#57: Worldbuilding with Neologisms and "Box-Words"

Hello friends! A few bits of news before I get to this month’s craft essay:

First, next month will bring the year’s final live Zoom lecture for paid subscribers! It’s been such a pleasure hosting these, and I look forward to continuing to do so in 2026. We’ve picked earlier topics by poll, and every time the runner-up has been a talk on the book publishing process, which I know has disappointed some readers. So let’s make that the December offering! Maybe it’ll be a good way to set some goals for 2026. On Tuesday, December 2, at 7pm ET, I’ll offer an overview the publishing process from start to finish, including specific tips on finding agents, writing query letters, and otherwise approaching publishers, as well as what happens once the book has been accepted. As always, the lecture is open to anyone who becomes a paid subscriber before that date, and a recording it will be available afterward, in case you can’t make it.

Second, the ASU Worldbuilding Initiative finishes its year this Wednesday with “Resistance in Speculative Fiction and Beyond”! Our speakers will use speculative thinking, literary criticism, and fiction writing to explore what resistance looks like in both our real world and in the imagined worlds that reflect our reality. They will introduce new modes of resistance thinking—including what Jenna Hanchey terms “liquid resistance” in African speculative fiction—as well as trouble the word “resistance” itself: Who is doing the resisting in our world, and what and who is their resistance aimed at? How and when do we choose to flex our individual and collective power to make the world better for ourselves and for others—and when and why do we sometimes choose to “resist” seeing the plights of others, despite the moral imperative to fight against oppression, genocide, and other forms of mass suffering?Our speakers will be sci-fi writers and scholars Jenna Hanchey and Tanvir Ahmed, who have both given great talks for earlier installments of the series. The event is free and open to the public, including by livestream. Register here!

Finally, my “Revision, Rewriting, and Re-Visioning Writing Retreat” on the Greek island of Zakynthos still has a few slots still available! If you’ve got a novel or memoir you’re working on and will be ready to revise or rewrite next summer, this might be a great fit for you. More info can be found at ...