It’s not learning a skill when you just press a button, but the economic and social pressure to use it (and to rapidly iterate low effort content) is intense. Here’s my hot take on writers and other creatives using generative A.I. to package and promote their otherwise high effort human endeavors.
Whether professional or amateur, sci-fi and fantasy writers rarely finish the epic series they start. Abby explores the reasons why authors abandon their series, having run that gauntlet herself, as well as having studied the craft for over twenty years.
Here’s why extreme culture clashes make for such compelling storytelling, with epic heroes, crazy villains, and powerful action-based plots. The best sci-fi and fantasy books include conquest or extreme first contact situations. So does historical nonfiction, particularly the Age of Exploration and the Spanish Conquistadors.
Abby pays a lot of attention to the sci-fi & fantasy publishing industry, over 20+ years of taking writing seriously. Here’s her take on the latest controversy among indie authors who write progression fantasy, litRPG, isekai, superhero, wuxia, and web serials.
This London-based urban fantasy book series by Benedict Jacka is right up there with Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones in terms of dramatic tension, escalating stakes, and character interactions. Definitely in Abby’s top ten book series of all time. EXCELLENT.
The Alex Verus series starts with Fated by Benedict Jacka.
Our entire global economy is bent around people’s passion for becoming creators. Strip away the financial and tech bro jargon, and this is the truth laid bare, as Abby sees it.
00:00 The global economy is driven by creative content (producers and consumers).
02:30 Not just professionals, also hobbyists.
03:02 Creatives are motivated to become influencers.
03:58 Creatives buy expensive computers and graphics cards and software and digital ads.
04:23 Students, midlife crisis adults, retirees… people underestimate the vast numbers of dabblers.
06:02 And then there’s the self-help gurus and scammers incentivizing creatives. 06:31 Examples of how amateur creatives prop up the megacap companies.
07:32 Everybody wants to be a creator. Is this sustainable?
I’m ramping up my AuthorTube & BookTube channel with more frequent video posts. While I’m at it, here’s a preview of the browser MMO game my husband is solo developing, First Earth, with a lot of the 3D artwork provided by me!
First Earth is a work in progress, not a final product.
Abby dissects the motives behind the popular writing mantra: Write To Market, and speaks in defense of creativity and originality.
- 00:00 Does “write to market” mean writing to trend?
- 00:42 Why popular tropes and trends matter for visibility and discoverability as an author.
- 01:33 Why Abby values originality and groundbreaking fiction.
- 03:06 Why it’s hard to sell cross-genre, off-meta, conceptually original fiction.
- 03:49 Why popularity algorithms have a chilling effect on creativity.
- 05:12 Why you should risk being unapologetically creative even though the tide is against you.
Book fans hate the show with good reason. The Wheel of Time TV show could have been SO MUCH BETTER.
- 00:00 Abby’s credentials as a bona fide Wheel of Time fan.
- 01:04 The root of the show’s failure: they forgot to make the main characters compelling and likable.
- 02:29 It wasn’t just the inaccuracies.
- 03:18 The most generous interpretation of the show’s fan base, from Abby’s perspective.
- 03:52 Bad adaption cases in point.
- 04:35 A better Wheel of Time remake is within the realm of possibility.
- 04:57 Low quality sets, costumes, and visual effects were part of the problem.
- 06:01 They got the vibe of the series wrong. It was never grimdark.
- 06:50 Abby’s season 1 watch experience.
- 07:26 Why Game of Thrones was so much more successful as a show.
- Here’s Abby’s Wheel of Time fan site.
- Abby discusses Wheel of Prime Season 1 with three other authors on the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast, hosted by Wired Magazine.
- Abby speaking on Robert Jordan’s influence.
Abby walks through each step of the process, from arranging the graphics to easily folding the 8.5×11 paper.
Fold a sheet of paper into a cool little zine, otherwise known as a mini comic booklet! Abby makes her own zines at home with Photoshop (although any graphics program will do), scissors, a stapler, and a black and white LaserJet printer. From template to finished mini comic.
She gives these away for free at her vendor booth table during conventions and book festivals.
© 2025 Abby Goldsmith DBA Fiery Press