to fret, commiserate, encourage, and generally talk about worries. Feel free to talk about your application story, too– the judges don’t...
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