Introduction

The Infinite Boundary

What is, and isn't science fiction and fantasy, and by whose standards: publishers', writers', readers'

What basic concepts and approaches qualify a story as true speculative fiction, and how SF and fantasy differ from one another.

World Creation

How to build, populate, and dramatize a credible, inviting world that readers will want to share with you

Dragging ideas through ``the idea net'' of why, how, and with what result

Developing the rules of your world ...and then abiding by them and making them matter: the rules of Time, Space, and Magic

Working out the history, language, geography, and customs of your invented world.

Story Construction

Finding a character for an idea, or developing ideas for a character to enact

Qualifications for the main character: who hurts the most? Who has power and freedom to act?

Should the viewpoint character be the main character? How do you decide?

Determining where the story should begin and end

The MICE quotient: milieu, idea, character, event--knowing which is most important in your story will help you decide its proper shape.

Writing Well

Keeping exposition in its place

Leading your reader into the strangeness, step by step

Piquing the reader's interest

Keeping the ``level of diction'' appropriate to the story's imagined world

Using invented jargon sparsely and effectively.

The Life and Business of Writing

The markets for short and long speculative fiction--magazines, anthologies, fanzines--and how to reach them

Classes, workshops, conferences and conventions

Collaboration, adaptation, and shared worlds

Professional writers' organizations

Awards in speculative fiction.

Index