Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for March is Voice and Narration, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

Correction: During the interview, the author mistakenly identifies butter chicken or murgh makhni as a British dish invented in the UK by Indian immigrants. He later clarified that butter chicken was in fact invented in New Delhi. Chicken tikka masala is actually the British dish.

In this episode Jinwoo Chong and Lori discuss:

• Immigration as synthesis.
• What it means to blend speculative fiction and neo-noir genres
• How the immigrant experience helped to shape his book.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About Jinwoo Chong

Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novel Flux, coming March 21, 2023 from Melville House. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, The Florida Review, CRAFT, and Salamander.

He received the Oran Robert Perry Burke Award for Fiction from The Southern Review and a special mention in the 2022 Pushcart Prize anthology, as well as recognition from The Sewanee Review, Tin House and Zoetrope: All-Story.

He received an MFA from Columbia University and is an editorial assistant at One Story.

You can find him on his website or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Flux

A blazingly original and stylish debut novel about a young man whose reality unravels when he suspects his employers have inadvertently discovered time travel and are covering up a string of violent crimes.

Four days before Christmas, 8-year-old Bo loses his mother in a tragic accident, 28-year-old Brandon loses his job after a hostile takeover of his big-media employer, and 48-year-old Blue, a key witness in a criminal trial against an infamous now-defunct tech startup, struggles to reconnect with his family.

So begins Jinwoo Chong’s dazzling, time-bending and surreal literary debut that blends elements of neo-noir and speculative fiction as the lives of the lives of Bo, Brandon and Blue begin to intersect, uncovering a vast network of secrets and an experimental technology that threatens to upend life itself. Intertwined with them is the saga of an iconic 80s detective show, Raider, whose star actor has imploded spectacularly after revelations of long-term, concealed abuse.

Flux is a haunting and sometimes shocking exploration of the cyclical nature of grief, of moving past trauma, and of the pervasive nature of whiteness within the development of Asian identity in America.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link where, if you choose to purchase via the link, DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 454

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 454: Exploring Themes of Grief and Loneliness in a Neo-Noir Speculative Novel – Interview with Jinwoo Chong appeared first on DIY MFA.

Speculative, Adjective, spec·​u·​la·​tive,

1. involving, based on, or constituting intellectual speculation, also: theoretical rather than demonstrable,
2. speculative knowledge, marked by questioning curiosity

There is a third definition but, as it refers to financial matters, we can ignore that one. I think the first two are what we are looking for. Speculative fiction has been considered from many viewpoints over the years. Often mocked as frivolous and overlooked as any kind of serious writing, speculative writings often have been considered the ugly, red-haired stepchild in many literary circles. Yet in retrospect, we can see that many changes that have come to pass were predicted in the “wild stories” by certain authors.

Some things we accept as normal and commonplace were once highly speculative.

Between 1863 and 1905, Jules Verne wrote his Voyages Extraordinaires.

These included, among many others; From the Earth to the Moon and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Both novels were considered wildly speculative at the time they were written and yet both are proven as prophetic rather than fancy. 

In 1931, Chester Gould introduced to the world a comic book cop named Dick Tracy. 

Not long after, on January 13, 1946, the two-way wrist radio was introduced, and would become one of the strip’s most immediately recognizable icons, and in 2015, Apple made this a reality.

On September 8th, 1966, NBC released a new TV show called Star Trek. 

I watched all three seasons with religious fervor and although most of the inventions used by the crew of the Enterprise have yet to become reality, there is one device that was used from the first show ever-after that has become a mainstay of life in our world—the communicator. It only took thirty years for Motorola to introduce the StarTac, the world’s first flip phone. A very similar device to the communicators used by the crew of the Enterprise.

In July 1969, I watched as Neil Armstrong set foot upon the moon. 

It may not exactly have been as Mr. Verne envisioned over one hundred years before, but it happened. His Nautilus was not the first submarine by any means, but Verne wrote that electric batteries powered this submarine, something which we are just beginning to master as a form of power for our vehicles. 

There is a myth that he used an unknown power source that seems to imply he foresaw the power of the atom. However, radioactivity was not discovered until thirty years after Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was written. Interestingly, the first nuclear submarine built was named “The Nautilus” in honor of Captain Nemo’s vessel, but it was the speculative movie script writers at Walt Disney who planted the idea of nuclear power being involved, not Jules Verne.

So What is Speculative Fiction?

The term ‘speculative fiction’ is often attributed to Robert Heinlein, though he insisted it was referencing science fiction only and not fantasy, and that the term had been used by others before him. It has come to include much more than just hard science fiction including; fantasy, utopian and dystopian fiction, horror, alternate history and superhero fiction as well as science-fantasy.

There are arguments as to who wrote the first speculative fiction. Some offer H.G. Wells or Jules Verne, others speak of Mary Shelley and her novel Frankenstein. I will offer a different suggestion; Homer, who in The Iliad mentions the god Hephaestus who had helpers he had crafted. Helpers who were made of metal and who had thoughts within their heads. In other words, robots.

