Welcome to David Walton's Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing Advice Page. I'm an author myself, and my first novel, Terminal Mind, came out in April, 2008 from Meadowhawk Press.  My short stories have appeared in Analog and various other places. You can read more about my work at my David Walton Fiction page, but here you can find a lot of information about the business and practice of writing speculative fiction. I've attempted to catalog all the speculative fiction writing tips and advice available on the web, most of it written by masters of the profession, much of which has been useful to me. If you're looking for insight on a specific subject, look no further!

THE GRAND INDEX OF WRITING ADVICE

General Advice
• Frequently Asked Questions for Beginning Writers, from the SFWA
• TANSTAAFL and the Novice Writer by Elizabeth Moon
• Letter to beginning writers by Robert J. Sawyer
• Writing Advice by Chris Moriarity
• Advice on Advice by Mike Shultz
• Advice to Aspiring Writers by Jeffrey A. Carver
• Heinlein's Rules by Robert J. Sawyer
• The Basics by Melisa Michaels
• How to Write by Holly Lisle
• The Writer's Craft by Ben Bova
• Advice on Writing by David Brin
• Writing Speculative Fiction by Mary Soon Lee
• The Writer's Toolbox by Holly Lisle
• Speculative Fiction by Heather V. Long
• How I Write by David Alexander Smith
• Aphorisms for Writing Science Fiction by David Alexander Smith
• Advice to New Writers by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Avoiding Common Mistakes
• Mistakes In Writing by Roger MacBride Allen
• Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them by Melisa Michaels
• Writerisms and other Sins: A Writer's Shortcut to Stronger Writing by C.J. Cherryh
• Writing Tips: A Cautionary Tale by Mike Shultz
• Pitfalls of Writing SF & Fantasy by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Excuse Me, How Much Did It Cost You? by A.C. Crispin
• What Is a Short Story? by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Writing a Novel
• How to Start a Novel by Holly Lisle
• How to Finish A Novel by Holly Lisle

Ideas

Ideas: General
• Story Idea Triggers by Orson Scott Card
• Plotlines and Ideas by Orson Scott Card
• Inventing Stories by Orson Scott Card
• Ideas: A Hundred for a Dollar by Holly Lisle
• Experience by Holly Lisle
• Using Your Life by Holly Lisle
• Where Do You Get Your Ideas? by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• How to (Legally and Ethically) Steal Ideas by Holly Lisle
• A Tale of Two Art Forms by Alexandra Elizabeth Honigsberg

Ideas: Themes
• Themes by Orson Scott Card
• Stories with Soul by Orson Scott Card
• Capture the Zing by John D. Brown
• Finding Your Themes by Holly Lisle

Ideas: Creating Characters
• A Conversation on Character by Orson Scott Card
• Constructing Characters by Robert J. Sawyer
• You and Your Characters by James Patrick Kelly
• Creating Memorable Characters by John Hewitt
• What "Type" Is Your Character? by Paula Fleming
• It's All About the Characters by Mike Shultz
• Creating Characters With Purpose by Mike Shultz
• Create a Character by Holly Lisle

Ideas: Naming Characters
• Naming Characters by Orson Scott Card
• More in Naming Characters by Orson Scott Card
• What's in a Name? by Moira Allen

Ideas: World-Building
• Building New Worlds by Stephen Baxter
• World-Building Questions by Patricia C. Wrede
• The Fully-Realized World by Kate Elliott
• Creating a Realistic Fantasy World by Penny Ehrenkranz
• On Thud and Blunder by Poul Anderson
• Worldbuilding by Holly Lisle
• SF Worldbuilding by Holly Lisle
• What's the Magic Word: Defining the Sources, Effects and Costs of Magic by Lital Talmor
• Sorcerers, Mages, Magic, Spells, and Wizards by Mike Shultz
• Real Rules for Real Worlds by Holly Lisle
• Laws of Fantasy by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• The Alien Language Construction Kit by Mark Rosenfelder
• Inventing Aliens by Orson Scott Card
• Making Monsters by James Patrick Kelly

Ideas: Research
• Research by Robert J. Sawyer
• Science in Science Fiction: Making it Work by Joan Slonczewski
• Playing God: Deus ex Machina and Writing Fantasy by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Research:''What are You Doing with that Broom?'' by Lawrence Watt-Evans

Ideas: Titles
• The Theory and Practice of Titles by B. W. Clough
• Lux Desiderata of Titles by Luc Reid

Writing Skills

Writing Skills: Point-of-View
• Point of View by Robert J. Sawyer
• Point Of View by Nancy Kress
• Third-Person Characters by Orson Scott Card
• Time & First Person by Holly Lisle
• Hot and Cold Third-Person by Orson Scott Card

