Home For Fiction – Blog

for thinking people


home for fiction

Gothic Meter: Computer Analysis of Gothic, Horror, Science Fiction, and Dark Fantasy

March 1, 2021

If all this sounds familiar, you’re right! I’ve talked about this before, but there’s a crucial difference now. I’m giving you a chance to try it for yourself! Introducing Gothic Meter, a program that takes a text and not only tells you whether it falls within the wider Gothic sphere (Gothic, horror, dark fantasy, or science fiction), but also how and why.

This is an invaluable tool for an author, for reasons that will become evident in this post.

In a nutshell, Gothic Meter is a result of my academic-level familiarity with and knowledge of the Gothic. Everything I know about the Gothic, from the role of the supernatural to ambiguity, and from the sublime to the role of time, has found its use in this program.

Let’s see how; and let’s see why you should care.

gothic meter
Gothic Meter, among other things, helps us see how the elements contributing to a text evolve during the narrative
(more…)

Announcing the Home for Fiction Patreon Page

October 26, 2020

Note: Years have passed, things regarding Home for Fiction have changed, and so the text below is irrelevant. If you discovered it accidentally, consider it purely a snapshot of history.

Quite some time ago, I posted a survey with some questions related to premium content for Home for Fiction. It took me a while to ponder on it and decide on the details, but here it is: the Home for Fiction Patreon page!

Take everything you know about the Home for Fiction blog and supercharge it. The Home for Fiction Patreon page offers premium content such as:

  • early access to blog post drafts.
  • writing resources and media (tools, checklists, tutorials, presentations, programs, etc).
  • workshop courses, where you can try my writing tips with exercises.
  • personal feedback on your own novel or short story.
  • …and more!

But there’s also an important thing to keep in mind…

home for fiction patreon
“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” — George Orwell
(more…)

New Book Announcement (with a Twist in the Plot)

May 19, 2020

Yes, I have a new book to announce; yes, there is a twist in the plot. But no, there is no twist in the book’s plot! In fact, the book has no plot.

It doesn’t have characters, either.

The twist in the plot in announcing this new book is that it’s a nonfiction book.

I don’t know what kind of demon drove me – refer to George Orwell’s quote decorating the main page of Home for Fiction – but I decided to write a complete guide on writing quality fiction.

The result – somewhat anticlimactically, after the previous sentence – is The Complete Writer: a Guide to Writing Better Fiction.

the complete writer
Clicking on the photo (or on this link) takes you to the Amazon page, where you can read a free preview and purchase The Complete Writer. If you can’t afford the book and look to get it for free, keep reading this post
(more…)