The Write Slice: Write or Wrong

This seems to be a topic I blog about from time to time (see Tackling the New Year or Overcoming (Writing) Adversity  for more recent treatments), but I think that's because my methods are constantly changing. I think the way a writer gets himself/herself to write is a personal experience, and it is one that takes a lot of trial and error. For me in particular, it seems to be a constantly evolving process. I've been to the workshops that tell you that you MUST write regularly, consistently, and daily. In theory, I probably agree with them; in practice, that's impossible for me. My life is chaotic. I have a lot going on. Here's a brief sampling of my list of responsibilities: Wife Mother of 2 VERY active little boys Full-time English teacher (with all of the lesson planning, prep, and grading to go with it) Vegetable garden Active church member with its associated activities Stampin' Up (crafting) demonstrator Any other project that comes along Obvio...

Sometimes I've kind of wondered about the genre category of "speculative fiction" because it seems to be a collection of seemingly unrelated things. Basically, you can fit into spec fiction if your story can't be "real," but that leaves a broad range of styles. The four most common forms of spec fiction are: fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and horror. I think most people are fairly familiar with the first three categories and what distinguishes them, so I'll spend most of my post today on the "horror" category. (If you already know the basics of the subcategories, don't bore yourself and skip down until "But...") Fantasy - Fantasy tends to be just that - things that are fake and often magic-based. Usually we think of magical creatures, like dragons, wizards, elves, etc. (think Lord of the Rings ). These types of stories tend to have a medieval setting (though not always). There are also stories of urban magical series tha...