How many life-changing innovations only exist as the written word at this time? Many, I am sure. This is why speculative things matter. Someone has to dream about the inventions before they can come into existence. Someone has to think… “Wouldn’t that be handy?” Then speculation can become reality.

Casey Cooper is the son of two teachers, the grandson of a university professor on one side, and a jazz drummer on the other. Somehow, he escaped teaching, but not music. After retiring from his day job, just in time for COVID, he devoted his first year of ‘freedom’ to self-recording a musical concept album. In his second year, he turned to writing.

An avid reader, he averages a book a week. The usual fare is Fantasy or Sci-Fi. Sometimes Action/Adventure. He has been seen reading all kinds of things, from fairytales to super-string theory.

He holds guest citizenship in The Forgotten Realms, Oz, Pellucidar, and on the Discworld. He lives alone with his two trusty cats. Liv, a lavender tortoiseshell, and Riley, an orange tiger. You can follow him on Facebook.

The post Why Do Speculative Things Matter? appeared first on DIY MFA.

Entry hooks can be one of the hardest elements of a story to write, regardless of the genre. But if you can nail them, not only can you grab your readers’ attention at the beginning of your story, but also reuse your newfound skills to repeat each time a new chapter starts.

First, to the basics! In case you’re just starting on the journey to write your first book and you’re wondering what an entry hook is and why it’s important, look no further!

What Is an Entry Hook?

The opening line (usually the first line) that grabs the readers’ attention and makes them keep reading. This is the line where the author can truly show the readers why their book is worth reading. So, a wonderful exercise might be to ask yourself one simple question.

Ask yourself: Why is my book worth reading?

Why Are Entry Hooks Important?

A great entry hook is important to make sure your readers don’t put down your book. You need to introduce something exciting enough that shows your readers, “You should not put this book down!” If you nail your entry hook, you will keep your readers focused on and willing to immerse themselves into what you’re offering them.

Now that the basics are out of the way, shall we see what works best as an entry hook for Speculative Fiction? Today, I offer you:

4 Entry Hooks That Work in the Genre of Speculative Fiction!

1. IN MEDIAS RES

This is a classic strategy. Drop your readers in the middle of an action. Not only does this scene and its pace make a reader want to tear through the pages, but starting in the middle of an action also leaves a lot of unanswered questions. What will the readers have to do to find the answers? Keep reading on!

By using in medias res as your entry hook, you are creating an intrigue. And here’s a secret to nailing this hook: Don’t plunge your character into some catastrophic event. Instead, show your readers the emotional aftermath, especially if this is the beginning of the novel.

The reason is that your readers have yet to connect with your characters and this is a beautiful way to make them connect. Of course, the catastrophic middle of an action scene can be an entry hook in later chapters when your readers are connected to your characters.

How to make it work for speculative fiction? We already have an edge of the ‘What if’ intrigue. By using in medias res as your entry hook, you can turn up that dial however many notches up.

How many of you are into sci-Fi or horror movies? I am! Most of these movies start in the middle of an action. Ever heard of the movie ‘Train to Busan’? Yes, the Korean zombie hit! If you’ve watched it, you know it’s unlike any other zombie movie or TV show out there. But you know what hooked me right in? The first scene.

Spoiler Warning! (Maybe?) A truck carrying delivery goods is allowed to pass through a road where a biotech plant has had a leakage. No sooner, the driver, distracted by a phone call, hits a deer in the middle of the street, and from the looks of it, the deer should not be getting up. Ever. But as the driver drives away, the deer contorts itself and wakes up with foggy eyes.

This beginning left me with so many questions. Talk about intriguing the audience!

Ask Yourself: How can I introduce my ‘What if’ question in the middle of action?

2. UNIQUE SETTING 

Now this entry hook is like a match made in heaven for Speculative Fiction. Why? Who else has more unique settings than writers working in our genre? Though a setting itself might not be interesting enough for a reader to keep reading, these unique settings can amp up the intrigue game. You don’t have to info dump your setting on the readers, just give enough details to draw your readers in.

Another way to look at unique settings is to make sure characters are somewhere they aren’t supposed to be. Think of a police officer in solitary confinement. That makes you wonder what is going on here.

A Game of Thrones is a very interesting example of this. In the prologue, and with the very first line, we are left intrigued:

“We should start back,” Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them. “The wildlings are dead.”

For anyone who has zero clue about Game of Thrones, they might be left wondering, “what are wildlings?” But the further we move into the prologue, we know this isn’t some usual story. The speculative element is high in this one!

3. SECRET OR QUESTION 

Tell me if there is anything more intriguing than being left out of a secret or with an unanswered question! This is the kind of opening that leaves readers with more questions than answers. They want to know it all!

This type of entry hook immediately engages the reader because they ask the basic question: “Why?” Why is this happening? I’m asking you to tease your readers.

