explore | Grilled Cheese

Elements I twist...

I add a lot of, um, vulgarity because I don't see a lot of it in contemporary space opera, and I think there's something very human in all that, how do we say, "earthiness." Also, I think sex is funny and tragic and I love the intersection where it can be both.

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Foundational authors/books

Joan D. Vinge
James Tiptree Jr
Ray Bradbury
Robert Heinlein
Vonda McIntyre
Harlan Ellison
Frank Herbert
The Expanse Guys
Octavia Butler
Christopher Ruocchio
Timothy Zahn
Adrian Tchaikovsky
Walter Jon Williams
Mary Gentle

There's a lot of others...

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A lot of fantasy that I encountered over the years, you play the underdog generic person who steps up to bat or someone fated by prophecy

I switched that overused nonsense for a “What-if of a god swinging at everything with a hand-held volcano”

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For me and what I write/enjoy, I see the Halo trilogy by Eric Nylund, DragonLance trilogy by Weiss & Hickman

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Character development. A lot of SFF explores interpersonal struggles in ways that genres like romance (excluding romantasy) or horror can’t, IMO

Things like social responsibility, larger than you sacrifices, how to tear down oppressive governments, etc

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I am the Emil of the Bronze, the resident viking-themed fantasy writer

Aside from the writing itself, I do a lot of character modeling through Hero Forge. It helps me keep their designs consistent since I’m not capable of drawing more than stick figures

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Basic Space Opera 101.

More than one world (existing even if not visited)
FTL travel and communications
More than one government/culture/species clashing and intersecting
Pew Pew lasers
A doomed relationship/person/and or star
At least one alien artifact
Threat or aftermath of war

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I'm HMH Murray. I write space opera.

I try and bridge the gap between character and worlds, macro and micro. I'm interested in people in impossible situations, but I'm also interested in how things worked to get them there and what they can do next to get out.

That and what is a person

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Many of the biggest (and oldest) names in SFF share the same demographics. That doesn't stop them from writing good stories, but I think it's fundamental to read a broad range of authors. Not only does it give you more cultural insight and appreciation, different people will bring more

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I think good SFF needs to either to highlight a relatable aspect of the characters via the strange details (e.g., the burden of responsibility, overcoming differences), or to highlight these strange details to elicit wonder or horror or the discomfort of unknowability, etc.

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I'm Fox.
The most essential part of my writing is probably the focus on the characters' psychology and their personal growth over the course of the story. I think it's important to understand where people are coming from and give them credit for their ability to change in real life, too.

“We Old Ones always live on. ... In your human body, do you still remember what it feels like to be immortal, to do what we must to remain so?
- from my short story "Dark Secrets"
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