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Stories

  1. Weaving Memory and Forgetting Into Your Magic SystemMagic in speculative fiction often draws from elemental forces, bloodlines, or ancient artifacts. A system built on memory and forgetting works differently,…
  2. The Long Shadow of Guilt in Scottish Crime FictionScottish crime fiction often treats guilt as more than a private feeling. It can cling to a family, settle over a neighbourhood or become part of the weather…
  3. How to Structure a Short Story Around a Single Powerful ImageA short story can begin with an image that refuses to disappear: a child’s red shoe floating in a flooded street, a wedding dress hanging from a gum tree, or a…
  4. Using Dialect and Accent in Dialogue Without Confusing the ReaderDialect and accent can give a character an immediate sense of place, class, history and belonging. A voice shaped by western Sydney, rural Queensland or…
  5. Crafting a fantasy creature that feels biologically plausibleA memorable fantasy creature should feel as though it could survive when the story is not watching. Readers may accept antlers made of crystal, a six-limbed…
  6. Why Tartan Noir often centers on small-town secretsTartan Noir draws much of its power from communities where everyone appears to know everyone else, yet nobody possesses the whole truth. In a village, island…
  7. The Art of the Unreliable Narrator in Speculative FictionAn unreliable narrator invites readers to doubt the story while still caring deeply about the person telling it. In speculative fiction, that uncertainty can…
  8. Writing a noir opening line that pulls the reader underThe first sentence of any noir story carries an impossible job. It must establish tone, voice, and a world shot through with unease, all before the reader has…
  9. Why A First Sentence Can Carry An Entire StoryThe power of the first sentence lies in its ability to create movement before the reader fully understands the situation. A strong opening can establish voice,…
  10. Writing stories that travel through time and placeA story whose setting keeps moving forces both writer and reader to stay alert. The ground beneath the characters is never quite the same twice, and that…
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