Produktdetaljer
Biografisk notat
Eugen Bacon MA, MSc, PhD is an African Australian author of several novels and collections. She’s a British Fantasy Award winner, a Foreword Book of the Year silver award winner, a twice World Fantasy Award finalist, and a finalist in the British Science Fiction Association, Aurealis, Ditmar and Australian Shadow Awards. Eugen was announced in the honor list of the 2022 Otherwise Fellowships for ‘doing exciting work in gender and speculative fiction’. Danged Black Thing by Transit Lounge Publishing made the Otherwise Award Honor List as a ‘sharp collection of Afro-Surrealist work’. Eugen’s creative work has appeared worldwide, including in Apex Magazine, Award Winning Australian Writing, Fantasy Magazine, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction. Visit her website at eugenbacon.com.
Writing Speculative Fiction is permeated by an upbeat and playful tone that is entertaining and motivating. It is an informative and enjoyable read that will serve as a valuable resource for creative writing students and their teachers, and indeed anyone interested in the mechanics of writing and publishing dynamic and engaging speculative fiction. The book is packed with helpful advice for writers of any genre – covering diverse topics such as form, characterisation, voice, plotting, poetic expression, research, establishing a writing practice with discipline, and discerning reputable online publishing markets.
Dr Bronwyn Lovell, TEXT Journal
As a book it is quite comfortable setting the writing of speculative fiction within the broader approaches to writing and linking those back to the giants of speculative writing over the last half-century or more. It is a concise and well-structured book that gently leads readers through the basics, while at every stage addressing its topic with appropriate examples, and exercises.
Shane Strange, University of Canberra, Australia
This is an exciting book from a writer who knows how to enliven her prose with ideas, analysis, anecdotes and stunning quotations from her deep and wide reading. The compelling beauty of this book is the way it moves between ideas and stories, between analysis and narrative.
Kevin Brophy, University of Melbourne, Australia
The insights are often provocative and always useful. It sensibly focuses on how a writer can approach the idea of speculative fiction, and then brings in a critical perspective.
George Green, Lancaster University, UK
Indispensable, rich and enabling: no writer of speculative fiction should be without this book. Obligatory reading for students of creative writing. Working from examples and providing easy-to-use analytical tools, Writing Speculative Fiction provides essential reading for anyone involved in the creation or consumption of speculative fiction in its many guises … This is a generous offering, relaying well-researched advice leavened with encouragement and a gentle, wry humour.
Dr Clare E Rhoden, author of The Pale and Broad Plain Darkening
As boundaries between genres increasingly break down, editors and educators need to put aside genre cringe and assumptions of genre limitations. Writing Speculative Fiction comes as a timely and valuable addition to the bookshelves of students, writers and educators alike. Writing Speculative Fiction is a valuable addition to writers at any stage of development. Bacon delivers practical information, stimulating exercises and thought-provoking analyses with enthusiasm and authority.
Melissa Ferguson, scientist and author of The Shining Wall
Eugen Bacon’s book offers a paradox that is extraordinarily liberating. On the one hand it provides carefully researched, nuanced distinctions between fantasy, science fiction, horror and paranormal genres and their sub-genres to include fairy tales, dark fantasy, myths and legends, and magical realism, for example. On the other it embraces speculative fiction as an umbrella for bending traditional genre fiction, crossing into hybrids, or cross-genre forms rich with playful text that is also literary.
Louisa John-Krol, Australian Fairy Review
Writing Speculative Fiction is Eugen Bacon’s new and exciting non-fiction stroke of genius. The book explores creative and critical approaches to writing speculative fiction. But, regardless of your preferred genre, if you’re an aspiring writer of any style this impressive guide is for you!
Angela Wauchope, Other Terrain Journal, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Eugen Bacon weaves together extracts from a variety of creative texts, commentary about storytelling, and anecdotes from her experiences as a teacher of creative writing to build a palatable, engaging, and endlessly useful guidebook.
