Author Archives: Victoria Janssen

About Victoria Janssen

Victoria Janssen [she, her] currently writes cozy space opera for Kalikoi. The novella series A Place of Refuge begins with Finding Refuge: Telepathic warrior Talia Avi, genius engineer Miki Boudreaux, and augmented soldier Faigin Balfour fought the fascist Federated Colonies for ten years, following the charismatic dissenter Jon Churchill. Then Jon disappeared, Talia was thought dead, and Miki and Faigin struggled to take Jon’s place and stay alive. When the FC is unexpectedly upended, Talia is reunited with her friends and they are given sanctuary on the enigmatic planet Refuge. The trio of former guerillas strive to recover from lifetimes of trauma, build new lives on a planet with endless horizons, and forge tender new connections with each other.

Elements Critique

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

A writer friend once commented that sometimes she needed a critique on plot and sometimes she needed a critique on character. And I think she was absolutely right. Characters make plot, of course. And plot affects character, giving them things … Continue reading →

Posted in writing craft | 3 Comments

Writing Emotion

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

This post is more questions than answers. I’ve been thinking about what makes some fiction so much more satisfying to read than other fiction, aside from factors such as story elements one loves, a well-constructed plot, and elegant prose style. … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, writing craft | 11 Comments

Unrealistic Dialogue

Posted on April 19, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

It’s a pretty common observation that dialogue in a story is unrealistic. There are all sorts of linguistic studies that relate to “real life” dialogue. Here’s a pretty good introduction to sociolonguistics, for example. One of the things I learned … Continue reading →

Posted in writing craft | 2 Comments

Geoffrey Faber, "Home Service"

Posted on April 18, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Home Service “At least it wasn’t your fault” I hear them console When they come back, the few that will come back. I feel those handshakes now. “Well, on the whole You didn’t miss much. I wish I had your … Continue reading →

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Wilfred Wilson Gibson, "Back"

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Back They ask me where I’ve been,And what I’ve done and seen.But what can I replyWho know it wasn’t I,But someone just like me,Who went across the seaAnd with my head and handsKilled men in foreign lands…Though I must bear … Continue reading →

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Slow Writers Anonymous

Posted on April 16, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

At the 2003 WisCon, there was a panel about “Slow Writers.” I’ve been thinking about it again, and thought it would be a good thing to post in my blog. This post is comprised of my distilled memories of the … Continue reading →

Posted in conferences, writing, writing process | 15 Comments

The Long and the Short of It

Posted on April 15, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

How do we decide a length for our stories? I think a lot of it has to do with the stories themselves.A friend of mine used to say that novels didn’t adapt as well into feature films as short stories … Continue reading →

Posted in short fiction, writing, writing craft | 5 Comments

Turn Your Writing Topsy-Turvy

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

In Jane Yolen’s Take Joy: A Writer’s Guide to Loving the Craft, she writes, “When we force ourselves to go topsy-turvy, we can see anew what is on the page,” (p. 49).She suggests taking a single chapter and re-reading the … Continue reading →

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For Love or Money?

Posted on April 13, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

This post grew out of a discussion at one of my favorite blogs, Read React Review, specifically this post, “At What Point in the Writing Process Do Writers Think About What Will Sell?” Comments in italics are from Jessica, who … Continue reading →

Posted in business of writing, writing process | 12 Comments

History as Fantasy

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

In many ways, writing historical fiction is like writing fantasy. And reading historical fiction is like reading fantasy. In one genre, you have to look up a lot of tiny details to make the reader accept that the world they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, reading, sf/f | 4 Comments