Category Archives: writing craft

SF Worldbuilding Techniques

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Victoria Janssen

While writing Finding Refuge, I revisited various science fiction worldbuilding techniques I’d learned from years of reading the genre, listening to writers, and of course practicing them myself. One of my most important goals is allowing the reader to be … Continue reading →

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Romancing the Beast – Embracing Monstrousness in Romantic SFF

Posted on September 23, 2022 by Victoria Janssen

I have a post up at the SFWA blog: Romancing the Beast – Embracing Monstrousness in Romantic SFF. Because the Romance genre is based on plot structure, it can easily be merged with a Speculative Fiction setting. Magical secondary worlds, … Continue reading →

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2021 Guest Posts

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Victoria Janssen

My 2021 Guest Post Round-Up: Sapphic Book Club gave me an Author Spotlight in December; I wrote about SF Worldbuilding Techniques. I Heart Lesfic’s Project Kindness hosted a blog post from me on December 3, about growing closer to my … Continue reading →

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Love is in the Details: Crooked Hearts by Patricia Gaffney

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Victoria Janssen

I was a late convert to Patricia Gaffney’s novels. I’m not sure how that happened; back when I first became interested in romance novels, in the mid-1990s, I deliberately sought out classic novels in the genre. Perhaps in my catching … Continue reading →

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The Mechanics of Research Into Writing

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Victoria Janssen

This post is a tidier version of a talk I gave to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society in October, 2012. The purpose was to give some concrete examples of how my research reading finds its way into my fiction. I … Continue reading →

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Some Practical Worldbuilding Techniques

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Victoria Janssen

I recently was asked about worldbuilding. To answer the question, I wrote up a list of techniques I’ve used, and seen used, that I thought would be generally helpful, whether you’re writing historical fiction or speculative fiction (or even fiction … Continue reading →

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Analyzing Antryg

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Victoria Janssen

I recently re-read one of my favorite trilogies by Barbara Hambly, the Windrose Chronicles. Partly I did so for enjoyment, partly because I intended to blog about the experience (My Heroes & Heartbreakers post). This read, I also wanted to … Continue reading →

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On Getting Away with Cliché

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Victoria Janssen

After a small hiatus from the genre, I started reading romance novels again in December, and I have some new thoughts. The reason for my burnout: the constraints of the genre had palled. Instead of soothing through familiarity, they scraped … Continue reading →

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Writing (Erotic) Short Fiction – FAQ

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

In the depths of my website are some useful articles I wrote. I thought I would reproduce this one here, out front. Short Fiction FAQ Establishing yourself as a writer of short fiction can pay a little money and, more … Continue reading →

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Myers-Briggs Characterization

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

If you missed it on Friday, at The Criminal Element I chatted about Maria Duenas’ novel The Time in Between. And now, fun with personality tests! If you’re ever feeling at a loss about a character – either one you’ve … Continue reading →

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