Rebecca Langham, Celestial Book Reviews
Writing Speculative Fiction is a resource worth revisiting again and again. It is a book designed for notetaking, highlighting, and dog-earing pages - the perfect companion for any writer of speculative fiction
Glam Adelaide
In this engaging and accessible guide, Eugen Bacon explores writing speculative fiction as a creative practice, drawing from her own work, and the work of other writers and theorists, to interrogate its various subgenres. Through analysis of writers such as Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling, this book scrutinises the characteristics of speculative fiction, considers the potential of writing cross genre and covers the challenges of targeting young adults. It connects critical and cultural theories to the practice of creative writing, examining how they might apply to the process of writing speculative fiction. Both practical and critical in its evaluative gaze, it also looks at e-publishing as a promising publishing medium for speculative fiction.
This is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of creative writing, looking to develop a critical awareness of, and practical skills for, the writing of speculative fiction. It is also a valuable resource for creators, commentators and consumers of contemporary speculative fiction. Chapter 8, 'Horror and the Paranormal' was shortlisted for the Australasian Horror Writers Association (AHWA)'s 2019 Australian Shadows Awards.
The non-introduction
There's a story in you
Vogler's hero/ine's journey
The speculative: a problem with definitions
Genres and subgenres of speculative fiction
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror and the paranormal
Cross genre
Literary speculative fiction
Short story
Targeting young adults and new adults
Critical and cultural theories
e-Publishing.
A new agenda-setting series of books that will provide students with integrated creative and critical approaches to creative writing. These accessible books enable students to develop both practical writing skills and critical awareness of creative possibilities. Each title negotiates the creative-critical crossover, defining creative writing criticism and how it differs from that of literary and cultural studies, as well as forming key links between creative practice and critical understanding. Each title in the series takes a similar form based on linking creative practice with ways of increasing critical awareness of creative practice and of its results. In the 'Foundations' section of each book, the reader is introduced to both creative and critical texts, and ideas, which occupy the more 'canonical' aspects of creative practice and critical understanding of that practice (as per the genre being discussed). In 'Speculations' the reader is presented with other possibilities, alternative/comparative ways of seeing, alternative/comparative ways of writing, and ways of contextualizing both practice and critical understanding. Each section concludes with a brief 'key points' summary and offers a selection of exercises which highlight the creative/critical discussions.
Books in the series:
- Help students develop a critical awareness about their own work and the work of others.
- Encourage students to follow up and explore new ideas about writing.
- Introduce critical ideas and theorists in way which is easily understandable and opens up creative possibilities.
- Offer a bridge between creative and critical awareness in fiction.
- Provide technical and practical advice within a critically informed framework.
Writing Speculative Fiction is permeated by an upbeat and playful tone that is entertaining and motivating. It is an informative and enjoyable read that will serve as a valuable resource for creative writing students and their teachers, and indeed anyone interested in the mechanics of writing and publishing dynamic and engaging speculative fiction. The book is packed with helpful advice for writers of any genre – covering diverse topics such as form, characterisation, voice, plotting, poetic expression, research, establishing a writing practice with discipline, and discerning reputable online publishing markets.
Dr Bronwyn Lovell, TEXT Journal
As a book it is quite comfortable setting the writing of speculative fiction within the broader approaches to writing and linking those back to the giants of speculative writing over the last half-century or more. It is a concise and well-structured book that gently leads readers through the basics, while at every stage addressing its topic with appropriate examples, and exercises.
Shane Strange, University of Canberra, Australia
This is an exciting book from a writer who knows how to enliven her prose with ideas, analysis, anecdotes and stunning quotations from her deep and wide reading. The compelling beauty of this book is the way it moves between ideas and stories, between analysis and narrative.
Kevin Brophy, University of Melbourne, Australia
The insights are often provocative and always useful. It sensibly focuses on how a writer can approach the idea of speculative fiction, and then brings in a critical perspective.
George Green, Lancaster University, UK
Indispensable, rich and enabling: no writer of speculative fiction should be without this book. Obligatory reading for students of creative writing. Working from examples and providing easy-to-use analytical tools, Writing Speculative Fiction provides essential reading for anyone involved in the creation or consumption of speculative fiction in its many guises … This is a generous offering, relaying well-researched advice leavened with encouragement and a gentle, wry humour.