How to make it work for speculative fiction? When you have your “what if” element, introduce it in the opening line in such a way that it creates more questions than it answers.

The opening line of Peter Pan is a great example of this:

“All children, except one, grow up.”

The formula to nail this kind of entry hook in our genre is to create your “what if” question into some sort of puzzle. With the Peter Pan example, think: How can the essence of Neverland be introduced without really introducing it? With that opening line right there!

Ask Yourself: How can I create an intriguing puzzle/secret/question with my “what if” element?

4. THE CONTRADICTION

Anything that is contradictory is going to create so much intrigue your readers cannot put the book down. I am not talking about forcing something to look extraordinary when it is not. We need an honest contradiction here.

These can be contradictions in action, in emotions, in setting (like we’ve talked about in the unique setting entry hook). If you properly set up this entry hook, we are also looking at a great conflict introduction. Whether it is within the character or interpersonal.

How to make it work for speculative fiction? Your “what if” element can itself be a contradiction to how our regular world works! Show your readers that contradiction.

Remember: Entry hooks can be as unique as your story. If you nail them, you can keep your readers till the last page. Which entry hook will you be using?

Until next time!

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what to write next. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

The post How to Write a Hook for Speculative Fiction appeared first on DIY MFA.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter, especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for June is Young Adult, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode Rebecca Scherm and Lori discuss:

• The psychic toll writing near-future speculative fiction can take on a parent.
• Why it is so important to safeguard your passion and her advice for doing so.
• What she means when she says she has a conversation with a genre.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Rebecca Scherm

Rebecca Scherm is the author of Unbecoming. She lives in California with her family.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

For anyone interested in climate activist gardening that ordinary people can do on any scale available to them, Rebecca recommends looking at Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Parks project, which you can find here https://homegrownnationalpark.org/. She also recommends Tallamy’s books on the topic, especially Nature’s Best Hope: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants

A House Between Earth and the Moon

For twenty years, Alex has believed that his gene-edited super-algae will slow and even reverse the effects of climate change. His obsession with his research has jeopardized his marriage, his relationships with his kids, and his own professional future. When the Son sisters, founders of the colossal tech company Sensus, offer him a chance to complete his research, he seizes the opportunity. The catch? His lab will be in outer space on Parallaxis, the first-ever luxury residential space station built for billionaires. Alex and six other scientists leave Earth and their loved ones to become Pioneers, the beta tenants of Parallaxis.

But Parallaxis is not the space palace they were sold. Day and night, the embittered crew builds the facility under pressure from Sensus, motivated by the promise that their families will join them. At home on Earth, much of the country is ablaze in wildfires and battered by storms. In Michigan, Alex’s teenage daughter, Mary Agnes, struggles through high school with the help of the ubiquitous Sensus phones implanted in everyone’s ears, archiving each humiliation, and wishing she could go to Parallaxis with her father—but her mother will never allow it.

The Pioneers are the beta testers of another program, too: Sensus is designing an algorithm that will predict human behavior. Katherine Son hires Tess, a young social psychologist, to watch the experiment’s subjects through their phones—including not only the Pioneers, but Katherine’s sister, Rachel. Tess begins to develop an intimate, obsessive relationship with her subjects. When Tess and Rachel travel to Parallaxis, the controlled experiment begins to unravel.

Prescient and insightful, A House Between Earth and the Moon is at once a captivating epic about the machinations of big tech and profoundly intimate meditation on the unmistakably human bonds that hold us together.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 412

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 412: Climate Change and Big Tech: Writing the Near Future – Interview with Rebecca Scherm appeared first on DIY MFA.

Now, we’ve already debunked the myths associated with Speculative Fiction, slain the 7 deadly sins, appreciated the storytelling elements with some awesome books, and worked on world building. What’s next? Motivation.

Here are 4 things about speculative fiction that could inspire the motivation to get those words on the pages. And it goes beyond your dreams of seeing your name on the cover—your writing can help your future readers.

Motivation 1: Speculative fiction can build mental resilience.

First things first, I am a psychology graduate. It is probably my fifth language, only because the first four spots are already occupied. And I’m here to share something I learned during my personal research to satiate my psychology craving.

You can help people (especially young audiences) to cope with anxiety and stress by putting your speculative story out there. It is not a discovery that literature is the mirror of society. But when you add the “What if” element to your stories, you are encouraging your readers to think outside of the box.

Your story must have a conflict. Perhaps it is something grounded in reality with a touch of speculative elements. Or it is completely based on fantasy. When your characters survive and learn to cope with uncertainties and learn life lessons, you’re giving your readers the hope they can do it too.

In the most uncertain times, what’s a better message than to tell the readers that they can shape their lives too?

Motivation 2: You can send a wave of change.

Raise your hands if you’ve read the Hunger Games trilogy! 

Well, what was your first reaction to the games itself? My guess is, they turned you off. A minor spoiler alert: Hunger Games is nothing if not a direct reflection on the horrors of war.

