In a fit of literary infidelity, I’ve written a few guest posts for other sites recently. Don’t think that means I’ve left you hanging, dear reader of Speculative Intent. I’ve got links to two of the most useful ones below. If you were looking for some other kind of link, I suggest you try Scroll Down to Riker. It changed my life in a way that only Jonathan Frakes can.

Now, back to the writing-related stuff.

Over at Dropped Pebbles, I laid down a few ground rules for submitting stories to editors (not copyeditors, but the kind of editors that choose novels and short stories to publish, otherwise known as submissions or acquisitions editors). This comes from hearing writer anxiety about the submissions process, and seeing plenty of craziness in the slush pile. There’s not much to be afraid of, and you’ll find that these tips are really just common sense. Regardless, stop fretting and follow these rules:

8 Tips for Submitting Stories to Editors

Michael Brookes at The Cult of Me (not related to the new self-promotional church I started), also asked me to write a guest post, so I waxed semi-philosophical about the power of science fiction. I think we’re beyond arguing that science fiction is more than escapist pulp entertainment and can stand up to traditional “literature.” Instead, I decided to talk about the aspects of sci-fi that make it capable of telling such moving stories, even though elements of the story are completely unreal to the average person.

Why Science Fiction Is More than Pulp

That’s all for now, but stay tuned for a few thoughts about the concept of Combinatorial Creativity, which might be surprisingly inflammatory. Bring marshmallows or fire extinguishers, depending on how much you enjoy watching the inferno.