Writing Skills: Description
• Description by Robert J. Sawyer
• Six Superpowers of Description by Luc Reid

Writing Skills: Dialogue
• Discussion of Dialogue and Style by Orson Scott Card
• Speaking of Dialogue by Robert J. Sawyer

Writing Skills: Plot
• Essays on Plot by S. Andrew Swann
• Using Index Cards to Plot a Novel by Marilynn Byerly
• Essay on Plot by Damon Knight

Writing Skills: Style
• Your Writing Voice by Holly Lisle
• Banishing Boring Words by Mike Shultz
• Powerful Nouns Are Important, Too by Mike Shultz
• On Rhetoric and Style by Orson Scott Card

Writing Skills: Conflict
• When is Conflict Good? by Orson Scott Card

Writing Skills: Suspense
• How To Send Chills Down Your Readers' Spines by Mike Shultz
• The"Maguffin" by Orson Scott Card

Writing Skills: Structure
• Beginnings by Orson Scott Card
• Great Beginnings by Robert J. Sawyer
• Writing an effective opening line by Robert J. Sawyer
• Middles by Holly Lisle
• Parallel Storylines by Orson Scott Card

Writing Skills: Length
• Chapter Length by Orson Scott Card
• Novel Length by Orson Scott Card
• Breaking Into Print by Melisa Michaels

Writing Skills: Show vs. Tell
• Show, Don't Tell by Robert J. Sawyer
• How to Include Background Information by Orson Scott Card
• Thought vs. Action by Orson Scott Card
• Showing Character Motivation by Orson Scott Card

Writing Skills: Revision
• Murder Your Darlings by James Patrick Kelly
• How to Revise a Novel by Holly Lisle
• Revising Your Story by Leslie What
• Wordprocessing Tricks by Robert J.Sawyer

Writing Psychology

Writing Psychology: Writers Block
• On Writers Block by Orson Scott Card
• Writer's Block: A Definition by Example by Michael Bracken
• Writers' Block I by Holly Lisle
• Writers' Block II by Holly Lisle
• Ways to Recapture Authorial Delight by Mike Shultz
• The Writers Trance and the Four Trance Breakers by John D. Brown
• Writers Block: Nothing to Fear But Fear Itself by Luc Reid
• Avoiding Your Story by Luc Reid
• Seven Surefire Ways to Beat Writer's Block--and How I Made Them Work for Me! by Terry Bisson

Writing Psychology: Career
• Jump-Starting a Stalled by Or Dead Career by John Gregory Betancourt
• A Twelve-Step Program for Writers by Bruce Bethke
• Writing and Selling Confessions by Michael Bracken
• Stalled Careers, Writer's Block, and Monsters Under the Bed by Melisa Michaels

Writing Psychology: Focus and Dedication
• How to Stay Focused by Orson Scott Card
• Moving a Story From Your Head to the Page by Orson Scott Card
• 50 Strategies for Making Yourself Work by Jerry Oltion
• Rejection by Patricia Duffy Novak
• Everyday Courage and the Writer by Holly Lisle
• Your Book Is Not Your Baby by Holly Lisle
• Business of Writing by Holly Lisle
• Could vs. Should and the Price of Your Dreams by Holly Lisle
• Say What You Mean by Holly Lisle
• Perseverance, Publishing and the Urge to Write by James Van Pelt
• Finding Silence by Holly Lisle
• Busman's Holiday by Holly Lisle
• Impossible Goodness by Holly Lisle

Writing Psychology: Inspiration
• Writing Changes Life by Holly Lisle
• Exceeding Our Grasp by Holly Lisle
• Saving the World by Holly Lisle
• One Good Enemy by Holly Lisle
• Quiz--Are YOU Right for Writing? by Holly Lisle
• Experts, Professionals, and College by Holly Lisle
• Who WON'T Make It by Holly Lisle

The Business of Writing

The Business of Writing: General
• Does a Writing Career Always Mean Novels? by Orson Scott Card
• The 39 Steps to Getting Published by Tara K. Harper
• Getting Published by Jeffrey A. Carver
• Writing Full Time: A User's Guide by Robert Weinberg

The Business of Writing: Submitting: General
• How to Submit A Manuscript by Roger MacBride Allen
• The book's written, what now? by Robert J. Sawyer
• Myrtle the Manuscript by Tappan King
• Publishing by Holly Lisle
• Where Do I Send It? by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Media Tie-Ins by Roger MacBride Allen
• Selling to Foreign Markets by Douglas Smith
• Why Did my Story Get Rejected? by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Business of Writing: Submitting: Manuscript Format
• Manuscript format checklist and complete sample manuscript by Robert J. Sawyer
• Format a Manuscript by Holly Lisle
• The Obligatory Manuscript Format Article by John Gregory Betancourt
• Manuscript Preparation by Vonda N. McIntyre
• Manuscript Format by Chuck Rothman
• Manuscript Preparation by Marion Zimmer Bradley