I remember reading the trilogy for the first time as a teenager and thinking about the many social issues Suzanne Collins packed in her Hunger Games trilogy. How horrible it all was and developed my own thoughts on all that I read and beyond that.

Now, of course, Panem was a world unlike mine, that helped me leave my biases at the door when I began. But by the end, I had not only looked at everything from an unbiased perspective but developed a viewpoint that could also resonate with my reality. Often, such perspectives can spark a debate that lights the fire of change.

Pretty cool how you, too, can do it by getting your story out there, right?

Motivation 3: You can help develop empathy.

Don’t just take my word for it. But several researches show your speculative fiction story can help develop ethical thinking, emotional intelligence, and empathy! Perspective-taking is your keyword here. We all must have one book in our library where the narrator wasn’t someone we could really like, but we go on this incredible journey to experience the world through their eyes.

Our need for closure, or cognitive closure, decreases. This is our desire to get a direct and firm answer instead of an ambiguous one. Resisting this means you are more comfortable accepting other perspectives, more empathetic, more emotionally intelligent, more thoughtful, and, of course, more creative.

Your story doesn’t need an unlikeable narrator. The “what if” element is good enough to resist cognitive closure.

Motivation 4: You can help someone make sense of the world.

Speculative Fiction is beyond “what if.” It stabilizes your readers in the “now.” You take the approach of a “what if” question and ask it in the “now.” 

What if a Metroid hit the earth? What if you could time travel to the future? What if aliens invaded Earth? 

It could be anything for that matter, but in your story, it is happening in the now for your characters.

The characters making sense of the world helps readers look at their own world and make sense of it. Much like how I did as a teenager after reading the Hunger Games trilogy. 

Sometimes it can hit closer home. What’s the temperature where you’re living? It’s 40 degrees Celsius here already when we’re supposed to be enjoying spring. Global warming took spring from us here and no one is happy about it! 

I recently came across a fantasy story about a time in the near future when water has become a luxury. That hit closer to home than an alien invasion, for sure. 

But here’s the thing: speculative fiction poses questions in readers’ minds and helps them make sense of the world in a new light.

Share Your Wisdom!

Come on now, give your readers the wisdom of sight that only your story can provide. If that doesn’t give you the motivation to write, I don’t know what will.

And the next time we meet, let us talk about some emerging trends in speculative fiction and how we can use (and avoid) them to help our writing journey. Until then!

Tell us in the comments: What is your motivation for writing speculative fiction?

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what next to write. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

The post Find Your Motivation for Writing Speculative Fiction appeared first on DIY MFA.

To put it simply, “The World” is where your story takes place. Now, that should give you a good enough idea of just how important this storytelling element is. Because your story and characters can’t exist in a void, right? 

Before this gets too intimidating and you think, “Let me work on some other aspect of my story and come here later,” hold your horses! At Worldly Wise, you and I are ready to take the intimidating part out of world-building and have some fun while we’re at it.

This is just going to take 6 questions. Are you ready?

Question 1: Who is my main character?

There’s going to be one person we’ll follow around during the entire story, right? Well, who are they? To truly make your world feel like a home, as an audience, we want to attach to a character. Find someone we care about and can root throughout the story. Otherwise, we’ll end up being just as lost as your story.

Figure out who this main character is, what led them to where the story begins, and where they’re going from here on. If you’re writing fantasy, work to figure out their species, how they communicate, and the strengths and weaknesses of said species. These are especially useful in creating obstacles.

There’s an exhaustive list of questions you can answer about your character, like their hair color, eye color, weight, and whatnot! But, in my opinion, what the audience really cares about is their desires and motives that shape the world and the story. Figure that out first.

Question 2: Who is my supporting cast?

Unless you’re writing a dystopian novel where your main character is trying to find a way to civilization, you’ll need more people to join the adventure. In fact, this dystopian novel would also need more people, eventually. No one wants to read 300 pages of a character walking and occasionally facing some conflict that isn’t born out of human interaction.

That’s not to say you should populate your novel with a billion side characters of every species to make it stand out. We need people to aid the main character’s journey by either helping them or creating obstacles for them. Like the main character, the supporting cast needs desires and motives too, just don’t take the spotlight from our hero/heroine. Because they won’t thank you for that. Neither would the audience.

Question 3: What does my world look like?

We are talking about geography and the organisms that inhabit our world. Think of landscape and how it affects the inhabitants. Major landmarks and why are they important to the story? What natural resources are available in plenty and whether there are any that are scarcely available? What creatures walk this world? Do they co-exist?

Just remember not to over-research (Yes, there’s a thing like that. I didn’t make it up!). You do not need to research every single aspect of your world before you write the story. That’s a rabbit hole you’ll never get out of. 

You just need enough information to aid the story. 

I’m sure all the things in your head about your breathtaking world are fantastic! But does the audience need every single detail? If taking some details out causes little change in your story or the audience’s understanding of it, please take them out.

Question 4: What historical events took place in my world?