Dr Clare E Rhoden, author of The Pale and Broad Plain Darkening
As boundaries between genres increasingly break down, editors and educators need to put aside genre cringe and assumptions of genre limitations. Writing Speculative Fiction comes as a timely and valuable addition to the bookshelves of students, writers and educators alike. Writing Speculative Fiction is a valuable addition to writers at any stage of development. Bacon delivers practical information, stimulating exercises and thought-provoking analyses with enthusiasm and authority.
Melissa Ferguson, scientist and author of The Shining Wall
Eugen Bacon’s book offers a paradox that is extraordinarily liberating. On the one hand it provides carefully researched, nuanced distinctions between fantasy, science fiction, horror and paranormal genres and their sub-genres to include fairy tales, dark fantasy, myths and legends, and magical realism, for example. On the other it embraces speculative fiction as an umbrella for bending traditional genre fiction, crossing into hybrids, or cross-genre forms rich with playful text that is also literary.
Louisa John-Krol, Australian Fairy Review
Writing Speculative Fiction is Eugen Bacon’s new and exciting non-fiction stroke of genius. The book explores creative and critical approaches to writing speculative fiction. But, regardless of your preferred genre, if you’re an aspiring writer of any style this impressive guide is for you!
Angela Wauchope, Other Terrain Journal, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Eugen Bacon weaves together extracts from a variety of creative texts, commentary about storytelling, and anecdotes from her experiences as a teacher of creative writing to build a palatable, engaging, and endlessly useful guidebook.
Rebecca Langham, Celestial Book Reviews
Writing Speculative Fiction is a resource worth revisiting again and again. It is a book designed for notetaking, highlighting, and dog-earing pages - the perfect companion for any writer of speculative fiction
Glam Adelaide
In this engaging and accessible guide, Eugen Bacon explores writing speculative fiction as a creative practice, drawing from her own work, and the work of other writers and theorists, to interrogate its various subgenres. Through analysis of writers such as Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling, this book scrutinises the characteristics of speculative fiction, considers the potential of writing cross genre and covers the challenges of targeting young adults. It connects critical and cultural theories to the practice of creative writing, examining how they might apply to the process of writing speculative fiction. Both practical and critical in its evaluative gaze, it also looks at e-publishing as a promising publishing medium for speculative fiction.
This is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of creative writing, looking to develop a critical awareness of, and practical skills for, the writing of speculative fiction. It is also a valuable resource for creators, commentators and consumers of contemporary speculative fiction. Chapter 8, 'Horror and the Paranormal' was shortlisted for the Australasian Horror Writers Association (AHWA)'s 2019 Australian Shadows Awards.
The non-introduction
There's a story in you
Vogler's hero/ine's journey
The speculative: a problem with definitions
Genres and subgenres of speculative fiction
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror and the paranormal
Cross genre
Literary speculative fiction
Short story
Targeting young adults and new adults
Critical and cultural theories
e-Publishing.
A new agenda-setting series of books that will provide students with integrated creative and critical approaches to creative writing. These accessible books enable students to develop both practical writing skills and critical awareness of creative possibilities. Each title negotiates the creative-critical crossover, defining creative writing criticism and how it differs from that of literary and cultural studies, as well as forming key links between creative practice and critical understanding. Each title in the series takes a similar form based on linking creative practice with ways of increasing critical awareness of creative practice and of its results. In the 'Foundations' section of each book, the reader is introduced to both creative and critical texts, and ideas, which occupy the more 'canonical' aspects of creative practice and critical understanding of that practice (as per the genre being discussed). In 'Speculations' the reader is presented with other possibilities, alternative/comparative ways of seeing, alternative/comparative ways of writing, and ways of contextualizing both practice and critical understanding. Each section concludes with a brief 'key points' summary and offers a selection of exercises which highlight the creative/critical discussions.
Books in the series:
- Help students develop a critical awareness about their own work and the work of others.
- Encourage students to follow up and explore new ideas about writing.
- Introduce critical ideas and theorists in way which is easily understandable and opens up creative possibilities.
- Offer a bridge between creative and critical awareness in fiction.
- Provide technical and practical advice within a critically informed framework.