“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 invites you to get in touch with any questions that are niggling you about your science fiction writing. 

ABOUT THE HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST

The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers and get curious about the future of humanity.

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Beth Barany, an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist, teaches novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor.

RESOURCES

FOR CREATIVE WRITING PROFESSIONALS - BUILD YOUR BUSINESS SERVING WRITERS

Sign up to be notified when our training opens and get a short Creative Business Style Quiz to help you create success.

https://bethbarany.com/apprenticeship/

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2026 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“ 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 professionally—so your submissions stand out and your interests align.

RESOURCES

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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 and a bit about her own writing journey. 

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

GET SOME FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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 you’re deep into writing the rough draft and how to take the necessary steps, depending on whether you’re a plotter or a panster.

In this episode:

• Gain insight into how to handle plot holes
• Tips to help you solve the problems in your story development

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

GET SOME FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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 creating a safe writing space and how to create a routine that will help you progress daily in your WIP. 

ABOUT THE HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST

The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. 

Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers and get curious about the future of humanity.

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

GET SOME FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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 your spark going. Together, they explore how life’s chaos can actually fuel creativity and compare how artists in the past and today respond to turbulent times.

ABOUT CATHARINE BRAMKAMP

Catharine Bramkamp is a successful writing coach, Chief Storytelling Officer, former co-producer of Newbie Writers Podcast, and author of a dozen books including the Real Estate Diva Mysteries series, and The Future Girls series. She holds two degrees in English and is an adjunct university professor. After fracturing her wrist, she has figured out there is very little she is able to do with one hand tied behind her back. She delights in inspiring her readers.

Website: https://catharine-bramkamp.com/

Catharine Bramkamp books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Catharine-Bramkamp/author/B009NI5CN0

Real Estate Diva Mystery Series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0843TJ54Y

Future Girl: https://www.amazon.com/Future-Girls-Changing-harder-looks-ebook/dp/B07NDF21Y8

RESOURCES

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE - Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

GET FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST - Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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 tradeoffs creators face as tech evolves.

• Why ethical AI matters for writers and readers
• What “clean AI” means: trained on your work and public‑domain classics
• Craft meets tech: worldbuilding across book, short film, and Roblox
• Practical questions around indemnification, settlements, and building responsibly

ABOUT ABIGAIL HING WEN

Abigail Hing Wen is an author, film producer and director as well as former tech executive. She is the New York Times best selling author of multiple novels for young people, including Loveboat, Taipei, which has been adapted as the movie Love in Taipei, now on Netflix. Abigail served as an executive producer and on set during production. Abigail is directing her first short film starring Lea Salonga, a prequel to her middle grade debut THE VALE, coming September 2025, and featuring an inventor family that builds an AI generated virtual world. She serves on the board of Harvardwood and as a judge for the 2025 Golden Trailer Awards recognizing the industry’s most outstanding film trailers.

Abigail is a frequent keynote speaker for young people, including Y’Allfest, US Presidential Scholars, and the Los Altos High Writer's Week, as well as libraries, colleges, schools and bookstores around the country. She’s also given keynotes and fireside chats for the National Conference of State Legislatures, Meta, Google, Paramount, Paypal and other companies, and spoken on panels at SDCC, LACC, LA Times Festival of Books and ALA.

Website: www.abigailhingwen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigailhingwen/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/search?q=abigailhingwen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abi

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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, where they explore his upcoming exciting projects, including a feature film with his brother and his new novel. They also dive into using deep POV to create characters that are emotionally compelling to draw a reader into the author's world and share advice for writers working on film adaptations.

ABOUT LAWRENCE C. CONNOLLY

Lawrence C. Connolly’s books include the collections This Way to Egress, whose titular tale of psychological horror was adapted for the Mick Garris film Nightmare Cinema; and the Bram-Stoker-nominated Voices, which features Connolly’s best stories from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Twilight Zone, Year’s Best Horror, and other top magazines and anthologies of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. 

A third collection, Visions, was praised by Publishers Weekly for featuring an eclectic mix of “entertaining and satisfying” SF. 

His novels include the eco-thrillers Veins, Vipers, and Vortex. World Fantasy Award winner T. E. D. Klein called Veins “a crime thriller as intense and fast-moving as a Tarantino movie.” 

This fall, Caezik Science Fiction will release his new novel Minute-Men: Execute & Run, a globetrotting adventure that combines elements of military science fiction, gaming, and medical suspense in a thrilling reinvention of the superhero genre. He is collaborating with brother Christopher Connolly and Academy Award-winning producer Jonathan Sanger to develop a feature film based on Execute & Run. 

He is also the writer of Mystery Theatre, a podcast produced by Prime Stage Theatre, who premiered his adaptation of Frankenstein in 2022. 

His newset commission, a play based on the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, opens in November 2025 at Pittsburgh’s New Hazelett Theatre.

More at MinuteMenNovel.com. 

Website: https://lawrencecconnolly.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawrence.c.connolly.9

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawrence_c_connolly/

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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 of “new journalism” started and they discuss how to portray monsters in their novels that leave their readers guessing whether they’re good or evil, how to craft stories with emotional resonance, and the power of a writing community. 

ABOUT RANDEE DAWN

Randee Dawn is a Brooklyn-based author and veteran entertainment journalist. In 2025, she has two dark rock n' roll fantasies being published through Arc Manor/Caezik: The Only Song Worth Singing (April), and Leave No Trace (September).

Born in Virginia, raised in Maryland, she's now based in Brooklyn with her spouse and never enough mangoes.

Website: https://randeedawn.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRandeeDawn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randeedawn/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randeedawn/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@randee.dawn

RESOURCES

RELATED EPISODE: Monsters and Humanity in Fiction with Surekha Davies https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061/episodes/18046744-177-monsters-and-humanity-in-fiction-with-surekha-davies

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

GET SOME FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

“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 as boundary-markers for humanity, and how writer’s can apply an historian’s perspective on monsters to deepen their storytelling. 

ABOUT SUREKHA DAVIES

Surekha Davies is a historian of science, art, and ideas, a speaker, and a monster consultant for TV, film and radio. She is the author of "Humans: A Monstrous History" just out from the University of California Press, and writes the free newsletter, "Strange and Wondrous: Notes From a Science Historian." Her first book, "Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human: New Worlds, Maps and Monsters," won the Morris D. Forkosch Prize for the best first book in intellectual history from the Journal of the History of Ideas and the Roland H. Bainton Prize in History and Theology. Her work has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, Nature, Science, and Aeon Magazine.

For a free excerpt from HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY sign up for my newsletter, "Strange and Wondrous": https://buttondown.com/surekhadavies

Website: https://www.surekhadavies.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surekhadavies/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/surekha-davies-53711753/

Mastodon: https://hcommons.social/@surekhadavies

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/drsurekhadavies.bsky.social

RESOURCES

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

GET SOME FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
• EDITORIAL SUPPORT by Iman Llompart

c. 2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbara

Questions? Comments? Send us a text!

---

For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what? Are you ready to edit your novel? If you're not sure, then get this checklist and video series and find out! => https://bethbarany.com/htwtfreadytoedit

Want to be interviewed on the podcast?
Email us!

CONNECT WITH BETH

• via email
• via LinkedIn

CREDITS
EDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465