This history is the backstory of your world. Its inception, the important lore, mythologies, disasters, wars. Anything and everything that aids the story. Nothing unnecessary.

 Just like the character, this is the part where you need to know what led your world to where it is now.

This part can be especially interesting to create when you link it to the theme of your story. The theme is the main idea you want to explore in the story. 

Look at our real world. Every landmark in history has contributed to making our society the way it is now. History has shaped our setting. 

Your world’s history should do that too and if you’re creative enough, you just might create a conflict that dissuades your main character from their story goal.

Question 5: What is my world’s belief system?

Yes, we’re talking about the religious or spiritual aspects that rule your world, but let’s take it a step further. Does magic of any sort exist in your world? What about other supernatural creatures? Can you tell what people think of it? What are the rules of magic? How do this belief system and magic/supernatural world co-exist? Does it affect what people do for a living? Are there different cultures?

Taking these together, you should weave them perfectly with the theme of your story. A belief system is a firm foundation for conflicts.

Take, for example, Harry Potter. (Spoiler Alert!) The muggles cannot know about magic and underage witches and wizards cannot perform magic outside school. Those rules are inflexible. So, when Harry performs the Patronus charm in Little Whining in The Order of the Phoenix, he is expelled for performing magic outside school. Harry can’t let that happen for so many reasons! Conflicts! You get the picture, right?

Question 6: Are there any sci-fi elements that affect my world?

Think time travel, extraterrestrial life, parallel universe, alternate timeline, humanoids, and other “what-if” creatures or science ideas you can come up with. How did these things come into existence? Are they affordable or easily available? What is society’s view on this? What are the rules?

Again, remember not to go down the rabbit hole of “I need to know everything or my story is doomed!” and avoid info-dumping on the audience. We need a healthy dose of a sprinkle of your world, not something that takes away from the story of your character.

Get on your laptop or find some paper. Just one page of each of these six questions should be enough to help you get a good idea of what your world is like. So, no excuses for not writing that story faster anymore, alright? I’m excited to see what you come up with. 

And the next time we meet, I’ll tell you what nobody knows about speculative fiction. (Hint: As a speculative fiction author, you’re helping in your audience’s wellbeing.) Until then! 

Tell us in the comments: What’s your answer to one of the questions mentioned in this article?

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what next to write. Connect with her at www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram (@quillinary) and Twitter (@quillinary).

The post Worldly Wise: Create Your World in Six Questions appeared first on DIY MFA.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter, especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! 

The theme for March is Magic, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode Rob Hart and I discuss:

• Why naming characters is important and where he found the names for these characters. 
• How to write an unlikeable character that your readers will actually like.
• Using storytelling to shine a light on bad things that are happening in the real world.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About Rob Hart

Rob Hart is the author of The Paradox Hotel. He also wrote The Warehouse—which sold in more than 20 countries and was optioned for film by Ron Howard—as well as the Ash McKenna series, the short story collection Take-Out, and Scott Free with James Patterson.

You can find him on his website or follow him on Twitter or Instagram.

The Paradox Hotel

An impossible crime. A detective on the edge of madness. The future of time travel at stake. From the author of The Warehouse. January Cole’s job just got a whole lot harder.

Not that running security at the Paradox was ever really easy. Nothing’s simple at a hotel where the ultra-wealthy tourists arrive costumed for a dozen different time periods, all eagerly waiting to catch their “flights” to the past.

Or where proximity to the timeport makes the clocks run backward on occasion—and, rumor has it, allows ghosts to stroll the halls.

None of that compares to the corpse in room 526. The one that seems to be both there and not there. The one that somehow only January can see.

On top of that, some very important new guests have just checked in. Because the U.S. government is about to privatize time-travel technology—and the world’s most powerful people are on hand to stake their claims.

January is sure the timing isn’t a coincidence. Neither are those “accidents” that start stalking their bidders. There’s a reason January can glimpse what others can’t. A reason why she’s the only one who can catch a killer who’s operating invisibly and in plain sight, all at once.

But her ability is also destroying her grip on reality—and as her past, present, and future collide, she finds herself confronting not just the hotel’s dark secrets but her own.

At once a dazzlingly time-twisting murder mystery and a story about grief, memory, and what it means to—literally—come face-to-face with our ghosts, The Paradox Hotel is another unforgettable speculative thrill ride from acclaimed author Rob Hart.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 403

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 403: Setting as Character in Speculative Fiction – Interview with Rob Hart appeared first on DIY MFA.

A while back, I hopped onto Instagram and asked for a few book recommendations to add to my TBR pile. But here’s a little secret: while I love writing, I am guilty of not being an avid reader. In fact, I binge read 3 to 4 books and then read nothing for a long while. 

However, as I started reading a few of those book recommendations, I realized they were some of the best (in my opinion) to appreciate the basic storytelling elements. And I couldn’t help but think how much I would love to share them with you all. 

Today, I have 4 book recommendations for you to binge on and get a better understanding of storytelling elements.