The Business of Writing: Submitting: Query Letters
• The Complete Nobody's Guide to Query Letters by Lynn Flewelling
• Query Letters: Do Them Right! by Lori Foster
• Cover Letters and SASEs by Robert J. Sawyer

The Business of Writing: Submitting: Synopses
• How to Write a Synopsis by Rebecca Sinclair
• Outlines and synopses by Robert J. Sawyer
• The Character-Based Synopsis by Barbara Karmazin

The Business of Writing: Submitting: Word Count
• Word Count Redux by Melisa Michaels
• Word Counts: What Is a Word? by Chuck Rothman

The Business of Writing: Agents
• Do I need an agent? by Orson Scott Card
• Do I Need An Agent? by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Landing an agent by Robert J. Sawyer
• How to Find a Literary Agent by Nathan Bransford
• Hunting for a Literary Agent by Chuck Rothman
• Literary Agents by Holly Lisle
• About Literary Agents by Holly Lisle
• Query an Agent by Holly Lisle
• Hunting for an Agent with Sample Synopsis by John E. Stith

The Business of Writing: Editors
• Editors by Holly Lisle
• Work With Editors by Holly Lisle
• The Road to a First Novel by J. V. Jones and Betsy Mitchell
• Translations from the Editorial by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• What Happened to my Manuscript? by Elisabeth Waters

The Business of Writing: Copy Editors
• A Writer's Guide to Understanding the Copyeditor by Terry McGarry
• Notes for the copyeditor by Robert J. Sawyer

The Business of Writing: Self-Promotion
• Self-Promotion by Robert J. Sawyer
• More on Self Promotion by Robert J. Sawyer
• Professionalism by Robert J. Sawyer
• How I Promoted My Book by David Louis Edelman
• How I Promoted My Book 2 by David Louis Edelman
• A Guide to Ethical Self-Promotion by David Louis Edelman
• Tips for public readings by Robert J. Sawyer
• Getting good press by Robert J. Sawyer

The Business of Writing: Career
• How to Quit Your Day Job to Write Full Time by Holly Lisle
• Money by Holly Lisle
• Design a Career by Holly Lisle

The Business of Writing: Legal Questions
• Copyrights by Orson Scott Card
• Copyrights and Meteorites by Chuck Rothman
• On Plagiarism, Borrowing, Resemblance, and Influence by Orson Scott Card
• Rights: What They Mean and Why They're Important by Marg Gilks
• What Happens Next: The Contract by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• What Happens Next: After The Contract by Lawrence Watt-Evans
• Death and Taxes by Elisabeth Waters

Critiquing
• OSC Critique by Orson Scott Card
• Hardcore Critique Advice by Amy Sterling Casil
• Some Notes on Critiquing Method by David Alexander Smith
• A Checklist for Critiquing Science Fiction by David Alexander Smith
• Critiquing in a Workshop Context by David Alexander Smith
• A Glossary of Terms Useful in Critiquing Science Fiction by David Alexander Smith
• Writer's Workshops by David Alexander Smith
• Staying Alive: The Hazards of Writing Workshops by Bruce Holland Rogers

Miscellany

Collaboration
• How to Collaborate -- and How NOT To by Holly Lisle
• A Method for Collaboration by Luc Reid

Fiction For Kids
• Writing SF For Kids by Justin Stanchfield
• On Writing F&SF for Kids by Sherwood Smith

F&SF Subgenres
• The Subgenres of Science Fiction by Marg Gilks, Moira Allen
• What Is Magical Realism, Really? by Bruce Holland Rogers
• Writing Soft SF by Penny Ehrenkranz
• Doyle's SF Genre Rant by Dr. Debra Doyle (lit vs. sf)
• Going Pro by Holly Lisle
• Another Modest Proposal by Michael Chesley Johnson (trash your computer)
• 7 Reasons Fiction Writers Should Sell Nonfiction by Carol Ottolenghi-Barga

Author Interviews
• An Eye for Detail: An Interview with Kate Elliott by Moira Allen
• An Interview with Anne McCaffrey by Lynne Jamneck
• Master of Punmanship: An Interview with Piers Anthony by Moira Allen
• On Religion in SF and Fantasy: An Interview with Orson Scott Card by Moira Allen
• Steering Her Craft: An Interview with Ursula LeGuin by Faith Justice
• Writing Speculative Poetry: An Interview with Bruce Boston by John Amen
• Writing the World of the Series: An Interview with Lynn Flewelling by Moira Allen
• Writing with Bite: An Interview with Susan Sizemore by Moira Allen