How To Write The Future

“For me, writing fiction is a place of play. 

So, yeah, that Aha came to me recently and I thought, okay, I need to dedicate myself to just playing with fiction for the next few days or the next few weeks, not taking everything so seriously. 

Just have some more fun.”

How do you get unstuck in your writing? 

How can you make the process more fun? 

These are a couple of the questions How To Write the Future host, Beth Barany ask you in t...

“I think that if you sit on the sidelines and you choose to ignore these tools, you have no chance to compete in this new marketplace. You have no chance. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. These tools can help you do structure, do deep thinking, do critical thinking very quickly and very, very good, and you're gonna be competing with very hungry writers that wanna learn craft, that have incredible tools in their hands.” —Ana de...

“ I really recommend you write your book anyway. Let it be as messy and chaotic as first drafts are.” - Beth Barany

Hooking a reader in at the beginning without overwhelming them with information is essential, which is why in this How To Write the Future podcast episode, “World-Building Without Information Dumping” host Beth Barany breaks down how to draw your reader in by starting with your main character’s perspective, introducing...

“Do your research, read widely in the genre, and don't limit yourself to strict rules; go ahead and create something new. That would be cool.” - Beth Barany

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, “Fantasy Steampunk: Do You Need Magic?” host Beth Barany answers a listener's question on whether magic is needed as an element to a steampunk novel. 

She dives into how to understand what genre you are writing, how ...

“By setting in this case, we are getting the scope of the world. We are learning the rules of magic in this story.” — Beth Barany

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, titled “Decode The Obsidian Tower's Setting,” host Beth Barany analyzes The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso, showing you exactly how she works as a developmental editor and coach. You'll discover how character voice hooks readers, how setting cre...

“Go ahead and base your sci-fi entirely on your own imagination, whatever science that you want to integrate into your story. And make it feel real.“ —Beth Barany

How Much Science in Your Sci-Fi Stories? 

That’s the question from a listener Beth Barany is answering in this How To Write the Future podcast episode. 

She answers whether you can base your novel entirely on your imagination, whether studying science is necessary, plus she ...

“ It's essentially a marketplace. You want to shop around. You want to make sure that this person has a good reputation and you want to talk off the record in confidence with other writers.”

— Beth Barany

Finished your novel and ready to land a literary agent? In this How To Write the Future episode, Beth Barany shares how to research reputable agents, start smart conversations with fellow writers, evaluate fit, and communicate ...

“Learning how to write fiction-- most people never learn in school, so we're learning as adults and therefore we're gonna have a huge learning curve.” - Beth Barany

In this How to Write the Future podcast episode, “Writing Consistently: Facts and Myths,” host Beth Barany shares the common misconceptions about writing consistently, plus tips on how to find the rhythm of writing that suits and works for your writing style an...

“It's hard to fix a manuscript that is not yet finished. 

This is what I counsel all of my clients and people who might want to work with me is write the whole first draft because there's something that brought you to the story.” - Beth Barany

In this How To Write the Future episode, “How to Handle Plot Holes Effectively,” host Beth Barany answers a listener's question on how to handle your story's plot holes when...

“In my opinion, the cure for writer's block is writing -- pure and simple.” - Beth Barany

Do you wonder why you’re not writing and wish you were? 

Then listen to “Writer's Block: Five Steps Forward,” the latest How To Write the Future podcast episode, where host and writing teacher, Beth Barany, shares five steps forward that you can put into action to help with your writer’s block. 

Plus, she shares the importance of creati...

“I am currently deeply involved with the process and the importance of creativity in the second half of life.” - Catherine Bramkamp

In this episode of How To Write the Future, “Writing Through Chaos: Creativity and Resilience with Catharine Bramkamp,” host Beth Barany chats with fellow writing and creativity coach Catharine Bramkamp. Catharine dives into why creativity matters in the second half of life and shares resources to keep ...

“I try to write worlds that I believe are attainable and that I think we can aspire towards.” - Abigail Hing Wen

In this future‑forward episode of How To Write The Future, host Beth Barany chats with author‑filmmaker Abigail Hing Wen about The Vale — a middle‑grade fantasy where a family builds a clean, AI‑generated virtual world. They get into why ethical AI matters for storytellers, what “clean AI” looks like, and the real‑world t...

“Written from the point of view of one character and then another scene from the another character. Now, we would never shift point of view within a scene, but each scene, each segment of the book is from a different point of view.” - Lawrence Connolly

In this How To Write the Future episode, “Building Character-Driven Action Adventure Stories with Lawrence Connolly,” podcast host Beth Barany interviews author Lawrence Connolly, whe...

“I love plot, I love character, and I just feel like the colors are bolder and brighter and there's more to work with when I'm writing about science fiction and fantasy.” - Randee Dawn

In this How To Write the Future episode, “Future Fantasy, Real-World Resilience with Randee Dawn,” podcast host Beth Barany interviews Brooklyn-based author and veteran entertainment journalist Randee Dawn, where Randee shares how her love o...

“It all started with too much Star Trek, although you could say that that's a lie because there is never too much Star Trek.” - Surekha Davies

In the latest How To Write the Future podcast, titled “Monsters and Humanity in Fiction with Surekha Davies,” host Beth Barany talks to science and art historian, monster consultant, and author, Surekha Davies. Together they discuss why understanding monsters matters, how they function a...

“So the habits of mind are: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. So that's a whole lot of terms. Metacognition is typically the one where people go, huh, I don't know what you're talking about. So that's the one that I wanna talk about. It is also one of the ones that I think is foundational to all the rest.” - Bailey Lang

In this How To Write t...

“I am a horrible little goblin like that, and it's just what happens. So I have to trick myself and the ways that I trick myself are to really let myself see what I want to create.” - LA Bourgeois

About this episode

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, host Beth Barany, talks to Kaizen Muse Certified Creativity Coach, end of life doula, and author LA Bourgeois where they define the meaning behind a creativity coach, ...

“I'm not asking for everybody to center queer characters in their narratives in world-building, which would be nice, actually, you know, as nice as that would be.

But just to include us and to show that we exist and in whatever ways are appropriate in your world, whether that is a more like marginal existence in some worlds.” - Chad Grayson

In this episode on the How To Write the Future podcast, “Seamless Queer Characters in Fan...

“Your biggest challenge is how to start, how to overcome confusion and overwhelm, and maybe how to overcome some procrastination.” - Beth Barany

Revisit an informative, positive, and uplifting episode with host Beth Barany to help “Your Story World Diagnosis: What Stage Are You In?” where she will share the five stages of story world building, including common world-building challenges and how to overcome them.

In this episode, you w...