But first thing first, what are storytelling elements?

There are many definitions out there, but I consider the following three elements essential when telling a story. Miss out on one and your entire story falls apart:

1. The Characters: Who are you going to follow around in the story?

2. The World: Where does this story take place?

3. The Plot: What is happening in the story?

There’s a lot to explore about these storytelling elements in themselves, but our focus for today is to appreciate them in practice. To avoid any spoilers, I have included the blurb for you to read and what I liked in the novels.

Without further ado, here are my recommendations:

The Characters: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

“It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother’s graveside, Liesel’s life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger’s Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor’s wife’s library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel’s foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel’s world is both opened up, and closed down.”

I am a sucker for fantasy characters being the narrator and here we have Death narrating the story. That sold me. But the novel is filled with characters that you fall in love with, sometimes hate, and then end up falling in love with once again. Much like people in real life. And you cannot help but love them, even Death, because they are so unyielding in the face of something so dreadful as war and their relationships so heartwarming.

Beautifully written with a heartbreaking yet absolutely realistic ending that would leave you in tears and have a profound impact on you. However, as is the case with many novels, people have a divided opinion on this one. If complex reads and tragic endings aren’t your things, maybe steer clear of this one.

The World: The Goblin Emperor by Sarah Monette

“The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an “accident,” he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.

Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend…and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne—or his life.”

The strong world building was my key takeaway from this book besides the poignant characters. If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written, you know I love world building, and this novel had such detailed world building that I fell in love. You’ll find everything important about it here. The politics, mannerism, laws, interpersonal relationships, everything is mapped out so perfectly it is hard not to be in awe.

However, some parts are drawn out too long with descriptions and names that are hard to remember, but the coming-of-age trope is something I enjoy and saying this novel has done justice to it is an understatement.

The Plot: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

“The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.”

Some novels grip you the first time you read them. Then there are some that when you re-read them, you appreciate them on a whole new level. This one is a combination of both. 

There was so much foreshadowing and so many other nuances hidden in plain sight that re-reading it gave me a new sense of appreciation of just how spectacular this novel really is. You think you have uncovered all the layers of this novel, but end up finding another one right underneath. The plot is so skillfully crafted and detailed, anyone who appreciates high fantasy novels is bound to find this interesting.

Now, there’s a complaint that Jordan has borrowed many aspects from J. R. R. Tolkien’s work, but I argue there are so many pieces of literature out there and almost everything is inspired by something or the other. 

Jordan has included his own original magic and delivered us a story with growth and powerful allusions. But that’s my opinion and if long novels or series aren’t your cup of tea, we can find you another.

Complete Package: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

“What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-traveling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer’s, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .”

I am in love with this beautiful novel. Kawaguchi has touched upon the age-old question with his unique traces and it just warms your heart. With heart-rending characters and their stories that might leave you in tears, topped with such an interesting world building, it really makes you wonder what would I do if I could go back in time? 

The pacing is just as it should be and when you turn the last page, I promise you’ll learn the truth about past, present, and future that was right there on the surface of your head but it’ll hit you differently.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Novel is the debut novel of famous playwright Toshikazu Kawaguchi and you’ll find hints of his skills in the way the novel feels like a theatrical setup and it is in some ways. But that shortcoming is nothing compared to the way the novel will leave you feeling. Like a warm cup of coffee on a rainy day.

Tell us in the comments: Have you read any of these recommendations? What are some of your go-to novels that explore the basic storytelling elements?

The next time we meet, let’s create a world of wonder that can be, in equal measure, marvelous and intimidating. But we’ll take away the intimidating part with questions that can help you set on a path to create the perfect world for your characters.

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what next to write. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

The post Appreciate Storytelling Elements with these Book Recommendations appeared first on DIY MFA.

Sometimes, no matter how many attempts you make at refining a story, it still just doesn’t feel right. And that can be pretty off-putting, not to mention demotivating. Especially when you just cannot point out what went wrong. Let’s see if ending these seven deadly sins helps resurrect your lost confidence in your story idea. 

If you’re reading this to know what to avoid getting wrong before beginning, I have a writing prompt at the end for you to practice your newly gained skills. Let’s jump right in!

The Seven Deadly Sins of Speculative Fiction

Sin 1: Over-explaining

A reader isn’t looking for every detail of that dress or how that coffee smells. Trust me: they aren’t looking to read your character’s daily routine either or the exact science behind how your characters teleported. Readers want just enough to invoke powerful imagery in their minds; their brains will take care of the rest. One of the most definite signs you’re over-explaining an element in your story is repetition.

If you think you need to write four sentences to describe joy, you’re not following the rule called “show not tell.” Instead, you’re over-explaining. You also don’t need a dialogue tag after every bit of dialogue if you’ve established clearly who is speaking and worst of all is when you add an adverb after that dialogue tag! Also, skip the long, flowy descriptions for every additional element added to the scene.

