All the Weyrs of Pern

by Wen Spenceron Anne McCaffrey and the Dragonriders of Pern series

I was born in 1963, in the literary equivalence of the middle of nowhere. From as young as seven years old, I knew I wanted to be a writer. More specifically, I wanted to be a writer of fantastic stories. The place and time of my birth, however, meant that this ambition was something on par with aspiring to be a wizard. My parents were supportive but as clueless as if I wanted to do magic.

How do you write a science fiction novel? How do you create a world other than our own? How do you make a fantastic world richly layered? How do you create and maintain conflict for the entire novel instead of just stringing together fights with monsters? My parents had no idea. My high school teachers taught me how to craft a sentence and how to type on electric typewriters (state of the art at the … read more»

Recent Free Essays (Still Available!)

Available Until
Wed 6/27

Dionysus: Who Let Him Run a Summer Camp?

by Ellen Steiberon Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Could there be a more bizarre choice for director of Camp Half-Blood than Dionysus?

Rick Riordan has a gift for playing with the Greek myths. He delights in taking the gods and their stories and giving them just enough of a twist to make them completely believable in our world while … read more»

Available Until
Tue 6/26

What Echo's Journey to Self-Awareness Tells Us About the Human Soul

by Oluwafemi Morohunfolaon Dollhouse

“Forty-eight personalities, each with its own rich
history, and none of it tells me anything . . . I know
you’re all very invested in your vaunted technology,
and it is very impressive, but I still don’t believe you
can wipe away a person’s soul.”

–Paul … read more»

Available Until
Mon 6/25

Your Guide to the Real Stars Hollow Business World

by Sara Morrisonon Gilmore Girls

From the hospital in a town that only has one stoplight to its geographically impossible distance from Hartford and New Haven, Stars Hollow has never claimed to have its feet firmly planted in reality. Rather, it thrives in a land of fiction, where Bridgeport (one of the scariest cities ever) … read more»

Available Until
Fri 6/22

Dear Magneto

by Adam-Troy Castroon the X-Men

24 Aug 2005

Attn: Mr. Erik Lehnsherr
Satellite M
Constant Orbit above Cities of Man
Marvel-Earth, Multiverse

Dear Erik:

First off, I want to thank you for taking time from your busy schedule of fi ghting superheroes, soliloquizing and plotting the overthrow of human civilization long enough to read these few words by … read more»