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So you want to get published, eh? Anonymous, a.k.a. Roger Allen, has the definitive guide on how to get your story noticed in today's tough publishing climate.

Why do bookstores separate books the way they do?

I know, it's to make books easier to find. But why, then, is Michael Crighton's science fiction filed in with the mainstream books, or Lord of the Rings expected to be in the literature section instead of fantasy where it belongs?

Well, I have a 5-shelf bookcase toppling with books on writing/creativity in general, as well as writing fiction and screenplays (sadly, I read more about writing than I do actual writing.) So if anyone needs a recommendation, please feel free to ask. BLLL

I added a new section today called 'Knowledge Exchange' - this is where you go to ask questions about details, things you don't know but want to include in your story.

Click on 'Full Story' for details.

The worlds in science fiction are almost invariably completely made up. Of course, they're frequently based on current human points of view and habits. What else do we know so well?

But worldbuilding is something that varies widely between authors.

The emotions we admit to aren't always the emotions that we feel - fear and anger are a very common real/admitted emotion pair.

In one of the first classes of my first-year english course, the professor asked two questions: "How many of you own a thesaurus?" (about half of the class) and "How many of you actually use your thesaurus?" (about an eighth of the class). The people who didn't use their thesaurus looked sheepish, until she declared that a thesaurus often made your writing worse.

I'm sure you've heard the expression 'truth is stranger than fiction'. Why is that, though? Well, for one thing, fiction has to make sense, and real life doesn't.