Nerd for Hire

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Book reviews Folklore and Mythology Freelancing advice Publishing advice Worldbuilding analyses Writing advice Writing prompts and exercises Other sundry thoughts and musings

Book reviews

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne All That Was Asked by Vanessa MacLaren-Wray Binary Star by Sarah Gerard Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdez A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge The Guilty by Juan Villoro Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami Herland and With Her in Ourland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman How to Carry Bigfoot Home by Chris Tarry Kindred by Octavia E. Butler The Librarian (anthology) The Princess Bride: Book vs. Movie The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo by F.G. Haghenbeck Star Eater by Kerstin Hall Swarm Theory by Christine Rice Symbiosis by Nicky Drayden This. This. This. Is. Love. Love. Love. by Jennifer Wortman Welcome to Nightvale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor Whiskey, Etc. by Sherrie Flick

Folklore and Mythology

13 Fun Monsters from World Mythology that Haven't Been Written to Death Yet in Western Fiction The Epic of Gilgamesh Worldbuilding Analysis Mythology and Folklore Research Resources On Adam and Eve, the Suspension of Disbelief, and the Power of Stories On the Hero's (And Heroine's) Journey On the Pervasiveness of Dragons Wheel of Time: Myth Connections (And Potential Inspirations) for the Forsaken

Freelance advice

3 Tips to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career 7 Handy Things to Always Pack for Traveling Writers and Digital Nomads Must-Have Skills for a Freelance Writer (Other than Writing) Why Slow Traveling is Better for Digital Nomads

Publishing advice

17 Publishers of Fiction Chapbooks 60ish Markets for Novellas and Long Short Stories How to Submit Work to Journals Step-by-step How to Write Cover Letters for Fiction Submissions in 2023 Should You Self-Publish? Should You Submit to Contests?

Worldbuilding analyses

Dune (part 1) Dune (part 2) The Epic of Gilgamesh Nope (Jordan Peele) Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (part 1) Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (part 2) Wheel of Time Books 1-7 (part 1) Wheel of Time Books 1-7 (part 2)

Writing advice

3 Tips to Write Better Dialogue 5 Free Newsletters for Writers 9 POV Approaches for Fiction Writers What Does Genre Even Mean, Anyway? Genres Explained Part 2: The Big List of Speculative Fiction Subgenres Genres Explained Part 3: The Many Shades of Realism Grammatical Gender 101 for English-Speaking Conlangers How to End a Story How to Start a Writing Group Insights from 2023 Confluence Convention and Wildcat Lit Fest Literary Worldbuilding: Why You Need It (and How to Do It Right) On the Hero's (And Heroine's) Journey Passive vs. Active Voice (+ Other Options for Conlangers) Tips for Using Other Languages in Fiction What Makes a Character Three-Dimensional (And Do They Always Need to Be?) What's in a Name?

Writing prompts and exercises

3 Ways to Start a Story Everything's a Writing Prompt part 1: Board Games Everything's a Writing Prompt part 2: Everyday Objects Everything's a Writing Prompt part 3: The Grocery Store

Other sundry thoughts and musings

5 Star Trek Episodes Every Conlanger Should Watch On Becoming Human: The AI in Star Trek On Cats in Space On Killgrave, Preacher, and the Power of Suggestion On Reading in a Second Language On the Cage in the Menagerie (or How a Failed Pilot Spawned a Franchise) On the Evolution of Captain Pike On Trills and Timelords