Navigating the Genre

Social media gives people unprecedented access to authors. Many people in turn feel entitled to creators’ private lives. The opposite of death of the author—life of the author, so to speak. Certainly, our lives shape our stories. We write ourselves into our work, often in ways that might not be obvious to the reader. I […]

It’s commonly touted advice for writers to not read reviews of their work. Even if you’re good at handling criticism, it can still be discouraging to see people completely miss the point of your work. That’s inevitable—some people will get it, and some won’t. That said, there are some review venues in genre that miss […]

As social media becomes more a norm of everyday life, it seems harder and harder to ignore the pressure to be on Twitter. I’ll say first and foremost that having a Twitter is not required to have a career in genre—tons of established and longtime writers don’t use it, and you can network extensively off […]

Let’s talk about the word “friend.” We often throw the term around loosely, especially on social media. But if you’re newly entering the publishing industry, especially if you’re a young adult or if you’re not neurotypical, a lot of the nuances of these social interactions aren’t clear. If someone had told me upfront when I […]

Last updated on January 19, 2021: Added IAFA Imagining Indigenous Futurisms award. Removed note for Fireside Fiction, which has now made staffing changes. The genre industry can be difficult to get started in, especially for people who are marginalized in some way. In Navigating the Genre, I hope to provide resources and tips for beginning […]