Graduate Posts

About a year ago, Peter Simonson committed himself to developing his writing. Getting accepted to Odyssey was a first accomplishment. Now he is working on a few different short stories and hoping to start submitting his work early next year. He enjoys writing fantasy and science fiction that play with Read more

Last month, we received so many great answers to our writing question that we couldn’t include them all. So we thought we’d provide you with those additional answers this month, since they provide some very helpful research tips. While many science fiction/fantasy authors think they can make up whatever sorts Read more

While many science fiction/fantasy authors think they can make up whatever sorts of worlds they want, that attitude often leads to clichéd worlds that are neither realistic, nor convincing, nor vivid. The secret behind many worlds that are realistic, convincing, and vivid is research. But finding research sources that focus Read more

Many writers have days when they sit down to write and no words come. Is this a sign that the writer hasn’t thought out the story sufficiently? Is it a sign that the writer has written himself into a corner? That he has lost interest in his story? Does it Read more

Most writers are aware that the main character in a story is supposed to change; the course of that change is often referred to as the character “arc.” But making that change believable and right is often a lot more difficult than it seems. This is where many stories fail. Read more

Writing “exercises” may not sound very fun. Yet they can be invaluable tools to practice various techniques, to push yourself out of your normal writing habits, to open new doors of creativity, and to break the dam of a writer’s block. We asked Odyssey graduates to discuss the writing exercises Read more

Receiving feedback on one’s writing may be the most difficult part of the writing process. Most writers believe that feedback is invaluable, yet knowing whom to ask for feedback, and when to ask them, can be difficult. Kevin Jewell, graduate of the Odyssey class of 2009, recently asked his fellow Read more

Henry James said, “I know everything. One has to, to write decently.” Writing a story or novel, whether fantasy, science fiction, horror, or something else, can often involve countless issues that require real-world knowledge. If my hero is stabbed in the shoulder, how much will he bleed? What plants will Read more

What gets you running to the computer, ready to start a new piece? Every writer is different, and even for a single writer, inspiration may strike in different ways for different pieces. We asked the Odyssey graduates to talk about how their story ideas usually develop, and what element of Read more