September 2018 - Page 2 of 3 - Alex R Oliver, SF/F Author

Three Essentials for Fantasy Worldbuilding

I know, you want to write the next Lord of the Rings, or possibly the next Game of Thrones. So do I, to be honest. But I also want to read as many more epic fantasies as can be brought to the bookshop table, and …

March For Our Lives activists Emma Gonzalez and Matt Deitsch discussed the importance of youth voting in the midterm elections and how to get them to the polls on ‘The Daily Show’.

via Parkland Survivor Emma Gonzalez On ‘Daily Show’ Urges Young People To Vote In 2018 Midterms — Hollywood Life

You need to know these facts about fire, or your fantasy worldbuilding will fail.

Clearly there are many advantages to reading bad books. One of these is the inspiration to write blog posts in an effort to make sure it never happens again. There are several aspects of medieval life which are easily researchable, but which sometimes writers think …

Quoting: See Frustrations in Perspective

I think we’re taught to do this for our successes but to amplify our failures out of proportion. (Or perhaps that’s just me.) I definitely need to learn to flip that script.

Musings

I am similar to this in that I don’t normally feel I have to worry about making a higher power approve of me – because that’s a given. But I like the possibility of having a relationship with it. It loves me? Maybe sometimes I …

How to explain to Christian children about being an author of queer books.

Look at this! I was invited to speak at our local Church of England infants’ school by the vicar, some years ago now, and I’ve just discovered the talk I wrote for them. I managed to get most of it out without consulting the paper, …

Book Review Targeter

So today I made a first step towards getting my Space Opera trilogy Lioness of Cygnus Five noticed. I have 15 reviews on the first book, and none at all on the next two or on the box set. This is deeply depressing. In an …

How Not To Be An Author

A case study in how not to plan a writing career.

How to Write a Great Blog Post: A Beginner’s Guide

So far I don’t think I’ve hit one of these targets. But at least now I’ll try.

Just read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin

I don’t quite know what to make of it, to be honest. I’m a big fan of worldbuilding, and I set out in this novel with great enthusiasm. I loved the fact that the city of Sky was described as being ‘like an altarskirt rose’ …