computer keyboard closeup

Why don’t you write fanfic?

Karin Kallmaker Craft of Writing

Keyboard2

I have to admit one of the most daunting things about fanfic for me, as an undertaking, is the reality that the readers would know more about the subject than I did. Some of the earliest fanfic I read was in print Star Trek novels and I was among those who knew classic Trek episodes line by line. (Oh where oh where has that part of my brain gone?) When I found errors in the books I was irate! How could anyone make such a glaring mistake when it was obvious in episode 23 that…blah blah blah. Read More

Fingerless gloves on keyboard

Dialogue and Sex and Curious Readers

Karin Kallmaker Craft of Writing, Embrace in Motion, In Deep Waters Volume 1

How much talking should there be in a sex scene?

If the characters are talking about their grocery lists during sex they’re either an old married couple multi-tasking or somebody isn’t having a good time. In both cases the dialogue says something about the characters, and I am a big believer that sex should illuminate the characters first and foremost, and it’s really nifty if it furthers at least one or more of the other key elements of the story, like the plot or setting. Read More

Pride Classic Rainbow Flag in the wind

The Country of Lesbian Fiction – Bring Your Own Map

Karin Kallmaker Business of Books, Readers and Libraries

Today’s reader has more choice than ever in the history of lesbian literature. This range of choice creates a challenge for the writers, and a journey of many surprises — just as there are many readers who are not or have not been aware of various publishers, writers, and other genres/sub-genres in lesfic, many writers aren’t aware of the existence of those readers or haven’t been aware until recently. Read More