Steven R. Southard's Blog, page 5

Writers and Authors – It’s in the Walk

You hear the terms “writer” and “author,” but do you know the difference? Is there a difference?

Definitions

Writers are people who write. They write fiction, nonfiction, books, vignettes, emails, texts, letters, grocery lists—doesn’t matter. They may write for others, for themselves or for nobody—doesn’t matter.

Authors are people who’ve had writing published. Big press, small press, self-published—doesn’t matter. Their work gets read by others and is intended that way.

Relations...

161 Years After the First Successful Submarine Attack

On this anniversary, let’s observe a moment of silent reading while we visualize the events of the day some brave submariners made history.

Aboard the Submarine

You’re sitting on a bench, crammed in beside six other sweaty men. Your hands grip a crankshaft, and you turn it under the command of a lieutenant sitting at the bow, to your left. You face the boat’s starboard side three feet away, a blank, curved bulkhead of iron, now moist with condensation. Stale air fills your lungs with each...

On The Evolution of Alien Species

Aliens have come a long way. Not real aliens—I don’t even know if they exist. I’m referring to aliens in literature. Inspired by fine articles authored by Ian Simpson and Joelle Renstrom, I’ll describe how aliens evolved with science fiction.

Image from Pixabay.comThe Law of Alien Fiction

First, though, I’ll emphasize a non-intuitive law of alien literature: Alien stories aren’t about aliens. They’re about humans. Even stories populated only by non-human characters are about humans. A s...

We Want These 14 Improbable Technologies Now

Science fiction literature has provided many fun and interesting technologies that lie beyond our current abilities. Let’s look at a few.

Waterfall, by M.C. Escher

I’m calling these technologies improbable rather than impossible. One person’s impossible often becomes a later person’s accomplishment. The technologies on my list aren’t available now, and some violate known laws of physics, but scientists are researching all of them, and breakthroughs can occur.

Faster than Light (FTL) Trav...

How To Help Readers Understand Complex Topics

You science fiction writers and technical writers face a difficult problem. How do you convey complicated information to an average reader in an understandable way? The late Dr. Richard Feynman may have your answer.

Who Was Richard Feynman? Dr. Richard Feynman

Feynman (1918-1988) studied quantum mechanics, helped develop the atomic bomb, foresaw nanotechnology, investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger accident, and won a Nobel Prize in Physics. For purposes of this blogpost, Dr. Feynman...

Write Better with Steve Jobs’ 10-Minute Rule

You’re stuck. You’ve written your character into a plot hole. Or you’re not sure where to go next with the story. Or you can’t decide on a setting or character name. The late Steve Jobs of Apple has a method of solving your problem.

The Problem

You’re determined to write the story. The flame within you still burns, but it’s sputtering. Whatever form the roadblock takes, you can’t seem to drive past it. You’ve sat for ten minutes focused on the problem, but you’re getting nowhere and feelin...

Why I Don’t Write the Hemingway Way

Ernest Hemingway offered advice to writers and the folks at Open Culture did a wonderful job collecting and condensing his tips.

I don’t believe Hemingway intended these as eternal rules, engraved on stone tablets. Like most authors, he knew what worked for him, and also knew other writers succeeded by following their own, opposing rules. In that spirit, I’ll give my take on the seven Hemingway tips for writers.

1. To get started, write one true sentence.

To me, this sounds like a t...

If Authors Named Football Teams

Teams in the National Football League received their names in various ways, but most don’t derive from literary references.

The Baltimore Ravens stand out as a sole exception. Taken from the mysterious talking bird of the Edgar Allan Poe poem, that team name epitomizes the city where Poe lived.

What works for Baltimore might work for other NFL cities as well. Let’s find out what could happen if they left team-naming up to fiction writers.

Arizona

The Cardinals would become the Ari...

9 SciFi Predictions for 2025

Author Alan Cox said, “I figure [making] lots of predictions is best. People will forget the ones I get wrong and marvel over the rest.” Today, Poseidon’s Scribe will make his predictions about the science fiction to be written in 2025. Next year at this time, you can do some forgetting and marveling.

In the past, I’ve tried crystal balls, tea leaves, tarot cards, astrology, palmistry, and ChatGPT, but none of those worked. This year, along with a partner, I used a Ouija Board.

That met...

Looking Back, My 2024 Predictions Assessed

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…when I judge how well I did at foretelling the attributes of science fiction books in 2024.

In past years, I’ve tried and failed with various techniques, but last year at this time I used a sure-fire method—the AI known as ChatGPT by OpenAI. Let’s see how well I did:

Prediction: AI Ethics and Rights

As artificial intelligence continues to advance, science fiction writers may delve into the ethical considerations and legal rights surrounding s...