Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard, with special guest Jared Quan
Jared Quan serves as a volunteer on several non-profit boards, and joined us to talk about the opportunities that exist for writers. Administration, leadership, writing and editing, and teaching are just a few of the many kinds of roles available for volunteers.
Credits: This episode was recorded live at LTUE by Dan Thompson, and mastered by Alex Jackson.
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard
Some science fiction and fantasy stories arise from a premise which, under even just rudimentary examination, appear utterly ridiculous. And some of these stories are hugely successful. In this episode we talk about how we manage our worldbuilding when the goal is less about building a world which works, and more about getting the audience to buy in on something outlandish so we can get on with our story.
How do we come up with names? How do we do it in ways that enhance our worldbuilding? What are the elements that give our invented naming schemes (even the zany ones with lots of syllables and apostrophes) verisimilitude?
In this episode we talk about some of the tricks we’ve used, the pitfalls we’ve avoided, and conlangs in general.
Liner Notes: In Episode 12.51 we discuss Conlangs (“constructed languages”)with Dirk Elzinga.
Credits: This episode was recorded by Dan Thompson, and mastered by Alex Jackson
Your Hosts: Brandon, Mary Robinette, Dan, and Howard
The advice commonly given to writers is to worldbuild an iceberg, but only to show the reader the tip. This is still too much work. Icebergs are big.
In this episode we talk about worldbuilding the tip of the iceberg, and then worldbuilding as little as possible of the rest of the iceberg so that the tip behaves correctly.
For our Fifteenth Season, in 2020, we’re trying something different.
We’re going to let you guide our conversation.
Rather than waiting to ask your questions, ask them now and we’ll use those questions to structure the season in 2020.
Use this form to tell us what you’ve been struggling with, or what you wish we would talk about. Ask us about things that you are curious about. Hit us with the thorny theoretical question that you keep chewing around in your head.
Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart.
