Marieke Lexmond On How To Create Compelling Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories

…Confidence in your own writing voice. I followed many writing courses, and every time I tried to commit to what was taught. One time I did a course in which the assignment was, “Do the most extreme thing you can think of.” In my story, everybody turned into aliens. I got a reprimand as that was not what he meant. Unfortunately, I was still very insecure and vulnerable as a writer then, which set me back. After that, I didn’t write for a while, as I thought I was not good enough. It took me many years before I decided; this was MY process. We are all unique. It’s important to educate yourself, but you have to take from it what works for you rather than literally do what they tell you.

Science Fiction and Fantasy are hugely popular genres. What does it take for a writer today, to write compelling and successful Science Fiction and Fantasy stories? Authority…