https://peevishpenman.com/articles Articles on writing, science fiction, history, consciousness, technology, publishing, and unusual questions worth investigating in the world of speculative fiction. en-us https://peevishpenman.com/articles/antagonists-are-people-too https://peevishpenman.com/articles/antagonists-are-people-too Ariel Ceylan shares six things to keep in mind when creating the most crucial character in your book: the antagonist, who is a real person too. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/break-it-down-to-build-it-up https://peevishpenman.com/articles/break-it-down-to-build-it-up Molly Field on getting unstuck: write what you mean in short hits, let it flow, step away to draw something, and fall back on the five Ws. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/clancy-gets-away-with-it https://peevishpenman.com/articles/clancy-gets-away-with-it Linda Yezak, a huge Tom Clancy fan, on the writing rules The Bear and the Dragon breaks (too many settings, too many names, head-hopping) and why the ride is worth it anyway. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/im-a-premise-writer https://peevishpenman.com/articles/im-a-premise-writer Rob Hines on being a Premise Writer, someone with a billion ideas and very few finished stories, and why outlining is the cure. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/serve-the-story https://peevishpenman.com/articles/serve-the-story Clark Brooks delivers the best writing advice he ever got, from his acting days, with the speed, wit and candor of a stand-up comic: serve the story. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/tell-me-a-big-lie https://peevishpenman.com/articles/tell-me-a-big-lie Types of lies, why people believe them, the big lie, and eleven ways to show a character is lying—a writer's guide to deception and broken trust in fiction. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-four-ps-of-procrastination https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-four-ps-of-procrastination Cecilia Dominic on why she puts off writing: personality, time perception, process issues and perfectionism, plus the four D's she uses to fight back. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/tips-to-name-your-characters https://peevishpenman.com/articles/tips-to-name-your-characters C. Patrick Schulze shares fifteen tips for naming the characters in your novel, from medieval surnames and Civil War cemeteries to why you should skip the alliteration. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/too-many-ideas https://peevishpenman.com/articles/too-many-ideas Morgan Barnhart on suffering from Too Many Ideas, and the whiteboard trick that gets every idea out of your head and into plain sight so you can pick one and write. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/write-what-you-know https://peevishpenman.com/articles/write-what-you-know Kendra Redman on why "write what you know" is limiting advice, and what to do instead: really live your life, add imagination, read everything, and write. Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/10-modern-books-for-fans-of-isaac-asimov https://peevishpenman.com/articles/10-modern-books-for-fans-of-isaac-asimov Robots, impossible civilizations, troublesome ideas, and a few independent authors who deserve a place on your bookshelf. Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 speculativefiction writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/first-robots-in-fiction https://peevishpenman.com/articles/first-robots-in-fiction Was Frankenstein’s creature the first robot in science fiction? Tik-Tok, Čapek, the golem and a long line of automata say the answer is much older and messier. Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 speculativefiction technology hiddenhistories https://peevishpenman.com/articles/inner-alchemy-bain-marie https://peevishpenman.com/articles/inner-alchemy-bain-marie From Taoist immortals and Egyptian metallurgists to medieval laboratories and the invention of the bain-marie, alchemy has been quietly influencing the modern world for thousands of years. Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000 hiddenhistories cosmology consciousness technology https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-ruler https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-ruler From Horatio Hornblower to Captain Janeway to Red Reznikov: the archetype of leadership, and why the Ruler's power is a relationship, not a possession. Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft archetypes https://peevishpenman.com/articles/newton-alchemist https://peevishpenman.com/articles/newton-alchemist The father of modern physics wrote about a million words on alchemy. Why we forgot, and what inner alchemy says about experience science still can’t measure. Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 hiddenhistories cosmology consciousness anomalousphenomena https://peevishpenman.com/articles/perfect-murder-editing-screenplay https://peevishpenman.com/articles/perfect-murder-editing-screenplay Your script consultant says cut 25 pages. Screenwriter Jeanne V. Bowerman shares eleven ways to edit a screenplay with a serial killer's efficiency, and leave no fingerprints. Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft editing https://peevishpenman.com/articles/reader-comments-honest-open-immediate https://peevishpenman.com/articles/reader-comments-honest-open-immediate Blogger Kelly DeBie on anonymous blog comments, Facebook debates, and why the instant, honest feedback of online publishing keeps her writing. Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/success-is-a-process https://peevishpenman.com/articles/success-is-a-process Why finishing a book can feel scarier than starting one, and how shy writers can turn the last page into a first step toward readers, with advice from Jody Aberdeen and Rob Hines. Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/everyone-runs-on-faith https://peevishpenman.com/articles/everyone-runs-on-faith Ancient people weren't less intelligent, just less informed. On volcanoes, the problem of induction, and why faith in science resembles medieval faith. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 hiddenhistories cosmology consciousness https://peevishpenman.com/articles/what-was-the-holy-grail https://peevishpenman.com/articles/what-was-the-holy-grail The first Grail story never calls it holy or even clearly a cup. How a golden serving dish became the cup of Christ—and what that teaches writers about myth. Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 hiddenhistories worldbuilding writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/buy-artwork-from-family-or-friends https://peevishpenman.com/articles/buy-artwork-from-family-or-friends A painter's survival guide to being asked for free murals: what commissioning art actually costs in skill, time, and materials. Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/on-being-happy https://peevishpenman.com/articles/on-being-happy A meditation on a father's turbulent past and peaceful present, painted in sailboats and calm seas, and what his happiness taught his daughter. Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/post-apocalyptic-or-postapocalyptic https://peevishpenman.com/articles/post-apocalyptic-or-postapocalyptic A tongue-in-cheek case for dropping the hyphen from "post-apocalyptic"—and why search engines and plain laziness might matter more than the rulebook. Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 speculativefiction worldbuilding writingcraft grammarstyle https://peevishpenman.com/articles/what-the-knights-templar-found https://peevishpenman.com/articles/what-the-knights-templar-found A documentary said the Knights Templar dug up brotherhood beneath the Temple Mount. I think they found Asherah, the Canaanite Queen of Heaven. Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 hiddenhistories https://peevishpenman.com/articles/love-of-money-self-publication https://peevishpenman.com/articles/love-of-money-self-publication From cash-paid pizza murals to Amazon candles, an indie author weighs what self-publishing earns per hour against what books keep. Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft independentpublishing https://peevishpenman.com/articles/ontology-of-ether https://peevishpenman.com/articles/ontology-of-ether Cosmology, consciousness, and unseen forces in The Bright Dark, with a creation story from the world after the apocalypse. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 cosmology worldbuilding consciousness anomalousphenomena https://peevishpenman.com/articles/authority-of-authors https://peevishpenman.com/articles/authority-of-authors Author and authority share a Latin root: someone who causes something to exist. A look at who controls the narrative and the power writers wield on the page. Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-magician https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-magician From Merlin's hidden knowledge to Frankenstein's overreach to Ren's inner alchemy: the archetype of transformation, and why good and evil were never the point. Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft archetypes consciousness cosmology worldbuilding https://peevishpenman.com/articles/confirmed-independent-publisher https://peevishpenman.com/articles/confirmed-independent-publisher A librarian-turned-writer looks back at a bookmobile patron, a fake reptilian finance book, and five years of false starts before going independent. Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft independentpublishing https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-everyman https://peevishpenman.com/articles/the-everyman From Pearson's "Realist" to medieval morality plays to Samwise Gamgee: the archetype of continuity, and why writers keep mistaking ordinary for unimportant. Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft archetypes worldbuilding https://peevishpenman.com/articles/wasteland https://peevishpenman.com/articles/wasteland Merriam-Webster says a wasteland is barren and spiritually arid. So why does the word feel so good to write? A dig through etymology, Chernobyl, and 1838 law. Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 speculativefiction hiddenhistories https://peevishpenman.com/articles/closed-eye-visualizations https://peevishpenman.com/articles/closed-eye-visualizations Exploring closed-eye visualizations in meditation, from subtle patterns to vivid imagery: a personal account of CEVs, their neuroscience, and inner alchemy. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 consciousness anomalousphenomena https://peevishpenman.com/articles/i-wrote-this-post-in-vr https://peevishpenman.com/articles/i-wrote-this-post-in-vr A sci-fi author tries to write inside a Meta Quest 3, fails through every "obvious" input method, and ends up with a grudging respect for the tech. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 technology writingcraft https://peevishpenman.com/articles/nine-parts-of-speech-f-word https://peevishpenman.com/articles/nine-parts-of-speech-f-word A shamelessly profane grammar lesson proving that one very specific word can stand in for all nine parts of speech. Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 writingcraft grammarstyle