Sin 2: Inconsistencies

As a writer, one of the biggest tasks you’re entrusted with is to make sure the flow of logic established in your plot, and story in general, runs smoothly until the end. Readers might forgive you for not giving your character a certain quirk, but they will shed a lot of tears if they’re halfway through the story and start noticing inconsistencies. Imagine the frustration!

And like I wrote last time, Pantsers can’t just wing it with speculative fiction. In speculative fiction, the entire idea is to make sure your speculative elements fall within the line of logic as readers practice willing suspension of disbelief. 

To avoid inconsistencies, try keeping brief notes of your plot and characters. Read the story yourself and check for plot holes. And once you’re confident enough, get someone trustworthy to read your story.

Sin 3: Only Plot Focused

A story needs a great plot, but it also needs terrific characters. In fact, the formula to a heart-warming novel is:

Great Plot + Terrific Characters = Great Novel

A plot, especially in speculative fiction, can be thrilling, toe-curling, attention-grabbing, but don’t forget to develop your characters along the way. More often than not, we are so engrossed by all the speculative elements we forget the latter. However, we relate to people, not situations. 

Characters develop through what is happening during the plot. But the characters first need a personality, to begin with. If you think you can kickstart the story with a cool plot, a never-before-seen world, and later focus on the characters, please think again.

Readers want to see the entire journey of the characters. From page one.

Sin 4: Incomprehensible Characters

That brings me to characters that are too hard to understand. I don’t mean they can’t have a complex backstory, complex thought processes, or even toxic traits. That is all realistic. In fact, human beings are rarely simple. 

What I mean is a character that isn’t unique or three-dimensional. Our motivations and actions work in a cause-effect relationship. If you have characters that are understandable (that is, even their complexities are logical), they will grab the readers’ attention and the story will tell itself.

Avoid characters that have clichéd personalities or no personalities at all, unrealistic dialogue, characters that are stuck in passive roles (meaning the plot is driving them, not the other way around), or characters that have no weaknesses. 

An incomprehensible character is difficult to understand not because of their complexities but because they aren’t lifelike.

Sin 5: Clichés

No matter whether the clichés are scenes, a trope, a quirk, avoid them! Something so overused that it lacks originality and makes your readers whine will not benefit you. 

That is not to say that you should stop incorporating something like an alien race or a wizarding world, or even love triangles. But try to make it original. After all, there is so much literature available to us, each word on the page will not be unique. But at least try to make it original.

Just because something is sensational or trending doesn’t mean we gallop after it blindfolded. 

Similarly, don’t go borrowing tales. Now that might seem counterintuitive since I have talked about the art of retelling once on this platform. But if you read that, you would understand how retelling can be aced by spicing it up with originality, stakes, and other details.

Sin 6: Conlangs

Simply put, an artificially created language. Do not use or create one unless you understand linguistics. Just because you are creating a language does not mean you can throw in a bunch of alphabets and call it a day. Not to mention, syntax and morphology play a huge part and will complicate things!

J.R.R Tolkien did it because he was a philologist. Either get help from the professionals if your story really requires a conlang or stick to the languages you know. All our languages are beautiful, and you don’t need a conlang to prove you’re writing speculative fiction.

Sin 7: Info-dumping

Remember the golden rule: avoid world-building until readers care about the world. 

In fact, let’s amp it up a little: avoid giving too much information about any speculative element until readers care. 

No one cares about the far-off galaxy, a tiny planet where it rains gold, and cities occupied by the love children of aliens and AI. And no one wants to read 5 pages worth of details either. 

Info-dumping is horrendous overkill. Imagine digging into your favorite dish and the first bite has all the salt gathered there. That’s what info-dumping is like. Sprinkle your details around. Show them at the relevant moments. 

Information about the world or characters should further the plot, not put the readers to sleep.

There you have it: The seven deadly sins that destroy the beauty of speculative fiction and seven virtues that can save it. 

Now, let’s test if you’ve gained the skills, shall we?

In case you don’t have a story ready to test it on, here is a prompt to get you started:

It is known the world will end when the white smoke rises. Now, as the haze grows thicker, there’s panic and chaos. But your character believes it is only climate change and we can reverse it.

I can’t wait to read your stories. And the next time we meet, I have a few of my favorite books I would like to share with you for understanding character development in the world of speculative fiction. Until then!

Tell us in the comments: Which of these 7 deadly sins do you struggle with the most?

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what next to write. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram (@quillinary) and Twitter (@quillinary).

The post The Seven Deadly Sins of Speculative Fiction (and How to Fix Them) appeared first on DIY MFA.

If you have been eyeing the literary “super genre” but something someone once said has been holding you back, let’s dive right in and debunk some common myths about speculative fiction. (On a side note, are you looking for psychological proven exercises to improve creativity? I have something for you in the end.)

Myth 1: Speculative Fiction revolves around Sci-Fi.

