Book ReviewsA science-for-writers reference on spaceflight, grounding SF in real physics and, most usefully, helping a writer know which rules to honor and which to break on purpose. The 1990s sense of the frontier is dated even as the foundational physics…
Book ReviewsCraft instruction from a Hugo-winning author and editor, distinguished by an editor's-eye view of what actually sells. The 1994 market guidance is dated by a transformed publishing world, but the craft fundamentals and the write-to-be-read principle still hold.
Book ReviewsA craft guide that takes horror seriously, gathering experienced writers on how to evoke genuine fear, dread, and unease, the hard, specific emotional effects the genre aims at, plus practical publishing guidance. A solid multi-voice resource, limited by its narrow…
Book ReviewsA science reference for hard-SF writers, supplying the astronomy and planetary science to construct physically plausible worlds that hold up for scientifically literate readers. Solid on the principle that in hard SF plausibility is part of the contract, though narrow,…
Book ReviewsOne of the best books on building a believable alien, by a physicist and longtime Analog editor. Its method, reasoning a creature outward from its world so every feature has a cause, has aged better than most craft references. The…
Book ReviewsCraft books teach you to write; this one addresses why you don't, the systems, habits, and mindset behind actually getting work done and sustaining a creative life. It targets the real bottleneck for many writers, consistent practice instead of talent,…
Book ReviewsPunctuation is where a lot of otherwise competent writing quietly falls apart, and this teaches the basics in plain language, mark by mark. Valuable for shoring up a credibility-critical weakness, though narrow in scope, with stable content that overlaps comprehensive…
Book ReviewsShow, don't tell may be the most repeated and least understood advice in fiction, and Gerth makes it usable: not just what it means but how to do it, and, smartest of all, when telling is actually the better choice.…
Book ReviewsThe original and template for the romance phrase book: a categorized bank of emotional and sensual language from the 1980s. The phrase-book problems are magnified here by genre and age, ready-made phrasing pushes toward the very cliche romance is mocked…
Book ReviewsIf your characters spend the whole book sighing and nodding, this booklet of physical reactions by body part is built for you. The problem is real, but the Emotion Thesaurus does the same job with far more craft context, and…
Book ReviewsA booklet of a thousand vigorous verbs sold as a self-editing aid. Strong verbs do tighten prose, but a thesaurus does the same for free and better, and a flat list can nudge you toward overwrought, attention-seeking choices. A sound…
Book ReviewsA specialized vocabulary reference for romance and erotica writers, aimed at the real problem of finding varied, tonally right language for intimate scenes. A practical palette for working genre authors, narrow by nature, supplying vocabulary instead of scene craft, and…
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