Sure, it’s no “Kara Remembers / all Along the Watchtower” but give it a shot anyway.

The Golden Age of Science Fiction, from the early 1940s through the 1950s, saw an explosion of talent in SF writing, including authors such as Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and Arthur C. Clarke. Their writing helped science fiction gain wide public attention, and left a lasting impression upon society. The same writers formed the mold for the next three decades of science fiction, and much of their writing remains as fresh today as it was then.

About the Author

Isaac Asimov was for five decades a central figure in science fiction writing. Born in the Soviet Union and raised in Brooklyn, he wrote over 330 books. Martin H. Greenberg has been called the king of anthologists, with more than one thousand anthologies. Charles G. Waugh is a leading authority on science fiction and fantasy.

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A fiction-writing text by a well-known sci-fi author, editor and professor.

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Ellison…Brooks…Stephenson. These are some of the top fantasy and science fiction authors writing today. Their books reach an audience of tens of thousands and explore imaginative new worlds. Now writers can learn the secret to crafting their own breakout fantasy or sci-fi novel as Philip Athans provides a step-by-step guide to: developing the best plot structure; creating believable, exciting characters; writing compelling combat scenes; presenting technology that sounds as if it ought to work; and, also writing a strong proposal and finding the right publisher. Complete with an introduction by R.A. Salvatore, one of the decade’s most prolific fantasy writers, this guide holds the key to success for aspiring authors who want to fly to the stars, find treasure in the dragon’s lair, defend Earth from an alien invasion – and publish a bestseller.

About the Author

Philip Athans (Issaquah, WA) is managing editor of novels at Wizards of the Coast, t (more…)

From Booklist

A writer and seasoned creative-writing teacher, LaPlante has assembled a treasury of materials to back up her literary expertise. In her discussion of metaphor, for example, LaPlante quotes Byron, Denis Johnson, Flannery O’Connor, Shakespeare, and William Gass. In her extrapolation of the old adage, “write about what you know,” she presents a poem by Sharon Olds, a page from the journals of Leonard Michaels, and Eudora Welty’s indelible advice: “Write about what you don’t know about what you know.” Comprehensive in its coverage of inspiration, craft, aesthetics, veracity, and purpose, this one-stop guide to writing is casual in tone and rigorous in content, elucidating the nature of fiction and nonfiction and clarifying the qualities unique to each and common to both. Each chapter contains an explication of such subjects as point of view, creating characters, and narrative structure; writing exercises, and an illustrative story by the likes of Tim O’Brien, (more…)

Two prolific and award-winning science fiction writers, Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg, have been publishing a “Dialogue” in every issue of the “SFWA Bulletin”, official publication of the Science Fiction Writers of America, for more than a decade. These collected columns explore every aspect of the literary genre, from writing to marketing to publishing, combining wit and insight with decades of experience in 25 topics.

About the Author

Mike Resnickhas been named Locus magazine’s all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He is the author of 58 novels, 225 short stories, and 2 screenplays, and is the editor of 48 anthologies. Barry N. Malzberg is the author of more than 90 books and has edited science fiction anthologies and magazines. He won the first John Campbell Memorial Award, has won two Locus Awards for essay collections, and is a Hugo and Nebula Award nominee.

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“The Writer’s Digest Guide to Science Fiction & Fantasy” gives writers everything they need to know write the next sci-fi classic. Writers of all skill levels will discover helpful advice from best-selling author Orson Scott Card’s “How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy” on how to wield story elements that ‘define’ the science fiction and fantasy genres; build, populate and dramatize fantastic new worlds; and, construct compelling stories by developing ideas, characters, and events that keep readers turning pages, and more. In this book, readers will learn the art of world building by exploring traditional fantasy cultures, examples from world cultures, the rituals of magic and witchcraft, mythological creatures and fantasy races, weapons and armor, clothing and fashion, and much more.

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Amazon.com

The visionary work of science fiction legend Philip K. Dick inspired the films Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990), and Minority Report (2002). Films from John Carpenter’s They Live to David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ to The 6th Day mine the same sense of the technological morass, complex conspiracies, and manipulated and uncertain realities that Dick spun out in such novels as Time Out of Joint and A Scanner Darkly. Dick’s unnerving ideas influenced a generation, but despite the title of this labor-of-love documentary, it’s less about his work than the life-changing events of the last decade of his life. The bizarre true story of paranoia, mind-altering drugs, mystical visions, and an 8,000-page treatise called The Exegesis is as compelling as any of his novels. All it lacks is a grounding: filmmakers Mark Steensland and Andy Massagli take for granted a familiarity with the author and his work. That may leave the casual viewer a bit bewildered by it all, but (more…)

Middle School Learning System 2007 for grades 6-8 features 85 titles with in-depth coverage of 24 core middle school subjects, 47 hours of interactive multimedia lessons and video presentations, top-rated reference materials, over 37 hours of audio books and eBooks – now compatible with your iPod for learning on the go! All core subjects including English, math, science, U.S. history, world history, and geography are brought to life with interactive multimedia presentations and lessons. Printable tests make is easy to monitor student comprehension and progress. World-renowned reference materials such as Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Barron’s Concise Encyclopedia bring a complete and superior study environment that encourages research. Examine themes, characters, and plot synopses of 101 classics with 101 Barron’s Book Notes. Subject details: Math: fractions, decimals, numbers review, pre-algebra, algebra I, geometry, Rapid Calculation Method – a step-by-ste (more…)

Amazon.com Review

Another in Ben Bova’s series on Science Fiction Writing, here geologist and SF scribe Stephen Gillett helps you construct star systems and planets from the atoms up. While it may take you a little more than the proverbial seven days (well, six with rest), when you’re done, your knowledge of gravity, weather patterns, cosmic mass and stellar patterns–in this universe–will be greatly enhanced.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This book is designed to give science fiction writers the solid grounding they need in real science to make their fictions read like fact. World Building is a blueprint in words, calculations, tables and diagrams to help writers transport readers from one world to another.

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