When we call it a “super genre,” we really mean it. Speculative fiction is sometimes confused for sci-fi or fantasy. Or sometimes a genre hanging between the two. My guess is this has something to do with the fact that Robert Heinlein was the first person to coin the term in 1947 and it has since been largely associated with sci-fi in the 20th century. After all, sci-fi is a popularly read genre and has speculative elements.

But speculative fiction goes beyond that. It includes sci-fi, sci-fi inspired by mythology, folklore, fairy tales, fantasy, supernatural fiction, utopia fiction, dystopia fiction, urban fantasy, superhero fiction, apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, magical realism, and alternate history fiction.

What I mean to say is, if it has any elements of speculation, or the story is supposed to be set in a world that is unlike ours, you’re aiming for speculative fiction. Do not let the scary myth that speculative fiction is only supposed to be sci-fi hold you back.

Myth 2: To write a good sci-fi (speculative fiction), a science degree is a must.

Stemming from the first of these myths about speculative fiction, this has to take the second spot. Although it is a myth more commonly heard for sci-fi, it is fluid in the sense that people sometimes assume in order to explain the new world and its functioning, a strong scientific backup is a necessity. And who but an individual with a science degree can provide better answers?

However, I think there is more to look at. Sure, a science degree can help through the technicalities, but the first step towards good world building is consistency. So long as there is consistency in your explanation about the workings of your world, the audience will enjoy your work. That also includes stretching the truth enough to make it seem plausible. After all, the audience knows to truly enjoy the genre of speculative fiction they must maintain a willing suspension of disbelief.

Myth 3: Pantsers can just wing it.

I will not lie, writing speculative fiction can be a little challenging, especially if you’re trying your hand at it for the first time. But mostly it is rewarding. The challenge generally lies in keeping the speculative elements consistent. There are so many details to take care of. This is why, if you’re a Pantser, it might not be the best idea to just go with the flow. You might overlook tiny details that might snowball into a plot hole later. In my opinion, keeping tabs on those details is going to make your life easier.

That does not mean you must automatically turn into a Plotter. Not to mention such a switch is extremely hard, if not downright impossible. If you’re wondering whether you’re a Pantser or Plotter, ask yourself one simple question: Do you enjoy outlining your story idea and do just that, or do you enjoy working without a set plan or outline? There is a middle ground too. It’s called Plantser and that just might be the solution you are looking for if this myth about speculative fiction plagues you.

Myth 4: World building is greater than storytelling.

Let’s just say one simple word: No. No amount of world building can replace storytelling. Think of the greatest novel, movie, or TV show you have read or watched that comes under speculative fiction. Chances are, the storytelling was just as powerful as world building, if not more. Now imagine a cool world where a lot of things are happening at once, but there is a lack of storytelling. Doesn’t sound very gripping, does it?

Because no matter how great the world building is, we only care about that world because of the story. Now, I am not saying world building is not important. It is, but only because of the characters we are going on a journey with in that world.

I will take two examples here. One of my most favorite book series: The Harry Potter Series. Yes, the wizarding world is the coolest thing ever and I am still waiting for my Hogwarts letter, but I only care about all of that because every character in that story is compelling. It has always been the characters that have drawn me in and attached me to the world, not the other way around.

For my other example, let’s think about Disney’s Finding Nemo. Talking sea creatures? Cute. A father on a mission to find his kidnapped son (might I add his only child)? Compelling.

Now, if you want to write a story that leaves an impression on your readers and you want them to remember it even years after putting your novel down, you know where to focus. If that isn’t your goal, you can continue believing in this myth about speculative fiction.

An Exercise

If any of these myths about speculative fiction have been holding you back, I hope you are now ready to pull out your notes and memos that kept your exclusive world hidden until now. Remember, writing is for everyone, regardless of the genre. If you take one step forward, it would be a step closer to your wonderful world of speculative elements.

However, if it is a lack of creative boost holding you in its clutches. Let’s try to free you from that as well. I am going to employee my degree in psychology here and give you a little exercise that can help improve creative thinking:

The constrained creativity.

Often, people who find themselves constrained in some way come up with the most creative ideas. I know it might sound counterintuitive, but putting limitations pushes your brain to focus on creating novel ideas and solutions. Let’s try it together.

Tell me or write for yourself a short story about the weather outside your window right now. But your constraint is the story must have an unusual sentient being saying it all in under 100 words. I will be waiting to read your stories!

Next time we meet let’s take the 7 Deadly Sins of Speculative Fiction by the horn and be rid of those monsters for once and for all. Together we’ll see the beauty of Speculative Fiction in all its glory. Until then!

Disha Walia is a lifelong storyteller and an enthusiastic writer and editor in love with the idea of exploring the creative world of words. While making her space in the world of non-fiction and fiction alike, Disha loves to spend even her free time daydreaming about what next to write. Connect with her on www.quillinary.com. You can also follow her on Instagram (@quillinary) and Twitter (@quillinary).

The post Welcome to Worldly Wise: Debunking Myths about Speculative Fiction appeared first on DIY MFA.