Air Plant, Tillandsia ionantha, with some succulents in the background Crown of Thorns, Euphorbia milii Crown of Thorns, Euphorbia milii, different variety False Shamrock, Oxalis regnellii, with some Coleus in the background Purple Shamrock, Oxalis triangularis Moth orchid, Phalaenopsis, with important plans Basil, Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora Coleus, Plectranthus scutellarioides cultivar Coleus, Plectranthus scutellarioides ‘Stained glass’ Silver … Continue reading I have flowers in December

If you’re telling a tale — a novel, a movie, or a short story — where do you start? The opening needs to make the reader, viewer, or listener want to keep going. Often stories start with action or dialogue, especially in movies and television, although written fiction has more options. You can use questions … Continue reading How to begin a story

This weekend I’ll be at Windycon, a science fiction convention in Lombard, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago (hence the name). It’s the Windy City’s longest-running SF con, usually with about 1,000 members. Events are mostly centered around science fiction and fantasy literary themes, but lovers of games, costumes, art, music, and media will find plenty … Continue reading My Windycon schedule

How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One by Stanley Fish My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve been writing professionally for fifty years, so you might think I know how to write a sentence. Yes I do, obviously, but there’s always more to perfect. This book is to writing like practicing scales … Continue reading Goodreads review: “How to Write a Sentence” by Stanley Fish

The science fiction and fantasy community made a commitment to be more inclusive of works from around the world, including translations. How is that working out? I explore the results in an article called “Speculative Fiction: The Future Happens Everywhere,” in the latest issue of Source, the journal of the Literary Division of the American … Continue reading Speculative Fiction: The Future Happens Everywhere

This is a storm sewer grate near my home that says: DUMP NO WASTE! DRAINS TO WATERWAYS East Jordan Ironworks - Made in USA (It also depicts some trout.) Everyone has a right to clean water, and in case you need them, here are suggestions about how to protect the water you drink.

Often novels have one or two point-of-view characters. Point of view (POV) refers to the way a story is told: the perspective of the character or narrator telling the story. Often this is the main character, like Murderbot in the Murderbot Diaries; sometimes it’s the sidekick or observer, like Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes stories. … Continue reading Points of view and “Immunity Index” – almost too many?

Why so much work for a few little flowers? Coins are next to the planter for scale. Something’s blooming in my home: a Haworthiopsis venosa sp. tessellata. The diminutive green plant is named for the British botanist Haworth; venosa means “having branched veins”; tesselatta means “square mosaic tiles” and refers to the pattern on the … Continue reading Very tall and spicy: a succulent in bloom

I’ll be at Chicon 8, the 80th World Science Fiction Convention, held September 1 to 5 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. Almost 5,000 people are expected to attend in person with 1,500 attending virtually. Hundreds of activities are planned. It will be a five-day party, and you can still sign up and come. … Continue reading My schedule at Chicon 8: come say hi!

Here’s some art about Semiosis — a reader shared these sketches with me, and I love them. Thank you, Storm! I asked her to say a little about herself: My name is Storm Munk-Hind. I live in Denmark and study psychology at the university of Aarhus (Denmark). I’m also an artist. I usually do gallery-type … Continue reading Fan art by Storm Munk-Hind