I write very short, conversational essays on fiction, media, and publishing. They’re written from the perspective of a storyteller, not an academic, and they try to be accessible to everybody.
Read them by signing up for Unreality Effect, my newsletter. Every month you’ll get an email with some thoughts on fiction — and links to any new fiction or poetry I’ve published lately.
If you sign up, the first thing you get in your inbox is a free short story, “Seven Needles Glinting.”
Recent essays
Exposition is the voice of speculation
I’ve had exposition on my mind lately. I’ve been thinking about how to write exposition well, but I’ve also been questioning how we talk about exposition, trying to figure out what that reveals about the contemporary craft of speculative fiction. Exposition is linked to style. In some corners of the SFF world, it’s held as…
Keep readingThe idea of a forest
It’s natural for fictional environments to be reflections of other fictional environments. But the ceaseless re-inscription of the same landscapes into the genre’s fabric has led to a curious flattening effect. The unruly physicality of the real world is smushed into a handful of tired images, their enchantment dulled from overuse. A towering oak, a…
Keep readingThe mystery of the mystery plot
The old adage goes like this: “In a good mystery, the reader should have all the clues they need to solve the mystery.” I’m no longer sure that’s true.
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Shaoni C. White 